jordan's cookie bouquet

Jordan had a dance recital last night. She was absolutely adorable! Could there be anything cuter than a five year old girl on stage smiling and dancing with complete joy?

Instead of flowers, I decided at the last minute, to make her a cookie bouquet. The recital was at 7:00 p.m., but there I was at 6:00 p.m. racing around trying to finish these. You really should let them dry overnight, but that was as long as I could make it. I roped Tom into helping me by having him cut the ribbon, so he was there watching me panic. I recently made these sugar cookies for a friend's wedding favors, but never into a bouquet: I was flying by the seat of my pants. I had planned to just put them in the cellophane bags and tie them together, but they totally sagged. I was frantically wracking my brain thinking of ideas: cardboard, sticks from somewhere in the house - anything to give it some sort of support. Leave it to Tom to come to my rescue! He suggested we use some silver plastic knives we had left over from Jimmy and Liesa's wedding. They worked perfectly - in a red-neck sort of way. (Ha Ha) I definitely want to make more of these, and I plan to use these knives until they are gone! So, if you ask for one, you'll have a few knives to use later.

Anyway, Jordan loved them!

twenty-eight: holly yashi earrings

At one time Holly Yashi - a local artist - was extremely popular with her metal earring design. Tom and I both loved them, and it was one of his favorite things to buy me. At one point, he had gotten me so many, I had to tell him, "Uncle, on the Holly Yashi!" So this gift is a reminder of those days. It's one of her new designs that he found at Kokopilau - very cute.






I had to post both the cover and the inside of this card because it is so cheesy. Tom is adorable!

twenty-nine: bordeaux cookies

When we were just newlyweds, one of our favorite things to do was eat Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux Cookies and Pralines and Cream Ice Cream by Dreyer's. Driving home we'd pass Longs Drug Store on Myrtle Avenue, and all it would take was the right look from the other one, and we'd just start chanting to each other, "Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Bordeaux." Apparently, the ice cream was too many syllables to chant. Dreyer's doesn't make the ice cream anymore, I'm sad to say.

thirty: roller skates

Tom thinks roller skates are an appropriate gift, since we met roller skating at the Eureka Municipal Auditorium on March 28, 1980. It really was love at first sight! Ha Ha

thirty days to thirty years

On July 25th, Tom and I will be married 30 wonderful years! Tom is much more romantic than I am, and comes up with the best ideas. On our 25th anniversary, he surprised me with a trip to Boston to see a Bon Jovi concert and watch a Boston Red Sox game. It really was a surprise because neither of us has a passion for music in general, and we don't love any musician in particular. Tom told me he planned the trip because I was so taken with a Bon Jovi special on Oprah. Bon Jovi so impressed me with his compassion for his community, plus, he was still married to his high school sweetheart! Tom thought I'd love to see him in concert. It was a really, really sweet gesture, and the concert was great fun! Truthfully, I'm a bit suspicious that, for Tom, the trip might have been more about the baseball game, since he'd never been to Fenway Park before. He wants to watch a game in every park in the USA. Now he can mark that one off his list.

A side note about Boston: we were advised by our travel agent not to drive ourselves around. Being confident people, and suspecting she was probably inept in city driving, we regrettably ignored her suggestion, bought a current map, and rented a car. I'm here to tell you that driving streets of Boston, and the surrounding area could make you literally want to tear you hair out. These roads were not designed for the volume of people or the types of vehicles now trying to maneuver them. One time we were on a freeway that ended up becoming a one-way alley - without warning. I am not kidding. To make a five mile trip to from our motel to our restaurant, ended up taking us 45 minutes - and it wasn't because of traffic. It was the streets that turned into alleys and dead end roads. Even the people who lived there said they never drive. We finally tore up the map, laughing like madmen as we did it.

To celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary, Tom is giving me a gift and a card every day for 30 days. I'm going to document this month-long celebration by taking a photo of each card and gift - no pressure for awesome gifts or anything, right? But, I am doing this on-line journal as much for myself as the grandkids who may want to read about the life of their grandparents someday. I know I would have loved to experience my own grandparents world through their eyes. :o( Imagine hearing about all the inventions straight from your grandparents, and not just some history book. Or hearing about the simple day-to-day life and struggles to survive during the depression. If nothing else, my grandkids will know that their grandparents loved each other deeply, and hopefully, enjoy our journey along the way.

wisdom from my dog, gus

Aging brings savoir faire!

Take naps! Live in the moment!
Be content with who you are...
...if you're a Pug, you will never, ever look like a Greyhound.

Scratch when it itches, but not in front of company.
- and stop when you're told to stop.

ALWAYS wag your tail when the one you love comes through the door.
Eat enthusiastically when someone prepares you a meal.

Keep yourself groomed.

Dig in the garden, but don't chase chickens.
Keep your eye on the ball - don't be a spectator.
Jump around in joyous circles when you are asked to go on a walk!
Don't be ashamed to pant if you are tired.
Stick your head out the window and enjoy the ride!

Forgive easily, but give a warning growl if you must bite back...
....and don't trust everyone.

Be loyal - don't talk about your best friend - or your worst friend.

Last of all:
Don't eat chicken if it still has feathers!

calf-isms, gremlins, and a bag of nails

Yesterday, I spent the whole day with Stephanie, Jordan, and Malachi. First, Steph had a routine doctor visit. She's beginning to look so pregnant! My job, as grandma, was to keep an eye on the two kids. So, I turned them loose on the grassy area in front of the doctor's office and enjoyed their cartwheels, flips, and all-around exuberance at simply being barefoot in the grass. What a joy to watch their complete passion for movement! I've heard it said that people are like cows in that we start out playfully kicking our heels like a spring calf. In much too short of time, we begin to plod along - moving slow and getting marbled like a good steak. Ugh! I am determined to keep as many calf-like qualities as possible and never be content to sluggishly make my way through life. Moo!

Next we found a garage sale where Jordan decided to bypass the toys available and, instead, opted to get three doilies. We found this to be so funny, and immediately called my mom, who is currently crocheting doilie after beautiful doilie. We told her that Jordan had just found three for a dollar, and now mom wants to make a special one just for her. Jordan's choice reminded me of the time my own three kids were young, and we had given them each money to buy something in a little rural country grocery store. We were on our way home from camping and thought they'd want to get a refreshing Popsicle to battle the dust and heat, but they had the freedom to pick out whatever their money could buy them. Both Stephanie and Jimmy bought typical treats, but we couldn't stop laughing when Casey came out with a bag of nails! Yummy! Nails!

Lunch time was at a drive-through Wendy's, and the only thing Malachi wanted was "meat". Steph says that's all he ever asks for. I told Steph she should just start asking for a puppy patty, like we got for Fiona - that way the bun wouldn't be wasted. She said she would, but thought they might be serving the dogs the ones that accidentally landed on the floor. But, if they do, what a great idea to use up meat that would ordinarily be wasted. I'm not even sure if we were charged for it.

From there we went to a thrift store. Steph is looking for about a million (not kidding) reading books from Jordan's homeschooling list next year, and Steph said her heart skips a thrilling beat each time she finds one for a quarter. It's like treasure hunting! This time Jordan wanted a really cute pop up book that displayed a Victorian house, and also those funny nesting dolls made of hard wood or plastic. You know, they have painted faces and look like women from "the old country". Anyway, they were toys!

To end our day, we watched Cars 2, which we fully expected to keep Malachi's undivided attention, since he has a major obsession with Cars and has around 40 cars from the movie that he plays with ALL the time. The funniest thing about the movie is that Gremlins are the bad guys and Tom's mom used to own a yellow one. Tom was in high school and was really embarrassed to drive it, but he borrowed it when he could. One girl he dated told him, "That car is sooo you! I could never see you in another car." He was so insulted that it was her only date - lucky for me! Whew! Do you remember the commercial about Gremlins? "Hey lady! Where's the other half of your car?" Ha Ha On the movie, the nice-looking cars make fun of the Gremlins by telling them they looked like their trunks were cut off. Anyway, the movie was not as interesting to Malachi as we thought because at one point, near the end of the show, Malley had quietly, contentedly stripped himself naked! This behavior clearly exhibits being comfortable in your own skin - another calf-ism we should aspire to. Let me be clear: I am not saying you should get naked at the movies! But why not be more like a 2-1/2 year old who knows his skin enjoys the freedom of movement, by golly, without clothes?

little chickens

It's my fault we have all the "kept" birds at our house. I wanted chickens, so I could have fresh eggs. I wanted jungle fowl, because they are so gorgeous and unique. I wanted Guineas, because they eat ticks and other nasty bugs.

