First, it was tomatoes—Campri tomatoes to be exact—from the grocery store, sprinkled with course-ground Kosher salt, that brought me back to my days on the farm when I was a little girl.  I would pick one ripe from the vine, sprinkle it with salt we brought with us to the fields, and eat it right […]

1-13-2017 Update:  The spam blocker, Clean Talk seems to be working just fine, and I am happy with it.  I see where it is catching a lot of spam, but my hope is that it doesn’t catch anything from one of my readers and throws it into the Spam folder.  If you have not had […]

I recently felt like my heart would break.  A very dear grandson got frustrated and broke a window pane glass out above me, showering me with glass shards.  I cried for thirty minutes.  I was at the end of my rope. “I’m through with you and your attitudes,” I sobbed.  “I don’t want to have […]

Christmas is passed.  But the left overs are still sticking around.  Funny thing, they are now almost better than when they were fresh.  We departed from the traditional turkey and dressing or ham, and did lasagna instead.  With a salad.  I think it was a good idea as everyone had been very social over Thanksgiving, […]

I heard the muffled sound of a car horn in the distance.  Could it be the mail carrier with a package needing a signature?  I looked out the window, and didn’t see any unusual automobiles in the driveway.  I glanced around again, and saw the wheelchair out in the sand pit.  It was my husband […]

This year is the first year we have had our grandson for Christmas.  He’s five, and full of wonder.  We saved putting up the Christmas tree and decorating it until he came the week of Christmas.  He and his Dad had it planned–they would do it together.  So Dad climbed the stairs and searched under […]

There seems to be an epidemic of “saving face” going around.  People making mistakes but explaining them away so they don’t look quite so foolish or inadequate.  Recently, I sent my grandson into a hardware store to get some antifreeze for a car.  I told him to get two gallons of full strength general purpose […]

The small boy was different from when I had seen him several months before.  His mother and I were eating pizza with him after working that day.  He had been at the work site and had been active, but obedient. “Adrian, I see that you are growing up.  You are more mature than when I […]

I went to a public meeting today my city put on to identify the housing market potential and needs of our city.  It seems that there is a market for upscale housing in good locations.  However, there is a problem obtaining housing for students and young people.  That is the large print. The fine print […]

Recently, I was talking with an interesting man about working with teenagers.  He said, “You can deal with young people until they get a car and then you’ve lost them for a few years.  Once they get gasoline and smell perfume, they’re gone.”  I had to laugh—he was so right. These cute and adorable little […]

My oxymoron today is that I’m a lady, and I snort salt water.  I know that doesn’t look or sound very refined, much less ladylike.  But I believe in taking care of my nose and throat.  You see, I get around some pretty yucky air pollutants.  Yesterday, I was sanding around the edges of a […]

Often, I see the words “giving back to (fill in the blank).”  In fact, I instinctively used it in my blog heading.  It’s a philosophy from times unknown—to give back a part of what has been given to you.  I see it in third-world countries.  The older brother or sister pays for the education of […]