What's to eat?

 My west coast brother has informed me that today is "National Shredded Wheat Day," "Avocado Day," "National Spam Day," "National Raspberry Cake Day," "Cotton Candy Day" and "Jump for Jelly Beans Day." If that doesn't give you food for thought I don't know what ever would.  I was a little disappointed to learn that it wasn't also "National (or maybe International) Dark Chocolate Fudge Day."  It certainly should have been. I'm happy to report that the fudge my spouse made yesterday did firm up and was very well received by his cousins when we visited with them at Marble Lake today.  In fact, it was so well received that not a speck of it was left for us to bring home.  But that was ok.  It was a fair exchange for the excellent lunch they served us which included hamburgers, corn on the cob, potato salad, baked beans, chips and dip, and shrimp with cocktail sauce.  Sadly, neither my husband or I can eat shrimp but it looked delicious.  Nothing on the special days list was included but that's alright.  Cake, cotton candy and jelly beans would have been just too much with the fudge and the Cookie Cottage cookies which were also on the menu today.  There's one thing from today's list that  we do have to look forward to though.  As we were discussing the route we will be taking on our trip west in September with one of our sons, he said that since we will be going through Austin, Minnesota, we must stop and see the Spam Museum.  Who knew there is a Spam Museum? I have always liked Spam but I haven't  had it for some time.  Maybe we'll have Spam sandwiches for lunch while we're there.  If all of this talk about food is making you hungry, go make yourself a snack.  It's the reasonable thing to do.  

Oh, fudge!

 Among his many other talents, my wonder spouse is an amazing fudge maker.  He uses powdered dark Hershey's chocolate and an old family recipe handed down from his mother.  I do not help make the fudge but I do assist where I can.  For instance, today I held the pan  up off the stove burner so he could clean the bottom of it because the chocolate goo that would eventually become fudge had boiled over and messed up quite a bit of the stove top.  Of course I do more than just occasional emergency pan holding.  I am right there when he needs me to help 'clean' the pot and spoons and beaters.  It's a tough job but I'm happy to help. Sadly, not every batch of fudge comes out exactly right.  Today's batch, for example, while tasting absolutely delicious, has been very slow to harden.  We've had to keep taste testing pieces to see if they have firmed up enough.  We obviously must eat what we test because it isn't nice to pick up a piece of fudge to feel it, and then put it back on the plate. That just isn't very hygienic and nobody wants a piece of fudge with somebody's fingerprints on it. Happily, this batch of fudge will be going with us to a gathering of my husband's cousins where the rule is "no fudge, no entry."  I guarantee you that, soft or not, this fudge will be enjoyed down to the last crumbs.  I will do my part to set a good example.

4 eyes...

 Today I had my eyes examined and found out that I do need  stronger lenses for close work. Since I started wearing glasses at the age of seven, this is a process I've gone through many, many times.  There was a time in my life when I wore contact lenses, but I gave that up when I started to need reading glasses over my contacts.  It got to be a bother to be taking glasses on and off while lecturing to a class.  Today then was a fun day for me, but while I was trying on frames, trying to decide which ones to select (a lengthy process), I overheard a little boy, about six maybe, and his mom.  She had him trying on frames and he found something wrong with every pair. Too heavy, too light, wrong color, they hurt his ears.  Excuses made in an increasingly teary voice.  You get the idea.  Finally he told his mom that he just didn't want to wear glasses.  The other kids would make fun of him.  I must admit I was surprised.  I thought wearing glasses was so common-place that no one even commented on it these days.  I guess I was wrong.  The incident reminded me of my wonderfully patient spouse's experience tutoring a fifth grader last year.  This boy couldn't read beyond kindergarten level and one of the reasons was that he needed glasses.  My spouse sent messages to the teacher and other administrative types that this boy needed glasses but nothing happened,  Evidently the parents wouldn't or couldn't buy him glasses.  My husband even gave him a pair of drug store reading glasses which really helped while they were working together but by the next week's session they had disappeared with no good explanation.  He tried this two or three times with the same results.  In my mind I have been vilifying the parents for not getting him glasses but now I'm wondering if teasing by siblings or classmates was part of the problem.  If so, how very sad.  Happily, the clever mom in today's incident began naming off sports figures who wear glasses and by the time I walked out she and her son seemed to be making progress.  And yes I did order new glasses but you will need to wait a week to see those.

dusty dolly...