When I put them to bed, I usually do a head count: twenty hens, two roosters, seven Jungle Fowl, and eight Guinea keets. Keets are just baby Guinea fowl. Last night, there were only five guinea keets. This was upsetting because that means three went missing yesterday when they were out free ranging with their surrogate chicken mama. This chicken hatched out 12 keets, and now we are down to five. The first four mysteriously disappeared from inside the house, when they were surrounded by fence and netting, with no evidence of their death or a predator. Now three more have disappeared. It's very sad and frustrating.

But today, when I let all the birds out of their house, I think I heard the distress call of the Guinea keets down the hill. I am definitely no expert when it comes to identifying bird sounds, but it sure caught my ear. I walked nearby to explore, and the cries stopped. They are very suspicious birds and are supposed to prefer and be capable of living as wild birds. But these are just four weeks old, so if they are the keets, I don't see how they can make it on their own. My plan is to try to flush them out today, with some help from my
daughter, Stephanie - only she doesn't know it yet. Their cries have stopped now, but I think it might be because they can hear all the chickens. Maybe they will be making a dash up the hill to join the flock, and I won't have to intervene.

Our wild Jungle Fowl were brought into the mix purely because they are so pretty, and we wanted them to populate the redwood trees around our house. Like the Guinea Fowl, they too will live on their own and will roost high in the trees - or so we were told. They are similar to pheasant in their behavior and will fly straight up when they are startled. We bought a pair for $100 dollars! The pair hatched out and raised five babies. But they aren't leaving! I think they know a great set up - free food and housing!

Yesterday was disappointing, with the keets going missing, and though I am still hopeful that it was their cries I heard and that they'll come back; I did have a for-sure positive and happy bird encounter already today. First, a bit of history: The original Jungle Fowl mama has been hiding out in the woods. We know this because she only shows up in the morning looking for food. We suspected that she might be setting out there, but weren't too optimistic for her success since woods are full of predators. I am happy to say that we were wrong! Today she shows up with six babies about the size of your thumb. Not only that, she has brought them into the chicken run to raise them! She would tell you that it's only because it's a safer environment for her babies, but I think she is a free-loader! What happened to the wild Jungle Fowl experience we were promised? Ha Ha

life in the slow lane

Here I am, deciding to share a bit of myself and my world of chickens, dogs, and cooking. Yes, as the title implies, I wear aprons! I am thrilled to own a vintage collection that my mom gave me. She found a whole bag at a garage sale for a dollar! Whoo-hoo! Because they are so old, I often wonder what stories the aprons could tell me about the lives of the women who tied those same strings around their waists that I tie around mine. How many children shyly peeked out from behind my cheerful aprons? Were they used to gather eggs, hold firewood, or maybe wipe away a few tears? Were they worn when they walked to a neighbor's house to share a morning cup of coffee? Did the apron pockets hold clothes pins while the wash was being hung on the line? Oh, the history in these simple squares of fabric with two strings!

Today my apron was happily tied to me as I made plum jam, strawberry jam, and a peach pie. Yippee - a very long kitchen day filled with sticky, sweet messes! Although, I'm not exactly thrilled with the resulting jams, the pie was delicious. My husband loves peach pie, but I usually don't because I think the crust gets kind of gummy. I have made this same pie once before, using a recipe from the Brown-Eyed Baker, and it was wonderful both times. Maybe I am becoming a peach pie lover! Either way, I am a peach pie maker complete with sugared apron strings tied around my waist!