THE MELTING POT.....

and I'm not talking about the tempature!!!! Lisa took me out to the Melting Pot fondue restaurant in celebration of the completion of my radiation! We had a wonderful time. Here you will see SOME of the food. It is so different than any restaurant I had visited. They bring your food RAW and bite size and you cook it yourself in the fondue pot. You don't get full very quickly because you have to wait on every bite to cook....which is good, because I think most of us eat to fast. I know I do.

Here we are before we left Lisas.

And here we are at the restaurant. After our meal we went downtown to Market Square in old downdown Knoxville. It was really busy. Lisa and I enjoyed our time together so much. I told her it was ALMOST worth going through radiation ...to get to go out and spend an evening with her. Thank You, Lisa..... I Love You!

More Food......

Here's Lisa stirring in the pot......

This was our main course.... It consisted of Tenderloin, shrimp, terriyaki-marinated choice sirloin, boneless breast of chicken and fresh fish filet.
Our dessert was called Bailey's Irish Cream Dream...with fresh strawberries, bananas, pineapple, cheesecake, tasty marshmallows, pound cake and brownies for you to dip into the flaming chocolate....Yummy!!!!

PRESENT TENSE....

It's been really hot here today. It made me yearn for the cooler days of fall. Then I thought of a poem.....It's called :

Present Tense
It was Spring, but it was Summer I wanted
The warm days, and the great outdoors.

It was Summer, but it was Fall I wanted
The colorful leaves, and the cool dry air.

It was Fall, but it was Winter I wanted,
The beautiful snow, and the joy of the holiday season.

It was Winter, but it was Spring I wanted
The warmth and the blossoming of nature.

I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted...
The freedom and the respect.

I was 20. but it was 30 I wanted
To be mature and sophisticated.

I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted...
The youth and the free spirit.

I was retired but it was middle-age I wanted..
The presence of mind, without limitations.

My life was over, and I never got what I wanted.

I think this is true to a certain point, but I cannot say I NEVER got what I wanted. I try to accept whatever life has to offer!

BEFORE AND AFTER.....

I've been cutting and trimming again today! These are my weeping cherry trees beside my driveway. It's beginning to look different. What do you think?

I GAVE MY WISTERIA A HAIRCUT.....

Doesn't this look better? I worked all evening and it was well worth it! Now I can get to my chair and I hear it calling my name this very moment. Tomorrow morning , at breakfast time, it will be calling my name again.
Whew!!!!!!! I'm glad that is finished!!!!!

MY WISTERIA.......

has gone wild! I planted it in the WRONG place to begin with. That was fifteen years ago. Every year since then I have trimmed it back to keep it from going into the house. This year I haven't trimmed it and it has just about taken over. It has never bloomed and I know it's because I have to cut it back so often. Now that it's cooled down some, I think that is going to be my next project.
Can you see where I USED to sit and read? This is a little deck just outside of my bedroom. I miss that chair!
Here's an overall view!

Lucas' Hospital Ordeal....and more....

Lucas had to be circumcised. He is thirteen. After my treatment Tuesday, I headed for Lisa's. Lucas had to be at the hospital at 12:15. I stayed with him and he was happy. He did really well, and is almost completely healed . I stayed all night Tuesday night and came back home Wednesday. I thought I smelled something bad when I opened the back door at my house, but couldn't figure out what it was. I knew I hadn't left any trash out, but there was something not right. When I started to cook, I went down stairs to my freezer to get corn. I opened it, and everything was thawed..... and it seemed to have been thawed for a long time. What a mess it was! It was about seven P.M. I knew I had to get it out so I filled seven big black trash bags. I put them outside in my drive way. Then I had to dip a foot of bad water out of the freezer. I poured bleach in and brought the water hose in and washed it down with water. I did that twice. Come to find out, the breaker was off in the main box. I knew my fish pond pump had stopped working, but I thought the pump had gone bad. NOT...It was on the same circuit. Now I had all of the food out in my driveway, and I knew the dogs would have a field day that night, so I waited until my son came home at 9:30 and he put a ladder up to the roof over my deck. He put the bags of food up on the roof until the next morning. I then called Waste Management and they told me where to take it to a land fill. When I got there...about twenty BIG trash trucks were in front of me. It took an hour to get in and an hour to get out. They weighed my car before and after. I had 180 lbs. of food. That was enought to last all winter. But now I have a clean freezer and it's time to fill it again. I just pray the breaker doesn't get throwed....I'm tired and I hate rotten food!

TRANQUIL BEAUTY.....

This is where my son-in-law fishes. It is somewhere in Knoxville. I love the looks of this place.....so quiet and undisturbed. Lisa and her family came yesterday. They grilled out and I throughly enjoyed every minute. Tomorrow is my last radiation treatment. It has gone by really quickly. I had thirty three treatment total. Now all I have to do is one IV treatment every three weeks. WOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!!

