Hi: This is the first time we have traveled with Betty and Dane in October and I really enjoyed it. I run hot so the cooler weather was a plus for me. I am to be on the estrogen blocker for three more years so spring and fall vacations might become the norm.
 
We went over to the Eastern Shore after spending the night in Va. Beach. Va. Beach was deserted but there was still sea food restaurants open. The last time we were on the Eastern shore it was dark so this time we could see the scenery. The road reminded me of the one in Nova Scota, two lanes right down the center and you have to go left or right to get to the towns and small villages. We saw the ponies. One man that we met in a shop said that it was such a mess in July that he closed his shop and stayed away. After Chincoteague we went on to Baltimore. The Inner Harbor is very pretty They have had to work just like Chattanooga to clean up the waterfront and make it safe for the tourist. We did not get to see an Oriole game since their season ended the weekend before we got there. We took a tour and had sea food. There was a touring De Vinchi show at State Museum that we enjoyed. While in Baltimore we found, after much running around, a restaurant that was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food network. Everyone else ordered the clam chowder. When it came if was the thickness of gravy. I asked later whether or not it was supposed to be like that or that it got thicker as the day went on. (We got there at 8 and they closed at 8:30). It turned out that it was supposed to be thick. Don did not like it at all--the flavor was good but the consistency turned him off. The rest of the meal was fine. It was very hot on the eastern shore and in Baltimore.
 
Going through Penn. we had to stop and eat with the Amish. As each day passed it did get cooler. Our destination was Boldt Castle located in the 1,000 Istands of New York State. right on the border of Canada. We stopped at a New York welcome center and picked up some brochures. We noticed that the Castle closed for the season on Oct. 12 and it was then Oct. 13. We still headed north anyway. Cooperstown, NY has the baseball Hall of Fame. Don and I had already been there but it was no hardship to go again. Cooperstown is such a pretty little town/village. The leaves were pretty and added to its beauty. We had a very good Italian dinner there. Somewhere along the line we stopped at the Crayola Factory. (Betty is the one that keeps a diary of where, when we stop, where we eat, what we see and she hasn't sent me a copy of it yet) We all had a good time there playing at the projects for the children. Betty and I both went crazy at the gift shop. They had everything Crayola. What I got will be a big part of Christmas for Maggie and her birthday on Nov. 21.
 
When we did get to Alexandria Bay the town was about closed up. There was one shop still opened. All the boats were being put up. The lady in the gift shop told us where to go to see the island. That was the only day that I put on my jacket.. The wind on the water was really cool. We saw the Castle from afar and several of the 1,000 islands. We heard that it was a very crowded place in the summer. Only local places to stay--no chains. We saw, but didn't cross, the International Bridge. We could have since we all took our passports.
 
In Ithaca, we saw snow. Probably the only time we will see it so we took pictures. I think it was in that area that we bought New York State Wine. We bought Chowder, lobster bisque in Chincoteague. We went to the Corning Glass works. Stupid me, when you say Corning I think of Corning ware.--bowls with blue flowers on the sides. The exhibits featured not bowls but fiber optics, windshields, etc. Very educational. By the time we were back in Pa. it was still snowing. it was homecoming at Penn State and the snow caused them to close tailgating and that affected 20,000 parking spaces. We were going that way to pick up some tourist places but we stayed out of there because of the Homecoming. We hit some town (whereever Cornell is) and it was hard to find a room. It was Cornell's homecoming also. (this was on a different weekend from Penn. state) We were lucky to be able to use a lot of the motel coupons from the books that you pick up at the welcome centers. Since we don't travel the interstates very much, sometime we had to find the interstates to get to the motels.
 
