Truth Revealed

1. My nickname growing up was Shirley Temple because of my naturally curly hair. False! I had curly hair, but my nickname was not Shirley Temple. It was Lollipop because I couldn't say my name - I would say "Lolly". And I will always love the song, "Lollipop, Lollipop" because I truly thought it was being sung for me (but I'm not crazy about lollipops).

2. I once had a job where I was taken to work in a limousine, and I would often wear red shoes. True! Not long after my family moved to Oregon my sister and I had a job with a company that would do store inventories. We would meet at the office and then the crew would be driven to the location in an old stretch limousine. Sometimes the job would require a double crew and we would take two limousines. Most of the jobs were in the Portland area, but some would be all the way down in The Dalles or in different parts of southern Washington. We all had a good time, even though we were often working after hours which would mean getting home at 2 or 3 in the morning. We were all definitely nerds. And my favorite shoes to wear on the job were some very comfortable red clogs. Oh, and just to prove that I usually share more than most people care to know: once, on one of our longer trips we decided to tease our boss a little. The crew that day was comprised of only women, and we had a couple of them keep the boss distracted inside the building while we used shoe polish to write "JUST MARRIED" all over the windows, and tied cans and shoes to the rear bumper. Our boss thought it was pretty funny and left it there while he drove us to the store. In retrospect I'm pretty sure it was Sandy's idea to do that.

3. I cut holes in my sister clothes once when we were fighting. True.  I guess.  My oldest sister Diane swears that I did this when I was in 7th or 8th grade, but I can honestly say I have no memory of doing it. Why would I ruin her favorite dress? It was my favorite dress too, and when we were on good terms she would let me wear it. I loved that dress. But I'm the only one who had a motive, so maybe I did cut holes in it, as well as some other items.  I have been accused of having selective memory before ….

Sven, you may claim your prize when you arrive in El Paso Friday night - you are the only one who recognized the lie!

Two Truths and a Lie

  From time to time I will make a comment about a childhood event, mention something about an extended family member, or refer to some well-known family incident, and one of my children will say, "I never knew that. You never talk about stuff like that - how come you haven't ever told me that???" And I am reduced to a quivering, guilt-ridden puddle of melting Jell-o because of all the family history stories I have kept to myself, denying my children a part of their heritage.

     And yet I am pretty sure that I talk about myself and my family way too much and share more details than most people want. So many of the things I find fascinating, delightful, interesting, unusual, noteworthy and important enough to share with the panhandler on the corner of Mesa and Doniphan are probably quite boring to anybody else.

     Because I believe that I have shared most, if not all, of the unusual and even embarrassing events of my life with my family (well, except for what happened when I was on a long hike with a guy and all of his aunts, uncles and cousins), I am giving my kids a chance to prove that they actually listen to me once in a while.

     Following are three statements. Two of them are true and one is a lie. I will reveal the correct answers only after all six of my offspring have given me their answers (it’s cheating if you call Grandma Snider or any of my siblings for help). If you are not one of my natural-born children you are invited to weigh in and  humor me with your best guesses.

1. My nickname growing up was Shirley Temple because of my naturally curly hair.

2. I once had a job where I was taken to work in a limousine, and I would often wear red shoes.

3. I cut holes in my sister's clothes once when we were fighting.

An Early Start on Dad's Day

Day 1 - Friday

This is what arrived  today for Keven

(straight from The Lobster Guy in Maine)

for Father's Day, from his loving children!

This is what happened to the poor buggers when Keven came

home from work (yes, they were still alive on arrival).

We took a few moments to enjoy the loveliness and then

the feasting began.

Devouring the divine

A happy ending -

a certain somebody loved the whole thing ~

But wait, there's more!

Over the weekend we will have to make our way through the clam

chowder, the lobster bisque, the scallops,

the shrimp and the crab meat (sigh).

I know, one bite at a time, but we can do it!

p.s. - Walter and Stumpy didn't seem to mind this extravaganza either.

p.p.s. - I can unabashedly claim that we have the most wonderful kids ever, and I would have said that even before they spoiled us with this marvelous seafood celebration! And since our house smells just like a coastal village I'm leaving the dishes until tomorrow so I can savor the aroma.

Day 2 - Saturday

     After a busy and productive day we had the very best, ever*, clam chowder and lobster bisque. Perfection and joy!

                                           Lobster Bisque

                                                          

                                                                       Clam Chowder

* Yes, better than Mo's

Day 3 - Sunday

Mmmmmmm yum! Shrimp with orzo!

Day 4 - Monday

     

Tonight's main event was delicate scallops served with sautéd mushrooms and squash.

Fabulous! 

We were going to grill them but could not find the skewers :(

Day 5 - Tuesday

Crab meat salad - perfect on this hot summer day!

If you would like to enjoy 5 days of incredible feasting like we have,

just grow yourself some great kids like we did! 

Or, you could go here and order it yerself!

http://www.lobsterguy.com/?gclid=CMLE5rectKICFROdnAodU3ZP6A

It Makes Sense

Before 7am today I tasted the sweetness of fresh strawberries, the yumminess of warm oatmeal, and the quench of cold, cold water.

I saw a box turtle the size of a small dinner plate making his way to the river, three young women on horseback, and a large black dog running circles in a large field.

I smelled the fresh manure being shoveled into a wheelbarrow by a worker at the horse farm, the musky smell of salt cedar, and the heady scent of some unknown exotic bloom.

I felt the cool breeze coming off of the Rio turn into the warmth of the sun as it came over the Franklin Mountains.

I heard roosters crow, a peacock squeal, and dogs yelping so loudly that I almost couldn’t hear the sirens that were causing their distress.

Nope, I’m still not ready to use my i-pod when I run.

We Did It! (sorta)

It's dangerous to post a projects list because then you have to account for what you did and didn't accomplish. But I am pleased with how many items Ayrel and I crossed off of the long list we came up with for short time she was here last week.

Yes, we did make a lemon meringue pie! Sorry, no picture - but it was picture perfect and tasted divine!

Yes, we did can salsa - only one variety, but we were pleased with the results!

Ayrel stirs it up

Kris was a willing taste tester

Final results - first batch!

Yes, Ayrel did buy some new running shoes - and we ran 4.4 miles one morning!

Yes, we did go to lunch with Bobbi, and Ayrel was able to spend time with a friend as well as take Kris swimming at the Gonzalez's!

Sorta, we worked on her sewing projects....I looked at the patterns and cut one out for fitting. (Good luck, Ayrel - call your county extension agent for help if you need it!)

No, we did not get the dogs to the vet. But I can actually do that on my own, so no worries.

And we had lots of time to just enjoy being together; it was a great 4 days!