A little nostalgia for you...

I've always been a reader, as a little girl I just adored the Bobbsey Twins. I had several of their books, in fact I still have them, they're pretty shopworn by now, because I read and re-read them.

Children today would be so bored with these books and it's so sad, because the world has evolved to the point that these charming little reads would now be viewed as hokey by most little girls. *sigh* It's such a loss.

You can actually read The Bobbsey Twins in the Country in it's entirety online. If you have a little child that might be interested, Here's The Link.

And the following is a brief synopsis from Wikypedia. If you are of my generation, you are probably smiling right now as you remember your own childhood and summers spent reading about the Bobbsey's.

The Bobbsey family consists of:

• The father, Richard, a successful lumber merchant;
• The mother, Mary (referred to at least once as "Edith");
• Bert and Nan, slim, brown-eyed, straight-haired brunette, the older of two sets of fraternal twins;
• Flossie and Freddie, chubby, blue-eyed, curly-haired blonds), the younger twins.

Also living under the Bobbsey roof are Dinah and Sam Johnson, a black couple. Dinah is the Bobbsey family's cook and housekeeper, while Sam has been variously described, depending on the vintage of any particular book, as the Bobbseys' "man of all work," their chauffeur, a neighborhood handyman, or a truck driver at the Bobbsey lumberyard (in later volumes, Mr. Bobbsey's most trusted employee).

The Bobbseys live in the fictional city of Lakeport, on the shore of the equally fictional Lake Metoka, presumably somewhere in the northeastern U.S. The Bobbseys have relatives "in the country" (Richard Bobbsey's brother Daniel and his family, introduced in volume 2) on a farm near the rural town of Meadowbrook (in most books set there, that is also the name of the farm itself), and other relatives "at the seashore" (Mary Bobbsey's sister Emily Minturn and her family, introduced in volume 3), who live in the seaside hamlet of Ocean Cliff.

Here's my baby boy...

Just had to show you this picture of Ryan, proving that even though he's thirty-two now, the child still lives within him.

Lindsay snapped this today at Boyds Orchard. Hmmm, kind of reminds you of the male equivalent of Edith Ann, doesn't it?

We're having one of those rare days...

Heavensville is picture perfect today - 72 degrees, clear skies, no humidity, light breeze...

Give me books, fruit, French wine and fine weather and a little music out of doors, played by someone I do not know

~ John Keats ~
1795-1821

Well, maybe just one more SATC tidbit, this from People Magazine...

The Carlyle hotel's legendary Bemelmans Bar will feature a signature cocktail in honor of Sarah Jessica Parker's character in Sex and the City. Here's how to make one:
The Bradshaw
2 oz. Don Julio Blanco Tequila
1/2 oz. X Rated Passion Fruit Liquor
3/4 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
3/4 oz. Cane Sugar Simple Syrup

Shaken, serve straight up in a martini glass rimmed in hot pink sugar, garnished with a lime wedge.

I'm so over Sex and the City...

I'm burned out and the movie isn't out yet. Just couldn't handle any more of my black blog with Carrie Bradshaw's picture on it, so even though a lot of you really enjoyed it, it was time to girly the site up a bit, and who better to do that than Miss Margaret MooLatte....

I got Jean up a 4:30 yesterday morning, yes that's right, 4:30 am, because this guy at Burdette Park told me last year that if you get there at the crack of dawn you see all kinds of wildlife. So I was up and banging on Hooterville's door, waking her up so we could get there by dawn. By 5:15, bolstered by mugs of hot coffee, we were off. Little Miss Merry Sunshine here was babbling about all the animals we were going to see, Hoot was as grumpy as an old bear because she thought it was stupid to crawl out of bed that early... Well, we got there so early the park wasn't even open. It was gated off. Jeez, Louise, when it finally did open, sometime around 6:30, we didn't see anything different than we ever do.

That was a bust! Never again will we get up and head out before dawn. It wasn't even a pretty sunrise, it was cloudy. She's still railing about what a stupid idea it was. I have to admit, she was right, but it did seem like a good idea at the time....

I'm so happy that my guys try and relive their childhood memories....

John called tonight, Ryan and Lindsay are visiting in Nashville, they had a cookout this evening, and he and Ryan made dessert.

Remember how I've always told you what a hands-on Grandma my Mother was, and how she spoiled the kids rotten? She used to make the pie I blogged about not too long ago, she would put a barrier of aluminum foil in the middle of a piecrust, fill half of it with butterscotch pie filling, the other half with chocolate - John was the butterscotch lover, Ryan the chocolate - then she would top it with meringue and they would each get their favorite pie...

Well tonight that's what the guys did, they made it together and were getting ready to serve it when John called. I bet Mother is smiling down on them this evening. She would be just thrilled to know that they are carrying on her tradition....

Aren't families just the best?

It's picnic time.....

Ode to Jean

Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come
Watching the ships ducks roll in
And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock deck of the bay bridge
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock deck of the bay bridge
Wastin' time...

I left my home in Georgia Hooterville
Headed for the 'Frisco bay Heavensville way
'Cause I've had nothing to stay in Hooterville for
And look like nothin's gonna happen there anyway

So I'm just gonna sit on the dock deck of the bay bridge
Watching the tide ducks roll away
Ooo, I'm sittin' on the dockdeck of the bay bridge
Wastin' time...

Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I won't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes

Sittin' here resting my bones
I'm just peaceful if you leave me alone
It's thirty-five miles I roamed
Just to make this dock bridge my home

Now, I'm just gonna sit on the dock deck of the bay bridge
Watching the tide ducks roll away
Oooo-wee, sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time...

