Once upon a Time

This is a picture daughter Patricia took on her short camping days. I am sure she would love to spend a lot more time fishing for trout and a few of the small smelts that cook up like tasty potato chips. When she does take the time to go camping way up in the back hills of Gold Beach where the dirt roads are narrow and unpaved, filled with pot holes and no guard rails to keep the truck centered on the road, she finds it exciting and as the truck weaves its way gingerly up the inclines with the river far below, then turns into a lovely camping area she is positive it is all worth while.

I get to live vicariously as a camper when Pat tells of her adventures in camping. I have never been a camper and find the beauty of the forest leaves me in awe, but, it also leaves me itching and twitching when I see the creeping crawlers. I seem to have brought along childhood fears and phobias I've never let loose of and it is a shame for I am missing out on some of life's greatest moments. . . . well for some, then there are those, like me, who find a clean bed, a hot shower, or a bubble bath in the tub, far more luxurious and easy to live with and I can watch the travel channel on TV and the wild animals stay within their bounds. Look ma, no itching! Even Emma is a better camper than I'll ever be and she has learned to swim in the lakes and loves it, bear poop excites her and she wants to wander far and wide to make a new friend.

So today, the last of June 2010, a holiday weekend in the offering, fire works in the sky, barbecue and friends, I'd say we had a lot to look forward to. Enjoy your holiday where ever you are be it in the city or up in the mountains or even by the sea shore . . . relax and count your blessings. Make today a sunshine day even if you have a bit of rain. Hugs to all.

Pictures by Marge

Thank you Marge for sending the pictures this morning of our Monday adventure to Gold Beach and the agate treasure hunt. We should have brought home some of these clams, bet they are edible and tasty. I wonder if that is what those two visitors with their clam rakes and buckets were looking for, if so that trip we sent them to some thirty miles north of Gold Beach must have them wondering about us . . . but there are clam beds up around Port Orford too. I just hope they were lucky to find them.

I was happy to see the birds up close so the rings showed. They were fun to follow. As I look at the pictures I am ready to go out and see what is out there today.

The drift wood pictures came out great. I didn't realize you could walk into the tepee. It could be our summer home away from home. I'd like to have the horse in my front yard, and the large one has the look of Medusa with the reptilian hair. That wall picture made of rocks was really something to see. I wonder how they put it together. I wonder if that woman bought that house the realtor was showing her. I wonder why we cannot be wealthy and buy one of those homes that are up for sale. We should go back and take pictures of the houses as each one is different. Maybe next time. That is one terrific shot of the rattle snake bush. The one I took looks more like an artificial art piece.

So today, I hope all of you following my blog enjoy the pictures and the walk on the beach with us. We intend to do it again . . . oh I forgot to mention we had a sandwich of grilled egg plant with zucchini on sour dough bread that was so good and a delicious cup of corn chowder with shrimp so come join us anytime. Enjoy today. Hugs.

A Walk About

I thought I was getting a picture of the rattle snake bushes which stand tall and hide among the sea grasses. I have no idea what happened to my camera, and this picture looks like a roll of wall paper waiting to be used. It was the end of our trip and now I have to find out what went wrong. I love my camera and would be lost without it.

Canadian Geese or??? Not the usual birds we see around here. Marge in the driftwood.

I had no idea there was a minus tide when friend Marge and I decided to run away at eight o'clock of a Monday morning. The fog was thick in Brookings and showed its gray misty tendrils, sometimes thick hiding the trees and views of the ocean, only to clear bright for a few miles of highway, then find ourselves enveloped in the misty shroud hiding all from view all over again. I wondered if we were going to be able to walk the beach where we hoped to find some agates.

Our first stop was the coffee shop where the huge huckleberry and peach scones sat in their pans waiting to be devoured. The case is filled with sticky buns, donuts and other delicious pastries but the scones beckon and I had a berry one and Marge a peach one which we both swore one topped the other, all the while knowing each was perfection in itself. I thought of asking for the recipe but know better as I'd be baking them daily and spreading like a gigantic balloon. Why oh why are pastries so delicious and tempting?

A minus tide allows the freedom of the ocean and a chance to walk out to the huge 'hay stacks' as the humongous rocks erode slowly in the sea. The tide pools are filled with tiny sea creatures and the rocks themselves covered with mussels and other shells.

