| OR SIGN IN USING |
|
I'm going this weekend to Cleveland where my sister has been in a nursing home for several years. She has recently had another complication, an infection, which has given her seizures, delusions, stump pain...I cannot do nursing care, but I will be a companion and I hope a tether to reality, be that as it may. She would, and HAS done the same for me so I'm not doing a great thing here, just returning a favor. I will try to be a help not another burden for my nephew to tote. I will post here more as the days, maybe weeks pass. And probably won't be on chat or anything much for a while. Those of you who pray, add her to your list, Millie Mathews, my dear eldest sister.
6-6-09
I didn't get to post, barely read a few blogs or forums. I came back from Cleveland Wednesday. Friday night my sister died in her sleep. She was 74. I wish I could share the experiences I had with her, maybe in time I can, but she was a wonderful sister, woman, friend. Thank you all for your prayers and support.
Unfortunately I like sweets best of all...sometimes have it first or let it be ALL of my meal, but that's not really good for folks. I like simple upside down cakes. I use a mix for the cake, whatever you fancy, but I prefer French Vanilla...mix it according to the directions on the box. I use a light weight 9"x13" inch pan...spray the sides for a coating with PAM or any other like product. Layer the pan with the fruit of your choice, can be canned or fresh. I have used the traditional pineapple/marachino cherries, but have also used strawberries/rhubarb and peach slices/marachino cherries. Sprinkle with about a cup of brown sugar, place pats of butter/margerine in it, and pour the cake mixture over that. Place the pan in a cold oven and then set at the heat you are told to bake the cake. I would suggest that if you need the cake to come out of a cold oven that you turn the heat off at about 85% of the bake time,say if the time is 40 minutes, cut it off and let it finish and cool after 34 minutes. When the cake is cool enough for you to remove it, do so. Carefully go around the edges of the pan with a knife, and then invert it on a cookie sheet. Let the brown sugar mix drizzle over the cake. Like most everything in life, don't be afraid to experiment...so what if you have a failure...is it edible, good...if not, so what ?
I like food, but I didn't really have time to cook before my stroke, a thrown together meal to keep the savages from rioting, but that's all. Now I have a bit of time and I'm learning all over again how to cook even tho' I am disabled. Mostly I have concentrated on the old standby's my mother prepared and I was "too busy" to learn to fix. I've had as many failures as successes, maybe more. My first effort was a bread pudding..the way my mother made it, I know there are regional differences, but this was my first effort. I used biscuits and broke them up in a loaf pan, mixing in dried tart cherries. Then poured a mixture (3 eggs, a can of evap. milk, 1/2 cup sugar, a tsp of vanilla) over it, let everything soak in for 5 minutes and baked at 350 F for 55-60 minutes. It was so good...reminded me of the things Mama made every day. I'm going to write a bit about what my next "project" is, and hope you will write about your success/failure, too.
Got your attention right away, didn't it ?
MY PETS
I've never done a blog before, can you tell, lol ??
What I want to talk about are the many pets of my household. In many ways they keep me sane, but at the same time they can drive me crazy !!!
We have a total of 4 dogs, 3 cats...but sometimes it seems like many many more than that.
Let me start with the Cats, because I have a special liking for cats...in fact, I am called the Crazy Cat Lady by my family.
Cumi has been with me the longest...she'll be 5 the 1st of May. She's a tabby, white with gray tabby about the ears and her tail.
She's a dear, sweet soul...and also the Queen of all she surveys. She came to me from a shelter when she was only 8 months old, very nosey, very playful. Her favorite toys were bottle caps and toy mice, and she would bring them to me when I was in a wheelchair to throw for her...then she would bring them back and I would throw again. She has a terribly screechy voice that she uses often...she snarls and bats at the dogs, at the other cats, at people who displease Her Royal Highness.
When I ,oved into my brother's house he had Jet, a very large and very shy, gentle kitty 
. He's got a wee voice for such a large cat and he plays but rarely, but with all his heart when he does.
Last, but LAST is Bubba...he's a beautiful Bengal male-who-was, and is just 14 months old. Clumsy, always getting up to or into something..climbs places (and falls or slips or slides), the class clown.
Recently my cats have become The Watchers. You see, there is a small bird, a house sparrow as best I can identify it, that is trying to build a nest outside my bedroom window, on the ledge of an awning. Cumi and Jet are so excited they tore down my bedroom curtain and the rod. Every day she comes and works on the nest. I don't think she's making much progress, and always seems to be alone...so the nest building is probably a futile effort. The Watchers don't care. For hours a day they perch on my bed or the hope chest at the foot of the bed to have a glimmer of the bird. Jet has smacked the glass in the window in his excitement, Cumi just stares and she got up on her hind legs to look...Bubba I have actually heard chattering his teeth with anticipation...but you know what, the little bird ignores them and just does what she does, goes on with her life.
