This is our honey place

Mom and I buy honey from a place in Osteen, Florida which sells Gallberry Honey which is suppose to be good for allergies. We make the trip when the jars we have run dry. We made it in the morning to avoid the afternoon storms. I thought the trip was fun.

Sharing a calm evening

I went to the ocean this evening to take some pictures. I had a shot with my mom in the middle when the batteries fall out into the cold wet salty sand. I pick them up and they are a bit sandy. I brushed them off and mom kind of brushed them off. Hopefully, they should be OK and I should get some more nice pictures. The evening was so nice. However, there was only a small breeze. I think a breeze makes a major difference on how much I enjoy the beach. If the breeze is blowing good, the bugs usually stay away and I can reflect on the day or any issue which would pop up in my head. The water is cool and I like looking at other people on the beach. This is a view of a sunset from the end of my street. I am glad to have access to the walkway just down the road. The Condo is also looking more interesting with each new feature added. I notice an outdoor stair case leading on the side of the building.

Wednesday, before the afternoon rain

I was remembering back when I lived in the Suburbs of Orlando, Florida in a place called Pine Hills. I was remembering the picture of my dad stretched out in my baby pool. This after I was remembering the mid-size pool my parents bought me for my backyard. It was a piece together liner pool. The liner had to be unfolded on the ground in the backyard. The frame of the pool had to be assembled. The liner had to be stretched out inside the frame. The ends of the liner placed inside the snap on part of the frame. The liner should be without any puncture marks or holes. We would test it by filling the pool with water from our garden hose. It usually held real good and I had hours of swimming in a pool.

This would be great entertainment for the local kids in the neighborhood. I would have pool parties. I also think on more than one occasion the pool was also filled with Mr. Bubble. Having Mr. Bubble in the pool added extra fun, because we got to swim through the soapy suds and that was a fun challenge. I was very popular with the kids in the neighborhood.

The downside of the pool was cleaning out the liner when it would turn green. The water would have to be drained out of the pool and lots of times the liner would have to be taken out, bleached and placed back in again so everything in the pool would look smooth. It was hard work and draining the water out was sloppy and wet. However, the task got done and the pool was restored to a superb condition.

When the pool finally did wear out. The pool was torn down and there would be a bare ring of dirt where the pool had covered for a length of time. It took a while for the grass to grow back. However, I had several pools some with ladder assemblies and some even with a water pump.

My best friend Karen, at the time moved off my street and I got to spend the night over her new house where she had a build in pool. She was the expert swimmer and she took to her pool like a duck to water. She was most popular until she moved away.

I now have an ocean down the road. I heard sharks kind of live there. I also go visit my sister who has a build in swimming pool. I would occasionally swim there in the shallow end. Swimming wasn't something I did often enough. I was an expert at dog paddling. My mom doesn't swim at all, because she had a bad experience as a youngster. However, her brother which is also my Uncle Perry use to be a lifeguard in Indiana. He would tell me a few stories about swimming in the lake in Indiana trying to impress his wife Vera. My Aunt Vera was always the pinnacle of greatness in my Uncle Perry's view. She was the prettiest, the smartest and nothing she did could ever be wrong. Thinking about it, my dad shared the same view about my mom. I guess this is what you would call an ideal marriage.

Starting a new day

The storm last night gave a few rain pounding performances, but did not put on much of a lighting show with dark clouds. I guess I would consider us fortunate to slip away so easily from the terrible weather. This is a picture of the Beach Patrol running down the beach telling people the beach is closing. It is time to pack up and move the cars off the beach.

My ex-brother in law could make a pretty good lasagna with Italian sausage and layers of noodles, cheese and tomato sauce. He made a lot of lasagna which my mom,dad and I would freeze to eat at a later time. My ex-brother in law also liked cooking cabbage rolls which my mom,dad and I grew tired of very quickly. He made a lot which we froze some. We tossed them out in the garbage when we could get away with it. The taste turned to repulse, because too much of it was made. We just couldn't consume another cabbage roll.

The 25 dollar cake was another creation my ex-brother in law made which had two pounds of sugars. It tasted good, because it was super sweet. He also left us the cooking pans for us to clean. He would just cook and leave. He would not clean the pans after he cooked with them. I have never made a 25 dollar cake. I did attempt to cook with some healthy flour which turned out just awful. Most of the time, I can only stick with the recipe and make something decent to eat. There are a few rare occasions which I can get away from cooking by recipe and it turn out to taste OK.

Corn Memories

I remember the first year the Zellwood Corn Festival was held which was at a church on a hill that led to a lake. My memory was kind of faded after we got the corn with the dinner. However, I believe this was the year and one time appearance of the streaker who made a beeline for the lake. I don't know what inspired him to attempt such a feat. I only know is I barely saw him run by me. I don't know if he was ever caught or anyone gave him a lecture for attempting such a stunt. The second year the Zellwood Corn Festival was held at the same place, but a terrible thunderstorm happened while we were attempting to eat our sweet corn and dinner. When I mentioned the word we, I was thinking of my mom, dad and I supporting something new and pretty good eating. Later, the Zellwood Corn festival turned into a bigger production and was held at an open field with tents and big acts like Exile who sang " I want to kiss you all over." This song was a big hit back in the 1980's. The few times I remember going, there were long lines to get the dinner meal and the corn was cooking in big boiler pots. I don't attend The Zellwood Corn festival anymore. I do see it advertise in the late part of May. The weather is way to hot. Plus, I don't care to be around big crowds of people in hot weather. Plus, I don't care for parking with lots of cars and finding your car when it is time to leave. Plus, waiting in line just to get out of the parking lot. Mom and I would settle for buying a few ears of corn from Publix or Winn Dixie and dining at home in the cool air conditioner. The corn may not be as good as the Zellwood corn, but it is easy to fix and enjoy . The best corn I can remember is Indiana corn. Reason being, the corn has a lot of juices in each kernel. The white corn is very tender and the melted butter on the corn makes for the perfect topping on a scrumptious vegtable. Usually, I didn't stop at one ear. I would have several ears and cut the kernels off the cob, because I didn't want the kernels getting stuck in between my teeth. Indiana corn came with open farm type weather. It would still be warm, but there would be certain parts of the day where a coolness would prevail in the air. There would also be an openness and not a big city confinement. My one regret coming back to Florida in Southern Indiana was not taking a picture of an ATM machine in the middle of a corn field. This to me was a perfect symbol of Indiana combining the old with the new. I also didn't think there would be anyplace else like this in the United States.

