Skunk Sundae and a Gorgeous Sunset...

Before I tell you what a Skunk Sundae is I first have to tell you about the pics...you'll want to read on about the Skunk Sundae its actually edible.

I had to add some more pictures. The one on the left is a sunset on Thursday. It was just to unusual not to photo. The colors the way the clouds seemed to be dancing in the sky and then there is a pic of my yard. Of course it doesn't go back that far...you can see my garden on the right and on the left is the neighbors garden. He does his every summer, he actually has two, the other is in the front of his home that sit way back off the road. Anyway I posted the picture on the right as this is where all the deer come out. I stood Wednesday night and watched two play in the lot on the right where it's just dirt. I am just in aw everytime I see them. They are so graceful and elegant...such a free spirit, so light on they're feet. I just love watching them in the wild. Then a car came along (the other side of my garden has a side road) and they took off. It was just beautiful even if it was only a short while.

By now I am sure your wondering, "what the heck is a Skunk Sundae" well it goes like this...A friend of mine stopped by last night a male yes...I seem to get along better with males than I do females although as I have gotten older and wiser it makes sense to me. No need to explain to anyone. So back to the Skunk Sundae...he stopped by we talked and he ask if I wanted some ice cream. Well, you don't have to ask me twice about ice cream or chocolate. I do my 30 minute walk at least twice a week sometimes three and sometimes I just say I need a break. I do my best not to eat junk food, rarely eat fast food although chips and chocolate seemed to be my enemy and you know what they say about enemies...keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. LOL...so I do but I do it in portions most of the time. I eat a lot of salads, fish, olives, tomatoes and shredded cheese plus chicken if I am going out. I don't eat red meat. Okay Okay now the sundae....

So we went to the get ice cream right down the street ha ha...of course thru the drive thru. He ask what I wanted and I said a sundae, "what kind, he said. I replied, "a tin roof" he said "what?" I said, "wait I'll have a skunk sundae" he replied, "it's not listed" of course it's not neither is the tin roof but it's on the menu inside." So the girl says, "can I help you?" He replied, "I'd like a Skunk Sundae" she said, "can you spell that?" So he says, "S K U N K! I couldn't help it as hard as I tried not too... I started laughing just as I am written this down. The girl wouldn't come back on... so he pulled around to the window. This guy approached the window opened it...while I'm sitting there laughing so hard I had to get out of the truck. I knew the girls knew me, once they saw me... then my truck. They figured it out. They know I love to laugh. He gets out he's appologizing and everyones laughing. He kept saying Screw You. I couldn't help it...anyone who knows me knows I love to laugh. I couldn't believe he spelled it. All he kept saying till he left was screw you... I can't believe I spelled it....I've been laughing all night.

Now you know there is no such thing as a Skunk Sundae and so does he! Have a awesome day and keep laughing as often as you can...you'll find it really does feel good. Blessings to all.

New pics of my garden

Here are some recent pics of my garden, as you can see its come along way. I am in the middle of freezing green beans so I will be back to add more in a few...my beans are blanching right now and I am writing waiting for the time clock to let me know they're ready to cool down and then freeze.

I am back I finished the green beans I had washed and cut. Once you wash them you have to process right away, in fact, once you pick them you only have two days to can or freeze. I prefer freezing as it leaves in more of the nutrition.

So here is my garden. The first row is carrots. I have learned with carrots its best to keep the weeds in them as they grow. One it keeps away the little flies that attract them and secondly they get a chance to grow a strong root. I keep the weeds cut to the length of the green top of the carrots. The first row are baby carrots. Actually you can leave carrots in all winter long. Just cover them with mulch or fall leaves even straw and you can have carrots all winter long. Strange I know.

My second row is lettuce WOW! did I plant way to much. This stuff just keeps right on growing everything you pick. Unless you leave it alone and let it top. Which I am doing now. This particular brand is great to work with has a great taste. It's green salad bowl lettuce. You just have to watch for cabbage worms they like it too. So plant spinach away from lettuce I learned this the hard way. My daughter had one in her bag of lettuce and that's after I washed it.

