Is it really October already!?

How do folks,

It was the best tomato summer ever! Still raking them in. Have to start tearing the garden soon. Lots of morning glories. I hate to take them down, they still look so nice. But experience tells me not to wait too long! Hummingbirds and goldfinch are becoming scarce. Summer is over, darn it. Feel like I wasted it limping around. Therapy is helping my knee/heel though, so hopefully I'll be able to enjoy some fall walks. The steroids aren't hurting anything either! LOL

Burning bush just up and died. A shame. It was such a pretty bush, I loved it. That damn drought.

Grundy County Corn Festival was this past weekend. Mom got Dad up out of bed to sit on back patio to watch the fireworks. Dad was slightly concerned what the police might say if they saw him wandering about in his boxer briefs and t-shirt! After all, he is not in the country anymore! LOL  It was a great fireworks show, even with an obstructed view. Dad loved it and remarked, "Well! I was never expecting a fireworks show my first night in Morris!" LOL What a hoot.

Took the fam over to Streator Saturday for lunch at John's house. Dad loves to see the tractors in the field, though he keeps saying it is too early. We check the progress on our nightly rides. He also ate a pretty hefty lunch, he still loves fried chicken! We gave him an O'Doul's and he was very happy. He likes to see John's house, though he thinks it is "fancy", and he really likes John's kitties. All kitties in fact. He remarked on the way home that if he saw Aunt Mae out in the yard, he was going to stop. I told him if she was out I'd definitely stop. Not sure when Aunt Mae passed, I think it was in the 80's maybe . . . ? He also mentioned stopping at Gladys's bar for a beer? No idea on that one! lol

On our rides Dad keeps saying "I'll have to give you a $5 for gas next time I get to the bank!" LOL  I'm not even going to tell him how much a tank of gas costs now! After all, he gives me $2 for ice cream and thinks there will be change! LOL

Government shut down might mess up the Columbus Day camping trip down to Lake Shelbyville. We'll have to wait and see.

Kay :)

Lazy Sunday

Gray, lazy Sunday. I took Dad for a ride, out by the "old farm", the one on Route 6, not the one in Kinsman. He hasn't been out that way for years, doncha know? We have been around that block by the old farm every day for the last two weeks! lol That is his new preferred route; it has taken over Evergreen Cemetery. He still likes the river a lot too.

Last night on our ride I took him downtown. It was Cruise night and it was packed. He asked me if Joe was going to go downtown and I said probably not, that he doesn't go downtown much now since he can't have a ciggy in the bars. Dad was incredulous, he gave me an astonished look, and asked if that was true, people couldn't smoke in bars anymore!? I assured him it was true and he asked if it was just in Morris. I said nope, it is everywhere! Dad said "I bet they don't follow that in Kinsman!" LOL Then he said, "If you see anybody you know, tell them your big brother is with you!" He seems kind of proud to be my big brother, so that is pretty sweet.

I like Finn, and we both like the Crazy 8's Lichen chair. Finn actually loves it. I might get to sit in it sometime . . .

Haven't been able to boot my sore heel, my knee objected. Going for some more PT tomorrow to get knee  little stronger. It's much improved, after the 7 shot (gulp) series. Glad the injections are over.

Lots of times on our ride Dad wants an ice cream cone, so we drive through the DQ. One night I told him it was his turn to buy. He pulled his money out of his pocket and was thumbing through it, and then tried to give me 2-$1 bills. I told him I was going to need the $5 bill lol, and he thought I was joking. Mom told me later than at bedtime he was walking around, looking and looking for something. She asked him what he was doing, and he said he lost a $5 bill! LOL  I guess I better buy from now on, don't want to stress Dad out! He keeps saying he is going to give me a $5 for gas too. Can't wait! LOL

Back to work tomorrow.

Kay :)

Labor Day

Klimt's "Farm Garden with Sunflowers" in Springbok jigsaw puzzle form, .49 at thrift store. Gorgeous!

Midge the contortionist. Life is good when you can relax like that.

Hooray, Labor Day, no work for Kay. Seven words. It's a glorious day to be off work. Heat wave is over.

Grabbed a copy of "More Six Word Memoirs" at a bag sale this weekend. By writers famous and obscure.Very interesting.

