Pop, pop, pop

When I was a kid getting to share a bowl of popcorn and a coke was a big deal.  We didn't get it that often, but when we did have it while watching a movie or sporting event my mother made the popcorn.  It came out of container and not a bag.  Those of you who know me well know that I do not like fire.  Hot oil cooking on a stove is close enough to constitute fire in my book, and so I never learned how to pop popcorn on the stove.  When Orville started putting his popcorn in a bag that fit in the microwave it was like the greatest invention ever in my book.

My kids have grown up popping their own corn in the microwave.  It isn't something I purchase often, but after spending several summers with their cousin, Austin they were hooked and it was on my grocery list more frequently.  This past Thanksgiving my Auntie Marilyn and her grandchildren visited the area and rented a condo on the beach.  One late afternoon after the kids had come in from the beach Auntie Marilyn popped popcorn the "old fashioned" way.  Both of my kids were fascinated and stood over her watching.  When the family left to go home after the vacation we got the jar of popcorn.  I fully intended never to use it, but stuck it up in a cabinet thinking maybe one day I would be brave enough.

That day came on Saturday.  Madison and I rented a movie and settled on the couch to watch it.  Darcy appeared and plopped down beside us and then announced that we should pop some corn.  Unfortunately, we didn't have any popcorn except for Auntie Marilyn's left over popcorn in a jar.

Me:  "Oh!  I don't want to pop that.  I don't know how to do it.  Well, I do know how its done, but I've never done it.  I'm afraid of fire."
Madison:  "I'll pop it.  Please!  Please, can we?  I'll do it."
Me:  "Okay, okay.  You have to put oil in the pan and heat it and then put in the corn."
Madison:  "I know how to do it.  I watched Aunt Marilyn do it.  I can do it."
Darcy:  "I didn't really like that popcorn.  It's bland."
Me:  "You have to salt it Darcy.  This popcorn is way better."

We read the directions on the jar and measured out the oil and corn.  Madison heated the oil and put in the corn and then attached the lid.  We all three stood and looked at it.

Me:  "We shouldn't watch it just yet because a watched pot never boils."
Darcy:  "We aren't boiling anything.  We're popping popcorn."

The corn began popping and we watched it.  Every once in awhile I lifted the pan off the stove and shook it as I remember watching my own mother do that.  We filled the pan completely with popcorn and just about every kernel popped.  It was so exciting we did it all over again.  Then Madison got down some special popcorn buttery seasoning that Austin had purchased last visit and we sprinkled that and salt over the bowl of popcorn.

It was enjoyed by all.  And I've checked another thing off my list of "to do even though it scares me".

Weekly Slide Photos

In 1972 my family and I took a trip to Canada with my dad's cousin, Betty Rose.  Betty Rose owned a private island north of International Falls with a cabin overlooking the lake.  I have a few memories of this trip and found quite a few slides of this vacation.  Our family drove from Indiana to this area in Canada just north of Minnesota.  We stopped at some tourist places along the way for some Russ photography.

The Smokey the Bear is one of the memories I have from this trip.  Rusty and I climbed up on these bears with our own stuffed animals; Rusty with a dog and me with my baby bear.  I can remember moving from locations on this statue and making Dad take pictures of us with our animals.  Smokey the Bear was very big in our lives.

Story:  Across the street from us behind our two neighbors houses was a hill that led to a small area of trees before opening up into the other neighbors yards.  We considered this area of trees a small woods that we played in.  One morning my neighbor, Mr. Rose, came out on his back patio to see some smoke rising up from these woods behind his house.  He walked toward the smoke and saw my brother (who had a huge fascination with matches) stirring a little fire he had built.  Mr. Rose startled my brother by calling up to him, "What are you doing up there Rusty?"  Immediately, Rusty began stomping on the fire he had built and he called down, "Playing Smokey the Bear!"  He got in big trouble, but the parents were snickering behind his back over that line.

I don't remember the drive there at all.  I don't know if Betty Rose came with us or we met her there.  I do remember that once we got to Canada and the little area where we got groceries we had to be taken to the island by boat.  Betty owned a boat and according to my mother, whose memory isn't so great about this trip either, she kept it with a gentleman in the town.  Connie thinks Betty Rose got her boat and took us all to the island.  I kind of have a memory of being taken to the island by a man.  It will be a mystery unless I see Betty Rose this year at the family reunion and her memory is better then the two of us.

At any rate Betty did have a boat and we did go on the boat to do some fishing.  But before that we somehow got to the island via a boat.

