Guitar Lesson

Van Buren County Fair Day

Too Hot to Work

Beginnings & Endings

Brett left this morning for his first semester at UTC.
Blake left for his last semester at UTK.
Time flies.

Avocado & Turkey Sandwiches with Feta Mayonnaise

Spread
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
OR
2 teaspoons dried cilantro

Combine all ingredients and stir until well blended.

SANDWICH
2 large ripe avocados
Lime Juice
8 slices of rustic bread
Lettuce (we used spinach)
3/4 lb. sliced smoked turkey
8 tomato slices
4 pieces cooked bacon (we used a little more)
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Slice avocados and sprinkle with lime juice.
2. Spread mayo mixture on each slice of bread - you may want to toast it.
3. Layer lettuce, turkey, tomatoes, avocado, and bacon on 4 slices of bread.
4. Season with salt & pepper and top with remaining bread.

YIELD: 4 Sandwiches

Pa Joe’s July 2009 Memories

On the fourth we had Grandmas Miller and Moffitt join us at Rocky River. We had nice visits and Mom didn’t get in any big hurry to leave. As I was taking her home later, she told me I was driving too fast so I slowed down. It was a nice time. Later in the day some of Debby’s kids came along and we watched grandkids play in the river. Eric’s family already had plans so they couldn’t join us.

Then on to the main event! Camp Nonnanee!!!! Debby plans for these few days and nights for a long, long time. She is the biggest kid in the mix and I look forward to it as well. It is so good to watch the grandkids have fun playing together. Mandy’s family was able to come in from Virginia for the week so we had Layla, Katie, Madison, Kennedy, Elizabeth, Mikayla, and Ashley. Next year we will be joined by Ally, Olivia, and Kyndal! Fun, fun, fun!

All the girls spent the first night in tents. Nonna, Katie, Kennedy, and Layla were in one tent and the Shepherd girls and Madison were in the other. I was forced to sleep in the house in the bed. It was part of my role as the man on duty. I hated that there was no room for me in the tents and had to stay in the comfy bed! The second night Elizabeth suggested they sleep in the house and Nonna jumped up and down at Elizabeth’s great idea. No one objected so the campers moved inside.

All the girls got along well. The bigger girls were so good to help the younger campers. Everyone was safety conscious in the water and shared and played and had a great time. Katie found a fossil that Elizabeth took to a geologist to have examined. It was a fossilized flower that was thousands of years old. The girls found lots of other interesting “crystals”. We ended the camp with families coming to eat with us and listen to us sing for them.

Our little garden has produced lots of food for us. We have had broccoli, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, peppers, lima beans, green beans, and potatoes. We have eaten and frozen so much of this stuff. I think Debby is ready for me to plant some cheeseburger seeds so she can get back to regular eating habits. I planted some purple hull peas a few days ago and plan to plant some lettuce, some more broccoli, and perhaps some summer squash a little later. We also have some butternut squash, cantaloupe, and watermelon coming along.

I spoke at a funeral for the wife of a friend, Oley Buckner. She was 86 years old. He comes to church with us but his wife never had. I had met her a time or two when I had been at his house. He is a very nice man. He is a great tractor mechanic and has come to my rescue several times.

The city of McMinnville has free concerts on the lawn on Friday nights during the summer. We went to two of those during July. The last was by a group called Time Line. They play rock music from the 60’s and 70’s. I really enjoyed the show and was not anxious to leave (like I was the week before when there was a group playing squeaky-squealy stuff).

Nonna Debby's July 2009 Memories

Mandy’s Fam came for breakfast on Friday the 3^rd. They had arrived from VA late the night before. It was so good to see them. I was waiting at the garage door for them to get out of the truck. Layla came running like greased lightning and just about knocked me off my feet when she hugged me. Olivia was right behind her and gave me a quick and happy hug and then ran to hug Roxy and spent the rest of her time with her. At least she hugged me first.

We went to Rocky River on the 4^th. Mom and Hazel joined us. Later that afternoon, Bryce, Mandy, Lori, and their families came to play in the river. Prater’s BBQ did the cooking for us, but we kept it warm over a fire in the fire pit. Mandy, Lori, and fams spent the afternoon with us after church the next day, too.

The 4^th annual Camp Nonnanee was full of fun. We camped in tents the first night, and in Little House the second night. We watched Anne of Greene Gables and Nanny McPhee; cooked over an open fire; made banana boats, cookies, and pizza; created tissue bouquets, Rockettes, pinwheels, sand jewelry, & t-shirts; there was water gun fun, rock collecting, nature walks (both in and out of the river),and campfire singing. The evening devotionals ended our days in just the right way. The last night we had a family cookout that concluded with a performance by the Camp Nonnanee singers – finest bunch of granddaughters you could find anywhere! All the girls got along so well and were just a delight for Pa & me.

