CCCOOOLLLDDD!

Two things:  I want Spring to hurry...

I went to the hardware store today and took pictures.  Probably will post story addition and pictures of interior of store tomorrow.

In the meantime, back at the cabin James is cold and the lake atmosphere is really frozen!

2010 January Washout

Just a reminder for us of how it can be here. 

Not Just a Hardware Store

Not just a hardware store - one hundred years of sales, service and tradition! M.C. Gay began selling farm equipment from his farm in Sugar Hollow, PA in 1913. As the business began to prosper he, along with his son, moved the business into a building in Tunkhannock and then to an old opera house there. It soon expanded to a complete hardware store carrying a full line of household goods and farming needs.

He was a well known person throughout the area due to his extensive service to the county and organizations and musical groups. In 1929 a fire completely destroyed the building and the entire stock of merchandise. The business then moved across the road to the old woolen mill. It has been there until this year when it moved closer into town.

I have been there often and was always amazed at the variety of goods available. The reason it has moved again is obvious but a bit sad. You see, the business in the old woolen mill building was very susceptible to flooding. The first major flood was in 1936 with six more in 1972, 1975, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2011. They were all terrible with a huge amount of goods being destroyed. The Susquehanna River flows directly through town and underneath a large bridge. 

The hardware store was moved and the old building torn down.  *See Video.

100 years is a tremendous milestone and honor for this small town hardware store that has endured so much and has given back enormously to the community. The entire family has worked in this hardware business at sometime through the years since 1913.

We visited the new store and I was amazed at the interior. I will go again soon and take pictures to show you what I mean. Another 30 mile one way trip will happen quickly. It was a thrill to see the interior displays and also the remembrances of its history throughout.  I can't wait to go back! Now…what do I need there? They have it ALL! There is even lawn equipment and a sporting goods department. 

Confession: I was brought up with a regular hardware-store-visiting-dad and still love to run my fingers through the bins of washers, nuts and bolts! 

*   http://wnep.com/2013/04/08/gays-true-value-moving-in-tunkhannock/

http://wyomingcounty.wnep.com/news/news/62485-cleaning-flood-damage-gays

Blue Skies, James, Bad Bulb

Well it started out to be a beautiful day, then went down hill this afternoon. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and the ice fishermen were here.

Click on photos to view larger

James was staunchly bearing the cold but loving the sun.

And then the sun went in and the light went out - in the water storage tank/pump shed. The life line to keeping the switch warm so it won't freeze is that bulb. It's a good thing we have a spare, but now it means another trip to replace it - tomorrow! We were Scouts. We are prepared.

See that red circular thing on the side? It is an automotive tail light lens. When it is dull, the bulb has died.

Back to Pretty

The January thaw has been put on the back burner and we have snow again. At 9am I ventured into the carport and took a picture of the steep woods-covered hillside that is my entire backyard. The cabin nestles right up against it and this is the reason I can never get sunset pictures. The sun goes down back there. That's the west, of course, and the sun comes up in the east. It rises behind the mountainous terrain as I look across the lake and I don't see it either until it is above the hillside and above the treeline. Now I don't mean to say we have great mountains here as in Alaska, BUT… we are in the *Endless Mountains range, which covers the county where I live. The Elk Mountain Ski Resort is 33 miles east of us. Several of our children went skiing at this *resort when they lived here. 

*"The Endless Mountains are a chain of mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania. The endless Mountains region includes Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties. The highest peak in the region is the North Knob of Elk mountain at 2693 feet.

Part of the Appalachian Mountains chain, the region doesn't consist of true mountains, geologically speaking, but instead a dissected plateau that is part of the Allegheny Plateau. The Catskill Mountains are the highest expression of the plateau, located to the east of the Endless Mountains, and separated from them by the Delaware River."

 

Copyleft: This work of art is free; you can redistribute it and/or modify it according to terms of the Free Art License.

Endless Mountains as seen from Elk Mountain.

*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk_Mountain_Ski_Area

It's better than looking at mud and mess!

 My Backyard View

Coffee Maker Monster

 Whew! Again!        NEVER again now!

The other night we had a short power loss. The short ones usually happen when nobody is looking.

I knew it happened because the complete silence and darkness woke me up - at about 1:30 am. I listened and heard my live in companion (ha ha) mulling around and then going back to bed. I know this because I heard his door shut. He must not have been worried about a long time blackout or freezing water pipes. Those issues are his department. The next thing that woke me again was a sound of gurgling. What? Soon the Mister was out and up and back in the kitchen area. Shortly after, the gurgling stopped so I went back to sleep. 

