Let The Music Play…

I’ve always been a huge fan of music.  I credit my older brother for this!  He’s always been a sucker for a nice sound system–even before it became “fashionable”.  He always had a great sound system in his car,  and in his home– and he had plenty of music to play on both.  He loves all kinds of music, and so do I.  I loved spending time with him when I was a “tween” (he’s 9 years older), and always looked forward to my summer visits with him and his wife.

When I turned thirteen, I convinced my parents to let me join “The Columbia Music Club”.  (Wow, now there’s a blast from the past!)  Back then, vinyl records were still the rage, so every six weeks or so, I’d get a new album in the mail.  After I left home and married Ed, I continued adding to my album collection for a while, along with a few 8 track tapes.  I still have every one of my old albums, and we have our old turntable, too!  Thanks to the internet, we were able to find and purchase a new needle for it.  Who doesn’t love the music of the seventies–scratches and all?!

Fast forward through four decades of music collecting–first there were the 8 tracks, then cassettes, followed by cd’s.  I have an extensive collection of cassettes and cd’s, but Ed and I discarded our old 8 tracks about 5 years ago, when we discovered they no longer played.  Suddenly, I began to notice that music stores were closing, and cd’s were disappearing from the shelves of Walmart…I decided I’d better get with the program!  I’ve been way behind with my knowledge of new musical  technology for several years now.

I’ve been content listening to my old cassettes and cd’s, along with the radio, but recently I decided to upgrade to an MP3 player.  I did my homework, and decided on a Sony Walkman MP3 player.  I’m in love!  I had no idea such great sound could come from something so small!  I also had no idea that something so tiny would hold so much music!  I can’t stand wearing ear buds, so I bought a super comfortable set of headphones–and a few accessories so I can listen to my music out loud, too.

A couple of weeks ago, I took my new MP3 with us to the beach.  I was in heaven, sitting there gazing over the ocean listening to the sounds of the seventies!  When I tired of those, I simply switched over to Jimmy Buffett or Kenney Chesney’s music with a more “tropical flavor”!  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that our hotel room included a clock radio with an adapter for MP3 players.  I went to sleep that night after listening to “Under the Boardwalk”…

I’ve been immersed in the world of music for the past month or so, and I’ve been making lots of new discoveries, which I’ll share with you in future posts.  One of my first shocks came as I was browsing YouTube, and discovering what some of those “seventies” musicians actually looked like…

I just couldn’t get over that black fish net shirt, complimented by the red scarf–and those pork chop sideburns!!!  Oh my!  It’s an image that will pop into my head , forever more, whenever I hear this song–which happens to be one of my summertime favorites!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Patriotic Wednesday Hodgepodge…

Here’s the weekly session of “The Hodgepodge”.  It’s volume # 83, can you believe it?  Here’s Joyce’s set of amazing questions, and my not-so-amazing answers:

1. What do the words ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ mean to you? Does your mind go more in the direction of not being persecuted or discriminated against or does it head in the direction of doing what you please?

When I think of freedom and liberty, I think of  living in a place where we’re not persecuted or discriminated against, and are able to do whatever we please (within reason), but so much of this seems to be changing.

Over the years, I’ve watched as we are losing more and more of our freedoms and liberties through government regulations,  and this saddens me and makes my heart heavy.  Many of these regulations have been directed toward Christians, concerning things like public prayer, displaying the ten commandments, or nativity scenes–to the point that it feels like persecution of Christians.   Our country is being regulated to death–with no end in sight!  (Obamacare jumps to the forefront of my mind.)

And if the president bypasses congress once more, and issues one more executive order–without any opposition from anyone, while certain people even clap and cheer–I’m going to scream!  Come to think of it, we all should be screaming about what’s going on in Washington…

2. Nathan’s sponsors a hot dog eating contest every 4th of July. Last year over 40,000 people attended the event and almost 2 million watched it on TV. The winner ate over 60 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. How do you like your hot dogs?

I like my hot dogs cooked on the grill, then covered with mustard, ketchup, and sometimes a little pickle relish.  I can’t  imagine eating 60 hot dogs though!

3. If you were going to enter an eating contest what would be on the menu?

I can’t think of anything that I’d want to eat an excessive amount of, but for fun I’ll say “ice cream”.

