Sigrid Swims

Sigrid had just finished her leg of a relay and she and her coach, Ms. Danya, are cheering.  Sigrid ended up doing really well in the meet.  This Friday, we will probably have another one!

Sunday

Larry and Laura went to Erin's to pick up Ingrid.  Sigrid spent the day with me.  I called her Erin twice and I don't know why I would call her Erin.

I told her that I might be getting alzheimers and would end up in the nursing home.  She said she would see to it that I was not put in the nursing home...now Helen, that is a great grand girl!  She took this picture of the woodpecker.  We picked the texas navy beans, shelled them, sold a pup, went to church, took pictures of the new litter of puppies.  We had a busy day and she is a lot of help!

Happy Birthday, Gilbert

Happy Birthday, Gilbert!

Sigrid Swims Ingrid Visits with Relatives

 Ingrid went home with Erin and today they went to the Titanic I guess.  I am so dumb about all this stuff that I have no idea what they did...but I love the picture!

Sigrid had her first swim meet.  She was in 5 races and got 4 blue ribbons.  Go Siggie.  Pop has to pay her 20 bucks as he told her if she got 3 ribbons he would pay her.  She was really tired when it finished as it was a lot of swimming!

In

Master Gardner

 Sigrid's Hibucus is so pretty.  She is master gardner.  Saw this picture on Helen's blog and it bought back sweet memories.

Yesterday

 We got .8 of an inch of rain yesterday.

Kristina ~/~ Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Kristina.  I think she is 37 today, but could be wrong.  She has always thought her most important job was being a Mom.  She looks like Helen with her Dad's coloring.  Missy looks like her Dad with her Mom's coloring.  I hope Kristina has a good day with her dear family.

Living Large

Or cool drink for a dry land!

Laura And Her Girls

 Laura and her girls from their summer vacation!  Time flies as it seems only a short time that Laura and Erin were this age.  I enjoyed seeing the new photos on Laura's Blog!

Shoes

Sometimes I forget how poor we were because we were happy poor really.  I guess if you were unhappy poor you would remember more sad things about your childhood.  As Astrid and Laura and I were going to the trail to walk yesterday, I stared out the window and thought about growing up and our shoes.  I told the girls, "when we were growing up we very seldom had more than one pair of shoes".  Now kids often have 10 pair at the least.  Our shoes were for everyday and Sunday.  Jeans and dress--same shoes!  We often had a little pair of canvas shoes like the ones here.  Ours were surely not Keds, just like them.  I have a huge bunion on my right foot.  My shoes would tear across that spot in about 2 weeks.  So I had shoes with a hole in them.  Fleta has that bunion too.  We got them from Grandmother Powell.  Fleta had hers cut out, I still own mine.

Astrid was supposed to be at Jr High yesterday at 5:30 to go to Greenwood for a basketball camp.  Laura had trouble getting her going and she missed the bus.  Laura made her call the coach.  Astrid said "my Mom will bring we to Greenwood".  Laura corrected her right there.  No, Astrid would not be going.  She did not cry and carry on.   Astrid knew she was the reason they were late.  Laura was taking me to Sams for my monthly allotment of coffee, etc.  Well, we went on our walk. Laura ran.  Astrid walked along with me. She did not complain.  She accepted her fate.  When we finished, I guess the nearly 4 mile run cleared Laura's anger.  She told Astrid that Ft. Smith had a Sam's and we could go to that one and she would take her to the camp.  Astrid would be late but would get to go.  I was so happy.  Now, I did not interfere with their agenda.  Not my place--I am just Grandmother, not mother!  But I did think "Astrid, I know your Pop would take you".  Did not voice it though.  And I knew I could not even TELL Pop she was not getting to go.  I think Larry got to do nothing growing up and maybe that is why he always wants to help his grandkids do lots of stuff.  Astrid got to camp.  I got to Sam's.  Astrid got to play some on the 9th grade team.  She missed one game.  All was well.  Astrid learned a very good lesson I think in responsibility.  Today, Larry left here at 5 A.M.  Yelp, buying another tractor.  I was out turning on my garden water a little later and I saw the Christensens heading out early.  I am sure Astrid made the bus!

When we went with a group on a school function, sometimes we had to get up as early as 4 to get to it.  We got to do a lot of stuff going to school.  Yes, we were poor, but happy poor.  Mom woke to get us up, without an alarm clock.  You could tell her, I have to get up at 3 and she could!  Now, I wonder if she woke up a 100 times to see what time it was.  Til the day she died, my Mother never owned but a couple pair of shoes.  Growing up she never had but one pair and usually they were worn completely out.   What a Mother I was lucky enough to have.  She embodied the word SACRIFICE!  We were always put before her.

Pumpkin Patch

 Pumpkins are looking good.  Today after I put the camera up I spotted pumpkins.  I water them every morning. I weeded this morning in the pole beans...still only blooms.  I guess I grassed as Fleta Aday is correct, grass is what takes over my garden.  I really have very few weeds. Pole beans below and then the pretty pumpkin blossoms!

 This is the okra.  Larry said I must have planted dwarf okra.  He buys seed and I put it in the freezer.  I have all kinds of seed.  I thought it said Clemson, but really don't know.  It is starting to bare and Larry loves okra.  Laura likes it pickled. I even like it boiled.  Sort of slimey though.

 This morning I noticed some tomatoes turning red.  I looked back on the blog (I use the blog as a record keeper) and by now I was getting buckets of tomatoes, but the rest of my garden was null.  We got no corn and the deer grazed everything else I had to the nub.  This year we have keep the deer at bay, but cotton tail rabbits have really been a problem.

Cream Corn Recipe

Tonight we had our first big skillet of Okra and I warmed up the corn.  I bought Pop Eyes chicken to go with my vegetables last night.  We had a piece of that cold tonight with our veggies.  Larry loves every vegetable. He does not care if he even has meat if I have 3 vegetable.  Last night, Sigrid ate with us--2 pieces of chicken was all.   I could not get her to try any of vegetables.

 I cooked this creamed corn last night.  We had leftovers from it tonight.
Recipe:
Cut corn off of about 20 ears of corn.  Use a sharp knife (very sharp) and cut down the corn cutting though the kernel!  Then I use a knife that is duller and scrape the cob.
Put about a quarter of a stick of real butter in the crock pot.
1 T. of sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 can of the cream I have photo of on here.
Put a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pot and then put the lid on.  This makes a tight seal.  Cook on high about 45 minutes.  You will need to stir it about every 15 minutes.
Turn the crock pot to low and cook another hour.
Boy, it is good.  Below is my fried yellow squash.  It was good too.

 I cooked these in my little crock pot.  Put butter, salt, and potatoes.  Cook on high until you can stick a fork in easily.  I put foil and then the lid for a tight seal.  You might have to add about a 1/8 cup of water.  Takes about 2 hours on high for this size potato.