In the morning the power was back full swing and I asked him what the funny sound I heard was.  He told me that, apparently, after the power returned, it started the coffee maker brewing our morning waker-upper.  You see, I put in the grounds and the water before going to bed and it's ready to go in the morning. He hadn't turned it on with the on/off switch but it was plugged in.

Oh! Oh! That's not good! What if it had not been filled with water? 

Then the break of the cake was that it did it again yesterday when we had a very short power loss and it was empty! It started by itself. This I know, because I heard a noise that made me go and look. The hot plate was hot. The pot was in the dish drainer. there was no water in the reservoir. The switch was OFF!

NOW it is in the trash can. Today we went to buy a new coffee maker. I have been wanting an electric percolator for a long time and found one at a favorite hardware store. It was a two to four cupper. GREAT. Stainless steel!  The maker monster, now in the trash, was one I bought 10 years ago when I was taking care of my mother because I just couldn't take instant coffee and her drip coffee was way too weak for my taste. Ten years isn't a very long time for a quality appliance to last, but at least we didn't have a fire!

This beauty has to be plugged in to start and unplugged to stop. Farberware has the right idea!

XXXXXXXXXXX

The little Cuisinart was a wolf in sheep's clothing pretending to be safe.

Soon I'll be telling you all about our favorite hardware store. It is a story all by itself. 

In My Neck of the Woods

In my neck of the woods it is impolite to show your half eaten dinner to the public. Here is my apology.

In my neck of the woods, people knock on the side door.

In my neck of the woods, tips are handed out at Christmastime to the mail carrier, the trash pickup man, and the car wash guy who does the first hand-rinse.

In my neck of the woods, shots are often heard during hunting season and not at other times except for the sighting-in days just before the hunts begin.

In my neck of the woods, thoughtful people drive by homes on dirt roads slowly.

In my neck of the woods, going to town in jeans and boots and work clothes is perfectly acceptable.

In my neck of the woods, you know the first names of the owner, meat manager, dairy and grocery managers, produce, delicatessen, bakery people, and the checkers at the market. Most shoppers have a favorite checker.

In my neck of the woods, grocery carts are returned to the store front and not left in the parking lot. 

In my neck of the woods, pleasant greetings are given to both those we know and those we don't. 

In my neck of the woods you probably won't be knocked over by a strong whiff of expensive perfume in a market - I abhor Tabu. Flashy clothing and such tell that you don't live here - or just moved here.

In my neck of the woods, the firemen, post office and library employees, bank tellers,  police officers, road department, and courthouse staff are people we know either personally or by face and name. We know our doctors and our dentists and most of the hospital staff. We know the people who pump our gas, deliver our propane, and teach our children. We know who our artists are and what their art is like. We know our shopkeepers and business owners. We know how many churches we have in the close by area and what denominations and faiths are served.

I could continue, but I think you get the point. 

It all reminded me of words in a childhood nursery rhyme.

Remember The "Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker?" 

Well I obtained the following information from another blog I read several years ago and cannot now tell you where or who wrote it but I copied it down to remind me of the three kinds of people necessary to make changes in a society. Of course this is only one of many interpretations of the rhyme! I like this one.

"• The butcher is the person willing to take whatever action necessary, despite the implications or nature of the act, in order to cause or further change. 
• The baker is the person who takes what he has, despite how little or how much that may be, and uses it to support the others in the cause.
• The candlestick maker is the person who illuminates the darkened path leading to change, and who keeps a beacon of light constantly burning to light the way for others to follow."

Author unknown to me.

What is it like in your neck of the woods?

Spring is Around The Bend

AT 8AM this morning I saw the sun peeking through the fog over the lake. The evergreen across the muddy lake road was dripping with fog ice, melting. I didn't feel like putting on boots to cross the road for photos, so I pulled out a dirty plastic chair rested my elbows on its arms to help prevent shaking the camera and sat on the porch. I then experimented with the camera capacity to zoom. The results are OK in my book.

The photos have not been adjusted or have any changes at all. They are soft and a bit fuzzy and the drips don't really show up well but it is what it is. I tried changing the images to black and white and that didn't work for me.  So here you are.

We're waiting for warmer weather and drier roads. There's no walking on this stuff! (Not that I walk anyway, but the Mister does.)

