This was to be a Lazy Sunday

I went to see what Deborah was Doing, and lo and behold there was the nicest looking loaf of bread staring me in the face....Soooooo Monkey see Monkey do :o)..I knew I couldn't rest without having a nice slice with melting butter...Cecil and I had our own private little cookout with Kielbasa and Sabretts on the grill...and I had a big pot of leftover beef soup that I wasn't going to waste..so a slice of homemade bread and the soup would be ideal for supper....
I haven't been blogging much these days ...been a little busy getting my Studio cleaned up a bit....I think I'm going to be quite busy soon...Weaving Classes start this week and I need to catch up.....

Cecil Gets the first Hunk

I tried to do something different with this loaf , I added some onion flakes and a half tablespoon of hot pepper .....It made it delicious, you can't see the pepper or the onions but you know it's there.. my nose is still running, ....with the A/C it seems to give me a chill every now and then, especially when you have "Hot Flashes"....seems a cold is always standing by..hope my Dr gets my message that I'm out of medicine soon or I'll just sweat away and dry up.....

The Pepsi Generation :o)

1. It's a dreary day here in NC and I needed something to cheer me up!
2. I'm celebrating the phenomenal speech that Michelle Obama made at the convention last night!
3. I'm celebrating the encouraging speech by Ted Kennedy at the convention last night!
4. Cecil didn't get to the store before it turned too dark for him to go!
5. I'm celebrating the beautiful Pepsi Convention Center that I probably own at least a couple of 2X4 and a chair with all the money I've spend through the years on their product.
6. I'm celebrating how long I've been without a Pepsi!
7. I'm celebrating how I'm such a strong woman, That I would have done without this Pepi if I wanted to!
8. I had to help some of those other people out there who drink so many Pepsi's , that If I drank one it would help because that's one less they didn't have to worry about:o)
9. I'm a grown woman now and I don't have to ask Mommy "can I" or my kids who think I'm their kid.
10. I think I gave enough excuses for drinking that Pepsi and it sure was good :o)
and if they aren't enough "Bite Me". Ginny B.

What a difference a Day Makes 24 little Hours

Looking at the almost finished side , you would never know it had been damaged, The men did a good job at close up range...The homeowner must be happy about having it done so quickly.. I'm sure the insurance companies aren't smiling :o)
..Sometimes we all have to pay a piper.

Leftover Garbage

This is the leftover garbage....I guess they will start working on the garage Friday, I don't think they will wait until next week since they finished off the side so quickly...unless they had to "order" a garage door.
any way it looks like a fast cleanup...

Tall and Short Decorative Grasses

While I was outside snapping the restoring of the damaged house I happened to look up and see how the Grasses have grown and wanted to share....
Decorative Grasses look beautiful inside and outside, there is another that would fit well with these ( my secret intentions :o) Cecil and I both love plants, and sometimes enough is enough, but when? In the end?

My how they have grown!

When we planted the tallest Grass, we thought we were getting the shorter one, that's what the label said, but the label was wrong!
It was a year before we knew.....I was determined to have the shorter one! so we put it right next to the tallest one....I didn't want to take the tallest one down, now I'm so glad I didn't ....they make lovely "houseplants" for decorations....I put sand in a planter and I'm able to stick them in where ever I choose :o) they look pretty, they don't need water and no bugs...Is that not a blessing..

All Closed Up to Protect from Weather

I passed later yesterday and noticed that the house was already protected from the weather ....and whatever else! and thought I'd take a picture first thing this morning to show you how fast things can be done.....
I was in my P.J's under a housedress ....and thought I'd better grab a picture before it was worked on ....and Lo and behold as I was snapping a truck pulled into the driveway and a couple of men got out....and I thought I was just in time..boy! I miss the Hibuscus bloom and almost missed this and I got up very early this morning like I had a job! ugh!

You saw it first ot Gingerbreads House

Cecil heard the noise when the truck hit the mailbox,and by the time he looked up the truck had entered the garage..and went thru the side of the house, he ran to help with another neighbor while yelling instucting the girl next door to call 911
He and the neighbor tried to open the passenger side door , but it was locked and they couldn't get him out...smoke was pouring out of the truck so badly they couldn't see...by that time the firemen were there and was able to take over...
As usual I've got the pictures A-- Backwards again!......I was excited to show you this news....
Thank goodness I got dressed this morning..instead of being in my usual attire P.J's
I was able to follow Cecil's knock and get the camera.....We ended up being News People...I tried to send the Pictures to the local news , but it was too difficult to send all I had and I had to write my name ...too much information to give before i could give....guess that keeps cranks away....