I have a small memory about the island.  I remember some men working on the island, but I'm not sure what they were doing.  It came up once during a conversation about that vacation and I think my dad may have said they brought us groceries or something.  For some reason they gave my brother a coin, a Canadian dollar or something.  They didn't give me anything which is probably why I remember it.

Connie isn't sure when we did this trip in 1972, but she said it was pretty cold while we were there.  She thinks it was in the summer right after we moved to Indiana.  I remember playing down by this area and collecting rocks.

The water was cold.  Rusty was a wimp.  Okay, I don't really remember that part, but just look at him.  And there I am, the expert swimmer out there on the rock playing the mermaid.

Eventually I convinced him to join me.  I do remember that striped bathing suit I was wearing too.  I had that for quite some time.  Odd what things I remember.

This was us waiting for the boat so that we could go out fishing, I think.  And there is Rusty's dog whose name I've forgotten and me with my bear, Teddy.  I was always very creative with naming my animals.

Must have been cold out there on the water fishing.  I have no memory of fishing.  I do remember sleeping in bunk beds in the cabin and singing a song at night when all of the lights were off.  It went like this:

Glack gung went the little green frog one day,

Glack gung went the little green frog.

Glack gung went the little green frog one day,

And his eyes went glack, glack, gung.

And then we would laugh and laugh before falling asleep.  I also remember talking to everyone after the lights went out.  And I remember Betty Rose made great pancakes in the morning and her secret was using water in the mix.  Or maybe it was milk.  Whatever it was it was not what my parents usually used and so there was a big "discussion" over this in the mornings.

The biggest memory I have of that trip was her stash of comic books.  She had piles and piles of Archie comic books that I spent most of my time sitting and reading and reading and reading those comic books while sucking my thumb or eating.  I was determined to read every one of those Archie comic books.  It was the best part of my vacation and my first introduction to comic books and Archie, Veronica, and Betty.  I don't know if I ever read them all, but I asked Betty Rose about 6 years ago what happened to those comic books as they would be worth something.  She didn't know.

I'm throwing this picture in at the end here, not because I remember it, but because it is so arty.  Or at least I think it is.  And Connie looks so happy and so young.  And there is Russ' shadow taking the photo.  Ah, vacations...

Hoping to escape arrest

When I was a kid I was a good kid.

I didn't make waves.  I didn't cause trouble.  I didn't stay out late at night.  I followed the rules.  Just the thought of doing something that might be consider wrong or against the law made me break into a sweat.  I like to say it was the fear of facing my parents that kept me on the straight and narrow, and probably that was part of it, but I just wanted to be a law abiding citizen and not make any waves that would upset people.

Yesterday after visiting the Foot God we were stopped at the stop light right outside the Foot Center.  Connie pointed across the street to a closed down golf course where a magnolia tree stood in full bloom.  The tree was on the golf course property, but also to our left on the other side of a ditch and behind a barrier from the main road.  Connie got all excited and told me to turn left and get her some blossoms off of the tree.  I said there was no where to park and pointed out to her that I would then have to climb over the barrier and jump across the ditch to even get to the tree.  Connie told me I was no fun.

She sat silently while we waited for the light and then pointed out to me, something I had already seen, that I could go straight, pull into the golf course, drive around through the broken down parking lot til I was close to the tree, get out and walk down to the magnolia tree.  She whined about how I never do anything that she wants me to do.  I explained to her my feelings on the matter:

Me:  "That would mean that I would first have to go into a property that is closed."
Connie:  "The parking lot isn't closed off.  I bet people sneak in there and hit golf balls.  I would.  In fact I might just sneak in there and hit golf balls when my foot is healed."
Me:  "Maybe so, but you want me to then drive around, climb out and trespass on the property.  I'm sure there are posted signs about trespassing.  And even if I did that, even if I followed through and trespassed, then I would have to be pulling off blossoms on a tree that is exposed to the main road where everyone will drive past and see me.  I'm not comfortable with people seeing me.  Seeing me trespass no less, but just seeing me and maybe honking or worse recognizing me and honking, and then maybe taking pictures and posting them on youtube.  Then there would be proof of me trespassing and stealing magnolia blossoms.  That is what goes through my head when you tell me to do things like that."
Connie:  "Well, no wonder why you aren't fun.  You need to live a little."