4. Do you run your house more as a dictatorship or a democracy?

I’d like to say it’s a democracy, but for some reason Ed leaves most of the household decisions to me, and he always has.

5. Where was your favorite summer place when you were a kid?

Some of my fondest childhood memories took place in my grandparent’s backyard.  Sometimes it’s the little things that mean the most!

6. Do you have a guest room? Would you want to stay there?

We actually don’t have a guest room,  but if we did, I’d want to stay there.

7. Next Wednesday America celebrates her independence. Do you have any special plans for the 4th of July? If you live outside the USA when and how does your country celebrate its own patriotic holiday?

We don’t have any special plans for the 4th of July.  We’ve tried “going off” for the 4th before, but the crowds were so ridiculous that we prefer to just stay home these days.  We’ll cook something on the grill, and just relax around the house.

Random:

Today I’d like to talk about a phenomenon that has begun to affect Ed and me.  It’s called having “Senior Moments” or “Brain Farts”.  If you’re over 50, you know the drill– suddenly you can’t remember a person’s name, or you go to a room to “do something”, but forget what it is you need to do,  by the time you get there…

The other day,  my friend, Linda,  from over at Retirement Daze, posted the following YouTube video on her blog.  I was reading her blog, and wearing ear buds while listening to the song because Ed was watching Fox News.  You should have seen the look that Ed gave me when I burst out laughing in the middle of the news!  We all know there’s nothing funny on the news these days, so his reaction was priceless–and so is this song.

Mission Accomplished…For Now!

Three months ago, Ed and I began a new chapter of our lives.  We took on the task of growing a garden, then “canning” our own  home-grown vegetables.

We planned, we worked, we sweated, and we even argued about how to do things sometimes.  Ed plowed, hoed, sprayed and dusted his way through every week of spring.  I pulled weeds and dragged 200 feet of water hose around the garden,  when the rains didn’t come on a regular basis.  We both learned that there is a lot more to growing food than either of us ever realized!

God rewarded the fruits of our labor, and we were successful.  On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate our gardening adventure about an 8, which we certainly can’t complain about.

We weren’t successful with speckled butterbeans because I unknowingly purchased “running butterbeans”.  The bushes grew into “all vines”, with no beans.  At least I don’t think there were any beans.  The bushes grew into such a mass of vines, we couldn’t tell if any beans were in there or not!  Seriously, you’d have to see to believe…

Some kind of “killer bug” invaded our squash, cucumbers, and, more recently, our watermelons–even though we sprayed and dusted the garden on a regular basis.  These insects are new to us, and have presented our biggest gardening challenge to date!

Growing tomatoes also turned out to be quite a challenge.  We battled our way through “the wilt”, only to be faced with “bottom rot”.  Finally, after learning that we needed to add more calcium to the soil, then adding some, we were able to harvest some edible tomatoes!  (In the meantime, I gave up hope, too soon, and went to a local field and bought tomatoes.)  At the moment, our kitchen table is covered with ripening tomatoes from our garden–the last of our garden-fresh vegetables.  By this weekend, I’ll be officially finished with “canning”.  Yay!

Many packages of corn, peas, beans, and tomatoes are tucked neatly in our freezer–and we have shared vegetables with others, as well.  Ed and I have learned how to “pressure can” and have been successful in our efforts with this, too.  The pretty jars filled with food remind me of days gone by.  Not to bad for our first efforts!

Ed and I have also learned how to do something else new.  We’ve learned how to dry and save some seeds!  I purchased “heirloom seeds” in the spring, so we would be able to do this.  Garden seeds aren’t cheap, so it’s well worth the time.  All we have to do is store them in our freezer until next planting time!

It’s been quite a ride, but worth every minute of it!  Ed and will have about a month to rest and relax–then it’s back to work!  We’re already planning our fall garden!  Yes, we’re fortunate enough to live in an area where we can grow two crops per year!

For now, we’re going to bask in the glory of sweet success, and just rest.  All too soon, we’ll be back planting, hoeing, and perhaps even arguing over how to do things!  If we can get a grip on those pesky bugs, perhaps we might even grow a pumpkin!