More Cars to drive

Another car which I was privileged to drive as a car for Junior College was the Chevrolet Chevelle. It was deemed my car, after mom got another car for her car travels. The Chevrolet Chevelle was nicked named " Heavy Chevy." The engine was a V-8 and the windows were rolled down. The air conditioning was good when it worked. There were times when the ac did not work and I would sweat through the back of my shirt. There was this guy whom I took the same music appreciation class with, who drove a dark blue Trans Am with a tee top roof which I was thoroughly impressed with the speed and power of the car. We would kind of leave the College around the same time and I could see him build up the speed in his Trans Am as he ascended on to the 408 which at the I was attending college was called The East-West Expressway. It took me a lot longer to get the Chevy up to an acceptable speed. However, it did have the heavy body which I knew would be durable.

Eventually, we did get rid of the Chevrolet Chevelle. I forget if this is the car I totalled with my one accident on Kirkman or the car was just sold. I did get to ride in the Trans Am and it wasn't a smooth ride. The outside as Paris Hilton would say "IT'S HOT." The inside was a stick shift car and the driver made the gear changes where you could feel every time the gear was changed. It wasn't smooth at all. It proves the saying "looks are deceptive." The guy sold his Trans Am and moved on to a Ford Bronco to carry his boat. He also got a two seat er BMW convertible. Both disappeared for a Hummer. Plus, he got married and lost his individual free spirit. He turned into a honey do husband.

Now the only super hot rich looking race cars I see are what I buy on a calendar from Border's book store. I get 12 pictures for each month of the year. I guess it is ok to do window shopping. I can also watch the rich celebrities on TV drive the rich cars. I am now enjoying my Chevrolet truck which has a CD player and air conditioning. It also runs well and is good for hauling a few things.

Horse Jumping

I enjoy a show on horse jumping sponsored by Rolex, the company which makes expensive watches. The horses were tall and I think Thoroughbreds. The colors ranged from a grey,brown and solid black. The coats were shiny and glisten in the indoor lights. The horse's strides were made with such great ease. The leaps over the jumps were done it seemed with little effort. The rider and the horse seemed to be in such union with each other.

The riders were dress in the proper English clothing including the boots, gloves and helmet. They took their job as rider with the most serious concentrated tone. The jumping event looked like a high class occasion which only the super rich would attend. I enjoyed watching how the rider controlled the way the horse approached the jump and kept the pace around the riding course. Most of the scores were perfect;except for, one who only lost four points.

Rolex ran two commercials One was a jumping horse offset by a Rolex watch. I thought it to be classy and to state Rolex is associated with horses who are favored by Royalty. The other commercial included dressage as well as jumping. Dressage is the use of fancy foot work which takes years to learn, just as a good jumper takes years to prefect their task.

I was glad the Animal Planet Channel ran the jumping event. I enjoyed not having to pay a big price, but enjoying what someone who did pay would enjoy. I see what effort goes into making a great show. I hope they put more shows out for me to enjoy, because I liked it.

What is bugging me?

What is bugging me early in the morning? Try a cockroach that greets you in the bathroom. It was show down time. I was armed only with Lysol spray and some Hawaiian perfume spray purchased from the dollar store. The more I sprayed, the more Mr. Roach tried to hide behind the toilet. It finally was climbing out along the side of the tub when I offered it some toilet paper. The roach clung on to the toilet paper and I briskly tossed it down the toilet and flushed my bug fear away. I had conquered and defeated the cockroach. The morning was safe. I could enjoy my coffee with one less bug.

Speaking about bugs, I pulled up a drooping Sunflower plant and I didn't realize there were a row of tiny ants along my feet, until I got bit by one or maybe a couple of them. I did go for the kill the ant and roach spray which I didn't have in the house. It was a fire red can which was on the porch. The spray to the rescue. Most of the ants were gone by the time I got there. I sprayed the area which I thought needed. I even sprayed a couple of holes in the ground which I didn't know if they could be snake holes or some other undesirable creature.

This morning after the adventure, I settle in with the coffee and the outside crickets. The rain storm, I expected to come did not show. I had taken the clothes off the line earlier the previous day. It always seemed to rain when I would have the clothes on the clothes line. Take the clothes down and the rain goes away. I hope you have a pleasant bug free weekend.

Pictures to take under the North Bridge

I guess this would be a perk for a Bridge Tender job. I don't believe this would be a job I would want to do, because there are too many responsibilities. Bridge Tenders are responsible for the raising and lowering of the bridge and to be sure everyone is cleared off the bridge before it could be raised. I would imagine this is especially hard during stormy weather.

I imagine what the ocean must look like during a lightening storm. I imagine the crackles of lighting hitting straight down into the ocean water. I imagine me huddled in my car refusing to step outside to get a closer look. I imagine no one else is out there, because they know how dangerous the weather can be to themselves. Looking at storms would be just to satisfy my curiosity on the dark overpowering nature and how easily the worst is over after the beginning ends it show stopping performance.

Thursday after the rain

Last night was a rainy slow down evening. The television news show were all showing the same stories. Even the storms, were in a mild rainy pattern including the Hurricane downgraded to Tropical Storm Dolly. After a hot dog dinner, I just plopped on the couch and fell asleep for awhile. I don't remember what stirred me to get up, but the rain storm at the beach was over and the dark night was settling in. It had turned so dark that the house across the street was barely visible. It was a good night for television. There was a Disney movie about a dog who saves the day for a young school boy and teaches him the true meaning of friendship. I thought the movie was a bit corny in places, but I stuck it out to the end. I had to see the boy and the dog live happily after . Remembering back to one of the cool cars, I got to drive was my sister's Green Barracuda. It did not have power steering and drove like a tank. However, it felt as sturdy as a tank. It had a radio, the seats were fairly soft and the windows were roll down by hand. The headlight controls were pretty basic and it had no frills. It was a V-8 engine and had power when you applied the gas. I was driving this car around the time the song" Barracuda" came out. I thought I was kind of cool. Glendon, my sister gave the car to my Grandfather which I could understand, but I sure missed driving the car. My Grandfather used the Barracuda to make trips to the store and to pick mom and I up from the train station. Two things that my Grandfather didn't care for were those who flashed their headlights at him when he was night driving and when someone would speed passed him just to fly down the road. When he would be flashed at by headlights from the other car, my Grandfather would flash his headlights right back at the driver who started the issue. I was small and did not understand his reasoning. I thought he should of left the issue alone." Don't bother them and they won't bother you" I thought. Plus, when a driver would speed passed him he would tell me that his house was on fire. This was my Grandfather's reasoning for the passing driver. I know the Barracuda got sold when my Grandfather could not drive anymore, but I don't know who bought the car. This is just a faded car memory.

