The Event ~ Happy Birthday, Hubby!

Today my husband of nearly 40 years turns 62.  He has aged gracefully and handsomely through the years.  It's all that hard work and no play that keeps him healthy, good looking and strong!   It certainly can't be my cooking! 

Tim is actually the better cook in our home!  He is my Master Chef, and he enjoys cooking in the kitchen.  His Sunday morning  breakfasts are the best.  Tim has made Sunday morning breakfast for many years, and it's always a treat!

Every year for his birthday I would make him his favorite cake ~ German chocolate ~ three layer ~ from scratch ~ loaded with the coconut pecan frosting.   I admit there were one or two years years missed over the last 40 years, and maybe a couple years that the cake was not from scratch, but still tasted good!   German chocolate cake is indeed a treat the one time a year that I make it special for Tim.

The cake I made for him today is the worst one ever.  I did my best and something went wrong ~ which is nothing new for me in the kitchen.  Hopefully it will still taste ok. 

Tim is a hard worker ~ it's that German/Russian blood in his veins!   He is all farmer/rancher in his heart and in his life.  He has the soil of God's great earth running through his veins. 



Tim, Amelia and Mathilda



He was and is always a good dad to his three kids.  And a great Grandpa to his seven beautiful grandchildren!



Tim, Josh, Mathilda, Jon.



Tim and Ben





TIm and Jakob





Happy 62nd birthday, Tim.  You are blessed.  You have led a good life.  You have a wonderful family.  You have a strong faith.  Your prayers are heartfelt.  I'm glad you are mine!

Celebrating 62 years with Tim is an event I'm glad to be a part of.   May we celebrate many more birthdays together!  Today I gave him our tour itinerary for a Country Tour for Texas Ranches and  San Antonio Trails, a tour we will take in 2011.  I know we will both enjoy that "cowboy" tour.  It will be right up our alley, and I look forward to wearing my cowboy boots and jeans on a really fun vacation.

 







Tim's original family



I Believe in Farming

 

I believe a man’s greatest possession is his dignity

and that no calling bestows this more abundantly than farming.   

 

I believe hard work and honest sweat 

are the building blocks of a person’s character.    
 

I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free: 

the splendor of a sunrise, the rapture of wide open spaces,

 the exhilarating sight of your land greening each spring.

I believe my children have learned values that will last a lifetime  

and can be learned no other way.

I believe that farming, 

despite its hardships and disappointments,

 is the most honest and honorable way  

a man can spend his days on this earth.

I believe true happiness comes from   

watching your crops ripen in the field,

 your children grow tall in the sun,

your family feel the pride from their shared experience.

I believe when a man grows old and sums up his days,  

he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life he’s lived.

I believe in the God that makes this all possible.

 







The Event ~ The Dinner Table

Last night we had dinner guests ~ two of Cash's guy friends from Tennessee who he met and worked with in Skagway the last two summers ~ Nate and Josh.  We met them both when we were in Skagway in August 2009.  Our house was one stop in their  road trip from Tennessee to Portland.  Annie joined us for dinner also.

I made them a home-cooked meal featuring smoked steak on the Traeger grill and German glaze.  As usual, dinner around our old antique oak table is always an event, regardless who our guests are.    But it was the after dinner entertainment that was fun. 

Josh, Cash and Nate

These two boys from Tennessee got out their banjo and fiddle, and Cash got out his guitar and the three of them struck up some good old fashioned "hillbilly" blue grass music.  Annie and I enjoyed a round or two of foot-stomping dance on the hard-wood floor.  While they were singing along to their instruments, I could tell they were having a good ole time, embracing memories of the time they spent together in Skagway playing fun gigs at a local saloon.    Notice the Alaskan flag banner they hung up on my window to celebrate Alaska good times!!

I have always enjoyed entertaining around the old oak table.  We have had this table since about 1977 when I found it and the four "school teacher" chairs in a "junk hoarder's house".  With the raw home-made leaves in it, I have had up to 14-15 people sitting around it many times for holidays and special occasions.

