Snickelfritz

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

A Sad Story

  Bonnie looks a little guilty in this picture as she should, but what happened today wasn't really her fault.  I am to blame for what took place today and I am still sad about it.

  Remember these little robins I showed you a few days ago?  They grew quickly and had feathers on them in such a short time.  Today I was working in the yard and went to look at the nest.  It didn't look like there were any birds in it any longer so I climbed up to look inside.  There was one little bird left and I startled it and it flew out and landed on the ground and, unfortunately, my two dogs were sitting there.  Bonnie grabbed it and I screamed and got it away from her, but it was too late.  I had on gloves so I cupped the little bird in my hands.  I felt its little heart beating.  It was so warm in my hands.  Then it closed its eyes and died.  I began to cry uncontrollably.  I still am tearing up telling this, but I have never seen anything die before.  Never.  I have seen animals and people after they have died, but never witnessed the actual death.  It was almost a spirtual thing.  I cannot explain it.  I knew God knew this little bird had died.

    David came up and saw me crying and said he would throw it away.  I said, "No, don't do that.  Lay it softly somewhere.  Don't just throw it away."  He took the little robin and did what I asked him.   Then he came back and sat with me.  Really, I am crying right now telling this.  If I had just not peeked in the nest.  What made it even worse was that mama bird sat in the redbud tree chirping for her little robin.  I could hardly bear it. 
    "I'm so sorry, Mom."   "It's not your fault, Bonnie.  You were just doing what dogs do and you are a retriever."  

       His eye is on the sparrow.  Bye.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Rhubarb pie, pretty flowers and a tattletale dog

 
                         I grow this................................................................................................................


                 So that I can mix up this...............................................................................................



         And make this...............................................................................................................................

           So that in less than 24 hours it becomes this.  Rhubarb pie is now my favorite pie above raspberry pie which I love also.  Guess I will have to plant some more rhubarb so that we can have more than one pie a season.   We almost have all the rhubarb preserves eaten that we made Easter morning.  Not saying we have sweet teeth or anything, but I know I do.  I'd eat sweets for every meal if I could get away with it which I can't.



    I seem to not be able to write a post without showing the flowers that are blooming now.  The oriental poppies are starting to pop out.  We got these from David's grandmother years ago and I have transplanted them to different parts of the garden.  They are beautiful, but last only one day.  Good thing there are alot of them.

  The pink clematis is blooming now.  I use to have two of these plants, but I think I pulled the one up last year when I was pulling an invasive vine from that area.  I can be brutal sometimes.  Poor thing. 

  "I'm telling Bonnie on you, Mom.  You told her she would be in all your posts from now on." 

    "Shhhh, Belle, pretend I'm not here. By the way, what's all that white stuff on your back?"  Bye.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Wonderful friends and other wonderful things

  This is my good friend, Mary.  I just love this lady and we have been friends for a long time.  You know that one person you meet and you both click and you just know you will be friends?  Mary is one of those people to me.  We met in our first year of college.  We commuted to Ball State with two other  people.  We went to orientation together and had the most fun.  We laughed so much that first night, disturbing some of the other girls, but we had a good time.  We loved singing in the car while going to school.  Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" was popular then and we drove our driving mates crazy singing it.  Mary endured my lovesickness for David the year before we got married.  We have had so much fun together and have bonded for life. 

  Mary and her very nice husband were passing through Columbus on the way to Richmond to see her sister.  She lives in California and I haven't seen her in I don't know how many years, but it was just like we had just left each other yesterday when she walked in the door.  Mary has the most infectious giggle and when we went out to dinner with our husbands we giggled all through the meal.  It was so wonderful to be with her and I hope we don't let so much time go by before we get together again.  David and I might just have to plan a trip to California to visit.

  This has nothing to do with Mary although I read somewhere that there are people who see miracles every day and those who don't.  I am one who sees many miracles each day.  Good friendships are a miracle because of all the billions of people in the world to meet someone who becomes a good friend is a miracle in itself.  These little robins are such a miracle.  Mama robin built her nest in our little cabin rafters right above our swing.  David tried tearing out her nest when she started building it, but she came back again and again and tried building there so I finally said we will just have to stay away from the swing while she raises her family.  Anything with that much determination deserves some respect.  We saw these little heads peeking out of the nest yesterday.  "Mama, feed us!' they seem to be saying.

  Beautiful sunsets are a miracle.  Every time I see a sunset like this I think of Scarlette O'Hara standing in silhouette looking at Tara.  Gone With the Wind being the best movie ever made, of course.   This is the sunset we saw a couple of nights ago.