My buddy Hooterville is visiting, we're on holiday, oh yeah, nothing like two old women acting like teenagers. It's such a blast, girlfriends, you have no idea.... Our kids would absolutely disown us if they could see how silly we act...

She's so into the birds, we were at Burdette really early this morning, after a Donut Bank drive-thru for coffee and still warm cinnamon buns, ohhhhh, we're so bad..... She got some absolutely amazing shots of the migrating warblers, Maggie snoozed in her little carseat, and I read the Sunday paper. Talk about blissful, OMG was it ever gawjus. Wish you all could have been here.....

We're grilling burgers on the Smokey Joe later, mesquite grilled ribs tomorrow. Life is soooo good...

V, if you're reading this,
don't forget to take the food pictures!

Proof positive that the male of the species has no brain.....

Stupid guy, this takes a bit of time to get going, be patient, you won't believe the ending!

I'm trying really hard to make lemonade today....

You know how sometimes the shit hits the fan, well it not only hit the fan today, it splattered the walls.

First off, and of little importance in the grand scheme of things, I brewed a pot of coffee without putting in the filter? Have you ever done this? If not, trust me it doesn't work, I had coffee and grounds all over the counter, running down the cabinet, it was quite the mess. All this while I was getting ready to take the Mewster Brewster to the vet.

Maggie has reoccurring UTI's, and that coupled with occasional bloody urine led us to believe something was going on in that little abdomen of hers. Sure enough, today she had ultrasound - I watched it, not quite as much fun as pregnancy ultrasound, girlfriends, and sure enough there was this little white bean shaped area in her bladder. She has a bladder stone. She has to have surgery. *sigh* - Dr. Wagner assures me it's pretty routine, no worse than when they spayed her, but naturally I''m upset. But I'm lucky that I found a vet that I'm confident with and that
I feel really cares about Maggie, so we scheduled her surgery for June 10th.

I was bummed all afternoon, decided to go for a ride on Milly - Maggie wasn't cooperating, she didn't want to jump up on the golf cart, I had it in gear, ready to back out of the garage, and when I leaned way over to the right to start to scoop her up my foot shifted from the brake to the gas, I shot backwards just like a friggin bumper car and slammed into the car. Jeez, Louise - just what I needed. Milly now has cracked plastic in the back cargo area, the car has a huge dent in the spoiler, and I was practically in tears. I told hubby on the phone, being married for thirty-seven years does that, you learn to tell them the bad stuff on the phone so they have time to absorb it before they get home. Works for me anyway. He was really sweet about it, he felt sorry for me, he knew I was pretty much at the end of my rope.

So then tonight I'm dusting, I hook my favorite soap dish with the edge of the dustcloth, it crashes to the floor, breaks into smithereens....

See what I mean, oh so many lemons today - it's really hard to make that lemonade...

This is beyond cute, remember ladies, he's only four years old... thanks to Trish for sending me this....

Why I do the things I do....

I come from generations of women that "feed you." I remember as a small child going to Grandma Short's house, and as soon as you got there, you went to the kitchen, she took the dishcloth covering the leftover food on her table off and you sat down and ate.

There was always cornbread and biscuits, beans, pickles, leftover meat, usually fried, and some sort of dessert on her table. Remember, my Grandma had no electricity, so when she finished a meal she didn't put the leftovers in the fridge, there was no fridge, except for the "icebox" and it wasn't in use daily, only when my Uncle would bring a block of ice from the ice house in town to put in it to chill the food would she use it.

So she just covered everything and left it on the table. I know, this must sound so alien to all of you and you are wondering how she kept things cold that normally would be refrigerated. Oh this sounds so Little House on the Prairie, but she would put things that had to stay cold in a bucket and lower it into a well.

But think about it, they lived on a farm, she had cows and fresh milk daily, she churned butter every other day, so refrigeration wasn't necessary. She gathered eggs daily, she would kill and dress a chicken, then cook it immediately, the pork that was butchered was cured and hung in the smokehouse. It wasn't like it is today.

But back to the feeding part. My Aunts always fed me when I visited them, much like Grandma did, and Mother would always bring some type of food when she came to visit us. The boys knew when Grandma drove up there would be food in the car of some sort. I find myself feeding people,too. Not to the extent that Mother and Grandma did, but I'm always pushing food onto somebody.

Take this evening for instance, Trish and I went for a ride on Milly. I cored an apple, split it in the middle, wrapped each half in paper towel, and gave Trish half of it to eat. She wasn't hungry, she put it in Milly's cup container, and when I dropped her off at her house, she forgot to pick it up.

Now here's where the difference comes in. If this had been Mother, when she got home and discovered the apple Trish forgot, she would promptly go back to her house and give it to her.

What did I do? I ate it, I ATE IT!!!! Well I thought about taking it back to her, really I did and I did email her and tell her I ate it...

~ jan, feeling just a smidge guilty...

Oh wow...

I'm afraid it migh be a sign of the times, not just some weird bubba on a bike...

Yesterday morning I saw the strangest thing, an older man in bib overalls going thru McDonald's drive-thru on his bicycle...

It was a bit strange to say the least, but we might be seeing more of this with gas prices continuing to spiral out of control...

Saint Teddy...

Grown men wept on both sides of the political aisle Tuesday when word of Sen. Edward Kennedy's illness hit the Senate, his political home of 46 years, where he has been known for a soft heart, a strong arm and a ready joke.

I read an excerpt yesterday from a link put on my friend Jean's Little Blog and agree with her totally. The media is singing this man's praises, while there is no mention of the "accident" when a drunk, married Ted Kennedy ran his car thru a chain link fence at a ferry into the water, swam to shore, left the scene of an accident and left a young woman dead, drowned in his car, after a night of partying. He didn't turn himself in until the next day, the Kennedy money machine got him off with no jail time, it was all swept under the rug and his life went on.

