ONE GIANT STEP...FOR US

Technology is not one of our strong points, in fact, we struggle with all the technical devices now available.  Our cell phones came over on the Mayflower and when I dropped mine on the pavement the back cracked into about four pieces.  I thought I was going to have to duct tape the battery into my phone while I glued the back together.  I finally got the back secured, but I could not hear anyone that called me.  So, we decided to make the big...huge plunge.

We bought smartphones.  We've gone from these old phones:

To these new smart phones that know a lot more than we know.  Our old phones were so ancient they could not transfer any of our contacts.  It took me two days to input all of our contacts.  I can assure you I am an expert on putting those names and numbers in our phones. 

Then...Hubby's phone had a major defect, so it had to be returned.  I was so excited they could transfer those 234 contact my husband had in his defective phone.  When we realized the transfer scrambled the names and all of them were listed with first names in alphabetical order, I was so upset.  Another half day later, that problem was corrected.  Through that process, I discovered if you enter names as organizations they will not be altered if and when they are transferred to another phone.

It seems like we learn something new about our phones each day.  Do you know how to swipetype?  We didn't either, but one of our friends taught us how to do that.  When you text?  Put your finger on the first letter of the word, do NOT lift your finger, and swipe your finger over all the letters in the word.  When you do this it leaves a little white trail and a choice of words your phone thinks you are swiping.  It is so much easier than the pecking method of texting.

I love, love, love all the handy gadgets like the calendar and the calculator.  However, I still keep my paper calendar because I don't trust electronics.  Sorry all you techy types.  One of my dear friends had some type of technical failure with her iphone calendar and lost all the information on her calendar.  I'm just not going to chance that.

The tractor project continues to progress.  When the tractor was purchased my husband didn't realize it needed a hitch before any type of attachments could be used with the tractor.  He finally found a hitch and a friend helped him get it on the tractor...and it works!

     Interesting photograph, right?  I just know that hitch works, because the friend that helped with the installation brought his finishing mower over and they hitched it up and the mower worked.

Now, a tiller has been ordered.  I'm really nervous about our front yard.  However, I will gladly embrace the tilling of our side and back yard.  Because...

We had to have new field drain lines installed.  Red Georgia clay has a entirely new meaning to us.  Our entire side and back yard is a mess.  We are waiting on the ground to warm up so we can put down sod and expect it to live.  So, the tiller will work well, but I don't have a clue who is going to landscape the dirt to direct the water the way we want it to drain.  I am sick of looking at all that red dirt!

I'm glad to finally have some warm weather.  Now I'm ready to go fishing.

FAKE PECAN PIE

This is an easy recipe and really delicious.  They taste like mini pecan pie pieces.  I don't have a clue what you call them, maybe I just named my recipe.

FAKE PECAN PIE

Cover cookie sheet with Graham crackers (leave the crackers whole).  Pour mixture over the crackers and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Mixture:  1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
                2 sticks butter
                1 cup chopped pecans

Melt butter and add sugar, cook until mixture is syrupy.  Pour over crackers, then sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Note to self:  Do NOT use dark cookie sheet they will stick!

Allow to cool completely.  Break into small pieces along dotted lines on the crackers.  Store in air tight container. 

A GREAT RECIPE

CRANBERRY-ORANGE SALAD

1-9 oz. (1 cup) crushed pineapple

1-3 oz. package cherry gelatin

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup hot water

1 Tbl. lemon juice

1 cup ground fresh cranberries (grind before measuring)

1 cup chopped celery

1 small orange (peel included, but remove seeds, then grind)

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

Drain pineapple (save syrup/juice).  Add enough water to syrup to make 1/2 cup liquid.  Dissolve gelatin and sugar in hot water.  Add reserve syrup and lemon juice.  Chill until partially set.  Then add crushed pineapple, chopped celery, ground cranberries, ground orange and pecans.  Mix well.  Pour into 5 cup ring mold.  Chill overnight.  Makes 8 to 10 servings.

