Sunday, September 30, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Tomatoes.

And here's the long.

Tomato season won't be lasting much longer.  We were commenting on that at dinner today. It's awfully hard to even think about buying tomatoes from the grocery once we get our taste of good home grown ones from the back yard tomato garden. The picture is the harvest from today.  They have such a great flavor.  The green ones might get fried, but I think they'll probably just get to ripen.

I'm also freezing some of them.  That's really easy to do and they are excellent to use in soups, stews, and sauces!

Maybe you can see that a few of the smaller "cherry" type tomatoes are larger than others.  Mom had some seed from the TFI's that was a few years old.  She started those seeds and shared some of the starts with me. The little tomatoes from those seeds are bigger than the ones we had gotten in the past few years.  We noticed - or thought we noticed that the size was diminishing.  They're also have such a great flavor.  No wonder Mom and Dad brought those seeds back.

Don't know what I'll do about a garen next year, but for sure there'll need to be a few tomato plants!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Tonight's the Harvest Moon. 

And here's the long.

Well, the Harvest Moon doesn't really mean so much to us in these modern times it seems.  When I googled it there was more about social media games than the real story about the Harvest Moon.

I suppose for an awful lot of people a social media game about planting corn and raising sheep is as close as it will get to experiencing farm life.

When I looked up at the moon tonight, I thought about how my ancestors lived on the land and were connected to it in ways that I can't even imagine.  I recall stories about my grandparents and great grandparents - and I recall spending time on the working farms they lived on.  Sometimes I think I'd have been happy as a farm girl.  Other times I realize that my more modern life probably suits me much better - I can do things like grow tomatoes because I want to, not because I have to!

Friday, September 28, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
I'm really grateful that the weekend is here!

And here's the long.

Mom had us down for dinner this evening.  Last night when we were at dinner I tried to order pinto beans in a vegetable plate and they were out of them. I said something about having a craving for pinto beans -- and mentioned that I would be making some over the weekend since they didn't have any.  Mom called and said that she was making us some beans for dinner.

I'm pretty lucky to have a Mom down the street who still likes to cook for us!  She made beans, fried green tomatoes, cole slaw, and cornbread.  Yummy.  As Dad used to say when she'd make that meal "this is food fit for a king"!

Hoping to sleep in tomorrow morning.  And hoping to get to sleep early and easy tonight.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Today is the anniversary of my Dad's death.

And here's the long.

I can hardly believe that three years have gone by.

This afternoon after work, Alan and I picked up Mom - We stopped off at the Bi-Lo Grocery and picked up some beautiful fall flowers.

It's such a short drive to the cemetery and we were there in no time.  The weather was just absolutely beautiful.  They've been hard at work all summer long on the maintenance and Dad's section looked especially good.  They've laid down new sod and raised Dad's headstone so that all the lettering is clearly visible.

Mom had one of the cemetery supplied flower containers and there on the spot made such a beautiful arrangement. We sat there and visited for a bit.

We all miss Dad so much.  It's been so hard on Mom to spend these last few years without her life partner.  They were certainly a pair.  I used to tell people that between them they probably knew the answer to most everything! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of Dad. Of course some days more than others, but there's always something that reminds me of him and causes a tug at my heart.

Anyway, after the cemetery, we stopped at Wally's - opened in 1937 - and had dinner together.  Now somehow that seemed to be a good way to end the evening.



Wednesday, September 26, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Reflection and napping are good things. 

And here's the long.

There's certainly a level of reflection that the Yom Kippur service inspires that I don't think I've ever encountered in any other space or ritual in my life.  Today was no exception.

Today during the mid-day break, I came home while Alan stayed at Temple.  He has more difficulty  fasting if he comes home during the break.  I on the other hand came home and crawled into the bed and had a long nap -- something I normally don't ever do during the day!  I had no trouble snoozing off to sleep.  And it seems that I'm still sleepy enough tonight that I'll get to bed before too late.

Tomorrow is another work day, and it's another opportunity to take today's reflections and use them to make my little piece of work to make our schools a better place.  So that's tomorrow's task.



Tuesday, September 25, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Yom Kippur began tonight.  

And here's the long.

We had a nice supper of salmon and scalloped potatoes, and finished in plenty of time to get to Temple for a good seat. It was great that Liga was able to be with us - of course we missed all the other family that couldn't join us.  Mia and Clyde also came for dinner and for the first few minutes of the service a the Temple, but something came up and they had to leave before the service really got started good.

