Two Busy Weekends, and really not much time to blog in between. On Friday, July 16th, Bob and I picked up Lindsey in Indy and went to Effingham, where we watched my cousin Rich's band (The Naked Sissy's) perform at the Orchard Inn. We hadn't heard them and tried all last summer to catch them, but it never worked out, so we decided early this summer that this would be our Naked Sissy's Weekend. We were joined there by Jeff & Megan, cousins, Lisa and Cary, Lori and Dan, and ran into many other noteworthy folks. Sidenote: I wonder why they use the possessive form of Sissy's? and not plain old Sissies?? The Naked Sissy's....what? I saw four sissies in that band. Hmmm. I wanted to ask but didn't want to come off like some nitpicky English teacher....I took this crappy picture of my cousin, and then my camera battery ran out of juice and I was finished taking crappy pictures for that weekend.





On Saturday, Bob and Lindsey and I drove down to Lori and Dan's in Carbondale to see their house and to tour the wine trail in Shawnee National Forest. It was very, very hot there, and a huge dog followed us into the tasting room at one winery, seeking refuge in the cool air. He hid under the counter between us and slapped a giant paw on my sandled-foot, in some kind of desperate plea not to rat him out or the proprietor would toss him back out into the hot parking lot. He was a big Newfoundland named Bandit. Here he is with Lindsey. Note that Lindsey is not holding a wine glass, but a bottle of Saluki Dunkeldog beer, bottled by Big Muddy Brewery. After tasting some wine (and beer) we went back to Dan and Lori's lovely house and grilled some brats and began food preparation for the Hankins' family reunion to be held the next day back in Effingham. Here's a picture of Lindsey and Baleigh taken just before serious cookie baking commenced. (Baleigh after a long hot day of tournament softball) To the right of Lindsey, you might notice a piece of my luggage, which I love dearly. It's Etienne Aigner and I've had it for eleven years. It's very distinct and easy to spot on the baggage carousel. I never want to part with it.





Sunday, the 18th began like Saturday the 17th had ended - hot - very, very hot. But, as we were driving north a big storm passed through the area and we arrived at Community Park just as the rain was letting up, and the temperature dropped significantly and there was a breeze, and well, I think God must have been smiling down on the Hankins' reunion because it was the best day they'd had there in weeks. Here's a picture of most of the family members present that day. I took the liberty of having some shirts printed up that said "Hawkshawfest 2010." That's because our grandpa used to tell us that we were part Hawkshaw Indian, which of course, we aren't, as there is no such tribe. However, some younger cousins, not wanting to doubt his word, bought into the notion. So anyway, it's a running joke and here are some of the Hawkshaw tribe members - Scotsmen and women posing as Native Americans:

Last week I filled in for Sally at the park department for the very last time because Sally is retiring at the end of this week. She's worked there for 23 years, and I've been filling in for her when she goes on vacation for the last 12 years or so. There will be a doin's for her on her last day. On Saturday morning, Bob and I traveled to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania to surprise our dear friend, Stormy for her birthday. We were waiting for them at one of their favorite restaurants, and I do believe that she was truly surprised. Here we are at the restaurant. On Sunday we went into New York to see an exhibit at the Metropolitan Art Museum. American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity.



















We drove back to Wilkes Barre Sunday evening. I had baked a carrot cake for her birthday and here we are eating it.








And one more shot - but is this a picture from the Met?

Heck, no. This Winged Victory replica is in Nick and Stormy's bedroom! How cool is that? All we've got in our bedroom is a silk ficus, which really should be pitched in the trash.



So, there you have it. I've got nothing going on this week at all, so maybe I'll get some cooking done. Thanks for stopping by!!!!

All My Saplings. A couple of posts ago, I complained some about Bob's campaign to replenish the forest by nurturing every little seedling that manages to take root in our yard, no matter where it might choose to call home. If it happens to be a flower bed, well, I'm supposed to leave it alone. If it happens to sprout in the yard, he protects it with some black plastic tubing, and I'm supposed to mow around it. Here are some of Bob's children. This first one is at the edge of the garden. Bob says it's going to have a beautiful shape when it grows up. Hi Maddie. She decided to pose here without even being asked.




This is a beech tree that will replace the one we had to cut down in order to add on the dining room. Umm, that's my finger in the shot. Sorry












This one is is marked by a couple of green sticks that alert whoever might be mowing or trimming to "back off!"








This one is in the middle of my flower bed and I have to let it grow there, but I don't know why or for how long.






This is the small elm that we have to let grow because it will replace the big Happy-Face Elm, should it ever decide to keel over.