Now that he is dying he they are making him into a national hero. Is something wrong here? I think so... This man should have been in prison, not in the senate!

Here's a link to the article, A Profile in Cowardice, that she posted.

A sneak peek...

Cousin Pam sent me this picture of herself this morning. I know, I should be saving this stuff for my index page, but it was too cute not to share.

Talk about priceless!!!!

Thanks to you who are participating in this - keep your pictures coming in.



~ jan

okay gang, i need something...

It isn't often that I ask you guys for anything, well except for the times that I begged for recipes, and Favorite Things. You always come across for me, so here I go, one more time. This is painless tho, I promise and the results will be so cute....

I'm redoing my munchiebusiness.com index page and I really need some childhood pictures of all of you. You know the cute stuff when we were young and adorable. I want to include your pictures on my album page. It can be you as a little girl, teenager, whatever you have that you can scan and send me. And just think, after I've finished building the page with your pictures on it, when you are really bored, you can just click on munchiebusiness and look at yourself...

Ya, that's me when I was about four, in my majorette boots at my Grandma Smith's house...

Now it's YOUR TURN!!! ASAP, of course

((hugs))

~ jan

Haven't we al known a full of himself guy like this one.....too funny for words.

It's those simple things, again....

Sometimes the best times are the unplanned ones. Hubby worked today, it was picture perfect outside, 72 degrees, light wind and blue skies. I puttered on the patio, and on a whim early afternoon, talked to Trisher, she was doing nothing either, so I packed up water for the dogs, cookies and almonds for us, grabbed some soda and we were off. I tooled thru Subway for a tuna sub, got the whole 12" sub, only $5, such a deal, half for later, right.

We went to Burdette Park, popped out the lawn chairs, sat in the sun and read the books we took along. Hers a mystery by a local author, Mike Whitcker, mine a nameless romance novel, by an author whose name I don't remember, but entertaining nontheless. So there we sat, me munching on the sub, and I ate the first half, I was still hungry, so I ate the rest of it. OMG, I ATE THE REST OF IT!!! I have never ever eaten an entire sub at one sitting, but you know what, it was wonderful, and I don't regret it a bit. I even polished it with numerous low-fat Oreos. But on the flip side, it's now 8pm, and I have no desire for dinner.

We had a great afternoon, I sat with my back to the sun, she sat with her feet in the grass, London scampering at her feet, Maggie nestled in my lap, and we read and laughed and we just were.... Nature and a good friend, you can't beat the combination.

I was so relaxed I came home and tucked into bed for a nap with Maggie - it was a perfect day.

Yep, it's those simple things...

I'm going to make me and Maggie one of these for lunch *tehehehe*

I'm quitting, really I am...

Hooterville sent me this, too funny for words!!!

Every girl needs a pretty lttle sundress...

Patio Update. IT'S GROWING.... It enlarges, just click on it...

I'm soooo bad....

I trotted Maggie out in this little wifebeater that says FAVORITE CHILD last weekend when family was home for Mother's Day. And why would I do that, when they came home, took me out to eat all weekend, and brought me great presents???? BECAUSE, when you have two sons that are 200lbs.+ and you have a little scrap of a 3.5 lb. dog, you get teased relentlessly.

Because Mags is so little they are always talking about her and how she's not a real dog, yadayadayada, so I found this shirt, and thought, perfect!!!!

It was, too. John got out of the car, took one look at her and started laughing out loud. Linds just rolled her eyes, Ryan didn't think it was especially funny, but hey, turnabout's fair play. Right???

How cute is this...

My friend Trish babysat her little granddaughter today. What a cutey patootie she is...

An organized mind....

I'm so impressed with people who are organized. When Hooterville visits, she is so methodical, so precise, never gets in a hurry, does everything with precision. The perfect example of an organized mind.

But Ditzy Dora here just goes thru life, shoving, sloshing and hurrying, with no thought to organization. Is it too late? Can I change even a little bit? No, of course not, we are what we are, however this morning I did load my dishwasher starting at the back, slowly, methodically instead of just jamming in all the dishes and pushing on it with my hip. Next I'm tackling that lingerie drawer that I was going to do yesterday. Hey, I did everything else, just not the undies...

I'm so hopeless, but I'm still hopeful...

Yummy salad for you...

Yesterday I talked to my friend, Ramona. She's 78 years old now, a lady I met a few years ago at Weight Watchers, and a great cook. She's the one that gave us the Butterfly Salad recipe. Anyhoo, she had a new recipe for Garden Veggie Salad, she gave it to me, I made it last night. It was great, as usual, easy to put together, too. Really colorful salad, keeps for days in the fridge, you're getting the idea. Check it out on my Eating Right Board. Here's the CLICK!

~ jan

Something to try...

Last night I was watching Deal or No Deal on NBC. I never watch that stuff, but anyhoo, there was this little cutey patootie contestant, rather annoying little be-otch, too. Anyway she was a Becky Homecky type, idolized Martha Stewart and she was absolutely gushing about her very favorite thing in the world, Martha's Expresso Biscuits.

So I Googled it right away this morning, looks good to me, too. The recipe calls for ground expresso beans, I'm sure my Starbucks Komodo Dragon beans would work just fine. And drats, I even have the Droste cocoa to make them, compliments of Linds...

But I'm being good, so I'm not going to bake a batch, but I can post them, maybe some of you would like to try them.

If anybody does, let us know how they turned out, okay?

