Another great reunion has ended

Our eighth annual cousins' reunion is now over.  It was a fun time and one I will not forget!  It had twists and turns of the unexpected that will give me a lot of laughs going forward.

I decided to arrive in the small Alabama town a day earlier than usual just to spend quiet time on the land that has been in my family since back in the 1800's.  After driving twelve hours the first day and eight hours the next day, it was a relief to arrive at my destination.

The property is out in the middle of no where, miles from civilization.  I like it that way.  It is a true escape.  "I don't like you back there all by yourself," more than one of my cousins said to me when they knew of my plans.

The old road, actually, it is more a "path" than a road, leading back to the property was ragged with weeds and branches slowly covering it.  I pulled out my folding chair and planned to read my book.  But I found myself really taken in with the solitude, the peacefulness.  All around me were tall trees, mostly pine, a quiet pond, bright skies.  The only sounds were the birds singing and the breeze blowing in the trees.  Occasionally a car drove by on the paved road, about a quarter mile from where I sat.  I could feel the stress of the everyday world draining from my body.  My work life is frantic, full of politics and conflict.  Even the strongest soul needs to escape this routine once in awhile.

"Ping!"  That meant a text.  Two of my cousins found every excuse in the book to text me to check up on me.  I didn't mind that.  It's a good thing to be able to escape the real world but still be connected "just in case."  And it is comforting that somebody cares.

Once or twice I got up from my chair and walked around a bit, imagining the scene a century ago of my dad and his siblings playing on this very land and helping out in the cotton fields.  My grandparents farmed this land with animals and cotton fields.

When I finally decided to leave and return to my hotel, I was "attacked" by two big dogs running at me as I got out to close the gate to the property.  I know dogs and I knew these were not vicious dogs.  One of them jumped up on me wrapping his legs around me, clamoring for attention, his tail wagging back and forth.  His owner came running after him, embarrassed that he had jumped on me.

"I saw you go back there and was so worried about you being back there by yourself!  There are snakes back there!"

Laughing, I said, "Yeah, I get the same thing from my cousins."  Truth is I have never seen a snake on the property.

I'll continue with my adventures in following posts!

Snow in April?

I forgot to put my car in the garage last night and look what happened!

DOGS. . . Ugh!

I wanted to see if Bailey is mature enough to give her a nice dog bed that is much more comfortable than the old towels I throw into her cage.

Last night I put two old bed pillows covered with two old pillow cases in the cage.  At night, both Bailey and Morgan sleep in an oversized cage.  Morgan doesn't need a cage, but it prevents me from stumbling over her if I get up in the middle of the night.  Also, it allows me to get out of bed in the morning without being attacked by an over excited dog. . . Yes, Morgan, I love you too, but could we hold off on the claw marks and wet tongue on my face the second the alarm goes off???

Things went well.  I noted there was less moving around in the cage during the night.  This morning both pillows were intact.  I was proud of them both.

Maybe I judged too quickly.  A little while ago, I put them back in the cage so that I could get some work done around the house without worrying about the two of them getting into trouble - you know,  the "when things get too quiet" syndrome.

I was busy in the kitchen when I heard that unmistakeable sound.  Going to the bedroom, I saw it.  Bailey was ripping away at the pillow and the filling starting to come out.  Now that is all I need for her to swallow a big chunk of that!

My annual trek South

Before long, I will be heading South for my annual cousins' reunion.  This will be our eighth year getting together on the old homestead where my grandparents raised cotton. . . and four children.  It is a fun time and one in which we look forward to all year.


We enjoy target shooting, walking the land, fishing, and just telling tall tales that get bigger every year.  Like the time when we were kids and there was a dead white bird with a long neck at one end of the pond.  Someone used a small branch to prop up the bird and Kenny, who was at the far end of the pond, shot it with his rifle.  "YOU GOT IT, KENNY!"  From his view, he thought the bird was alive and for a short while (well, depending on who you believe), Kenny thought he had hit it!


It is a two day drive down and two day drive back for me.  Yes, I am tired after that.  But it is a welcome change of pace for me.  I drive along on the interstate and watch Spring come alive the further South I drive, listening to my satellite radio, and enjoying the scenery.  I drive through or around 8 large cities but out on the open highway, it is a relaxing drive with no schedule to meet and being my own boss.


It is important to keep in touch with your roots and believe me when I tell you, nobody has the kind of crazy, colorful relatives that I was blessed with.  There will be a lot of laughs.  Political correctness?  What's that? 


