A New Yummy Veggie to Eat

 As I mentioned in my last post that a friend gave me some eggplant and that I wasn't sure how to cook it. You girls came to the rescue. Now I remember that the friend who grew the eggplant said she'd sliced it and fried it. But, Marcia, one of my blog buddies, said she peels them, slices them rather thin, slathers them with mayo and places them on a baking sheet. Then she tops the slices with Parmesan cheese and bakes them for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven, flipping them over at the 10 minute mark.

Let me tell you... those things were yummy. I was sad when I popped the last slice in my mouth. 

Did you know that the English call eggplant aubergine? It's a french word but we call it eggplant here in the U. S. 

Do you know why it got it's name?

Centuries ago, this vegetable was smaller and very pale in color. Looked like an egg!  DUH! Now they are such a beautiful deep purple. I've never seen a purple egg. Have you? 

Thanks again for all the help. Love you girls. You always come through for me. Others had different ways of cooking eggplant so I will have to try those out, too. But, just wanted to share my new-found veggie to eat. I love learning new things, eating new cruisine, going new places. This old world is filled with adventures of every kind. 

                            

                        Quote for the Day

"You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down."          (Mary Pickford, actress)

Rambling Wednesday

 I don't go into all that celebrity worship like a lot of folks do, but I could not help but be sad about Dolly Parton's husband passing. I appreciate his role in her life. She needed the spotlight, he needed his solitude and they made it happen. That's what love is all about.... letting your 'other' be themselves without giving up who you are. My husband was always supportive of what I did. And, I supported him. Geez, I miss that man! 

A quick note and I'll shut up about my teeth. Man, have they dominated my life for months now but I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just want to thank all of you who have posted such comforting messages. You girls are the best! 

I don't know when I have been more positive about life (what little there is left of it) and I am so thankful for that. I'm gonna make each day count big time and enjoy it all. 

I am heavy into reading self-help books and yes I have gone the therapy route in short spurts during my lifetime (it always seems I need that after me losing a loved one). It's not a bad thing to been as diligent about your mental health as it is your physical health.

Speaking of physical health. My son and I talk over the cell phone often about changing our eating habits. He's all for it and I am to a certain extend. I figure at this age I don't need to give up all my guilty pleasures! 

Oh, while I am on the subject of eating. What is your favorite SOFT food to eat after dental work? I am finding that it is tough to vary your diet much if you want soft stuff. Maybe you can help me out. 

Here's a blast from my past.....

(guess you can tell I don't have any BIG thing to share today so I am rambling haha)

me riding my daughter's horse, Charlie

back in the 1970s

Disaster In The Kitchen!

                   Let me tell you about yesterday!

Big emergency but I know it's something that will be talked and laughed about for years to come.

The staff here at the apartment complex wanted to treat us all to Thanksgiving dinner at noon on Tuesday. We were so excited. 55 residents signed up to attend. The staff had ordered the entire meal for us. 

Shirley had popped in the community room to check on 'the girls' (the staff) and found out that the food which had been ordered from a local grocery store was delivered frozen! At noon when we were due to eat ! 

Talk about scrambling around. The side dishes were all in those heat and eat trays for say 4 people. Only you can't feed 55 people frozen food. 

Michael took over the microwave in the community room trying to thaw out cornbread dressing 3 trays at a time. 

Deb and Jan took the sweet potato casserole in all those small trays to Deb's apartment and used her microwave to began thawing all that out. I joined Carolyn in her apartment to take care of the green bean casserole. It took over 2 1/2 hours. 

Once thawed, all the individual sidedishes were scooped into large aluminum pans and shoved into the ovens to heat so we could 'heat and eat' them, like they were supposed to be to begin with. As soon as Michael was finished with the dressing, he started carving 4 turkeys. 

The ham was already sliced but not cut away from the bone so that had to be done, as well. 

Shirley had thawed out all the mashed potatoes and gravy. 

Three and 1/2 hours later all 55 of us sat down to eat. I have to say it was great food. I had kept licking my fingers when I was thawing out that green bean casserole so I at least knew that would be outstanding and it turned out, it all was. 