 Reminiscing yesterday about my son and the family next door naturally got me thinking today about my daughter's role in all this.  The same little boy who lived next door had two older sisters, about eight and ten when my son was born.  While I was getting the nursery ready for my firstborn, I had the window open and while painting the walls a soft yellow (we didn't know the baby's sex ahead of time back then) I was able to listen to the girls playing on their back patio with their Barbie dolls.  Their mom had sewed lots and lots of outfits for those dolls and the girls delighted in dressing the dolls and acting out stories with them.  As I listened, I thought "Oh, if my baby is a girl she will love playing with dolls too."  Well, my first child was a boy so that didn't happen, although he did like his Dapper Dan doll. My second child was a daughter though and my hopes revived that she would love playing with dolls.  Nope, she was much happier chasing after her brother and his friends.  As she grew older, my stepmother, who was an expert seamstress, gave my daughter several China dolls for which she had sewn beautiful outfits.  They sat on shelves in my daughter's bedroom, never played with.  Little girls are also supposed to be fun to dress.  There are much cuter clothes available for girls than boys.  Right. By middle school she was into grunge, mostly black and army green, comfy but not at all girly, but you choose your battles in middle school.  In high school she did wear stunning dresses to her two proms.  She looked so beautiful.  Her wedding was also lovely, but that was pretty much it. After college, where she played rugby on a co-ed team, she joined the military and became a helicopter mechanic, not at all girly.  Later, she built and loaded bombs.  Always in uniforms.  Then she became a chaplain's assistant, still in uniform, mostly desert fatigues.  Now she is retired from the military but a few years ago started a new civilian career, as a surgical technologist.  You guessed it. Now she wears scrubs to work all day, every day. Very comfy and practical but not very feminine.  Ah well, how can I criticize while I sit here wearing jeans and a t-shirt? I was probably a bad influence.

always experimenting...

 When my children were very young (a one year old daughter and a three year old son) we lived next door to a lovely family with a son, Phillip, who was also three years old.  Naturally the boys played together, sometimes at our house, sometimes at theirs.  My son was a very mellow child, while my red-haired daughter was not.  In fact a dear friend told me at the time that I deserved my daughter because my son was such an easy going child.  So imagine my surprise one day, when my son came home from playing next door, quietly laid down on the floor on his tummy and started softly hitting the floor with his fists while kicking the floor gently with his toes.  "What are you doing?" I asked.  "I'm having a temper tantrum." he replied.  "Why?"  "Because Phillip did it."  "Oh, ok."  I think he just wanted to see what it felt like.  A couple of years later, when he was five, I watched him walk out the front door carrying a little suitcase. "Where are you going?" I asked.  "I'm running away from home."  "Why?'  "Because Beaver did it and I want to see what it feels like." "Ok, but you mustn't cross the street." I watched him carefully as he walked down the sidewalk to the corner, then turned around, came back and took the suitcase up to his room." He was evidently satisfied with his experiment. Later I peeked into the suitcase to see what he had packed for running away from home.  Only his teddy bear,  I am happy to report that this desire to experiment has followed him through life and through several STEM related jobs.  These days his most recent experiments involve research balloons that soar 80,000 feet into the sky carrying experimental pay loads.  He is in his element.  

it's relative....

 Or relatives.  Today is "Aunt and Uncle's Day" which got me thinking about relationships.  When my spouse and I married, back in January, we each had two children and two children-in law.  But he has six grandchildren to my four.  But two of my grands have serious significant others which brings me up to six.  However, until we were married, my spouse had never been an uncle.  Now, by sharing mine, he has three nieces, three nephews, and the relevant in laws, and four great nephews and two great nieces.  His family has expanded by leaps and bounds.  Happily, many of these nieces and nephews and greats are children and grandchildren of my west coast brother and we will get to see them in September when we travel west.  But much closer to home, this evening we attended a graduation ceremony for my husband's oldest granddaughter (ours now).  She has her bachelor's degree but this additional year of study qualifies her to be a hospital lab technician specializing in working with blood types.  She already has a job lined up, starting in two weeks, at Parkview Regional.  It was a very nice graduation, beginning with hors d'oeuvres and cake, followed by a brief ceremony and presentation of diplomas.  She received a special honor. Then lots of picture taking and a tour of the labs where many of the students will be working.  Then out to dinner and more cake for our family celebration.  I'm loving this new enlarged family of mine and I think my spouse is too.  

Eat up....

 Are you hungry?  According to my west coast brother, who knows about food, today is "National Chili Dog Day," "National Hot Fudge Sundae Day" and "National Wine and Cheese Day." I don't know about you but any one of those gets my mouth watering and my mind wandering to a favorite restaurant.  For instance, the best chili dogs in Fort Wayne are at Coney Island on Main Street, while the best hot fudge sundaes are probably at Culvers although they may be tied with Zesto's.  Personally I like my hot fudge sundae with chocolate and caramel sauces.  As far as wine and cheese are concerned, that's a tough one.  We ate at Hideout 125 last evening and they had my favorite wine, Moscato.  But then so does every other good restaurant in town, so take your pick.  Fort Wayne is blessed with good restaurants.  I know, I know, Moscato is a sweet, dessert wine, not at all sophisticated, but it's what I like.  And yes it's good with cheese. But finally, and perhaps most importantly, today is "National Culinarians Day."  As you may have guessed, a culinarian is a person highly skilled in cookery.  Yes, cookery is also a real word.  As you probably have gathered by all my references to restaurants above, I don't dabble in cookery much, but, lucky for me, my Wonder Spouse is an experienced culinarian.  He excels in all forms of cookery, but one of his finest creations is excellent dark chocolate fudge. As a side benefit, if he happens to make a batch that doesn't set up (it can happen to anyone) it makes delicious hot fudge sundaes.  I think he might be making some next week. Yummmm...

and 

groan...