I have no idea what the heck is going on here, but I have to mow around it.















And finally, the piece de la resistance. I like to call this oak tree, "Bob Junior," who began as just an acorn. Bob has been encouraging and nurturing Junior along for some ten years. (again, with the finger at the top) Sorry.











These are also Bob's saplings: Kacey, Lindsey, and Rob.
















My Disturbing Church Directory Story: Yesterday Bob and I had our picture taken for the church directory and the young lady photographer encouraged us to celebrate our upcoming 30th anniversary by buying a special three picture set in a frame that featured the two us in the center and individual shots on each side. She said it would be a good idea for us to have some individual pictures taken that could be used as obituary shots, if needed!!!!!!!

Yes, you heard me correctly. Well, I admit I was shocked at first, but Bob and I, we looked at each other like that was a perfectly reasonable thing to do and we bought the *@#!!! thing. Can't wait to get it. As I told my Facebook Friends, last week's insult of finding a sensible footwear catalog in the mailbox pales in comparison to this week's recommendation that we get ourselves some obituary pictures ready in the desk drawer.

Tip of the Week from my Farmer's Almanac Calendar:

To climb a coconut tree, place one hand high on the back of the trunk and the other at chest level on the front of the trunk. Put your bare feet on the trunk, one on each side, frog-legged. Push on the trunk with hands and feet and lift your body up. Get back into frog position and start again. (sounds simple enough) PRACTICE CLOSE TO THE GROUND!

Hope your 4th of July weekend was full of family, friends, fun, food, and fireworks. Here we are setting out to watch the display on Sylvan Lake, courtesy of Rick, Cathy, Kevin, and Tina. Their two boats were tied together and sported thirty fireworks watchers and one Turner Cup, which weighs as much as a small person. Cathy took this picture of the four of us and I pilfered it off Facebook. Thanks, Cathy. You're the best.

My Disturbing Walmart Story.

Yesterday I went to Walmart and I was trying to get to the broccoli, but this family had the produce aisle blocked. The mother was feeding a bottle to a baby in the cart and talking really nasty-mean to the "father-person" in the group. Apparently he wasn't doing something right. I circled around and came at the broccoli from the other direction and encountered more family members - blonde twin girls, about three years old. They were both taking bites out of the broccoli crowns and then putting them back. And they were biting that broccoli with a vengeance! Well, I just stood there, slack-jawed and flabbergasted because, well, first of all - three-year-old's eating raw broccoli like little rabbits in a garden is odd in itself. There was no raw broccoli being consumed by children in the Pillers' home, not-nobody, not-no-how. I was also staring because the mother and "father-person" were allowing this produce-molestation to happen . And to make matters worse, the "father-person" notices me staring with astonishment, so he whacks both little girls in the head!

I opt to go with the cellophane-wrapped broccoli and hurry away. I try to report the crime, but could not find any floor workers, so when I paid, I told the checkout lady, who summoned a manager, and I'm telling them both about the family, and the dirty-deed, and the whopping, and the manager says "Oh, I bet that's them right there." They're in the next lane behind me, checking out.

Since my job was done there, I scurried to the parking lot (avoiding eye contact) where I immediately called Lindsey and told her my disturbing story. She told me to just stay out of Walmart.

I needed that broccoli so I could make pasta salad. There's nothing like cold pasta salad on a hot summer evening. I made two kinds, the creamy shell pasta salad (recipe in the 2009 archives) and a sweet pasta salad, which I had never tried before. I really like it and Bob liked it too, so here's the recipe for you to try, if you want.

Sweet Pasta Salad

1 lb tri-color rotini

1/3 cup oil

3/4 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tablespoons parsley

1 medium purple onion

1 diced cucumber

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1 cup chopped celery

Boil pasta. Drain. Dissolve in separate saucepan: oil, vinegar, water, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley. Combine all and chill for several hours.

"These are the daylillies of our lives." I grow fonder every year of my daylillies. They make me want to plant more and more of them. Although, I guess, I like all the the flowers. I refuse to plant gladiolas, though, as they tend to remind me of funerals, and you have to dig the bulbs up (right?) and frankly, I don't think they would be worth that effort.

Here's the whole flowerbed in the front of the house near the road. I REALLY need to do some work out here. One problem is that there are tiny oak trees growing in here, courtesy of our squirrel friends, and my husband is hell-bent on nurturing them. I pull them out when I think he won't notice. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about oak tree nurturing, but I have my own ideas about where they should grow and where they should not grow.