Rainy Days And Mondays…

Does my post title make the old Carpenter’s tune pop into your head?  I still enjoy listening to the unique sounds of Karen and Richard Carpenter–even after all these years.

It is a rainy day, and a Monday here.  Tropical Storm Debby is supposed to give us a second day of rain, but it’s okay, because we can sure use the moisture here.  Ed’s back at work, and the house is quiet and lonely, and my kitchen table is still filled with ripening tomatoes!

I’d like to wish  our youngest son, Brad,  and his wife, Jennifer, a “Happy Anniversary”!  Their anniversary falls exactly a week after mine and Ed’s.

As of today, the couple has been married one year!  One year ago today, they were getting ready for their wedding– while today it’s a rainy Monday, and both are back at work after a long weekend get-away to  Florida.  Best wishes, guys.  May your second year together be even better than your first!

I’m joining Heather from “Acting Balanced” for her meme “Monday Quiz About Me”.  Here are today’s questions and answers:

 
1. What was your favorite childhood toy?

Without a doubt, my favorite toys were my Barbie and Skipper dolls.  I didn’t get them until I was ten, but I played with them more than any other toys I ever owned.  I still have both dolls, along with their original bathing suits.  My Barbie and Skipper are 47 years old.

2. Where did you go this weekend?

We didn’t go anywhere this weekend, unless you count a quick trip to the Dollar Store.  We had a quiet weekend at home, since it was the weekend after vacation week.

3. When was the last time you shopped for yourself? What did you buy?

I placed an on-line order to Bath and BodyWorks on Friday.  I ordered some soaps, some wall flowers, and a candle because they were having a 75% off sale, with an additional ten dollars off of a forty dollar purchase.   (Yes, Brad, I ordered some Bath and BodyWorks, too! LOL)

4. Paper, Plastic or Reusable?

I  prefer paper, but these days it seems like nobody has paper anymore.  I always end up with tons of those little plastic shopping bags, which I use as trash can liners in the bath and bedrooms.

My question for you today is:

5.  How do you usually celebrate your wedding anniversary?

A Dinner To Remember…

a quick photo before our anniversary meal…

Remember when I mentioned that it’s a tradition that Ed and I eat Kentucky Fried Chicken on our anniversary every year?  We do this for a reason.

Forty years ago, we drove up to a KFC in our car, with Just Married painted all over it,  to buy our dinner.  When the store manager realized that we’d just gotten married (about 3 hours prior), he gave us our first meal as husband and wife– at no charge. We’ve been celebrating our anniversary with Colonel Sanders every since!

Well, this year, in a moment of weakness,  I actually spent our anniversary toying with the idea of breaking that tradition of spending our anniversary with “The Colonel”, but let me back up for just a moment.

Ed and I chose to go back to Amelia Island for our anniversary celebration this year.  This marked our fourth year in a row of going to this island to celebrate.  (We may have unintentionally started another tradition!)  We stayed at the same hotel as last year, and would you believe we even had the same room?  What are the odds of that happening?

On Amelia Island, there is a little ocean-side bar and grill called “The Sandy Bottoms”.  It’s literally located right on the beach.  They have a covered patio, or you can even dine under an umbrella with your feet in the sand, if you chose to.  They have live music each evening, and on Monday, which was our anniversary, their evening special was steak–and I love steak!

After learning about the steak special, I spent most of the afternoon trying to decide if I wanted to abandon our KFC tradition, and eat steak on the beach at “The Sandy Bottoms”.  Finally, I decided it just wouldn’t feel right NOT to eat KFC.  Some traditions are just too special to be broken.  Ed seemed to feel the same way.

Monday evening, around 7 o’clock, Ed and I packed up our beach chairs, changed our clothes, then headed for the local Kentucky Fried Chicken, where we’ve gotten our last three anniversary meals.  Our plan was to get our meal “to go”, then have a picnic on the beach.

So, I’m finally all excited about our beach picnic, and getting some KFC, when we enter the parking lot of the restaurant and see–an empty, abandoned building!  Sometime, during the past nine months, the island KFC had gone out of business!  Talk about bursting our bubble!!!  I racked my brain, then remembered our daughter saying they’d once gotten some KFC in Yulee, which is located about 13 miles inland.  Ed and I were really determined, so we  headed for Yulee, in search of Colonel Sanders!  We finally found the place, got our chicken, then headed back to the beach.  By this time, it was well after 8 o’clock in the evening.