The Third row is mustard spinach...I love this spinach. First time for me. Has an incredible dijon taste to it. It's actually considered a green like collards etc. I love it in my salads. I have been giving away extra's that I grow. Behind the spinach which is hard to see is parris island cos much like romaine. It's just about ready to harvest.

I AM HAVING A BABY YEAH! NOT....I am talking about my little cantalope in the picture on the right. When I was weeding and I saw this little guy I yelled "I am having a baby" it was so awesome to see. I can't tell you enough how rewarding and delicious growing an organic garden can be. The food itself taste so much better. I had some of my green beans last night and the freshness the crunch everything was just awesome. I know I will be doing another organic garden next year.

The pic on the left side is my veggie squash. Now, I have heard a lot of different opinions on this stuff. You put the whole thing in boiling water then split it open in the center is a spaghetti type veggie. You can add tomato sause or olive oil and seasoning. Some say its awful others say it's okay. Well, I decided to try it! There are so many growing now...maybe about 10 just about ready to harvest.

So now you have seen my garden to date. I said I had a bigger one this year and I wasn't kiddin'. The weeding is relaxing...I always leave weeds up around the root of the plant until it gets strong and beds deep into the soil. Keeping the isles clean is what I do most of unless it rains...then the next couple days you already know what you'll be doing. Stop back again I will keep you posted or just share my day. Keep safe, keep smiling...Blessings to all.

Car Bumper Stickers Ouch!

Often when I sit at a red light I look at car plates, bumper stickers find some that make me laugh or I find one that just gets me thinking. The ones that are funny are so great for the spirit leads me to this thought...One of my favorite shows is Criminals Minds, profiling. I have always had an interest in people. I watch them when I am out much like I watch my children if you read my previous blogs. I listen to words (this tells me where their head is in life), the way people dress the prints the words, how they stand, what they drive right down to the car plates and stickers. All of this tells so much about a person. I don't even know if they realize what they are saying. Many of us do like myself. Quite sure I am not the only one.

I realize that people do these things for many reasons of there own liking and thats okay I am not here to pick or judge anyone. If I can touch one persons life by just reading my blog I have made a different in connecting with a fellow human that I share this planet with this amazing life. I hear so many people say "what can I do I am only one person, I have no money or power, who's going to listen to me anyway." Trust me when I say I promise someone will and they do. I have learned the best way to make people change there thinking is not to impose your opinion but to ask questions that make them think. Words often can go in one ear and right out the other where a question takes thought that involves the brain. That thing between our ears which includes the rest of our head. That thing that looses brain cells as we age trust me I know, LOL! As you keep reading you will learn I love to laugh at myself it keeps me healthy and balanced ...that.. I too am not perfect and the laughter just says for me...that's okay.

I remember in school the teacher saying, if you have any questions don't hestitate to ask. Then there was me sitting there with this question lingering in my mind followed by okay if I ask what if it's a dumb question. Let me tell you NO question is dumb if it's something you don't understand or need to know maybe about a word, topic, etc. NOTHING is too dumb. Let those who know go ahead laugh make there remarks but you have just grown and that's all that matters. Besides I am more than sure if they haven't already they will someday ask a question that will make someone else laugh. You are never alone in this... only alone in the moment and moments pass. So...ask, ask, ask all the questions you need to in this life it leads to growing ...that's how we build our character, wisdom and it's how we get to where we need or want to be. So guys it's okay if your traveling with your wife find yourselve lost and stop to ask for directions. The measure of a man or for that a human being is not admitting we're lost or don't know the answer to something. Keep this in mind the next time your in the kitchen and can't remember why your there! LOL there I go again are you smiling yet?