THINGS ON MY REFRIGERATOR......

Blabbin' Grammy had a post the other day of the things she had on her refrigerator. I promised her I would post a picture of what I have on mine. Take a look!I keep this chalk board on the top....I'm forever writing different things there. If I'm not feeling well, I will write "Clara's Cafe CLOSED for the day." It's fun!
This is the front. In case you cannot read what is on the paper, I will write it here. I wrote this about twenty years ago. It is all splattered and wrinkled, but still there. Maybe someday I will cross stitch the verse. It says:

THANKS!!!!

Thank God for dirty dishes.....

They have a tale to tell....

While others may go hungry,

We're eating very well.

With Home and Health and Happiness....

I shouldn't want to fuss.

For by the stack of evidence...

God's been so good to us.

Isn't that true?

Then over on the left are two little stuffed faces I made....a pig and a cat. They are old also. Then there is Ryan and Lucas. The little sign on that side has different women mopping, washing clothes, ironing and up at the top it says, "I'd rather be knitting." There's a little tiny piece of paper taped there that I got out of a fortune cookie the other day. It says: "There is a prospect of a thrilling time ahead for you."

I say "Bring it on.....I can't wait for that." LOL..... And that's what I have on my refrigerator!

MOUNTAIN PICTURES.....

Holston Mountain, just behind my house.
This one is in El Salvador, Central America
Shady Valley, TN...last fall

MOUNTAIN PICTURES....CONT'

These cows are outstanding in their field.
This is a Weir Dam just below South Holston Dam. It is a small overflow-type dam used to raise the level of a stream or river and to oxygenate the water. There's a beautiful mile-long walking path around an island called Osceloa Island
This is a view of Shady Valley, TN

WEDDING...HELICOPTER

My next door neighbor's grandson got married today in their yard.A helicopter came and picked them up after the ceremony.
I thought it was neat that the helicopter was red, white and blue for the July 4th week-end.
Here's a far away picture.
And a far away shot of the bride and groom.
I wish I had captured the whole thing but I just got the back end of the helicopter. Still, I thought the clouds look pretty. A fine day for a wedding!!!!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY WEEK-END....

May we NEVER FORGET where our country would be without our faith in God. That is why America IS and will ALWAYS BE the land of the free, deep rooted in love, of God and Country. May we NEVER stop saying "In God We Trust". Happy 4th of July week-end to everyone!!!!

RELAY FOR LIFE WALK....

I walked in the Relay for Life Friday Night. Two of these pictures came from the paper. It was held at Bristol Motor Speedway and was a great success. Over 300 people walked.

This is part of the Cancer Support Group.
Here are the tents and the place that was marked off for the walk.

It lasted all night, but I left about 8:30. There were fire works and all kind of food and a dance at 5:00 AM. I have never been in such a caring environment. Makes one feel better to know they are not alone. I am thankful I was able to walk!

TEN WISHES......

I just finished reading Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber. I thought to myself....I'm going to write down 10 things I would like to see happen. Really think about it. You don't have to post all of them at one time. Everytime you think of one...post it. It took me three days to write mine. Here they are:
1..Sing Again

2..Go to New York City with Ryan and Lucas and see a broadway show.

3..Lose 50 lbs.

4..Play a guitar

5..Get a different car...one that doesn't use so much gas.

6..Keep finding reasons to laugh.

7..Be an inspiration in someone's life.

8..Give to someone who has less than me.

9..Volunteer at the hospital.

10..Dance in the rain in my bare feet.

Alright....who is going to be next?????

FOOD IN EL SALVADOR, CENTRAL AMERICA.

Paella, fresh coconuts right from the tree, mango's plaintains and tomato slices with cheese and basil leaves.
See more below!!

FOOD IN EL SALVADOR...Central America.

This is where Lisa has been for the last two weeks. Here's an idea of how they eat in El Salvador. The fruit in the center is how the cashew nut grows. Look at the top of the fruit.....that is the cashew nut! I think the top right plate was Lisa's husband Donaldo's

plate.

THEY SWAM WITH THE DOLPHINS

Lisa and her family have been on a two week vacation to Central America (El Salvador), Honduras and the island of Roatan, off the coast of Honduras.

Here they are swimming with the Dolphins at Anthony's Key

located on the Island of Roatan.

They brought back 913 pictures. I wish you could see them all. This is Lucas.....

and here's Ryan.

Tasha Tudor Passed Away Yesterday.....

For those of you who followed the life of Tasha Tudor....she died yesterday June 18th at her home in Vermont. She was 92 years old and was an amazing person. She lived HER life HER way.

Crocheted Square for the Month Of June.....

This square goes out this month for my crochet partner exchange. The recipient is Sheri in CA. I thought I would start early and spread a little patriotism.