Marge never did put her camera away, even when filling her bag with rocks and shells. The wind was up and disturbed her usual 'not a hair out of place'. Who cares when one can have an adventure and follow a gaggle of birds we had never seen before. There were rings around their necks and they had a lot of color to them, not unlike seagulls in size, but bonded together with two standing guard as they slid into a tide pool and swam a short while as I stood there with soaking wet socks and shoes having stepped into a small tide pool that looked like a thin mirror on the sand.

There are many folks who build fires on the beach and enjoy the late hours of the day. We saw piles of driftwood and one that looked like a giant tepee. Marge climbed up into one sand hill where the sand slid easily and her balance was lost in the effort to get back down to the hard sand. She struggled for a minute to stand up and remove herself from the mound to find that her bad knee felt better. She was laughing and thought maybe she had found a cure. I thought it might be fun to try her 'cure' but knew if I floundered in that huge pile of loose sand I might still be there as it would take a derrick to pull me out. The strange thing is that even with bad feet and legs walking on the beach doesn't hurt a bit. Well, it didn't while we were walking for miles, bending and stooping like the very young, only to find later that we 'slightly' over did it and found sitting down doing absolutely nothing was a good ending to our day.

So today, the second day of your new week, remind yourselves that in another short ten or fifteen years you will be retired and you can plan a walk on a beach. We didn't find an agate of note, just sugar agates that sparkle in the rock piles, but rocks of every kind were ours for the taking and I have a new dish full on my little table on the porch. Some have pictures in them and I see all kinds of things. I may take a pen and trace them to see what really is looking back at us when we walk on the beach. Make today a day to remember. Hugs to all.

Aprons and stuff

Someone with a keen sense of what is going on in Arizona walked out into the desert to find a huge Saguaro cactus making a clear statement . . . it takes hundreds of years for the cactus to grow this big, wonder if it was preparing for the present crisis that defies an answer some fifty years too late.

Our weather has been wintry until this week and for the last three days we have had fog burn off and sunshine come out to warm the cockles of our heart. I've been out gardening, well if you call weeding gardening, I don't last as long as "I used" to but I can still try to neaten the flower beds. My Rose of Sharon bush out in the front of the house is the talk of the neighborhood and everyone wants one in their yard. It really is huge and full of bright purple flowers, more pink than purple, and takes over as a show piece making the grasses and fronds of the other plants look small and insignificant . . . there is one in every crowd!!

The e-mail yesterday had the story about aprons which has been around before but it is a memory lane story reminding me of a time when an apron was a must. We wouldn't be in the kitchen without one. As the tale went, it was easier to wash and apron than a dress. Most of us dropped and drizzled icing from our homemade cakes or juice from the hot apple pies. Daily baking was as much a part of preparing dinner as cooking a pot of beans. It went on to say that the apron was used as a pot holder to take the dish out of the oven; it carried eggs or garden vegetables into the kitchen, even wood for the stove back in the old days. It made a good dust rag as you saw unexpected company coming up the walk way and you hurried to open the door for them, dusting on the way. It dried a few tears and it gave cover to a small shy child. The tale ended by saying this generation probably would worry about the germs it carried but to the author it only carried a lot of love. My daughter, Eileen, wore huge aprons to the grammar school when she was the story lady. Her pockets were filled with treats and how the children loved her. Maybe we can bring the apron back and use it as it should be worn, treating our families to dinner together with no television, fancy new doodad, some conversation and a lot of love. Some things do not need change.

So today when you go about starting a new week . . . yes, another one already, where did your weekend go? . . . check around and see if aprons are even sold anymore. I'm betting you can find a cocktail apron but what about those cover ups? They are out there, you just have to keep looking. Put one on and see how it feels to have a handy pocket, a dust rag, a pot holder and the ability to wipe up a snaughty nose. Hugs to all.

Cottonwoods

Yesterday I was sent some wonderful and interesting e-mails, some have been around before and well worth a second peek. There was one of our earth taken by one of the astronauts which was rare and unbelievable to look at. The geographical pictures of the different countries are always welcome as it is my travel by armchair to places I will never get to see . . . but, I think the talented artist brings pleasure of a different kind as you can see what their talents are. In this case it is Cottonwood trees growing in Craig, Colorado that became diseased and had to be taken down. The town folks came up with a competition and the big chain saws came out and you are looking at the results. We see a lot of this type of art here in Oregon where we have forests from one end of the state to the other. Our redwoods from the Oregon border to the northern areas of California are world famous although I haven't seen much 'yard' art from the redwoods. Nevada has a lot of cottonwood trees, in fact we had one of the largest ones in the yard where I rented a small miner's cottage. It was such fun to go out in the fall and rake a mountain of leaves and give the landlord a helping hand. A chore we gripe and groan over but secretly love. We have some carvers that come into the Port every year with a truck filed with all kinds of creatures from the sea. I bought one for my son John, a sea lion, supposedly for the back gardens but he is so beautiful, I fear the weather will ruin him so he has a spot on the top of the TV stand and is dusted along with all the other 'stuff' in the room. John seems to like him just where he is. Maybe this year I'll look for a whale. You have to give these artists credit for doing a tremendous job out of a tree stump. I see many of them checking out the drift wood over at Sporthaven beach. After a huge storm the beach is covered with driftwood of all kind and size. Yard art is a big thing around here.

