New Years

Happy New Year. I hope you have a joyful time celebrating and be safe.

 

Christmas

Merry Christmas  everyone!!!

 

Snowmen

My sister in law showed up last night with something she had made me. I thought I would share it with you.

 

Puzzles

My husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday this year. I told him I wanted to try a 4000 piece jigsaw puzzle. So I got online and came up with one. It was sent to the house and I have had so much fun with it. My goal is to increase the piece size and see how big I will get before getting to the point I want to pull my hair out. Ha! I am about halfway through this 4000 piece puzzle now. It has been about 3 weeks now but I must tell you I don't work on it continuously. In the future I will post a picture here of the finished product.

 

Thanksgiving

                          Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!
The stores were packed this year with people getting their turkeys. I have found out the turkeys are a lot cheaper down south than in this area. And I am talking A LOT! There are so many folks out of work here and the food prices are soaring all the time. I just don't understand it.

Posting

It seems my blog is not supported by Microsoft Edge so I can no longer add photos for everyone to see. This makes me sad.
It also seems strange to me because when it comes to computers usually they want to update everything. I hope some day they think to do it for this site.

Sisters

Sisters
I don't know about you but I have four sisters and two brothers. The two oldest sisters are a year and a day apart. This year when 1 turned 65 the other one turned 64 exactly a year and a day apart. They are in two different time zones so when the younger of the two turned 64 it was still the other ones birthday as well and they could tell each other Happy Birthday! I wonder how many other people can say that?
I love them both very much and wish them all the best.

My daughter

Jessica Marie O'Brian

Today would have been my daughters 27th birthday. It is always hard when this day rolls around. We missed out on so much. I would have loved to have seen what she would be like today.
Hug your kids everyone. Life is so short

Transitions

 

 My husband travels for work and we are now living in an apartment away from home. (The hotel living go way too expensive) We don't dare close our place back home because you never know how long the job will last.

 

Trying to equip both places to live in is quite a chore. We come back home when we can so we can tend to a few things from time to time. On those occasions I can do laundry at home and sleep in our own bed which is really nice. The weekends we do get to do this are very short. I spend most of my time unpacking, washing and repacking. It so happens this is the Memorial Day weekend. I have been sick for over a week so this back and forth does not make things very pleasant to say the least. He does get to see his remaining family though for the holiday. (Mine is 2000 miles away).

 

Do any of you travel out there for work also?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Death

Death

The only reason I speak of this at this time is because my mother-in-law passed away recently. She fought a long hard batlle and lived ten years longer than was expected.

My husband's family has really had it hard this year with a sister passing within five months of their mother.

They both will be missed a great deal.

Looking over the Challenge

Looking back after the A to Z Challenge

This was my first year doing this A to Z Challenge. My oldest sister has participated in it for four years now and she had been trying to get me to do it too. Finally this year I broke down and said "Alright, I'll do it".

Never did I realize what fun it would be. Some of the letters stumped me "Q,U,V,X and Z". I would lay awake at night in bed and wonder what I would do for those letters. Ha!

I also want to say I met some nice people while doing this challenge as well. I have their blogs marked so I can stop in from time to time.

Congratulations to everyone that made it!

The Letter "Z" Zucchini

 

 

Zucchini is such a good vegetable for you and is so delicious besides. I mix zucchini and summer squash together and steam them. In the fall I shred zucchini to put in the freezer to make bread at Christmas time. You can also use it in soups, casseroles, muffins, noodles, lasagna and you can even make zucchini chips.

The Letter "Y" Yacht

 

 

My home is located in a tourist area. It is located off of the St. Lawrence River. There are a few millionaires that live there.  It is a great spot for retirees. In the summer you can see the beautiful yachts that come out for the season. Incidentally Canada is across the water.

The Letter "X" Xylophone

 

At one point as we were growing up I remember one of us kids having an xylophone as a toy. It would make different sounds each color that you hit with the sticks that came with it. "Mary had a little Lamb" was a favorite.
There are many bands today that have them for professional use.

The Letter "W" Wagon

 

We had one of these Flyer red wagons when we were growing up. I remember a time when my oldest brother was living at my grandmothers house. He was treated so good that I wanted to be treated the same way so I went to stay there as well. Ted got everything and I was on the back burner. I remember getting mad about it so I just took my stuff and put it in the little red wagon and walked it down the road to home. I was about 5 at this time.

The Letter "V" Vase

 

 

Vases come in a variety of sizes, colors and sizes. My mother in law has more vases than anyone that I know. One of my favorite ones of hers is the cup and saucer. Many years ago I was given a dozen roses in a beautiful tall green vase from a friend. I still have that one plus all the vases from the flowers that were sent when I lost my daughter.