Mandy’s Fam spent the night with us on Friday night (10^th). The girls stayed with us the next day while M & M got everything packed up to leave for VA. While they were gone, I took Layla to do a little shopping. She bought some stamps so that she and Olivia could write me. I gave them envelopes and stationary, and so far, I’ve received FOUR LETTERS. It is so fun to hear from them. We also received really sweet notes from the Shepherd girls last month. All our recent correspondence is still on the kitchen table for subsequent readings. Anyway, the time arrived for the Goodwill/Crawfords to depart and there were a few tears (understatement).

Joe went with Brett to the UTC orientation on the 13^th. He has transferred there from Motlow and will be staying in a dorm.

I went for a visit with Mom on the 14^th and took her some of our bounteous harvest. We had a nice visit as always.

On the 15^th, I painted the Jones’ baby’s room. Blue. Gracie has since painted bi-planes and clouds on all the walls and it looks so good.

Joe and I went out to eat one Saturday night at Foglight. It’s a really neat restaurant in Walling that overlooks the Caney Fork. I’m not a huge fan of their food, but it’s a great spot to eat. I do really like their cheesecake, though. I think it’s the best I’ve ever had anywhere. The proprietor’s wife makes them.

Joe spoke in Shelbyville on the 19^th and gave one of the best talks I’ve ever heard him give. We enjoyed seeing some old friends while we were there and enjoyed the meetings very much. That afternoon we visited both grandmas.

Brett gave me the book, Three Cups of Tea, for my birthday. It was written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I finished it a few weeks ago. What a good book! What an inspiring story! It’s the story of a mountaineer (Mortenson) who drifted into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram mountains after a failed attempt to climb K2 in 1993. Moved by the inhabitants’ kindness, he promised to return and build a school. The book is the story of that promise and its extraordinary outcome. Over the next decade he build not just one, but fifty-five schools – especially for girls – in the forbidding terrain that gave birth to the Taliban. It’s a riveting adventure as well as a testament to the power of the human spirit. Mortenson refers to it as his mission to promote peace – one school at a time.

Here’s a quote by the village chief that Mortenson met at the beginning of this story, “Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan), we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything –even die.” Great read.

I also read a few other books. They were about husbands, and babies, and teenagers. I’ve laughed out loud quite a bit as I’ve read them. I was reading something on-line and found them recommended as books written in Erma Bombeck style. Since I read every book she ever wrote several years ago, I thought I’d give these a try. I wasn’t disappointed.

I did some shopping for Mom on the 23^rd and then delivered the things on her list. After we got things put away, we broke green beans that Joe had picked for her. Another nice visit.

We hadn’t attended any of the Main Street Live performances this summer until the 24^th. We went to hear the Joe Harvey Band. He and his brother are Gracie’s first cousins. They are very talented musicians. The genre wasn’t what Joe and I particularly like, but we did like some of their numbers. The next Friday night we went to hear Timeline. They played music from the 60’s & 70’s. We really enjoyed their show. The Goodens sat with us as we enjoyed visiting with them, too. The crowds for these performances have really grown. The numbers have started approaching 2000!

Darlene hosted Pioneer Day at her place on the 25^th. We had lots to get done that day and didn’t make it out there until later, but we were glad we went. We enjoyed visiting with friends and watching all the kids have lots of fun.

The Empty Nest Cometh

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga --
here Brett comes.

Home Away from Home
(He moves in on Friday)

Brett recommended
The Yellow Deli
for lunch.
Yum.

Fruit Pizza

It was a beautiful night last night . . .

There goes the neighborhood . . .

The building phase at Rocky River Resort is underway. The brochure we saw showed 25 building sites on those beautiful 12 acres. Each site will be less than 1/2 acre. Sure seems a shame to cram that many cabins into that treeless field. Sure would have been a beautiful spot for one or two bigger houses, though. The river is really nice behind this first cabin, but we're shocked that it and the others on this end of the property are being built that close to the river. We'll be even more shocked if they don't flood this spring. They're only about 5 feet above the water level now!

Crain Hill

The next three pictures have the graves of some of Joe's forebears. His great-great grandparents and some of their children are buried in this cemetery not far from Little House. The views are pretty in every direction from the top of that hill.

Sunday Evening Treat

Real Easy Bread
(it really is)

2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1/2 cup sugar

Dissolve yeast in water & add sugar. Proof 15 minutes

1/2 cup oil
1/2 tablespoon salt
about 6 cups flour (I use both whole wheat & plain white)

Add these ingredients to the liquid mixture. Mix in enough flour for the dough to release from the sides of the bowl. Let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size. (If I have time, I let it go through the rising process one more time). Punch down and knead for about 5 minutes. Form into two loaves and place into bread pans that have been prepared with baking spray. Let rise again until doubled in bulk. Place in a cold oven and bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes. Remove from pans and place on a cooling rack. Rub the tops with butter. Great with Joe's Grape Jelly or homemade honey butter. Oh my!

The First Day of August