In Syracuse, can't remember if we were going north or heading south, 5 o'clock traffic (but light) we are in the left lane of two lanes going out of town. A young lady, about 16 and talking on her cell phone, zipped passed us on the right and made a left hand turn. Dane hit her on the rear fender. Both car and van went to the side street and stopped. Dane got out and I told Don to take down the plate number and description of the car. The young lady immediately said that Dane hit her. He did but she was at fault. Dane insisted on calling the police and the young lady hopped into her car and sped away. Dane continued talking to the police. They said that they would be right there. The car came back. The girl had gone to get her Mother. Dane had to call the police back and tell them that it was not a hit and run. After an hours wait, the mother and Dane agreeded to just go on. The right side of the van just above the passenger wheel had what Dane said was less the $500 and he could take it down to his shop and have it fixed. The girl had about $2500 damage and the mother said that she wasn't going to turn it in to the insurance so she wouldn;'t need a police report. This is the first accident that we have had in all the years that we have been traveling. No one was hurt and we were thankful. An accident always happens so fast.
 
In Pa. we saw three white deer. We saw a lot of deer on the trip. Authorities had better let people start hunting a lot more or we will be overtaken. In all of the trip, we rambled on and stopped when we wanted, ate too much--some very good and some ho-hum. We enjoyed the trip and being with Betty and Dane but it was good to get home. I have the most comfortable bed there is.
 
I don't know where we will go next year--maybe return to Mesa Verde. There were fires then and we could not enter the park. Who knows, we will come up with something. Love, Bernice

I forgot to tell you that I do have the new scooper, but I don't buy the litter box or liner. I use the aluminum pan, turkey roaster size, and just build the cake in that. Nothing is ever left to worry about keeping it in aluminum, either. You can use any large pan, a lasagna pan is good,too. I may use that today, as my lasagna pan is orange.

Back to laundry and baking....

Good morning,

Here is the Kitty Litter Cake recipe. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we have. I've made this for many years and have always had a lot of laughter with it.

Have a great day. Take care and God bless.

KITTY LITTER CAKE


    1 (18.25 ounce) package spice or German chocolate cake mix
    1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
    1 package white sandwich cookies
    1 large package vanilla instant pudding mix
    Green food coloring
    12 small Tootsie Rolls
    1 *NEW* kitty litter box
    1 *NEW* kitty litter box plastic liner
    1 *NEW* pooper scooper

       1. Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions (any size pans).
       2. Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble.
       3. Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in blender, they tend to stick, so scrape often. Set aside all but about 1/4 cup.
       4. To the 1/4 cup cookie crumbs, add a few drops green food coloring and mix using a fork or shake in a jar.
       5. When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a large bowl. Toss with half the remaining white cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. You probably won't need all of the pudding, mix with the cake and "feel" it, you don't want it soggy, just moist; gently combine.
       6. Line new, clean kitty litter box. Put mixture into litter box.
       7. Put three unwrapped Tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie rolls and bury in mixture.
       8. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top. Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly over the top, this is supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter.
       9. Heat remaining Tootsie Rolls, 3 at a time in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with cookie crumbs.
      10. Spread 5 of the remaining Tootsie Rolls over the top; take one and heat until pliable, hang it over the side of the kitty litter box; sprinkling it lightly with cookie crumbs.
      11. Place the box on a newspaper and sprinkle a few of the cookie crumbs around.
      12. Serve with a *new* pooper scooper.

I am still washing, folding/ironing, putting away. Each trip is taking both Don and me longer to recover. Brian cannot understand how we can come back from vacation tired. He'll understand in another 30 years. I can remember hearing my Daddy say that he was tired from driving (in the evenings on our way to our destination) and me, who had just learned to drive couldn't understand or relate to that.

When we were in Virginia we got us some potatoes, cabbages, and several different type of apples. All these taste different when purchased around here. The apples are especially good tasting. We got Winesaps, Stayman Winesaps, and golden delicious. I made potato soup and cornbread for supper and it was great. Don's mother used to take new potatoes and boil them. After boiling and peeling, she would brown them in a mixture of butter and wesson oil. They would have a crust on them and they were out of this world. Very good but not for the calorie counters. On the trip, I also bought jelly and preserves. I've done this for several years and have only wound up with one jar that I threw away 'cause it wasn't good. When we went to the orchard for apples, I bought 3 quarts of applebutter. It is made by a student that I taught when I was out and about in the teaching world. (Anne must be middle age by now) I have got to write her a note to let her know how much we like her product.