I did a bit of research and discovered that in much more ancient times, Yom Kippur was the day that engagements were announced, and that perhaps even fertility rites were observed.  That's funny, there's little about the contemporary liturgy that would even suggest that marriage or fertility have anything to do with the holiday.  Nowadays it's about setting things aright and beginning a "new" year, with attempts to be a better person than we were in the year before.

I suppose I should head to bed, so I'll be ready for a day of observing the holiday.

Love to all.  And for my Jewish friends and family - may you have an easy fast, and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Monday, September 24, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Sophie's been getting out of the fence. 

And here's the long.

Sophie found a way out of the makeshift fence we have going in the back - Oh, and it's not just out she could get right back in as well! I wonder how long she's been getting in and out.  Apparently a couple of the times she got out our neighbor told her to go back home - and she did!  I think that's pretty funny.

Alan thought he'd fixed the spot the other day.  He said to Sophie, "show me".  That's the command we use when there's something she's barking at and we want to know what it is.  She ran right to the makeshift gate in the makeshift fence and Alan could see how she could get in and out because the catch had come loose.  So he fixed that.  I suppose he should have said "show me" again, because there was also a place on the other side where she was just coming and going as she pleased.  Alan figured that out and got it fixed today.

I'll have to say that any other dog that we've ever had would have been out of that fence and all over the neighborhood.  We'd have known within a day that there was an escape route.  Sophie, on the other hand, may have been cautiously using this escape route for days or even weeks and just making sure we didn't know it.




Sunday, September 23, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
What a change in temperature!

And here's the long.

Wow, cooler weather came right along with the Autumn Equinox.  Today has been just lovely and all of us seemed to be a bit more energetic because of it.

When I took Sophie out for a walk this evening, it was really cool.  I almost thought I should come inside and put on long sleeves.  My neighbor who was out walking actually had on a zippered sweatshirt jacket!  The dogs seem to love the cooler weather.  Sophie certainly has more energy. I'm hoping the cooler weather will make me more energetic as well!



Saturday, September 22, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Happy Equinox this Autumn!

And here's the long.

So today is the Autumn Equinox. The sun is shining directly on the equator.  The length of the day and night are the same.

In the northern hemisphere for ages and ages there have been festivals celebrating the harvest!  And people like me who love the fall may breathe a special sigh of relief that the hot summer days are really and truly almost done.

The moderns who look back on ancient traditions talk about this being a time to seek balance and harmony - a time for us to look at what our excesses are - what our deficiencies are... And examine what we need to do to bring it all into harmony.

It's a whole lot like the Jewish High Holidays - focusing on what things to do differently in the year to come.  How to turn our thoughts and behaviors for the better.

So Happy Equinox!

May you find balance and harmony in your life.

Friday, September 21, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Friday, I'm SO glad you are here. 

And here's the long.

It's the end of a long week -- and here I am still up instead of in the bed.

I'm going to bed now, and I'm NOT turning on any alarm.

I'll write more on another day...


Thursday, September 20, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
It seems like this work week has already been 6 days long!

And here's the long.

I don't really know why this week has seemed so long, but it seems like a weekend should have been here a couple of days ago! I realize that in reading you can't hear my chuckle.

I've got another pretty big day that starts really early tomorrow -- and here I am up past 10 o'clock again!   I'm not sleeping very well, but I remembered those moon drops so I'm going to have a couple of those in the next little bit and see if that helps for this sleep coming up.

The dog, the cat, and the husband are all three already asleep!  I should follow along.

Night all.




Wednesday, September 19, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Mom rode the bus!

And here's the long.

Mom had the notion on Monday that she wanted to go to see her sister in Knoxville.  They have some things to do in Mt. Victory where they grew up and so it was important for her to get there. She wasn't keen on the notion of driving so she asked me to help her get a ticket on the Mega Bus!

We've all been hearing about it for months now and have just been saying that if she wants to go somewhere the MegaBus might be worth considering.  So she was willing to give it a try.

I got her over to EastGate, which is the departure place for MegaBus and she got on the bus all in good time.  They departed just a bit before 7:00 PM.  I called once while she was on the bus and she was having a good ride.  She was a bit disappointed that her seat on the bottom of the bus didn't give her a very good view out the window, but all in all she said that the ride was OK.  I heard from her about 9:00 and Joyce had picked her up and they were on their way back to Joyce's house for the evening.