~ jan

They're on my Jan CAN Cook Board. Here's the CLICK!

Thoughts...

Just for today, I'm grateful for...

* Jeans that I put on and zipped, and I can still breathe - that's a biggie!

* The one piece of whole wheat toast sans butter that I had for breakfast

* Maggie dog kisses - another biggie!

* The soothing sounds of NPR

* A haircut appointment, my hair is getting round, it does that after a month, don't like round hair...

* A fresh bag of Starbucks Komodo Dragon Coffee Beans in the canister to sniff before I brew...

Just for today, I'm sad that...

* It's raining again

* I didn't clean out my lingerie drawer, but stuffed everything and closed it quick *sigh*

* I'm being 'good' and can't make the expresso biscuits I posted on Jan Can Cook

* The family just visited so I won't see them again for awhile

* That gas is $3.89 a gallon in Heavensville

* It's 57 degrees, brrrrrrr

* The hamper of dirty clothes, and the load of towels in the dryer to fold. Folding laundry is right up there at the head of things I don't like to do. It's right under unloading the dishwasher and cleaning the fridge...

Okay enough of that, looks like I need to get off of here, get busy, do the laundry, fold the clothes, clean out the drawer, then I'll be in a much better mood. Now if I could just do something about this rain! Tomorrow, 70 degrees forecasted and partly sunny, that should help...

Later 'gators...

Stuff...

Little Miss Merry Sunshine here is in a funk. Totally weather related funk. It's wet, it's cool, it's cloudy, samo tomorrow, samo Friday. It's workin' on my last nerve, ladies....

The most exciting news I've heard today is that Angelina Jolie is preggers with twins. And like I really give a rats a*s about that!

Maggie isn't even doing anything cute, just snoozing. I'm boring, sorry guys, I'll be zippy tomorrow, er, Friday, no not til' Saturday when the sun shines..

Guess I've got to leave it to Maxine to give you a chuckle today...

thongs and depends...

Many of us 'Old Folks' (those over 50, WAY over 50, or hovering near 50) are quite confused about how we should present ourselves. We are unsure about the kind of image we are projecting and whether or not we are correct as we try to conform to current fashions. Despite what you may have seen on the streets, the following combinations DO NOT go together and should be avoided:


1. A nose ring and bifocals
2. Spiked hair and bald spots
3. A pierced tongue and dentures
4. Miniskirts and support hose
5. Ankle bracelets and corn pads
6. Speedo's and cellulite
7. A belly button ring and a gall bladder surgery scar
8. Unbuttoned disco shirts and a heart monitor
9. Midriff shirts and a midriff bulge
10. Bikinis and liver spots
11. Short shorts and varicose veins
12. Inline skates and a walker

And last, but not least

13. Thongs and Depends

The check's in the mail, or will be soon...

If you're wondering when your stimulus check is going to arrive from the IRS, this information will tell you. If you aren't sure how much you are getting, calculate it here. The list will enlarge, just click to bring it up to a bigger size.

A little Janis Joplin for you tonight...

I was a huge fan in the day and still have my original Pearl album - yep, it's in the attic. Melissa Etheridge will just blow you out of the water. This is good stuff, ladies, guaranteed goosebumps..

It's.....different??

The Sex and the City movie is the cinematic fashion event of the summer — a rumored 81 costume changes just for Sarah Jessia Parker alone! And from the looks of the world premiere in London today, the fashions are going to be just as over-the-top on the red carpet as on the big screen. Parker arrived in a full-skirted Alexander McQueen confection and Fred Leighton diamonds with an amazing Phillip Treacy hat, complete with green roses and yellow butterflies. Only SJP — and her celluloid alter-ego Carrie Bradshaw — could even contemplate pulling off a look that involves winged insects and feather trim.

I snagged this from Lori at Pugsplace, so cute... SO TRUE!!!

What the cat hubby dragged in....

I never know what's going to show up in my garage after hubby goes to the tag sales. I used to call them rummage sales, but ever since Marfa Stewart coined the phrase "tag sales," I've adopted the name. The word tag sounds so much more refined than rummage, doesn't it?

Anyhoo, I think he paid a dime for this funky little vase. I love the way you fill it with water all the way to the tip, then just drop a fleur into it, and the glass petals cradle it.

It's a good thing... don'tcha think?

It was mah-velous, dahlings.....

I had such a nice day yesterday, despite the 65 mile an hour winds in Heavensville. Family was home, I didn't cook all weekend, we laughed and reminisced, and it was over much too soon and they were on their way back to their own lives.

They talked about their Grandma a lot. She's been gone for two years now, and I've gotten to the point that memories of her only tug at my heartstrings at odd moments. It was fun reliving the old stories, laughing about her sassy attitude and her funny quirks. John was remembering how she used to make them homemade pie. John liked butterscotch, Ryan liked chocolate, so she would make the pie crust, built a dam in the middle of the pie with aluminum foil, fill one side with butterscotch and the other with chocolate, then meringue on top. John says that he wants another pie like that soon, we can do that. It made us all smile to think of her...

This morning it's simply gawjus. The storm blew thru, the skies are clear, the air brisk, but..... when I went on the patio one of my tree's was blown to a 45 degree angle, my big flamingo had toppled, tumbling the begonia it was holding onto one of my big hostas, breaking it - broke one of the raised heads in lc's sprinkler system. *sigh* darn it anyway, but hey, I'm grateful that's all it was, no toronado, just wind.

Hubby set everything right again. The tree is straight, the flamingo is once again holding the begonia with it's broken side to the back. The hosta, well, I'm afraid it isn't going to look so good this summer, but Scarlett will figure out something.