We've hosted many dinners for the kid's basketball and volleyball teams, the prom dinners and  the graduation parties around this table.  It holds alot of history and alot of memories!  It's nothing fancy, and somewhat beat up.  But it's part of the family!  I would never trade it for a new set!   And now the Tennessee boys and their pickin' and playin' adds one more memorable event around the old dinner table!

The Event ~ Identifying Favorites

favorite:  one that is treated or regarded with special liking.  According to Webster.

We all have favorites of different things in life.  Actually identifying favorites, acknowledging favorites, admitting favorites can be a process. Some are easy and can be rattled off immediately.

Color:  Green.     Least favorite:  Blue

Well, that's my list off the top of my head.  My only purpose in writing this silly entry today is to offer another glimpse into my life ~ a glimpse of the little things that make everyday living an event.  Now to put some thought into it:

Season:  Autumn        Least:  Summer

Food:  fresh baked bread, soft fresh baked choc chip cookies, my melt-in-mouth minute steak,  calico beans, potatoes and glace, and tortilla chips with layered bean dip!

Dessert:  my homemade chocolate pudding in a pie shell with fresh whipped cream and/or Chocolate Eclair, both Cash's favorites.  A new second favorite is Pink Lemonade Dessert, a recipe from Janel's mother-in-law.

Vegetable:  steamed broccoli and steamed cabbage

Song:   Rhythm of the Rain (then)     (classics - now)  Unfortunately, I'm not really into music enough today to honestly identify a favorite song of today.  I listen  to easy listening music, but don't pay attention to words.  I find myself favoring nostalgic music rather than modern music.

Hymn:  "Go Gently Through the Years"  This song has been sung at several special events for me.  Our former minister Larry Scovil sang it at both Alexis and Cash's confirmation,  and also the Sunday of Cash's high school graduation; and all the grandkids sang it at my parents 50th anniversary.  It sends a good message whenever and wherever it is sung.  It has special meaning for me. 

Book:  I don't read much, so when I do it's because I have really gotten into a book and can't put it down, so consequently really like it.  The last book I read was Terry Fator's autobiography "Look Who's the Dummy Now", so now that must be my favorite.  Obviously, I don't get into deep reading!  The "Love Comes Softly" classic series by Janette Oke touched my heart years ago when I got the first book of the series from a dear friend, Mickie Becker.   I enjoy watching that entire "Love" series on tv.  I don't like Cookbooks.  They are too overwhelming and mind boggling!

TV show:   Boston Legal, Columbo ~ recently   
The Walton's  ~ back then      
Least:  ER  (I could not tolerate watching this show)  I also enjoy HGTV design shows, house hunters, and food network shows

Hobby:  Ventriloquism, quilting

Pasttime:   Organizing  I will organize anything ~ closets, junk, trips, garage, papers, finances. . .              Least:  Cooking on a daily basis

Magazine:  Guideposts

Place outside of home:  Quiet, sandy beach listening to the sounds of the ocean      Least:  Mall     The oceon intrigues me and can be calming.  The mall tires me.

Movie:  Dr. Zhivago (then - released 1965 )
           The Majestic  (now - released 2001)

Genre:  Romance and War         Least:  Sci-Fi and Horror

Holiday:  Thanksgiving

Sanctuary:  My home

Scripture:  Phillipians 4:6  In everything give thanks!    Ephesians 5:20  Giving thanks always for all things!

I may add more favorites in the near future if I can think of more!   These favorites help identify who I am as an eventful person!

  

The Event ~ Shopping Goodwill

My friend, Becky, got me hooked on Goodwill about two years ago.  So often I would compliment her on her nice outfit she was wearing, and she would proudly reply it was her latest Goodwill bargain. 

While I was losing 50 pounds two years ago I decided to check out Goodwill to see if I could find some "transition" clothing while in the process of losing.  It would be better to buy cheap for a short period of time as I dropped from one size to the next. 