And so just to shut her up, and only because it would give me something to blog about, I did it.  I sneaked into the parking lot and circled around until I was close to the tree area.  I rationed with myself that the trespassing signs on the building were for the building only and I hiked through the rough of the golf course.  As I walked through trees and got closer to the magnolia, animals began scurrying through the brush that covered the ground.  I suddenly wondered if perhaps an alligator might be sunning under the magnolia after climbing up out of the water drainage ditch beside the tree.  I thought it would serve Connie right to loose me to an alligator trying to do something illegal for her.  I wondered if I would scream when he grabbed me and if Connie would even hear me scream.  And since she couldn't come get me even if I did scream,  I tried to remember all the alligator awareness videos I have seen since moving to Florida.

(Yes, I know this isn't an alligator, but it was taken at the alligator farm)

I slowed down and looked around carefully.  I couldn't see the car or Connie anymore, but I could see the road and all of the cars zipping quickly past.  I moved closer to the tree where huge blossoms had bloomed and were open wide to the sun.  Magnolia blossoms are quite sturdy, and I studied the first one closest to me wondering how in the world I was suppose to pick it.  I reached up, apologized to the tree, and snapped off the blossom and part of the branch.  I then proceeded to snap off two more in rapid succession, thanked the tree and then got the hell out of dodge.

I laid the blossoms on the back seat behind Connie.  A big spider leapt out of one of the blossoms and ran out of my vision somewhere into the car.  I spent quite a few moments searching for him, but decided that getting caught trespassing and stealing would be way worse then a spider crawling around in the car.  So I got in the car and drove out of the parking lot.  

We got back to Connie's and in the process of her climbing up the stairs, me carrying up oxygen and the wheelchair, we forgot about the blossoms in the back seat.  It wasn't until a couple of hours later that I remembered the spider which in turn made me remember the blossoms.  They were a tad wilted when I brought them inside, but Connie went to work on reviving them.  Because they were so big she only had one container to float one blossom in and so she put the other two in her kitchen sink.

She was quite happy with her flowers and thrilled with her day of leading her daughter down the path of illegal activity fun entertainment.

I was just happy that I wasn't caught, but now I have to worry about that spider next week, because I am definitely not an animal lover...

All My Children...gone?

While messing around on Yahoo!, my favorite site and homepage, I saw the headlines, "ABC cancels All My Children and One Life To Live" and my stomach dropped.  While I don't watch these two soap operas any more I still keep an eye on them, and if they too can be added to the list of canceled soaps then might not General Hospital, my fav of all of them, not be far behind?

All My Children was the first soap I ever watched.  I'm not sure how I got hooked on it, but I know it was against the wishes of my mother, a woman who never watched a soap in her life and thought them a waste of time and brain matter.  I can remember watching that soap at the age of nine when it was still only a half an hour show from 12:00 to 12:30 PM.  It was summer and I was swimming for the city's swim league.  My mother had forced me to join this team for physical activity and had arranged transportation with her friend's children.  They drove and this gave her some free time to pursue her own interests of golf, tennis and bowling.  I loved having the freedom, and so every day I was dropped off at my doorstep right before noon.  I would go inside and get out of my bathing suit.  Quickly I would run to the kitchen and make myself a sugar sandwich, another no-no in the world of mother, which consisted of a piece of bread full of sugar, folded in half.  Taking this downstairs I would sit on the magic carpet, eat my sugar sandwich, and watch All My Children.  At exactly 12:30 PM my mother would pull into the garage and I would turn off the tube and dust off the sugar remnants.  It was a glorious summer.

Of course school started again and that was the end of my watching the soap.  But somewhere along the way I kept abreast of it, eventually finding my way back to it, now an hour show.  I watched it in the summer.  It was my way of relaxing after swim practice, and if I missed a week or two?  Well, it was always easy to catch up as the storylines never moved too quickly.  By the time I entered high school I was a full fledged soap viewer.  Eventually Kelly and her sister Kathy put me on to One Life to Live and General Hospital, and much to my mother's dismay, I was hooked and taping all three shows every day.

When I started watching the soap Ruth and Joe Martin were the matriarchs, along with Phoebe Tyler.  The Martins had just taken in Tad, and his father, Ray Gardner, was creeping around causing trouble and raping Ruth.  Mona Kane was trying to keep her daughter, Erica in line.  Erica aborted her baby.  There was goody two shoes Tara Martin, Philip Brent, and Chuck Tyler.  I was enthralled with the stories.  They were like the book series I enjoyed reading, only they never ended.  I watched Jessie and Angie come of age.  I watched several actors become famous, the last being Kelly Ripa who I remember watching the first day she debuted as Haley Vaughn.  I watched the show until my late thirties when something annoyed me and I finally let it go.  I guess I have to own up to the fact that I'm one of the reasons it is being cancelled.