If it turns out that this was a decent ride for Mom, I think we've hit on something.  She's taking the shuttle now-a-days when she goes to visit in Atlanta, but the Mega Bus at $14.50 for a one way ticket is quite the deal!


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Tonight we heard Diane Ravitch speak about public schools

And here's the long.

I told Alan tonight as we were driving home that it sure is nice to share my life with someone who thinks like me about so many things and shares my interest.  I mean I'm glad to have a life partner who thinks hearing Diane Ravitch speak is a good way to spend an evening.

She's written about ten books,   The one I think I should read first is called The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. 

I know her ideas are quite controversial, but she sure did hit a note with me.


Monday, September 17, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
May you have a healthy and sweet year!

And here's the long.



image from - http://www.schusterman.org/roshhashanah

Sunday, September 16, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
L' Shanah Tovah


And here's the long.




Saturday, September 15, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Kelly - you are one of my heros! 

And here's the long.

If you've read much of this blog you know that Kelly Montovani, my massage therapist is one of my favorites. Today was a regular massage therapy visit, but my back ache wasn't regular.  I'm having one of those spells where my back is really bothering me.  It's kept me awake for 3 nights this week. Well, I'm sure that I slept some, but it sure didn't feel like it.  Last night was one of those nights.

Kelly worked through all the achey spots.  She helped a whole lot, but I was still quite achey.  I ordered up a refill on the flexeril and took one this afternoon.  I'm going to try to not take them very much, but I'll keep them on hand.  I'm quite tired since taking it, so I'm planning to head to bed really soon.  Lots earlier than usual.


Friday, September 14, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
I'm fine and dandy!

And here's the long.

I had a follow up with Dr. Funderburk, my Retina Specialist.  He looked my eyes over and pronounced that I am good to go and that I don't need to see him for another year unless I experience something strange.  They coach me about what I need be aware of every time I go.  I like that they keep repeating it.  I'm to look for a flurry of floaters, or something like a curtain, or flashing lights, or anything else that just feels strange to me.  If I experience that, I'm to call them right away.  And I'll be sure to do that!

Mom's thinking she may get a new Cat tomorrow.  She's been wanting a calico cat for the longest time.  There's an owner surrender at the vet's office - and she's interested!  We'll just have to see what tomorrow brings. Maybe there's be a picture of a new family member.


Thursday, September 13, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
The weather is changing!

And here's the long.

This is a short week for me.  I'm not working tomorrow because I've scheduled a bunch of doctor follow up and routine check ups.  I like knocking stuff out all at once like that.  That meant that today was pretty crammed up getting everything done that needed to be taken care of.

I still have to get up with the chickens tomorrow because my first appointment is as early as I start to work.  But I scheduled it that way on purpose.  Maybe I'll finish a bit early and have an early start to this weekend.

This evening when I took Sophie out for her walk, I could really feel the change in the air.  I believe summer's days are numbered. There was a crispness that foretells the days of autumn!  And that will be such a relief after this long hot summer!  I tried to keep a couple of baskets of mums over from last fall, and indeed, they are just beginning to develop their first blossoms.  I may have let them bloom just a little early, but for a first time having them bloom just as the weather begins it's first turning is pretty good!

Good night all.  Hoping tomorrow is a great Friday for us all!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Great visit with the big brother!!

And here's the long.

Tonight was our last visit with Russ.  He'll be headed home tomorrow morning after I head off to work. It's been so nice having him here in Chattanooga. This evening we all went to Wednesday Night Church with Mom. It was hamburger night with a special dessert of brownies and ice cream.  We had a nice visit during dinner with the other regular Wednesday night church group and then had an opportunity to hear a visiting speaker.

I do wish that I could have had more time to spend visiting, but that will come at a later time.  Right now we got in as much visiting as possible with my work schedule.

I also got a great surprise tonight. My nephew Greg called from Montana.  We had a really nice long chat. What a nice evening to get to visit and get up to speed with everything that's going on with him.

And now I'm headed off to bed for a good night's sleep!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

So here's the short of it,
We do remember. 

And here's the long.

Today was a long work day.