So today, when you are up and ready to go outside, take a walk in your neighborhood and check out the yard art. Send me some pictures, I'd love to see what folks do to cultivate their taste for art in your neighborhood. I had a neighbor in Nevada who collected art, pictures of flowers and scenes and hung them on her outside fence. There was one particular one that I loved and one day I asked my neighbor to put my name on that particular picture and she did something special, she went into the house and got some pliers and took the picture down and handed it to me. It sits on my dining room wall and is one of my most favorite pictures. That reminds me, I had better get busy and drop her a note and say hello and thank her again for giving me hours of pure pleasure. Make your today a good one and just enjoy being alive and well, so many are not. Find a reason to laugh out loud. Hugs to all.

A Wall and a Walkway

Daughter Pat invited me out for a ride yesterday to see the 'Wall", a replica of the Vietnam War Wall covered with the names of fallen heroes. The local Garden Club Members added baskets of flowers that were bright and colorful to match the wreaths and flags that cordoned off an area in the field where the display was set up. It is called "Gull Field" and even the gulls were willing to give up their space for the few days it would be on display. To walk along and read the names leaves the heart heavy for it was a war the American people did not believe in. So many of our young men died and we are still wondering why. It was an ugly war with ugly truths hidden and our men came home broken. It took a lot of years to try to make up in some way, and this is one of them, a reminder that these men lived and died for us and our freedom.

Afterwards we drove on down south of Brookings to where there are several huge homes built on a bluff overlooking the ocean. A gated community, but to the right of it there is an area leading to where a new home is being built, a huge stucco home that looks to be every persons dream as it is within range of the sand of a beautiful beach area. To the right of this home is a pathway leading to the ocean, open to the public, and it tugs and pulls you along a cemented walkway to the wide open beach area where a river is trying hard to spread and reach the ocean. Along the path are beach grass, wild flowers and on the wall, spreading its green, are three leaf clover . . . not a four leaf one in sight. Yes, honest . . . I looked. Catching sight of yellow centered daisies, red bell like flowers and really truly yellow butter cups that defy being called a 'weed'. Quiet, serenity, the smell and sound of the ocean, a very lovely daughter, what more could one want on a summer day?

So today, the first day of your weekend off, make good use of it . . . get those chores done early then allow yourself time off and time out. Go outside take a walk and find a quiet spot to relax in , , , or plan a visit to Brookings and we will take you to one of our spots, it can only fill you with peace and harmony. Make your day bright and beautiful, just like you. Hugs to all.

Lucky Seven

It has been a year in the building of the new dining room at the Lucky Seven casino just over the border between Oregon and California. It is approximately seven miles from Brookings. We have watched the big machines at work as they dug deep and took out tons of dirt and rock. The construction crew knew their business and made it look so easy. It was an amazing sight to watch them finish up one project then go on to the next step and soon the inside windows of the old dining area were covered and the secret work went on and on until the new dining area opened last week. It is huge, with two levels and the waiters and waitresses have a lot more walking to do from the tables to the kitchen. The best thing now is the fact you can enter the restaurant and not have to work through the smoke filled areas. The new non smoking room is large and there is a new poker room too. I don't know who the decorator was but it is really lovely. The carpeting along can shake your eye balls up with its varied colors of what looks like skinny leaves. The new intensive lighting is a bit hard on the eyes though, not an improvement over the lovely lighting they had previously. All in all it is a huge improvement and hopefully the chef will outdo himself in making dishes we can't live without. The cost had to be high and we have noted the machines are tighter than ever so someone has to pay for all this improvement . . . and the someone is us as the brand new penny machines call to be played. The latest one is a combination of three machines here (Paula and I saw them for the first time in the Florence casino where there were four tied together) It is the "Survivor" game and it is such fun to play but it takes so much more of your pennies if you want to win anything and that is 'only a chance'.