It is still frozen under this and soon the ruts will become MUCH deeper!

Perfect

On January 9th I posted about making Red Beet Pickled Eggs. I posted the picture of the finished product on the 10th. Well, this evening we tasted them for the first time. They are supposed to cure for 3 days.
Oh! My!

I have never taken a photo right in the middle of a meal but that's exactly what I did this night. The pickled eggs and beets were SO DELICIOUS that I put my half eaten plate of leftover ham, corn casserole, mashed potatoes and my first-time taste of the preserved beets and eggs on the counter where I have to be able to shoot well. WOW! That is all I can say.

I really think the difference was that I used a newer product of vinegar with peppers. We don't like anything hot, but it wasn't hot at all. I was afraid the eggs and beets were really too dark in color and would be too strong in flavor. They were NOT.

Please forgive me.  I was overwhelmed with my meal and my Mister was too. Yea! Winner!

No dessert yet. We are full.

Applesauce Cake and Old things

This morning I baked a cake - I used an Amish recipe and substituted an ingredient, but it is just fine.

As I was thinking how I could make this cake more flavorful, I thought of some special sugar I have on hand. It was mailed to me, along with many other goodies, straight from Hawaii. As I was taking a picture of it to remind me of what I had substituted for the plain sugar, I realized that I was using, as usual, some of my aged and favorite dish towels. I wonder if others use these linens. They are so much better, in my own opinion, than the stiff and non-absorbent ones today. I only have eight but they should last for my lifetime.

During the mixing process, I got to thinking about the mixer and how much I love it. Can you love a mixer? YES! This simple tool from 1966 is still performing every time and it has an attached SEVEN foot cord! I dare you to find such a nice long cord on any appliance today, other than the vintage ones. I know its age because I found a "print ad" for sale on the internet of the showing the same one along with other Hoover Appliances.

My Model 8900 Made in N. Canton Ohio

"This item is a Print Ad. Please read the description below if you do not understand what a print ad is.

This auction is for a print ad for blenders, mixers and irons by Hoover. The ad came from a large oversized magazine (which was dated 1966), so it measures about 9.5 x 12.5 inches. The page has been left untrimmed and is in excellent condition.

Print Ads: Print ads are pages from vintage magazines, not reproductions. The pages are separated from the magazines by removing the glue from the binding to keep the ad in the best condition possible. I only trim the ads if necessary, such as the ads from stapled magazines."

You are missing out on sharing a slice of this cake with us. That's really too bad because, with the homemade applesauce and the Maui Mango Sugar - WOW! Killer Cake.

Please click on image to taste cake.

Amish Applesauce Cake

Baking Time: 30 min

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I use butter)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking spray. (I use Release foil)
2. In a large bowl, cream sugar and shortening with an electric beater on low speed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; beat until well mixed. Add applesauce and vanilla; mix well then stir in the walnuts and pour batter into prepared baking dish.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool.

For a fancier treat, drizzle with a glaze that's made by mixing 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 to 2 teaspoons water. (I sprinkle confectioners' dry sugar instead.) 

Water

So many people in WV (over 300,000) have the warning about their water being affected by a serious leak. A chemical spill.  I have a very close and wonderful couple of "beach-friends" who are in that number. I have telephoned them; they are older people and it is a difficult situation for them not drinking, bathing, or using it at all except to flush the toilet. She has had to put "reminder" paper towels around their faucets to remember not to turn them on. Her son lives 50 miles away and he has an unaffected well and when they cannot find more safe water locally they will have to drive to his home and either stay there, or bring a goodly quantity back to their apartment in their little car. Their other option is to drive south to the campground where we both have a trailer. 

Do you know that most water distribution centers limit you to receive 20 gallons? Do you know how much the average person uses in one day? WOW! Some of the water distribution centers require proof of residency to show that it is in one of the affected areas before giving the water.

There is not much people can do. There doesn't seem to be a way to prepare for such a disaster. We prepare for running generators, snowblowers and ice in the area where we live during the winter. Water is mostly associated with freezing walkways, pipes and ice fishing here. We take it for granted.

Click on image to enlarge.

I couldn't have made my pickled beets and eggs today without safe water. I couldn't have taken a shower, washed dishes, or done many other household activities if it stopped being safe. 

And I appreciate safe water - you can bet on it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First hand report just came to me...