So this bumper sticker I was looking at and wasn't hard to find as they posted it up by the window of there mini-van. Right there in red and white. But as I said I look anyway...this is what it said, "have you lost your job yet? Keep buying foreign." I sat there for a second processed the sticker and came to this conclusion in the end. I did my homework to locate an answer and some common sense was added and here is my answer. Okay...first I understand a lot of people have lost there jobs, factories have laid people off and jobs are hard to find with enconomy so dry. I understand people are scared, lost, loosing things that took them years to obtain. But trust me from someone who lost everything not long ago in my life...I mean everything, imagine me in a truck with what I owned in the back and driving around in the snow with no where to land my feet. It was the first time I truly realized what little value things really have if your alive. I applied it most of my life but didn't acknowledge it till it sat right there in my lap...But that's another story someday.

So, here is my thought on the sticker.....first I felt sad for the person who posted it...they must have lost there job or knew someone close to them who did...and then they made me think...yes, think and that's important. I thought...I am not responsible for the loss of there job even if I drive foreign. Many foreign car parts are made in America and I didn't have anything to do with out sourcing jobs by driving foreign. NAFTA is the answer and who put it together and signed it..not me. No one sent anything or came to me and ask if it was okay. Just because I would choose to drive foreign does this mean I caused jobs to be outsourced. Do we have enough people in the US to make these products and who benefits from this out sourcing? So now it's time for you to think...when in life is it ever okay to get comfortable when your working for someone else and assume they will let you keep your job the rest of your life? Take care of you the rest of your life? Are you really angry because you put your trust in someone and they failed you? Did they take away your comfort zone?

I will end with this thought...there are only three people I trust in this life....my maker (this is whoever you believe may be), my spirit, and myself. In the end as we grow old we are consider less valuable. This is sad but true in America. At some point whether loosing your job, or whatever it may be I can guarentee as you grow old at some point you will have to reinvent yourself. Will you be ready to stand strong take care of yourself and do what has to be done? If your struggling right now this very minute....you are not alone...as long as your still standing your a survivor...trust in yourself.

A reminder of 2005

It was the year my daughter graduated. How can one explain the joy a child brings to your life. I wouldn't have missed this for anything this world had to offer to stop me. Life seems kinda twisted sometimes. We start out knowing very little and learning as we go. We get to middle age and suddenly things make sense. I hear so many people say, "if I could go back with what I know now I would change certain things" I wouldn't change a thing and trust me I made some banger mistakes. But were all individuals come to this life on different levels. Some more mature than others. I was meant to be taught things that others may have already known. They had there own lessons. It doesn't make me dumb, stupid whatever words you want to choose. It just made my life my own. I wasn't born to be like anyone else. I love learning even if its the smallest thing. In fact my daughter just taught me a few years back how to recognize a mosquito. LOL! It felt great to learn. Not, that I want to smash them as I respect all walks of life. But, when they bite it's a natural reaction. After all it does hurt!


As you can probably can tell I love to laugh. I will sit alone think of something just laugh and when I am done it's feels awesome, so calming. I laugh at sitcom repeats I see a million times(exaggerated) and say out loud thank you. I will put a cd in my dvd player crank up the music and just go crazy. And, of course I talk to everyone. Really people are interesting they are a part of my life I pass them everyday why not say hello and chat. Besides I love to make people smile. By the way (if I am correct) put simple dogs together and they mingle, often play. How often do you see them fight? By the way...it's really okay to wrong or incorrect. It's funny isn't it practically every species will fight for the change to be with the opposite sex. Unlike the black widow who kills her mate or the pray mantes who takes his head off. Wow! Now that's really going out for the opposite sex. Right now I am sitting here being thankful I am a female and laughing again.

So back to my daughter and how twisted life seems to be...here is my theory. I think it's backwards. At the expense of our children, families we start our journey in life confused looking for our place.... only to end up in the same place as everyone else... going into the kitchen and wondering why we are there. I do this often now... I stop say, oh damn, walk back in the living room sit down, then say oh, that's right. Back out I go I get what I wanted... it's all that matters. I just seem to be leaving brain cells everywhere these days and that's okay. How may cells does the brain have anyway? Maybe I better look it up! Maybe I should keep track of how many cells I have left? Im laughing as I type thinking... won't I loose track eventually as they go? Oh...well.