As you can see I went with my friend Carol who is a victim of roseachea and has to wear hats inside and out. She cannot stand light. Her cheeks get beet red and she tells me it is like having hot flashes than never leave. It certainly doesn't sound like it is much fun to have. Carol does not gamble, well with one exception, every Wednesday those of us with cards get matched play and we have five dollars to start off with. Once in awhile the machine is ready to pay out a little, but believe me it is rare. All I can say about the new and beautiful new dining area is that it will not see as much of me. I know the penny machines are house machines and I know that they are set to pay off very little, so like giving up cigarettes so many years ago when they got to be thirty-five cents a pack, I am giving up penny machines until they start paying off . . . so you can see there is about to be a parting of the ways. Back to hiking on the beach searching for agates; roaming through the thrift stores looking for a treasure and God forbid days of housework and chasing weeds . . . oh well experience counts every time so I am off to make my coffee and have some breakfast and maybe today I'll finish washing the windows on the inside . . . although daughter Pat has the day to herself and maybe, just maybe, she will swing by and take me out in her chariot for one last look at the penny machines. Weak of character you say . . . nah . . . a slow learner is more like it.

So today, make your day a nose to the grindstone day. Finish up your work week and plan your weekend so you can be free as a bird and enjoy your time off . . . and stay away from the penny machines. Hugs to All.

A Neighbor

Jo Stafford singing "You Belong To Me"; the words "see the market place in old Algiers" comes to mind when I look at this picture. I was looking up some information on the computer about Tripoli and Libya as my neighbor stopped by with two pieces of what she called 'bread' but I am positive it was more cake than bread and delicious.

I found this picture of Tripoli and if I am correct that is part of the Mediterranean ocean which my neighbor Lisa was telling me about. She said the blue of the water and the sky were the same and she got to swim every day as the weather is perfect all year round. I asked her to tell me a little about herself as she is alone and I find she has been a widow for over thirty years. She takes pride in telling you that she has worked all of her life and still does although she admits to slowing down now that she has reached the ripe old age of seventy three.

Lisa is about five foot four and has a different colorful outfit to wear every day as she walks out about town. She takes two walks a day to keep her blood pressure under control. She tells me she walks to the library twice a week, to the markets and to one hospice patient she visits for two hours each day. She likes to be busy. I asked her where she came from originally as she has a heavy accent I could not place, and she told me of a place called "Little Italy" in Tripoli/Libya. As she talked, I wrote down her words so I can type them up and she can send them on to her grandchildren. Her story is 'a tale to be told' from the history of her county which dates back over two thousand years to World War II when her country was 'invaded' by the English and the Americans. It was really something different to hear what it was like to be on that side of the fence. Lisa married an American from Minnesota and traveled the path of being a 'war bride' but she says "No, a Peace bride." I'm hoping I will have more tea parties with Lisa and hear more of her life story.

So today, when you are out and about, stop and talk with one of your neighbors. You may be surprised to learn that he or she has a tale to tell and one you will be more than interested in hearing. You might even share a tale or two of your own. I'm listening. Make today a good day after 'hump' day; how did it get here so fast? What happened to Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday of this week? Already gone. Know that time is fleeting, so make good use of it. Hugs to All.

Eerie and Frustrating

This is a picture daughter Pat took out of her car window on her road trip in Alaska. It looks like a person sitting by a lake admiring the view but it is a stump of some kind with raindrops on the window pane and rutted roads to travel on. It reminded me of my mood this morning, dark and tense after a weekend of what I term harassing telephone calls. I had two calls on Saturday and three on Sunday all from the same telephone number which is in Kentucky and the calls are from the Census Bureau. Now I find this hard to believe and figured it had to be a scam of some kind. I asked my son John to follow up the number to see what he could find and gave him the 'case number' I was given and he was told the case number did not match our address and they asked questions which he did not answer. He was going to report it to the FBI as it seemed like a scam. Meanwhile I looked up the Census Bureau on the computer and found my way to a question area and submitted a question. This morning I received an answer and it tells me that this Kentucky number is a legitmate Census Bureau telephone number and that they are conducting a coverage to check that no person is left out of the census, or counted in more than one place. "You are part of a sample of households randomly chosen to help us determine that The Coverage Follow up Operation clarifies responses that were collected previously in order to ensure that we have a complete and accurate 2010 Census. Results form this survey will help us improve future censuses and ensure that we obtain an accurate account. The telephone Coverage Follow up interview should take approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Census employees will not ask for your social security number, and account number, credit card number, or citizenship status."
First a post card saying we are going to get our census form to fill out. Second a letter saying much the same thing. Third the forms arrive. They are filled and returned only to get a Fourth letter asking you to fill your form out and now phone calls to check the forms they did get and they have a team in Kentucky checking out Oregon residents . . . sounds like we are on an airplane ride around the country trying to get from point A to B. Needless to say I am furious to think that such incompetence is surrounding us. The Census is once every ten years . . . a good thing or they would never find us and God forbid they ever get an accurate account. I don't know about you but I am writing my representatives today. I want to know if they know what is going on in their back yard.