Donna, after James heals for a couple more weeks, you could take him to the lake. He can fish with his foot elevated. We also have a great many acorns but Don just drives over them with the mower. What he has to get up is hickory nuts. Once gathered he has to have Brian move them to the trash since the bucket is so heavy. How the squirrels break them open is something else. We used to have a dog and Sandy was sometimes hooked by a chain to his house. He would pull on the house, the house would get on the hickory nuts and the nuts would act like wheels and there goes Sandy
 and his house down through the yard. Sandy would also sit on top of his house so he could see what was going on. (It was not a flat roof but a pitched one) We lost him to old age when Brian was 18.

It is fall here; cool at night and morning but heats up during the day. We still have the air on since I run hot. I took long pants on vacation but I'm back to capri lengths now. I also kept out a couple of pairs of sandals.

I haven't heard of a kitty litter cake either. Maybe it is something Maggie and i can do together. Karen has Maggie for Halloween so we won't see her this weekend. Brian is crushed because he loves Halloween but he had her last year. Maggie wants to be a princess but I hear that her mother bought her a Tinker Bell costume. Wonder how that will turn out.

Got to get caught up on some of my e-mails. Love, Bernice

James had his surgery one week ago today and has an appointment tomorrow afternoon to have the stitches taken out. He has done really well as far as keeping his foot elevated. The doctor told him he would know when he had been up too much and he got the message Monday night. He had some swelling, but we put the ice pack on and he elevated it and it returned to normal. He still has several weeks of recovery time, but at least we are this far along.

Oh Lillian, 88 degrees sounds terribly warm for the end of October, but then you don't have to worry about ice and snow in the winter. It is a trade off, I guess. We are expecting another cold front late tonight or early tomorrow and they said we could have some strong storms. We had 2.6 inches of rain on Monday and really don't need any more, but hate to complain. The temperature has been in the 60's today and I don't think the cold front is going to make it much cooler or at least that is the forecast.

I have been working outside a little bit every day. Our red oak trees have a bumper crop of acorns and I have been picking them up. I don't think I have made a dent in them, but at least I am trying and it does me good to get out.

I have never heard of the kitty litter cake. When you aren't too tired, you'll have to post the recipe.

Bernice, glad to hear that you are home from the trip and we'll be looking forward to the details about all of your adventures.

Martha, maybe I should put you on our prayer list at church and tell them you need all the prayers they can provide. It was good to hear from you.

We had a nice rain last evening, lasting nearly an hour. We certainly needed that bit of liquid sunshine. The yards are parched and, as we have for so many years, we can only one day a week for 4 hours. Spread that 4 hours around the yard and it isn't much, even though our yard isn't nearly as big as some or as it was where we used to live. Complaining aside, I am thankful for that rain. We had a bit of wind, too, and the porch and sidewalk was covered in leaves from the neighbor's trees behind and to the side of us.

Tomorrow is laundry day and I also have to make a cake for Bill to take to the Halloween lunch at work. He is off that day, but he wants to take part in that little party. They have a lot of fun there and this year I am making a "Kitty Litter Cake". Ever made one or heard of it? I've made a few and they are something!!! Generates a lot of laughs, too. It isn't an inexpensive cake, but well worth the money and effort.

It is so humid here and warm. Should be about 88 or 89 today, if the weather people are right. That sun is very bright now and I am not about to venture out again. I went out earlier, just long enough to sweep the porch and sidewalk and was clammy when I came in. A cool front is expected on Saturday or Sunday, dropping the temps down to maybe 84 or 85. I'll take cooler, please.

I just wanted to touch base and give everyone a "hi".

Take care and God bless.