WOW, all of you can bet, I will certainly appreciate drinking water,  and running water for showers, washing dishes, and being able to wash my clothes,   Yesterday morning around 8:15 AM (I did not suffer this) but people along the interstate  64 crossing the Elk River which forks in Charleston, WV began to smell a liquor smell,  very sweet, if I hear the story correctly - this went on until around noon, when a small  chemical company on the Elk River discovered one of its holding tanks was leaking a  chemical into the Elk River.  Just below this small chemical plant sets nothing else but  the West Virginia - American Water Company which supplies almost all this area with  water. Bob and I didn't hear of the leak until about 5:30 PM yesterday, when his daughter called  us and told us not to drink, take a shower, or wash clothes - in fact, all they have  approved us doing is flushing the commodes in our homes. We made a run for all the stores trying to buy up bottled water - pop - anything liquid  - - - - but we were too late.  We did not have a very good supply because we knew  we were coming to the beach and was letting our supply of everything run down to  nothing. However, the good part is, our family is very blessed because my son has a well and  it is pumped into his home at Ripley, WV (50 miles away) but my family can get to  water and if we have to we can take showers and wash clothes at my son's house.   Course, this afternoon, National Guards were everywhere passing out bottled water  - - there were emergency areas to go to and pick up water, etc.  They advised all of  us this afternoon about 2:30 to fill our bath tubs up with water to flush our commodes  because they were going to turn all the water off.  THEN, 30 minutes later, they  were telling us do not fill your bath tubs up (this is after we had already filled ours up)  because the smell will seep out into your homes and make you sick.  So we have  our bathroom shut off and the take-out vent running to keep the smell from coming  out into our other three rooms.  The latest thing we have heard is that they were unable to shut off the water so the  restriction is still in effect - it is now 4:24 PM. So far, they say that there has only been six people check in at the some 10 area  hospitals for treatment due to the chemical leak. Thanks Gere for checking on us - I had one other friend call me around noon to see  if we were under the water restrictions.  It is nice to know that I have friends that really,  really care. I will keep you posted ~~

Nuttin' New Now...

Unproductive day because I was hopping around doing so many things that I completed few. I always like the day to end with a feeling of accomplishment and the only thing I accomplished was updating my recipe box and printing a few to give to a backlog of requests at the SC place. OK, that WAS an accomplishment. Of course I had to replace the ink cartridge right in the middle of that project.  I also boiled some eggs. I WAS going to make them pickled but got myself diverted with disjointed projects and time ran out! Tomorrow is another day. The eggs aren't even peeled yet! What's for supper? I'll have to dig into the freezer because I have no idea and it is 5pm already.

Pickled Beets  7 to 8 lbs of Beets (Gma's Recipe) (Drake)

               4 cups vinegar (5% acidity) 

               1 teaspoons canning or pickling salt 

               2 cups sugar

               2 cups water 

               2 cinnamon sticks 

               12 whole cloves  - about 1 tsp 

               12 allspice nuts (whole) - about 1 tsp

Red Beet Eggs       (Mother's Recipe) (Nulton)

               1 cup brown sugar

               1/2 teaspoon salt

               3/4 cup cider vinegar

               1/4 cup water

               1 quart canned red beets and juice

               3 pinches mixed pickling spice

               12 eggs, hard boiled and peeled

Mix sugar, salt, cider vinegar, water, 1 cup beet juice, mixed pickling spice, and heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add red beets into mixture.

Pour over hard boiled, peeled eggs. Refrigerate overnight. Slice in half before serving.

Pickled Eggs  (Jack Watt’s Recipe)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 cans red beets and juice

10 cloves

1 stick cinnamon

18 eggs, hard boiled and peeled

Mix sugar, salt, cider vinegar, water, 1 cup beet juice, cloves and cinnamon, and heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add red beets into mixture.

Pour over hard boiled, peeled eggs. Let stand in refrigerator 3 days.

Tomorrow I will pick and choose from each of the above and make my own concoction. I guarantee it will be tasty! (I use canned whole beets now that I don't grow a garden any more.) That is, if I get to it.

Just Another Day

Comfort Foods!  It's just another day of waiting until Spring is here. What to do when it's cold outside? Eat! Sleep! Read! Write!

There is cold and there is too cold - outside. But it is warm in here so…..