I had meetings scheduled all afternoon - one of them changed places at the last minute, so my carefully thought out travel routes weren't useful at all. And we had an after hours mandatory meeting that lasted until 6.  I wasn't even home until almost 7. Mostly I was so busy that I didn't even really have much time to reflect on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks until I was home.

You know I know it's normal on defining moments in our lives to reflect on where we were, what we were doing, and how we felt.  But sometime a few more years in the future I suppose, more objective scholars will be able to look at where we were and how our world went on an entirely new trajectory after that moment in time.  Of course, we all knew it would.  But none of us really even had any idea what that trajectory would really be.  I think we all knew there would be some kind of war against whoever was found to be responsible.  I don't think we anticipated that we'd be eleven years later and still be experiencing the deaths of U.S. Troops in some foreign country that most people hadn't even heard of at that time.  I don't think we could have believed that we'd be engaged in a war that would last, at this point, 5 years longer than World War II.

Yet, here we are. I will have to say that television has seared images of that day into our collective memories.  Perhaps much like the newsreels or newspaper images of our parents age.  I remember seeing that second plane fly into the second tower over and over and over.  But the images that impacted me so profoundly were those of people jumping or maybe falling from the towers.  I've read that fire fighters going into a flaming building are sometimes run over by the rodents and roaches fleeing from the flames.  I've heard that approaching fire instills a powerful flight response.

For everyone who died that day, for all those who are friends and family of someone who died, I know we all carry an enormous sadness.  As I reflect I think, too, of the more than 6,000 American Military Troops who have lost their lives in the 11 years since this War on Terror began.  I think of their families and friends.  And I carry an enormous sadness that in all our human time on earth we still don't have a better way to solve our differences than to kill one another.

This is not an anti-war diatribe by some passivist liberal.  It's just the meandering thoughts of one woman who wonders why one group of people would train young men to commit suicide by flying planes into buildings occupied by innocent civilians. And how they might have imagined that would ever bring about a result that they wanted.  Perhaps I just can't imagine the result that they wanted.

One thing is for sure.
September 11 is a day we'll always remember.






Monday, September 10, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
What a fun evening...

And here's the long.

Oh my goodness.  When I went down to Mom's tonight to visit with Russ and stay for dinner, they had a box of old black and white photos out and had been reminiscing about the old days of the family.

I see a big project looming.  Scanning these photos and getting them into the hands of family!  That would be an exhausting but really fun thing to do.

Here's one of me when I was just a little tyke.

Talking with my big brother about growing up before having Mom's rendition of soup beans (pintos), cornbread, and fried green tomatoes -  what a way to take a journey back in time!



Sunday, September 9, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Today was a nice end to the weekend. 

And here's the long.

Today I sent a text to my neighbor that I was going to be in the garden for just a little while to gather tomatoes in case the boys wanted to come over.  By the time they were home from their excursion and she let me know I was already back inside the house - and only Ian wanted to come over, so I invited him to come over and pick some herbs and help me with dinner.

It was fun to have a little guy around - well he's 8 - that's not so very little.  He didn't get to stay for dinner, but his Mom promised a raincheck.  He peeled cucumbers and cut up chives for the tomato cucumber salad.  He helped me check the temperature on the chicken and then take it out to cool.  He was so excited to be in the kitchen and helping out.  I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes quite the cook as he becomes older.

Dinner turned out to be really good.  Liga ran over on her "lunch break", and Mom and Russ came up.  We had a great visit and after dinner spent some time just enjoying the cooler evening on the front porch.  I really do like it when my brothers come for a visit.  There's something about those guys I grew up with that is just special beyond measure.


Saturday, September 8, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Chow Mein - Howard style!

And here's the long.

Russ got into Chattanooga sometime late yesterday evening.  He and Mom ran errands most of the morning.  He's so good to figure out what kinds of things need to be done when he's visiting and then get them done.  Mom's had a leak in the hall bathroom - something I didn't even know about.  He got up on the roof, figured out what needed to be done, and then they went to Home Depot and got the stuff.  He'd probably already have it fixed if it hadn't started to rain this afternoon!

Anyway late morning, Mom called to say that Russ had decided we should make old timey "Howard Chow Mein", and to ask what I thought about that.  Oh My!  What a wonderful idea.

