Javelina Pig

In case anyone was curious about what the javelina pigs looked like that Sid mentioned in last night's email. Perhaps Roberta should capture a few and then freeze the meat for when MV arrives. Here are some recipes. By the way, the night you're cooking or eating javelina, I'm busy. If Roberta is doing the cooking, I'm really busy. If you're interested in more information about the lovely animals try Wikipedia.

Remember the pig roast at Cris's wedding?

Surfing while Bicycling

Saying I recently heard and the weather

"You can write it on a block of ice." Sounds like something Grandma would have said. I remember her telling us about ice being delivered, etc.

When I first got on the computer this morning - about 45 minutes ago - it was about the same temperature in New Vienna and Sun City West. Although projected high today for New Vienna is 66, projected high for Sun City West is 93.

Ginny in Steel Magnolias

Ginny finishes her second show in two weeks tonight---Last week they presented Disney's "High School Musical" but I think she enjoyed Steel Magnolias more. Wish you all could have seen it! :)

Ginny singing solo 10/21/07

A Cake for the Crowsons

The link is in the title or here.

Paradise Bakery and Sun City history

Roberta wasn't feeling well last night so Sharon, Sid and I went to Paradise Bakery. The food was very good - I had a half of a vegetarian sandwich (Roasted Portobello mushrooms, red pepper hummus, jicama, avocado and Havarti cheese, sprouts, lettuce and tomato on multigrain bread) and a cup of fire-roasted tomato soup. Food was quite good. We think that Mom and Dad would quite like it - the one we went to is over near Sprout's on Bell Road. I'm relatively sure I've been to a Paradise Bakery before, Gerry said it wasn't with them.

Internet connection was down last night for some reason, but seems to be up and running this morning.

Sharon and I went to see the first Sun City house/museum yesterday - it was a big step back in time - early 60s. The house's original price was $8500 - two bedrooms, one bathroom - fairly small, but the kitchen was, relatively speaking, a good size. The house, particularly the kitchen and the bathroom had a lot of pink in them. Originally, air conditioning was an extra $600. Might be a nice little stop from Mom and Dad when they are out here - they're open 1:30-4 Tuesday through Friday, I think. Also, a number of maps of the Sun City/Sun City West areas back in the 60s.

The latest from CNN, but did you all see the news about Medtronic and think of SID?

June 26, 2007 -- NANCY Grace is revealing that she was secretly married in April-and that she's expecting twins in January.
"I'm finally not keeping it a secret anymore," she told The Post.
Grace says she still hasn't told CNN that she's pregnant. She'll officially make the announcement tonight on her Headline News show, "Nancy Grace."
Grace married David Linch -an Atlanta investment banker she has known since they attended Mercer College together in the late 1970s.
"We've been in touch all these years and a lot of time we were separated by geography and time," she says. "It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to get married. I told my family only two days before [the wedding].
"We got married in April in Atlanta with just my family and his family there," she says. "It was a simple ceremony conducted by my longtime pastor from a little Methodist church in Macon.
"I walked down the aisle to my favorite song, 'Moon River,' and I did my own vows. I read from the Book of Ruth and I wore my sister's bridal veil.
"I never thought it would happen like this," she says. "I thought 'mother' and 'wife' was just not part of God's plan for me.
"This is such a blessing, and I just can't believe that, at my age, I would find such happiness."
She declined to say if she'd had fertility treatments in order to become pregnant at age 47.
"But you tell women out there that there is hope," she said.
Time will tell if motherhood and marriage mellows the cable news channel host's pit-bull disposition.
But her personal news does answer questions that arose when she left Court TV last month.
"I knew something had to go, and that [something] was Court TV," she says. "I was firm that I wanted out of my option, but I didn't reveal that I was carrying twins."
So how does Grace think CNN will react to the news? "They'll be thrilled," she says. "I don't think they'll be angry at all."

Waking up time

IT appears some folks are up before I am for the day! Great pictures......thanks for posting! We are off for our favorite meal out, and then to buy a garbage disposal, I thought ours was just on strike, but even the repairman said it has died! More later of our exciting life! We were at Walmart yesterday, I still don't understand what the fellow in the WSJ was saying when he said people were staying away from Walmart because they were too crowded......Roberta the poster

Mom & Dad - June 2007

Carolyn (Vanzant) Brown sent me this picture which she says was taken at a graduation party for Jerica Keplinger. Great picture, lovely setting!