Martha, We are getting an Aldi store!!!Yeah!!! Great news, too, is that it will only be a bit over a mile from us. Bad news is that we won't have it open until a year from now. OK, I'll try to be patient. You, too, will be happy to know that Publix markets are now in SC and will be moving into NC soon. I love those markets. Very clean, always have what you need, have great sales and their employees are wonderful.

I keep checking for you as to where their stores are now. I'm your Publix location agent...how about that!

Take care and God bless.

Donna. I didn't mean to neglect you and I, too, pray for a complete recovery for James. It sure slows a person down when something happens to our feet. I think that James will want to over-do too soon and you will have to keep him from doing that. He wants to be busy and he loves the outdoors, but will have to control the urge to push a mower or work at anything that will involve using his feet.

I went to the Podiatrist yesterday and he told me that, besides the bunions (both feet, both sides of the feet...by big toes and small toes...)the calluses are thick and I have a lot of arthritis in the feet. Hey, tell me something new. He keeps shaving them off and that helps. He gave me some pads yesterday to put on my feet and it cushions that area, which helps a bit. I told our doctor that the feet hurt like a toothache and he said, "No surgeries". Gee, I know that. Any surgery is dangerous and he said that it is especially true for me since I can not fight any infection. I know that, too. I am thankful that I have feet and that I can walk unaided. Many people can't do that.

Prayers offered for James. For you, too, since a caregiver's work is not easy, either.

Take care and God bless.

I'm having some computer problems so it may take me awhile to type this and send it off. Seems as though the mouse, this one and the brand new one, are at odds with the computer. The mouse just dies and won't move until I unplug it and plug it in again. The new one won't operate in any port...period! Darn thing has us fooled and I have to wait to take it in to the shop. Had the car in on Friday and we also need 4 tires soon...so computer will wait.

Welcome home, Bernice and Don. I know how much you enjoyed your trip and how much you enjoy being back home. There really is no place like home, as Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz, tells us.

Maggie must be in happy land now with you home again. To a child, a day is so long and a week is forever! She will probably cling to you for awhile to reassure herself that you aren't going anywhere again.

Congrats to our own Martha "Stewart" Cheves. What a coup to have the food writer for the paper. Also, good luck on your upcoming signings. Of course, we shall all keep cheering you on.

Having fun with the grandchildren is always such a wonderful experience, whether it is baking, playing games or just hugging them. They grow up so fast and you just want to bottle up all of the memories to keep for later on.

I'd better go and give this thing a rest. Rest for me, too. I'm not happy with our weather the past few days and it is going to hot this week, too. I know that a certain guy that we know is dancing a jig with this weather, though. At least someone is happy and, from what others have been telling me here, that guy on his porch is probably one of two people who are happy with heat and humidity.

Oh, yes, before I go here are a couple of smile makers for you.

License plates: Awesom 1, Native (FL tag), Movin On.

Seen on a truck: Hang up and drive, Old truckers never die, they just buy another Peter Built (these were painted on a beautiful P Built truck)
 
From article in paper: Seen on a bumper sticker: Don't make me use UPPER CASE.
Don't you wonder how people can make up this stuff? Must be nice to have so much time on your hands.

Take care and God bless.

Like Bernice, I'm still here too.

Donna, I hope James does good with his surgery. When I broke my foot 3 yrs. ago I developed a 2nd ankle on the side of my foot where it broke. Yep, it actually looks like I have 2 ankles on that foot. I know that sooner but probably much later I'll have to have it removed. The Doc said it was a calcium deposit. I just don't have time to be off my feet for the 6 weeks that he told me I would have to be. I hate crutches and don't want to depend on anyone to do for me. At least it's my left foot so when I do have it done I can still drive.

Bernice, I did 6 loads of laundry yesterday. I don't mind washing and drying them, folding and hanging on hangers but I sure hate putting them away.

Lillian & Bill, I want both of you to take it easy and get well! I think you both need to slow down but I'm probably not the one to be giving that kind of advice.