Rainy Wednesday

It was good that mom talked me into seeing what we could salvage from the neighbor's tapes being tossed out as garbage. It was a evening of bug bites. However, I did get about six tapes and they might be viewable. This morning was filled with thunder outside my window. I could also hear a soft rain. This all might be gone around seven, when the sun rises. Last night, I could hear the trains running and tooting their horns in the distance. I guess it is easier to run freight at night. The track which runs on the other side of downtown only seems to run freight. The passenger route goes through DeLand and not up the East Coast. The photo of an instant oasis on the beach was a backdrop to a wedding staged on the beach. The setup took only ten minutes and I am sure it is gone now. This is just a faded memory.

Signs of Fall

Fall would be a welcome break in the heat we are having during the day. Here in Florida, the heat also has a humid feature which makes for unbearable conditions outside. I would hang up a load of clothes and come in with a wet tee shirt dripping in sweat. I would change my shirt and get comfortable in the air conditioning not wanting to go back outside until the sun descended in the sky. Fall has a natural tingle of coolness in the air. It is a change indicator in the heat pattern of the day.

Fall in the Florida seems to occur a lot slower than places like Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Indiana. The trees turn later, because of the heat. Sometimes, some trees don't change color at all. Florida does get a nice variety of fall wildflowers growing along the roads. Colors can range from deep purple to pretty pink. It could include some white and yellow flowers which grow freely and in great quantities. It is a rare sight to see a guy pull his car to the side of the road and get out to pick some flowers. I think I only remember seeing this happened once. I was thinking somewhere there is a lucky lady who has a guy whom appreciates real beauty.

My dad when he was working would pick wild flowers for his lady co-workers and they would just love having a fresh bouquet of flowers on their desk from my dad. My dad would also pick wild flowers for a bouquet to go with the Sunday morning breakfast he would fix us of sausage gravy and biscuits and an egg omelet.

Traveling back in time, I remember the fresh taste of wild onions from Tennessee. I loved the taste of wild onions. It was something I could eat all day long. Plus, no one would want to be around me, because I would smell like an onion. I didn't care. I was young and it was a luxury of my youth. The time the wild onions came out there was also a fall crispness in the air. The feel was strictly owned by the state, because it didn't feel exactly the same in Indiana.

Indiana, the feel was more pronounced. Tennessee there was a newness about the cooler weather. Walking down the streets of a small town in Indiana you could feel the coolness had established a time when kids would go back to school and the leaves overhead in the trees would start their turning cycle. The freshness said you could go a bit further and do a bit more than a hot confining summer.

It also made for pleasant nights when the need for air conditioning wasn't so necessary. The air from the outside was just cool enough to act like a natural air conditioning and save on a electric bill. The change of clothing was more pronounced. The shorts would be placed away and light pants would be the fashion along with a light long sleeve shirt or a short sleeve with a light jacket. The sky would be a deep blue and the rains would slack off, unless you are back in Florida.

North Carolina, I remember the coolness in the air from the fog first thing in the morning. I remember going to my Uncle's funeral with my dad traveling by car and staying overnight at a hotel along the interstate. The morning would greet us with a heavy cool fog ,which we made our way to the hotel restaurant where the hot coffee was there to greet us. Traveling there was no problem. Sharing a house full of guest was like camping out. You had to wait your turn to get into the bathroom. The coolness of the morning made early walks nice. On the way back home to Florida, my dad and I stopped by a house with a pumpkin patch outside. I took dad's picture in the middle of the pumpkin patch. We also bought a pumpkin pie to be consumed later at a State Park. The pie was sold by a preacher's wife who had a kitchen that smelled like homemade pumpkin. This pie was totally homemade.

My sister ask my mom if she has seen signs of Fall. Mom answers" not yet, but I will let you know when I do." Fall is a yearning for those who don't sit in the sun for hours and hours hoping to look like a dark brown beach body. They settle for fair skin covered with fall cothing. Fall is when school buses start up again picking up students and crossing guards are on duty for the students. Fall in Florida is when you watch the weather reports and hope the hurricane goes to Texas and you just get the leftover rain. This is what I deemed a true changing of the season.

It's Monday Where is the Coffee?

The winds of travel were with Mom and I as we took the car over to the North entrance of the beach to watch the people life and maybe see a few sea birds. There weren't any ships out on the

ocean. The waves were quite mellow. There was more action on a boogie board than on a surf board. This one young guy riding the boogie board had me laughing, because he would skim along the water and land on his backside. The boogie board seemed to slide out from underneath him and this is when he finally landed backside in the water. He didn't quit the quest to conquer the waves. He picked himself up and started the whole thing over again. Meantime, the surfers were still out in the ocean with the waves barely making a ripple. They were perched on their surf boards like pelicans waiting for the big fish they could grab for dinner. Sometimes it just doesn't happen.
The picture is of a wedding party on a Sunday night getting married in front of an Oasis backdrop set up in a ten minute frame next to the ocean. My mom said the bride was a pretty blond with a colorful bouquet and a strapless wedding dress. She also stated the groom wore a loose white Hawaiian looking shirt with loose shorts that went to his knee caps. In the picture, he is the third one from the Oasis tree scene. This would be quite different than the traditional groom wearing the traditional tuxedo.
When mom and I first arrived we walked through the viewing station where there was a viewing ledge and benches to sit on when you got tired of leaning against the ledge. Mom found herself a spot along the ledge and I came to join her. I could feel the wind blow kind of a cool breeze but not real cool. Their were a few Spanish speaking people there. I am very poorly educated in the Spanish dialect. Their words were uttered so fast it almost sounded like cavemen attempting to speak. However, there is a Universal language that every person and parent knows is the cry of a child.
This little kid I could not tell if he was a boy or she was a girl started crying. The child had a short hair cut and a earring in the ear. The youngster was being held I assumed by the father who could not speak a word of English, but you could tell had a special bond with the kid. The child could bellow out a cry like every Soprano would like to sound when trying for an audition for the Opera. The child could hit the high note and pierce every ear around with a high pitched scream. The dad with his foreign language calmed the kid down like some singing a soft lullaby. It was a happy ending for everyone around the child.
Mom and I left before sundown and came home to catch the last half of Sixty Minutes. I turned on my computer in hopes of getting some e-mail. A few people wrote, but not too many. Mom and I settled in late and I am up early on the computer with my coffee. The coffee keeps me clear headed and focused on the events of the day. I like it here at home with the quiet and the tapping of the computer keys and the train whistle way off in the distance.