I ended up dropping four sizes and am still shopping Goodwill.  I was at first giddy and ecstatic about all the really nice clothing I was finding for $2 - $3, and even more so as I pulled size 10's off the racks and they fit!  In the last two years, my entire new wardrobe has come from Goodwill.  I have more nice clothes in the closet now than I have ever had before, and they have cost me pennies compared to my previous favorite store, Herbergers!   The only things I have bought in a "regular" store in the last two years has been socks, shoes, and earrings!

I have come to the conclusion that one has to get very familiar with their local Goodwill store and visit often to find the "just like new" "perfect fit" "just what I was looking for"  clothing.  I am also totally amazed at the people that shop there.  I probably  visit the store about once every two weeks so as not to miss a $3 item that's a perfect fit for me! 

Needless to say, with the expanded wardrobe (quantity, not size), there is absolutely no more pieces of clothing that I need.  But it is still fun to look.  Last week I found a beautiful red cashmere sweater, and a second red sweater specifically for game day.  They both had such a perfect fit, I couldn't pass either up.  The cashmere is so soft and warm for those cold, winter days ~ I'm still waiting for a cold winter day to wear it!

I have found nice clothing for the grandkids and almost have Janel hooked on shopping Goodwill when she comes here.  And I've even brought home a few shirts, a pair of pants, and some summer shorts for Tim.

I am very careful in what I choose to buy ~ items that reflect no wear, no pilling, no faded tags.  Faded tags means alot of washings which means alot of wear!  I have  been successful in finding lots of higher end brand names.  I understand that clothing that is dropped off at Goodwill here usually gets shipped out to other stores, and our local store gets its clothing brought in from other cities.  It creates a a better mix!  That might explain alot of the high end brands I've found. 

With the tight economy the way it is lately, it only makes sense to support the local Goodwill!  It's been alot of fun, and I enjoy having the nice affordable selections in my own closet!

Happy shopping ~ happy savings! I've been having  hilariously eventful shopping sprees at Goodwill!

The Event - Autumn 2010

This has been the most beautiful autumn in many years.  The fall colors are ablaze and brilliant.  The weather is warm during the day and brisk at night.  The fall perennials are beautiful.  The summer flowers are at their best.   It's been a perfect harvest season!   Much to be thankful for. 

On November 5, Cash was working outside on the siding with no shirt on, as if it was the heat of the summer. It actually felt like it was.  Yes, a beautiful autumn ~ an eventful autumn to remember!  It's called an Indian Summer.  I don't know where that reference comes from.  Maybe its from the blazing colors!

The Event ~ Loving Pets

Pets have always been a part of our household.  In my opinion, every home needs an animal pet, be it a dog, cat, fish ~ whatever.  Animals are therapeutic.  Animals return  love and affection unconditional.  Animals ~ specifically dogs and cats ~ are a joy to come home to as they happily greet you at the door.

Diablo

When Tim and I got married, we brought to the farm a big black German Shepherd named Diablo.  He belonged to one of the attorneys I worked for in Denver, and they needed to get him out of the city to a rural setting.  Shortly after we were married, we made the trip back to Denver to pick up the dog.  Diablo was so big he ate cookies off my kitchen cabinet keeping all four paws on the floor!  Eventually we had to find Diablo a new home because he wouldn't leave our pigs or chickens alone ~ he killed them.

Casey

After Diablo, we got a little white Spitz puppy.  I don't remember how long we had Casey or what happened to it.  From the picture here, we obviously had a black cat at the same time and they became good friends.

Randy & Janel

Next we got a beautiful collie puppy which we named Randy.  Randy spent alot of time guarding over Janel when she was about 1 1/2 years old.  We didn't have Randy very long when he got hit on the road in the middle of the night.  We were very sad!



Blue and Cash - March 1984

Then we got Blue - a blue Australian Shepherd.    He was Tim's favorite dog. 


