A local author....

Happy Friday to you!  Have you had a busy week?  Are you anticipating the week-end ahead?

There are several authors who come from this area.  One whose children's books I have enjoyed is Libba Moore Gray. now deceased.  I am featuring one of her books on today's blog.

The Little Black Truck

Fulfilling many purposes.

 Well, I had a series of pictures that I had planned to show from the book this morning.  When I posted them, they were not in the correct form!  Interesting!!

Anyway, this book traces the life of the "little black truck" as it fulfills many purposes.  When the truck is abandoned, it becomes the home for birds and other life from the woods.  Discovered years later, it is restored, and once again it becomes the bearer of the harvest.

The illustrations are by Elizabeth Sayles.

Some of  Libba Moore Gray's books are available through Amazon. 

I hope you have a pleasant day!

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

I know better....

....than to hit "Publish" before I have thoroughly done the proofreading!  Good grief!  Where is spell check when you need it?:-)  I know very well how to spell "strawberries!"  I apologize for the error in the title of the last post!

Once we had made all those strawberry goodies, we knew we had to have some help in the enjoyment of them.:-)  The Husband had the idea to call the very same neighbor who had been the bearer of the strawberries.

The tray!

It was a rather last-minute invitation, and we were very pleased they could come!  We were able to enjoy sitting outside on the patio, a surprise considering how warm the day had been.  The real treat was topping the strawberry cobbler with a scoop of strawberry ice cream!:-)  We also had fresh lemonade.  It was a perfect summer time treat!

I hope you are finding ways to enjoy the summer.  I am not a huge fan of heat and humidity, so this is not exactly my favorite season.  However, if we didn't have these good changes in the season, our vegetable gardening would surely not be possible.

The Husband spent some time yesterday staking the tomato plants.  We actually have a few small tomatoes on them!  Did I mention that he has set them out around the asparagus patch?  They are really looking good!

Also, we have been able to salvage some of these from the birds.

A cherry!

We haven't "saved" many, and they are certainly not naturally sweet.:-)  We will try to stay ahead of the birds better next year.

There was rain yesterday afternoon, and more is in the forecast for today and tomorrow.  

I send wishes to you for a good Thursday!

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

Stawberries....

Happy Wednesday to you!  Do you feel that the week is passing quickly?  Are you having enough time to work on your goals for the week?

I mentioned in the last post that we had some strawberries that had come our way by way of a neighbor.  Some of them were used in this cake.

From the last post.

There were others that I used in this:

Strawberry Cobbler!

Still others found way to this:

With sugar and lemon juice....

....then to the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker....

....ending up in freezer containers to "ripen!"

Such delicious Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream!

Is there anything more refreshing on a warm summer day than a dish of ice cream?!?:-)

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

Time to cook....

Happy Tuesday to everyone!  It happens to be the first Tuesday of the month, so that means it is time for me to cook!:-)  This is when I provide lunch for the Adult Day Care participants and staff at our church. 

Summer time is here, and one of my favorites for the season is chicken salad.

That is a BIG bowl of chicken and celery!

There are approximately 20 who will be present for lunch today, so this amount should serve the group.

You undoubtedly have your favorite recipe for chicken salad.  This one, though, comes straight from Betty Crocker

CHICKEN SALAD FILLING
1 cup chopped cooked chicken (Thank goodness for the food processor!)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
- Blend all together.  Refrigerate.  1 1/2 cups, enough for 4 or 5 sandwiches.

I do not plan sandwiches with this for today, though.  There will be crackers to accompany the chicken salad, and other items on the plate will be a pea and carrot casserole and fruited gelatin.

Now - to this "mystery."

What was this?

 Yes, it is a cake, and it is dessert for lunch today!

After beating up this frosting....

....this is what we have!

Yes!  A Strawberry Cake!

The recipe used for this cake can be found on cafecarol.com, and it comes from the Loveless Cafe Cookbook! 

No, the strawberries didn't come from our few plants, though we DID have  about four cups total from those plants.  These strawberries were the ones The Husband bought when a neighbor came by the house.  Those strawberries have been used in other ways, and that is what you will see in the next post.

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

The week-end....

I hope you are having a good beginning to a new week!  Did the week-end pass quickly for you?

It was a full week-end here for  us.  I spent Saturday at a Conference UMW Budget meeting in a town an hour and a half away.  It was 7:45 when I left, and I was back home at 5:30.

This is some of the countryside I passed on the way from here to there.:-)  No, I wasn't trying to take pictures while driving THIS time.  I was fortunate enough to be riding with someone else.

We had over three inches of rain during the day on Sunday.  We were all hopeful the rain would not continue all day, and there was a break shortly after lunch.  We were headed to a Sunday School class picnic at a couple of cabins (next door to one another, and belonging to Sunday School class members) in the mountains, so we definitely didn't need rain on the guest list!:-)

On the way, however, we realized there had been heavy rainfall in the area where we were going.  A "detour" had been planned to drop in on the Country Couple for a few minutes.  When we reached their place, we found evidence of MUCH rainfall.

The creek had overrun its banks!

They even had their own waterfall!

We were able to go on up the driveway toward the house with no problem, though.  It was a short visit as we headed on toward the cabins for the picnic.

City Girl came by for Sunday night.  She was on her way back to her place from attending a seminar in NC.

Now - on THIS day - for me - I will be preparing lunch for the Adult Day Care participants and staff at our church - about 20 people or so.  This is for lunch on Tuesday.

Oh, I rather skipped over details about the picnic, didn't I?  That - and other pictures of the Country Couple's animals - will be the subject of future posts.  The next post will share what happened to THIS:

What could this be?

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

For Sunday....

On this Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Mission Focus listed in the UMW Prayer Calendar is InterServ in St. Joseph, MO.

       "Your daily life is your temple and your religion.

                   Whenever you enter into it take with you your all."

                                                                                ~Kahlil Gibran

I send along wishes for a blessed Sunday to all.

Omission....and time to cook again!

The week-end is here!  Have you anticipated this time all week?  Hopefully you will have good weather where you are, and you will be able to do some things that are enjoyable for you.

In my previous post, there was an omission of one of our state's special choices.

Did this one publish? 

Anyway, I will have to be sure that this is the one that wasn't included.  The Swallowtail Butterfly, the Salamander, and the Box Turtle just can't be omitted!:-)

Yes, it is time to cook again!  Next Tuesday is the first Tuesday, and that is the day I provide lunch for the Adult Day Care participants and staff at our church.  That means a menu and recipes - well, one or two, anyway.:-)  I've tried to do a bit of advance preparation.  I'll give you a hint about dessert.  It will be something with strawberries in it!

Oh, happy June 1st!  This is the sixth month of the year!  Time is passing quickly here!

Sending wishes for a good day to you!

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.