My daughter is just as wonderful as my grandchildren. I remember watching her as she grew up. I remember watching all my children. Oh yeah there were times I'd think... calgon take me away but then they'd do something amazing as a simple new word, bye bye, or fall asleep and I'd stand there just starring. I did that a lot as they grew... I know they didn't notice but they have been told. Children say so much without saying anything at all...just a look, a facial expression, body posture, the songs they choose, the shows that interest them will tell you so much more... then there words will ever say. Not one moment when they walk in my door do I not notice everything about them, it tells me so much.

Now to my point of 2005 I was at the gas station today...I heard these words from a song...the time of your life. It was the song her class picked for there school graduation. I may not be exactly correct, but I heard it and immediately I smiled. These are the moments of the past you hold on too. They are the ones worth keeping and replaying. These are your aw moments. Everytime you say aw it feels wonderful, try it....to watch her graduate see her in her cap and gown was an aw....however her wedding day well you can only imagine...I looked at her hubby to be then watched her dad walk her down the isle and I smiled, cried tears of happiness said to myself I see the beauty of this life before my eyes.

My first Garden! Yeah!

I planted my first garden this year or should I say first full garden. I have grown tomatoes and a few peppers but they where always just in the back yard. This time I have access to a wonderful huge garden. This is not a current picture I will post one later so you can see how it looks now. I can't tell you what gardening truly does for your life. Not only do you get to play in the dirt which brings out the child inside that needs to play to stay active and young at heart. I get to connect with my spirit which keeps me grounded teaches me so much about myself and then I thank god for everything.

Everytime I go out to the garden my first thought I can't wait to see what has changed and then I get to pull weeds. I am an artist so pulling weeds is like painting or sketching a picture. After the weeds are gone walla a masterpiece. LOL....I know the time I spend in the garden is actually time I am spending nurturing my spirit. It's a place that keeps me humble, grounded, reminds me that we share this planet, this earth, with everything, you reading, the trees, insects, animals, water, the sky, the ground, just everything. Often I go outside at night sit on top of my car close my eyes and just listen to the sounds of the night. So much goes on even as we sleep. Then I open my eyes lie down and look at the sky. Even the stars have a place that create a gorgeous and calming picture. How lucky we are to be able to be a part of this masterpiece called life. If only we could all see and understand life go back 100 years and tell them that everything they wanted the future to be...is....I am sure they would be proud, but, sadly that is not the case.

I have seen so many wonderful things and so many sad happen in my lifetime. Between them both well for me has helped mold who I am today. To realize no matter what you accumulate in material things or in money in the end we all wind up just as everything else in life gone. We don't get a season of changes renewel as years go by...just time. I will tell you a little secret of what I do almost everyday...I thank my heart, yes, my own beating heart for taking me through another day and then with my hand on my heart I say to it... I love you.

Before I go back to what I am growing in my garden I'd like to remind you of a song by Ann Murray...words are truly so important...listen they do speak.

I rolled out this morning
Kids had the mornin' news show on
Bryant Gumbel was talkin' 'bout the fighting in Lebanon
Some senator was squawkin' 'bout the bad economy
It's gonna get worse you see, we need a change in policy

There's a local paper rolled up in a rubber band
One more sad story's one more than I can stand
Just once how I'd like to see the headline say
"Not much to print today, can't find nothin' bad to say",
because

Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town
Nobody OD'ed, nobody burned a single buildin' down
Nobody fired a shot in anger, nobody had to die in vain
We sure could use a little good news today

I'll come home this evenin'
I'll bet that the news will be the same
Somebody takes a hostage, somebody steals a plane
How I wanna hear the anchor man talk about a county fair
And how we cleaned up the air,
how everybody learned to care
Whoa, tell me

Nobody was assassinated in the whole Third World today
And in the streets of Ireland, all the children had to do was play
And everybody loves everybody in the good old USA
We sure could use a little good news today

Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town
Nobody OD'ed, nobody burned a single buildin' down
Nobody fired a shot in anger, nobody had to die in vain
We sure could use a little good news today

Please think about these words we all need to find a way to co-exist no matter what color, religion, race, gender, etc....we are all human together.