 Today, according to my west coast brother, is "National Tell an Old Joke Day."  While he was about it, he even shared some old jokes with me, so this blog is largely his doing.  It's easy for him to think old jokes are funny since he's ten years younger than I am.  But he is, as he would admit, closer to 70 that 60.  Of course I'm also closer to 70 than 60.  

You can tell you're getting old when your doctor refers you to an archaeologist.

Other old, but not age related jokes which he saw fit to share:

Two blondes walked into a bar.  The brunette ducked. (If you're offended by this one, please note that I didn't say blonde women).

A minister, a priest and a rabbit walked into a blood bank.  The rabbit was a type O.  

Just coincidentally, my spouse and I bought a birthday card for his cousin who will be 83 soon.  The card reads "Your birthday is a good opportunity to salute Father Time.  Which finger you salute him with is your business."

But the happiest old joke I've heard recently was from my dentist at my most recent teeth cleaning and check up.  His parting shot was "No dentures for you."  It's good to know that some parts of my body are still in good shape.  Of course they are, on average, about 11 years younger than the rest of me.  

eye see...

 First of all, today is "Gorgeous Grandma Day." So congratulations to all of you gorgeous grandmas out there.  You know who you are.  The really great thing about being a grandma is that, especially when they are young, all of your grandchildren think you're gorgeous.  My youngest granddaughter once told me that it was ok that I have so many wrinkles because they are all smile wrinkles.  

On another  subject, I had an appointment with my ophthalmologist today.  Just a routine pressure check.  Having had glaucoma surgery and cataract surgery over the years, it's important that I have regular checkups.  I hadn't seen this doctor for several months and I noticed first thing that she was pregnant.  She looked about seven month along.  I asked her when the baby was due and she said "Thursday." She seemed awfully calm about it.  I realized right away that she was a common sense kind of doctor and that proved to be true during our consultation.  She asked me how I was doing and I told her that when I read or do craft work for an hour or more my eyes get very blurry. I was concerned that my cloudy vision might be a sign of some problem.  She assured me that my eyes are perfectly clear, and here's where the common sense part came in.  She didn't recommend eye drops or other medication.  She simply told me that during the day we ordinarily blink every few seconds, but when reading or doing close work we only blink once or twice a minute.  Her 'prescription' was to take a break every few minutes, focus on something distant and blink a lot.  I can do that.   

3.14

 My west coast brother wasn't able to send me special day suggestions today.  He does, after all, have a life of his own.  So I did my own research and discovered that today is PI Appreciation Day.  "But wait," you may say, "I thought March 14 (3.14) was PI Day."  You are right of course and I'm sure you remember just how you celebrated PI Day in March.  Some of you may have 3.14 traditions that stretch back for many years.  But today is PI Appreciation Day because July 22, or 22/7 is another way of getting PI or at least close to it..  Divide 22 by 7 and you  will see that I'm right. Oh, ok.  I'll do the math for you.  22 divided by 7 equals 3.142857142 while PI to the tenth digit is actually 3.141592653.  If that's not close enough to let you appreciate PI today, perhaps a slice of pie will help, or a nice relaxing nap.  As it happens today is also National Hammock Day, so lie back, relax and enjoy some PI or pie.

s 

our just desserts...

According to my west coast brother today is National Lamington Day, National Ice Cream Day and also National Junk Food Day.  In case you're wondering what a lamington is, it has nothing to do with lambs.  Probably named after Lord Lamington, it is the national cake of Australia, made with chocolate and coconut.  It sounds delicious to me.  Sadly, I'm not in Australia today and no one I know locally was serving lamington cake.  Happily my spouse and I were able to celebrate the day with some junk food.  Well, not exactly junk food (we didn't buy it at Junk Food Alley) but certainly not health food.  Chocolate, of course, is a health food and a basic food group but we didn't have chocolate. He had a coupon for a Nothing Bundt Cake little individual Bundt cake because it's his birthday month.  Naturally I went with him to help him select a flavor and, just as naturally, we decided that I needed a delicious little cake of my own.  He chose lemon and I chose snickerdoodle.  If I had done my Lamington research earlier I might have looked for a chocolate coconut one.  Ah well, maybe next year.  We split each of the cakes, sharing one for an afternoon snack and one for supper dessert.  Delicious!!  What an excellent day.  Perhaps we'll skip tomorrow's weigh in.

