On May 19 last year, I cut open a watermelon, and look what was inside! Can you see the outline of a heart and how the inside of the heart is a slightly lighter color than the outside? Was it just a coincidence or was someone trying to tell me something? Of course, I felt the love!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
People look around you, the signs are everywhere.
You’ve left it for somebody other than you to be the one who to care. ~Jackson Browne
It’s a strange phenomenon. Friends have experienced it too. When we see the leaves change to their vibrant colors and the temperatures begin to drop, we dig in our treasure chest of leftover yarn and take an inventory of our crochet hooks and knitting needles. Spending more time inside, helps us get creative.
This fall, the weather thermometers didn’t drop like they usually do. We were greeted with many sunshiny days, and my yarn closet was left unattended.
A few days before Christmas, I managed to stay tucked away in our cozy home. The temperatures stayed below zero for days. There were two more gifts that needed to be created during hibernation. Last year, I crocheted snowmen ornaments for my grandkids. I wondered if making ornaments for them would be a yearly tradition. The closet held plenty of red, white, and green yarn. I admired a reindeer ornament pattern, but the yarn closet didn’t contain those colors. A trip to a store would ruin my plans of staying in hibernation. Plenty of white yarn spilled out to greet me. I began crocheting a snowflake ornament from a pattern I found online. The next morning I woke up and thought, “What kid wants a snowflake ornament? Kids want something fun.”
Luckily, after scrolling through many patterns on Pinterest, I found a cute Santa pattern on the Crochet for You Blog. The ornaments were completed on time without having to make a trip outside to get more materials!
The grandkids’ smiles were a treasure to see, when they opened their packages to find the Santa Claus ornaments. 🙂
(This post is in response to #dailyprompt: “How are you creative?”)
Sun beams break through clouds
To steal the coats of white trees
Snow painted branches
Lila and I had a slippery walk yesterday morning. The thick clouds and overhanging branches muffled the noise of distance snowblowers and snow plows. A few flurries fluttered down to greet us. When the sun popped out, I worried the branches would lose their coating of snow but the clouds continue to linger. Soon the wind or sun will steal away our world of “snow painted branches.”
To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold. ~Aristotle
It wasn’t necessary to make a reservation today. Whoever got into one of the every other pews was able to stay. If the church was full, extra space could be found in the commons. If people arrived too late, they wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot. Luckily, my husband, our daughter and her family, and I made it in time and found space inside the church.
The sunny and warm day made it possible for people to dress in their Sunday best. Many wore a mask. Singing was allowed, where once it wasn’t. Today it felt right to be able to sing loudly with the blessing of family by my side. Even though our voices were muffled, the tunes reverberated through the church to sound as they had before the pandemic arrived. There were newer tunes mixed with the old. The older ones I hummed as a child until I learned the words. The newer songs are joyfully nice, but the traditional ones are engrained and bring me to the many Easters I’ve been able to observe. It was good to be able to celebrate Easter mass in a familiar way – a way that felt like coming home again.
Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to
strength and beauty and happiness. ~Floyd W. Tomkins
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
This morning, I had a craving for a specialty coffee. I quickly ordered the Americano on the app on my phone. When I was in the garage, getting ready to get in the car, I saw a beautiful butterfly. She looked like she was stuck in the window pane. My little blow of breath on her wings confirmed she was still alive. A stick was close by. I gently nudged her and tried to get her to climb on board.
“Come on little butterfly, climb on the stick,” I said. “I won’t hurt you. I won’t try to hurt you,” I corrected myself. I talked in that high pitched voice that only butterflies appreciate! After a few minutes, she went on the stick. She seemed a little dazed. I wondered if she was exhausted from trying to get through the screen or possibly I woke her from a nap. She held on tight, as I took her outside and set her and the stick with the potted geraniums.
Off I went to pick up my mobile order. When I got home, the butterfly was still sitting with the geraniums. The sun was shining on her open wings. I hoped she wasn’t getting too warm, but then I thought the sun would do her some good. I went over to our little patch of milkweed and wondered if she would like some. The leaves were so big, I didn’t want to take any part of it away. Besides, it’s caterpillars that feast on those. It’d be better if she tried to find her own food, I decided. I traipsed back to the butterfly, and my shadow must have given her a fright. Maybe she waited for me to show me how she could fly. Up and up she went and floated away on a breeze.
