September 7th – September 12th 2010

We have been on Vacation: We rented a house with the Friday Night Group in Kingston. We got to the house on Sunday afternoon September 5th and we rented the house for a week until September 12th.  We have been doing vacation with the Friday Night Group for over 20 years now,  we think we started in 1989 or 1990 and we think we have missed 2 years in all that time.


Sunday September 5th – Both the B&C’s were on the 2:15 ferry to Kingston and B&K showed up later. The other B&C’s daughter and 2 granddaughters joined us the first night. We all got to the house, explored some and unpacked and settled in. We snacked of veggies while B&C cooked the chicken lasagna which was fabulous. I think I was in bed before 9pm. Lots of people were in the hot tub, the place has lots of amenities and we are looking forward to the week.

Monday September 6th - I woke up just after 8am and went for coffee. Our bedroom is the farthest one down a long hallway, it was called the Garden Suite and it was the master suite to the house. There were three other bedrooms with king or queen beds and a loft that had two twin beds in it. Colleen used the loft for her painting room most of the week. Her work is just amazing and beautiful. Today was our day to cook and I made Moroccan Chicken Fricassee with steamed rice, broccoli and a green salad. The appetizers were pickles, crackers and cheese and wine salami. The Chicken dish uses lemons that have been preserved in a brine and they give the dish a unique flavor. We all liked it. Bill made the dessert which was going to be peach cobbler but when he started making it the peaches were bad and he went back to the store and got apples which were great. I went for a walk around the pond this afternoon and the first step I took onto a boardwalk bridge was so slippery I went flying. I really don’t know what happened because it happened so fast but I had mud on both palms, my chest, my chin and both sides of my hips so I think I smashed and rolled. Mostly it hurt my pride but I have hurt my right shoulder somehow and I am going to have to see a doctor when I get home.

Tuesday September 7th - We went to Edmonds today. Bill needed to make a bank deposit so we went to Kingston, parked the car and walked on the ferry. Then we explored Edmonds and had lunch at a not so good Mexican restaurant. (El Puerto on Main Street in Edmonds just in case you want to know where not to go. Bob and Karen were on dinner duty and they roasted a turkey and made this delicious lentil and rice salad that she has made before. They had overnight guest to the house this evening and they had brought German chocolate cake. So you see we are eating well this week. Each evening we have watched one episode of a TV series that Bill M brought. It is really good. I keep thinking of Monica our exchange student…. It is called “The Long Way Down”. It features two men on motorcycles but there is a third, the camera man also. They also have two vans with back up crew to make the series. They started in England and they are riding the motorbikes all the way from England to Cape town at the tip of Africa. Each one hour program is just exhausting to watch. They ride in mud, dust, ruts and a little tarmac. They see zebra, hippo, elephants, giraffes, and whatever else you can think of. They have broken many parts of the motorbikes and had to repair them. Along the way they have visited the people in Africa, the medic has helped people who were sick, they have brought gifts to schools and visited memorials. I learned a lot about some of the recent battles and conflicts in Africa that I knew very little about before. They did another trip before this one and it is called “The Long Way Around”, I am going to put that on my Netflix list when I get home.

Wednesday September 8th - I think I slept till almost 11AM today. I am not staying up till all hours of the night either. Today is the middle of vacation and we are eating out tonight. The restaurant every one picked was a little bistro in Poulsbo. I had Shrimp linguine with a marinara sauce. Colleen had beef short ribs on a creamy polenta that looked great. Karen got a Cesar salad and I can’t even remember what the guys had. The food was good but that trip to Portland and the Wildwood restaurant has spoiled me for a while.


Thursday September 9th - Bill and I went into Poulsbo today. I wanted to visit the LYS. It was called Amanda’s Art Yarns. The shopkeeper was taking a spinning lesson while I was there so I did some eves dropping. I ended up with one skein of yarn in light blue to add to what I have for flowers on the little hats I am making and I bought some fudge at the local chocolate shop. Bob and Karen cooked again today. We had Chicken Curry, cole slaw, steamed broccoli and hot biscuits and for dessert there was delicious and fluffy cheesecake that they picked up at a local bakery.       

Lido modeling my hat 

Friday September 10th - Our friends Mick and Christie arrived at noon for an overnight visit. I had made a Mediterranean tuna salad for lunch, then we went exploring. We went to Point no Point and visited the lighthouse and walked the beach for a while. Just about the time we finished our walk it started raining. We stopped at the store and picked up fresh salmon for dinner. Bill and I had dinner duty and Mick and Christie brought corn on the cob, and we baked yams and had a big green salad and hot bread. Bill made the dessert, it was hot chocolate pudding cake with fresh whipped cream. Next week I need to fast.

Saturday September 11th - We had a community breakfast this morning and we all ate together. I made a vegetable fritatta, Mick and Christie brought a cantaloupe, Bill and Colleen added apple strudel and we all enjoyed a good visit before Mick and Christie left to go home. Bill and I stayed at the house all day and I loved it. Bill and Bob played on the computer some and I did a little in my journal. I read a bit and knitted also. Just another restful day. Bill and Colleen were on for dinner again and we had an awesome salad, crab cakes and apple crisp for dessert. Everyone knows I have a real weakness for apple crisp it is almost funny since I really don’t like many fruit desserts of any kind. After dinner we watched the last two episodes of “The Long Way Down,” I had to get to Cape Town with those guys as the whole program has been so interesting. Then when I went back to our bedroom I realized Bill had filled the Jacuzzi with water for me a  bubble bath. It was an awesome bubble bath, I never do the hot tub because of my low blood pressure, I can’t remember the last time I had a bath but I haven’t been able to since before my surgery in April. Now all my wounds are healed and I enjoyed the good soak.