men at work

 We got a new mattress today.  Sounds simple, doesn't it?  'Not so bur far otherwise.'  We purchased this mattress, a White Dove, made in Ohio, four weeks ago, from Klopfenstein's Furniture in Leo, always a nice place to go for furniture.  A friend of mine had recommended this particular brand and when we tested the display model in the store we agreed that it had the firmness we wanted.  So we ordered it and, as I said, it was delivered today.  We had paid extra to have them haul away our old mattress and I am so glad we did.  The process began early this morning when my Wonder Spouse and I started disassembling the old mattress.  it was actually two mattresses, extra long twins pushed together to make a king size bed. Each unit had the mattress plus the platform under it and the mechanics to make the head and feet of the beds lift up.  It was a fine bed in its time (my spouse guesses 25 years ago) and extremely well built. In other words very heavy.  I must be honest, he was doing most of the heavy work here while I supervised.  After we got the old bed pulled apart and the pieces moved to the hall and sides of the bedroom we moved the frame for the new bed into position and bolted it to the headboard, which we had decided to keep.  Now we were ready.  The delivery van arrived about 11:45am.  They had told us sometime between 11 and 2 so we were pleased that they came when they did.  The two deliverymen, one large and burly and one thin and lanky and looking like he was still in high school, started by bringing in the two part platform for the new bed.  We had been told that this would come in two parts because the wooden frames would not bend and one king size platform would be impossible to get upstairs.  So many things to think about.  Happily, the platform pieces fitted perfectly on our pre-assembled frame.  Next came the king size mattress (one of the 12 inch deep ones, not very flexible at all), which took a good bit of maneuvering to get in the door and up the stairs and into the bedroom.  They made it and the mattress looked great lying on it's foundation.  Then came the removal part of the deal.  The old mattresses were easy enough to move out but the bases were each as heavy as the new mattress, maybe heavier and not at all flexible.  The men accomplished the deed though and we were happy to send them on their way with a generous tip for their extra hard work.  Now, of course, the time has come for us to test this mattress.  Good night,

w

there aught to be a law...

Last night my ever patient spouse and I went to see a musical adaptation of the movie "Legally Blonde."  Many of you may remember the movie as fondly as I do.  It's a classic and I love it so I assumed that the musical production would be just as good, or at least almost as good.  The show was performed at North Side High School, my husband's alma mater, which gave us an added incentive to go.  It's a very impressive high school auditorium. Sadly, the musical variation did not begin to live up to the original.  This was not the actors' fault, at least not entirely.  The cast and chorus consisted of sixty plus students from 20 local high schools and I give them credit for high energy and some good dance moves.  Also good costuming.  Sadly, the music was incredibly loud and screechy and so was the singing.  Very high pitched. The decibel level made it very hard to understand what was being said or sung.  Perhaps my spouse and I have reached old fogey-ness but we couldn't take it and left at intermission.  This evening, to help my husband understand why I like the movie so much, I asked him to watch it with me.  He really liked it, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it again.  Maybe we'll watch the sequel one of these nights.  

Oh, Canada, part 3...

 This really isn't Canada's fault at all, but it was a desire to travel to Canada that set it off.  Again, nothing to do with the coming election. We are planning to take a driving trip west in September and my spouse has been working long and hard to make sure we see lots of great sights both going and coming.  A few days ago he decided that, as part of our homeward route, we should go to Canada (we will already be in the far northwest) and see the city of Banff and Lake Louise and also Calgary.  I'm sure we will see some gorgeous scenery and I'm really looking forward to it.  However, going into Canada requires a passport these days and that's where the trouble started.  Since I legally changed my name when we got married in January, we realized that I would need to get a new passport.  I started to look for my current passport so I could turn it in but I couldn't find it anywhere.  I could clearly remember where I kept it when I still lived in my apartment but that was no help at all.  The last either of us could remember seeing it was when we disembarked in Fort Lauderdale from our Caribbean cruise on December 30.  I had to have had it to get back into the country. My husband and I looked everywhere, and I do mean everywhere that a passport could possibly be hidden.  We pulled books off of shelves, searched luggage and coat pockets, dug through filing cabinets, all to no avail.  Finally we admitted defeat and my Wonder Spouse got on line and filled out all the paperwork needed to report a lost passport and request a new one with a name change.  This was no easy task but he persevered and finally had all the information filled in that he thought I would need (according to the printed directions) to apply for a new passport.  Yesterday I headed downtown to the post office to turn in the paperwork.  My timing was perfect.  As I headed downtown it began to sprinkle, then rain, then as I reached Clinton Street, it became a gushing downpour.  I made it to the post office parking lot, by feel more than sight, where I waited for the rain to ease, wondering as I waited, how much I really wanted to go to Canada.  Finally, dodging raindrops, I made it into the building and boldly walked up to the passport window where I was told that I would need to make an appointment to apply for a passport, and that I would need an original of my marriage license.  The copy I had wouldn't do.  I was also given a form to fill out, in black ink, that asked for all the information my ever patient spouse had already typed into a form which he had then printed out.  His printout ran to several official pages from the US passport site, none of which the local employee seemed to want. I was told I could make my appointment at the kiosk in the lobby.  It turned out to be the same vending machine from which you can buy stamps.  Who knew?  A very nice and extremely helpful postal employee happened to be standing there and helped me through the process.  I was able to schedule an appointment for today at 11:30am.  It was a 15 minute appointment which should have been enough time.  I was a little early so I sat down to wait.  The lady ahead of me appeared to be just finishing up.  But she hit a snag.  You can't pay for a passport with a credit card so she tried to use her debit cards (she evidently has two of them) but the combined balance wasn't quite enough, so she tried to transfer money from a savings account to a checking account so she could access it with her debit card, only to be contacted by her bank, telling her that her accounts had been frozen due to unusual activity.  I wasn't deliberately eavesdropping but, being next in line, I couldn't help but hear what was going on.  By the time she got all that straightened out and actually was able to pay, it was noon.  Happily, I had all of the required forms, and my appointment went quite smoothly.  I even had my picture taken.  My husband's comment when he saw the copy I brought home was that it wasn't as bad as my picture on my driver's license. This was not high praise.  Finally the clerk, who had been very patient through this whole time, asked me how I planned to pay.  When I told her I was going to write a check, she just about kissed me.  So a happy ending and I should have my new passport in three weeks.  Canada, here we come.  