Now we come to the Dogs. We have 4. One is an outside dog, King. He's 76 # of love, he seems to love all people. A mixed Rott and Labrador. He lives in a kennel in the back yard, but my niece takes him out and lets him play and roam the back yard. King would knock me over, so I see him only in the kennel. On rare occasions he digs out of his kennel (usually at the most inopurtun Molly the Beagle is 1, and has the saddest face, but she's the leader of the pack in mischief, for sure. She doesn't seem to understand "no" or "you're too big to..."...she wails (a Beagles distinctive cry in the woods when they have the trail of game) when anyone leaves the house, when she wants to come in;she sounds like she grieving. She howls in the car, too, which means she doesn't ride much. On three occasions she's gotten over the fence and been picked up by animal control, yep, Molly is a jailbird !! She has been bailed out every time, tho. And since she was spayed in February she doesn't seem to be inclined to go over the fence !! Her best friend is Henry, a red Dachshund...he adores Molly, and the adoration is mutual. She is always chewing on his floppy ears or a leg, and then he yelps, but he keeps seeking Molly out...they say everyone has SOMEONE...and I guess this is Kismet. Tique is the smallest of anyone..he weighs 6 #, even the Cats are bigger. He's a long haired Chihuahua. Nevertheless, you can't tell Tiq he's small...he thinks otherwise !! He snarls and growls at all the animals, especially King...e time) and has to be chased about the yard. He loves that, a kind of game for him.
Today a male bird came with the female and seemed to supervise while she brought nesting materials. He was very handsome, a rosey chest. I still don't think the nest will work there, but who am I to second guess even a bird ? The Watchers were enthralled with it, Bubba even jumped at the window. It's a rainy day here, and the 'mules are doing what they do just about best, sleep. It's really tempting to join them for a bit, but I'm not sure they left enough space for me on the bed !! Last night I asked my brother to cement/glue a small plastic bowl for the bird to build her nest in…we weren’t sure if she would use it because it smelled of humans, but she was making no progress so there was no loss. He did it and today she seemed to be overjoyed…filled the bowl with green things, and voila, making her nest. Feel like I produced American Home Makeover !! Amazing how much she could accomplish in a day, given just a little help. The bird, I've called Winonna, for whatever strange reason, now has her nest and I think she has a mate, I've seen a rosy chested male visiting, and she must be brooding because I haven't seen her off the nest in two days. I can't wait to see the babies. And probably the cats are eager, too. But there is no way, short of breaking the glass that the cats can do more than watch. We had a family gathering Saturday, and Henry was the hit...a sweet natured pooch who knows people=food=happy Henry.
I think Winonna is hatching...she's standing in the nest doing something with her beek in the nest...So far I haven't seen the male delivering any goodies there so she will no doubt be a single Mom. Jet and Cumi looking very closely !! Haven't seen the babes yet, but soon, I hope.
I have seen the male, he's been named Slim, a couple of times today and he seems to be doing the right thing...bringing food to the babes...not as regularly as Winonna, but who knows what's going on in his world...at least he seems to be doing this. Can't wait to see the babes !!
Just saw a Starling trying to bully Winonna at her nest. Slim was there. but it was like a tableau of this guy hanging over her and her nest, like a spectre of death...and Slim just watching...I yelled and Slim and the Starling flew away. Winonna staying on her nest. She seems OK, and I don't think the Starling had gotten any of the babies. Yes, I know this is natural but for a while I wanted to scoop her up and protect her and her babies.
Winonna still seems to be feeding the babes and I've seen Slim. No reappearing so far of the menacing Starling, but you can bet I'm keeping a watch out.
The bird Winonna was attacked by a starling Sunday as she was guarding her nest. I chased him away and all was fine until I went out to the other room for supper yesterday. When I came back her nest was in terrible disorder...she must have been attacked while I wasn't here to stop it. I think I hate starlings, tho' he was just doing what starlings do. I hope Winnona is safe, tho' her babes are gone, I'm sure. I haven't seen her or Slim since. I find this very distressful...tho' I know intellectually that this is natures way.
rainey (451)
Finetooner (47)
Gypsylady4eva (37)
kippy1 (21)
dennis3301 (19)
jaybird (18)
txtrulady (16)
Chipster (16)
