Anna Kerenina

I finally finished Anna Karenina. All these years I have heard this book referenced in other books, articles, and movies. Whenever I looked at the book, it was so thick and it looked very intimidating. Thank Heavens for Audio Books and a semi long trip to and from work. After 30 discs I finished today. Would I recommend this book to my friends, no! I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it mostly because I don't love soap operas. The characters in this book are all missing a few brain cells. None of them know how to properly communicate and because they don't communicate well, they are unable to control their thoughts. There were long winded monologs that were so boring that I let my mind take off. I thought there would be more Russian History, but sadly there was very little. There was only one reference to the Tzar and none to the revolution that went on during this period. Sometimes when you finish a book you feel sad because you will miss the characters. I was so glad to be rid of the characters in this book that I came home and had a root beer float to celebrate. Maybe it was just too deep for me, but at least I did it, I got through Anna Karenina.

An artist in the family

Jeremy's watercolor was entered into the art show at the Community Center in Morgan Hill. They wanted him to display some more of his art, but there wasn't enough time to get them all framed. This is a lion in case you didn't recognize what it was. He is taking an art class from Lynda Bassett and it has brought out some of his hidden talent. Keep painting Jeremy.

On the needle

Is knitting an addiction when you would rather go home and knit than go out to dinner or a movie. Sometimes I have to force myself to go out because all I really want to do is work on my knitting. I'm addicted, I know it. But I'm not hurting anyone. I don't even think I'm hurting myself. And, it's legal, right? My palms get all sweaty whenever I see a ball of yarn. I haven't tried to stop. I don't care to. There are no patches to apply for this addiction. I think it's beyond hope. I can be compared to Madam Defarge only I'm not plotting any revolution. Not now anyway. This is my current project. This is the back of the sweater. The pattern is from "Design It Knit It" by Debbie Bliss I'm also working on another baby sweater for Amy Losee. She just had a new little baby girl.

The Morning Walk

Russ planted corn in the field on the west side of my house and in the field behind the barn. He made a rustic dirt road around the circumference of the corn field for me to take walks on. At least I think he made it for me, but the farm trucks and tractors use it too. I walk on it every Saturday morning, and I should walk when I get home from work, but it's been too hot and I'm pretty worn out when I get home. Morning is best. This morning was especially nice. Sunny, not hot, but not cold, just a little morning coolness. I really enjoyed my walk and the sites and smells of living in the country. There is so much to be grateful for and so much to enjoy in my own little world. I passed the windmill!! Some geese flew over, honking as they flew. I waved!! at the back of the cornfield along the road are the up to date facilities used by the squirrels and birds. I just don't get what the red and white striped pole is for. Maybe you hang onto it while you are sitting. I just don't know?? Down the road and across the dry creek from the cornfield there is a riding stable. You can see the corrals and the horses from the little road. Sometimes on a hot summer day I can smell the horse sweat and the leather smell from the stable. It's a smell that takes me back to a happy time in my life when I worked at the Watkins Creek Ranch in West Yellowston Montana. I was 18-19 and it is probably one of my happiest memories. There were a lot of horses, but I claimed Freckles as my own while I was working there. Freckles was a wide backed very tall Appaloosa with big eyes. She had two speeds. She either walked or she galloped, there was no trotting and that is what I liked about her. There was none of that up and down stuff when a horse trots really fast. I prefer bare back because I never learned to ride with a saddle. The bad thing about that is you always had this sweaty stain on your behind and legs. Getting up onto her back was a challenge for me because she was so tall and I was not. I would pull her over by the fence and coax her up against the fence and then jump on her back. Sometimes she would move quickly away just as I was jumping and then I would find myself clinging to her side trying to wiggle myself up onto her back. One of my favorite things that we did there was to take the "dudes" on a midnight ride. The moon would light our way as we rode through the woods. We would chat and ride and sometimes we would all break into song. Freckles felt differently about the night time rides. If she saw dark spots along the road which most likely were logs or rocks, she would start to quiver and she would walk sidways off the path because she was afraid that it was going to get her. A couple of times she jumped suddenly and unexpectedly to the side and Inertia would take me down. I couldn't get mad at her because she was trembling so much that I would have to soothe her and make her see it was alright. Really, the ranch was the best place in the world to be at that time in my life.

Today, on a hot day, but not as hot as last week, I baked. I made peach custard pie from fresh peaches, blue berry pie, and a plum tart. Not pictured, I made a Tomato/Corn Pie which was my favorite. If you have more tomatoes than you no what to do with, you need to make this pie. Pie Pie, me oh my, I love pie. Don't worry, I'm not going to eat all this pie by myself. I'm going to Becca's parents house for dinner tomorrow and I'm bringing desert. See you there Ryan, Becca, and Lydia.

One of my very most favorit gifts, one that I love and will always love is this pastry cloth, hand painted by my friend Nancy. It has a pocket in it that you slide a board into. I never use the board, I just lay it on the table to use it. The dough never, never sticks to it. You still use flour to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin, but you don't need as much; Therefore you have much less mess to clean up. Clean up is so easy, you just shake it outside or over the trash can and then throw it in the wash. I use it for rolling out dough, kneading bread, and sometimes I even use it as a cutting board to cut up veggies. To store it, you just fold it up and put it in a drawer. It's made out of medium weight canvas. Anyone could make one and everyone should have one. Trust me, you need one!!

The Dog Days of Summer

Summer is almost gone. I have neglected my garden all summer. No fertilizer, very little water, and this is what you get. one or two flowers on every bush. The flowers are pretty, but when you look at the whole garden together, it looks pitiful. I do love flowers and I use to love to garden, but its too much work for me now and it has been so hot. Remember when President Hinkley said (paraphrased) "I feel like the last leaf on the tree and the wind is blowing hard" We all laughed because we loved his sense of humor. I don't think I will make it to 96. I'm already feeling like the last leaf on the tree, only there is just a slight breeze right now.