Oh, Canada, part 2

 After an interesting trip through Canada with our toddler son and miniature dachshund we were coming back into the US via Maine, where my cousin lived, and planning to visit with her and her family for a few days.  This was in 1973.  We were stopped at the border and pulled over.  At that time you didn't need a passport to get in or out of Canada but they would pull you over if they thought there was anything suspicious about you or your vehicle.  We were driving a 1971 VW mini-bus camper conversion.  The kind with the pop top.  It was white and did not have hippy flowers or peace symbols painted on it, but evidently just being a VW bus was enough.  I was driving and obediently pulled the bus over.  A ranger type (he had that kind of hat) walked up and asked to see my purse.  My husband, sitting in the front passenger seat was clinging to our dog who was protesting fiercely about this stranger at our car window.  Of course that started our son, who was in the back seat, crying so it was a little hard to communicate. I told him I didn't have a purse, just a billfold, and showed him that.  Then he spotted the large bag between the two front seats and asked to see what was in it.  I hefted it up on my lap (did I mention that I was seven months pregnant?) and unzipped it.  He looked in and saw neatly folded disposable diapers.  Disposable diapers were quite new at that time and great for traveling.  Evidently, though, he wasn't familiar with the concept.  He looked in the bag, pointed to the neatly folded diapers and said "What are those?"  I explained that they were disposable diapers and he asked "Are they clean?"  "Of course they're clean." I snapped.  I was getting a little testy by this time. He never looked under, or even touched the diapers, just told us to be on our way.  I could have been smuggling the queen's jewels in that bag.

Tomorrow Oh, Canada part 3, passport woes.

A new toy

 This evening, for the first time, I'm writing my blog on my new tablet.  It's not quite as convenient as using my laptop but it will be much more convenient when we travel.  Smaller, easier to pack, you get the idea. The irony is that I got this nifty new Samsung tablet today, which is actually my Wonder Spouse's birthday. Don't you love getting stuff on someone else's birthday?  Of course I gave him some gifts, including nuts and candy and some more serious stuff.  All in all it was a delightful day except for one little glitch.  More about that as I continue my Canada saga tomorrow. 

Oh, Canada

 Today is "National Respect Canada Day." This is according to my west coast brother who lives closer to Canada than I do.  I always have respected Canada.  Some of my friends respect Canada so much that they claim they will move there if the coming election doesn't go their way.  I don't plan to do anything so drastic, but I do have some interesting memories of Canada. For instance, their parks and campgrounds are beautiful.  When my first husband and I went camping in Canada early in our married life, in our little green puptent, a gentleman at the next camp site brought me a paper cup of vodka to pass the time as I "occupied" our campsite while my husband went off to pay the registration fee.  On a later trip with our toddler son and miniature dachshund (we had graduated to a VW bus camper conversion by then) we lost our way in Quebec Province and ended up in a small town that looked like it was straight out of the old west with a general store and board sidewalks. Except everyone there spoke French.  I remembered just enough of my high school French to purchase a carton of milk, then ask for directions back to the highway we had wandered away from.  The group of old men sitting on the porch of the general store conferred briefly, then their spokesman answered with a shrug "It's not around here."  

To be continued. Learn how we got back across the border.

movie date...

 This afternoon my spouse and I went on a date to the movies.  But these movies came with a twist.  They were silent films from 1923 and 1924 accompanied by an excellent organist playing the magnificent pipe organ at the Embassy theater which was built in 1928.  It was such fun, even with a few little glitches.  The first movie was introduced by the organist, he began playing intro music, the curtains opened to reveal the giant movie screen and then nothing else.  The organist played on and on but no movie.  I thought maybe they didn't have anyone on staff who knew how to run an old time projector, but of course the movies had been digitized.  We knew this because what did show up on the big screen were computer symbols (suitable for a silent film) showing that something wasn't connected correctly.  Finally the title screen came up and the show began.  Both movies starred Buster Keaton who is an amazing visual comedian.  The first was a short film (20 minutes) called "The Ballooniac" and the second was a feature length film (45 minutes) called "Sherlock Jr."  The stories were funny and the music blended beautifully with the action which involved everything from clinging to the top of a hot air balloon to one of the craziest chase scenes I have ever enjoyed.  I was honestly amazed at the special effects they were using in 1924.  These days we are so used to television and movies showing unbelievable things that we take much of what we see for granted, but I was imagining how amazing it must have seemed to someone in the audience in 1924.  It did occur to me that one of those audiences could have included my mother who would have been 14 years old at the time.  All in all, it was a great movie date.  I highly recommend it.  

some of my favorite people...