I hope you all had a great day yesterday. We're all so lucky to have our families, I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel so blessed...

I had forgotten all about this...

I was making brownies this morning, the recipe told me to cut waxed paper for the bottom of the pan. Oh my, I haven't done that in years, not since Pam came along. But I smiled to myself as I was tracing the outside of the pan and cutting the paper as I remembered helping Mother make cakes in her heart shaped pans and cutting the waxed paper for them. She used those pans all year long, not just on Valentine's Day. And of course her cakes were always homemade, lots of chocolatety ones with yummy frostings like caramel, peanut butter and german chocolate. *sigh*

And what recipe was I using this morning? Actually I made two things, chocolate chip cookies and the brownies both from Perfect Light Desserts. It's a great cookbook, and the cookies are amazing. Nothing in the book is over 300 calories.

Interesting isn't it, how some things never change, and how other things do. We had never heard of light desserts when I was growing up... Ahhhh, those were the days and I didn't even realize it...

FYI

I found a clip from People Magizine of the upcoming Thursday Oprah Show with Tina Turner and Cher.You can view it HERE.

The cartoons of our childhood, they don't get better than this...

Border Patrol

Yikes....

It's a warm evening in Heavensville, Maggie and I headed outside to wait for hubby to come home from work. We had been tooling around on Milly so garage door was open. I open the utility room door to the garage and a toad frog jumps from the garage right into the house.

Eek, eek, eek.... OMG, panic is setting in fast. I have Mags in one arm, don't put her down, don't want her to chase the little sucker on into the kitchen, I quick grab a lid out of the cabinet, try scooping him up, slippery little devil is hopping all over the place, I'm screaming, Maggie's growling. I finally manage to flip him on his back, and I felt really sorry for the little feller, he was a cute little guy, but I sure didn't want him in my house. I pounced quickly while was trying to right himself and managed to scoop him out of the utility room into the garage with that plastic lid. He hopped off to some nether region and will probably not be heard from again, but I imagine in a few days the garage will reek, and hubby will spazz out as his garage is his sanctuary.

Oh my, did that make my pulse race. Most excitement I've had in weeks!!!!! Lordy Mellie, Miz Scarlett here bout' had a fit of the vapors, for real I did....

Heads up, girlfriends....

Cher and Tina Turner are going to be on Oprah Thursday. A lot of us are Oprahed out, but I will tivo this. I'll forget about it by Thursday, and I don't want to miss those two aging divas.

talk about perfect casting...

Check out this picture of Meryl Streep in costume as Julia Child.

This is gonna be another "must-see" movie for moi.... She has managed to totally morph herself into the grand dame of chefdom...

Bon Appetit!!!

My cutey patootie, kinda...

I remember blue sheets...

Today was was perhaps, the most perfect morning of the year. The temperature was in the 60's, the humidity was low, so Maggie and I spent it outdoors, Mags snoozing on the patio table with the umbrella lofted high to shade her from the rising sun. Marti visited for awhile, and later I made lunch for us to eat outside, celery and carrot sticks, alongside a cold meatloaf sandwich, smeared with ketchup on whole wheat for me, a ramekin of diced poached chicken with slivers of celery for her. I drank my iced tea, she lapped her iced water and life was about as good as it gets.

While she snoozed in her little lambswool bed, I sat in an Adirondack chair with a book, until my full tummy and the warm sun made me too drowsy to read. Back in the house, I slipped into bed for a nap, smiling as I pulled up my newly gifted sheets from Lindsay, silky soft, pale blue sheets, one-thousand thread count, egyptian cotton sheets to be exact, and as I lay there I remembered another set of blue sheets, as I once again, my thoughts went back to my childhood.

Mother's sheets were always white when I was a young girl, never fitted, and her pillowcases homemade from flour sacks or remants of fabric. It was my job to iron the pillowcases, even when I was so young that I had to pull up a box or a stool to stand on to reach the iron, as ironing boards weren't adjustable as they are now. I was so proud of those cases, I ironed them perfectly, and folded them length ways, then again, then once again and we tucked them into her top, sachet lined, dresser drawer alongside her white sheets.

Our little house in the country was nestled in a valley, surrounded by corn and bean fields, the yard filled with fruit and shade trees, with my beloved creek running alongside our property. On washday, Mother had a huge black iron pot, and she would make a fire in the yard, put the pot over the fire on a stand, then dip bucket after bucket into the well to fill the pot with water, and while she waited for it to heat, we would pull her wringer-washer out of the smokehouse, then fill her tubs, and she would wash our laundry with lye soap she had made, then we would hang them on the line to dry. I know this all sounds like something from Little House on the Prairie, but that's the way we lived. I took my baths in a galvanized bathtub in the kitchen, filled with water she had heated on the stove. It was a really simple life.

But on to the blue sheets.... Mother had a friend, Helen, that lived in "town." Hooterville's mother, Mary Beth, was also a friend of Helen's, and that's how I met the Hoot... Anyway, lots of Saturdays, we would go to Helen's, spend the night and Mother would wash our clothes in Helen's basement, because she had an automatic washing machine. And not only did she have a washing machine, but she had something even better to a young girl, a claw-footed bathtub. Oh, my, that bathtub was really something. I would take a long, steaming bath, and she had a dresser in her bathroom and the top of it was filled with creams and lotions and potions and body powder. It was good stuff, too, I remember Shalimar and My Sin, and I would dust myself with that body powder after my prune shriveled little body emerged from the tub, and put on either my flannel jammies or my baby doll's, depending on the season, and then I would go into her guest room, with it's Jenny Lind bed, and yep, you guessed it, pale blue sheets. She had a set of yellow ones, too, but I was always partial to the blue ones. The town life was so glamorous to a little country girl, there were sidewalks, parks to visit, the downtown movie theater, and television to watch. We always watched Lawrence Welk on Saturday night and Mary Beth would dance with Helen's husband, Fred in the living room.