We took our food to the little park area beside the beach, and put it on a table.  It was about this time when we discovered that the evening breeze blowing off the ocean had gotten a lot cooler than before…It was also about this time when we discovered that the girl at KFC had neglected to pack any eating utensils for us!  There is just no way to eat mashed potatoes or coleslaw without a fork or a spoon!

Fortunately, there is a convenience store located next-door to our hotel, so we made the decision to just pack our food up, stop by the store to buy some eating utensils,  and just eat in our room where it was warmer–and that’s what we did.  We had a “carpet picnic”, except we ate on the coffee table!  After the  ordeal of finding the food, it was so delicious–and that meal will definitely go down in the books as one of our most memorable anniversary dinners ever!

Wednesday Hodgepodge…June 20

We’re back from our anniversary celebration–just in time for me to join Joyce’s Hodgepodge!  I haven’t missed a Hodgepodge yet, and I didn’t want to start today.  Thanks, Joyce, for making mid-week so much fun!

We didn’t get home until six last night,  then we had to pick and shell two rows of peas after that, so forgive me if my answers are a bit crazy today.  I finished writing this at 1 o’clock this morning!

Here are this week’s questions:

1. Summer officially rolls in with the Hodgepodge this week, for those of us in the Northern hemisphere anyway. What song says summer 2012 to you?

It’s funny that Joyce asked this question since I recently spent several days searching for “summer songs” to load onto my new MP3 player.  I found a ton of them!  Nothing says summertime in Georgia better than Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee”, but a newer favorite of mine is “Knee Deep in Paradise” by the Zac Brown Band.

2. What’s your favorite quintessential summer food?

I have two–boiled peanuts and watermelon–and I’ve already had some of both!

3. I’ve spent a lot of time traipsing up and down the NJ Turnpike in recent weeks. Did you know the rest areas on the turnpike are named after people who lived or worked in NJ? Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, James Fenimore Cooper, Molly Pitcher, Joyce Kilmer, Thomas Edison, and Gover Clevland just to name a few. Of those I listed, who would you most like to have known and why?

I’ll say Clara Barton because she was a nurse. We have several “medical people” in our family.  My mother-in-law worked as a nurse in doctor’s offices for years,  hubby, Ed,  has worked as an x-ray tech/paramedic/director of radiology, and one of our daughter-in-laws is an RN.  Between the three of them, they could tell enough “hair raising tales” to fill a book!

4. At what age did you move out of your parent’s house and what prompted the move?

I left home at the age of 17, just two months shy of my 18th birthday, to marry Ed!  It was the best move I ever made!

5. What’s more satisfying to you-saving time or saving money?

At this point in my life, my answer should probably be “saving time” because it’s so precious, but my answer is “saving money” since we are nearing time for Ed to retire.

6. Name something you think brings out the good in people.

Seeing someone “in need” or “in distress”–as in a disaster or illness.

7. This last question comes to you courtesy of Kathy over at Reflections…will you be taking a vacation or a staycation this summer? If so where will you go? If a staycation is on the calendar have you made any special plans to fill the time?

Ed and I are are nearing the end of our vacation.  We spent most of our vacation at home, but we had no problem whatsoever “filling the time”!  We spent the majority of it canning fresh vegetables.  I know that doesn’t sound like much of a vacation, but it had to be done.  However, we also took a brief “time out” and went to the beach for a couple of days!

Random:

As I mentioned earlier, Ed and I just returned from a couple of days at the beach.  We went on a quick “get-away” to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.  I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed a trip more!  It was fantastic to spend some “quality time” together and just enjoy each other’s company without any of life’s distractions.  No phones, no computer, no pets, and no garden!  We highly recommend a beach “get-away”, and plan to take another one in the near future!

Ed and I took the camera and tripod with us on the trip, and snapped a couple of “timed” photos of us beside the ocean.  I’m sure we looked quite comical out there trying to get everything all set up, but here’s us on our 40th anniversary…

With “wind in our hair and sand in our shoes”…

Forty Years And Counting…

At four o’clock this afternoon, Ed and I will have officially been married for forty years.  Forty years is a long, long time, but it hasn’t seemed like a long time at all.