Now for what's been going on. I actually had the lady who writes the food section at the Charlotte Observer contact me and wanted a copy of my book. She's the one I said I would never send it to because I didn't like some comments she wrote about receiving 600 books a year and they were all the same. She shouldn't have printed that. But anyway, she asked for mine so I sent it today. I think she spotted it on Amazon because she commented about some of my reviews. I have to work this Sunday - inventory input. Then the next 2 weekends I have book signings. Guess I need to get back into that mode for the holidays, which are almost here.

I went to my daughter's yesterday. My oldest granddaughter living here asked if I would help her make chicken & dumplins, she's 8. Couldn't resist that invitation. I bought 5 lbs. of chicken breasts, left and got half way there just to remember I had left the chicken in my refrigerator. So, I stopped at the store and bought more and a chocolate cake mix, icing and gummy worms. My 2 granddaughters and my grandson and I made "Dirt Cake." They were so funny. One poured the water into the cake, one poured the oil, and one added the eggs. Then they took turns mixing. After the cake cooled I put it into a large bowl and let them crumble it up to make the dirt. I put it in a dish, globbed the icing on and let them insert the worms. My grandson (5) was so funny. When he got his bowl of cake he picked up a worm, stuck it into his mouth, it had at least a tablespoon full of icing on the end and he sucked it up like spaghetti. You should have seen his face when the icing made it to his mouth.

Gonna call it a night. I just wanted to say hi to everyone. I'll start putting my book together the 1st of the year so I'll let you all know when you need to start saying some extra prayers for me as I pull out what's left of my hair.

Oh yeah, Bro. Rich, I haven't forgotten you. Keep the jokes and notes coming. They sure do life my day and keep me going. Haven't had to hug any trees lately. Seems the board is finished cutting, at least for now. Guess they are putting our money some place else.

Miss everyone.

Love & Hugs and God Bless Everyone and especially bless the food editor at the paper and let her give me a good review and write up.

I'M BACK............Don and I got back yesterday afternoon about 4. The kids were over here by 4:30. I don't know who missed who the most. We had a grand time and the time passed too quickly but it is good to be back in my own bed--I slept like a log last night without the aid of any medication. On the road I have to take a p.m. Don did have several bouts with his stomach with all the different foods but overall he rallied quickly. Brian asked for Maggie today and tomorrow in addition to the weekend so we could see her. He worked today so we took care of her. I had to start the laundry 'cause I was out of underwear. The washer and dryer have been going all day. It really didn't need it but Don mowed the lawn this afternoon because it is supposed to rain tomorrow. The rain gauge had almost 5 inches in it. I'm surprised that the lawn hadn't grown more. I'm sure Brian was glad that it didn't. The only problem we came back to was a downed cable line. It came down when a big limb hit it Friday night. We still have cable and internet. It is loose from the house and they are to be here to fix it tomorrow. I will post a message tomorrow to tell you about the trip. I need to go fold clothes. Love, Bernice

P.S. The first weekend we were gone I talked to Maggie on a Friday night and told her to watch for postcards. I shouldn't have mentioned postcards because none of them arrived before she left to go back to Knoxville. Brian said she had a handful by the next weekend.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I've been busy.

James had foot surgery on Wednesday and it just seems like all the days pass by and I don't sit down at the computer.

He had a large calcium depost on the big toe and he has a nice incision to prove it. I took him back to the doctor on Thursday and he is doing fine. He has to stay off of it as much as possible so he spends much of his time in bed with his foot propped up on three pillows. Oh, the life of leisure, I told him. He just grimaced.

We've had rain again this week and have been cool. In fact, it was 43 last night. On Wednesday, we had to drive to the hospital and it is quite a distance from our house. It started raining when we got there and I drove home in rain, but it wasn't too bad. We made it safe and sound although it seemed like it took forever. When the doctor operated on my foot several years ago, he used a hospital in Richardson which isn't far from our house, but now he's changed to a hospital in Dallas, but I could see why as we got excellent care for the short time we were there. It's a small hospital and they mainly do orthopedic surgery there. Wonder if we will get that kind of care if the government gets their insurance reforms in place?

