I AM AN AMERICAN!

I AM AN AMERICAN..not white American,not African American, not danish American, not Swedish American I AM AN AMERICAN. One side of my family tree comes from England, another from the Creek Indians but I AM AN AMERICAN. I am proud of my heritage but I am not Native American American I AM AN .AMERICAN. Copy/paste or compose your own AMERICAN statement. [post or delete-u are free to do either] I AM PROUD TO BE AN "AMERICAN"

I stand for flying our U.S. flag..
Not wearing the flag.

I stand for saluting our flag, standing at attention,
Folding according to protocol,

Taking the flag in out of the weather at the end of the day,
Not leaving it until it waves tattered and torn, forgotten,
A meaningless display.

I AM AN AMERICAN!
author: jwh/6-24-10

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful for Life,Breath and Cool Breezes along with the Heat,
I am thankful for a husband who runs into the market for milk as I sit in the car with the a/c ,
I am so thankful for adult children who know how to work and that they MUST-WORK!
I am so thankful for all those things I have not earned nor deserve...
Salvation -Eternal Life and during strange unpredictable times..
A Peace that passes all understanding..
And Calm even during the storms of life.

"Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above..."

I Must Keep Laughing -at Me

What does it mean when you're walking out of Wal Mart with your  slightly over 50 hubby and he starts [softly] singing 'DEEP AND WIDE, DEEP AND WIDE"

The older we get the more it's true: You just have to have a sense of humor as you get old..& older.

Only God Can Create Such Beauty

Yes all these blooms are from my yard at some point during the 2010 season,of course not all at the same moment in time.  The Hot July and August sun isn't kind to many of our blooms but we do enjoy them while we can and look forward to the next season.  When a vine, plant or blooming bush just doesn't survive or thrive this season I always say.." Next Year!"

1-2-3 You've Got Sweet Pickles

I am having such fun getting this recipe with pictures posted....yes I know I am NOT the pioneer woman
[ Ree Drummond from  http://thepioneerwoman.com/  ]
But this is a start..hope you enjoy it.  Can't you just smell those pickles that last five minutes on the stove?

To Make Your Magic

 1 gallon Cucumbers

 2 Cups Pickling Lime/or Pickling Crisp

 1 gallon Water

 8 Cups White Vinegar

 8 Cups Sugar

 2 Tablespoons Canning Salt

 2 Teaspoons Each of: Celery Salt, Pickling Spices, whole Cloves

Wash and slice cucumbers.  Cover with lime and water.  Let set overnight. 

Next Day: Drain and RINSE WELL. Cover cucumbers with ice water and let set 3 hours.  Drain and cover with sugar, vinegar,canning salt and Spices.

Stir together; set overnight.  Cook 35 minutes.  Let come to a boil the last 5 minutes.  Fill  clean jars & seal

Jean's secret: To each jar of pickles place in the bottom of each jar one small dried CAYENNE PEPPER. before filling with pickles.  Do not be tempted to add more peppers.  One should be just right.  Two is Too Many.  We like the little kick from the pepper but not everyone will appreciate the extra zip of flavor.

Worth the Effort

The Cucumbers Turned into Sweet Pickles

I must remember these when I need a hostess gift.

A Really Good Day!

Ahhhhh, a really good day..what makes a good day~ something as simple as getting things on your 'to do' list crossed off.  Some days it's just getting one much needed chore done or even getting started. 

Yesterday felt like a good day after taking on a flower bed with way too many things classified as BEAUTIFULLY HEALTHY  WEEDS.  I had not planned to tackle that but just casually  began to remove a few and then before I knew it had both feet [literally] inside the bed and began grabbing and pulling weeds  with a vengeance..at times by the handsful. 

Oh sure I dislike the black soil under my pretty nails and same in between my toes and between the flip flops and my bare feet...I know, not the right shoes-But it sure feels good when you turn the water hose and really cold water sprays away all evidence of where you've been ..

A good feeling..A Good Day!

Obselete Jobs~

Did you ever have the job of a "hander"? How about working all day as a "stringer?"
It wasn't a bad deal.  You could work at this without being an adult, even earlier than 16 if you could do the work.  And you didn't have to go to school to learn the trade.

Of course if you really wanted to get into big money you would aspire to be a "picker."
Naturally you would have start at entry level wages, beginning with something like $2., $2.50 or $3. a day depending on the employer.

I couldn't wait to be a stringer but it wasn't as easy as one might think-some people just had a gift for doing a great job as a stringer.  A careless sloppy job as a stringer was not acceptable.  And the handers couldnt just hand either.  You had to be quick and again not careless in your presentation to the stringer.

A few fringe benefits, one being the mid morning COLD DRINK break if you worked for the right people  and good company to spend the day with if you were at the right place.

 A major negative  would be the heat and the long day and of course the "sticky" conditions that only a good warm soapy scrub would help.

Any idea what these pretty much obsolete jobs might be?

My 'Yarden' Journal [#2]

Top L-R: Blooming Gourd Vines & Harvesting Cucumbers
Bottom L-R: Muscadine Vines & First Daylily Blooms