Last night, while Ed and I were sitting at the kitchen table, I remarked to him, “Forty years ago tonight, we were eating our rehearsal dinner in your parents “red room”.  (The “red room” was their newly remodeled den which was void of furniture, except for long tables and chairs, brought in for the occasion.)  Ed says he can’t remember the rehearsal dinner.   Then I asked him, “Forty years ago, at that rehearsal dinner, would you ever have thought that we would be living in a second house, built by  you,  in your daddy’s old cow pasture, and sitting here eating at a dinner table that’s covered with ripening tomatoes?”  He answered, “No.”  Our conversation then prompted the sharing of a few memories of our wedding day…

Here they are in no particular order:

*Ed wanted to wear suede Dingo boots to our wedding.  I was upset, and begged his mom to intervene.  She did, and he bought new dress shoes, which he always hated.  They were black “wing tips”.  Remember those???

*I remember Ed coming to my parents’ house on the morning of our wedding day.  I was hiding  in my bedroom, but I peeked out of the window and watched him coming up on the front porch!  I saw him before the wedding, but he didn’t see me.

*Ed and I got married on Sunday, and it was Father’s Day!  We chose June 18 for our wedding, as a tribute to the mutual cousin who introduced us.  It was her birthday.

*I went out to my daddy’s garden on the morning of our wedding day, and picked fresh peas and corn to take with me on our honeymoon!  I don’t remember where I kept them, until after the wedding, but we took them with us!

*I didn’t get to cook those fresh veggies until the following Thursday, because it rained every day and the gas company couldn’t come to bring us a tank.  I was sad, but little did I know I’d be facing a lifetime of cooking!

*Ed and I ate a lot of bologna sandwiches the first week of our marriage–until the gas got turned on.

*It rained on our wedding day, and I was distraught.  I remembered the old wives’ tale about rain on the wedding day being bad luck, and representing the amount of tears the bride will shed during her marriage.  I know from personal experience, it’s not true!   The rain went away, and by 4 o’clock, the sun was shining again!

*I refused to wear a veil on my head, or even any flowers in my hair for the wedding because I had so much (long) hair on my head.

*Someone took one of the spark plug wires loose from Ed’s car, during the wedding, so we couldn’t outrun the people who wanted to chase us.

*Someone painted Ed’s car with white shoe polish, which never came completely off the black racing stripes on the hood.

*My brother took our wedding pictures–with a Polaroid camera!

*Ed and I ate our first meal as man and wife at Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Actually, we got our meal “to go”.  When the store manager saw that we were “Just Married” he gave us our meal for free, as a wedding gift!  For forty years, we’ve eaten KFC on or near our anniversary day, as part of our celebration.

*We planned our wedding, Ed found a job, we found a place to live, and moved our things in–all within three weeks!  I married Ed without ever giving it a second thought–and I’d do it all over again today!

I made the following video for Ed as an anniversary present.  It spans over 60 years of time, and contains so many wonderful memories.  The bodies no longer look the same, but the hearts still feel the same!

I’m taking some time off this week to celebrate with my hubby.  We’ve been busy canning vegetables, but we’re taking a short break and heading for the beach!  I’ll be back on-line in a few days.  Have a great week, everyone!

A Dedicated Daddy…

Our children were blessed by having you as their dad

When it came to giving, you gave everything that you had.

You worked two jobs to provide for us all

And who could forget all those years of “taking call”?

You were never too tired or too busy, you always said “Yes”

I guess that’s why our kids always liked you the best!

Our children are grown now, and have gone their own way

But they still visit often, and bring their children to play!

Our grand-kids think you’re pretty awesome, too.

They love jumpin’ on trampolines, and ridin’ tractors and scooters with you !

Yes, dedicated daddies (and granddaddies) are precious and few

I guess that’s why there’s only one you!

Happy 33rd Father’s Day, Ed.

You’re one in a million!

Thursday’s Thoughts ~ That’s Why I Pray…

Yesterday, while working in the kitchen,  I had the radio playing on a country music station. I love music a lot, but after first listening to pop oldies, then today’s new sound, I’d begun to think that music has gone to “hell in a hand basket” throughout the years. Then I heard a new country song come on the radio–and it stopped me dead in my tracks!