Back on the soap box

Why is price gouging so accepted now? My mom was telling me yesterday about how the three dollar cereal she had bought for me had jumped to five dollars. The reason being the rise in fuel cost. The fuel cost is now four dollars or higher a gallon. Who puts the brakes on this climb? There was a story in the news about a gas station next to the Orlando airport which was charging over five dollars a gallon. One of the tourist noticed it as he was pumping gas and decided to stand outside for an hour holding a sign with the price listed and telling people there is cheaper gas down the road. The response from the gas station was as long as the price was listed on the gas pumps, than it is legal. There was no remorse from the gas station about charging people so much money for the gas.

The current President Bush and Al Gore offer alternative fuels for car engines, but not at an affordable rate for the average driver. There seems to be more attention paid to changing people over from Analog TV sets to High Definition than to straightening our country's financial crisis with rising cost and shrinking job market. The amount of people being laid off from work is staggering. How many small communities will collapse from lack of funds from everyday people buying things just to keep it going?

In Florida, the Brevard Coast relies on the people who work for the NASA programs to fund the community. After the layoffs from shutting down the shuttle program, places like Cocoa and Titusville will almost be ghost towns. No one could afford to live there. The jobs will be gone and so will the people. The tourist won't want to come, because there would be no rocket launches. Plus, there would be no lifeguards at the beach. It would be swim at your own risk.

A game plan needs to be in place to bring the troops home from the wars. Money needs to be held more accountable, so we know where it is being spent. Jobs need to be added to our economy; instead, of being taken away. NAFTA needs to be monitored so we get the best deal from trading consumer goods with other countries and our jobs stay here in the USA. The teachers need special attention so there jobs are preserved and the schools are not cut back. It is vital to Educate the young and we need teachers to accomplish this goal.

My sister was telling me about her dream of being in an Indiana house with everyone there. My dream was at the beach in a house with someone missing. Both my sister and I yearn for simpler times when you could get a good value for your dollar. You helped your neighbor and friend in the community. You drove to the grocery store with your reasonable gas and bought a lot of groceries at a reasonable price. You drove home consume the groceries and lived a happy life.

Saturday at home

All is quiet this early in the morning. Even the refrigerator stopped humming. I can hear the night crickets outside. Fortunately, no lighting storms to go with it, like there was last night.

This is a new condo that was built at the end of our street next to the ocean. I believe the residence will have a nice ocean view. Plus, this is the first mammoth thing to get hit from an ocean storm and should make a great wind breaker. I think it will even do well under Hurricane conditions. The other side of this building looks like the cartoon picture of The Daily Planet in the Superman Comics.

Maybe there will be more sunshine today. The turtle also got moved out of his little hole under the palm tree next door. Our neighbor Pete plans to put rocks all in his yard, so he did not want a turtle keeping residence there. The turtle did get moved and not killed ,so I guess he will be OK. I also have planned to see two more movies. One is Ma Ma Mia and the other is The Dark Knight. I hope they will be good.

It's Friday

Mom and I did not go to see a Jazz band playing last night. It rained and we stayed home. Mom read the only thing down there was a ball room night for five bucks. I didn't want ballroom. I wasn't Ginger Rodgers looking for Fred.

I had mentally geared myself up for a night of Jazz music. However, this wasn't to be so I was home with the rain and TV. Plus the computer which I used instant message to talk with my sister and my friend Lillian. Lillian talked about her lunch with her former fellow employees who had retired. My sister basically talked about being back home after her overnight trip to Lakeland.

This picture was a hole in the sand down at the beach. I thought it was kind of interesting, because the hole was deep. I don't know if some kids could have dug it this way. I know it would take lots of work for a turtle to dig this deep. I guess I would feel unsteady knowing that it was created by the water, because I would feel the ground was very shallow underneath my feet. The shape of the hole could look like a miniature underground cave.

I am pretty sure the hole should be washed away today. The waves from the ocean come in every evening, so it changes the landscape in the morning. All the sand castles are washed away. This could have been a nature made moat that was deprived of water, but would would look like the bottom half of a sand castle if water were added. It could also be used to drizzle the sand saturated in water to form the towers on the sand castle.

I did get a concert of CD music which I played and sang along last night. It brought back memories of singing in the truck coming home from work. I would sing along with Bocelli and Pavarotti. It was the only place I could sing with the greats and not worry what I sounded like or if I were too loud. It sure made the time pass quickly. When I got home my voice would be just a tad hoarse from singing, but it was fun.

Hark, could this be garbage day? I think so!!!

It was also moving day yesterday for the neighbors across the street. I took a picture from my side of the street. I didn't get to tell them goodbye. Instead, I looked out through the blinds of my window to see what was being taken out to the rental truck.They worked pretty steady all day long and the rental truck left for Eustis around 4:30 in the afternoon. Their regular truck was parked in the driveway to take the few little leftovers which are the kids bicycles.

Tonight, mom and I will go to the Senior Center to hear a Jazz band playing. I like to hear Jazz music in the evening. It would be even more cool if they sold beer and wine. However, I don't think that is going happen. I hope there will be a wind blowing, because I don't want to be bitten by the bugs. I would like the evening to be perfect.

Night Life at the beach

Last evening was one of the times, I did not take my camera. It was raining and kind of getting dark. I was wanting to take a car ride, because I had not been anywhere all day long. I had been trying to take care of my upset stomach. The car ride seemed boost my energy level a bit, but the stomach ache was something, I had to endure. I saw my favorite Italian restaurant beach side was not open in the evening for the third time. I was wondering if they were closed for good. The name of the restaurant was Vincenzos and there was no other Italian restaurant in the area which would match the quality of dishes they would make.

The waitress was always warm and friendly towards me and every other customer who would walk through the door. I also liked the fact it was a quiet place which gave me time to eat and reflect on the day's issues. The last time I was there was with my mom's friends from New Jersey. They seemed to know the Italian dishes they wanted and ordered like a couple of professional restaurant goers. I stuck with my angel hair spaghetti with meat sauce and mushrooms which came with a bowl of garlic bread. I also got a small salad. I took my leftovers home, but mom's friends did not. They were staying at a motel and had no room to store leftovers.

I kind of got side tracked by something I hate to loose. The road trip was looking at the North end of the beach through a glass window of the car. It was raining outside and I didn't want to get wet. I really could not see the purpose of looking at a few surfers in the water and a few beach goers with their umbrellas. The view was short lived and we headed to 7-11 to see if I could spot an addition of The New Yorker. Mom and I were on a quest to find this elusive magazine. I had no luck at 7-11 and we went on across the North Bridge. The view from the top of the North Bridge gives an aerial scene of the sunset. It also show cases the Diamond Head Condos. It also shows more building along the waterfront.