The pea soup will be ready to eat this evening, and so will the corn casserole. The recipe I use for the casserole is very old and common but most of all, easy. In my working-in-the-office days we had a monthly noontime lunch and everyone brought a dish to share. There was an oven in our office and I would bake it there! "An oven and stove in your office!" you might say. If you are aware of your county Cooperative Extension Office you would understand. We were employees of the county, connected to the state program and at the time I was serving as the Extension Youth 4-H Coordinator, there were Family Living, Dairy and Agricultural services available. Times have changed now and some of the services are more intense and new. The link below tells about Pennysylvania's programs.

http://extension.psu.edu/susquehanna

OK, enough! I've wandered off topic again. Here is the recipe for that tasty addition to an evening meal of pea soup and Jello blended with whipped cream. This story is about comfort foods, now I remember!

Corn Casserole

One can whole corn, drained

One can creamed corn

One stick butter

8 ounces sour cream

2 eggs, beaten

1 box Jiffy Corn Mix

Mix all together. (It raises)

Bake at 350º for about 35–55 minutes,

depending on dish used

Tomorrow I'll be making Pickled Eggs - or Red Beet Eggs if you know about them that way.

Recipe to come…

 I'm also thinking about my mother's candied cereal and how good it was.  Comfort foods win.

Time Worthy

Whew! 

I thought I'd never get my laundry done. We drove to town just to do this "mundane" necessary activity. I commonly send the Mister off on assorted errands because I know it only takes an hour and a half to wash and dry and fold. We have it down pat. He does help bring in the baskets and then latch the doors of the two "Big Boys" for me. Then he leaves me there to read and finish up. We have been doing it this way for over 16 years. In the warm and nice weather I bring it home to hang out. For a few years I was bringing it home in the winter to hang on lines that we strung on the beams but there was never enough room and it was inconvenient, but less expensive. 

The first sign of a problem was when the machine with all of our whites stopped with a bang. It had washed (this machine takes 39 minutes) and was into the spin mode before the rinse cycle was to begin. No one was around. No one. The machine's door won't open until the complete cycle is finished. I then remembered that the owner sometimes is upstairs in his office this early in the day. Good luck! After trekking up and around the parking lot to the front of the building, in a severe wind, I found him in and explained what happened after catching my breath. You might know that I didn't wear a hat or gloves either this morning! 

At first he thought a circuit breaker popped, but after trying every trick he knew, he finally got the door open and I dragged the soppy and heavy load into the push basket and, after the other Big Boy was finished, and the dark and colored clothes were in the drier, the dripping whites were lifted into that machine and off it started again (gratis, I might add). I was all set. He was too, after putting a bright yellow 'Out of Service' sticker on #1. 

When the washer finished, I then moved them into a drier. The first load was still drying and I thought I was making progress. Wrong! I could only get one quarter into the slot and it started up but the box would take no more money and read 'ERR.' No matter what I did, It refused to take more than the first coin.  Well you know what is going to happen next, or should I say again! Out and up and around and knock! Knock! Knock! Down and around and back and into the facility with the owner. Yes! The coin box was electronically faulty and the clothes had to be moved into a different drier. A second bright yellow 'Out of Service' sticker on drier #3. It was getting funny! I mean what the heck! Not a good day to do my laundry. Not a good thing to happen for the owner. 

End result - My Mister came when he should have and then had to wait with me for another 55 minutes. The good part - The second load was dried with owner's coins, not mine!  There is no bathroom facility and it was good to be back home. Laundry clean and dry - what more can I ask! Ham bone in kettle simmering away as I write. Tomorrow will be a better project. 

The Cutup Cook

Back in the kitchen with another kettle of cut and cored apples on the stove. It was eight weeks ago that I made a batch and it is already half gone. Today's applesauce is from apples we got at the orchard right after making that first lot. See blog below.

http://nookworm-connectionsmore.blogspot.com/2013/11/cooking-fool.html

Now I'm finished for this season. Oh, what a relief it is. They kept well in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator and the sauce tastes great - again. 

No Paul, this isn't Ed's Shed Restaurant. It's the Cutup Cook's Citchen. See? See? See?

My next old time meal will be split pea soup. I bought extra dried split peas so my daughter can make her own this time. If you "might" be interested in how I make this you can see the blog below from last year's project. (Warning, it's a long blog but the photos are there.)

http://nookworm-connectionsmore.blogspot.com/2013/04/ham-and-eggs.html

Not Dull Here

At about 7 PM the power went off. We knew it would be completely off after two short losses. Out came the propane lantern. Out came the flashlights. After deciding it would stay off, we knew the generator would be the only way to save the exposed water pipes from breaking.

