Okay, I've still got some cherries left, and need to do something with them. So last night I whipped up this improvised recipe of a plain blueberry muffin recipe. First, I checked the cupboard and noticed we were low on  flour, but had cornmeal, so, I split the flour between the two. Second, I replaced … Continue reading Cherry Cornbread Muffins →

Disaster preparedness. Disaster can take so many forms. What sort of disasters do you prepare for, and in what way?  How severe? Is there any way to be truly prepared? Based on your physical circumstance or political leanings, you can see the above questions differently. The reason I decided to write on this today is … Continue reading How disaster-proof we aren’t →

In cleaning the basement this weekend I found three boxes of papers, pictures, certificates, trophies, etc. from my high school days. It brought back a lot of happy memories, but one particular piece of paper brought back other memories, a "dark side" to my school days that was seldom discussed -- or rather was discussed, … Continue reading Insider/Outsider mentality →

In a previous blog I mentioned picking my cherries off the Carmine Jewell Dwarf Cherry tree, hoping for some fresh eating cherries.  But I found them slightly more tart than I expected, and so baked some of them into a fast fruit cobbler. Of course, I had to pit them, which took some time. Friday … Continue reading Recipe improvisation →

This week I spent a vacation week painting a wall in the living room, and cleaning the basement.  The painting is done, the basement is still a work in process, and has generated an entire new set of projects. As they know around this house, beware anytime I start moving furniture -- but we will … Continue reading A new wall, a clean basement, a new room… →

Today Avondale United Methodist Church confirmed the 12 members of its 100th anniversary year confirmation classes during the 10:50 worship service. The 12 participated in a year-long class of review and understanding of their faith and the Methodist tradition before participating in today's service, answering the questions about their faith and being confirmed into the … Continue reading AUMC confirms 12 in 100th anniversary confirmation service →

The mantra for us this year is -- we don't have any money to spend. So of course we are taking vacation trips for reunions, graduations, and today, going out and spending on toys for the home. The first toy I'll mention is a ladder. $99. We have been in this house for 10 years … Continue reading Men and their toys →

At the beginning of the month I had this vision of what fun it would be to get off work, come home, and whisk the entire family off to Oceans of Fun for a cool, refreshing swim each evening before supper. Like most plans of this type, reality got in the way. First my own … Continue reading Summer evenings →