We had a drive through view of the fishermen under the South Bridge. There were not many there. The rain was still going on and there was no breeze under the bridge. I figured the no-see um bugs would be biting. We proceeded on over the South Bridge. The accent reminded me of the times I would be driving towards a full moon. The moon would be giant round and turning from a yellow into a white color. I could hear in my head the song " Fly me to the moon".

Mom coasted down the bridge not using any gas as long as she could. We stopped at CVS and I ran in for a few things. On my way out the sunset had popped out in all it's glory. I was privilege to catch a glimpse. I also saw the perched birds on top of the take out seafood place next door. These birds had long narrow beaks which were dark in color. They had an off white body with bits of black underneath.They protected the take out place like a statue standing guard over a building.

I was glad to get home and unload my stuff. I also ate a bit of dinner and watched some television. Plus, I looked out at the house across the street to see only a dim light in the window for the last time. I hear the crickets chirping this morning and I am looking forward to when I can drink my coffee.

I hope it will be a nice day.

Tuesday the middle of July

The month of July is half over and it seemed to pass too quickly. Mom was scheduled to go in to volunteer today, but the office isn't quite ready. The next scheduled date will be Thursday. I did see one of my former favorite Political figures on Larry King Live. It was Jesse Venture, the former Governor of Minnesota. Jesse was also a former wrestler who brought his experiences into the world of Politics. He seem to bring Minnesota back to life and when he left I was slightly sadden he wasn't going to be Governor anymore.

It had been so many years in between the time he was Governor to the present I didn't realize the type of physical changes, I would see on him. One change is that he let his hair grown out in back. He use to be just bald, but now it was bald up front with hair on the sides and in the back. Also, the hair had seemed to be dyed jet black. He also had a slight shaking of his movements. I did take notice, but I also did hear the same common sense values he had as Governor, he still has now.

It seems Jesse had settled in California along the seacoast where he can surf all the time he wants. It is kind of a laid back in touch with the sea and nature attitude. I wish him much happiness with life on the Coast. I also applaud Larry King for bringing such a refreshing point of view on his show. I like someone with an independent way of thinking. He does not conform to other view points and is not afraid to be criticized. It shows there is still hope for individual thought.

It is going to be a Sunny Monday

I still think what CVS pharmacy has with their extra bucks and a couple dollars off here when you spend this much money is crazy. I like a discount price to be given outright and I would love if it was there all the time. However, it did pay off last visit when I discovered I had eight bucks spending ,if I spent it before August 15Th. I used it and only had to pay 54 cents for my purchase. I thought I was queen of the economic value, if only for a short time.

Mom and I did go to the River view Motel next to the North Bridge around sunset. I got some really good pictures and some pictures didn't turn out well based on poor lighting. It was also pretty peaceful with a soft wind blowing. There was one Egret under the North Bridge hunting for food amongst the asphalt rocks. The shape of the sunset changed with each picture I snapped with my digital camera.

The roast mom and I had for dinner turned out real good. We also had mashed potatoes, asparagus, and frozen peas with some mixed vegetables. We had dinner out of the way when we drove over to the bridge. We did not linger after I took my photos. It was getting dark and we drove by the North end of the beach entrance where people were still playing around the beach water. It was Sunday night and they had not left to go home. It was like they did not have Monday jobs or they were use to staying up late and not worrying about how they would feel the next day. The beach stop was on our way home and the next step was coming in to my house and view the outside plants that needed watering.

I was glad to get back home to an air conditioning house and away from the bugs. The Ms. Universe pageant was on and I watched to the very end. Ms. Venezuela won the prize and she filled the role out perfectly. She should enjoy the money and fame. Plus, she has a memory which she can carry the rest of her life. Being Monday holds new challenges like getting the garbage out in time for the garbage people to pick it up. Feeding the hungry turtle some lettuce so he would be happy. It should be a fun week.

Sunday Farewell

It is kind of sad when neighbor's move away. We have some neighbor's across the street who are moving to Eustis. They were renters and could not afford the rental money in today's economy. I figure in Eustis, places would be cheaper. However, Eustis does not have New Smyrna Beach. Both mom and I are going to miss these people, because they were a mom and dad with three very active young ladies. The oldest was named Mira and she had skin and hair dark like she had a dad who was from India. The middle was Summer who had bleach blond straight hair and played outside in her own little world of pretend. The youngest was Samantha or Sammy for short. Sammy was the littlest bleach blond who looked after her older sisters and they kind of looked after her.

Both mom and I knew this family casually and not to personal. The young ladies did come visit our backyard when they first moved in. Afterwards, they kept to themselves and played with kids their own age. Their mom also had long hair a bit darker than bleach blond. She wore it in a pony tail. She also was a hard worker who had a job at the nursing home down the street. I never got to know her name. She did seem friendly towards me, but would have me shivering in my boots every time she called her kids.

The house will seem a lot more empty after Wednesday which will be their last day here. Both mom and I will miss their youthful energy which they contributed towards the street neighborhood character. Their dad, the balding blond surfer will have to find entertainment in the country of Eustis. Maybe he can take up water skiing. The girls will have their fading memories of the beach and replacements of new ones in Eustis.

Now Eustis is not Houston, but they are similar sounding. Mom and I will go on with the rest of the neighbors and be involve with my sister Glendon's adventures. Mom also will do some volunteer work with the local Democratic club here getting ready for the big election. I will just enjoy each day as it comes and contribute where I can do good. Dinner today is a big roast which is ideal for a Sunday dinner, but that is many hours away.

Reflecting the beginning of the weekend

Friday evening way before sunset, mom took me for my free Slurpee and to go look at the waves on 27 Th. Avenue. The waves were not as smooth as what is in the picture. The beach also was not this light on people traffic. There were lots of families with small children. There were some young couples and some surfers. The surfers in the parking lot were in a group of five heading out for the big waves. They figured they had two to three hours more of sunlight so it was a great time to go surfing.

The people ranged from average would not give a second look, to unique how did you ever get out of the house look. There was one young couple where the girl was slightly over sized in a two piece bathing suit with a tattoo down her back and a rough exterior where she could win a gang fight every time. She was soon joined by a young balded hulk of a man with scary green extended markings down his arms and back. The markings were circular tribal looking as if it came from an Indian tribe in South America. His appearance resembled that of a wrestler and you didn't cross him with fear he would pounce on you with all three hundred pounds of body weight.