Tomorrow is the luncheon day for our Sunday School class, but we won't make it. I may go to church in the morning, but I will come home and take care of my patient.

Have a nice Sunday.

If Richard is sitting on his porch with his "liar's club" members, I'll bet that they are not wearing shorts and polo shirts and that they will be drinking hot coffee this morning. Whew! Could you hear my sigh of relief and my happy laughter when I went outside this morning? I even gave in and wore a jacket. It was to dip to 49 or 50º last night and I believe that it must have done that. By Thursday, though, we will be back to mid-80's again and they are telling us that humid weather shall, once again, rear its ugly head.

I saw the ENT doctor this morning and the CT scan shows the lumps in my neck but he said that they don't look abnormal. The tenderness is still there,as are the lumps and if they get more tender, or if the swelling comes again, it will be more antibiotics. If that doesn't work, the surgery that would happen then would be major and involve more than the one gland. I also asked him about my taste buds being so crazy. Everything either tastes like it is spoiled/sour or I have no taste at all. He said that a lot of that comes from the severe dry mouth, which affects the glands as well. The other cause is the meds that I take and I need them if I am to keep trucking in this world. So, I'll continue to carry my water bottles and not enjoying anything that I eat. Most days, I just eat a few bites of things and skip the rest. I do like the veggies and fruits, some carbs (a half of a small baked potato does it, or a half slice of bread). Can you imagine that even oatmeal made me sick and I couldn't eat it? However, I did manage to get into a blouse and a jacket that I haven't worn in over two years.

I am taking the day off, except for meals and clean-up, of course. I have been moving recipes from old newspaper clippings onto the recipe files on the computer. Some of them are duplicates, so they can just be tossed.

I hope that everyone enjoyed their weekend. We did. We went to church and I took the Strawberry-Pretzel Salad and they loved that stuff. One young man looked at it and said, "Lillian's Back!!" He is such a clown and such a nice guy. His Mom and brother are really good people, too. His brother is the exact opposite of him, as he is so very quiet.

The church, along with 5 other congregations, are working in an old, closed restaurant to make it where homeless will have shelter and a good working kitchen. I think that Bill and I will go up on Saturday and see what we can do. If we can go, I'll take a salad and some goodies for workers and the homeless who are showing up to help. Our church is small but, boy, they do so much good here and in surrounding counties. The owner of that building that I just spoke of, has it up for sale, but allows it to be a shelter until sold. Actually, he was there cooking for the crowd a couple of time. The boss of a young man at church came in and noticed that there was a need for exit lights, then went on to notice wiring, so he supplied it all and even went to work helping out. Now, that is surely the way that this country used to be.

Well, I'd better grab some lunch.

Take care and God bless.

Hope Bill gets a good report from his cardiologist and from the endoscopy. You and Bill are like us and have a list of different doctors. James sees the Podiatrist tomorrow for a "pre-op" visit as he is having foot surgery the next Wednesday (10/21) to remove a calcium deposit on his toe. He has tried to get by without the surgery, but he has shoes that he can no longer wear as it hurts the toe so he has given up and said let's get it over with. If all goes well, he'll be in a ortho shoe or boot for 4-6 weeks. He worked last week getting everything ready to go into the greenhouse. He hasn't decided whether he will put the plants into the greenhouse or wait until he gets the boot off. He's just watching the long range forecast.

We expect everyday for it to change back to summer, but so far, it is just cool and damp. We have had light rain for most of today and it is 66 degrees at 3:00 in the afternoon. Wished we could save some of this for later when we really need it. Everything is so saturated now that is running off as there is no place for it to soak in. Sunday's high was 59 degrees and it was a record for that day. I don't know what is causing this...I don't think it would be global warming. I'm sure all those people would have a good explanation for it. I couldn't believe the snow/ice in Colorado and some of the northern states. Now that would be miserable!