Among the animals

Wendy got a zoo membership for her birthday and has taken KC several times already. We went with her last Monday to celebrate Columbus Day. KC especially like patting the goat (pictured next to him, and one under the bench he and Wendy are sitting on also) in the petting area.

Only 3/4 school year remains

Glad to report that we have made it through the first 9 weeks and between the two kids only 1 B on the two report cards (I nearly flunked Chemistry so I can't say anything about a B in it!). Today is homecoming at school with the big football game tonight but no school sponsored dance. Does Grace Baptist (or whatever the school name is) have homecoming festivities?

Double Decker Chair in Black and White

Fat Cat and Skinny Cat do reside on Ballad Drive. This is one of their favorite chairs in that residence. I decided to make photo black and white since the chair and the decoration behind Fat Cat were the only really colorful places in the photo.

Libraries

I thought some of you might get a kick out of this Google maps mashup. It can display US public libraries on Google maps. You can check out where the libraries are near a particular zip code. Neither Sun City nor Sun City West libraries though are on the map.

It doesn't show academic libraries, so if one was looking for, say, University of Cincinnati library, one would have to ask Roberta - or a passing stranger.

Click on the title of this post to see the libraries near 85375, including Catherine's. Northwest Regional is also on the map, but as a central library. Has anybody been to Peoria (AZ) library?

By the way, you don't have to know the zip code, you can just move the map around until you get to the area in which you are interested.

Fat Cat and Skinny Cat

Fat Cat is photographed under the front lanai table. She loves being outside. I had an even better photograph of her last night sitting on one of the lanai chairs, but it was too dark to really see very much. Skinny Cat's photo is in the living room - the photo is compromised by the fact that that I had to lighten it so much due to not enough natural light. Skinny Cat does not like to go outside too often and when he does, he doesn't stay out very long. Perhaps I should learn to use the flash on the camera - assuming there is one.

I sent a copy of another of Fat Cat's photos to Pat to say "Hello" to Dinky.

Cool temperatures in SCW

Last night I actually closed the windows as the air was too cool - low 60s, I think.

With all the excitement of the big lunch out on Thursday at Persian Garden, I forgot to ask Catherine about the big San Diego trip. By the way, Pat called to tell me she had a wonderful time.

Busy day in Glendale

A parade and carnival in downtown Glendale today in honor of fire prevention week and a Family Fitness Fair at the library are among the happenings in Glendale today. We're also busy at work processing first grade library cards for our annual push to get all first graders a special Ready Set Read library card which enables them to get "prizes" the first three times they use their library card as well as follow up prizes at the end of first and second grade.

Hope family members on the road today have good journeys as the easterners head west and two of the SCW contingent head east. Looking forward to our vacation later this month!

Other family members' sayings

Do you want a medal or a chest to pin it on?

It is spelled like "Bible" - U-I-B-L-E, that's the name for me.

You're paying for colored water.

You only need to see the bill if you're paying it.

As they say, "You've got a great voice inside of you, 'cause it sure isn't coming out of your mouth."

Homework before TV

Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.

You'll go and you will have a good time.

Say "MONEY" [as we looked into the camera].

Smell the money [as we passed "fragrant" farms].

Mother's favorite sayings

There's no point in crying over spilt milk. (Although one time when Roberta dropped a full glass gallon of milk, there did seem to be a point to yelling about it.)

Six of one and half a dozen of another.

Little pitchers have big ears. (Although for years I thought it was "pictures" which didn't make much sense.)

Wait until your father gets home.

Get the yardstick. (if you were in trouble) Go outside and get a stick. (if you were in bigger trouble) Go outside and get a big stick. (if you were in BIG trouble)

If it was a snake it would have bitten you.

If I told you once, I told you a thousand times.

If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all.

No elbows.

Aunt Cora is alive in you. (in reference to anyone who just plopped into a chair)

No boarding house reach.

What do you say? or What is the magic word? (if you failed to say "please")

It is before the at. (When you said "where is it at?")

If I wanted you to just yell for your siblings, I could have done that myself.

I know you CAN, the question is whether you MAY.

Salt of the earth.

The problem with kittens is that they grow up to be cats.

Smile like you mean it.