I did not see many birds out there. I wondered if they had gone to bird island across the Inter coastal Waterway where the island is just loaded with birds. The waves were big and small. When we first arrived, the waves seemed idea for the surfers to catch a good ride. After mom and I had been there, the waves shrank to a glassy look.

There was hardly no wind. Usually mom and I enjoy a good beach wind blowing and keeping us a bit cooler. The wind was not there. When we go to the fishing spot under the South Bridge, there is a big wind which is idea for Pelicans to ride the wind currents. I also like the way it feels blowing on my skin and in my hair. Plus, it keeps the bugs away. The bugs were starting to bite me right before we left the beach.

The other night when we were coming home from the North entrance of the beach, I could hear the night sounds of the crickets and the croaking frogs next to the body of water behind the barricade of woods. It was a unique sound that would be ideal for a relaxation CD. Mom drove by too fast so I could not really soak up the sound. I know at night we have the crickets outside singing, because of the dampness on the ground leftover from yesterday's rain.

Today is suppose to be another day for big waves. I don't know if we will go see them. I do know I am enjoying the coolness of the air conditioner, the hot cup of coffee and the time spent to lay out a unique scene to share with others. I hope everyone has a cool day and a safe one away from the thunder and lightening. Make it your one of a kind day.

It's Friday Free Slurpee Day

If you don't catch free Slurpee day, you are out of luck. Run to the 7-11 store and get yours free. Mom pointed out that I didn't talk about the last movie I saw" Kitt Kittredge An American Girl" . I guess at the time it didn't make a strong impression on me. I did enjoy the movie, because it was from a different time and era. It was like I was stepping into the shoes of the little girl's best friend and seeing all the adventures she experienced. Living the times when you first start out upper middle class and kind of wealthy with possessions. The times change from good to about poverty level where the house sits with a foreclosure sign in the front yard. You are embarrassed by the turn of events in front of you and watching the neighbors rejecting you. The class of people suddenly expels you into the land of the rejected Hobo, who eats at the soup kitchen. The Hobos are labeled a dirty low class set of homeless people living in camps on land that does not belong to them. The next to the lowest Hobo class is the women who have to sell eggs to make a living and dress their children in sacks used to carry the chicken feed.

Kitt breaks through the barriers with her charm and ability to take in boarders along with her mom. It is heart wrenching scene to see her dad leave for Chicago and not to know if he will ever come home. However, he does return at the end of the movie and promises Kitt he will get a job where she is living. The boarders are very entertaining like the magician, the dancer, the mobil librarian, and the former business man. There is also a mystery plot where Kitt's mom loses the rental money she collected from the renters. The crime is originally blamed on one of the Hobo's. The truth is the magician was the mastermind behind the theft. The mobil librarian was the magician's helper. The magician also had another helper which did the actual crime and Kitt figures out what really happened to the money. She gets the help of the people in the hobo camp to capture the bad guys and everyone lives Happily Ever After. Kitt ends up being recognized by the local paper as someone who could be a reporter and gets a job with a feature article. My mom could identify with the times, because she was very young and knew how authentic things were. She could identify with the hobo symbols of friendly places to eat. The music and clothing and even the cars were times she understood the purpose. She had her own stories to tell with her own cast of characters. She lived in a different time and place where it was filled with a lot of good memories. As fun as it is to step into the past, I like futuristic stuff. Wall-E the movie was more my speed. I wouldn't mind seeing the Kittredge movie on television when it come out. This should be in the future about a couple of years.

It's garbage day again !!

After the movie mom and I saw yesterday, we went under the South Bridge where fishermen fish from the local pier. I wanted to check out the wind level. It surprised us both by blowing really nice. As Goldie Locks would say" It's just right." I sat on the swing which mom joined me.

I started talking about past events like Mom's marriage proposal from my dad. Also, the canoe honeymoon trip, they took traveling towards Canada. She remembers stopping at an island and camping there. She also felt like she had Polio, because she had canoed all day long. She said my dad was in his element. He loved to go camping. My sister Glendon was the same way. She loves the outdoors and camping was something she enjoyed in the past.

While sitting on the swing, I notice the smell of fish in the air. It wasn't a bad overpowering smell. It was light with the wind. Enough power to tell you a fish lived in the area and is either decomposing or still swimming around. The wind carried the Pelican's wings on the air currents, so they wouldn't have to flap for them to stay in the air. The Pelicans could glide high or low under and around the bridge in search of a fish dinner. It seemed so natural for a Pelican to glide around without any man made regulations. Man regulates man, but there are places where man leaves nature on its own. What happens is free in a good or bad fashion. The birds live good healthy lives or sometimes they die violent deaths. Man does not interfere, so nature goes on with new life.

The flowers at home are so pretty. We have Hibiscus that are deep red and sunset orange. Mom picked a couple of Gardenias. I have not seen the turtle, since we came back from our trip to see my sister. The weather has been unbearably warm and humid. It is like a steam bath. Hanging up clothes in the morning, I come in and have to change my shirt from sweating on my back. I long for the inside air conditioning. I long for the day when the outside air matches the air conditioning level on the inside of my house. I guess I am leaning towards the fall season when the heat finally cools down.

Winn Dixie Bench Buddies

Entertainment can sometimes be found in the miserable situation of others. Especially when it is so bad it is funny to everyone else, but the person in the middle of the disaster. Starting this story with a trip to two banks to make bank deposits, which I considered was kind of a chore and mom slipping in a trip to Winn Dixie to pick up some weekly supplies. I thought this was going to be another long I want to go home trips. It turned out I was wrong. After I had got the short stuff on my list and mom was deeply involved in getting her stuff with a cute little shopping cart, I came to share a bench in the front of the store with a lady who was moving out of her place, because of her boyfriend. She let the cashier know it was the boyfriend's fault. She let the person on the other end of the cell phone know it was the boyfriend's fault. Fortunately, I sat on the other end of the bench and did not get involved in her boyfriend's fault story. I did not play referee to a story which I did not want to be involved. I wanted her and her boyfriend to go away. Eventually, she did leave and was replaced by a 79 year old Grandmother who locked her keys in the trunk of her car along with 97 dollars worth of groceries. She had no spare key and her purse was also in the trunk of the car. I kind of Snickered at the idea of this happening. She said to me "Don't Laugh". Afterwards, she kind of eased up by saying" her Grand kids were also laughing." She even offered my a ride home, but I told her I was waiting on mom to finish her grocery shopping. She met a friend who had a small portable oxygen tank with him and told him she felt like a hundred and seventy-nine. He was sympathetic and then left to go home. She had called a locksmith which took over a half an hour wait. She spotted his van when he came and then my mom was checking out of the store with her groceries. When we had gone to our truck, we saw the locksmith had finished with her and she went home with a serious look. It seemed like she had enough to pay the guy, because he did not follow her home like she though he would. We went home with our groceries and ate pizza. Afterwards, the rain started and both of us took short cat naps in front of the television.