   

END OF AN ERA

In 1991 we had a vehicle that I hated.  It had quit on me/us four times, the last time being on my way to work in a frog strangler of a rain storm.  When I finally arrived to work I called my husband in tears and told him he could come and get the unnamed, European make of vehicle and I didn't care what he did with said car, he could drive it over a cliff, I didn't care and I wasn't going to drive it because it was unreliable and cost an arm and a leg to repair anything on said vehicle.  So the quest for another vehicle began.  I decided I wanted a mini van, which was at the opposite end of the spectrum from what I had been driving.

We had a friend that was a broker for high line vehicles, so he helped us dump hated car and find the right mini van.  We had a specific color and interior we wanted and a list of options we were looking for on the new ride.  Bingo.  Scott called, he had found the perfect mini van.  A 1991 Dodge Caravan LE, gold with gold interior and all the options we had requested.  He purchased the vehicle for us and put it on a flat bed truck and drove it from Lawrenceville to East Point, where my office was located.  I was so excited.

When Scott arrived with the new mini van my entire office followed me to the parking lot to see this new ride.  It was really pretty, all sporty, two toned, the top part was gold and the bottom was a dark taupe with a tiny horizontal red strip down the side with lots of bells and whistles that we had never had on a vehicle.  As soon as I opened the door I was sick.  It had red and taupe stripes on the seats!  I didn't want seats with stripes, I wanted the light gold interior.  Scott was sick, because he has purchased the vehicle.  Wouldn't you know it, my husband was out of town and here I am trying to make a life decision without him.  We only buy vehicles about every 15 years or so and this was a major decision.  One of my dear friends, Robin, said the stripes would hide all the dirt on the seats.  She had two little boys and was thinking practical.  I was thinking, "I don't want those stripes."  I finally made a management decision for our household and decided we would keep the minivan in spite of the stripes on the seats.  Robin also suggested we couldn't see the strips with our back side on the seats.  She was right.  When we took possession of the van it has 18 miles on the odometer.

End of an era.

Last week, after 22 years and 255,614 miles, we parted with our Lowe's mobile, lovingly called "Ole Faithful".  We had a log book that we had recorded all the gasoline, maintenance and lots of repairs the entire time we owner it.   I had made a list of "known" deficiencies with the number one item being the gas gauge was broken, so you had to fill her up every 200 miles.  The reason I called it our Lowe's mobile?  I didn't want to drive it any further that Lowe's, which is only 1.3 miles from our home and I certainly didn't want to drive it further than town, which only four miles.

It was a bitter/sweet sight as the truck hauled our van away ending an era.  Actually my husband was greatly relieved, as soon as we fixed one problem another one would pop up, so he wasn't as sad as I was to see it leave.  Now I have to figure out how to deal with another deficiency...oil on the driveway.  A lot of oil.  Any suggestions? 

THE PURPLE HEART

The Purple Heart is awarded to soldiers that are wounded in combat.  My dad was in World War II and was wounded twice.  I have all of his metals, except for the Purple Heart with an Oakleaf Cluster.  I found a copy of the orders that awarded him the second Purple Heart.  I sent a copy off to the Veterans Administration months ago and recently the metal arrived in the mail.  It is beautiful.  My husband is going to build a shadow box for all his metals and a flag awarded by the VA in his honor.

This will be displayed with the first Purple Heart he received, along with his Combat Infantry Badge, his unit insignia and the other metals.  I have to find out the order in which they would have been placed on his uniform and I need to have some one fold the flag properly in to a triangle for the box. 

CHICKEN MARINADE

1 stick butter
1 finely chopped onion
1 cup soy sauce (can use lite soy sauce)
4-5 good dashes worchestershire
juice of 1 lemon
2 T fresh parsley cut up
2 tsp. garlic powder
pepper to taste

Saute onions in butter.  Add remaining ingredients.  Allow to cool down.  Marinate chicken at least 1/2 day or longer.  Turn the chicken occasionally while marinating.  Grill chicken.  Baste the chicken with the marinade the last ten minutes it is on the grill.

Enjoy!

VIDALIA ONION CASSEROLE

5-7 large onions sliced
Butter
Grated Parmesan cheese
Crushed Ritz cracker crumbs 

Separate the sliced onions into individual rings.
In a skillet melt enough butter to saute the onion rings. 
In a large casserole dish place a layer of the sauted onions. 
Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese.
Top with crushed Ritz crackers.
Repeat the onion, cheese and cracker layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.