Lots of Activity on my Street Today

Sometimes you don't have to go too many steps for scenes of activity....it could happen right next door to you! and sometimes you can almost miss it......
I heard the noise,because I was in my Studio.....and I just thought it was Cecil fooling around with the garbage cans...or whatever else he was messing around doing while waiting for the bread machine to release the bread (first time I used the feature, it worked out fine , but It was an hour later than planned).

Firemen on the Scene

A mighty show of hands for these guys....they were there within 5 minutes if it took that long....and ready for any action....Yeah!

Person being carried on stretcher to Ambulance

The man being carried by stretcher to the ambulance....He was moving arms and legs so he was alive after all that...
UPDATE: You can't see the person being carried because the mailbox is blocking the view...I din't notice that when taking the picture..

Truck completely in garage and side

I'm glad we have a fire station within a couple of blocks....this could have blown up and we could have had a lot of problems here.

another view truck and side of house

Maybe if you click on it you can see it better

Truck Rams into garage

What a big mess this turned out to be for the home owners...The guy had a seizure and lost control or blacked out....From what we know he isn't hurt....he was moving his arms and legs when taken out of the truck

The Most Crappy Blueberrie Pie Ever

Talk about goofing up a Blueberry Pie< I take the Medal! (At least I've won something). I wasn't going to tell this one , but I just can't keep my big mouth shut when it's time to tell the truth...even if it hurts....I know most of you think I'm perfect ...(well, I'm almost :o) but just so you don't try to outdo me...I have to tell you ..the pie doesn't even look good....In my haste and anxiety ( I could almost taste the pie making it) I forgot first thing to add some baking powder to my crust..after using real butter and mixing by hand and timing the fridge bit ugh! then I didn't add enough "Stevia" for it to be real sweet...should have used two or three tablespoons< and while dipping lost count :o(ugh! to anxious again to get it right....then remembered once it was in the oven that I forgot to add Vanilla flavoring...So I had to add them to the splits in the pie....another ugh!
What a pie making failure this was and I even had a nice new pie dish :o(
Cecil said it tasted good to him!< (what does Mikey know , he loves to eat and doesn't want me to feel bad). Wish I had an excuse for such a failure, but I will quote "If you tried and have not won , Never stop for trying , for all the good is often done when one never cease from trying"

Being a Busy Bee

Staying busy sure takes up a lot of time .....and to rest ....you sit in front of the "Boob Tube" :o) ...Don't know why it's still called that...there's lots of things to learn from it these days, especially for those who don'[t do a lot of traveling....Mostly we watch the PBS stations and get quite a bit of informative information...There is lots of help with Gardening....Farming etc. And we take a lot of trips via "Travels" , I'm just about worn out just looking :o).
There are a lot of good cooks out there too! I learned to make Plantains again watching "Daisy Cooks"... I used to be just an "Emeril's girl"...
Hope your not too disappointed not seeing a picture on this blog...Yesterday was a busy one for me ....I had to run to "Deep Roots" to pick up more "Stevia", and Rye Flour....also couldn't resist getting some Local Figs...I'll be so happy if my little tree grows up next year and supplies me abundantly....
I made a Rye Bread yesterday in the Bread Machine...The consistency was beautiful and the taste was very good....only thing it didn't rise as high as the recipe I used to make regular bread,,. I didn't use "Gluten" and I think that was the Key..
Oh well, maybe next time...I've never worked with Gluten before...not sure I understand what it really is other than it helps Rye to rise....Rye won't rise on it's own.....unless I'm mistaken..The loaf I made rose half as high but it was still good , but went too quickly ...at one sitting ....

My Jar Labels :o)

I thought it would be nice to put a label on my jars so I'd remember which were made with Sugar and which with Stevia.....and I decided to put my little logo on it...I think it came out pretty good...I did them for the Watermelon Rind Pickles also, but was too lazy to go get ajar to show it too.:o( I'm still tired , but seems I'm a glutton for punishment that I can't be still...Seems I'm always finding something to do.
I think it looks pretty good....even if you click on a close up....

No Rest for the Weary

I thought I would be able to rest after all the peeling , cooking , jarring up peaches and pears..and making cobblers.but the peaches saved for just eating ripened quicker than I thought and rather than lose them I was forced into making another Cobbler hehehe If you believe that I've got a Bridge I want to sell you :o).
Well , for one thing ...that Stevia works like a charm for a natural sweetener and adding some Cornstarch to the juice thickens it up nicely...I had forgotten about Cornstarch until I was reminded by a viewer,Jilly...If you can get a close up of this picture..it will make you hungry and you can see the Peaches and Pears, I'm gaining weight just looking at it.Now I've got to make some labels to let me know which is which with Stevia or Sugar....