Back to an ordinary day

I got my coffee and my picture of the hotels on the very North end of the beach taken from the park. Glendon, my sister, separated the two roosters, so they are doing fine. The trip back to the beach was uneventful and we did not encounter any storms. It was hard to find any gas stations under four dollars a gallon. Mom and I may be joining some neighbors later this afternoon for a movie at the local theater. It should be fun.

short note to last entry

The picture is of Glendon with her dog Soldier who was scared from the fireworks being shot off next door.

It is back to the beach

It is the final cup of coffee on the farm with no goats, no cows, no sheep and no fooling I usually seem to leave something behind on my trip home to the beach. I spent my final day burning trash, writing a little bit on the computer when it wasn't sending me error messages and eating leftovers. There was a small storm in the heat of the day around one and I took a small nap inside on the living room couch with the overhead fan going. I rested for about an hour. This was after I hung out a load of clothes and mom brought them back in, because she saw the storm coming and said they were just about dry. She finished drying them in the dryer. I thought after the initial shower we were through for the day with the rain.

However there was a darker more threatening storm waiting to show up after Glendon. my sister, came home from work. She walked in tired, dirty, and ready to leave her fun job, if someone would just offer her a desk job. She said" If it didn't have four legs and a tail, I would be out of the Vet School in a minute". I was hoping with time she would change her mind, because of all the rich horse stories she can tell about the horses she feeds during the day. Her stories seem so educational in terms of what the Vets do to the young horses in drawing blood and learning how to work with them. Plus, the ratio of students being mostly young thin women with boppy pony tails and hardly any men in sight.

Dinner was hamburgers, cooked from frozen spinach with a cup of lentil soup. I mixed my spinach in with the cup of lintel soup. Mom had the dinner place settings set so nice. Plus, she had the stuff to place on the hamburgers to make it a complete meal. The stuff included: lettuce, onion, mayonnaise, and ketchup. I had ice tea while the others had organic milk. In the middle of all the food was the prize of the dessert a dark golden crusted apple pie which mom used Glendon's organic apples.

We were starting to feast on the luscious dessert, when I spotted the fighting match of a life time. The World Wide Wrestling Rooster throw down in the middle of the backyard between the new rooster Goldenboy and the longer staying older rooster Feather Duster. Golden Boy was winning and had Feather Duster on the run. I told Glendon and she said "don't let them get at each other". I bolted out of my chair leaving my apple pie not thinking, if it would be there when I got back. I started to chase the two roosters. They were much faster than me. They seemed to stay just out of my reach.

Pretty soon Glendon and mom got involved and Glendon kind of scooted them towards me. She didn't think I could catch them, but I got lucky and caught Golden Boy. She retrieved Feather Duster who was pretty beat up. Golden Boy had won the fight and his prize was having his wings clipped by Glendon. Feather Duster was returned to his chicken yard and started crowing like he was the winner. I beat the bad chicken again.

I had always considered Feather Duster a threat in the past, because he would chase after me and try to spur me with his claws. He was challenging me and sizing me up as competition. He no longer is seeking a competitor. Golden Boy whooped him and had him on the run. Amazingly, Golden Boy is easy to pick up and he doesn't chase me. I end up chasing him to try and place him back with his young group of chickens.

After, the fight was over, there brewed a more scary dark storm like one out of the movie Twister. The clouds were low hanging black creeping and getting ever so close. I was the first one back in the house. Mom and Glendon came a little bit later. I did hear some thunder and saw a little bit of lighting. The storm did not leave the rain that I anticipated would happen. It just died out as quickly as it came. I am sure it must have rained someplace else. However, last night was not at Glendon's place.

She has a fighting chance today to get the lawn under control. She has two Super Dooper John Deere riding mowers with good horse power. The only thing missing is her buddy Joe who is in Minnesota and his can of beer. She figured she could have lawn mower races, but I won't be there to challenge her. I was too much a beginner when it comes to driving the mower. I tried it one evening and was more comfortable with it on a slow speed. I was new and really not too trusting until I got to know it better.

She is on her own with the animals. She also gets to hear the train whistles as it goes down the track in the distance. She will have to burn her own garbage and fix her own meals. She still will have lots of fun and find lots of projects to work on. She also plans on adopting to young horses from her work. She has made some fencing preparations for this event.

I find the crickets are just as loud over here at night as they are at the beach. I find the roosters crow pretty early when I am still sipping my first cup of coffee. I find her cat sweetly annoying when he insist on getting into Glendon's bedroom to sleep when she is trying to sleep without him. He is a creature of habit and it would be pretty hard to change his ways. I will leave all this behind for Glendon to enjoy.

Mom and I travel early to beat the storms that come through the Ocala Forrest. I look forward to getting back to the beach and unpacking. Deciding what to have for dinner and catching up on the mail. Washing up dirty clothes and getting stuff from the store we may need for the week.This is my daily goal after eating breakfast, taking my medication, and getting dressed for the day ahead. We live in two worlds bonded by family ties.

Farm life

Sunday, here with the roosters crowing back and forth like a line of communication before the phones and cell phones. This is a language only Dr. Doolittle could understand. I can try to understand what they are feeling, but I am never really on their level. This was tested last night when my sister's neighbors decided to shoot off their fireworks. It seemed to scare my sister's dogs Solder and Morgan. Both were restless, and Soldier would cry with sympathy moans. The fireworks did cease around 10:30 in the evening. The dogs were returned to the outdoors by my sister Glendon.

Today, Glendon heads off to work on her last day of the weekend. She will work all day long feeding horses at the local University Vet School. She will come home late this evening very tired and in need of a Super hot shower to wash away the dirty load of the day. Mom and I haven't decided if we will stay tonight or head back to the beach today. I had one good cup of coffee and I think there is time later for us to make up our minds.

My main task this morning will be burning garbage. Glendon has a burn barrel in the backyard and we get rid of the trash this way. It is kind of fun watching it go up in smoke and the fire dying down to nothing. The burn barrel is located in Glendon's garden and I can check on the welfare of the chickens while I am burning garbage.

Glendon made a big pot of cooked oatmeal with raisins. I guess this will be breakfast this morning.