Dad had such an adventurous spirit in so many ways.  We must have been really small children - I suppose I was very small and maybe Steve had just been born.  Here's the way Mom tells the story.  Dad had been away for a convention.  At the time he was working as a County Agent and had probably gone to Lexington.  The group of them must have gone out to eat at a Chinese restaurant.  Mom says that he started coming home with cans of Chinese vegetables, rice, and such.  When she asked him what he wanted her to do with it, he told her that he thought they might make some Chinese Food.  So the great Chow Mein Adventure began.

My memories kick in with Dad in the kitchen cubing pork to make the Chow Mein.  Russ remembers helping Dad with that task and the great detail with which he removed the fat and made the pieces just right.  I don't have lots of memories of the way things were put together; Russ has much clearer memories of that.  I do remember that there was always a can or two of La Choy chinese vegetables in our food shelves.

My next memories - I was still really little - are of Dad telling us that we couldn't have any of the Chow Mein, because we weren't big enough.  Of course that really whet our appetite to try this food that no one anywhere else in our world was eating.  I for sure knew that Dad didn't know what he was talking about - I was certainly old enough to be eating Chow Mein.

I have another clear memory of a Chow Mein night.  It was in the Lynnwood Terrace house in Pineville.  We were eating in the Kitchen at the wooden round table.  Dad and Mom had been making the Chow Mein.  The noodles came in a can.  Mom would put the whole can into the oven on a low temperature to warm up.  The rest of the meal was done in skillets on the stove top.
We were all there - the family of five.  Mom and Dad sat next to one another and we kids sat around filling the table.  The food was in steaming bowls on the table.  There was an exact way every one put their plate together.  First the rice went on the plate.  Then there might be some variation.  I always put the Chow Mein mixture next and then the noodles on top of that so that they would stay crispy.  It seems that some one else put rice, then noodles, then the Chow Mein.  Dad still chuckled and told us that we couldn't have any because we wouldn't like it - although he knew that we all loved it.

Now here's another memory.  Dessert.  Dad and I both loved to have some of the leftover rice with sugar on it and then milk.  I can't remember if Mom or Russ or Steve ever partook in that particular delicacy.  It was a bit like his dessert on the nights when we had cornbread with our meal.  Cornbread crumbled into a glass with milk poured over it - eaten with a spoon.

Russ and I had a good time cooking the Chow Mein.  At dinner Mom asked if we thought it tasted like Dad's.  I loved Russ's answer.  He said - I think Dad would have to be here for it to taste the same.  It was good, but Oh Yes, Russ you're right -

I'm looking forward to more good days of visiting with Russ.

Friday, September 7, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
I'm very excited to get to the end of a Friday. 

And here's the long.

Wonder why these short weeks sometimes seem so long!

I was sure glad when time to go home came around today, and I'm looking forward to a great weekend.  Including, I hope, giving Sophie a good bath.  She found something that smelled really good to her.  But I'm going to get that scent washed off!

We are supposed to get a little rain tomorrow morning and then the temperature is supposed to drop a little for a few days.  So I'm looking forward to the cool down!  

Thursday, September 6, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
I need another plan. 

And here's the long.

Today I had a meeting I had to attend.  It was held at the new EastSide Utility District.  It's a great meeting space just next to our central office.  The building is brand new and the rooms (and yes restrooms) are so lovely.  The meeting room is big and bright with space for projecting presentations and good acoustics.

The furniture - now that's a different story - big plastic tables and the folding plastic chairs.  What a problem for my back.

Now Alan has suggested that I try out all of our outdoor leisure folding chairs until I find one that I can sit in and then carry it around in the car.  Then when I find myself in those situations that seem to happen about a half a dozen times every year, I can be pro-active about taking care of my back.

I've been nursing my achey back since about mid-morning because of those dumb chairs.  But a heating pad and some gentle stretches seem to be helping.  I'll pop a some ibuprofen before I head to bed and tomorrow I'll probably feel much better.  And if not, most of my day is in my office where I have a great chair that helps me manage!

So I think Alan's got good advice.  I'll figure out one of those chairs that doesn't give me back problems and it'll all be good.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
I'm making a blog commitment.

And here's the long.

I'm going to make this commitment here on this blog so that maybe I'll keep it.
Maybe some of you who read this blog will ask me about it.  I hope I will be able to tell you that I'm doing great with it.  But if not your query may inspire me to get back at it.

I'm going to spend some amount of time every single day doing stretches designed for my back.  I believe that if I can do that and also keep up my schedule of massage therapy, I'll be in much better shape.