Janel & Alexis with Sparky's puppies

















Somewhere around 1979 we ended up with another dog similar to Blue, but a female named Sparky, because we ended up with lots of fun cute Australian Shepherd puppies in 1980.    Puppies are always lots of fun and hard to give away when the time comes to find them a new home.   

When we moved to the farm north of Scottsbluff, we right away got a dog for the farm - Benji.  Benji disappeared one day, never to be seen again.  He looked like  a big polar bear.

We've had other batches of puppies as well.  We had a yellow lab named Sheeba that had a batch of puppies before she got "fixed".  We had Sheeba for several years until she died of old age.   Sheeba and Josie (Tim and Janel's dog) became good friends when Josie came to visit.

Sheeba's puppies

Josie and Sheeba

Janel and Alexis with Sheeba

Buddy

Our next dog was a red Australian Shepherd named Buddy.  Buddy was a beautiful, gentle  dog, but he would never stay home.  He was everybody's Buddy, and he always went visiting all the neighbors and would make himself at home on their door step until we came and got him. Buddy consequently spent alot of time on the long, long leash.  Buddy went everywhere with Tim in the pickup and even then would leave the safety of the pickup and go visit new friends.  We had to rescue him from the animal shelter at least twice!   Tim and Buddy would share donuts or treats when they would go to town.  We took Buddy on a road trip to Lincoln with us, and he got his own hot dog and ice cream cone at the truck stop!   Buddy died of a accident when he jumped too early out of the back of the pickup in anticipation of his run down the lane, a routine he did daily when going irrigating or checking the cows.    Buddy was the most beautiful dog we have had.

Josie and Buddy

Buddy also became good friends with Josie.  Josie would come to the farm and loved to run with Buddy.  On Josie's last trip here she stayed on the farm to linger longer for the summer.  She enjoyed accompanying Buddy and Tim in the old jeep.  Josie ended up dieing on our farm of old age before she had a chance to return home.  We all knew her time was near, and it was real sad, especially since she didn't have her real family around. 

Tim and Merle -  spring 2007

Now we have Merle,  a red merle Australian Shepherd.  He is  lovable, but quite annoying when he barks with happiness upon our arrival home, or when he is letting us know that company has arrived in the yard.  We've never had to deal with a barker like Merle.  Merle loves to spend time in the house with us and is so spoiled.  He too has learned to go with Tim in the pickup, but only on the farm.   He doesn't go to town much like Buddy did. He's such a gentle dog, but so obnoxious!

Through the years, we have enjoyed numerous cats and kittens.  We seem to have been partial to white cats for a long time.  I think we had several through the years.  It's so fun to have a cat nestle on your lap.



The white and yellow cat and the white cat were siblings born here on the farm.  We had so much fun watching them play as kittens ~ they were just hilarious.  Farm cats have a tendency to disappear after several years.  We've never had any of our cats fixed so they always strayed as tom cats looking for a wedding, or mama cats looking for a boyfriend. Or they just die of old age!



Steer



Steer was a big cat that was picked up by someone else  and needed a good home.  Steer was with us for about three years.  Tim named him Steer because he said the cat pooped in the corral as much as a steer did.   I remember having this black cat, but it must have been just another farm cat we let in and out of the house.    What lazy creatures!

We've even had pet ducks!  When Daniel was an exchange student staying with us, he wanted  a pet he could call his own.  We got him two ducks.  They stayed in his room for the first two weeks, and then the ducks were moved to the barn.  There they learned to hang with the sheep ~ they literally became sheep and followed the sheep everywhere.  They roamed free range and slept with the sheep!                 

Animals and pets are eventful friends.  They can be the best kind of friend to have because their love is unconditional. They are attentive.  They provide comfort and companionship, even through difficult times. Everyone should know the joys of having a pet as an Eventful Friend! 