It must be a lucky day, when a person befriends a butterfly. I hope she gets some good nectar.
May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond. ~ Irish Blessing
Lila and I saw this sidewalk art when we went on our walk this morning. It’s a new creation that appeared since our last visit. The creative designs greeted us just as we came out of the tunnel. As we approached the drawings, the birds’ songs seemed to get louder as if they were welcoming us. It was like the little creatures knew what I was reading and were cheering us on. It seemed like we were entering a magical forest. The birds quieted down as we went on our way to walk around the rest of the path.
Hopefully, these signs will cheer you on too!
Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. ~Author Unknown
My husband and I planned on a big outing this weekend, because we were tired of eating at home. Isn’t everyone?! I suggested we order food from Pub 819. I had recently gone there and had their Yum Yum Bowl, which has marinated flank steak, kimchee, fried egg, yum yum sauce, green onions, and coconut rice. My cravings for it would not go away!
It was nice to get in the car and go for a drive. The neighborhood has been filled with people walking and getting fresh air. The roads were very quiet. When we got to the restaurant, we could easily find a parking spot right next to the front door. Usually the streets are lined with parked cars. Today, more people were on the sidewalks than there were cars on the road.
One car was in front of us. When they got their food, we pulled up to the spot where they had been, as we were following the directions on the sign by the front door. We called the restaurant to let them know we had arrived. A few minutes later, a young lady skipped out, holding a plastic bag tight in her hand.
“Two Yum Yum Bowls,” she said with a perky smile. Her blond hair was pulled tight and was gathered up into a ponytail that sat up high on the crown of her head.
“Yes, thank you,” I said, as I took the bag from her. I tried to mirror her perky smile. The smell of the Yum Yum Bowls drifted up into my face, even though all the contents were wrapped snug.
After we got home and opened the bag, I found a handwritten note, which said, “Thanks for the love.” We never got a note like that from a restaurant before. I knew that note would stick in my mind forever.
Kindness is the most tender and effective form of leaving a memory inside people’s hearts. ~Dodinsky
Traveling from Interlaken to Lucerne
How lucky we were to be able to travel along and have each step of our trip be more beautiful than the last. Now, even a short time after our travels, while looking at pictures, it’s like every photo was taken straight out of a story book.
As you can see from the pictures above, the countryside is quite beautiful. We traveled by train from Grindelwald back to Interlaken and then to Lucerne. Lucerne was the biggest town we visited, yet we were able to see a lot on our walks about town.
City of Lucerne
One great find was Lucerne’s parish church, the Church of St. Leodegar. It was built in parts during 1633 to 1639. There certainly was a lot of detailed work to appreciate here.
A very nice day of weather greeted us when we went on a boat ride on Lake Lucerne. Guests can listen to an audio tour where they learn about the castle, dragons, and some interesting legends.
Lake Lucerne
We enjoyed our stay at the Wilden Mann, a historical hotel that has been in business since 1860. The other hotels where we stayed had been around for a while too, but those rooms had been updated and modernized. This hotel kept its historical flare.
Lucerne Wilden Mann Swiss Restaurant
The Wilden Mann has two restaurants: French and Swiss. We had dinner at the Swiss restaurant with traditional Swiss furnishings. The waiter took our order and then delivered bread and a tiny salad with fresh tomatoes and cheese. I also had the asparagus cream soup, which was not super thick, and came with a bit of mango salad. The meatloaf was served with a red wine sauce, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. My husband had the sausage with shoe string potatoes, and onions wrapped in bacon. We topped it all off with a chocolate cake dessert which was served with strawberry “soup” and topped with whipped cream and carmelized sugar.
Though it looked like our trip was straight out of a story book, the best part was exploring all these little towns and going on an adventure together. It was a great way to celebrate a special wedding anniversary. 🙂
An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today,
the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow. ~Author unknown
When I was a little kid, Mom used to take me to the Forum Cafeteria in downtown Minneapolis for lunch. Sometimes we would meet one of her friends or it would just be the two of us.
“Mom, I want a hamburger. What do they call it here?” I would always ask, my nose barely reaching the counter while I pointed up at the tray of patties.
“Tell them you want ground beef,” Mom would say. It was a deliciously seasoned patty that came with mashed potatoes, gravy, and a vegetable.