I am not sure what the staff would have done, had not my two kids, myself, Carolyn, Deb and Jan helped out. We still probably would be waiting on that food... 24 hours later. hehe. 

Blogging Buddies

I guess I am feeling nostalgic today

but

I just wanted you all to know how much your friendship

means

to me!

Thank you for being my blog buddy. For being there when I need a shoulder to cry on, giving me laughter when I need a good one,  dancing with me with joy be it in sunshine or rain

and sharing my life with me.

Just don't know what I'd do without you all!

 

Behold, a feast!

                             What a day Friday was!! 

As I have said before, our new staff is unbelievable, doing so much for us, getting things fixed and making plans for the future.

Ashley, our new project manager! 

As a sort of 'We're here for you' sort of appreciation morning, they served us breakfast yesterday morning.

They Thanked Us! It's the other way around

 Everything was decorated so beautifully and I have never in all my life seen a spread like they put out.

 All I could think of that was missing was one thing I really love and that's southern country 'thickened' gravy. But, there were fruit trays, cheese trays, mini chicken biscuits, 3 kinds of meat, a big pot of grits, scrambled eggs, waffles and syrup, bagels and several kinds of sweet rolls. They truly outdid themselves!! But, I'm not complaining and I didn't hear anyone else doing so either. 

A few of the younger, more capable residents pitched in to get it all ready. 

Everyone had a lot of fun and if anyone left there hungry then I am sorry, it was there for the taking! 

Oh, and I failed to mention that the refreshment table held carafes of 3 kinds of juice, lemonade and there were mini sodas on ice. Good lordy, How did we get so lucky to get such a wonderful crew. 

Blessings Abound!

 I am so blessed to have a family who cares for me.... lovingly, emotionally, physically. I get a phone call from one of them just about every day. The daughter that lives near me (Shirley) is a constant 'checker-upper'. 

The other day I went to get some lab work done. Out of courtesy I turned my phone ringer off and like I always do, I forget to turn it back on after I'd had my blood drawn.

Hours later, I finally pick up my phone and see that Shirley and Susan had both been trying to call me. I call Shirley and right in the midst of my explaning why I hadn't responded to their calls, a neighbor knocks on my door. Seems as if they had my neighbors out looking for me! A bit embarrassing but sort of sweet, too.

Monday Shirley and John came down to remove my balcony rug. It had been out there about 9 years, in all sorts of weather, and it was in bad shape. They brought me a lovely bouquet of zinnias. 

All through the summer, everytime John buys a watermelon, he cuts it up and I get a large ziplock bag of melon. That man knows his Mother-in-law loves watermelon. 

Another thing I love is chicken and dressing. On Thursdays a restaurant here in town has that dish as their special. Shirley drove down (it's 35 miles to her house) and took me to Holland's so we could have chicken and dressing. This is her plate... I was toooo busy eating mine to be taking pictures of it. 

The restaurant doesn't serve cranberry sauce with this dish so Shirley just brought along a plastic container of it for us to have with our meal. 

Life just doesn't get much better than this....

Four-Leaf Clovers

 

I think I may have found one, maybe two, four-leaf clovers in my lifetime. Just never had any luck at that but I can say that I have had my share of luck (blessings, whatever you want to call it) without finding a thing. 

Do you ever stop and think about what kind of blessings have rained down on you? We just don't pay enough attention nor give enough thanks.

Just wanted to share this little poem with you today. I've had this poem for eons, read ever so often. Keeps me reminded that I don't have to find those four-leaf clovers to have showers of blessings fall on me every day. 

Good News On April Fool's Day

                            This isn't an April Fool joke and boy, am I thankful for that!

Went for my annual mammogram this morning, the first following my lumpectomy and radiation. 

                                    The radiologist pronounced it as perfect! 

                            Talk about being given a gift. And, a new lease on life. 

                                                         

For the first time since I moved to Virginia back in 1999, the family didn't get together for Easter. I decided I'd treat myself to a scrumptious breakfast. Made myself a Mexican-style Monte Cristo sandwich. I mean, if you don't treat yourself well, who the heck is?                                                      

It's topped with pepper jelly that my granddaughter sells from her company Sugar and Bice. 

