Do You See the Doggy?

 I see a dog with fluffy ears.

Big dog at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

Elephant.  Do you see it?

Have you noticed those big, billowy clouds the last few days?  I keep dreaming that they hold rain, but nar a drop......maybe tomorrow.

Back in the day, back on the farm, we longed for clouds such as these, especially when we were hoeing peanuts.  The shadows they produced were a welcome relief from the glaring hot rays of the sun, and those whip cream pillows brought day dreams of down pours that would send us scurrying to the house.  Anything to get out of work even if it meant giving up our dollar per hour job.....for that is what we got.......yep a dollar per hour.....and believe me, I thought it was a great deal of money.  If I worked 5 hours that would be $5.  Multiply that by 5 days and I would have $25, which in 1962 was a huge amount of money for a 13 year old.....and I got a tan.  If I could make $100 a summer, wow...think of all the clothes I could buy.

Memory:  You knew I'd have one, didn't you?  I have a vivid recollection of my brother, my oldest younger (got that?) sister, and me (around 8 years old) under a tree in the front yard (of the north place) watching clouds just like these.  Laying there on our backs with our hands behind our head, there was no limit to our imagination. 

If you get a chance, and especially if you have little ones in your life, make a point to play this little game.  They will have a great time with you.  Use your 8 year old imagination.  Do you see the doggy?

Wish I was back under that tree with my little brother and sister, knowing for sure that ALL was right with the world.  I love you.     

Okra Anyone?

Can you guess what this is?  And if you say it is pot, then I know you must not know your pot!  Seriously, a couple of years ago our neighbor from Michigan asked if it was pot.  We had to laugh.  Had he known us, he would not have had to ask that question. 

 One of my last summer tomatoes.  He is a little guy, but I will never throw out a tomato.  This heat is wreaking havoc on my vines, and even with steady watering they cannot withstand this heat.  I have a dozen or so on the vines still, but the days are numbered.  Thankfully this year I had enough tomatoes to can picante sauce.

This cucumber is no longer on the vine.  He is now on my kitchen cabinet, cooling down for my dinner tonight.  Cucumbers are still putting on little tiny cucumbers, but they are yellowing and swiveling from the heat so they will never be big enough for eating.

By the way, if you hadn't guessed, the first picture is okra, and if you are from Oklahoma and don't know that, I am ashamed of you. 

My hubby loves okra, but it has to be fried crispy.  I like mine softer so when I fry it, which is seldom, I take my portion out before his.  My mother was a huge fan of boiled okra, and each year she would put some in the freezer to add to winter soups.  Saturday I put a package of the smaller pods in my freezer for the same purpose.  Don't knock it until you have tried it............and I know what you are going to say.....something about all that slime.  Don't cook it that long, silly. 

As I have told you in prior posts, back in the day we had Sunday dinners at one of my aunts houses every other Sunday and Aunt Azalee had a boiled okra/tomato concoction that she served a lot.  I loved it.  I am not sure of her recipe, but it had chili powder, tomatoes, and okra.  I have come pretty close to replicating it, but Saturday it came to me like in a dream....a voice......."Try it with Rotel.  Nobody will eat it but you anyway so why not spice it up."     Well, why not..........oh my gosh, it was delicious.  You are not going to find this appealing if you don't like boiled okra, but if you are willing to try something new, your taste buds will thank you.

Simple Spicy Tomato Okra

1 can Rotel

1/4 to 1/2 cup Chicken Broth

1 teaspoon Dried Minced Onion

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon Chili Powder (to taste)

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Mexican Oregano

12 3" fresh Okra pods

Simply boil this together in small covered saucepan until okra is tender (not slimy).  That is it!

I am not a huge fan of eating the cooked tomatoes, but the tomatoes and chilies give the okra a wonderful spicy flavor.  After eating all the pods, I had enough Rotel leftover to save.  I reheated it the next night, added more chicken broth and of course, more okra.  Just as good the second night.

And if you need a recipe for fried okra:

Put about 1/2 cup cornbread mix (Shawnee Yellow Cornbread Mix) in the bottom of a bowl.  Add salt and pepper and mix.  Add as much sliced okra (I slice mine about 1/4 to 1/3 inch) as you want.  Mix together and let stand a bit in order for the mix to adhere to the okra a bit.  You can put in the refrigerator for an hour or so.

Heat Canola Oil in skillet (I use cast iron), about 1/8 inch deep.  When a test slice sizzles, add okra and fry till desired doneness.

Memory:  When my precious little girl was about 10 or 11, she made a casserole from her kids recipe book which called for canned green beans.  We didn't have any green beans, so she added fresh okra; green is green, right?  She cooked it for as long as the recipe said and brought it to the dining table, smiling with pride..........she had fixed dinner all by herself.  She dipped each of us a large serving and we all began to eat.  I glanced at my hubby, he at me and we grinned.  It was simply inedible.  To this day, I recall how disappointed she was.  I can still see her little turned down mouth, almost in tears.  She had no idea that not all vegetables are interchangeable in a recipe.  Today, she is a wonderful cook and serves her family a home cooked meal at the dining table almost every night.  I am so proud of her for that.  In these days, it seems that family dinner at the kitchen table is a rarity.  