Television is rapidly changing and evolving, and while I enjoy some of these new reality based shows, I don't enjoy them to the point of shoving out the true oldies but goodies.  Word is that it All My Children will end September 2011 and be replaced by a cooking show.  Do we really need more of those? Each year I hesitate to even get involved in new shows because I don't want to be sucked in only to have the show cancelled.  Losing those characters always feels like losing a family member.  The one true, sure thing was soaps.  They kept ticking away, and for the most part veterans stayed on until death or retirement.  It was always there to count on.  Now they too are being sent out to pasture, and I for one find it a shame.

Connie Foot Photo #15

I've decided that these pictures aren't really showing how much the foot has improved.  Next time I shall show a view from farther away.  The foot looked amazing this week; really filled in, smaller, and healthier.  The measurements were completely smaller so it is definitely improving.  Bad news:  there wasn't another dermagraft available.

She is back to having home health care come in every day to dress the wound until another wound person is approved for the dermagraft.  It is a wait and see and stay-by-your-phone kind of thing.  I said that it was like being on an organ transplant list.  The Foot God just smiled.  I think he might be growing tired of us....or the situation.

He didn't stay long with Connie.  Just long enough to peek and comment, "looks much better", tell us we would wait for the dermagraft, and sent in Nurse Kelly who finished up cleaning and wrapping the foot, making the next appointment, listening to Connie whine, and getting instructions for home health.  Then she shoved us out the door and down the hall.  I love Nurse Kelly!

A moment in the sun

Connie hasn't really been out since September 2010.  She has been to the hospital, rehab, a nursing facility, doctor's offices, and to lunch a couple of times, but she hasn't just been out of the house for fun.  Today we had her appointment with the Foot God.  As I drove to her condo to collect her for her visit with him, I decided that I would take her out to this new park that had been built on a vacant lot down by the water.  She would be outdoors in the sun and near her beloved salt water.

Connie:  "Take me to the beach"
Me:  "Uh, how do I get you down to the beach?"
Connie:  (whining) "I don't know."

I took her to the park instead.  We parked in the lot and then had to use the sidewalk along side the road instead of the shelled trail into the park.  Connie was worried the shells would puncture her wheelchair tires and I was worried I would be exhausted pushing her as the trail wound around and around.  Once we got into the park it was a nice hike down the boardwalk pier.

There was one lone, young fisherman on the pier who pretended we didn't exist.  He was fishing with only a lure in the shape of a fish with no bait.  As he cast off and stood on one side of the pier, fish were jumping out of the water behind him on the other side.  Every time he moved and cast off a fish would jump behind him or where he had just been.  He wasn't exactly a master fisherman.  Connie and I did not offer helpful suggestions.

It was a beautiful day, but quite sunny and hot.  Connie had misplaced her sunglasses and we didn't think about lathering up with sunscreen beforehand.  We sat at the end and chatted and enjoyed the warm breeze and the views.  A gray heron (at least that is what we thought he was) appeared in hopes of scoring some fish from the fisherman and I attempted some amateur animal photography.

We spent about a half an hour on the pier enjoying the sun before we started our hike back to the car.  On the way we passed a serious fishing group heading down the pier with rods and reels, buckets, nets and an ice chest.  They were very nice and spoke to us.  Some hikers also were heading down to enjoy the view.  We exchanged pleasantries and loaded up in the car to head back to Connie's hideaway and the trip back up the stairs.

Weekly Slide Photos

I thought this week I would show slide pics of my parents.  My gosh, were they ever this young?  I don't remember...

I think this picture was from 1967 and they are standing in front of the pool Connie designed and they had built.  It was my mother's pride and joy.

Obviously this was a great form of entertainment in 1967.  Who knew?

1968 and one of my favorite photos of Connie

In Florida 1970 on a side vacation after a convention

One of the few photos of Russ in a bathing suit

Connie always says that once upon a time she dressed nicely

Putting out feed for the birds and wearing your hunting garb sort of sends

out the wrong message, doesn't it?