Then I just acted lazy the rest of the day.

So happy I can do that if I want to! 

My son says that at age 90 I can do whatever the heck I want. Love that boy! 

                                                         

Thanksgiving Feast

                                                              Whew!

Thanksgiving is over. Not that I had anything much to do to prepare for it. Time for the younger gals to take over, don't you think? 

Our Virginia family got together on the Eastern Shore on Saturday. I am just amazed, always, at such great cooks that abound in this family. I ate way too much. And, I have leftovers in my fridge for dinner tonight! Lucky gal that I am!

With the granddaughter that hosted the affair suffering from alphagal (I think I spelt that correctly) she can not be in the house where products from hoofed animals are being cooked nor can she eat them. So, she baked the turkey. We had to have the classic green-bean casserole and she did that as well. But, she made her own 'cream of mushroom soup' not using any cream. (That comes from a hoofed animal). I'll tell you about alphagal in another post. 

The pictures will tell the tale. And, we watched football. I mean, with Shirley rooting for Auburn and I am an Alabama fan... we could not miss the Iron Bowl. (if you aren't into college football, you won't understand).

There was a roaring fire going in the fireplace which I sat close to to soak up all that warmth and the feel a fire gives you. The host's sister and her daughter dropped by bringing a 6 week old little bunch of love. I just had to hold him! And, he smiled and cooed at me... at 6 weeks. I was thrilled. Still have the magic touch I guess. hehe.

I even snuck in a few minutes of reading by the fire before the 'crowd' arrived. I am reading 'Along Came A Spider' the first in a series of James Patterson's books with Alex Cross as the main character. The resident dogs lay quietly nearby.

After dinner was over my great-grandson entertained us all with his piano playing. He is naturally gifted and has not had any piano lessons but can rattle off a Beathoven as well as the Charlie Brown theme with the best of them. 

It was quite a day. Night fell and we headed home which is an hour and a half from there to my apartment. I was bushed when I got home. I bet I was in bed (curled up with my book) before Shirley and John had driven out of the city limits. 

                       Hope all of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The Commons Thanksgiving

 This is Thanksgiving week here in the U. S. Lots of family get-togethers, lots of travel, too much good eating. A time to be thankful for all we have. 

Last Friday night a large number of us residents here at the Commons had our Thanksgiving dinner. Such good food. The staff furnished the turkey and gravy. The residents filled in with pot luck dishes. 

I seem to be the 'resident photographer'. At least that's the position I seem to have fallen into. Not that I mind!! Love taking pictures. Just wish I was better at it. 

The tables were all set with pretty centerpieces. 

Residents busy setting out desserts. 

as you can see we had plenty of variety.

People in the buffet line. 

We were all so thankful to have each other! 

Being Thankful

 I'm just being thankful this morning for yet another wonderful day! Hope you have a blessed Sunday, too.

We Are Never Too Old To Boogie

                                               From the book 'Status Report' by Judith Viorst

"Too old to dream.

Too old to flirt.

Too old to sit and dish the dirt.

Too old to drink,

Too old to pet.

Too old to boogie,

Not quite yet. "

I still have a lot of boogie left in me. 

Surgery is tomorrow. 

And, I plan on boogieing again very, very soon. 

picture: me dancing with my grandson  2018

picture: me dancing with my husband  1999

Thanks For My Hugs!!

 Oh my goodness...

I feel so loved this morning. I was just venting in my last post but I was blown away by the love and support... and the hugs! Thank you so very much. You don't know how much you all mean to me. 

I've been spending more time on my balcony.  I have a cafe table and 2 tall swivel chairs plus a regular fold-up chair out there. So... here I am... waving to all of you sweet friends. 

Just before nightfall last evening I was eating my supper on the balcony table when I saw a doe and her fawn on the far side of the pond. You just can't get any sweeter glimpses into God's nature than that! 

This morning I heard this constant call from our resident Goose. Someone has been feeding him and he had come back up to the driveway and was begging/calling for some food. 

It's Sunday, cloudy, a pleasant temp so I will probably spend a great deal of time sitting out there at my table today. Sounds like a great plan to me.

And again...

For all your love and support. 

You all are the best!