The layout of the water supply here is as follows:  The well is deep and a good one and it is near the carport. The underground supply pipe goes to a storage tank that is in a small shed at the back of the carport. The supply pipe from the storage tank goes out and up and is attached on a beam from its source, across the open carport into the log wall of the cabin bedroom. It is then split into a second pipe that goes into the water heater in the kitchen, back out with a hot pipe which is is run to the kitchen sink and also is routed along the bedroom top wall into the bathroom with the cold water pipe. After reading this I guess I'm not doing a great job of describing the plumbing but it's my best effort.

The problem here is the possibility of a freeze up of the pipes outdoors. As a preventative, several years ago a trench was dug from the well to the storage shed. The shed was rebuilt and lined with half inch styrofoam throughout. The underground pipes were wound with heat tape before being covered over. The pipes in the storage tank shed were wound with heat tape and a 90 watt halogen flood light is aimed at the pressure switch, which turns the pump on and off. The pipes going across the open carport are wrapped first with heat tape and are covered with foam pipe insulation. There is a lever operated switch box which turns on all tape and heating elements electrically. This is flipped on in October and stays on through March.

This is the well and the shed is at the back.

Ed's Shed (water shed)

The exit pipe going across the beam.

The pipe enters the cabin through the log.

The red box is the flip switch for the heat tape and lamp.

This is the cold water pipe entering the cabin and split with a "T."

The top pipe is the hot water return pipe heading to the bathroom. 

When the power goes out the generator is put into action. It isn't automatic. There is a specific procedure to follow. This generator is plugged in to a special charger that keeps the battery up to par so the push button starter will work. Every year since 2006 when we bought it, updating the style to easy start, it has been diligently and thoroughly serviced by the in-house super mechanic. Who was to know that the battery didn't take its charge during the past year and was dead - DEAD!

It was a serious dilemma for a bit. The truck was parked heading out - it doesn't fit under the carport. The engine is in front, which meant no jump starting unless turning the truck around. Then the thought occurred…there is a battery that is used for the boat out in the larger storage shed in the yard. It is always being charged and is ready to use.

Hey! the generator was started and running smoothly. We had power. After waiting from 7 PM to 10 PM we finally went to bed in complete darkness and to the comforting hum outside.  The mister left the small TV on and muted, and when he got up in the middle of the night there was a picture so he got dressed, turned off the generator, flipped the house power back on and all was well. Today was another trip to town to replenish gasoline in the cans.

Now the next mission will be to order and replace the generator battery. We have the model and serial number and a place to order it but the problem will be installation. After checking everything out, Mr. Mechanic has discovered that the fuel tank has to be removed in order to withdraw and replace the battery! Do you believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The fuel tank is full!

Upsetting Morning

Is it me or WHAT!!!  Today at Walmart, while shopping the aisles, there was a small child running loose and having a great time dragging his hand across the shelf contents, spilling and tipping and breaking things. WHAT? I just stopped and watched him and no one called or was hunting for him. At about 4 years old, where was his mother? Or father? Or babysitter? Or SOMEONE! He disappeared around the corner and by then others were just shaking their heads as much as I. My first instinct was to stop him and hold him, both to prevent more damage and to wait for his collection. I was afraid to do that. I was afraid to put my hands on someone else's child. Now I wonder what really would have happened. Times have changed. Was I a coward or smart?

Then, on the drive back home, I saw a young woman carrying a baby about four to six months old in her arms across a large parking lot at a fast pace. The baby was completely bare headed and its head was bobbing with each step. Mind you, we just about froze ourselves when we were loading groceries in the truck as the wind was strongly blowing and temperatures were just 8° when we arrived. Why didn't that child have a hat? What is wrong? Is it me? Mothers DO put hats on babies still, don't they? 

I was never an overprotective mother but I knew when kids needed to be supervised and when they needed a hat! There  - is it Wednesday so I can rant? Well, Wednesday or not, there is each extreme shown in parenting styles today in my point of view. Where is common sense? The children today are either overprotected or over scheduled or confined unreasonably or they are free as a breeze to do as they please with no protection or oversight at all. This is my first hand observation and I'm being judgmental and negative, BUT...

I'm still upset and it's no wonder I don't go out much to public places and mingle with the public. Restraint is not one of my best skills and it's a wonder I kept my mouth shut.

On the happier side, I looked back at old photos of me and my six young children from years ago and feel better. They are now wonderful parents and people and that's a fact.

Summer Fun

Critter Frog