 " Mom, why don't you ever write about me?"   " I do, Bonnie, but you really don't have to be in every one of my posts. Oh, you do?  Okay, I will try to do that you precious girl." 

   Here's to wonderful friends, nature, beautiful sunsets and faithful canines.  Bye.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Pretty in purple and other fabulously interesting tidbits

  My garden goes through different phases throughout the year and this is its purple phase.

  The lilacs were beautiful, but are almost gone and now the irises are blooming everywhere.  Irises are one of my favorite flowers because they will grow about anywhere, are always pretty and, except for having to divide them every few years, are completely carefree. 

  Love these with the white.  I don't know where or when I got them, but they are putting on quite a show this Spring. 

   Along the driveway are more irises and an honesty or what I call money plant.  Money plant is self-seeding and grows about anywhere.  Some may call it a weed, but I think it is really pretty and has very interesting seedpods that look like gold when the sun shines through them. 

  One of our clematis has burst into mulitple blooms in the last couple of days.  A little early, but then everything has been about one month early this year.  I have a clematis that was David's grandmother's which I dug up when her house sold and brought it here where it is thriving.  It is at least 60 years old and I am amazed that every year it blooms just as prettily as the first time I ever saw it in Grandma Henley's back yard.    It isn't blooming yet, but is getting ready to.

  We have spirea bushes all around our house.  They have been here ever since we moved here 35 years ago.  Every few years we cut them back and they always come back bigger and more beautiful.  They are a nice compliment to all the purple flowers.

  Then there's the snowball bush.  We got a start from David's grandma many years ago.  We have babied two plants for many years.  A couple of years ago I thought we had lost them both, but this year they are both blooming and lush.  This plant is right outside our back door by the deck and is just beautiful.  I was going to write about out kitchen garden, but I think this is enough for today.  I spend most of my time outside this time of year working in the yard and garden.  Sometimes I wish for a rainy day so that I can get things done inside.  I read a book recently called "The Solitary Summer," by Elizabeth von Amim that had a quote in it that expresses my sentiments exactly:

  "  I never pay bills or write letters on fine summer days.  Not for any will I forego all that such a day rightly spent out of doors might give me, so that a wet day at intervals is almost as necessary for me as for my garden."  Bye.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

International Quilt Festival

  David and I went to Cincinnati to the International Quilt Festival Friday.  We spent Thursday night at our oldest son's house, but didn't see him much as he was working alot of hours. 

   Friday morning we got up and found a Dunkin' Donuts where I got a muffin and David got some blueberry donut holes.  Then we headed to the big city. 

   The Festival was held in the Duke Energy convention center and David, as usual, drove right to it despite the fact he has never been there before.  I don't know where he gets his sense of direction and being able to find places, but I am never afraid of being lost when I am with him.  Me, another story.  My father, who also suffered from severe directional disfunction like myself, and I got lost once in a campground two rows over from where we were camped.  True story.  David still laughs about it.  I always say I could not find my way out of a paper bag my sense of direction is that bad.  If I don't have someone to tell me where to go, I can easily get lost.
 
   I didn't mean to ramble, but I get easily distracted too.

   Once at the convention center, we got in line with a whole lot of women.  I tried pointing out all the men to David, but there were very few.  He doesn't mind going to these things with me.  In fact, I sometimes think he enjoys them even more than I do as he likes to talk to the vendors. 

   It was a quilters paradise.  I had died and gone to heaven.  Everywhere I looked I saw fabric and quilts.  So for the next three hours we walked around and looked at all the booths.  There were 350 vendors there selling all kinds of things to tempt us quilters, plus there were embroidery vendors, shoe vendors(I will tell you about one of them later)  quilt machine vendors, and there was even one booth with vintage tablecloths where I made my first purchase of the day.

   I was shown cutting boards, cutting tables, rotary cutters, and every gadget a quilter might need.  Some we really don't need, but were offered anyway.

   After walking for hours we went upstairs where the food court was and got in lines for our lunch.  I got a chicken penne pasta.  There was a girl with two pans on a stove and as quick as you made your order she would whip up the pasta dish you wanted right in front of you.  Mine was so good.  I imagine she make hundreds of pasta dishes the one day we were there.  David got a small Larosa pizza. 

   After lunch it was back to more walking and looking, but I was getting really tired and my leg hurt.  We passed a booth where they were selling shoes for people with joint, hip, foot and every other kind of pain.  I decided to try a pair of shoes on.  The man spent alot of time trying to get a pair that would feel comfortable on me and I finally ended up with a pair of sandals that look like Birkenstocks.  After walking around in them for a while I really began to feel better and I have been wearing them today and my pain is very minimal so maybe they are working.