Watch for pictures in future posts.

Apple, Cauliflower, and Grape Salad

This one's a sure winner.  You will love the blend of flavors.  And it is a nutritious lunch or part of a dinner meal.  Take it to your next potluck!


2 sweet, crisp apples, chopped
1 small head cauliflower
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup grapes

Combine the above.

Dressing:

1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon horseradish

Combine the dressing ingredients and then stir into the salad.

I couldn't wait till it chilled!  It's good without sitting in the fridge.

Green for St. Patrick's Day

Some of my co-workers and I wore green yesterday for St. Patrick's Day

We had treats in the conference room, all green - and ALL delicious!  And earlier in the day we had a contest to see who could find the most pennies hidden in the hallway.  All were hidden "within plain sight" but trust me, it wasn't that easy to spot all of them.

A super great salsa recipe

I have several salsa recipes but this one is the best!  It tastes even better than it looks.  

2 cups black beans

1 papaya, chopped

1 mango, chopped

1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped with the juice

juice of 4 limes

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 of a red onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 1/2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

I think the original recipe called for a jalepeno pepper, but I'm not a jalepeno person.  Pepper is good enough for me!

Looking forward to another season of smoking meat!

This will be my third season of smoking meat in my Weber Smoky Mountain Smoker.  Folks, good eating just doesn't get any better than smoked meat!


My all time favorite is, well, actually I have two big favorites!  One is pulled pork with Carolina BBQ sauce.  The other is a brisket.  I can just taste both of them now as I sit here writing!


And the nicest part, it is so easy to get wonderful results.  For a long time I wanted to get into smoking but had this vision of it being complicated to get good results. Finally, I decided to buy a smoker and give it a try.  The hardest part was getting it in my car!  The box barely fit.  Next I took everything out of the box and spread it across my living room floor.  Putting it together was easy. I have the 18 inch model.  There is a 14 inch and a 21 inch (that refers to the diameter of the smoker.)


So give it a try.  You'll love the results.

Bailey is 9 months old today!

Bring a Lab puppy home and your world will never be the same again!

I have owned Labs, okay the truth is Labs have owned me, for over 30 years.  There is something about a Lab that will grab your heart and never let go.

Each one has their own personality and quirks.  Bailey is no exception.

I am a fanatic about choosing the right breeder.  In searching for my next puppy, I had decided on a breeder in Cobbleskill, NY.  But the dog from which she had chosen for me to get a puppy, never went into heat on my schedule.  I didn't want to bring a new puppy home in the middle of a New York winter.

I began networking.  I knew of a breeder in the Cincinnati area but she wasn't going to have puppies for another year.  She put me in touch with a breeder near Cleveland.  That breeder had just had her first litter of puppies.  That was a red flag to me.  First time breeder?  Not sure I wanted to go that route.

Another "Lab person" friend of mine assured me, "If Alicia says she is reputable, she's reputable."

So I arranged to go meet this new breeder, who lives near Akron, Ohio, out from Cleveland.  I drove down on a weekend.  I wanted to know what kind of people this couple were, how were the dogs being raised.  It didn't take long talking with them to know they knew what they were doing.

I was their first customer and it wasn't easy for them to let go of this puppy!  That told me they were not in the business to make money.  They genuinely cared that their puppies went to a good home.  They gave me an old towel, with the scent from the litter,  when I brought Bailey home.  This went a long way in helping her adjust to her new home.  That first night, she only cried when she woke up and needed to go out.

Bailey is definitely one of a kind.  The first week I had her, I turned my back on her for just a second, to pour a cup of coffee.  In the blink of an eye, she grabbed the end of a roll of toilet paper on the bathroom wall and ran through the house at the speed of sound.  Morgan, my other Lab, looked at me as if she were thinking, "Geez, I never thought of that!"

Bailey is my first counter surfer. . . a trait I am trying diligently to break.

She never meets a stranger, a common trait of Labs.  As rambunctious as she is, she has learned if she sits quietly while I am eating and looks at me with those eyes, she will probably get a last bite of my food!

To my way of thinking, if you don't have a Lab in your life, your life just isn't complete.

Cast Iron Breakfast!

Someone I work with has heard me preach on the virtues of cast iron cooking for so long that she recently bought her own skillet.  She arrives at work almost an hour before I do so I decided to have some fun this morning.  As my breakfast was cooking, I snapped this picture with my iPhone and e-mailed it to her right in front of my stove!  It made her day!