So when Lindsay unexpectedly gave me these sheets, it surely did bring back fond memories. And while Lindsay's sheets are really special, they don't quite measure up to the sheets of my childhood. I'm sure she understands this, childhood memories are always the most intense.

So thanks for the gift, sweet Dilly, I will think of Helen's blue sheets often when I slip under your buttery soft ones to sleep...

A couple more patio pix...

I mixed dahlia's with my sparkler geraniums in the first picture, and in the second one I copied a planter I saw while visiting V last week. She lives in a historic old town, they do wonderful gardens, and they had this huge geranium mixed with swedish ivy. It had obviously wintered in the greenhouse, and it was spectacular, so I just had to try it. The little white plants in front are white bacopas...

Click to enlarge this picture, the dahlias are so pretty...

Why hubby buys reading glasses by the case...

He does buy them by the case, from this lady at the fleamarket. He's bought so many pairs, she wholesales them to him. And why do we need so many pairs?

Well.... take today for example. I went to the library, was carrying in a boatload of books in one hand, and my trash sack from takeeoutee lunch and my reading glasses in my other hand, and some guy was holding the door open for me to go in the library, so I quick dump the trash, and you guessed it, I also dumped the glasses. Jeez Louise, and this man is standing there watching me. I'm trying to unobtrusively put my hand down in the trash container, which has one of those lid thingies on it so you can't really see in it, I'm groping around, and put my hand on something really wet. Screw this, I just yanked my hand out, thanked the guy for holding the door and left the damned glasses in the trash. So then I'm in the library, can't read a thing because I have no glasses, but Miss Ingenuity here just goes to the large print selection of books and grabs a few...

I didn't even glance at that stupid trash container on the way out, didn't need to, I probably have oh, thirty-six or thirty-seven pairs at home anyway. For real I do...

We've got a lot of gardening done...

Poor LC, he tore out all the perennials, planted all the boxwood, power washed the patio, filled all my pots, and we still have to paint the Adirondack chairs, and I'm the one that likes to garden, not him... It's looking pretty spiffy though, now we water, fertilize and watch it grow...

There are two sets of pictures, they both enlarge, just give them a click...

Oprah and the SATC Cast

The Boogie Woogie Done Right....

Barb sent me this clip this morning, it will definitely get you moving... Awesome couple...

Did you enjoy this clip? You can read lots more about my crazy middle-aged antics in Heavensville. Just go to my latest entries by clicking HERE...

I've gotten thousands of hits for Boogie Woogie Done Right, and would love to know how all of you found me. If you would take a minute and comment on what sent you to my site, or just email me HERE, I would appreciate it. It's always fun knowing how people locate you.

Glad you could stop by. ~ jan

SATC, THE OFFICIAL TRAILER

Hi ladies, you must realize by now that I have an ongoing obsession with Sex and the City. I even created a little poll for you in the left sidebar, anonymous, of course.

I'll be passing on lots of SATC info this month, so sit back, put your feet up, have a Cosmo and enjoy the festivities. I know I'm going to...

~ jan

From today's Page Six....

Leave it to Martha to make money off of the boomers. Finally, somebody is recognizing that there is a whole generation of women out here who are being ignored. Now if somebody would just do something about designing great casual clothes for older women...

HarperCollins head honcho Jane Friedman and the ubiquitous Martha Stewart. I am told Martha's next venture will be a magazine for women over 50, the largest demographic coming to Madison Avenue, where for years they have slavishly paid attention only to the young.

Sex and the City, the fashion behind the movie...

Okay ladies, this will definitely get you in the mood to see this movie. . I'll be there opening day with my gummy bears and popcorn, front row, center..... Can't wait!

Holy Schmoly....

If you're a garage sale junkie, you would love to be in Malibu Saturday. Scroll down and check out the photos of Pamela Anderson's Garage Sale. Interesting stuff.

Click HERE.

Here I go again....

Trouble just seems to follow me wherever I go. This morning, I was sitting on the side of the tub, getting ready for my morning shower, and I took off my tennis shoe, it somehow flew thru the air and landed right in the toilet bowl. Arughhhh, V and I were just talking about this yesterday, how LC has a cow if the lid is up, but it was my bathroom, and the seat wasn't up, just the lid. How that darned shoe flew right into that little hole is beyond me.

So I'm sitting on the side of the tub in disbelief, watching it float in the water, and I'm thinking, "what the hell, they needed to be put thru the washer anyways." Miz Scarlett here, making lemonade.

A heads up this morning...

The Sex and the City girls will be on Oprah today - whohoo, can't wait for that....

If I only had a brain, what would I do, what would I do???

Flash back to Christmas eve morning, everything is a whirlwind and the phone in this picture, my LG enV, dies. Totally panicked, of course, at the thought of no phone over the holidays, heaven forbid I might miss a call, I have Ryan and Lindsay take me to the Verizon store at the mall, the mall, on Christmas Eve, shows you how desperate I was. Anyhoo, it was under warranty, so they just replaced it, no problem.

Everything was fine, new phone was up and running and I was busy with the holidays, but sometime in January when things settled down I started noticing that when I flipped it open the inside screen was dull and cloudy and it had scratches on the it. It finally dawned on me that they had given me a refurbished phone and it was a dud. It just bugged the heck out of me, but did I call Verizon and complain??? No, of course not, I just procrastinated about it and fumed silently.

