Here Kitty, Kitty.........

I borrowed these pictures from Granny J

Now can you image this!!!!!!

Apparently this took place in Northern Arizona.

where you can grow a garden if you dare.......

Here are some interesting Mountain Lion facts:

Cougars live for approximately 8 - 10 years in the wild.

Mountain Lions live solitary lives. A mother mountain lion and it's kittens live together until the kitten is old enough to survive on its own.

Female Mountain lions breed for their first time between 1.5 and 3

Kittens have it rough....only 1 in 6 survive

and the most important......You have a better chance of being struck by lightening than dying because of a mountain lion attack.

The bell

I went to the grocery store a few days ago and had to return an item. The man before me finished his transaction and reached up and rang the bell.....

Next to the bell was a little sign that said "If you received great service ring the bell". When I had completed my transaction I thought......okay, I guess I can ring the bell....the little worker said "Oh, I love that bell". As I continued to shop and was getting a quart of milk there was another little ding....and several excited workers in the meat counter were proclaiming that Richard got his first ding! When I arrived at the check out counter there were two very friendly workers that hurried to take care of me and yes......another bell waiting for my ding. I don't know about you but I found this to be very interesting, so I ask you...........what do you think about these little bells?

Computer

Well, I am back up and running with my new Dell computer but want to share a little pro and con info.


First off the new Dell did not come with a email program....to be truthful I was shocked about this but fortunately my computer guy set me up with windows live.....would not have known what to do on my own.........Think it has something to do with the fight against Microsoft.


Most of my programs that I use are.........old..........so guess what???? The new Windows7 does not read them so had to purchase several new ones....the good news, they are much nicer...the bad news....expensive and my files that were saved with these programs are basically no good.


I have learned a lot about new products like store and go (really cool little lighter looking thing that saves files and fits in your pocket). And I love the new external hard drive that is the size of a wallet and saves everything. This little experience has encouraged me to do two things......keep all program disks in one place and be more diligent to save, save, and save.

_________________________

Here is a little story for a side note...... A while back while I was waiting for my grandaughter's school bus while sitting in my daughters drive way I noticed this little hummingbird. He would leave and then come back to this little dead pine tree that is in their yard. Back and forth and back and forth so I got curious and went over to the tree and there was the beginnings of a little tiny nest! My son-in-law was planning on tearing that tree down but left it and here is the results

These two babies are ready to fly the coup...........................................

H O L L Y W O O D

In the early 1920's this town filled with film makers after discovering the warm year around weather conductive for film making and by 1923, Hollywood, Ca. was not just a city but an industry, a lifestyle and increasingly, an aspiration, that inspired the first Hollywoodland sign to be erected.

Hollywood...the city of dreams and extravagant lifestyle.

Everyone has seen the movies and read the books about the hoards of young people that poured into this city with dreams of becoming a star and of course some did make it big but there were many who did not. One such lady

Peg Entwistle, a New York stage actress set her sights on the silver screen. She packed her bags and moved to Hollywood. After a long hot summer in 1932 of waiting by the phone hoping for her big chance, she hiked up the canyon hill to the Hollywood sign, her one-time beacon of hope but now a symbol of failure and rejection. She climbed 50 feet up a workman's ladder to the top the "H" and plunged to her death.....she was dubbed by the tabloids as "The Hollywood Sign Girl".

During the 1960"s, Hollywood suffered through a mass exodus of residents to the suburban San Fernando Valley and just as distressing was the flight of film power centers. By 1970, Paramount was the only studio left in town. After time, the Hollywood sign became an eyesore ready to collapse when in the late 1970's the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce made the decision to rebuild it with a price tag of a quarter million dollars. Many of the showbiz's biggest names donated to this cause like, Fleetwood Mack, Hugh Hefner, Gene Autry and Andy Williams to name a few.

194 tons of concrete, enamel and steel later, the Sign was re-born, posed and polished for a new millennium and enjoyed by millions even today................

For more information about the history of the sign go here

Passing it on..............

I recently bought a Redbook magazine and saw this.......

I kindly pass it on..........................................

Shame on me

I recently received a email encouraging me to not accept the new $1 coin because it does not say "In God we Trust" and I passed it on without checking it out on "Snopes"........so I thought I would share the following information......