   We had not even gotten to the show quilts and it was getting late in the day and we were both tired so we did a really quick buzz through them.  There are some really talented people and also some really weird people who make quilts.  My favorite was one that had Volkswagen beetles in 70's colors all over it.  It brought back happy memories when we had our little blue beetle.  Wish we still had it.

   With all the hundreds of people there I saw a lady I knew who use to come into our shop. I never thought I would see anyone I knew in that crowd of people.  Then we were walking down one aisle and David said, "Is that Carol?"  Carol being my very best friend in school when we were growing up and we are still friends to this day.  It was!!  I never thought I would see one of my best friends in the world in Cincinnati at the quilt festival.  We talked for a while about old times.  We hope to get together later in the summer to have dinner and talk.

   Now you may wonder what I bought at the quilt festival.   Or maybe you don't but I am going to tell you anyway and you will be surprised.  I bought one vintage tablecloth, a pair of sandals and three packages of the cutest pins I've ever seen.  What?  No fabric?   Nope not one piece.  But guess what?  On our way to Cincinnati on Thursday we stopped at some antique stores and I got several yards of fabric.  We spent some time in Madison and I found a store that sold bath salts and homemade soaps.  It smelled soooo good in there.  I could smell the store from a block away.  The lady who owns it makes all the salts and soaps herself.  If you are ever in Madison, stop in and check it out.

   It was a fun two days.  Since we won't be taking a vacation until fall, we plan to do a couple or three of these little getaways this summer.  Sometimes I think they are more fun than a full blown vacation.

  Hope you have a great weekend.  I will be teaching the two and three year olds at Sunday school tomorrow.  Pray for me!  Bye.

Monday, April 9, 2012

The Aliens have Landed

    A few nights ago David and I were sitting in our livingroom minding our own business when suddenly we saw a bright light in the sky.

  "Look, David, what is that?" I asked.  The light seemed to be growing bigger and getting closer.

  I began to freak out when the light began to eerily change shape.

  It became elongated and was even closer.  We were starting to get alarmed.  What was that thing????

  Suddenly, the scariest face appeared at our window.  We both were shaking in our shoes.  I ran to get a baseball bat, but then remembered we don't have a baseball bat.  I ran in circles.  David hid in the closet.  We were going to have a close encounter of the third kind.

  Okay, it was just the moon shining through our lace curtains and I am a lousy photographer.  But it made for a good story.  Bye.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Scenes from the Easter Weekend

                 There was jam making both strawberry and strawberry rhubarb.  Our first rhubarb from our own patch.

     There was cupcake baking and eating.  Love those cute little bunny and chicken toppers.

   There was lots of candy.  All the grandchildren will be on a sugar high tonight.  That is why it's nice they go home!

     There was dough raising and roll making.  We had a cookout and hamburgers on homemade rolls are so good.


   There was lots of eating as there usually is when we get together.  That is why we are always so happy when a holiday comes.  We get to eat alot.

  There were cute grandkids doing their usual cute grandkiddy things.  Like his hat?


   There was Easter egg hunting.  This is just before we said, "Go!"  Mayhem resulted right after this picture was snapped.

   There was relaxing, both people and canine.  Bonnie is wondering where all the leftovers went.  Bonnie, there weren't any leftovers on the plates.  These people ate it all.

  All in all it was a busy and fun weekend.  Best of all though was going to church and hearing once again through song the love of Jesus Christ for us all.  His death and ressurection.  His salvation for all who will only accept it.  A blessed and happy Easter to you all.  Bye.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Making pizza and moving a family

  I got it into my head the other day that I would like to make some homemade pizza.  I found a recipe in either Southern Living or Midwest Living.  I can't remember which one because I had torn it out.  Today I went to Wal-mart to buy the supplies and spent all afternoon making pizza.

  First I made the dough which was really easy on my Kitchenmaid mixer.  Took about five minutes.

   Then I made the sauce from my super secret recipe that I keep in my super secret recipe vault.  Okay, anyone can make pizza sauce with some tomatoes, herbs and olive oil. 

  Then the fun part began.  I put sausage, pepperoni, olives and mushrooms on mine.   David just wanted the sausage and pepperoni and lots of mozarella cheese, of course.

  And walla(don't judge me.  I could not for the life of me remember how to spell the word, but you know what I mean!) you are eating a delicious pizza.    It was easy, just had to give the dough time to rise and heat the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes before you baked it.

  Last weekend we helped our daughter and son-in-law move their family from this little house in the woods.......

  to this big house in the woods.  Lots of memories are going to be made here. 

   Now I have to go walk off some of this pizza that's weighing me down.  Oh, my.  Bye.