 According to my west coast brother today is "Embrace Your Geekiness Day" so that is what I have decided to do.  A geek by definition is "A person who is knowledgeable about and obsessively interested in a particular subject, especially one that is technical or of specialist or niche interest." according to "Oxford Languages" and Google.  If that definition is true, my first husband was a computer geek, my son is a space geek, and my current spouse is an electronics geek.  Which is reasonable since he is an electrical engineer.  I realized though, as I read this definition, that I am also a geek as are several of my friends.  But our geekiness is more of the 'niche interest' variety.  We are fiber geeks.  You can judge our geekiness by the quantities of yarn, fabric and related tools that fill our homes.  We generally try to contain these things to one room, but there is frequently spillage.  My particular fiber related geekiness involves weaving which requires lots of yarn in a wide variety of colors.  Joann's is my favorite store, which is convenient because it's located near Best Buy, my spouse's favorite store.  It works well when we want to shop at the same time but never in the same store.  

Here's a piece I'm working on right now,

and this is one I recently finished.  Don't you just love the geeks in your life?

WS does it again!

 This evening started as a perfectly normal, enjoyable dinner with my spouse's son and family.  We ate at Outback Steak House where I had not eaten before.  I must say the potato soup was delicious and so was the cheese cake.  I had mine with caramel sauce.  It began to diverge from just a dinner when our oldest granddaughter mentioned that her car had started misbehaving on the way across town.  It was running alright but lights and gauges on the dash were turning on and off in a peculiar way.  My spouse and his son quickly deduced that something was wrong with the battery.  They were right as it turned out.  Our granddaughter's battery was dead when we left the restaurant. Luckily my ever prepared (once upon a time boy scout) husband (her grandpa) had a nifty little portable battery booster and was able to help her start the car.  Then, and this is where the Wonder Spouse part comes in, he said "Follow me to the nearest battery store and I'll buy you a new battery." Which she did and he did.  He told me later that he just didn't like to think of her coming out of work in the dark (she works second trick and is still taking college classes) and finding that she had a dead battery.  I totally agreed with him.  So the new battery was installed and the car started like a dream which is saying something for a 2007 Honda Accord V6 with almost 300,000 miles on it.  Just to finish the full service evening, at my spouse's invitation, she followed us home where he supervised as she inflated all her tires to the proper pressure.  She is safely on the road again.  Thank you WS for a job well done.

Ok, I'm officially tired of blueberries. Not to eat, just to write about.  It turns out that today is "National Blueberry Muffin Day" and while blueberry muffins are delicious, especially warm with butter, that has really exhausted my interest in writing about blueberries.  So instead I'll turn to current events.  Tomorrow is the first day of the Three Rivers Festival, Fort Wayne's biggest and, I think. longest running festival.  The first one I attended was in 1969.  I know this because it was the first anniversary of my first marriage and the first Three Rivers Festival.  That's a lot of firsts.  Since then I have attended at least a small part of each successive festival except for the four years when we didn't live in Fort Wayne.  This year my current spouse and I will probably attend at least once.  We need to go to Junk Food Alley (which is in a new location this year) to get Elephant Ears, those wonderful huge cinnamon sugar coated pastries.  It would be good if we just split one, but we probably won't.  You knew I'd bring this blog back around to food, didn't you?  Enjoy the festival!

river

another day...

 Today, again credit to my west coast brother, is "Pick Blueberries Day" and also "Don't Step on a Bee Day."  Honestly, shouldn't every day be don't step on a bee day?  It's generally not a good experience for you or the bee.  Perhaps the idea is that you might encounter bees while picking blueberries.  If so, be careful.  While I do love blueberries, I pick mine from the produce department of my local grocery store.  I've never had a bee encounter there.  But thinking about blueberries reminds me of my daughter's favorite book when she was of an age to be enjoy listening as I read stories to her.  The book is "Blueberries for Sal" written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey in 1948.  It's a timeless, multiple award winning classic about a little bear cub and a little girl who have a close encounter while picking blueberries.  If you've never read it you really should. Better yet snuggle up with a child and read it aloud.  

on our way...

Today, my west coast brother has informed me, is "Call of the Horizon Day."  This is so appropriate because my spouse and I were really feeling the call of the horizon today.  For several weeks now we have been planning to take a driving trip west in September, and there is no greater horizon, in my mind, than the wide open spaces of Montana, except maybe Wyoming or North Dakota or South Dakota. In case you're wondering about my choices, you should know that I've traveled to 22 other countries and seen many excellent horizons but these are still my favorites.  We've been planning this trip in our minds and in casual conversations but not really planning if you know what I mean.  Today however we made a start.  After looking at an atlas of the world and deciding that the map of the United States was just too small to be of any real help, we took a quick drive to the nearest AAA office to get some good maps.  Yes, actual paper maps.  I love AAA.  I have been a member since 1972 and over the years they have towed my car, jump started my car, brought gas to my car and unlocked my car.  They have also provided me with many maps and triptiks, and even helped me plan a trip to Italy.   Do you remember triptiks, those spiral bound tablets of page after page of maps that would take you from city to city along your route?  I think they were the forerunner of GPS.  The nice lady who assisted us this afternoon loaded a bag with eight maps, with print large enough to read, and two state magazines.  We were so excited that we came right home and started planning our route.  We spotted several sights that we want to see either going or coming, roughly calculated how many days it will take to get to my west coast brother's home, our ultimate goal, and are heading to bed now, feeling that we've really accomplished something.  The next big step is to plan our departure date.  We are practically on our way.  I love a good road trip.

cool down...

