At Long Last

It’s been eight years since I moved back to Mississippi and during that time, Bill and I renovated the entire house, all except for the kitchen. Finally, this past August, he and I agreed to take on the kitchen. We finally finished it right before Thanksgiving. Well, we still need to install a hood over the stove, put in some mood lighting, and thresholds, but it is mostly complete and I have breathed a sigh of relief. My house has now returned from chaos.

Renovating a 125-year-old house certainly had its challenges. One of the side effects we discovered is that when you make major changes to an old house, you wake up the ghost who made his appearance at different times during the renovations. The kitchen was the worst. Lloyd (the ghost), kept turning on the TV during the days I was working in the kitchen. The first time he did it, it made me jump out of my skin because the volume was on high. After that though, the more he turned on the TV, the less response he got from me. I just got used to it. Some ghosts aren’t scarey. In fact, Lloyd has been known to have a sense of humor. I figure we can co-exist.

There was a drop ceiling in the kitchen that we wanted to remove. To our surprise, there were 3 layers of ceiling under the tiles. And although you can only see Bill in the photos, I worked right along side him the whole way. Somebody had to take the photos.

My favorite part of the kitchen is the upper shelving we extended all around the room that holds my bird collection.  There is a section for chickens, ducks, song birds, raptors, shore birds, and pelicans. A life time collection is now on display. Hooray!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Day (2nd Friday each December)

I first heard Bill Geist on the program "Sunday Morning", talking about ugly Christmas sweaters, and over the years, it has morphed into a major holiday. Many people are having ugly Christmas sweater parties and it's so much better than having a regular get together. If you haven't gotten a sweater yet, I suggest you head on down to your favorite thrift store and find you one!

                                                        This guy won't even show his face!

                                       Don't know what to say about this one, but it certainly is poor taste.

Even though this is not a sweater photo, I couldn't pass this one up. I might just have to try it myself!

The Bathroom Under the Stairs

These are photos of the small bathroom that is located in the center of the house, and where one goes when there is a tornado on the way. Two weeks after I arrived in Raymond, a summer storm came up with 90 mile an hour winds. Bill called me and told me to take refuge there. Welcome back to Mississippi Ruth!

Sometimes the Light is Just Right

This is a photo of our bathroom on a good day.

Mary's Basket

I've been commissioned to make 5 baskets for a gentleman in Alabama. One of my earlier baskets is now used in his church for Communion. This is the first of the five.

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Kale Salad 

                                                                             Cooked

                                                                                Raw

                                                                               Raw

 Chop up the sweet potato into small cubes. Mix in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour onto a cooking sheet and bake until done. I use a toaster oven for this. Let it cool. 

In a large bowl, mix the chopped kale, spinach, and sweet potatoes. I add unsalted roasted peanuts, but you can also add pecans or whatever nuts you choose.

Mix up the following dressing to your taste:
Balsamic Vinegar
Honey or Maple Syrup
Coarse Grain Brown Mustard
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Another Goddess Basket

To the Goddess Isis I make this basket
May the spiral dance shape it the way I ask it.
With magic needle from ages past,
Bless this basket and make it last.

Mice That Bite

My friend, Elaine, has four cats under the age of 2 years. She keeps her sliding glass door slightly open so they can go in and out. As a result, the cats drag in everything imaginable. Birds, chipmunks, snakes, insects, lizards and sometimes mice. Elaine prides herself in trying to save the lives of these poor victims, which often is not a good idea. The other day, one of her cats brought in a mouse. After chasing the cat down, she captured the mouse and was attempting to put it outside. The mouse had other ideas and promptly bit her on the index finger. She had to pull him off her finger with her other hand, and the mouse promptly bit her in the other index finger. These were puncture wounds and rather deep. Being late in the afternoon, she was advised to go to Kroger Pharmacy in Clinton so she could get a Tetanus shot.  Not sure what kind of diseases a mouse bite could transfer, but the pharmacy bit her as well to the tune of $57.00 for the shot. I know it's not funny, but it still makes me laugh.

The Raymond Community Garden

Earlier this year, I tried my hand at growing 30 tomato plants in the community garden. I planted them in May, after raising the seedlings to where I could transplant them to the garden. Alas, I planted them too close together. I guess I didn’t realize just how large they would become in such a short amount of time. Back then, they looked so weak and lonely that I tried to group them together. As a result, there were tomatoes, but mass confusion ruled. I’ll know better next time. 

This fall, I tried my hand at greens, and it is a bonanza! The seeds jumped out of the ground after 4 days and have been growing and flourishing ever since. I planted Turnip Greens, Mustard, Collards, Kale, and Rape. I couldn’t be more pleased. Mother Nature has rewarded me for my efforts. Greens are a staple here in the south. Most everyone knows how to cook up a mess of greens, and they are so nutritious! Some years ago, when I was living in California, I cooked a pot of greens and my guests thought they were lawn clippings. Whoops! Wrong culture! When I returned to Mississippi, that was the first thing I looked for in the grocery store. Now the community and my friends can share in the bounty this winter. And they’re organic!

Kitty Come Home

SeeKitty, my 17 year old cat failed to show up for breakfast about two weeks ago. I searched and called for her for days. I checked the streets to see if she had been run over, opened all the sheds in case she got locked in. I even crawled under the house to search, but to no avail. I haven’t been able to write about her until now, and as I write, the tears fill my eyes once again. Her sweet little face, her beautiful green eyes, and her bob tail... it breaks my heart. She is sorely missed. We had a bond that grew closer each passing year. At her age, she seldom left the yard, and now there is an empty bench that reminds me each time I go out the back door.