The Event ~ Revisiting Volleyball

Last nite Tim and I went to watch Tom play volleyball.  He does this two nites a week for several weeks with his other challenged friends.   Tom certainly enjoyed being out on the court and participating in the sport.  He has always enjoyed any kind of ball game, partaicipating and/or watching. 

Although Tom wasn't a real active player on the court, he did get to "serve" the ball a couple times by throwing it over the net close up.  And he was the most vocal player, verbally expressing his excitement with his "ooohs" and "aaahhs".   He always kept his eye on the ball.

When our kids and Tom were younger, they would play baseball or football with him.  Tom had an arm that could really pitch those balls.  It was always fun to watch him participate in the ball games with the adults and/or other kids.  

Tom enjoyed hanging with his nephews Christian,  Bobby, and Cash at family get-togethers.      Tom is a special brother.  And he has been special to me as well ~ he always greets me with a "Hi Sandi" and his arm extended ready for a high five.  Some of our most vivid memories shared with Tom include watching him flip the pages of a catalog ~ fast fingers; listening to his portable radio held to his ear; laughing as he scraped all the cream off the top of his desserts; and seeing him enjoy John Wayne movies and football on tv. 

                                     -------------------

After Tom's special volleyball game was over, we went to the newly remodeled middle school to watch the Scottsbluff Bearcats vs. Alliance Bulldogs volleyball game.  We havent' been to a volleyball game for years.  We actually were more interested in seeing the new gym/building than the volleyball game.  But the game was fun to watch. 

Alot has changed in volleyball play since Janel and Alexis were in high school.  We lived volleyball, when Janel and Alexis played in high school.  It was a fun time.  Attending the volleyball event last nite brought back alot of memories of our time spent in the gym bleachers.  Sporting events are eventful times in life  filled with eventful friends.       

The Event ~ Dinner Time

Cooking dinner at the end of each day is probably one of my least favorite things to do.  If I had my choice between a cleaning lady, maid, or cook,  I would, without hesitating, take a cook!  It's not that I don't like to cook ~ I do, but it doesn't come easily.  Every time I want to try a new recipe, I never have the right ingredients.  When I stockpile my pantry with the right ingredients for a number of different recipes, the ingredients get used on other things before I make the recipe for which I bought the ingredients.  I need a cook and a grocery shopper. 

Actually, I have a built in cook and grocery shopper.  My husband.  He excells at both.  And enjoys doing so.  But his own work schedule doesn't allow him to devote alot of time in the kitchen.  When he does, he loves it!   

So last nite I came home from work again wondering what to cook for dinner.  Right now I'm cooking for four instead of two since Cash is home and Annie is boarding with us until her storm damaged apartment gets fixed. 

I did recently buy chicken breasts for all those simple chicken recipes I've gathered.  But where were those reipces now?   OK,  at the top of my pile was Sweet and Sour Chicken.  So I decided to give it a try ~ after I started shredding two big heads of cabbage ~ purple for coleslaw and green for cabbage burgers.  In the midst of shredding cabbage, making coleslaw, trying to make this new sweet and sour chicken, cutting and frying zucchinni, and microwaving brown rice and preparing the sauce for the chicken, I called for help.  HELP!  PLEASE!  I can't do this all by myself in one night! 

Cash and Tim came to the rescue.  Annie was studying.  Tim made the coleslaw, Cash set the table, turned the zuchinni and took care of the rice, while I concentrated solely on the chicken.  My kitchen was a mess, cabbage everywhere, but dinner was on the table at 7:30.  (I will be making cabbage burgers this weekend!)

To try this new recipe on a spur of the moment decision and have something else prepared to go with it was a real task for me.  Without help from my men, it would have been a wreck in the kitchen!

The sweet and sour chicken was absolutely delicious!  I think I can try that again, but when I have less going on in the kitchen.  Dinner was an event.  Cooking dinner was an event.  I think the most eventful times in the home take place in the kitchen!  The kitchen can be an eventful friend!