“Make sure you order the Jell-O, too,” Mom would remind me. The Jell-O came in evenly cut squares, shaped like a brownie. They put the Jello-O in its own separate bowl. We carried our trays over to one of the little tables close to the cafeteria line and were able to see the front entrance. The place was always abuzz with clanking dishes and echoing conversations. It wasn’t only a good place to eat; it was a great place to visit to look at the Art Deco decor. The floor was black and white checkers, the lights sparkled down towards us, and the decorative mirrors surrounded us.
The Saxe Bros. of Milwaukee built the bulding in 1914. The Saxe Theater was intended to be the best theater in the country to watch motion pictures. By 1916, the theater name changed to Strand. Then by 1929, the Forum Cafeteria Co., of Kansas City, signed a lease and converted the space into a restaurant. The Forum Cafeteria was in business from 1930 until 1975. It re-opened under many different names after 1975, as a disco or other restaurants. An article in the StarTribune gives a good history of the places that tried to make a go of it after the Forum Cafeteria closed.
This photo was taken after a renovation.
Even though I appreciated the Art Deco at an early age, the best part of the experience was when Mom and I acted silly when we were eating lunch. It was the only place where we took mouthfuls of Jell-O squares and swished it around to make Jell-O soup. Even though the giggles escaped while we swished, we kept all that Jell-O inside.
Little memories like that can make your day a happy one.
Mom, when thoughts of you are in our hearts, we are never far from home.
~Author Unknown
Great Grandma VG with her Great Grandchildren (Left)
Great-Great Grandma with her Great-Great Grandchild (Right)
A year ago in March, our family got together for a Sunday meal. Five generations ranging in age from 103 years old to the new little one who was born the month before. My husband’s grandmother had become a great-great grandma, and others got new titles too, so there was much to celebrate.
I made Great-Great Grandma’s (aka Grandma VG) favorite salad that day, one that I had made many times before. Grandma VG loved that cabbage salad and always raved about how delicious it was. Grandma VG named the ingredients one by one with each bite she took. The sunflower seeds were at the top of the list. The salad is full of flavor and doesn’t get boring probably because of all the butter, oil, and salt it contains! On that Sunday in March though, Grandma VG didn’t comment about the salad and that was a sign to me that she wasn’t feeling like herself.
Whenever Grandma VG came over before she turned into a great-great grandma, when our kids were little, she always brought along her money jar. We’d have our same routine. Grandma came into the house, took off her wrap, greeted all of us (even Music, our dog, who loved her too), and asked us how we were doing. We visited for a while, ate dinner together, and when we were done, Grandma went to get her purse. She asked all the kids to gather around our kitchen table, and she pulled out a little jelly jar filled with coins. The kids’ eyes lit up and she told us how she went shopping, and this was her leftover money. Grandma VG loved to shop and liked to look at the new styles. Most times she had a story to share about something she found interesting or new with the mall or something she found.
The kids would remember whose turn it was to count out the coins. The coins got divided up into three even piles with even amounts. If there was anything extra, it went back in the money jar. “We’ll save that for next time,” Grandma would say. I always thought this was a great way for the children to learn how to count money and how to share, and I bet that was Grandma VG’s plan too.
Around this time last year, Grandma VG passed away. After her funeral, Matt, our youngest, inherited the money jar. It only contained a few coins, but it held a lot of memories. Grandma knew how to make people feel special. One thing that always made me feel special was when she introduced me to others as her granddaughter, who I was by marriage, but she rarely mentioned the marriage part. We miss her and her stories. We still love her, and we’ll hold that love close and guard it, just like we’ll hold close the gifts and memories of the money jar.
Death ends a life, not a relationship. ~ Jack Lemmon
And now, here’s the recipe:
Cabbage Salad
2 packages of coleslaw mix
bunch of green onions, chopped
2 packages Ramen noodles (chicken base), broken up
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 small package slivered almonds
½ cup butter
Brown chopped green onion, noodles, sunflower seeds and almonds in ½ cup of butter on low heat.
Dressing:
1 cup salad oil
3 teaspoons soy sauce
packets of chicken base from Ramen noodles package
2/3 cup sugar
Mix dressing ingredients, pour over coleslaw mix and onion, noodles, and nut mix. Can be prepared ahead; mix with dressing just before serving.
My Reality Show 