Sunday September 12th - When we woke up this morning we started packing up. We were loaded and on the road early and caught the 9:40 ferry for home. We were home way before noon. The Seahawks game started at 1 o’clock and we were unpacked and I was knitting and doing laundry during the game. It was a good game, the Seahawks woke up in the second quarter and played well for their new coach, Pete Carroll. He had a lot of good energy and I hope we have a good year. I read that the Huskies won, but I didn’t even think about football yesterday.

Monday September 13th - We are back from vacation and Bill was back at work this morning. I enjoyed a couple of early morning phone calls before I pulled up to the desk. I had phone calls to make, papers to sort, some errands to run, took Bill’s car for an oil change and went to the Dr, who referred me back to the Dr I saw last year for the other shoulder, so here we go again. I did get a couple of good walks in today, one this morning and another this afternoon.


On being Productive, experiencing Pleasure and Living Positive

What's off my needles: Finally I have something to show for the knitting I have been doing. I finished a little hat for my great niece Macy and a hat and scarf for a friend of Bill’s and FINALLY I finished the turquoise tee that has been hibernating for two years while I found someone to teach me to chart necklines and sleeves. So here are some photos in celebration of my accomplishments of the week.

Macy's Hat

     

Cindy's hat and scarf
(that scarf took a long time)

What I am reading:  I am just started with "When We Were Grownups" by Anne Tyler.  It was a book club choice and I need to have it finished next week.  So I guess I will be reading it a lot this week.

My thoughts for the day and trying to think positive lessons come from Lido this week. Lido is Bill and Colleen’s cute little Havanesse dog. (I have probably spelled that wrong, sorry.) Lido knows how to live in the moment.  He had an awesome vacation.  When his parents left him with one of the other couples while they went exploring he was sad, for a while and then went on with his day and when they came home he was delighted and told them so every way he could.  He didn't lye,  he doesn't toy with your emotions, he just lives in the now.   Lido doesn't like TV, but when we were watching he just goes to the other room and rest a while.   He was patient when I had him try on the hat I had knitted and he greeted every one with enthusiasm every morning.   I am glad Lido joined us on vacation.  

Grannies’ Diary: Bobbie Ann Maxwell 1945: For a few years now my grandmother’s (my mom’s mother) diaries have been sitting on a bookshelf above my desk. Now that others are reading this, I think I will take things from her diary and tell you what was happening at her farmhouse also. I have started with the first complete looking diary and the year is 1945. I am telling her story, in her words as best I can.


Friday, September 7, Well I ironed this morning, I ironed dozens of scarf’s in lavender and green and pink sacks. I cooked the goat roast I got from Hilly yesterday and it was so good. I came near eating too much. The Lucas’s came after the cow and calf that got over here in the Smith’s trap someway. They got the calf but the cow ran over into Cecil’s trap. I think Worth caught the calf. I talked to the girls Lovie and Emma and I made Sis Armey’s slip this evening.


Saturday, September 8 Well, I made some candy and I took some up to the kids at the store. They sure liked it. I sent three dollars by Lester to bring some of Olga’s tablets to me as he was going to town. And he brought the medicine to me real late this evening. He’s a nice kid. I took Mrs. Gay some candy this evening. Frank went to Cherokee with us and dad was so sore at him, but I feel sorry for poor Pauk as Caroline calls him. I sent Bill the San Saba News.


Sunday, September 9 - HoHo. We went up to the singing convention at the Salt Branch school house. Then, on up to the Church of Christ but didn’t hear anything. Lovie, Emma, Hilly, Nancy were all up there. Then, we came on back and listened to them sing before we went to dinner. Oh yes, I saw Tom A, Maude, Ann and the Ugly Duckling. We all ran down and ate dinner with Bonnie. I saw a good many of my old friends at the singing. We ran up to Gays and I took sugar and pecans to make candy and Lester ate it. It was one o’clock before Mr. Gay and dad got in. I’ll not be led off again.


Monday, September 10 – Today Caroline is three years of age. I cut Sis Ermine a dress out. Sure hope I have good luck making it. Dad has gone to Cherokee to get some gas, as he wants to haul out feed tomorrow. Well, dad got back from Cherokee and the girls sent me a bag of nice candy. I ate a lot of it and now I have a most awful stomach ache but my stomach has been bothering me the past month. I cut the pears Hilly gave me Saturday evening, a whole bushel, they were ruining. Dad helped me. I will can them in the morning. I got Sis Ermie’s dress about half made. I washed my hair today.


Tuesday, September 11 – Well, well I was busy this morning canning pears and fixing dinner for Frank and dad as they were hauling hay. Guess who should drive up but Elsie and Gordie, I was so glad to see them. We had dinner and then we went to the store and then on to Llano to see the sweetest little, Mary Ann. She is so sweet and bald headed and wise looking. Didn’t wait to see Kathleen as she hadn’t come in from school. Mary Ann can stand up when you hold her. Lovie and Emma were so busy they couldn’t go with us as the truck had come in with fresh vegetables and fruit. And Hilly had to go out and show somebody horses. Mrs. Conner was well. I canned 16 quarts of pears and had a gallon left over that I will cook into preserves.


Wednesday, September 12 - Well, Mr. Gay and Frank came and helped Dad haul hay but they have about three more loads to haul in, it tried to rain this evening. Gee, I made some peanut butter cookies today and ate some of them. Also, some white beans. And I thought my knee would get me down. Sure did hurt. We have a norther tonight. I cooked the rest of the pear preserves. Had ½ gallon filled. 1 quart for Son but it is too heavy. I will have to take some of the preserves out. Emma when to the show with Jesse Irene this evening. I’ll have to send and get some amphogel for my old turks and grease for the baby chicks heads for fleas. Mrs. Lewis washed for Mrs. Gay today. She is a good little soul.