Guess I had better go check the dryer and see if the clothes are ready to fold. As the saying goes...a man may work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done......

Hope Bernice is enjoying good weather on her trip.

Bill had his stress test this morning and will have the endoscopy consultation on Friday. I don't understand why, when he has seen this same doctor for several years and has an endoscopy nearly every year, he has to have a "consultation" each time. I guess it all comes down to money; making more of it, at least.

He also had to stop to see the audiologist after the stress test. His left hearing aid had to go back because it really ate up batteries. Now, the right one is doing much the same, just not as many or as often. Mine last several times longer than his do.

We are promised a "cold front" for this weekend, starting with rain on Friday. I'll believe it when it happens. It is 91 today and it is so oppressive outside. The air is heavy and so hot. I often wonder what the early pioneers, with long dresses and long sleeved shirts handled it here. We moved here 38, nearly 39, years ago and there were so many places with no A/C, including Leslie's school. We went swimming on New Year's Day and never had to wear even a sweater, except for one or two days each winter. I count days until late fall/ winter and then early spring because you can actually take a deep breath of air.

I did some housework today and will finish up tomorrow. I'm tired but feel good that I could do as much as I did. This house isn't hard to keep up but I do wonder where all of the dust comes from. We have paved streets and sidewalks, lawns and shrubbery around the homes and we have so much dust. I did dust off ceiling fans again and dusted some of the cookbooks in the bookcases.

The wedding of our grandson has been moved from Nov. to Feb. That gives us some breathing room between weddings in the family. We had been looking at the Sept. wedding, the Nov. wedding, Thanksgiving and the Christmas and we were going to be hopping. Throw in 6 family birthdays between Sept. and Feb. and you can imagine how tired we would all be.

Hope all are well and able to enjoy the day.

Take care and God bless.

Donna, I am so jealous of your temperatures!!! It will be 92 today, about that now, I think, and looks like no relief until mid-week, next week. That is a "maybe", too. I would just stop watching the weather portion of the news, but it is still hurricane season until the end of November.

We were out for just a little while this morning and it was so hot and not a sign of a breeze at all. We went to the bank, post office, stopped by a grocery store for a couple of items and went on to the library to return and pick up more books. I could stay in that place for hours! We have beautiful libraries here and they have had to cut hours and personnel. I'd be happy to pay an annual fee to keep them operating.

My sister had a very successful hip replacement a few years ago. She had a quick recovery and does everything that she always did before. She lives in a tri-level home with stairs to each floor and she mastered them quickly. She is always so busy, her home is immaculate and she is one of the best cooks and bakers in the world. She is very active in her church and neighborhood...so that hip hasn't held her back at all. They take annual trips to different countries, plus Alaska and Hawaii and she enjoys each place that they visit. Can't keep that girl down, for sure!

Best of luck on your blood work and I hope that you can stay off the meds. About 2 years ago, my dosage was changed for the Metformin (now doubled to two 500mg caplets twice a day) and the doctor added Januvia, 1 100mg tablet a day. This has really helped the blood sugar to come down, but I am still working on it as it needs to be lower.

I copied your Breakfast Casserole and put into my recipe file on the computer. It surely sounds good. I have made several of these casseroles and so many are different and have different ingredients. I have made some for church and they devour them! Many of the people there go in so early to set everything up and they often go in without eating breakfast. Sometimes we see wrappers from McDonald's or Burger King. They all appreciate whatever is taken in and, believe me, that church family can eat.

Maxine, Lee and Richard: Don't know where you are, but you are on my mind. Yesterday, I put a CD in to play and it was given to me by Leslie, January 2006. Well, I had forgotten what all was on there, such as Christmas 2005, and I was so pleasantly surprised to see the three of you, Leslie, Bill and I at one of our little get-togethers. Actually, there are two different times there and we are at two different restaurants. How nice to see those smiling faces and how good you all looked! I think that I'll look at that all again today; the disc is right in front of me. So, if you feel as though someone is thinking of you... it's just me.

To all, take care and God bless.