 

 Another convention trip to Arizona in 1973

The Mason family 1971

Flat Ewan

A million years ago my teacher friend, Sharon G. invited us to her classroom on a weekend to help her feed the chicks she and her students were raising.  She thought my little ones would enjoy the little critters, and while the three of them were oohing and ahhing over the fuzzy peeps, I walked around her classroom reading thing tacked on the wall.  On one wall were cut out pictures of a short haired gingerbread like kid named Stanley.  Next to each picture was lined paper detailing adventures this youngster had gone on with people from around the world.  Attached on the wall amongst all these pictures and papers was the book, Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown.

I had never heard of the book and so I quickly peered through it.  Apparently the little tike was flattened by a bulletin board and then mailed to a friend.  Sharon explained that another teacher had come up with the idea of having students who were reading the book mail their Stanley to others around the world who would then take pictures and write about their adventures with the little guy.  I thought it quite interesting, but alas, my children never read or participated in a Flat Stanley project.

Four years ago a big envelope arrived from my niece, Gabby..  Inside was a female gingerbread like character with hoop earrings named Flat Stella.  We were to take Flat Stella on adventures, write about the area and the adventures she went on, and mail her and the journal back to Gabby's school.  Excited I set about planning Stella's adventures here in Florida, but each time we left on an excursion we forgot to bring Stella.  Eventually she ended up forgotten on a desk until I found her about two days before she was to be sent back to Indiana.

Frantically I set about writing some journal entries and snapping some photos of Flat Stella and her adventures in Florida.  I actually made, colored, cut, and attached a swim suit for Stella so that she could lounge by our pool.  My husband attached her to a kite and flew her up in the air over our neighborhood.  We photographed her at the beach.  I'm sure the envelope got to Gabby's school several days late, but the class enjoyed Flat Stella's adventures nonetheless.  I, however, was worn out and thankful that was the end of it all.

Three years later another envelope appeared in the mail from my niece, Olivia.  The envelope was addressed to Darcy and inside was Flat Stanley.  She had five days to complete Stanley's adventures, and despite my niece calling Darcy and making sure Darcy was onboard, Darcy did not do anything with Stanley.  When I realized this I made Stanley a part of our Spring Break adventures.  I wrote about it all here.  Unfortunately, despite completing the project and blogging it, I never mailed Stanley or his journal back to the classroom.  He lay in an envelope on my desk for several months until finally, after my sister-in-law shamed me with telling me how Olivia was the only one in her class without a return Stanley, I said good-bye to Flat Stanley.

On Monday I received an email from my cousin who told me that her son's preschool class was doing the Flat Stanley project and would I be willing to participate.  Darcy excitedly said absolutely she would help out her little cousin Ewan.  I emailed back my cousin and told her this,  telling her to send Flat Ewan at her own risk and reminding her of how late I am with all birthday cards and gifts (sorry Joey and Gabby....it's coming, I promise).

I gave Darcy a lecture and told her that I would help her, but that if we were to take on this responsibility we had to be serious about it and absolutely get it done at least five days before the deadline.  This was our third chance of actually doing this damn thing and by golly third time would be a charm!  We would finally accomplish this project by golly!

Thursday evening after returning from Kelly's house from our walk and dinner we found a familiar envelope addressed to our family.  Darcy and I took a deep breath, gave ourselves a pep talk, and opened up the envelope to meet Flat Ewan.

Imagine our horror when we pulled out Flat Ewan in A PLASTIC BAG!  A plastic bag?  What kind of preschool is this where they put people in a plastic bag?  I mean seriously, being mailed in an envelope is bad enough, but suffocating a kid in a plastic ziplock bag?  It was too much for us.  I quickly opened the bag, pulled out poor Flat Ewan, and passed him to Darcy who immediately began CPR.

Lucky for Flat Ewan that Darcy was able to bring him back.  He was quite happy to be out of the plastic bag, but it was then we noticed in the process of being stamped and delivered HE HAD LOST AN EYE!

It didn't stop Flat Ewan from smiling, however.  He was quite the cheery fellow, despite his handicap and horrible plastic bag experience, and he was determined to embrace Florida and its warmer weather. 

Madison felt that she could help out Flat Ewan, despite her insistence that she had no interest in pursuing a career in ophthalmology (a push her mother had tried to give).  She took Flat Ewan and immediately began surgery on his eye.  A half an hour later Flat Ewan was as good as new, seeing 20/20 with a slight correction.

The next morning he arose early and since the girls were in school all day I took him to purchase a swim suit and we spent the day lounging poolside and introducing him to the water.

Flat Ewan is looking forward to his Florida adventures, starting this weekend with Darcy.  So far so good...