Shrub Replaced

We were lucky to find this replacement yesterday.....I forot the proper name , but it's some kind of "Japanese ?" Anyway , we have looked at the leaves long enough to reconize it....and the growth fits the bill with the others that survived....Here is a shot that shows it has some growth to catch up to the others....but we aren't in any hurry....

New Fig Tree "Brown Turkey"

Forgot to mention that Cecil and I were both surprised to find two things at the Farmers Market yesterday....remember I told you we lost a shrub in the front...well, we were surprised to find a replacement at the first place we stopped..The guy was a little "nasty" tempered, guess he thought we were just lookers ...his attitude sucked for someone trying to sell....but when I looked into his eyes (they were blood shot and red as beets) I realized the man was just tired and by now grumpy for lack of sleep and eats..he even stated he was up since 4:30am... Guess we were grumpy too from all the labor we had done...I stopped Cecil quick from getting his dander up (whew). It all worked out fine.. I didn't like the way Cecil planted it and I fussed about it....but I can't oversee everything :o( Hopefully, he's right, but remember I'm never wrong....and I won't mince words if it turns out that he's wrong :o) Sun was in my eyes so I took two pics in case I hadn't focused right.

Watermelon and Peaches

We took a ride to the Farmers Market yesterday....I was glad to get out for a spell after being cooped up in the house feeling tired...I was still tired after putting up all those Pears....and wouldn't you know..I saw some peaches that I couldn't resist getting....With the price of gas these days I'm trying to elimate the trip to the store (that's the best excuse I could come up with for cutting out more work for myself, or how about "Strike while the Iron is Hot" < that's one my Mother always used :o) Or how about "Harvest in the time of Plenty" < I think I made that one up myself :o) sounds pretty good to me..This is the time of year when everything is ripe and ready and it's up to most women in the household to "Fill the Larder"...you never know if "Hard times are a comming"< (that's another good one..:o) I'm on a roll today :o)

Peeling scalded Peaches

Trying to get this job done fast...First I had to scald the peaches and put them into a cold water bath....and then put them into another pan with vinegar and salt to keep the color...rinse them and then slice them...the process didn't allow a lot of picture taking...but you see the end results...

Peaches with "Stevia Syrup"

I was some kind of happy when this job was done! The Peaches weren't the hardest to last a bit...and as most know ...they look great in the basket until you get to the bottom...there are always those that are bruised and have to be done licky split!
All in all , they don't look too bad....I'm disappointed with the juice content, seems I packed them pretty tight and lo and behold , looks like there is more juice than peaches...any one have any solutions? Or Constructive critisim?

Cecil on the ladder to reach the top

Seems that most of the Pears like to grow at the very top of the Pear Tree....and you need a ladder to reach there ..even though it's a "Dwarf Pear Tree" it's pretty high up...Cecil isn't afraid of height's , good thing he's not ...I'd have to shake the tree and probably bruise the pears in doing so....

Loaded Pear Tree , all the way to the top

Finally the tree is to be relieved of it's fruit...the branches were so loaded we had the misfortune of losing three of it's branches...we tried tying them up to other branches that had been damaged by lightning or wind damage....Sometimes it's hard to tell when the fruit is ready, Color isn't always the key...but when you see the bees all around and they begin falling ...that means it's time to get the show o the road.....

Time for The Farmers Breakfast

No time to show or do a pretty set table...but it's all done and on the stove..a pot of nice grits with butter, scrambled eggs with Cheese, Bacon strips, and of course some nice Buttermilk Biscuits :o) (Bought these frozen, after all , I'm a little modern :o) and a pint of Pear Preserves and apple sauce on the table....Cecil is having coffee and I'm having Sun Tea made with "Stevia"..sometimes life is good..or I should say "Real Good".....

From the Sweat of Mans Brow

According to the Good Book ...the reference fits this Man today....Cecil Wipes the Sweat from his Brow after his labor....he deserves a good breakfast :o)

Cecil with the Basket Full

What a wonderful day this turned out to be...and how proud we both were to be able to see the "Fruits of our Labor" ...when you reach our stage in the game of life you hope to see the tree you plant bear the fruit you hoped for....here's a blessing to take note of....we made it and so did the Pear Tree...

Now for the job of Peeling and Slicing the Pears

At least with this part of the process I was able to sit and watch "The View" which made the chore kind of nice...in the old days there was no TV...wonder how people managed the chore then....maybe just took that time to "meditate" about making changes in there lives....or just happy to be able to just sit without being idle.