In my defense, yes, I can cook, and many times I've set out some really nice spreads on the table.  I do best when I cook for a crowd and can prepare a menu and grocery list ahead of time.   Like  Thanksgiving dinner, or a dinner party for company.  That's where I can excell in the kitchen.    More often than not, I rely on and repeat many of my tried and true recipes from the past ~ some favorites which I will share in this journal soon.

Come, Lord Jesus!  Be our guest.  Let this food to us be blest!  Amen

The Event ~ Counting My Blessings

Aunt Edna sings a song to the tune of "Count Your Blessings".  It goes something like this.

Hello, everyone, you are looking great!

You don't look a minute over 98.

What do you have to show for all your sweat and tears

And the joy and laughter of the many years?

Count your wrinkles, name them one by one

Counting all your wrinkles can be lots of fun.

Don't you pity ladies who have none.

Count your many wrinkles, see what time has done!

My loving husband

Well, my wrinkles are few, my joy and laughter abundant, my sweat and tears have been significant and many, health and happiness ~ amazing!  My blessings ~ overflowing!

 




  

My chilidren - 2010



 



  





The horizon & the harvest

 



Extended Family - 2010






Family, Food, Fellowship

Farm & ranch living



My  sister (-in-law) Kathy








Change of Seasons

 

Sunrise






Simple Pleasures

 

My Original Family - 1995



Our Family - 1985



Hands in my life

 

Counting blessings and giving thanks in all things should be a daily event ~ an eventful time of praise and thanksgiving.  Giving thanks should  acknowldge the creator from whom all these blessings flow.  Thank you, God, for abundant blessings!

Beauty of God's creation

The Event ~ Milking Cows

I used to milk cows!  Maybe I started milking about 1975 ~ can't remember for sure, but we still lived in the little old white shack before we built our new house on the hill to the north.  I decided it would sure be nice to have fresh cow's milk, so Tim went out and bought a cow.  But he had to milk it.  We kept it at Tim's Grandpa Stricker's place just a jog over the hill, and Tim went over there to milk it twice a day.  We finally got a place fixed up in our barn and corral to keep the cow, so we brought her home.

One day I needed 1/2 cup of milk, and had none in the refrigerator.  So out to the barn I went to try to milk the cow for the first time.  After about a half hour, I think I got enough milk for the recipe.  Eventually, Tim got tired of milking and sold the cow.  I missed the fresh milk so much, I told Tim if he bought another milk cow, I would milk it.  And so he did, and so I did!   I milked one to three cows right up to the time we moved from the farm to Scottsbluff. 

Most of the time I milked two.  Three was too many as it caused my hands to get numb at night.  Alexis enjoyed helping me milk occasionally. Well, maybe she didn't really enjoy it, but did it to help me out!

I raised a few dairy calves, turning them into milk cows.  I had a little Jersey cow I raised ~ she was so tiny we called her Bambi, a huge Holstein we called Daisy,  a Guernsey, and maybe a brown Swiss.  I sold alot of milk to friends and neighbors ~ probably about four gallons a day.  It was on the honor system.  I'd put the milk in the refrigerator in the garage.  The customers would leave their empty gallon jar and pick up a full gallon, and leave the money in a cup in the refrigerator. 


Sister-in-law Melinda and brother
Vern trying the squeeze!  City slickers
from Arizona - ha-ha!  1985



I believe their were many health benefits from consuming fresh cows milk, including building stronger bones.  All three of my kids were raised on raw milk. My kids have strong bones!  We didn't pasteurize ~ just strained the dirt out of it!    Sometimes we skimmed the cream off the top and made lots of ice cream, butter, and cottage cheese.   Cash started on  raw cow's milk at 4 months! 



When we moved to town, we found a farmer who sold fresh cow's milk, and we continued to buy it for several years. 


Through the years, a few friends and relatives got in on the milking.  Friends would milk when we went out of town.  Relatives would try the squeeze when they visited.  You guessed it!  Milking cows was an eventful experience, a healthy, nutritional experience!