Thank you, my female mentors, for sharing your wonderful meals and recipes with me.  Thank you Shawna for not giving up......for fixing many of our meals when I worked.......for making meals for your family.....for giving your family that bonding experience that only comes over the dining room table.

I love you.     

Garden Grove Grade School - Circa 1956

Here we are, zapped right back to about 1956.  Yep, except for the torn area, here are all the students of my grade school, 1st through 8th grades.....and you thought I was kidding.  Talk about one on one!

Starting with the top row, left to right, I will try to write a little something about each person....as I remember, and remember, these are my memories which may or may not be a little distorted after mmmmm oh my gosh, 55 years!  When did I grow up?

Mrs. Lickliter - my second through fourth grade teacher.  My first grade teacher was Mrs. Theisen (not sure if the spelling is correct).

Ella Lowe - the cook.  I will write a whole blog about her someday.

Mrs. Sutterfield - fifth through seventh grade teacher.  The school closed after my seventh grade and we went to Prague.  I hope I am correct on that.

Deryle - My cousin and sister to Karen.

Guess who?  (sister to Robert, first cousin to Karen, Deryle (on mom's side), and Danny and Jimmy (on my dad's side, second cousin to Peggy and Bobby)  I was in the third grade.  I could write a post about that dress......someday.

Chester - He had web toes and showed us, grossing out the girls.  (Grossing wasn't even a word in those days....funny how slang has changed....another blog.)  His sister stayed with us for a week when my littlest sister was born.

Judy (sister of Gilbert) - Pretty girl with red hair and freckles.  She gave a 4-H demonstration on wrapping presents.

Ricky (brother of Mike) - I remember him chasing us girls madly whirling a baseball bat over his head.  We had teased him and had to hide in the outdoor toilet...(another blog) because he was mad.  He was the ghost in A Christmas Carol.

Janice (sister of Joyce, cousin of Gary and Larry, Caroline and Gay Dawn) - She was older and I don't have many memories of her.

Gary (brother of Larry, cousin of Janice and Joyce, Caroline and Gay Dawn) - Not many memories - older.

Joyce (sister of Janice, cousin of Gary, Larry, Caroline, and Gay Dawn) - my childhood friend.  She lived with her grandparents at a little local store and always had Juicy Fruit chewing gum.....always!

Danny (brother to Jimmy and on his mother's side, a cousin to Gay Dawn and Caroline) - my cousin (our dads were brothers).  One day we decided to get off the bus at Sonya and Tonya's house to play.  No phones and when we just didn't show up at home, our parents had to trace the bus route to find us.  We were in t r o u b l e !! !!

Janelle (daughter to Mrs. Lickliter) - Not many memories of her, but her brother James was always a cut up on the bus.

Jimmy (brother to Danny, and on his mother's side, a cousin to Gay Dawn and Caroline) - my cousin (our dads were brothers).  When he was in high school, he danced on the local teen dance TV program.....all the way in OKC.  He was famous.  He goes by Jim these days.

Mike - my brother's only classmate.  He came home with my brother one day and they were playing with their BB guns.  I told them not to point their guns at each other.  They told me there were no BBs in the gun and proved it by shooting their guns in the mud.  Mike's had a BB......... 

Sonya (twin sister to Tonya) - How cool is it to have a twin?  I always thought she was the "pretty" one.

Caroline (sister to Gay Dawn, cousin to Joyce and Janice, cousin to Gary and Larry).

Peggy - my second cousin, and second cousin to Bobby, Jimmy and Danny - my dad and her mother were cousins.  She was the prettiest girl I ever saw and as pretty as she was, my grandmother thought her mother was prettier.

Bobby - my second cousin, and second cousin to Peggy, Jimmy, and Danny.  I remember him in a little play that was put on in the "little" room.  The play was in the little fenced portion that we called the library.  I was probably in the first grade which would have made him in the third grade.  He goes by Bob these days. 

Rachel - she was the daughter of the Garden Grove Church preacher whose last name was Tucker.  Not many memories of her, but she had an older brother.  When I was a little girl, I remember dreaming that I married him....don't ask me.  I didn't marry him, but I did marry a Tucker.  All these years later, I still remember that dream.

Gilbert - brother of Judy

Karen - sister of Deryle and my cousin.  She was so smart and she had a ton of pretty dolls that surrounded her room.  We gave several 4-H demonstrations together.

Larry - brother of Gary, cousin of Janice and Joyce, and Gay Dawn and Caroline.  He was in our 4-H play "Hiawatha" (???).

Gay Dawn - sister of Caroline, cousin and Gary and Larry, and Janice and Joyce.  Very quiet girl.

Mike - brother of Ricky.  He got to go to the Foreman Scotty TV show on his birthday and ride on the birthday horse, Woody.

Tonya - sister to Sonya.  Always the ornery twin.

Robert - my cute little brother and he is related to everyone that I am.  This is his first grade picture.  He had on a pale yellow shirt and had suspenders.  How cute was he???