So today, forgive my mood, but be aware that there stranger than fiction things going on in our government . . . and they wonder why they have such a reputation . . . oh dear, I'm off before I start another paragraph. Light a candle for me today, I need one. Hugs to All.

AND A BIG P.S. Daughter Pat was over this evening to join me for some lemon chicken and she corrected my assumption about the picture. Eerie allright but it was taken on the train going down to Denali and she was bored with the very long ride so took out her camera and looked for pictures to take. The picture was of a person sitting on the train and she just happened to catch it just the right way to make the eerie picture . . . so, my bump on a log was just a dream. I'd apologize to the 'person' but neither of us know him. Just some good looking 'dude' enjoying the train ride on a rainy day. I have to admit it is a terrific shot though.

Perspectives

Sadness prevails when we see such pictures depicting the sad facts of the ongoing truths in our current days. Terror prevails in many different ways.




My friend dropped in yesterday with warm banana bread from her oven, delicious with a drizzle of vanilla icing and not a calorie to worry about, stopped to have a hot cup of coffee and some conversation about life in general. We found we are opposites but that doesn't make a difference as we know we can agree to disagree and our world is not going to fall apart. We both see the events of the day in such different ways. For instance not one word or picture got out in the news about President Obama visiting his native Chicago where he was greeted by a very large group of constituents who disagree with the way he is running, ruining, misguiding, misleading our country. A man of little or no experience and the results are beginning to show.

Our quality of life is changing and we are all waiting for our representatives in both the Congress and the Senate to stand up and be counted. Some folks are out there with homemade signs stating the causes each one feels needs attention , and no matter how we perceive it, we know that much is not not right.

The caption for this picture was "Two of the Great Qualities of Life . . . Patience and Wisdom. Smart dog!! Now if we could get a few of the 'dogs' in Washington, D. C. to show a little patience and wisdom, maybe we could keep those 'skunks' at bay.

So today, keep in mind that we all need both patience and wisdom in our every day life. We need to remind ourselves to pay attention to what is going on around us. Learn to listen to the 'whole' story and know there are two sides to everything and not everything is the truth. Keep an open mind and use that marvelous brain to separate the shaft from the wheat and become productive in thoughts and deeds. Today is as good as any to start . . . a brand new day and it is all yours. Hugs. to all.

WOW ! !

This is Donna, my friend's daughter, who was visiting her mother and they bundled up on a January day and went down to Sporthaven beach and walked along in the company of the Pelicans. All you need is a tiny tidbit and they become your friends for life. We have been having rumors that the Pelicans are a dying breed and that is bad and very sad news as they are truly beautiful creatures.

A blue eyed charmer

I am not sure when the Pelicans plan their trip to our beaches but it is always a wonderful sight to see when they fly in formation and put on a show that is a sight to see. A distinctive bird with its long beak and golden head. True blue eyes and so graceful in flight but have one of the most awkward landings I've ever seen. The expectation is that they will glide in but the truth is they plop like a hard landing of an airplane. Oh to understand the dynamics of flying. I am thankful to Marge for sharing the beautiful pictures of the Pelicans and am a bit green with envy that I wasn't there to join in the fun.

Dragons in the sand, old St. George slaying the dragon, quite a piece of art.
I am still trying to find some information on the Oregon beach that holds the annual event of the sand castles and other beautiful creations. It would be something to be able to walk along and see each one and see how they are created.

I wonder how the photographer was able to take this picture. According to the write-up it was taken by a rig manager of Global Marine Drilling at St.John, Newfoundland. It went on to say that they use tow ships to divert the berg away from the rig. It ended by saying that it is no wonder the Titanic didn't survive. Well from up above it looks like a mountain of ice and snow and harmless but it just goes to show we never know what is underneath waiting to surprise us. The icy blue of the picture makes me feel cold. It looks a little like a piece of crystal I have, only the crystal is clear and it warms in my hands. I am afraid we would have frost bite if we had a piece of this berg in our hands.

