Finally got the photos from our Easter Ocracoke weekend uploaded....here is the gang for an impromtu photo at one of our favorite hangouts....the Pelican.






Then here is a "better" shot - only problem with this one is that Buddy is somehow missing! Different dog visible also....that's one of the neat things about Ocracoke - it's very pet-friendly. Lot's of the places have areas/tables that you can take the pups.



This little bar, the Pelican, has the usual "ring toss" game, darts, and Friday night this fellow named Jamie sings. He usually has Mark, the harmonica player with him (you can see him in the background). Sometimes, he has people join him to sing - like one of the Greatful Dead singers! This lady (don't know her name) was obviously very professional - lovely voice. It's a great time- we've been there 5 or 6 times now....



As you might recall, it was a COOOOLLDDDD Easter! We bundled up and road our bikes a good bit. Pat and Diane had driven down (we flew with Buddy and Sharon), so we had their mini-van for several late-night dinners.


This is a pic of me and A.D. waiting outside a little trinket shop. Somehow, the shop owners don't want your pets inside......



And here's Pat under the table with A.D. It was obviously a good time!

Well, I can't seem to make the link at the right for the video work....so, here is a link that should take you to the video. May take a while to load...


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7359117995723355759&hl=en

Please ignore the video links until T can figure out how to get Robert's video posted!!! I've been trying for a good while to get this right, and I've finally given up....the videos you see are just random videos that happen to be named the EXACT same thing that the video I posted for Robert's band concert....I have the FAITH that my sis can fix this!!

Remember the coffe tree/bush? Well, this is all the "cherries" we "harvested"....I've read about how to dry them and remove the outside "husks". Then it will be a short roast - and then our very small cup of coffee! I'll let you know how NC Coffee tastes!!

Here is a photo of the "mystery" bulbs. I still don't know what they are - sort of looks like a daffodil, but I'm not quite sure yet. Ideas? I only put them in the ground a few weeks ago, so I'm shocked that they are up and blooming at all this year. We'll know soon!

The yard had gotten to the point that it no longer just looked "winter straggley" (is that a word?)













Don't know if you can see the difference or not, but we cranked up the riding mower and weed-eater. I made a day of mowing and "whacking" - with proper eye and ear protection, of course! Now the place is getting that "cared for" look again.

I spoke at "career day" at the local school...talked all about careers in aviation. Here I am handing out some "freebies" that some of my suppliers donated for the occasion. Just some pens, pads of paper and ear plugs. It was a nice bunch of 8th graders (not my kiddo's school). Although one of the kids did stick the ear plugs up his nose - it was actually quite funny....

Spent most of the day there - I've never said the same thing over and over so many times!! I couldn't keep track of what I'd said to each group (there were 10 different groups). My voice was going south by the end of the day!

This photo is kindof weird, but I wanted to share this ridiculously easy dish that was super tasty. Yesterday, I was heating up the oven to bake some salmon - and I decided that I should just fill up the oven with dishes to take advantage of the heat that I was paying for.....so I whipped up a quick green bean casserole and seasoned some chicken tenders (to be used later as topping on Ceasar salad...) I had space for one more dish. I was going to steam some frozen broccoli to serve with the salmon- so I decided that maybe I could pop it in the oven also and not end up watching a pot on the stove.

All I did was take about 1/2 cup of parmesean cheese (maybe T can substitute?) and tossed it with the almost thawed broccoli. Put that in a covered pyrex dish and baked for about 45 min. Seemed too long, but the pieces stayed firm - just really sweet tasting - like a roasted onion, I guess. Yum!

The weather has been so nice, I had to do some "patio gardening". I just retrieved all my hanging baskets from the shed and filled them with petunias, violas and some carnations. I've never grown carnations, so we'll have to see how they turn out.


This shot is of my watering jug - I love the color of the water when I add MiracleGro - looks like the cool blueberry koolaid I used to make for the kids.

More nature photos....
This is a pear tree we planted about 3 years ago. It's coming along nicely - the blossoms are very pretty.


My "thrift" is staying colorful...it will be this way thru the summer unless it gets really, really dry (and I forget to water it!)


And finally, another of my "mystery" bulbs. I don't recall planting it - but it sure is pretty!

My sister has been putting photos of her hairdo on her blog...so here goes. Since I spend literally 1 minute on my hair, it's not much of a "do".