The Letter "U" Umbrella

 

There are so many different colors of umbrellas out there today. They do come in handy except for on a windy day. I had often heard about umbrellas turning inside out but had never experienced it myself until a couple years ago. The rain was pouring down and the harder it came down the stronger the wind became. I used to walk a lot during the summer months. By the time I got home after that walk I was drenched from head to toe. The umbrella was a total loss.

The Letter "T" Train

 

 

My Grandmother, God bless her, had a very hard life in many ways. I remember her generosity to help others. The train tracks were across the highway from her house and we were across the pasture from her. Every now and then (my grandmother called them hobo's) someone would show up at her door for a hand out. She would always have them wait outside while she fixed them a nice thick sandwich. She never refused them and always answered her door. The men would eat and then be on their way.

The Letter "S" Swiss Steak

 

 

Swiss Steak

2 lbs. meat (slice into strips or use hamburger patties)
1/2 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
4 oz. can mushrooms (don't drain)
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 cup canned milk (evaporated)
1/2 cup water
a heaping tbsp. of flour
2 bay leaves (optional)

If using strips, brown meat in flour and set aside
Sauté pepper and onion
Add rest of ingredients except for flour and juice from mushrooms
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer  20 minutes.
Add thickening of leftover flour and juice from the mushrooms and simmer another 20 minutes.

The Letter "R" Rice Pilaf

 

 

Rice Pilaf

1/2 stick butter
1 cup orzo pasta
(2) 14oz. can chicken broth
1 cup long grain rice
1/2 tsp. pepper
chopped onion and celery

1) In large skillet melt butter. Add chopped celery and onion until softened then add the orzo and cook until golden. Stirring frequently.
2)Add remaining ingredients, mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer. 30- 35 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Fluff with fork and serve.

The Letter "Q" Quarter

 

 

 

Everyone has quarters in their possession. What about the state quarters that are collectible? I collected them from the Denver mint (southern) and the Philadelphia mint.(northern). It took me a very long time to gather them from both sides. I hope some day they will be worth something.

The Letter "P" Purple

 

When I was somewhere around the age of 10 the news broadcasted a man that was in the are not too far from where we lived that was going around killing anyone that wore purple. There are so many shades of the color purple and for a while after that broadcast you didn't see anyone wearing it. That is until he was caught. That was one of those times when something like that was very impressionable on a child.

The Letter "O" Orange Bag

 

 

  We lived on a share croppers cotton farm. Anyone that has chopped or picked it knows what hard work that is. I was too small to use the Croker sacks the adults used to drag down the cotton rows to pick the cotton. Daddy would get big bags of oranges from time to time and that is what I used to pick cotton in. I would sit down on my grandmothers Croker sack and she would drag me along isle after isle picking cotton. She would pick up high and I would pick the ones down low. I was no more than five years old at the time. I was so proud of myself when I got the bag so full you couldn't put any more into it, that is until I saw their bags full.

 

The Letter "N" NIHI Soda

 

 

Things sure do change over the years. I remember after being out in the cotton filed there were some days when Daddy would take us down the road to the little store in the back of his truck. He would get us all a NIHI soda to drink. The only thing is we had to have it gone by the time we got back to the house or else Mama would be mad because we wouldn't want to eat supper. If I remember right there were orange and grape flavors back then. Sometimes we could get the BIG RED soda instead too.

 

The letter "M" Measles

 

 

Don't ask me how I ended up with the German Measles out of all seven of us kids. Any child likes ice cream but to this day I can only stomach so much of sherbet. I had a fever topping out at 106 degrees. Mama and Daddy fed me a lot of sherbet trying to get my fever down, between that and the alcohol baths. I remember the blankets hung over the windows to keep the light out. I also remember when one of the siblings accidentally moved the blanket and the light was very piercing. My parents used a flashlight to check on me and bring me the sherbet. We were told how lucky I was after the fever broke to not have any damage that the fever could have caused. That is one image in my mind I will never forget.

 

 

 

The Letter "L" Livestock

 

 

 

When I was little I never knew how many different kinds of livestock are out there. When my siblings and I were kids out on the farm all we had was beef cows and brahma bulls around us with the exception of two milk cows my grandmother gave names to. She would be the one to go out each morning and milk them before she started her chores for the day.  All she had to do was call them by name (Boody and Kitty-Bear) and they would come to her. I also remember my two oldest sisters being chased by a bull through the corn crop. When I got older I found out milk cows are called "Dairy" cows and the beef cows are "Hereford's " or  "Angus".

