GIFTS - handmade
A long time ago, when I was proud of my newfound skill of knitting socks - I made a pair for my mother. They were green and white striped with a heels and toes of green.

She bragged on them and told me how thrilled she was when the package was in her mailbox - a total surprise. I don't think it was even for Christmas - but the socks though beautifully knitted ... well let me tell it this way.

Recently I found those socks in my drawer. Mom has passed on and I found the sox among her things and kept them, along with some potholders I made for her that she NEVER used.

The potholders were in a plastic bag with a note: "Too pretty to use." I cried when I saw that. I often wondered why she never used them. They had the hand outline of our each of our children (her grandchildren).

But about the socks, of which I plan to put a photo here (the tiny shiny quarter gives an idea of the dimensions: 14" x 6"). When I found them -- I laughed and laughed. They were hilarious -- HUGE - fat though well-proportioned. Yes warm, but not suited to the foot of a human .. More like an elephants foot.

My, but my mother loved deeper and was more diplomatic than I realized. Still, this memory makes me laugh and be happy. I hope she knows...

Paper Back Swap -- FREE!

A recent delightful discovery: www.paperbackswap.com

We saw this small article in the local newspaper about this site. They claimed to have a free book swap arrangement. We decided to check it out! Wow! All night I was exploring the well designed site. After my daughter set up her free account, I did too. They accepted two people (limit per address) from the same family!

For the next days we spent all our spare moments online listing PB books we were willing to give away, and looking over the books available, selecting books listed or adding books to our wish lists. It was like an addiction! A fun, cheap, safe truly wonderful obsession.

If any of my readers check out the site and decide to join (free at the present time), I hope you'll mention I "CANTNEVER" referred you. I don't get any money, instead one credit for a free book.

Writing and sleep

An interesting blog that I seldom miss has commented on inspiration and the creative process of writing...

You might want to read: "No rules, Just write." http://brendacoulter.blogspot.com/2006/12/writing-in-my-sleep.html

It was fascinating to me because my writing is not disciplined, nor steady.

Sleep depravation or early morning hours are my most productive times -- it all seems to be related to those quiet times when I'm tired OR when I've awakened. Maybe related to right brain / left brain?

To discover that others share this seeming idiosyncrasy is reassuring. And encouraging at least to me..

NANOWRIMO = National Novel Writing Month (NOVEMBER)

I have begun a great adventure. There have been a very few writing successes in my past. I've been encouraged.

But this time I'm encouraging myself and will TRY to complete the 50,000 word requirement to 'win'. I am really enjoying it more than I thought I would. I am not usually a finisher. But I never want to give up hope and have thus challenged myself with this.

So far (3,000+ words into it), I am really enjoying it. Maybe all those things I want to say are emerging and no one is walking out the door while I talk, no one answers back, and no one yawns. It's very freeing actually.

I've included the link in case someone reads this who has no idea what I'm talking about. http://www.nanowrimo.org/

I'll keep you posted. :o)

Martha Stewart, Morris Minor, etc

Decided it is time to update my blog!

I actually have a favorite blog or two, and am supremely disappointed when there's no post for a day or two, OR a week or so. Really! It seems silly a woman of my age, intensely interested in the musing of people I don't really know that I've found immensely fascinating in the past. Oh well...

Today it was a horribly hot day, humid too. So I filled up the LARGE watering trough and called our daughter out to sit in it and play a bit. It was fun. We threw our 'MARTHA STEWART' sponge flowers! They are easier than water balloons, and just as much fun. I loved it and so did April! (Unfortunately the link I had here forwards to the Martha Stewart site - NOT to the site with sponge flower directions, so I deleted it.)

My sweetie took me over to a car lot to see an old Morris Minor. It was white and looked familiar, but not exactly the same as the one I drove years ago. But when we opened the door - I SMELLED the smell. It didn't look the same, but it smelled nostalgically exactly as I remembered. We thought that was amazing and pretty funny that it smelled right, but didn't look similar.

