Fire Ants 

After two major storms in Raymond, the Fire Ants have come up out of the ground by the millions. There are dirt mounds everywhere. Across the lawns, by the side of trees, fire hydrants, playgrounds, and even by the court house steps. Most of us who live here give the ants a wide walk around, knowing that a misstep can result in immediate burning pain. It is amazing just how fast a Fire Ant can react to their nest being touched. And once they lock onto you, it’s a struggle to pull them off your skin. They’re like little pit bulls. They won’t let go. Then, for the grand prize, each bite you receive will form a pustule on top of a red welt.

Most people in town resort to poison. Unfortunately, “love Mother Earth” is a foreign concept here. No one makes the connection that if you spread a whole bunch of poison and it rains, the poison eventually goes into our drinking water and our plants. I have found that if you annoy the ants enough, they will pack up and move away to the neighbor’s lawn or property. This has worked out quite well for me and I wish others would do the same. Simply use the hose from a safe distance, or take a shovel and plunge it into the ant hill. You gotta be quick though. They’re fast as lightning. I’ve had to drop the shovel more than once and run. So far, the score is: ants 2, humans 1.

Since I walk through the town most every day, I get to see a lot more of the outside than most folks do. It hasn’t really rained since July, and the drought is getting worse and worse. The wildlife are beginning to come into our yards because there isn’t any water for them to drink. Heck, the deer ate Mr. Charlie’s Pansies out of the church garden bed and they had to cross the street to get to them. I have 3 bird baths in my yard and I try to keep them full. It would be a really good thing if you put out some water as well. The mosquitoes are just about done for the season and the animals really need our help.

Hair Country

Last Thursday, I finally made up my mind to cut my hair. I have had long hair most all my life, and it has always been my shining glory. I never wanted to look like most older ladies who have that ugly helmet hair shaped doo comprised of little curls, tightly to their head. My mother wore one and each night she would wrap her doo in a hair net before she went to bed. Then in the morning, she would take a lift comb and fluff out the hair. Once a week, she went to the beauty parlor and had it all redone. For me, the very thought of not being able to comb my hair for a week made my scalp itch!

At the age of 67, however, after clipping my hair back for all those years, I am left with a bald spot on the crown of my head. I understand Geishas have the same problem as they age. So off I went to the best barber in Raymond. His name is James Lewis and I trusted him to give me the best haircut he could possibly do. He cut half my hair off and as much as I hated the idea of having less hair, it was for the best. I can now cover my bald spot.

Now, let me tell you about our town barber. You either like James Lewis or you don’t, and at the age of 75, he comes out with the most outrageous comments I have ever heard. Sometimes I have to burst into laughter. The first time I entered his shop, I was shocked by what I saw. I don’t think he has ever cleaned his place of business. There is such a melee of junk, signs, newspaper articles, stuffed animals, rocks, deer antlers, antique barber chairs in descending stages of ill repair, that it takes a while to take it all in. Mr. Lewis, himself, is usually covered with a blizzard of hair. He has a good business and that’s where you meet all kinds of townspeople in Raymond. I always enjoy going there. He works Wednesdays through Saturday only, and you can tell he’s in because he hangs out his towel. Everybody in Raymond goes there for a haircut and news of the community. Before I left, I came home with two booklets entitled “History of Cooper’s Well”, and “Raymond, A History from 1821-1876.”

So now I am adjusting to my new hair length. I guess I should be grateful that I still have any hair since some of my relatives are almost bald. But it was a big step for me, this haircut. Everything changes.

Peanut Sauce Recipe

After searching around, and trying a number of peanut sauces, I have finally found the best one. It came from allrecipes.com, and it was the sauce for Chinese Chicken Salad. The salad was good, but the peanut sauce was outstanding. I put it over spaghetti noodles with green onions, fresh cilantro, and freshly shelled unsalted peanuts. It was even better the next day. 

Cook Pasta. When the pasta is cooled, add the peanuts, cilantro and green onions. Then mix in the dressing. 

Dressing:
Mix together with a whisk:
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (available at Kroger on the international isle)
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
¾ teaspoon hot chile paste (also available on the international isle)
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar (same place as above)
1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil (located in the cooking oil isle)

July 2nd was my birthday. My girlfriends and I went to lunch to celebrate. Betsy's entree was so unusual, I thought it deserved a photo. It kinds of reminds me of Dr. Seuss. How about you?

Nature’s Bounty

Went by the community garden on my walk this morning and found the mayor picking tomatoes and purple hull peas. She gave me a batch of peas and I hulled them when I got home. It’s been a while since I did this, so the peas popped out of the pods, jumped the side of the bowl and landed on the floor.  It took a while to perfect my technique and now I know why they are named purple hull peas because my fingers are now purple. I plan on cooking them tonight with some chicken stock, half a slice of bacon, salt & pepper. They will go good over rice. 

At the same time, the tomatoes came in and I’m overwhelmed. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon cooking spaghetti sauce. Well, actually I should call it chicken zucchini spaghetti sauce. I used up half the tomatoes and was able to get 6 dinners out of it, which I then put in the freezer. Tomorrow, I plan on doing the same with the tomatoes below. 

Nutraderm Therapeutic Lotion, Original Formula

I have used the above lotion for almost forty years. Over that period of time, it has always been available at any large drug store. It used to cost about $8.00. Over the years, the price has gone up some, but I never paid over $15.00 for it. When I moved from California to Mississippi, I had to rely on the Internet for my supply. Now that my birthday is approaching, when asked what I would like, I said Nutraderm. The next thing I knew, I got a call late at night from a friend who said he’d like to buy it for me, but he wasn’t going to pay $100.00 for it. I was aghast. So this morning, I looked up Nutraderm on Amazon, and sure enough, there is was. $100.00. I am guessing that the company either went out of business, or stopped making the product. What amazes me even more, is you can buy it new or used. Now why would anyone buy a half-used container of moisturizer? The thought makes me gak. This is a fine example of why change isn’t always for the better. Tarnation! Now I'll have to go find another lotion.