The new coin is not really a new coin but rather part of a series of Presidential coins that started in 1999 and the Presidential $1 coin act 2005 allowed "In God we Trust" to be printed on the edge of the coin

for larger more dramatic artwork.

Note to self: ALWAYS check it out before sending it on

Lax

I am sharing my recent experience as a warning/reminder to you all. Last week my computer crashed.............
Yes, I had the important things backed up like our business files and I was very fortunate that a computer man was able to retrieve all my favorites (like all my blogs). But I had gotten very lax in backing up things like my recipes on my cookbook program, writing down my password for my Rhapsody membership, backing up my more recent work on my genealogy program and etc. You will also lose all your email addresses guaranteed. I am using a loaner computer right now until my new one arrives and fortunately I do have a computer guy that is terrific that will help me re-install my programs and get set back up with my new one. I am buying a Dell and it is coming with a free year service of back-up. If it looks like something that is good I think I just might continue it to avoid this scenario again. It is just so easy to become lax about backing things up and then puff...........all gone.

Update: After some research I will not use the back up service offered but will instead buy an external hard drive for around $100.00 (close to the yearly fee) and keep it all here with me.

Week-end jaunt

Hubby wanted to take a week-end jaunt. It gets harder and harder to come up with anything new that is close by so we decided to take a trip back in our past. You see we grew up on western Arizona part of route 66; In fact I spent the early part of my childhood in the display window of my folks grocery store.........a whole other post someday.
Living in that little town of Ash Fork, our rival schools were Seligman and Williams so of course we went there often and before I40 bypassed all these little towns it was the only way to get to Kingman/Las Vegas and etc. It had been nearly 40 years since we had been down the old road to the little town of Seligman. They have worked very hard to capitalize on the route 66 interest and in fact many of the original places are still there and open. I was hoping that the Copper Cart restaurant would be open because my folks and I would often drive over and have dinner there.
I remember they had these lantern type lights and my Dad always had a rib eye steak. One time on our drive back home a rock next to the road and our car was struck by lightening...raised the hair on our arms! Well, they weren't open that day so we had lunch at

This was not original but the lunch was good. We headed on down the road towards Peach Springs. I had thought we might go to
the newly built sky walk out over the Grand Canyon and only miles from here until I checked out the price....nearly $60.00 per person. It has brought a nice hotel and restaurant to the nearly distinct little town. If fact all of the other little towns along the way were nearly distinct but hubby had mentioned how he remembered how pretty the little town of Valentine was and indeed if it would been summer instead of winter, it would have been beautiful. This little town was kept alive for years by the tradition of people sending their valentine cards here to be stamped with the little heart shaped stamp of Valentine until Aug. 15, 1990 when the postmaster was shot, robbed and left to die.
We traveled on to Kingman and then took 93 to Laughlin....the little gambling town on the river... spent the night here and came out $80.00 ahead on a penny machine!! Unheard of for me but told hubby....it is really fun to gamble when you win!

Next day we headed back towards Phoenix on 93 but then did the 89 cut off at Kirkland Junction and went to Bagdad.....another memory moment. Over 30 years ago we came here often to compete in fast draw. You come to this copper mining town and you best have all your business done by dark because everything shut down with the exception of the bar back then and when you come here, you can go no where else..... Have to turn around an go back the way you came.
I was hoping that the drive in theater would still be here because I wanted to get a picture of it to show you.....the screen was on a little hill top and then there was a gorge and you parked on another little hilltop across the way. It was quite a sight but sadly no longer there; If fact we couldn't really find anything that was as we remembered.

We undertook the curvy hills of Iron Springs road (some in snow) and on to Bucky's Casino overlooking Prescott, Az. If you have never stayed here give it a try....nice restaurant, rooms and beautiful view. Headed on home the next morning and that was our 580 mile week-end jaunt.

Granddaughter time

Last Thursday was another Granddaughter day (she gets a early release from school and I pick her up and we spend a few hours together). I try to have a project/craft for us to do and she is really good about giving it a go and not complaining.