I was showing it to Hooterville this week and bitching about it and she told me no way would she accept that, I should call em' up. So it was a bright sunny day on Sunday, I was sitting in the car while she was off taking bird pictures and I thought, this is really wrong, I shouldn't have to deal with this inferior phone even if it is now late April and I've had it since December, I'm going to call them.

I flipped up the phone to look at it so I could tell them exactly what was wrong, I then rubbed my finger over it to make sure I couldn't erase the scratches, and holy moly, it started to bubble up.

I hadn't removed the protective covering... I HADN'T REMOVED THE PROTECTIVE COVERING. O-M-G, if I only had a brain... Of course, when I told Hoot about it, she just howled with laughter, me, not so much... that phone had bugged me for months. Lesson learned, don't procrastinate, Jan, get to the bottom of a problem immediately instead of being Scarlett and dealing with it tomorrow. Arughhhhhhhhhhh...

I loved Designing Women...

Bernice was always such a hoot on this show. This episode will take a while to watch, but it's so funny... Alice Ghostley was such a treasure...

It doesn't get better than this....

Maggie in my arms, Dilly on the cellphone - ahhhhh, life is good...

And now, a shameless plug for Mag's new vet.

If any of you live in Heavensville and aren't too happy with your current vet, do I have a good one for you. Dr. Wagner, from McCutchanville Animal Hospital. And yep, she's a W-O-M-A-N!!! She's smart, she's nuturing, she has a great sense of humor; Maggie and I were both really pleased with her, and you know how picky I am with the Mooster. Oh did I mention that she had great silver rings on her fingers? Just had to mention that.

I didn't like Mag's previous vet, I just didn't have chemistry with him. He was old and tired, and wasn't all that interested in my little fur child, so I asked the people at Give a Dog a Bone (natural pet food store) who they would recommend. They told me this lady was really good, and they were right.

Maggie keeps having these recurring UTI's, but hopefully, by following Dr. Wagner's advice, we are going to nip them in the bud...

Hooterville is home now, got some amazing pictures, which she has promised to put in Picasa Web Albums so all of you can see them. I'm cold, I'm pooped, I'm outta here. Bathtime and bed with a good book... Works for me!!!

A few shots...

These birdhouses were Mothers. LC brought them home and hung them in the tree's behind our patio and a little wren is building in one of them. It always makes me smile to look up on the hill and see them, good memories.

The creeping flocks are in bloom. I tucked them into the rocks three springs ago, and they have spread now and are just a riot of color.

And the redbird has a worm in his mouth, there must be babies to feed.

And that's my day.... More pix to come...

Photos courtesy of Hooterville's finest only photographer...

Early morning bird watcher....

Yep, it's my buddy, Hoot, here for a visit. Check out the duds, and the house shoes, and the "hat." Woman is as bat shit crazy as me..... If you look at this up close, don't look at the patio yet, it still looks pretty shabby...

It's going to be a sunny day in Heavensville, we'll be out there taking a hoard of photos. Update later....

Don't worry, I'm not getting political....

Well, maybe just a smidge of politics tonight, but don't worry It won't be ongoing, I have friends whose opinions I respect, and I don't want to turn them off reading my blog because of my views.

Okay, let's talk about this... Deep breath, Jan...

First of all, I support Hillary Clinton, and out of every single friend that I have, with the exception of Angi, I'm the only one that does. It's true, I like her because she is married to Bill Clinton, and I thought that despite his weak moral character, he was a good president. I'm also sure that the fact that I'm fifty-eight years old, and as far back as grade school I can remember my teachers talking about the possibility of there being a woman president in my lifetime factors in also. The thought of living long enough to see a woman in office is very exciting to me. Maybe I do support her for the wrong reasons, but I also happen to like the woman and believe she will work diligently to make a better life for women and children in this country. Okay, I said it and the sky didn't fall in...

So, when I read today online that Maya Angelou supports Hillary Clinton, I was just flabbergasted. Everytime you turn on the television, black people are singing the praises of Obama. I'm going to post what Ms. Angelou said because I think it is interesting, for us as women, to read what an educated black woman has to say. She has a voice, and I admire her for saying what she thinks, instead of backing a candidate because of color. Oprah, you could learn a lot from this woman!

And if the democratic party decides that Obama is their man, and it certainly appears that this will happen, I will support McCain in the fall. And that's all I'm going to say about this political brohau, the likes of which we've never seen in our lifetime. And now on to what Maya Angelou had to say...

"Dear Friend:

I am writing to tell you about my friend, Hillary Clinton, and why I am standing with her in her campaign for the presidency. I know the kind of president Hillary Clinton will be because I know the person she is.

I am inspired by her courage and her honesty. She is a reliable and trustworthy person. She is someone I not only admire but one for whom I have profound affection.

Hillary does not waver in standing up for those who need a champion. She has always been a passionate protector of families. As a child, she was taught that all God’s children are equal, and as a mother, she understood that her child wasn’t safe unless all children were safe. As I wrote about Hillary recently in a praise song: “She is the prayer of every woman, and every man who longs for fair play, healthy families, good schools and a balanced economy.”

It may be easy to view Hillary Clinton through the narrow lens of those who would write her off or grind her down. Hillary sees us as we are, black and brown and white and yellow and pink and relishes our differences knowing that fundamentally we are all more alike than we are unalike. She is able to look through complexion and see community.

She has endured great scrutiny, and still she dares greatly. Hillary Clinton will not give up on you, and all she asks is that you do not give up on her. She is a long-distance runner. I am honored to say I am with her for the long run.