It is Saturday July 5, 2008

Quietly, I type away at Glendon's keyboard in her computer room. My left eye kind of watery and my nose a tad bit stuffed. The first cup of coffee tasted pretty good. I could causally think about getting another. I slightly injured my left finger next to my pinkie finger. It is sore and swollen. It will take a few more days before it returns to normal. It was a result of me trying to lunge my sister's horse Shooter and her bolting away, because I didn't have a real lunge line on her. She had the better advantage and strength. I got left with the injury. This was due to an activity that I had planned with my sister to get her to dress up in a dress and hopefully sit on top of her horse to have her picture taken. She still got her picture taken, but it wasn't on the horse. Shooter was just too edgy and was having a bad day. I picked this picture, because I thought it looked interesting to see.

Community Gathering for The Williston Parade

I saw a wonderful side of country living in the Williston Parade. People lining the streets with their pickup trucks, small children, family pets and blue tooth cell phones and ribs sitting in anticipation for the parade to start. My sister took mom and I to the parade in her pickup truck running the air conditioning along the way. She knew where to park to get a good view. We parked towards the end of the route in the Hitchcock grocery store parking lot near the edge of the road. I looked across the road to see a big family where the mother was sitting in a lawn chair on the flat bed part of her pickup truck. She had a blue tooth cell phone attached to her ear. She had a plate of food that I am guessing maybe ribs which she was munching on. She was surrounded by her family of young children. This was a very Norm Rockwell scene of American life .

The parade was introduce by the Williston Police Department. One lonely gray car with flashing lights and no siren breezing by ahead of the real meat and potatoes group which was about to follow. The Community of surrounding Police from Ocala and Marion County Motorcycle patrol came with uniform of five motorcycle cops. The sirens blaring as loud as an electric guitar at a Bon Jovi rock concert. The flashing lights looked like Christmas had come early. Christmas in July with no snow. The motorcycle cops held to their straight line formation and just waved at people as they drove on passed. Their was another Williston cop car with the sirens and flashing lights which I got in my video. The police car driver hammed it up by looking like he was scratching his chin.

After the police, came the Army trucks, fire departments from the different communities, local Politicians with their beauty queens ride in compact cars. Ms. Williston slipped by with her long straight blond hair tossing candy out to the youngsters. The local High School marching band came by with Tee-shirts and casual pants playing their tubas, clarinets, flutes and other musical instruments. They were not wearing their band uniforms.

There was so much hard candy being tossed by passing cars. This seemed like a time honored tradition. I can not understand why the editor of The Williston Pioneer newspaper would want to break with this over one terrible accident. It is always tragic when someone gets killed, but there is a point where you can be overly cautious and not take any chances or risk. The parade could have eliminated the candy throwing, but I am glad they did not do this deed.

There are so many traditional traits passed on through parades, candy throwing, and just getting together as a group. The kids will keep these memories for the rest of their lives. I know this will be a pleasant thought like an Andy Griffith TV show moment which doesn't happen to often in my lifetime. When I go back to the beach, I will have my video which I will try to upload on You tube. If it is really good , I will share these memories with others.

My beach neighbor Mr. Turtle

I finally got a picture from a distance. I wasn't able to get to close. He would just run into his hole and hide. He doesn't like people. He hissed at me and went into his hole before. I figured I was trespassing on his territory. I am glad my camera has a distance range. This was the only way to get the camera shot. Today we go on an adventure to my sister' s house and see her four horses, many chickens, three cats, two dogs and one turkey. The car ride should take about two and a half hours. This includes stops for gas and bathroom breaks. It is quite humid and warm outside so I think we will be running the car air conditioning to keep comfortable.

Middle of week and still dry in the house

Hopefully the yard man will come tomorrow. Chicken Eating Charles is needed to cut our wild out of control grass. We don't have a lawn mower now, but if we did, it still would be a major chore to cut the thick grass in the morning heat before the storms come in the afternoon. It has been so unpleasant with the heat and humidity to do outside work. I guess the air condition kind of spoils me. There is a little bit of yard work for the yard trash pick up people who come today. They usually come early so it is good the work is already out on the edge of the front yard.

Many years ago when I was much younger, I remember Summer vacations in Indiana at my Granddad's place along the Tippy Canoe River where the weather wasn't so hot and humid. There were shade trees in his backyard and a big hill bank that went down to the river. My Grandad had wooden stairs that would lead down to the bank, but they were broken. We used the neighbor's dock and stairs to go down to go fishing. My Grandad taught me about earthworms on how to collect them from a compost pile. How to bait them on a hook. How to toss the fishing line in the water and he was there to rescue my fishing line when it got caught in the rocks.

I just heard the train this morning. Maybe the sun will come out this morning and I can dry some clothes on the clothes line. However for now, it is still dark and I have a bed to curl up in. Maybe watch a little TV and get some shut eye, before daylight activities start. Wednesday will be a good day.

It's Tuesday July 1, 2008

This is a picture of an Indian Pow Wow being held at the Orlando Fair Grounds on Highway 50 many years ago. I remember the weather was quite hot and the Pow Wow was pretty entertaining. The dancers were in full costume and danced in a circle of people. The Indian women were from South America seen in the picture. They chose an Indian Princess and runners ups. There were crafts for sale along with food.

Speaking of food, I was reading an article in the Williston Pioneer newspaper on Blackberries. It talked a little about the varieties, but mostly concentrated on the nettle stinging plants that grow around the blackberries. There was little talked about how to consume the blackberries. The writer just talked about placing some sugar on them and maybe using them for preserves. There is so many other uses like blackberry pie, blackberry cobbler, blackberries on cereal, and blackberries cut up with other fruits. I don't remember the writer talking about how to preserve blackberries in the freezer. I have heard with blueberries you don't wash the fruit if you are going to freeze it. I wonder if this is how you treat blackberries? It was also not mentioned how distinctive the flavor is. Also, there is blackberry wine and blackberry brandy. If the writer, could not see three fruits blackberries, blueberries and raspberries on a table before her could she pick out the difference?

Also, does anyone remember the tenderloin sandwich? My mom and Uncle from California were saying how great Indiana made their tenderloin sandwiches. I thought my hot roast beef sandwich was pretty good yesterday at The Little Drug Store. They put lettuce, tomato and onion on my white toasted bread. Mom had the same sandwich, but she chose wheat bread toasted. I also had the fries which I shared with my mom. We took the two bags of chips home for our hot dog dinner. The roast beef was quite lean and lots of it on the sandwich. The Little Drug Store had lots of lunch customers at their soda fountain. The workers behind the counter had tee-shirts with their logo on the back which they proudly wore like a uniform. I saw at least five employees with The Little Drug Store logos on them. It is nice to see a little bit of American history still active in today's culture.