Well, after learning that she loves lemon anything I decided we would make a homemade, totally from scratch, lemon meringue pie. We started with the crust and she had never seen lard...we got to the part of rolling it out and she just couldn't hardly wait to give it a try. She had to stop fairly often to clean up the edges...they bothered her if the weren't nice and round. Got it into the pan and told her we would need to prick the bottom with a fork......she just squealed....this was something she had done on her wii cooking game but had no idea you really did it! After the crust was cooked and cooled we started on the lemon filling. I told her we would do it TV style (get all the ingredients measured and ready to use so we needed to juice the lemons and when she saw this she said "Oh grandma, I have always wanted to do that".....well, juice lemons she did. It has been a long while since I have made a homemade pie but I was reminded this was her very first.......the consistant stirring of the filling was not her favorite part......seperating eggs was the challenging part and meringue was amazing to her.

(I had to borrow my pictures from computerland because my computer won't download my pictures from my camera disk) It wasn't quite this pretty but mmmmm good. After having a few small pieces with Grandpa...the rest went home with her to surprise Mom and Dad.

Now, you need to understand she is full of youth so her thoughts were.......so, what's next?

We are going to make.................

Microwave potato chips

Peel the potato, using a mandoline

(this gizmo is a wonder) or a thin sharp knife, slice potatoes approximately 1/16 inch to 1/8 inch thick. To remove potato starch, rinse the slices in a bowl of cold water; change the water twice. Pat the slices thoroughly dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle the slices with salt or your choice of spices or herbs. If you have a microwave bacon tray, place the sliced potatoes flat on the tray in a single layer. If you don not have a bacon tray, use a microwave-safe casserole dish. Rub the inside of the dish with some olive oil or spray with no-stick spray.

Cover with a microwavable round heavy plastic cover. Microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes; turn slices over and continue to microwave on high another 3 to 5 minutes. Potatoes are done when they are lightly browned (if they aren't browned, they won't get crisp).

I had seen this recipe online and thought it was interesting......

Granddaughter was sure it wouldn't work but after eating three potatoes we both decided......

IT IS WONDERFUL!!!! they are so good and fat free!

Did you know?

Tiger

It hunts at night.

Unlike a house cat, it likes water and swims well.

Retracts its claws when it walks, leaving no claw marks in its tracks.

Its roar can be heard as far as two miles away.

Has stripes as unique as fingerprints.

Has striped skin as well as fur!

Showing off doesn't pay

Friday, hubby took me to a western store to see about getting a new pair of boots. I tried them ALL on including this sexy little number

I put one on and went traipsing up to the mirror telling hubby "Look at these!"

Yep, you guessed it

ankle twisted and I went right down on my (arse). The first thing I did is hope no one saw me, the second thing I did was try to get up and the last thing I did was wonder what I hurt. It is a little dangerous falling when you are in your 60's. Well, thank goodness for this nice little layer of fat I have, because I must have bounced and only have a sore ankle.....

and just as soon as I am no longer gimpy, I can wear my new boots.

Note to self: Showing off doesn't pay

Just Ducky

I took this knitting kit with me to a local gun show this week-end, thinking I would be able to get a good start on it...........WRONG!

Well, I guess it didn't help that I have never changed yarn on a project before and of course this

is a constant requirement for this pattern, nor have I ever followed directions from a chart

Need I say more........ I did manage to get half way up the duck and then rip it all out (fortunately this blanket is made in three strips)....for the third time.

Well, I am back home where things are more quiet and I have more than just my lap to hold three balls of yard and the directions on so Maybe I can make it work. Why in the world did I buy such a kit? Well, it was only $9.00 on ebay and included everything including the needles ....yep, there's a fool born every minute.

For the birds

When we built our home our grandson was not quite one year old and living with us, so we wanted to have a fenced area away from the pool where he could play. We planted a tree so he would have some shade and I remember well the first storm we had after we planted it. I had to hold it so my hubby could tie it down and it not be destroyed....well that was 18 years ago and of course the grandson is all grown up but so is the tree. It is now bird haven.

The quail love the bird block even though it is hard are a rock! After it rains it gets soft and all the birds flock to it.

There are all kinds of birds decor here and there

Some of my favorites are the quailthe yellow breasted wren

and of course the hummingbirds

Some have decided that this bird haven is the just the place to be and have made their homes real close....Check out these bird made holes in my Oleanders

and of course the waterfall for the pool makes the best bird bath...Did anyone think birds were dumb?