I like daylillies, but here are three things I don't like:

1. Being without electricity - which we were from Wednesday night until Friday noon - and then off again for a couple more hours. It seems that us, thirty-two poor schmucks hooked up to this one particularly faulty (voodoo cursed) grid are always the first to lose power, and maybe, (but can't be sure) the last to get power restored. A sub-annoyance in this category would be having to sleep with your windows open, listening to the loud generators that your neighbors all ran out and purchased.

2. Getting old lady shoe catalogs called "FootSmart" in the mail - featuring Orthaheel, Podiatrist-designed for heel pain relief. I just plain don't want them coming here.

3. That loud humming noise at World Cup 2010. It makes me think there's a hornet's nest nearby. It's unnerving and irritating. I simply cannot stand it.

I guess I'm done.

OMG - This coconut cream meringue pie is heavenly and I wish you were all here to share a slice with me. No, really, I wish you were here because I am afraid to be alone in the house with this pie!!

Bob, his mom, (Darlene), Lindsey, Brent, and I all went to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach on Friday, but since one is not allowed to take a camera (0r anything else for that matter) onto the grounds, I have no proof of this trip, except for our Friday grounds passes, so here they are. Lindsey bought us all US Open lanyards. Thanks Lindsey! We had a picture taken of us all at Ghiradelli Square, so maybe she'll post that on her blog. We had a great time at the Open cheering for Phil as he shot five under that day. If you happened to be watching when he putted on the 18th green, you surely saw us all standing right behind the cup. We were on the course for about twelve hours. It was pretty cold and windy and Lindsey ended up paying a pretty penny for a U.S. Open blanket, but it was a great day. Bob and Darlene and I returned home on Saturday, but Lindsey and Brent went on to Napa Valley and Sonoma. Good times.

I'm not going to post much more, as it's 2:30 AM (still on CA time). I've got this recipe to post, and just as a sidenote - Hans apparently has THREE children, not two, as stated last week. Not sure if we can accommodate four groundhogs in the Hickory Hill Hood. I wonder if groundhogs kick their adult offspring out or allow them to live in their basements. I also see them scurry under the Dinehart's sunroom, so maybe some of them will want to move over there. We'll see.

Recipe of the Week: is for old-fashioned coconut cream pie. Who doesn't like a coconut cream pie? Well, Stormy, for one, and all those other misguided people who hate coconut, but if you're not one of those guys, you'll love this pie!

Coconut Cream Meringue Pie

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 cup flaked coconut, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 9-inch pie shell, baked

Meringue

3 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup flaked coconut

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk until smooth. cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of the hot filling into egg yolks; return all to pan, stirring constantly. bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in chopped coconut, butter and vanilla until butter is melted. Pour hot filling into crust.

For meringue, in a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time on high speed until glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edges to crust. Sprinkle with flaked coconut. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown.

Son of Hans: Big news in the Hood - Hickory Hill Hans has a family. That's correct, two young 'uns that we saw for the first time on Friday afternoon, frolicking in our garden. Here's a picture of one of the offspring, peeking out from behind the beech tree.....

and here's Hans, himself. Rob and I were just trying to figure out how many years he's been living under our woodpile - at least four or five, maybe more, although we do think he has a vacation home over at the Dinehart's.

Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog cares nothing about Hans or his children, or the birds or squirrels, or even the chipmunks, anymore. She only cares about what I might be up to in the kitchen.

Some weeks back, I promised a recipe for stuffed meatballs. I got it from Stormy, who made them once when her family was all home. They're certainly good meatballs, alright. My only issue with them is that the recipe calls for ground beef, pork, and veal, which makes for a whole lot of meat, and makes them a little pricey. Here 'tis:

Spaghetti with Stuffed Meatballs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 lb each ground pork, veal, and beef

1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

3 eggs, lightly beaten

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/3 lb. mozzarella or provolone, cut in 1/2 inch squares

Olive oil for frying

About 6 cups tomato sauce

2 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained

Grated Parmigiana-Reggiano for serving

In a large bowl, combine milk and bread crumbs. Add meats, 1/3 cup parsley, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix briefly with hands. Form into 2 inch balls. Seal a cheese cube into the center of each ball. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 inch oil until almost smoking. Brown meatballs 1 minute per side. Transfer to paper towel-lined tray.

Discard oil in pan. Pour tomato sauce into pan; bring to simmer over medium heat. Add meatballs, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until cooked through. 3o minutes. Uncover; cook 10 minutes more. Serve over pasta with cheese. Serves 10-12.

'The promised land always lies on the other side of the wilderness." Havelock Ellis