Richard is working at Food Lion this evening, and Robert has gone with his school's Jazz Band to Virginia for a competition this weekend. We're heading out for a Japanese steakhouse meal this evening with a group of friends to celebrate two birthdays. They're both local people, born on the same year and same day (yesterday). Pretty neat.

Later

I can't believe the daffodils that I posted days and days ago are still beautiful! I seem to recall in past years, daffodils were a pretty quick bloom and shrivel....oh well, I'll take it!


Somehow, I convinced Princess to stay still for a moment...aren't those cute puppy-dog eyes? (And grey like the rest of us!)


We had a huge rain event today - if the cold front we're getting now was about 10 hours quicker- we'd be having 20 inches of March snow like we did about 10 years ago.


I may have mentioned that Richard ran off in a ditch last weekend. Messed up the front of his Explorer. It appears to have bent the axle slightly, so he's not driving it right now....



I can't believe it, but I convinced him to pose for the camera for about 2 seconds...I snapped it quick so he wouldn't change his mind!!

Love, K

This post could rightly be posted on Hall of Flowers!! It's absolutely beautiful here!

I finally got around to planting the bulbs that Mom gave me last fall (I think). They were in good shape - everything looked healthy and still "alive". This is a gladiolus bulb (note the gardening gloves given to me by a certain sister.) I ended up planting them in a row at the border of the garden. Last year, I had some in my flower bed and they just didn't fit in - just too big and lanky.

Now these bulbs - I don't exactly remember what they are!! I assume they are daffodils of some nature. If that's the case, I probably missed a bloom for this year - but you never know!




And lastly, Denise had given me some hardy hibiscus plants several years ago. They too, were too tall for the other flowers in my flower bed. They are lovely, but 6' tall. Also, they don't bloom until late summer, so you've got all this foliage for a long time with nothing "pretty". So, I dug up all the tubers/roots that I could find and transplanted them near the glads. I suspect I'll be digging up hibiscus plants for a few years. I suspect I didn't get all the roots and the term "hardy" means hardy-har-har if you think you can kill me!

I suspect my arms may be sore tomorrow - I don't think I've used a shovel in 4 months!

Later

I can't believe how pretty the daffodils are staying. They're usually blooming for about a week and then gone...but this year, we've been enjoying them for 2 months!












I was talking to Granny yesterday telling her that I had some bulbs getting ready to bloom and I didn't remember what they were! Here is a photo of what they look like just prior to bloom. Really much "fatter" than normal daffodils. I thought maybe they were tulips, but it's too early for tulips...













The mystery is solved, however. They are just some very pretty bi-color daffodils. I don't remember planting them.....

OK, so I did absolutely NOTHING of interest this weekend....

Here's something kind of neat - this is a coffee bean plant (tree). We recieved it in a box with a shipment from a vendor several years ago. It was in one of those tiny little 2 inch pots and wasn't more than a couple of inches tall. They must be pretty hardy since it survived the shipment.

Well, Bobbi, my longtime employee and resident plant "wizard" took care of it all these years, transplanting it to larger containers as it grew. This year is the first year that we've had BEANS grow!!

There's only 10 or so beans - hopefully enough to make a ceremonial cup of coffee. We'll have to read up on the process via the internet to make sure we get it right!!

Here's Robert on his way to his Eagle Scout Board of Review last night. Amazing what a Boy Scout uniform looks like starched and pressed!

His Board of Review went well and he is now officially an Eagle Scout! We'll have to plan his award ceremony - he doesn't actually get his patch until the ceremony. I think I count 12 years in Scouting! He's had many good times there.

OK, here's the rest of it...that's hard to believe you can zoom in that far....

Mom's No-Bake Cookies are also a longtime favorite of mine!! Obviously, from the condition of my cookbook from the N&S Mills River Community Club!



Isn't it amazing that we keep coming back to the same recipes for 30 (Yikes!) years!


Yup, I need to work on that binding!

I made the local "Lifestyles" front page!! A reporter and photographer came out to the airport the other day to do research for an article. I was a little surprized that they picked my photo for the front (not my best photo, I assure you)....I got a couple of extra copies.....

Rainy day....lazy, really. I finally finished my "Uncas Metcalfe" book. It's been a difficult read for me. Not a long book, just not that interesting. I've got a habit of forcing myself to finish a book if I start it. This one, I would read for a few minutes and just want to put it down. Really, just a rather depressing story about a sourpuss old man. Well written, though. Oh well, just goes to show that YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S TITLE!!

Now I'm into the water-bourne world of PI!

Nothing new to report from Lake Wobegon South!