Yesterday went as planned, for the most part, but that's probably because there were no plans. Daughter Rachel, her girls, and the latest great-grandbaby spent a large part of the day here. We all ate made-from-scratch corn dogs, as many as we wanted. In my case, it was three: two for noontime dinner, one special Nathan's hot dog just for me, for supper. I've had my fix, and don't care if I see another corn dog until next summer when fair season arrives.
Rachel, Natalie, and Monica discovered a game to play, with the echo (Alexa) playing moderator. You hear a snippet of a popular song from whatever decade you choose and guess the name of the song and/or the artist to get points. Up to five can play, and whoever has the most points wins. I just sat on the sidelines because I don't bother to learn proper names of artists and songs, and the only music I'm that familiar with is either classic country or folk. It was fun watching them play, but when the son-in-law got back from visiting his mom in Carthage, nobody else had a chance. That guy has the best memory of anybody I know, especially when it comes to names of movies, songs and artists.
I had mentioned going on a road trip today, but at the last minute this morning, changed my mind. Grandson's jeep broke down as he was on his way to Bolivar this weekend to help a friend. He was pulling a trailer behind him with his four-wheeler on it, so that left him 100-plus miles from home with two vehicles, neither of which would get him home! His wife, Heather, went down to pick him up yesterday and they hauled the four-wheeler back. This morning, he and Cliff took the trailer back down to retrieve the jeep. I decided not to go because he borrowed somebody else's pickup rather than use our gas-guzzler... I don't blame him for that... but I had planned to take Gabe rather than leave him home, thinking we were using our truck. Once in awhile Gabe gets a little car-sick, and it wouldn't be nice seeing him get sick in someone else's vehicle. Besides, the grandson has had SUCH a horrible Labor Day weekend (ruined transmission, anybody?), I could see that one extra passenger might just be that much more for him and Cliff to worry about, especially a passenger with a dog: I seek out rest rooms often while traveling, and sometimes on a long jaunt, Gabe needs a potty stop. They didn't need that. I feel good about my decision.
I have a few bulbs to get in the ground while it's moist, and a little okra to pick. Tomatoes are starting to produce edible fruits now, too. Not prize-winning tomatoes, but at least something I can use. So my next move is to go outside with Gabe and act like a gardener.
If you can't tell, this is a token entry just to remind myself I AM going to be blogging more, and don't you forget it! It's a mind-set, and I have no excuse now, except that my life is pretty boring these days. But I think I can get my mojo back.
Oh, I found Wanda's pimento cheese spread online this morning. If you had trouble with her directions in the entry yesterday, everything is a lot more specific on the site I discovered. The recipe is HERE. There are other recipes almost like it except you boil the two eggs. I'm sticking with this one, because even Rachel, who, like me, never cared much for pimento spreads, loved Wanda's version.
I'll close with a little illustration that will teach you uninitiated folks the parts of a tractor. Just because I can.
Peace.
We started to plan something special for this weekend and later decided to skip it. But the daughter's family live less than two miles away and her husband is out of town until this afternoon, so she, Natalie, and baby Amara, joined us, as well as Heather and Cliff's sister Rena. So we had people to visit with for a large portion of the day, which makes it feel like a holiday weekend.
I have a to-do list for today:
1. Do a blog entry (now begun)
2. Write a couple of letters, the kind you send in the mail (although they will probably be typed, not literally "written".
3. Make some corn dogs and eat as many as I want.
4. Play Frisbee with Gabe (done)
You see, when I make a to-do list (which is rarely), I make one I know I might possibly get done. The corn dog situation came about from a conversation with family members in which I was complaining about the difficulty and expense of securing a corn dog. One would think that with local fairs everywhere, anybody could eat their fill of corn dogs. However, at five bucks each, I'm a little too much of a tightwad to eat all I want. When we were at the parade in Norborne I saw a vender selling corn dogs and got in line. It took quite a while to get to the window, where one flustered teenager was trying to keep up with the demand. However, it seems the grease wasn't even hot yet, and in her state of confusion, it appeared it would be quite a wait for my corn dog; so we left. I had one at the state fair on their opening day (bargain day) for two dollars, and it was a pretty good one. Everybody tells me to go to Sonic, but theirs aren't greasy enough to suit me. Yes, I DO like grease. I always make my pancake last because most people don't like the edges crisped up with grease, but I do. After the others have their fill, I add more lard or Crisco, enough that it reaches the edge of the pancake all around the edges and fry it up. That's how I roll.
About the letters: At the family reunion the first week of August, my cousin Wanda (I think maybe she's my oldest living cousin) mentioned she'd brought some home-made pimento spread as she always does, and was going to take what was left to a cousin's house on the way home because that family loved it so much. That cousin, Lela, is always at the reunion, but had been in the hospital for a couple of days; so for the second time in her life, she missed it.
I've never been a fan of pimento spread, but Cliff likes it and sometimes buys some at the store for a treat. A few weeks back, I decided to figure out how to make it myself, thinking home-made might be better than the store-bought stuff. I surfed my way to allrecipes.com and found various recipes, all of them pretty simple. The various recipes I tried were pretty decent, but still nothing special. And then I went to the reunion and heard Wanda saying how much people loved it. She doesn't have Internet, but said she'd try to remember to send me the recipe. As she told me about it, she mentioned it was made with Velveeta: Folks, I love Velveeta, but usually only buy it during holidays to make hot hamburger dip because I consider it "fake food", probably related to plastic somehow (Hey, it looks like plastic, right?). I like the idea of real cheese made from cow milk, with little else added, because that way I know what I'm getting.
This recipe was different in other ways, for instance, cooking is involved. Really! Not much cooking, but still... anyhow, Cliff and I were amazed. I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I'm going to scan the recipe card as Wanda sent it to me, and you take it from there:
I suggest you try it, even if it DOES involve an ingredient that looks like plastic. I think you'll like it even if you aren't a fan of most pimento cheese spread. One of the two letters I intend to write is to Wanda, to heap praise upon her for her recipe.
We are missing our little girl a lot, but it's like a weaning process and will get better with time. Her Iowa grandmother wishes we could have gone on babysitting her, but we both felt it was best for the child to move on. Here's what I answered her (almost with tears in my eyes), when she told me she hates that the kid isn't with us any more.
"I’m 74. I get grumpy too easily. She was bored. She changed our lives, but one way or another, she needed to be challenged. Life is a battle, and she needs to face changes and challenges, even if it’s sometimes unpleasant. I’ve seen too many children whose parents buffer them and keep them in a bubble. Those children sometimes grow up feeling entitled, and often their parents continue to bail them out after they are 21. I miss her terribly, so this is a great sacrifice for us that we feel is for her good. That’s my opinion, although unlike many folks, I am always ready to admit I could be wrong. I’m human, after all, and not perfect."
Peace to all of you. Have a lovely Labor Day weekend, what's left of it. I'm thinking there may be a road trip in store for tomorrow... not really the fun kind, but it's a 100-mile ride that could turn into fun. I'll wait and see.