So...here is what's in my garden, my spirit of course, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, corn, carrots, green beans, watermelon, cantelope, butternut squash, veggie squash and tomtoes. I wish I could share it all with everyone...I do share it locally with those who need help...God Bless everyone...everywhere...be safe. I love you!

July Fourth Weekend

I had a wonderful weekend. I spent the most part of it in the garden and creating other items knitting, sewing, etc. I mangaged to see a few fireworks, danced in my driveway to the music of Heart (your never too old to dance) and had a blast! I did fit in my 30 minute walk before my own fourth of july evening. But, the ending to a wonderful weekend was the best ever.....I spent it with my grandbabies.

Spending time with Brennan (4) and Owen (18mos.) was so spectacular. Better than any fireworks show. We went to the park across from there home (behind a grade school) while Brennan showed me how well he could swing I sat on a swing with Owen in front on my lap. What a smile as we started to swing. We moved from there to those climbing devices with the slides and tons of other functions. I watched Brennan do them all and praised him. The sun was getting to Brennan's eyes so he ask if I would let him wear my sunglasses. Sure, I said and within seconds he replied Wow grammie I can look at the sun with your glasses Thanks, Grammie.

After awhile Brennan got hot and went to the shaded area yelling grammie come over here no sun. I thought thank God! I am sweating and a hot flash is not helping... so I took Owen by the hand and we headed over to Brennan, he was in a huge area with a hill. I chased them both up and down the hill around the trees, found a golf ball watched Brennan throw it into the pond over the fence. Finally I took of my sandals at the top of the hill started to run towards the boy's with my arms out like an airplane tilting back and forth it was excellerating. I felt like a little girl all over again. The boy's laughed and of course tried the same. Then Brennie decided it was time to lay down on the grass at the top of the hill and roll down. However, he decided he wouldn't do this without grammie participating. I can not tell you how amazing it felt! Although a bit dizzy in the process neither of us could stand right away. Then Owen began walking in last falls leaves listening to the crunch how precious a simple sound, a new sound, a different experience captured his attention. I felt gifted to see such a site. A moment that lite up all my senses.

We ended the evening by going to Burger King watching them play in the playroom through all the tubes. Then it happened Owen found himself at the top inside the tubes and couldn't find his way out. Brennan left him and went on to play. He cried and cried I took off into the tubes started to round one of the corner when I saw his dad's legs heading to the top where I was going next. Hearing a child cry in all those tubes trust me makes it hard to find them it just kept echoing. Of course his dad came out Owen in arms and dad saying I'm getting too old to climb in those things. Okay, he's 28 I am 52 and he thinks he's getting old. You just do what ya have to in a time of crisis. After Burger King we took off to Krogers, a local store, Owen and I waited in the truck then we headed home. I decided to bathe Owen in the sink just a quick dip to get the evening sweat off. Next thing I know I am putting Brennan in other side of the sink. Boy oh Boy! water went everywhere and who cared Nobody it was another gift to be in the presence of such a moment.

I will tell everyone who reads...I am very blessed in so many many ways. But, the greatest blessing of all...I started to focus on my own life by looking inside myself ( no matter what I would fiind) accepting and changing the negatives focusing on my positive qualities, became a spiritual person, accepted and let go of the past... which lead to all the blessings that followed...I opened my eyes to life. A complete life a new awareness of family, friends, and this wonderful earth.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY to everyone!