 

 

 

The Letter "K" Kite

 

 

 

There are so many shapes and sizes these days for kids. For example you can emulate flying insects, birds or other beasts. On large displays the kite tails can be up to 50 feet or longer. Your mind can go wild with the colors that you choose. It is also to have a nice windy day to fly it. Beware of trees and low lying wires so you don't get tangled up in them. Kites can also be used in power activities such as kite surfing, kite land boarding, kite fishing, kite buggying and snow kiting where you have multiple lines.

 

The Letter "J" Jacks and Ball

 

 

 

Do you remember the little ball and jack sets you could purchase at the five and dime store? I remember my grandmother giving me my first set of jacks of my very own. They were in a little blue plastic bag with an airline name plastered on the front of it. I still have that little bag, the ball and jacks long gone. Later a friend of the family gave me a brown leather pouch with big plastic neon jacks inside with a ball. I still have that pouch and a couple of the jacks.

We sure had fun playing with those jacks at home, each one taking their turn. I guess this stuff would be considered an antique today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Letter "I" Indian

 

 

 

 

 

There are numerous Indian Reservations throughout the United States. We have a reservation not too far from our own home. It is the Akwesasne nation. There are many clans among them. They sell tax free gasoline and cigarettes to native and non native customers. They also have high stakes bingo and a casino. I remember years back there were nightly gun battles over non natives coming on the reservation. The relations between the elected and traditional councils are strained by their differences; the influx of fast cash and a materialistic lifestyle brought on by the new economy only heightens the differences.

 

 

The Letter "H" Hay Meadow

 

 

 

When we were growing up Daddy always set aside a corner of one side of the pastures where the grass would grow really high by the time Easter rolled around. Of course by then it was all brown from the winter. We called this the "hay meadow". Daddy would load all of us up in the station wagon to take us to hunt Easter eggs. He must have gotten up mighty early to hide all those bright colored candy eggs. Where he got the money to buy them is beyond me. We were not well to do by any means. And then there was Mama. She would stand there and watch us color the boiled eggs for Easter as well. Some years it would rain on Easter and we weren't able to go to the hay meadow so the eggs would be hidden in the house in a certain area.

 

 

 

The Letter "G"

The letter "G" in the alphabet is used in many words from the two letter word "go" to the 21 letter word "gastroenterologically".

It is the seventh letter of the alphabet and is also a musical note or in the fifth tone of a C-major scale. There are also words used with the letter "g" in hyphens such a G-string or Good-bye.

How about God's own words in the Bible? Or the book of Genesis? Or even names such as Gertrude or Gerald? How about flowers? Geraniums or even Golden Rod? Or even in animals such as the Giraffe or the Gazelle? There is also food such as Grapes or Gravy.

The letter "G" is very much used in the English Language.

 

 

 

 

The Letter "F" Flowers

 

 

 

I wish that I could plant flowers in the spring like most people do. They come in such beautiful colors and varieties. It certainly brightens up a yard and are pretty versatile into what you plant them in. Then there are annuals and perennials. I guess you could say one of the most favorite flowers of all time is the rose.  It wasn’t until recent years I found out there were dwarf roses.

I have allergies so am not able to enjoy them but from a distance. My husband sure gets lucky on that

 score never having to buy me flowers. Ha!

The Letter "E" Earrings

 

 

 

There are nine places to pierce an ear. The most common being the ear lobe. Earrings range in a wide variety and sizes.

I remember when I got my ears pierced the first time. My oldest sister is very adventurous. I actually sat and let her pierce my ears at home with ice, a needle and a spool of thread to help push the needle through. First I remember my ear going numb from holding the ice on it so long. It actually didn't hurt much when the needle did go through. She never had trouble having hers done that way but later I had mine pierced several times and each time they would close. I must point out here I am allergic to metal.

My oldest sister made earrings for a time as well too. I remember loving to wear those earrings because no one else had anything like them. To this day I still have a couple pair that she made all those years ago.

 

The Letter "D" Dog

 

This is a picture of my pure bread Cocker Spaniel not long after I brought him home. They are said to be hyper but mine isn't. He is very possessive though. My Andy Rooney is just a big baby. I named him after the late Andy Rooney because he had such bushy eyebrows when we first brought him home. I consider my big boy as a gift from God.

From the Guinness book of world records of 1989 the greatest weight ever recorded for a dog was an English Mastiff  weighing 343 pounds. The dog stood 35 inches at the shoulder and was 8.25 feet from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail. You could say he was the size of a small donkey.

It is estimated there are between 700 million and one billion domestic dogs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

.