Sometimes it amazes me how fast time is slipping by. I no sooner finish visiting with you one week when it's time for another visit. Mind-boggling, really.
So here we are again and there's no shortage of pictures to share with you again this week! I've got 100 picked out! OY!
Another recipe for lemon cookies came up on my FaceBook feed and I decided to make them for my friend and lemon-lover, my Miss Rosie. The recipe's called Mom's Lemon Sugar Cookies and they are so tender and soft! They're not too sweet but if you're a lemon-lover like Miss Rosie then the subtle lemon flavor might not be strong enough for you.
"In my defense," Miss Rosie tells me, "I have the flu and can't taste anything right now." But she's better now.
It's way okay though because those Lemon Meltaways that I made for her before were such a hit I don't need another lemon cookie recipe!
Speaking of the Kipps, the girls were up from Lancaster County — yes, it was St. Patrick's Day. The girls were in plays when they were in school and try to support them every year. As a bonus, they usually have a cousin or two starring in it.
At church, their beautiful voices blended together and sang praises to our Lord, and we got to witness it.
After service, we voted in five new members to our church. Pastor Rick and his wife Carolyn flank them.
We had a beautiful sunshiny day and while Mr. Mister sunned himself on top of the feral cat box, (I think he sees me through the window)...
... Rascal lay underneath in a concrete garden leaf I'd made a couple of years ago.
It's March! March I tell you, and someone just dumped off a fake Christmas tree beside our road. So rude.
Look what came in the mail! I got a workout just carrying it up from the mailbox! This thing is heavy!
"What is it?" you ask.
It's called Brush Grabber. It's got 16 teeth on a spring-loaded jaw that you open and clamp on a tree. Mike and I are hoping it'll work on some of the smaller trees that I can't wrap a log chain around.
We made a trip to Tunkhannock to pick up a few things from the John Deere dealership.
They have a display of old tractors and a couple of old trucks they use for parades.
They have a display of old tractors and a couple of old trucks they use for parades.
We drove through Meshoppen.
Do you remember about a year ago — actually, it was near the end of June so not quite a year. Do you remember last June when I was telling you about the huge building that occupied a corner lot in the small town of Meshoppen? It started life as a hotel,
turned hospital,
then furniture store?
turned hospital,
then furniture store?
It's gone now. They tore it down along with the house next to it to make room for a car wash. I heard they let people take mementos.
"Let's go for a ride," Mike suggested on another day.
"Where?"
"Let's go see what they're doing on the new power plant."
I whined. "Noooo. I don't want to go anywhere!"
"Com'on. You can make pictures."
"Okay," I reluctantly agreed. Then I was glad I went cause I made lots of pictures for you.
Mike pulled out of the driveway and went the wrong way. "It's back the other way!" I told him.
"No it's not. It's this way."
"Wait a minute. When you said we were going to make pictures I thought you meant you were going to take the dirt roads," I whined again.
"I guess I didn't say which way I was planning on going."
"Maybe we can just make a big circle and come in the other way. Then it'll be a real picture making tour." So here's the new power plant from the road Mike planned on taking.
More road pictures.
A rock wall. They're disappearing from our landscape as the farmers sell off the stones.
We came in the back way toward our house and the roads are all dirt. We saw a beer can stuck in a stump with a beer bottle sitting on top. I made Mike back up for the picture.
Then we started seeing beer cans stuck on twigs all along this road. I took many more pictures than I'll show you.
"Why would someone do that?" Mike wondered.
The writer in me came up with one possibility. "Maybe they wanted to make it easier for the people who collect aluminum cans."
"Yeah, but why take the time to stick them on branches?"
"They didn't want to throw them on the ground?"
See the big compressor station in the background? We live just over the hill from this place and in the summertime, when I'm outside, the hum from this place is constant.
In the doorway of the barn sits a cat, sunning itself. See him?
This is the new power station from the other side.
Chickens!
Someday I'll have chickens of my own. Mike says no, but someday!
A gutter hanger.
"That's okay. It won't take that long and we'll just do one."
I hate when he says stuff like that. It's like he jinxes it and it takes twice as long as it should. But in this case, he was right. I wrapped the chain around and stood back. His new John Deere 5055E just walked the stump right on out.
Cool!
"Wanna try another?" I asked. I can't believe I got my mouth to say that.
We selected another, Mike pulled, I could see the roots lift but the tires slipped on the grass and that was all he could do. He backed up and got a running start and gave it a yank. Then the tires bit and he pulled the second stump out.
The third one was more of a challenge for two reasons. It was the biggest, almost 12 inches across, and the grass was already tore up so Mike couldn't get any traction. He'd pull from one direction for a while then reposition the tractor and pull from another direction.
He got off the tractor and moved the chain a little higher on the stump.
Eventually he got it out. Look at that root system, would ya!
He got off the tractor and moved the chain a little higher on the stump.
Eventually he got it out. Look at that root system, would ya!
I had Mike stand beside the stump for perspective.
He was feeling so pleased he gave it a big Tim-the-Tool-Man-Taylor he-man grunt. More power, more power! You'd have to see the show to know what I'm talking about.