 According to my west coast brother it's going to be 100 degrees for the next three days in his city.  Consequently, he plans to celebrate the following special events which he discovered today.  It is 'National Blueberry Day,' 'National Freezer Pop Day,' and 'National Ice Cream Sundae Day.' I suggested that, whichever frozen delight he selects, it should be eaten indoors, in air conditioning but he's the outdoors type so he may let those freezer pops drip in the grass as he swings in his hammock.  However, I have a better plan.  I happen to have some blueberries in my freezer.  My secret recipe for frozen blueberries is 1. buy a container of fresh blueberries at the grocery store 2. bring them home and pop them in the freezer.  That's it. Later you can take them out, a few at a time, and eat them like tiny delicious freezer pops.  Or, if you really want to get fancy, sprinkle them on top of vanilla ice cream and presto a blueberry sundae.  Happy cooling off everyone.  

another day, another lake...

I have been to more lakes in the last three day than I have in the last three years or so.  Two. Today was the second of our two lakes to visit on this long weekend.  This time it was Lake James.  I have no great affinity for Lake James but the two friends who were with us have a long history there, beginning with their first date. Believe me that was a long time ago.  We toured the Pokagon Lodge where they had stayed many times, took a short hike through the woods and finished up with a two-hour tour by boat around the lake.  My Wonder Spouse set this up and it was excellent.  Kudos to him also for the care he took to get us as close as possible to our various destinations because one of my friends has a hard time walking very far.  But about the boat tour, our captain, Captain Cook, had an amazing knowledge of the history of the lake.  He told us about the early German Lutherans from Fort Wayne who came by train on summer weekends to spend time at Lake James, showed us some of the earliest cottages, and lots of the fabulous new cottages,  He showed us Chuck Surack's cottage and we saw him flying in in his helicopter.  We saw so many fabulous "cottages" that I lost count.  We learned that Jimmerson Lake, was probably misnamed.  The survey map of that lake was signed James & Son, but was misread as Jimmerson.  Too many flourishes I guess.  Snow Lake, another part of the whole, was so named because of the abundance of Cottonwood Trees that used to grow there.  And so it went.  Lots and lots of fun facts mixed with a beautiful day on the water.

This is my favorite picture.  An amazing, but not very old castle owned by a man with a very good sense of humor.  People have 'invaded' his castle wearing aluminum foil armor and used it as a site for a scavenger hunt, among other things.  

Play ball!!!!

 It was a perfect night for a ball game.  Not too hot, not too humid, but no need for a jacket.  My spouse and I went with two friends and one brother to a Tin Caps game this evening and it did not disappoint.  True the Tin Caps lost but they came back from a 0-6 score in the 6th inning to score 4 runs in one inning and end up with a final score of   5-7. During the 7yh inning stretch we all stood up and sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" with gusto. Of course we all wish they had won but it was a very exciting game.  My spouse's brother had never been to a Tin Caps game and he thoroughly enjoyed it.  After the game was over we had a glorious fireworks display.  From the excellent solo of the "Star Spangled Banner" to the last flicker of fireworks, it was a very satisfying evening.  And yes, the mint chocolate chip ice cream added to the festivities.

the lake...

 The holiday fun continues.  It is a great Indiana tradition to go to "the lake" during the summer.  It really doesn't matter which lake.  If you tell a friend you're going to the lake they may ask which lake or just assume it's somewhere north of here and wish you a good time.  Today was our turn.  My spouse and I went to the lake, in this case Lake Wawasee, to visit with his son and family.  It was everything a day at the lake should be.  We started our drive in the pouring rain but by the time we turned off Hwy 30 the rain was tapering off and just as we got to our destination the rain quit, the clouds parted and the sun came out.  Just like a Disney movie.  We enjoyed the requisite boat ride, fast and choppy and great fun.  Then back on land, filled up on snacks and liquid refreshments of various kinds.  We had plenty of time to catch up on everyone's recent activities, discuss the state of the world and politics (all very friendly) watch the littlest grand splash in the lake with friends while we talked with her older brothers about their future plans.  Then dinner which consisted of everything that a lake supper should include: steaks grilled to perfection, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, rolls with butter, salad and finally lemon ice cream pie.  I must get the recipe for that. Wine, or beer, followed as we moved back outside.  We sat on the deck, quietly digesting, enjoying more conversation while watching the boats go by, the flags fluttering in the breeze on boats and docks, dogs and their people strolling by, and just generally reveling in what a great day it had been.  Many thanks to the five of you who made it such a perfect day.  You know who you are.

