This Gal's Talent "Rocks!"

I often mention and talk about my good friend Curley. This woman is a lady of many talents. Look closely at the two necklaces she made yesterday (click on them for a closeup view). They are crocheted out of fine silver wire and glass beads. Then she puts the finishing touches on the ends with clasps and so on. I don't know how she does it.
I happened to stumble onto instructions for these necklaces in a book and showed it to her the other day. And VOILA! here they are.
Curley also knits, makes other jewelry, crochets, sews, and does flower arrangements. She also works at our local Senior Center where she teaches seniors different crafts, plus organizes events and is really a "jack of all trades" there.
Curley is a wife and mother. Her family live "way" out in the middle of "BF Egypt" and, believe it or not, she doesn't drive. She knows how, she just never got a license. We all have been working on her for a few years to get one, but she really doesn't feel comfortable with the idea, so she probably won't. Her husband, one of her sons, and public transit is fulfilling her transportation needs right now.
I marvel at her talent. She never does anything "half-assed" like some of us do. She is a perfectionist with her handiwork. She made a niece's wedding dress a couple years ago, and I think she reworked it 3 different times until it was perfect.
Besides all this, she is just a good person, a good friend, and I am so lucky to know her.

Peace,
JE

JE Cooks!

After many weeks of waiting, and trying to fix meals with out a stove or microwave, both new appliances arrived and were installed yesterday.
The old microwave "died" a sudden death about 6 months ago, but I had use of Prof's mini microwave, so I didn't replace it right away. Then, while I was on vacation in January, the oven on my stove quit working. In investigating, we found out that Jenn-Air doesn't make that stove anymore, nor can parts be purchased for it. The burners still worked, but if you used them, the timer beeped and a red light flashed and this went on for ever until finally the breaker in the basement had to be thrown.
I went to Sears in Texas, purchased the new stove there, and a new microwave, since both were on a huge sale at the time. With Sears hinky scheduling procedure, the pair I bought at the end of January, finally got here and set in place yesterday, making stoveless days number in the 30's.
Prof and Kiddo decided that I had to cook the first meal on the new equipment, so I fixed something simple. Spaghetti. I got out the really good stainless steel cookware, which I very seldom use (personal reasons) and found out that this new stove cooks hotter and faster than the old one(15 years makes a lot of difference.) And to have a microwave last almost 20 years is unheard of, I guess. At least that's what everyone is telling me. So, now I can cook. But now, I have to put away the George Foreman Grill, the toaster over, the griddle, the roaster, and the mini microwave; all that have been spread all over the counters so we could cook a meal. Then I will have a place to spread out my biscotti dough, pie dough, and maybe even make "southwest soup" and beer bread! Oh, and I am cleaning out all my cupboards and ridding them of unused stuff. There is no way I need all this stuff!

In the Kitchen, in peace,
JE

Texas Bloomers

While I was in Texas in January and the first 10 days of February, I marveled at the amount of flora they have that blooms in the winter. Yes, I know, it's warmer there than in Indiana, but I never thought about flowers blooming in January!!! So I took my trusty(?) camera out into my brother's back yard and snapped a few photos of what was blooming there.
This looks much like our "sweet alyssum" that grows here in the early spring.


This is called a potato vine. It doesn't produce potatoes, and it's a perennial.




Roses blooming in January??? Well,I declare!Pansies blooming in a pot near the deck.

Now I know Mellodee will wonder what all the "hoopala" is over flowers in winter, but I know Terry in Montana might be as in awe as I was! LOL!!

Peace,
JE

Are you smarter than a 60 year old?

*Note: Not to brag or anything, but I didn't miss any. #13 made me stop and think, and I narrowed it down to two, and chose the right one!

THIS WAS HARDER THAN I THOUGHT.....THE ANSWERS WERE ON THE TIP OF MY TONGUE....I REMEMBERED, BUT ............

DON'T LOOK BELOW FOR THE ANSWERS UNTIL YOU HAVE TRIED IT OUT A TEST FOR 'OLDER' KIDS. US OLDER KIDS DON'T CHEAT!


01.After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, Who was that masked man? Invariably, someone would answer, I don't know, but he left this behind. What did he leave behind?________________.

02.When the Beatles first came to the U.S. .In early 1964, we all watched them on The _______________ Show.

03'Get your kicks, __________________.'

04.'The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to ___________________.'

05.'In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ________________.'

06. After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we 'danced' under a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a dance called the '_____________.'


07.Nestle's makes the very best . .. . . _________ ______.'

08..Satchmo was America 's 'Ambassador of Goodwill.' Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was _________________.

09.What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? _______________.

10. Red Skeleton's hobo character was named __________________ and Red always ended his television show by saying, 'Good Night, and '________ ________.. '

11.Some Americans who protested the Vietnam War did so by burning their______________.

12. The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk in the front was called the VW. What other names did it go by? ____________ &_______________.

13.In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a song about, 'the day the music died.' This was a tribute to ___________________.

14..We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did it. It was called ___________________.

15. One of the big fads of the late 50's and 60's was a large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist. It was called the __ ______________.



16. Remember LS/MFT _____ _____/_____ _____ _____?



17. Hey Kids! What time is it? It's _____ ______ _____!



18. Who knows what secrets lie in the hearts of men? The _____ Knows!




ANSWERS :
01..The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet.
02.The Ed Sullivan Show
03..On Route 66
04..To protect the innocent.
05.The Lion Sleeps Tonight
06.The limbo
07.Chocolate
08..Louis Armstrong
09.The Timex watch
10..Freddy, The Freeloader and 'Good Night and God Bless.'
11.Draft cards (Bras were also burned. Not flags, as some have guessed)
12.Beetle or Bug
13.Buddy Holly
14.Sputnik
15.Hoola-hoop
16. Lucky Strike/Means Fine Tobacco

17. Howdy Doody Time

18. Shadow

Flowers for Valentine's Day

These beauties were blooming in my brother's back yard, in the winter, in Texas. Who says Valentine's Day flowers have to be red roses? These are just as beautiful and really alive and growing.
What an example of God's love for Valentine's Day.

Peace,
JE

Note*: I see the date on my camera is messed up again. Happens every time I have to put in new batteries. Now I have to remember how to change it. Let's see...where did I put that user's manual?

Ultimate Restaurant Decor Part Dos!

Previously, I wrote about eating at the "light and tinsel show." (Note that I spelled tinsel correctly now. Thanks, Mel.) Well here's living proof (or almost living in the form of photos that I went back and took the day before I came home) that I wasn't just "shining you people on."

Here's the entrance doors!


This is one end of a 30 foot bar!

Aisle way to dining areas in either side!

Exiting was just as exciting!

So, see, my loyal readers, I wasn't kidding at all, was I?

Peace (and light,)
JE