Sugar coated Pears

Now to let the pears "sweat" in the sugar that will yield juice from the pears to make "syrup"..after they are cooked in the "juice" until tender..long process , but tasty on a breakfast biscuit...or toast>

Natural Pear Preserves with Sugar

These Pears were made the "Old Fashioned" way! cooked until tender with spices and sugar ..then Hot water bath to seal....lasts almost forever! and delicious...nothing done to keep the natural color of the pears...people had to many kids that would be glad to eat them anyway Mama fixed. Times were tough and taking the time to "make it pretty" didn't matter....there were more chores to do and the next big meal to fix, than worry about the look of the Preserves.

Pears with Stevia

You can see that these Pears were dipped in vinegar ,and salt water to keep the natural color from turning brown...a few more steps to do , but I can use them to make or add to a cobbler...or just eat them with ice cream or a dollop of cool whip :o)

Peach and Pear Cobbler

I'm glad you came by for a visit....I'm pretty busy at the moment ...knee deep in getting the Harvest of Pears from our "Almost and Acre" farm :o)...
While you wait for me to chat a bit with you..enjoy a bit of "Pear and Peach Cobbler". Nothing like some home made stuff direct from the farm :o) Things are going to be a little sweeter around here..since I've been using "Stevia" to sweeten everything that I would use sugar for....I'm feeling real good about that.
Haven't had a Pepsi since July? and I'm still sane....Seltzer is terrific.

Take a Portion and enjoy!

Look in the fridge and get a dollop of "Cool Whip" to put on top....I'm out of Ice Cream...(remember Mikey lives here).

These Nine Days seemed like Forever!

Hello all! Here I am again...what's that saying? "You never miss the water till the well runs dry" < Guess that's been me! When you get used to posting just about every day....you miss the routine of it...even if your not feeling well....I had enough leisure time to wonder what every one was doing....sometimes I'd sneak into the blogs to check up on everyone ...especially those that I would frequent all the time.
I'm not out of the woods of being Tired and Weak yet, but I'm giving things a good try...Didn't think I'd last long without my beloved "Pepsi" .....well, as you see I've survived this long...and I can see the results in a couple of things that have changed that I'm trying to find a polite way of describing :o(
I can't believe I had to wait for my daughter to visit to remind me Of an old favorite that I grew up on "Seltzer Water"....Can you believe I'd forgotten that!! MY mother used to order it when it was in bottles with the silver top that you would spray into the glass ..( a little dab of milk and a dapple of chocolate, we called it an "Egg Cream"< delicious drink and the whole neighborhood used it as a staple drink...Probably only those who lived in Brooklyn NY know what I'm talking about :o)
Now that I'm on the Seltzer kick I don't miss the Pepsi at all < Did I just say that!
Maybe this ain't me! maybe the aliens have taken over and replaced me! They could have at least given me a smaller body!

I was happy to have one of my children come for a visit....You know , no matter how many children you have there is always one that will take the lead to check up on you to make sure everything is as well as you say... I'm glad this one came ..instead of the "Sargent" :o) that one tries to boss me around and I'm to old to give her a licking :o( Sometimes I think she thinks she's the Mama :o). Sometimes they try to gang up on me ..and I have to remind them , I'm just old, not cold (get it :o). Anyway, I was glad that she was able to come for a spell, but we weren't able to get to the "girly stuff" we usually do, I was just too out of it..
I was able to fix a nice country breakfast with Grits, "homemade sausage", Biscuits with "homemade Pear Preserves" "Fried Country Ham" and a Fried egg..she enjoyed it,and I enjoyed watching her dig into the Pear Preserves since I had to cut my sugar contents to bring my Blood count down....I was way above 200 (A-1 count) but have been able to lower it considerably in these days ...lowest has been 135...just 5points less than the normal 140...but it goes up if I just look at something sweet...I'm finding I better watch those snacks after 8 pm..even fruit shows up in the am. ugh!....

Green Beans are Ready :o)

Aren't these the most beautiful beans you all have ever seen :o).....Sick, tired, and without a Pepsi for about 10 days is a trip....but these Green Beans, String Beans , whatever you might call them have kept me inspired :o)....This was the "First Pickings" and I'm proud to say they were 3/4 of a pound :o) with some mashed potatoes and a couple of chops (lamb or Pork) ....all you need is a handful. To make a pot of soup you need less....what a blessing! "Second Picking" yielded One an a quarter pound...then the "Third Picking" yielded One Pound and three quarters...So far that's 3 and 3/4 pounds, not bad for our "Almost an Acre" farm :o) ....that's showing the creator we are using what we have to good use. Seems the garden didn't do well at all...all these are from the side of the house..we put some cow manure in both places , guess they just did better in one spot....