Indian Market in Chicago

Last week my Husband went to Chicago on business/training one of his classmates was of Eastern Indian descent. I was not there but I can guess the conversation went like this."I just loved the food in India when I was there in the 70's and I just love to cook with curry I wish I knew more about it". He tells me after a long conversation about curry spices she offers to take him to an Indian market in the city to pick out some items to bring home and cook with. These items below are what he brought home. Couldn't forget the Indian candy to the left, I looked at the ingredients and there is also curry in the candy!
Glenn's prep area while cooking with one of the spices and mixes he brought home, the meat on the plate is shrimp but you really can't tell. Notice the calculator, the measurements were very different they measure in grams, we still don't think we got it right.
The sauce was great, the different tastes in your mouth was unbelievable. Sorry the photo is blurry.
Dinner is ready! Shrimp curry with brown rice, bread (french, all we had at the time) to take the hot away in your mouth if you needed to. Berry's with a little whip cream and of course a Corona Light. For some reason I don't think this is how a true Indian dinner would go but Glenn you did a great job. Can't wait for the next dinner you create.
As a side note Glenn is in Nebraska this week I wonder who he will make fast friends with and bring home this time. I guess I will have to wait and see. I miss you Glenn!

swiss army creamer

While at the GI surplus store with my Husband, I saw 4 of these creamers, I think they are so cute, they said the creamer is Swiss military circa WWI/WWII porcelain coated steel with chips in the porcelain. This little creamer reminds me of the creamer or maybe it was a teacup on Beauty and the Beast. The military used this cup to cream their coffee but I am going to use them as a flower planter. Maybe you could look at this as reminiscent of the late 60's peace movement where flowers were planted in the tools of war. I wish I could paint something on the cup but I am not a painter. Hey maybe I could have my step daughter Amanda look at it and see if she can come up with something. The end result will be posted at a later date.

Betty's Garden

Gardening in Central Oregon is tricky, because the high desert climate can change overnight and you can loose everything. We lost everything in our garden in 2007 and I was devistated. We look at it as we only have 60 days for our garden to mature, under the conditions that you plant your garden in the ground vs pot gardening and you do not use a green house, we have 2 seasons for gardening winter and august. The rule of green thumb for us is: If the snow is all off Black Butte then we can start planting and guess what I looked yesterday to the west when we were driving and Black Butte was clear so yesterday was planting day.

To the left you see marigolds, I plant them at the edges because my Mother Marie says they keep the bugs away. The photo below we have to take care early in the season with the tomatoes, by circling them with water filled towers which creates a hot house effect. The black gate you see is the vine trailer for the pea's. If you look real close you can see the pea's in their infant stage, I planted them from seed approx. 3 weeks ago.

The photo to the left is Glenn's raspberry's he is starting over with 2 new plants if they can get established this year then they will survive or maybe we need to cover them with straw this winter, note to myself.. The round cages is for, well you probably already know the DEER. No raspberry's for them this year....

As a side note we didn't have to plant sunflowers this year because we have apprx. 40 to 50 coming up volunteer from last year. I am not showing you photos of the baby plants because the photos to come will be wonderful of them.

Farewell Donkey

My little Donkey with his flower cart has seen better days. In 2001 I brought this donkey back from Arizona, he caught my eye and I thought he was so cute. The poor thing got ran over by a skate board and my Husband put him back together with plaster before I got home from work. Finally after 7 years the plaster wore out. I will not be able to look out my window and see him standing under the tree holding up his cart waiting for me to put some flowers in it. He always made me smile when I looked at him. Good bye my friend, I hope you enjoyed your time in our yard. I will still smile when I look at your photos on my blog.

His cart still remains in the front yard so I guess I better get busy and fill it with some flowers.

Gnome searches for his Family!

When we moved back to Bend from the Portland, Oregon area, I was going to miss this very old Gnome that lived at the house we were renting. Little did I know my Husband ask the owners if he could take it to Bend to live. About a week after we arrived I started receiving post cards with these photos on them and the Gnome telling me he was trying to find us so he could live in our yard. This is a statue of a man, I can't remember his name, in down town Bend. This is the 1st card I got.
A few days later I received this card where the Gnome is in the park at Mirror Pond still in Bend. I received another card I am not posting of two girls posing with the Gnome that Glenn apparently asked them if they would poise with him, I did not post because I didn't know if that was a blogging no-no since I don't know the girls. Here the Gnome is on top of Pilot Butte over looking Bend, after this card I received 2 more and then he showed up at our house and found his spot in our back yard, just in time to join my Birthday party. The Gnome has moved with us to Redmond and keeps our back yard safe and sound, the Gnome is 100% solid cement and is very old and heavy. I can just see my Husband walking around Bend with this Gnome taking photo's. Do you think people talked about him and wondered what he was doing, I do.
Here our Gnome is during the 1st winter in Central Oregon, the snow went clear up to his eyes as you can see. I leave him out year around, because I am told they are not to happy indoors their place is in the yard year around. What do you think?

Princess MONICA & Princess JUNE

I live with these two and when I use the title princess that is the two of them. Monica is the youngest of 4 in her immediate family and the youngest of 6 in her blended family. Does that tell you anything.

Juniper Berry aka June is the only dog and animal in our family so you know where she fits in the whole mix or should I say "pack".

They both want my full attention before I can walk in the door from work, and each of them think that their immediate issue is more important then the other ones. But what can I say they are good to me and it is nice to be needed, RIGHT!

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Heaven Can Wait

We are a great TEAM!


Trudy wore the blue hat showing she is a survivor.


To the finish line in in 1hour and 38seconds!




Today was the Heaven Can Wait 5K run/walk. A few of the Ladies I work with walked wearing our company shirts, I was walking with my Step Daughters. Breast Cancer is an awful cancer but I guess when you think about it any cancer is awful. There were so many people there to support the "cause". In the beginning to honor the survivors of breast cancer they had all the people who have not had cancer kneel and the ones standing were the survivors, it was a very special moment I will never forget. I work with 2 Ladies who are survivors, they are remarkable people. I admire their strength and their will to move on in life. My Hat off to you both, Trudy and Kay....

I really enjoyed the time I spent with Amanda and Monica, I felt so proud to walk with them today. I am wanting to walk this September for the alzheimer's memory walk/run http://www.alz.org/join_the_cause_memory_walk_jtc.asp , I hope they want to walk with me, we will see.