Zucchini Tales

Every year I'm not gonna let one get big. But, overnight they grow into a fat pig. Hiding under the massive leaves acting like a twig. Then I discover them, feeling like a prig.

No matter their size, I cant throw them away. Many of the large ones I have saved for winter. They last for several months. Use them in soups, salads, smoothies or baked goods. They may be used in many forms such as: shredded (my favorite), chunks, sliced and so on. If it's too late to salvage one for this year, do it next year.

Frank About Family Farms

I like to think our family farm is cool. And it was, but not like this one. I'm no fool. It takes lots of work to keep it up, more than a mule? Family spending time together is the best tool.

Oh, that our farm could have looked like this one from the internet. It is a mirage. Buildings weather, animal pens need mucking, weeds grow, implements wear out and if your are not vigilant, a farm can quickly look run down. Ours does. After Dad died it went from bad to worse. But we still own it and dream about the times we worked the land, fixed the breakdowns, milked the cows and now love every minute that we hated it.

Photo Finish Frenzy

Getting a family photo is very rare. To be dressed and ready with well combed hair. Mostly it's a battle to get everyone there. So these folks get a star. I'm glad to share.

Harder than pulling teeth is my experience to have a full family photo. Of course, Paula's gang has a few missing. Beautiful, nonetheless. The larger the family the harder it is to achieve the impossible. Why then did I see a fifty plus group setting, with every person color coded and smiling at a friend's house? Must have bribed them or threatened within an inch of their lives.

Maybe you are more successful than I am.

Quilting the Sacred Grove

Grandma Eugenia Crane was a quilting queen. She could sew up a patchwork quilt so mean. They came in colors of red, blue, and green. This of the Sacred Grove would show her love lean.

At the Springville quilt show, this quilt won honors of the Sacred Grove. The pieces of fabric painted and matched to look like trees in the forest. Grandma would love it. It was my favorite one too.

Kick Back Kids Remembering Past Summers

As kids we roamed the fields of our grandparents farms. But when it came to doing our own chores, we complained like a wining horse. We lived on a small farm of seven acres. Our family had chickens to feed, horses, pigs, cows to milk, fields of hay to bale. Mom always had a big sprawling daily producing garden. It was our job to pick the cukes, beans, squash, tomatoes and such. This time of year we had to help bottle the extra produce. Like any child we would rather be playing. I loved roller skating, riding my Schwinn bike and wasting time watching TV.

Dad made a big A-frame swing set that had tire seats. We loved to swing in. We also had a rusty metal kiddie push-peddle car to drive around. When I spied this car show model, it reminded me of those days when time stood still.

My grandkids have had the bright plastic red and yellow car I bought a few years ago at the DI. It is a kid magnet, as the little ones climb in, out and over it. Their time stands still now and ours races down the track like that old horse. We are still wining.

Classic Crane Car

I saw this water bag at a car show. It's to guarantee a gasket doesn't blow, Heated radiator or some such, You know. When I was a kid, we had one too, just so.

Ours wasn't as new as this one, because it was filled and reused over and over. It hung on the grill of the car catching all the bugs and dirt as we tripped from state to state. We were mostly sitting on the side of the road, broke down, waiting for a Good Samaritan to help us out. This week was my parents anniversary. This reminded me of them when I saw it and wanted to share. Thanks, Mom and Dad for taking us with you everywhere.

Flying on the Ferris Wheel

We rode the big Ferris Wheel at Scheels. We're not afraid of heights. It cost two bills. As a kid with my mom, it held many thrills. Check one more bucket list item it fills.

Every year when the family went to Lagoon, we would always ride the Ferris Wheel. That's because there were a dozen free rides on our company amusement park pass, and this was one of them. I often felt it was my mom's favorite ride. As she was always begging us to ride with her. When the giant Ferris Wheel was built, it was considered one of the scary rides. Ha, ha! Today it pales in comparison to the ones people attempt.

When Scheel's, the new sports store opened a few years ago, it had a giant Ferris Wheel in the center of the store, kids lined up to ride it. I secretly wanted to do it, too. I waited for a few years until the demand dropped. Last week with nothing to do, we visited there and took the leap onto the giant swing. It was super fun and felt like old times.