He was feeling so pleased he gave it a big Tim-the-Tool-Man-Taylor he-man grunt. More power, more power! You'd have to see the show to know what I'm talking about.
The fourth Black Willow stump didn't give us any problem at all. Mike had good traction and the tractor pulled the stump right out.
This guy was holding on to a pretty good size rock.
This guy was holding on to a pretty good size rock.
But that's not why I took this photo. I took this photo to show you Black Willow guts. And I'll tell you what, they stink too!
I thought we were done, after all, he said one and we'd pulled four, but Mike had other plans.
"Let's get that bush out while we're at it."
"Which one?" I asked.
"That one over there." And he pointed to the one he wanted out.
"That's an Autumn Olive. I like to leave those because it's winter food for the birds."
"I know," he sympathized. "But that one's in my way. I'll leave the other big one."
The bush came out easily.
We got a head start on our spring landscaping and Mike's pretty happy with his new tractor.
Turkeys! We had a whole herd of turkeys cross the road ahead of us. (I know, it's flock.) I only got one, they scattered so quickly.
Here's turkey butt as he scooted under a downed tree.
We went for our usual Thursday morning breakfast out. We were stopped at the end of Robinson Road when Aunt Lucille passed us.
Here's turkey butt as he scooted under a downed tree.
We went for our usual Thursday morning breakfast out. We were stopped at the end of Robinson Road when Aunt Lucille passed us.
"Peg, that's a hearse," you say.
I know, right! Aunt Lucille died.
"I'm sorry about your Aunt Lucille," you say with kindness and sympathy.
Thank you but she wasn't my Aunt Lucille. She was Rosie and Lamar's Aunt Lucille. I've never met her but whenever the Kipps talk about her it's always Aunt Lucille so that's what I call her.
"There goes Aunt Lucille Robinson," I told Mike.
"Robinson? Is she related to Jon and Steph?" he asked of our other neighbors.
"I don't know."
Later I asked the Kipps. "Any relation to Jon and Steph Robinson?"
"Yeah, but it's like a distant relative," Rosie told me.
"You'd have to ask my sister. She's the one who knows the family genealogy," Lamar said.
An open door!
After breakfast, we took our trash down to Brown's. It looks like they're finally getting all the recyclables cleaned up. I'd guess they're just hauling them all to the dump because I've heard that China isn't taking our recyclables anymore.
I caught a hawk on the way home. His picture, of course.
The Grackles are back. I was watching them and noticed they were tipping their heads back. What's that all about? I wondered.
A Google search tells me that in breeding season the males tip their heads back and fluff up their feathers to display and keep other males away. This same behavior is used as a defensive posture to attempt to intimidate predators. Male Common Grackles (like these are) are less aggressive toward one another and more cooperative and social than the larger Boat-tailed Grackle.
So there you have it.
That morning, when I went out to feed the birds, I noticed the ground was dug up under the feeder. Coming from Missouri I know that armadillos will tear up the ground like that but we don't have them here as far as I know. I puzzled over it for a moment then let it go, thinking maybe the deer had been pawing the ground.
Later that afternoon, I was working on a glass project. I'd foil a piece then turn around and get a sip of coffee from the counter behind me, foil another piece, get a sip of coffee — and I'd look out the window. Look what I saw!
"Peg is that... is that..."
Yep! It's Pepé LePew!
"You can just keep him up there," Miss Rosie said when I told her.
I knew we had one around because once in a while you could smell the evidence.
Mike spends almost as much time on my computer these days as I do. He's discovered the joys of scrolling through FaceBook. One page that I follow is for a local business named Kelly's Koop. It's an old chicken coop converted into antiques and primitives. Kelly's is opening for the season and posted a bunch of pictures.
"You wanna go check it out?" Mike asked.
"I was hoping to work on my glass today."
"I'll buy you lunch." He knows I've been wanting to go Mary Beth's Westside Deli for quite a while now. Someone told me she has the best cheesesteaks. "You can make pictures," he threw in just in case lunch didn't tempt me enough.
Friday morning, after the critters were fed, we got around and headed out. The turkey herd crossed in front of us again!
Scranton got a bunch of snow overnight but we didn't get any. Going down into the village of Evergreen you can see the snowline where the higher hills got some snow.
Down through Dushore we went and Kelly's Koop isn't but a few miles outside of town. Even though there was a wood burner in one corner, you might just as well say the place is unheated.
There was lots to look at!
It's hard to find something to buy when you already have so much! And I have too much stuff already. But I did find a necklace to wear on Sundays.
I think of Miss Rosie whenever I see outhouses. Her bathroom is decorated with them.
I took pictures outside and even walked around behind the Koop.
"You want to stop at Bill's Hardware?" Mike asked as we were coming back into Dushore.
"Not really. What for?"
"Well, we're going to need some pipe but I'm not exactly sure what size we need."
"Then why are you stopping?" I was puzzled.
"Just to get an idea of how much it is," he justified.
"That's silly. But if you want to stop and visit with Bill just say so." That was the real reason. The last time we were there, he hit it off with Bill really well and spent a long time talking to him. Besides, we're sorta related to Bill, in a roundabout sort of way. Bill's sister was married to my cousin Justin who died last year.