Well, maybe they are smarter than we think...My hubby also feeds the birds nearly everyday at Starbucks. He had told me that the birds knew him...well, it was summertime and we would sit ourside in the patio area and I told him that was silly, they begged everyone for crumbs, but you know what? We are now sitting inside and no matter where we sit they find him and come line up outside the window waiting for him to come out!

Next time you say "That's for the birds" you may just be handing out a compliment.

Boston Tea Party

Dec. 16, 1772
Colonialists attack, tar and feather a hapless tax collector. The colonies refused to pay the levies required by the Townsend Acts claiming they had no obligation to pay taxes imposed by a Parliament in which they had no representation.

Jan. 19, 2010
Rep. Scott Brown wins Senate seat in Mass.
A shocking outcome after more than 40 years of Dem. Ted Kennedy reining and ruling and even with a Health Care Bill pending named in his honor.
The truth lies in Scott Brown's theme "It's the people's seat".

Some have forgotten that Democracy is of the people and for the people

Thank you Mass. for a 2010 Boston Tea Party!

First Time

Every year we attend the gun show in Las Vegas which is held at the Riviera It is a older casino and has it's good and bad points as I have posted before but this year we decided to take a taxi and take in the "Fremont Experience". WOW! What an experience it was. This is the oldest gambling area in Vegas and they have built this huge covered canopy encompassing four or five different old casinos like the Golden Nugget

(swimming pool)

You can walk freely from one casino to another under the huge canopy that encompasses them.

The canopy towers 90 feet above the ground and spans the length of five football fields, features more than 12 million LED modules and 555,000-watt sound system and provides some kind of light show...let me tell you!

There is also a variety of shows, shops and etc. on the grounds as you walk around.......But the very best part for me?

Seeing this neon sign of the cowboy. I first saw this when I was around six years old traveling though Vegas with my parents and I haven't seen it since. It was one of the first big neon's that appeared here in Vegas and was well known.

I had checked out all the restaurants and picked inside of the Four Queens for dinner. This was to be the most romantic restaurant in all of Vegas with great food. I was not disappointed. From being handed a red rose prior to being seated to having four waiters catering you our every need which included four different breads, salad made table side, a palate cleaner (strawberry sorbet in a miniature cone), main dish and four different deserts (chocolate covered strawberries, vanilla dipped apricots and stuffed figs). Add to that "Franciscan" for their Cabernet house wine and you can be nothing but pleased.

It is funny because for the most part I don't enjoy going or being in Vegas since I am not a gambler but think adding this to our yearly schedule just might tip the scales.

Tidbits

Mushrooms

Mushrooms have no chlorophyll so they don't need sunshine to grow and thrive. Some of the earliest commercial mushroom farms were set up in caves in France during the reign of King Louis XIV (1638-1715)

The largest living organism ever found is a honey mushroom, Armillaria ostoyae. It covers 3.4 square miles of land in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon, and it's still growing.


The world's deadliest mushroom is the Amanita phalloides, the death cap. The five different poisons contained in the mushroom cause diarrhea and vomiting within 6 to 12hours of ingestion. This is followed by damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system - and, in the majority of cases, coma and death.


Truffles, or mushrooms that grow below the ground, are one of the world's most expensive foods. One variety, Tuber melanosporum, can cost between $800 and $1,500 a pound.

So what got me to thinking about mushrooms you might ask?

The picture on the old cookbook of my daughters and
this simple recipe I found for (Fresh mushroom saute)
2 C. fresh mushrooms
1 tsp. flour
1 tbsp. melted butter
Wash mushrooms, slice through caps and stems. Sprinkle with flour.
Put melted butter in med. skillet. Add mushrooms; cover and cook over low heat 8-10 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
Happy mushrooming to you...............

A Momma's love

17 years ago my daughter married and left home......One of the gifts I gave her was this recipe book

filled with many of my recipes along with those of friends and family that brought their favorites to her Bridal shower........ As you can see, it has been well used. Recently, I offered to make a new one for her because it is something I enjoy doing. It seemed funny to see all the recipes I wrote out in long hand for her and those of people we both remember well. There are some she used and some she didn't and of course she has added her own along the way but it is a gift that was appreciated and made from a Mamma's love.