Birthdays
by rakeeter

img_1527Celebrating September/October birthdays has been a challenge this year.  It was simple enough with Vivian.  Jill made a cake, we sang happy birthday and Vivian opened presents.  But Rebecca and Joyce were another matter.  Rebecca’s was on Monday, October 3 when we were still in Garland.  We got home that afternoon but Monday is an odd time to celebrate a birthday so the plan was to combine Li’l r’s with Joyce’s the following Sunday.  We did manage to squeeze it in Sunday afternoon between other activities so they got their cake and all but I still haven’t gotten a present for Joyce.  She just waves me off when I suggest doing so.  Continue reading “Birthdays” →

Soggy Cookie
by rakeeter

Cookie the cat was stalking something in the iris next to the pond. He stealthily stepped in among the iris from the pool side and suddenly out jumped a frog. Bre’r Frog bounded out from the side opposite the pond and around the iris toward the pond and safety. Bre’r Cat jumped out of the iris on the pond side trying to head off Bre’r Frog before it made it into the water. However, Bre’r Cat miscalculated and fell in the pond. Bre’r Frog made it to safety and Bre’r Cat was left licking himself dry. I laughed and laughed. Continue reading “Soggy Cookie” →

Joy(ce) juice
by rakeeter

We uncovered the west row of grapes Tuesday and Joyce has been busy ever since making grape juice.  She bought a juicer that she just feeds the bunches of grapes into and it separates the juice from the skins, seeds and stems.  It makes short work of that process and she’s been making popsicles out of the juice.  She added cream to some of the juice and made popsicles out of that delicious concoction, too. Continue reading “Joy(ce) juice” →

50th high school reunion
by rakeeter

Seems like only half a century since we graduated from good ol’ Tascosa and here we were celebrating our 50th reunion this weekend.  All the women were just as beautiful as the day we graduated and all the men, well, I’m sure they are all brave.  Our exchange student Andy Eklund came all the way from Stockholm and there were those from east and west of the Mississippi, ex-Texas, even a couple currently living in Australia.  The majority of the grads live in Texas, though, and probably the majority of those still live in Amarillo, which is not a bad place to live.  There are worse. Continue reading “50th high school reunion” →

The crush
by rakeeter

Smells like bread baking down here in the cave.  Monday we harvested grapes, that is, we harvested some of them.  This year’s crop far exceeds anything in the past and just picking the west row we had 140 pounds, more than enough for the five gallons of wine I make.  And even at that we only picked the low handing fruit, so to speak.  We left a lot of grapes on the vine for whomever or whatever wants them.  As for the east row, we’ve left the bird-blocker netting on it for now.  I want to compare the ripeness of those grapes in a couple of weeks to the the ones we picked this week. Continue reading “The crush” →