'My' Morris Minor was a dark non-descript color, and it was the first car I drove - my daddy got it for me to use when I was a new driver of 17! My sister and I drove from the farm and that sweet vehicle, and we revelled in our freedom! I can't remember a thing we actually did -- driving and going was the thing then!

A bit later, when I had employment, daddy helped me finance and purchase a Chevy Corvair. A crash totaled that car (details to follow), and I never saw it again. Years later, we all know the Corvair's terrible reputation for instability.

My next vehicle was a '57 Ford. It had a leaky radiator, and used oil, but it stayed on the road, went to the garage (frequently) and was my wheels!

RED BEET EGGS

I made red beet eggs recently in a large pickle jar! It was
a wonderful success. The recipe I had used in the past
was much more difficult (called for brown sugar which
completely changed the flavor of the eggs). I found a
recipe in a back issue of Central PA Magazine, April 2006,
page 9. I want to share my version of the recipe because
I am so thrilled with it. It's easy too!

Buying these eggs at the deli will set you back at least
.75 each and they aren't really as good as homemade.
So if you like them -- make them yourself and save $$$.

RED BEET EGGS

1. Quantity: 6 eggs, or a dozen. Your choice. (One can of sliced red beets will do nicely for at least a dozen eggs.)
2. Cook eggs. Bring to a boil, then lower temperature so they will simmer for about 30 minutes. (See my hint below.) Set aside to cool in fresh cool water from the tap. Then shell under a slow running faucet.
3. Combine: 2 cups vinegar (dark), 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup water. Heat until sugar has dissolved.
4. Pour liquid over canned (sliced version) beets.
5. You may also cook fresh red beets, but I like canned so I won't go into that here. Add (shelled) hard cooked eggs.
6. Refrigerate in an appropriate sized glass jar. Make in advance (24 to 36 hours) but they can be eaten before if you like.

HINT: 'Ripen' your fresh eggs before cooking (ie. let out of the 'frig for about 1 day or overnight) so that the egg shells will peel off nicely after you've hard cooked them. Otherwise, your fresh eggs will frustrate you because the shells may stick to the egg white and cause it to crack as you shell them.

Hope you enjoy the recipe!

LINK-N (b)LOGS

A wonderful blog I follow has had a worthy entry that I MUST link -- hence, the title above.

Sometimes you read things you wish you'd written, that say things you wish you'd said. You might not agree even! Enchantment with the words and thoughts -- you slurp in the thoughts and feel nourished. It's amazing how words can reveal so much, and give so much.

Thank you, for your blog today - http://i-writer.blogspot.com/2006/06/until-im-thirty.html... i-writer.

Delightful. Insightful. If you think I'm gushing like a mother... well, you're right!

June 1 - Hurricane Season starts!

We just had a powerful storm. It blew in the windows and made everything wet! Now the cool air is blessing us and the HOT day is better.

I have an interesting fan beside me. It's set on NATURAL and the wind is alternating just like the wind would if you were outside. When air blasts in without pause (like most fans on high) it can be irritating. But this is ... nice, quite nice. I think I like it.

A wonderful commentary dated 5-18-06 on Mothers you may like to read: http://joshharrisblogson.blogspot.com/.

I agree wholeheartedly. My children are grown for the most part and I would say that though I am a flawed mother - I do cherish my title of mother above all others, except wife. :o)

Welcome! Good to see you.

A new day, another post. I've got to practice keeping up, and it will flow, and it will make sense. Just starting to write will get things rolling. So here goes...

The week has been unsettled. Rain was predicted, but got lost in the sun. Today it rained ... for about 10 minutes. The sky is still unsettled, but right now the sun is peeking through and loving the earth.

There are many things I think of to say. Unfortunately, they are while I'm driving, or waking up, or some other circumstance where sitting down at the computer makes blogging impossible. Maybe I'll just have to take out my pencil and notebook and record those 'gems' for later transcription to the computer.

Memory is a strange thing. Some things are remembered so well - flashing into my mind vividly. Others skip town and never return. sigh