I am supporting Hillary Clinton because I know that she will make the most positive difference in people’s lives and she will help our country become what it can be. Whether you are her supporter, leaning towards her, undecided, or supporting someone else, I believe Hillary Clinton will represent you – she will be a president for all Americans. It is no small thing that along the way we will make history together.

I just spend part of the afternoon reading Trisha Yearwood's new Cookbook, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen. Cousin Phyllis if you're reading this, buy this book, you will love it.

It's basic food, well done, well written, great photos. It's a goodie, ladies.

I posted her barbecued ribs recipe a few days ago, after I found it online, Ryan made them when we were in Lexington. They were really, really good. Not your typical ribs, but so easy and such a good flavor. He was really hesitant because you marinated them in 2 cups of soy sauce, and they smelled pretty vile, but once they baked, they were delicious. I think the marinade had to be that strong to give them such a good flavor.

Anyhoo, if you have any interest in this book, you can buy it on Amazon HERE...

Oh my. GOODNESS!!!

I'm a huge fan of Maxine, if you are a regular reader of this site, you know that, and I joke about actually turning into her in my own age.

Well, I was wrong, I'm not Maxine, but guess who is???? What in heaven's name is Elizabeth Taylor doing in a get-up like this??? You have to admit she has a kind of bizarre look about her that is similar to our favorite geratric cartoon.

It makes me want to rethink turning into Maxine. Well, I do have Mags for my lap, and it's quite possible that I will end up in a wheelchair, but somehow I don't see myself with red collagen infused lips, or that stupid hat. But if my hair keeps thinning at the rate it is now, I will be in some kind of hat.... who knows, maybe by the time I'm La Liz's age, I will be even crazier than I am now, and wear a getup like this one. I always did like a touch of animal prints... Heaven forbid...

I'm all about eggs this spring....

I don't get it, I was never much of an egg fan, but ever since I got on my poached egg kick, I'm eating them daily. Lindsay made Eggs Benedict this morning, they were soooooo good....

And then when I opened my weekly Splendid Table Newsletter, the following recipe just fascinated me. I should put this on Jan Can Cook, I'm lazy - posting it here - check this out, do you think it looks as good as I do?

~ jan

"Boring" will never again be paired with hard cooked eggs once you try this recipe. It's the best thing to happen to the deviled egg since the picnic. Talk about an ideal spring supper, this is it; and if you are feeling like a fancy dinner menu, serve this as a first course.

For even more tips and ideas, head to splendidtable.org and check out our brand new How to Eat Supper podcast, available for a limited time. You'll find much more practical hands-on advice to streamline your kitchen life, including basics like the easiest and foolproof way to boil an egg, the clues to look for when selecting salad greens and how to buy a pot, so don't miss out. Best of all it's free!

We're also excited about our new book, The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show, a book Publisher's Weekly says "... should grace the shelves of even the most infrequent of cooks." You can buy a copy of your very own at splendidtable.org. Your purchase goes to support public radio.

Pan-Crisped Deviled Eggs on French Lettuces
Excerpted from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift (Clarkson Potter, April 8, 2008). Copyright 2008 by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift

Serves 4 as a main dish; 6 as a first course

15 minutes prep time; 5 minutes stove time
The eggs could be stuffed a day ahead and refrigerated until you are ready to saute them.

Who would imagine browning deviled eggs to caramelize their edges and crisp their fillings: What a sensual turn with a hard-cooked egg.

We owe the idea to Jacques Pépin and his memoir, The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen (Houghton Mifflin, 2003). The inspiration comes from war-torn France and a recipe born of scarcity that Jacques' mother created during World War II, though you'd never know it when you pick up your fork.

This is the kind of double-edged story that we love to find in the things we eat.

Eggs:

• 8 large eggs, hard-cooked and peeled
• 1 scant teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2-1/2 teaspoons minced onion
• 2-1/2 tight-packed tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarse chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• 2-1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
• 1-1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil

Dressing:

• The leftover egg stuffing
• 3 tablespoons good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 generous teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2-1/2 tablespoons milk
• 2-1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Salad:

4 generous handfuls mixed greens, such as Bibb lettuce, mache, and dandelion greens or frisee, washed and dried

1. Cut the hard-cooked eggs in half lengthwise. Gently remove the yolks (fingers work best), and place them in a medium bowl. Reserve the whites.

2. Add the mustard, garlic, onion, parsley, milk, mayonnaise, and vinegar to the yolks. With a fork, crush everything together into a thick paste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pack the mixture back into the hollows of the egg whites, so the filling is even with the surface of the egg, not mounded. You will have leftover stuffing (this becomes the salad dressing).

4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Gently place the eggs in the pan, stuffed side down. Cook until the eggs are beautifully browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper as they cook.

5. As the eggs saute, combine in a large bowl the leftover egg stuffing with all the dressing ingredients. Add the salad greens to the bowl, and toss. Heap them on a serving platter.

6. Gently lift the eggs from the pan, turn them filling side up, set them on the greens, and serve.

Yikes!!!!!!

We're in Lexington for a few days, visiting Lindsay and Ryan, and Hooterville emailed me to say that we had yet another earthquake in Heavensville last night. That's a total now of 19 this week. Most of them were in the 2.5 range, after the initial ones of 5.4 and 4.5, but last night it was another strong one, 4.5 again. The experts are saying this is unusual, that usually they don't gain strength again.

So, needless to say, it is a scary situation. I talked to Jean and V this morning, they are booth spooked. We''ll be here til' Wednesday, I hope it all settles down before we go home.

Keep our little corner of the world in your thoughts. Mother Nature is a force we can't control...