8th Grade Graduation and a Trip Down Memory Lane

One of my grandsons graduated from 8th Grade this year.

At a "Remembrance Ceremony" he sang the National Anthem

I 'thought' I was recording it, when I noticed this little red button...

anyway, it is partly there.

Which brings me to the part down the memory lane. You may want to skip this, it is just memories that came to mind when I thought of 8th grade.

Many years ago, 48...

I graduated from 8th grade.

At a little country school, we had about 20 students in the 8th grade. We shared a room with the 7th graders also. Our 2 teachers traded off on subjects. I remember our 'man' teacher the most. He had a sense of humor that would 'now-a-days' be considered so politically incorrect. He had "names" for most of the classmates. One of the girls, who was absent more than at school he named "The Visitor", another young man who was growing faster than his parents could keep him in pants enough to cover his ankles he named "The Flood Inspector" and so on. I can't remember the name he gave one young man who was in pure size and demeanor a bully, but he surprised us all.

Jimmy Tufts was larger than the teacher. His glare probably hid his frustration of being in a poor home with who knows what that went on there. At the night of the graduation, he appeared in a suit coat (!) and sang with a voice that had us all dropping our jaws. A kind teacher had seen the potential and coached him in singing "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" (from Oklahoma). We were astounded. If this bully could be transformed into a singing canary, what could our future hold? It has been a life lesson for me. Not all that we see on the outside is what is going on inside.

There I am. And, sadly, 

I don't even remember the young man in the other class photo. Old age is coming on strongly.

P.S. to the grandchildren -- yes, that is how I wore my hair!

Chicken Corn Taquitos

I posted a picture of these on my instagram account and was promptly told that they were flautas and they are usually made with flour tortillas- whatever, it worked for me.

A friend asked me for the recipe (no, I haven't forgotten you), so here goes.

I fly by the seat of my pants/skirt.

I used cold, cooked chicken, chopped up

Added some cream cheese,

or Laughing Cow cheese,

some cotilla cheese,

a little salt and chili powder

some shredded monterey jack cheese.

Mix this all together so that it sticks together

Heat your tortillas in the microwave til soft and pliable

I have this cute little flannel lined tortilla warmer, it is cloth.

I put about 5 or 6 tortillas in it, "nuke" it for about 30 seconds,

turn it over and give it another 30 seconds.

Just enough to warm them up so they roll nicely.

Fill the center with a little of chicken mixture and roll them up

Fry in some oil and drain.

Eat, yum.

I sometimes make them ahead, refrigerate and then warm them in my toaster oven

for a late night treat.

Enjoy, Nancy

Way Back in March, A Special Birthday

I think I mentioned that my daughter (#1)

had a birthday, way back in March.

It was a 40th! 

My girls, Janice, Betty, Lori, and the birthday girl - Terry

Terry is the "famous" one

she and her husband own the own store...

The Vintage Bricoleur (yeah, I can't say it either)

visit them here.

I am definitely not old enough to have a 40 year old!

Anyway, her siblings from as far away as Texas

joined us to help us push her over the hump.

We hadn't been together, all of us, in the same place, at the same time,
 for over 8 years

way too long.
Sorry for the quality of the pictures, but it is what I have and for that I am thankful.

Betty - visited here with her family from Texas minus her husband for this trip.

Jim and his lovely wife who reside about 15 minutes from us.

Lori - from Texas visited here without her family, but because we were all together,

she couldn't resist coming, even if only for a few days. She was

able to come again in the month of April

Janice, our capable and "fully present" daughter, she lives nearby.

Steve, another Texas resident, visited without his family this time.

He had such a good time, he extended his ticket (thanks to the kind advice of his

wife and family.

Some were only here for a few days

but that was OK

it was all good.

One day was a "girls day out" and this is one of my granddaughters with me.

We went out to lunch at the High Hand Conservatory for Terry's birthday.

It adjoins her store in the same Packing Sheds that were used

years ago to pack the harvested fruit of this region.

What a fun few days we had together. 

I hope it doesn't take another 8 years before we can do it again.

(all together that is)

I know you are dying to ask: Why Texas?

Well, we go to retreats and that's where my children

met their mates. I am happy that they are happy, where ever they live.

Vintage Country Flea Market in Willows

A couple of times a year we are invited to bring our wares to a show

here and there.

Last weekend we were invited to go to the

Vintage Country Flea Market in Willows, CA

It is put on by a local store

Gathering Better Junque

(what a name, huh?)

At first, it was pretty much the same type of things we sell.

This last weekend there were

vendors that out-did themselves in their marketing skills.

We are no way in their league.

I think we got invited because we are sort of "grandfathered" in.

You know, be nice to the old ones.

They may be useful later on.

Warning, this is a picture heavy post,

so get a cup of joe or tea and settle in.

Some were still scurrying around, putting last minute touches on their creations at 7 am.

Most of these booths were created in about a 12 x 12 area

Vintage clothing

I thought this was interesting, a crow's nest. Just think how long it took to collect all of this stuff.

Red Door

Old Soul Studios

The ideas these vendors came up with were out of this world.

Willow Nest

A lot of premier dealers that sell at the most exclusive shows

creative use of buntings, draperies, burlap, etc

The Olive and Rose

Check out those cowboy boots, the top is turned down, inside out...

Sweet Silver was there too

Love those baseballs in that basket

The Gypsy Crow

Home Spun

A local bakery had lunch for sale.

I had a delicious pulled pork sandwich, yum.

Redwood Garden Gals

The homeowner even got into the act and had a space.

In the fall, there will be another show put on by these store owners.

The home where this one was held is up for sale, though.

I kinda hope that the new place is as beautiful as this one.

For more information and much better photos, go to

https://www.facebook.com/VintageCountryFleaMarketWillowsCa

The Deck of Excuse Cards

I have been shuffling through my deck of excuse cards and they all look pretty rough around the edges because I have been using them alot.

The reasons I haven't blogged for a while are pretty thin,

well, really thin.

* There was the milestone birthday

*The kids are coming and we need to paint

*The rooms are empty because we are painting -- so let's get the carpets cleaned

*It's child #1's 40th birthday

*Shows, shows, shows

*I am really tired today

*My allergies (which I didn't have until this year) are really bad

*Our anniversary

*The vacation trip

Oh yes, I have been busy, but I haven't shared with you all recently.

Hopefully I will catch you up with some pictures soon.