SeeKitty was a feral cat and I remember it took almost a year for her to make contact. I never attempted to touch her, and eventually, she became curious as to why I didn’t. I let her touch me first before I ever tried to pet her. As a result, I was the only one she would allow near her until later in life. Eventually she accepted my friend Elaine who lives next door.

I suppose I will eventually take in another rescue kitty, but for now, I am still grieving.

Bay Lee Bird

This is a photo of a Cockatiel deep inside of a Snyder's Sour Dough Pretzel box. She doesn't like sharing and we often bicker over who gets the most pretzels. 

Flowers For August

                                                                Wild Clematis in the Side Yard

                                                           Red Cypress Vine in the Back Yard

                                                        Chrysanthemums in my Kitchen Window

The Basket That Named Itself

A few days ago, we had a super moon, and being August, it was the Corn Moon. I got up in the middle of the night, to view the super moon and moonlight was shining on the basket I just made. What a magical sight. So I had no choice but to dedicate it to the Corn Moon 2014.

A Flying Dream

When I was very young, I used to fly a lot in my dreams. Each time I would start to feel that lifting feeling, I would remember to make sure I reviewed my knowledge and take a few practice runs through the house before venturing outside. It was kind of similar to learning how to ride a bicycle. Balance was essential. I flew to a lot of places, some that were familiar, and some new. No matter what the scenery was, flying always gave me a sense of freedom and exhilaration. Apparently, when you leave your body, your body becomes very still. I remember two incidents where I was jarred back into reality because someone was shaking me. One was my mother, and the other time was my childhood girlfriend who thought I had stopped breathing during a sleep over. As the years went by, and I grew up, those dreams faded and I stopped flying. I missed them and wondered if I would ever experience the feeling again. 

Well, last night, I got my wish. After 50 years, I got to fly again. I found myself in an old monastery like building with cobble stones for flooring. I had on a long robe and could feel the coolness of the stones under my bare feet. As I lifted off the ground, it took me a few moments to realize that I was at least two feet off the floor, and I seemed to be gliding like a ghost. It was very pleasurable, and I then wondered if I could go higher. As I arched my body and spread out my arms, I rose further up in the air, and flew down a number of corridors. It was delightful. I then heard a voice in my head tell me that I could fly around the old house, and also on the outside surrounding grounds, but no further. That was fine with me, so I explored every room and all of the gardens. As I was glancing up at the moon some time later, this naked young man greeted me in the air and invited me to come back to the house where he served me some wonderful food he had cooked, just for this occasion. As I began to eat, I felt my feet touch the ground and he then told me my flight was over. I laughed and told him how grateful I was. When I tried to thank him, he stopped me and said he was only the messenger, not the source. So whoever granted me this flight, thank you! I will always remember it. 

Utility Boxes

One of the interesting things that local towns have begun doing, is the painting of utility boxes by the side of the road. Different artists have come up with unique designs. Some depict Mallard ducks, others are paintings of chairs. My favorite one so far is the hand sticking up out of the river. Each time I pass it, it makes me wonder what kind of story goes along with the painting.

Diana's Basket Enhanced

I was able to make a lid for her basket.

Flowers from my Husband

Every Saturday, after going to tennis drills in Clinton, Bill does the week's food shopping. He prefers to go alone, leaving me home, because I like to dawdle and he usually goes through the market at a dead run. It's OK with me. Elaine and I usually go mid-week and take our time reading all the labels. One of the nice things that Bill does, is that he brings me flowers each week. Here are some of the highlights of the year.

Good Eats!

This past Saturday, it was my girlfriend, Rochelle’s birthday. She turned 52. About 2 years ago, she had a stroke that left her paralyzed on her right side. Rochelle was my adventure buddy before her stroke. She lived out in the country on a beautiful lake with 40 acres of wilderness. We used to take her 4-wheeler out on the trails and had many a-venture, with me bouncing around on the back of the vehicle, hanging on for dear life. In the spring, there were thousands of Daffodils that bloomed in one of the fields. We picked wild garlic that was everywhere, and the wildlife was plentiful. On one part of the property was an old barn that you could climb up in the hayloft, and watch the deer graze, just below you. We would sit silently on an old couch that faced the upper open barn door. It was a refuge for her that she often visited, and I was grateful that she shared it with me.

Anyway, on Saturday, we ventured down to Lorman, where there was a country store restaurant that claimed to make the best fried chicken in the state. Rochelle’s mother and her husband accompanied us. The old country store was built in the 1890’s, and still had the ladders on each side of the large room that allowed access to shelves way up high. When we entered the store, there was everything you could imagine, packed on the shelves. The restaurant’s main fare was the buffet, and although the majority of the food was fairly good southern style cooking, the fried chicken truly lived up to its reputation. It was heavenly. The outside was crisp, and the inside was moist and tender, all the way down to the bone. To top things off, we were then serenaded by the very man who made this fabulous fried chicken. He had a microphone, and sang to the customers in a wonderful baritone blues voice. He sang, “My mama, was the corn bread queen.”  He then sang Happy Birthday to Rochelle as well. She was thrilled and laughed aloud. I applauded enthusiastically. This was better than dessert, which none of us could eat because we all over-ate on the fried chicken.

Here a some photos from our adventure. And, oh, by the way, even though she can’t talk as well as she used to, she can clearly still say shit, hell, god damn it, and no! I miss that part of her that went away, but she is still able to make herself perfectly understood.