So today, another Monday, another first of the week wondering what is in store for us. Hopefully, as this is the first day of summer, it means a change in the weather pattern to warmth and sunshine. I don't know about you, but I can use a little heat from the sun. I got my summer chairs washed so now all I have to do is go out on the porch and bake a little of the winter dole drums out of my system . . . if the fog lifts . . . go out, no matter what the weather and enjoy the day for it is what YOU make it. Hugs to all.

Father's Day

I hope you are celebrating Father's Day whether he be a king or a clown, or something in between . . .

There is a day set aside/to honor dad, it's true/he earns a weekly wage/to keep his family/warm and safe/and buy the groceries too.

Sometimes he hardly knows/what is right or wrong/but does his best/to be right there for you.

Other dad's who renege/ have no time for you/ wrapped up in their fears/and don't know what to do.

They stay away/and pretend their happiness is well/ but in their hearts/ they know they're wrong/and wish they could break the spell/

so on this day/his special day/ each child must really think/ about the man/ who has spent his life/ making life so good or bad/ and take the time to pray for him/ so he can find his way/ to be the very best dad/ today and every day.

If you are old, like me, your dad has been gone on to his just reward for many, many years but not out of your mind and heart. For my first sixteen years there was a tall, slender man bent with age, gnarled fingers of a man who works the soil ,and that he did, with love and devotion that brought a sixty-by one hundred city lot into a show piece of the neighborhood. A man the neighbors set their clock by as he walked to work every morning at five a.m., and if they were lucky to be invited inside his home he would wind his clock at nine p.m. and tell you the hours before midnight were the best of all. His sea blue eyes sparkled with love and kindness and his promise to take me to Sweden to meet his family on my sixteenth birthday proved to be only a dream as his time had come much too soon leaving me with a heart filled with memories that have never lost their luster. Happy Father's Day Pa.

So today, I hope you have your father to hug, to love, to wish a bright and beautiful day, hopefully with you in tow bringing him love and hugs no matter what . . . it is just a great day to celebrate. Go . . . don't waste time, and if you cannot 'be there' for heavens sake call and say the words . . . I Love You . . . they cannot hurt and sometimes they can only heal. If he is untouchable, unreachable then know that a candle will brighten your day and appease a sorry soul that needs a blessing in his life . . . make it you. Nobody is perfect . . . well, let me clarify that . . . except ME!!!! Hugs to all.

Saturday Morning, la, la, la . . .

AAH, the luxury of a Saturday morning. It is a cold one here this morning for the nineteeth of June, summer is very slow to come this year.

I baby-sat Emma yesterday after her operation . . . no puppies for Emma. She was calm, cool and collected, not in the mood to run around. I'd say she was a bit on the woozy side but that was fine as she lay out in the warmth of the sun and recuperated. She made an attempt to bring me one of her play toys to play tug-of=war, but that only lasted a minute and she plopped down and went back to sleep. It was a nice change to sit in Pat's yard on the new plastic chairs, a bit low for this old body, but, I did manage to get out of one all by myself. An 'aha' accomplishment for the day. Those raspberry donuts she left for me along with a pot of hot coffee were put to good use and I had a chance to do some magazine reading for a change. 'Sunset' had some great recipes which I thought might be fun to try . . . that is in my mind . . . no way am I going out and buy all the fancy ingredients to make one up, although they really did sound delicious. As it was, I came home and made myself a nice juicy hamburger complete with onion, tomato and a nice piece of dill pickle . . . food for the Gods! and the leftover patty came in handy for my dinner along with a nice bowl of mixed vegetables. So with all my talk about food, I am hungry this morning and my thoughts stray to Blueberry pancakes, after all it is Saturday morning and a good morning to have something extra special. Cereal is great, so is a bowl of hot oatmeal made thick and topped of with brown sugar and raisins; even bacon and eggs or a hot sausage or two with some marmalade on toast . . . yep, it all sounds like it is time to leave you and go and fix something special and celebrate Saturday morning. . . . just think what I can do with Sunday morning . . . tune in and I'll tell you.

So today, sit back, relax, make this Saturday your best one ever. Go and have a nutritious breakfast filled with your most favorite foods. The experts are back to saying coffee and tea are good for the heart . . . well, we already knew that. Don't forget to read the paper and find out what is going on in our world. Hugs to all.