I love a parade....

 Happy Independence Day everyone.  I am blogging early today because I plan to watch some local fireworks this evening.  So far my day is off to a good start.  I braved the crowd at Kroger to buy everything I need to make my famous fruit salad (well, famous to a few people anyway), to be shared at two events on the 5th and 6th.  But well before that, even before breakfast (we tend to be brunch people) my spouse and I took a walk around the block to see the annual neighborhood 4th of July parade.  Not quite as impressive as it sounds, but still fun. 

It was a relatively cool morning and everyone seemed to be having a good time.  Enjoy the rest of your day.  

sales are booming

....With all the complaints about cost of living increases, people still seem to be buying lots of fireworks.  At least in our neighborhood. Today, according to my west coast brother, is 'American Redneck Day' and also 'National Independent Beer Run Day.'  Please understand, I'm not disparaging rednecks.  I come from a long line of men who worked outside in the blazing sun and definitely had red necks.  I'm not sure what independent beer is but it does seem appropriate to stock up on it for Independence Day.  Coincidentally, my spouse and I saw what I think were some rednecks getting ready for tomorrow.  We were driving through a parking lot when we had to stop for a bit to make way for three gentlemen (I'm not saying they were rednecks, but they were wearing flannel shirts) pushing three shopping carts full to overflowing with fireworks across the lot from the fireworks store.  They proceeded to load all of this bounty in their pickup, after which we could proceed on our way.  I'm not sure where their fireworks ended up, but, based on the noise around here this evening, they may have followed us home.  Enjoy your 4th everybody. 

a remembered taste

 Today is "National Anisette Day."  I really appreciate that my west coast brother searches for these nifty bits of information.  I have a two-part history with anisette, or anise as it's more commonly called in the US.  Anisette is the Italian word.  First the disaster.  When I was in eighth grade our teacher brought a treat for Valentine's Day.  His wife had made a large sheet of hard red anise candy in the shape of a heart.  We were all excitedly looking forward to sharing in the treat. She had made one for us the year before so we knew it was delicious.  Keep in mind that I was 12 going on klutzy.  At one point in the day, before the candy was shared, I walked up to the teacher's desk, I don't remember why, and bumped against the candy in its pretty heart shaped pan.  The pan and candy went flying off the desk and onto the floor where it shattered into a bazillion shards.  At that point my face was as red as the candy.  Our long suffering teacher (who was also the principal, church organist and choir director) took a deep calming breath (his restraint was admirable) and told me to go get a broom and sweep it up.  Which I did of course.  Could anything be more embarrassing?

On a much happier note, when I got to college I roomed for three years with a great roommate.  She was great for many reasons.  This is just one of them.  Each year as Christmas and finals were approaching, her mother would send us a large tin of anise cookies.  They were wonderful.  Pressed into thick square shapes, almost jawbreaker hard, as anise cookies should be, and absolutely delicious.  The real benefit of these cookies was that you had to nibble at them so slowly that one or two would last each of us through a whole evening of studying.  Later in life I was given some so-called anise cookies but they just weren't the same.  The flavor was ok, but they were soft and not nearly as satisfying as those college cookies.  Ah well, maybe it's better for my teeth this way.

television tales

 Today is "National Television Heritage Day" according to my west coast brother.  It seems to me he should be getting special treatment today. He got his training in the Air Force and has been involved in television broadcasting for almost 50 years.  Alas, he tells me he had to go to work anyway.  So sad.  But the topic did stir up memories for me.  My aunt and uncle, who lived a mile down the road from us, had the first television I ever saw.  We spent a lot of time with our cousins watching static and fuzz with an occasional picture popping through. I was in sixth grade when my family got our first TV.  It was a Zenith 13 inch table top model hooked up to a butterfly antenna on the roof.  Happily it had much better reception than my uncle's model.  The first shows we saw on that set were Howdy Doody and Flash Gordon.  Even then I thought that the way Flash's space ship landed looked pretty fake, but we were thrilled to watch anyway.  Then came Superman, and, in the mornings, Captain Kangaroo.  Of course we only watched that to keep our little brother company.  On Saturday nights we watched Gunsmoke and Ed Sullivan while munching popcorn and drinking Coca Cola.  We were allowed one coke a week.  Bliss!  Many years later my first husband and I celebrated our first anniversary by buying a COLOR TV.  "When it's in color, Rarick's is open." was a frequently heard ad around Fort Wayne. We bought that TV to watch the first walk on the moon.  As it turned out, the moon shots were all black and white and gray, but it was still so exciting.  Do you remember how you had to adjust the color on color TVs?  Sometimes people looked fairly normal but sometimes they were purple or sun-burn red.  Now we just plug it in, turn it on, and get perfect color.  And we won't even talk about how heavy those old sets were, especially the console ones.  The last time I bought a TV, a 21 inch flat screen, I was able to easily carry it out to my car by the handle attached to the very light weight package.  I love heritage, but there's also a lot to be said for progress.