I'm heading for the bed - tomorrow is an early day.  But before I do that, I think I'll do some stretches.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
I'm starting to get interested in making cheese. 

And here's the long.

I have a friend on Facebook who is always commenting about making cheese.  I don't know this woman, but she is friends with a college friend who moved to Alaska oh so many years ago.  She and I also think we may have some common ancestry.  Anyway, she has a farm near Homer Alaska!

Some of you know that I started making yogurt some time ago.  It was all Alan's fault.  He was buying my yogurt for me over at Earthfare because he goes over to that part of town a couple of times a week and Bi-Lo didn't carry Chobani or StonyField Farm which are (that should be were)  my favorites.  Well - one day he came home and said something about how expensive the yogurt was.  It wasn't critical at all - just an observation. I thought - OK - I can try making that.  And once I got the recipe how I wanted it, I like it much better than the store bought stuff.  And I know it doesn't have the stabilizers and other additives that commercial yogurts use to get the consistency they have.  Of course, mine isn't very consistent - it's a bit like my cornbread - always good, but always just a little bit different.

So now that I've got the yogurt down I got curious about Terry always commenting on making cheese.  She keeps goats and she sells milk and cheese.  So I just queried her.  She always just comments that she's put the milk on to boil for the cheese, or that she's got the cheese in the press.   So I just couldn't imagine it.  I've always heard of using rennet - although I don't think I've ever seen it sold anywhere at all.  I've never known anyone who made cheese before.  So it turns out that it's really pretty simple to make a simple cheese.  You boil the milk, add some vinegar, and drain off the whey!  There are a few next steps, but that's the basic recipe.  There's a vendor at the Farmer's Market who sells lotions and soaps made from goat's milk.  I'm going to ask them if they would be willing to sell me a gallon of goat's milk.  So I won't get to ask until Saturday, and then I won't get it until the next Saturday.  But I'm not really in much of a hurry.  But I'm anticipating it, I'm hoping to learn to make a very small batch that I'll like as much as I like my yogurt!



Monday, September 3, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
It was a wonderful visit with Pennie's family and Myra and Milko.  

And here's the long.

The flight from St. Petersburg to Knoxville was a pretty good deal. Of course, we still had the drive from Knoxille to Chattanooga at the end of it all, but since Allegiant is on a break in Chattanooga, we didn't have that choice. As good as it was to be all together, it's good to be back home again.

Of course there was an undertone of sadness during the whole visit because of the occasion, but we had wonderful family time. Deborah and David were wonderful hosts and for two days we really just hung out at their house and had time for those really good visits.  Here's a shout out for such wonderful hospitality!

It was nice to have Liga home taking care of everything for us. I wasn't a bit worried about the animals. They both love her and she takes really good care of them. She also left the house nicely cleaned up for us.  How nice to come home to that!

We got home early enough to get unpacked, and put up, and laundry done. I even had time to get a batch of yogurt going!

We left Tampa sunny and hot - the Isaac weather was gone before we got there. We came home to cooler weather, clouds, and by the time we were almost home sprinkles. It's not yucky weather - that came in the form of a pretty strong storm last night - and we missed it! Looks like we are going to get rain for the next couple of days. Now I don't love going to work in the rain, but I'm glad to have the rain coming - we are in debt for rain this season!

Heading off to bed in a bit - I had a moon drops lozenge in my mouth and the other on the end table. Lola is eating it! She finished as much as she wanted and now Sophie is finishing it off.  Maybe we'll all get to sleep a little faster. (I went and got another)





Sunday, September 2, 2012

So here's the short of it, 
Remembering Pennie today. 

And here's the long.

Today was Pennie's unveiling - the reason that we came for the weekend to Tampa.  For lots of my non-jewish family and friends.  I'm providing a link to an explanation of this tradition.  You can find it HERE. 

All three of Pennie's boys and their wives and children were there.  Myra and Milko came as well.  There were several of Pennie's friends in attendance as well.  After the service, we spent the afternoon at Deborah and David's home visiting and remembering Pennie by watching videos from years past.

Here is the beautiful headstone that the boys designed to memorialize Pennie.  It is such a beautiful Stone and each element of the stone was selected in a way that is just so appropriate for Pennie.

We are so grateful to be here.  And we miss Pennie so much.