"Disarm them by seeming kinda nice." Naomi Klein
"Beer, pizza. Who needs six words?" Ron Heller
"Got bangs. They're cheaper than botox." Wendy West Hickey

Dad can't believe it is September already. When I told him he looked at his watch and said "I'll be damned!". He got a clean bill of health at the VA clinic this week. Needs a little iron is all. When we left the front desk clerk wanted to set up an appointment for 6 months. Dad kind of laughed and said "if I'm still around!" Then he told mom to set it up! LOL

Dad and I took a longish ride last night, and when we got back found out there was a tornado warning. I had no notion, not a rumble or dark sky or anything. Thoughts of being out in the country, talking with Bernie about how big the fields are and how nicely things are mowed and being surprised by a tornado, wow, unpleasant! Bernie would not like that. We were home a bit, and shortly thereafter the siren went off. Nothing happened, at least around here.

Well, foot doc wants to boot up my sore heel for 2-4 weeks. I had to wait til that heat wave was over! LOL  It is in 70s today I guess I'll start today. Probably. All this limping has to stop. It's making me sore.

Off to procrastinate on putting that boot on!

Kay :)

Lazy Saturday

Vegged a lot today. Took two longish rides with my bro, Bernie.

Got some order restored to my updated bedroom. No pics til my Crazy 8's chair comes. What a hoot. I hope.

Garden Stuff

Bruschetta made with heirloom cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market in Madison. Yum!

Finn got all tired out, from . . .

balancing tomatoes on his head.

I peeled tomatoes, and chopped them up, and chopped a bunch of celery, onion and peppers and made chili sauce in the crock pot. It is a delicious sweet/vinegary condiment. And I had tomatoes out the wazoo! And I cut the hell out of my finger on my first swipe with the knife! Sigh. I think it was the pressure. I was pretending it was a quickfire.

If I disappear and am never heard from again, the morning glories got me! They are trying to get in the house . . .

Call me old, but I really enjoy sitting in my rocking chair on the patio, not rocking (remember Finn's tail!), and watching the hummingbirds and goldfinch and butterflies flock around this garden bed. Midge and Finn like to watch too.

Midge is a lefty. She's got a great arm.

 

 

 

 

Farmer's Market

Go to the Dane County Farmer's Market. Park strategically, by the coffee place, so that when you are all done with the market you end up at the empanada stand, and then you can can grab a coffee.

Buy this stuff . . .

Also buy some rhubarb oatmeal breakfast bars (not pictured lol). Buy some empanadas, made with delicious, local, fresh bacon, eggs and cheese. Also get a veggie empanada, with plaintains and garlic. Don't forget to take some cilantro and garlic sauce with you. Oops, no photo. But trust me, absolutely delicious. Take these items to a park by the lake and enjoy.

When you get home, and you are getting pretty hungry because of your early breakfast, make this . . . 

and this, and top it with your yummy meunster from the farmer's market . . .

Delicious salad and cheesy Wisconsin goodness.

Kay :)

"All the oldsters made it . . . "

Not sure which cousin said it (maybe Peggy?), but all Dad's siblings made it to the reunion yesterday. Honestly, I didn't think that would happen. It was a lovely day, weather, people, food, just everything. Wherever Dad is in his dementia, it is at a  time when there was a spirited 16 inch softball game at the reunion between the grown-ups and the kids. Advancing ages and injuries have since stopped the softball game. We saw one of Dad's bar buddies in his driveway on the way to the Coal City Area Club and pulled in so Dad could say hello, and Dad informed him, "I'm not playing softball today!" LOL Dad used to be the pitcher, then the umpire, and he was reminded yesterday of his favoritism to the older crowd while umpiring.

I'm sure there is a way to fix these dark photos, I'll figure it out someday! LOL Just in case, maybe save the photo and fix it yourself! :)

Aunt Kay, Uncle Geo, Aunt Shirley, Uncle Jim, Aunt Joan, Dad, Aunt Jean

Happy 64th anniversary to Uncle Jim and Aunt Shirley on August 21st!

It's always the same. We get home. We sit out back. There is a pile of cooler ice melting in the grass and we drink icy cold reunion cooler beverages. Dad declared it a very good day. We all agreed.

Kay :)