I would love to know who was torn out of the photograph.  Burlan is one, but not sure about the others.  Of these approximately 28 children, six that I know of are no longer living.  As far as I know, Mrs. Sutterfield is still living, but Ella and Mrs. Lickliter are no longer with us.

Even though a lot of us were related in one way or another, not one of these students were as a result of cousins intermarrying.  Yeah, I know, you don't believe that either. 

I love you all. 

Just Another Day on the Homestead

Tonight setting on my porch swing, I am watching my grandsons devour a Luigi's Real Italian Ice while setting on the blanket in the front yard.  They tell me they are having a picnic (and why not?  Who says you have to have a complete meal?).  They are now at the age where they entertain themselves, playing Hide and Seek, I Spy, giggling, and making faces at each other as only little boys do....and I might add, making sounds that only little boys find funny.   It is nearly 8:00 p.m. and after an afternoon at the movies, popcorn, cokes, burgers at Braum's followed by a double dip ice cream for one and a banana split for the other, the ice may be a bit too much, but what else can a grandmother do besides spoil the little ones with everything they want to eat? 

It is hot tonight with little or no breeze.  The evening sounds of the crickets, katydids, and other insects are prominent with a side of my little boys' laughter.  We are in the long, hot, dog days of summer now and there is a certain essence about it.  For me it is the essence of long ago when summer seemed to last forever.  Although my grandsons may not realize it, their summer fun will soon be replaced by long school days, new friends, and the dreaded homework.  I am truly glad they do not know how quickly their summer will end.  I want them to experience the long languid days of summer without worry about what comes tomorrow for as long as they can.  They will realize how quickly summer comes to an end soon enough  These precious days..............

Early this morning (or as early as retired people get up), I froze a couple bags of basil pesto, and along with the help of my daughter, made 16 pints of salsa.  (The boys are now in the back of the truck with their grandpa giving them the ride of their lives.  I am so grateful that we have this little acreage for times such as these.  Hayride days are coming!)  Long summer days..... freezing pesto.....canning salsa....movies....popcorn....cokes (that can be any soda -- lived in Oklahoma a long time)....hamburgers....ice cream....Italian ice........just another day on the homestead.

I love you.......be back tomorrow to write a little about Garden Grove Grade School.  See you then.







    

Valued Your Opinion

I started this blog just writing about things that pop into my mind, things that someday my grandsons might find and know a little more about their Nana; some humorous, some true stories, some are just a nostalgic look at the past, some are current events, but all are from my point of view or my sometimes distorted memory. 

When I finally had the courage to let friends and family know I was writing, I received several comments, but the one that I valued the most was from my brother-in-law who wrote the following and I quote.

"Regina, you can really write!  I am impressed, I'm setting here reading, and have laughed out loud, become nostalgic and run the gambit of emotions.  Keep it up you definitely have me as a follower."

My dear special brother-in-law, over the years you have made me laugh out loud, but tonight I am nostalgic thinking of how much I have always valued your opinion.  

You have always impressed me.  We love you. 



 

Fireworks in the Park

4th of July holds so many memories for me and I will write about some of them the next few days, but tonight I am going to tell you a little something about how we celebrated the 4th when I was a kid.   

Every year as far back as my memory serves, we went to the Prague park to watch the fireworks.  It was such a grand affair in my childhood mind, and, outside Christmas, it was the most exciting day of the year.  We’d park across the street from the park, dad and mom would guide all their little ducklings across the highway, and we’d crawl over or duck over (according to how big you were) the iron cable that surrounded the park.  I bet that cable is still there.

Once over the cable, it was like walking a mine field dodging the firecrackers that the kids were throwing at our feet or maybe we just walked into them unbeknownst.  In my minds eye, I am sure they were deliberately targeting our feet.  Times were so different then and nobody thought much about firecrackers.  They were just part of our 4^th celebrations, so we’d just watch out for them as best we could. 

Once we made our way into the center of the park, we’d locate mom’s sisters and spread our blanket next to theirs to claim our spot for the rest of the evening, hoping we got the best location to ooh and awe over the fireworks which were the highlight of the evening. 

Then…………….we kids were on our own; at least the older ones, and off we went to the carnival.  Oh yes, each year Prague had a carnival with rides of all sorts, games of chance, fun houses, and plenty of places to get food and drinks (I remember churches from the area having stands selling hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks, etc).  We’d make our way to and from the carnival all evening, from the bright lights of the carnival out to our blanket in the dark with all sorts of trinkets, sodas, and huge tales.   

I could go on and on describing this magical night, but what stands out in my memory is picking up a yellow duck that floated around the little stream and getting a prize that went with the number on the bottom, the bright yellow lights around the carnival and the food stands, and my favorite, the Ferris wheel.   

I can visualize mom and her sisters in their cotton capris and sleeveless cotton button down shirts.  For some reason their happy eyes reflecting the sparkles of the fireworks keep coming to my mind.  Oh how I would love to see their eyes sparkle again.  

I love you.