Mike parked in front of the hardware store, I hooked Ginger up in her harness and leash, and we went walking.
I almost named this one Windows but decided to honor Mike's tractor instead.
I'm not above peeking in the window of a public or abandoned building. You can see the tractor and pallet of play sand in the garage in front of me, you can see me taking the picture, and you can see the side of the hardware store behind me. Three views in one!
The door on the left would have been the formal sitting room for receiving visitors. Now this place is unoccupied.
The gate was open at this old lumber company. Ginger stopped to sniff the post and a feral inside the yard stopped to watch us. Ginger never saw him.
Since the gate was open, and I didn't see any NO TRESPASSING signs, I walked into the yard.
Since the gate was open, and I didn't see any NO TRESPASSING signs, I walked into the yard.
Another open door. I thought I might find someone working in there and I'd speak to him, but there wasn't anyone around. I never went inside any of the buildings.
The corner of this house is over the creek.
Twenty minutes later, I was done exploring and headed back to the Jeep. There was no sign of Mike so I took a side road.
I'd only taken a couple of more pictures before I saw Mike coming to pick me up.
I'd only taken a couple of more pictures before I saw Mike coming to pick me up.
Our next stop was Mary Beth's Westside Deli in Dushore. This small town, with one stoplight, the only stoplight in the whole county as a matter of fact, this small town has parking meters.
"Do we have to feed the meter?" Mike asked.
"I assume so."
"Are we going to?"
"Of course we are. We're good law-abiding citizens." And I dug around in my purse for a quarter. That bought us an hour of parking time.
We'd been gone from home for a while now so once we ordered our food I went to 'wash my hands'. Yeah, that's code for I had to pee! There's a framed jigsaw puzzle of outhouses and once again I thought of my Miss Rosie.
Mike and I chatted as we waited for our food and guess who came in. Mary Beth! She not only owns the deli but she's also the mayor of Dushore.
"Today is the 13th anniversary of the day I opened," she told us.
Mary Beth is a pleasant lady to talk to and we've enjoyed our conversations with her.
Our food came, Mike's turkey club and my cheesesteak. And my sandwich was very good!
I thought of Mr. B, my Jersey Boy, as I ate my cheesesteak. Now there was a real connoisseur of cheesesteaks. If you remember, I used to take care of Mr. B. Sometimes when we heard of a place that made good cheesesteaks, we'd go.
"How's your sandwich?" I'd ask.
He'd scrub at his face in that way that he does and I can still hear his gravelly voice. "Oh geeze," he'd say. "It's okay but it's not a real Philly Cheesesteak."
"Why not?"
He'd lean in a little closer to me and confide, "A real Philly Cheesesteak is made with Cheez Whiz."
My cheesesteak from Mary Beth's Deli was not a real Philly Cheesesteak, but it was still very good!
A lady came in while we were eating. She came into the dining area and greeted everyone — which it was just Mike and me and another couple.
"Hellooooooooo," she says in a long drawn out monotone.
"Hello Holly," the people at the other table called back.
"How are youuuuuuuuu?"
"Good."
When they didn't say anything else Holly looked at us, then turned and went back out to the counter.
I listened as Mary Beth told Holly she was getting ready to go on vacation.
"Are you taking two cars down Mary Beth or nooooooooooot?" Holly asked.
"We're going on an airline," Mary Beth answered.
"Oh my lannnnnnnds. You gonna flyyyyyyy."
I had to smile. The more I listened to Holly the more tickled I got.
Mary Beth said something that I didn't hear but I heard Holly's reply. "Goooooood."
Then I heard Holly ask, "Who all's gooinnnnnn?"
"And who elllllllllllllse?" she asked after Mary Beth answered.
"Oh that'll be gooooooooood."
Mike and I chatted a bit and I lost track of the conversation. Then I heard Holly ask, "How soon you leeeeeeave?"
"Fifteen hours."
Mary Beth came to check on us, then she had to answer the phone. Holly came back in the dining room. The other couple had left. It was just me and Mike.
"Holly, can I take your picture?" I asked.
"Yesssss," and smiled for me. "I'm going to tell Mary Lou you took my pictuuuuuure."
I smiled at her but Mike must have scowled. Holly went back out to the counter and told Mary Lou... err Mary Beth, "There's a mean maaaaaan in theeeeeere."
Mike sent me to get him more water. Holly was standing at the counter and it took me a minute to think of something to ask her. I just loved hearing her talk.
"Are you waiting for your food?" I asked Holly.
"Yes I aaaaaaaam."
"What are you gonna have today?" I asked.
"I'm gonna have a haaamburgeeeeeeer."
"They're good hamburgers aren't they?"
"Yeaaaaaah. Okaaaay."
Mary Beth came back with my water.
"Have a good daaaaay." Holly was very polite.
"You too," I replied as I turned and went back to the table.
Mike and I took a different way home so I've got some new road pictures to end this one with.
Actually, I have more pictures but it's all stuff you've seen before, so let's call this one done!
Until next time, remember, you're all in my heart.
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