The song is called “That’s Why I Pray”, and it’s by the duo of Big and Rich. Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of Big and Rich’s music, but this time,  Big and Rich have a winner, in my eyes, and their message is so “right on” for today’s world!

Their song talks about all of the craziness of our world today, and how one person chose to make a difference by praying. I like that message–and the fact that someone was actually brave enough to make a song about it–and the fact that the song is actually getting airtime in today’s world where it’s not “cool” to mention God anymore.

I can’t help but wonder–How did we let our country get to the point where it’s not “cool” to believe in God?  Why did we let our government kick God out of our daily lives, and those of our children?  Could this be why there is so much evil, turmoil, and strife in our country today?  I believe so!

Last night, I went to YouTube to see if I could find a music video of “That’s Why I Pray”.  I found the video, and a whole lot more…I found a lot of nasty, negative comments about God and religion from non-believers. First it sickened my heart, then it made me want to pray…

God,  please help your children.  Deliver us from evil.  I pray for the hearts and souls of  non-believers, as well.  I pray for this country that we live in.  I pray that we will become a God-fearing nation again, it’s our only hope.  And, God,  thank you for helping someone to be brave enough to record a song about prayer in these troubled times!  We need to do a lot more praying these days.

It’s Wednesday Hodgepodge Time…

It’s time for some mid-week fun with Joyce’s “Hodgepodge”!  This week’s questions were fun, and they put me in a summertime frame of mind.  Thanks, Joyce!  If you’d like to join in, all you’ve gotta’ do is click the button at the top of this post!

1. In what way are you your own worst enemy?  

I don’t always know when it’s time to stop–working, shopping, talking, and yes, even adopting pets!  This tendency has gotten me into trouble more than a few times over the years.

2. Jacques Cousteau’s birthday was Monday, June 11th…ever been scuba diving? Is that something you’d like to try? What’s your favorite ‘under the sea’ creature?

No, I’ve never been scuba diving, and I’ll never try it, but it looks so exciting!  How neat it would be to see all of the fish, or explore a ship wreck!  As for my favorite under the sea creature–I don’t really have one, but I’ve always liked dolphins.

3. On a scale of 1-10, how comfortable are you in and around the water? (1=not at all, 10=very) Do you know how to swim and if so how and when did you learn?

Around water, I’m a 10–however, in the water I’m about a 3.  I’m not comfortable in water that’s over my head.  I attribute this to the fact that I almost drowned twice as a child.

Once Ed and I put in a swimming pool, I finally learned how to swim well enough to swim across the pool, in the deep end, but I’m still not much of a swimmer.  I can tread water and dog paddle though–or at least I could when we got rid of our pool.

I love, love, love being around water.  We once owned a boat, and I had no qualms at all about going out on the water, but going in the water was another whole story!  Eventually, I  conquered my fears enough to put on a life jacket, and  ride a ski board.  It took a lot of coaxing to get me to do it, but  I was proud of myself once I did.

4. What’s something you do to motivate yourself to tick an item off your to-do list?

I don’t really need any special motivation–I just have to wait for the right timing.  When I’m feeling good and have lots of energy, the sky is the limit...remember my answer to question #1?  I constantly have to remember Dr. Morley’s advice to me, “Pace yourself!”

5. What makes a good neighbor? Are you a good neighbor?

I think a good neighbor is friendly, helpful, respectful, and they give you plenty of privacy and space.  I think I’m a good neighbor, but I guess to know for sure, you’d have to ask my daughter!

6. Who loads the dishwasher at your house? Is there a right way and a wrong way?

No doubt about it, Ed is the dishwasher loader at our house!  He thinks there is a right way–and it’s HIS WAY!  Whenever I load it, he goes behind me and rearranges the dishes.

7. You know it’s summer when…you see plenty of peanuts and watermelons in the produce section of the grocery store!

Random:

I’m tired today.  Yesterday, I worked with corn all day, then Ed and I picked and shelled butter beans late in the afternoon.  My kitchen table is filled with ripening tomatoes, and our peas are almost ready…Guess what I’ll be doing the rest of this week?  Ah, the joys of growing a garden!   (and this brings me back to my answer to question #1!)