Remember Whensday

This photo is not the best ever made, but it is of me and my daughter, Becca in April 1989. She was the only girl in Girl Scout Troop 147 who wanted to go backpacking. I found a council sponsored two day trip hiking the Appalachian Trail near Cleveland, Georgia. We went to two evening training sessions, where they taught the basic things we needed to know about hiking, and gave us a list of what to bring.

I was a little apprehensive about it because I was not the most athletic person even way back then. But, I hiked for two days, carried my own pack and part of tent, and even climbed down a root ladder about 80 feet! Our guide got us lost, and we wandered around for a couple of hours in mountain laurel that was taller than me. We finally got to the place we were supposed to be to meet our ride back home. I was really proud of myself, but alas, this is the only picture that survived.

To see more Remember Whensday photos, click here.

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

A while back, I wrote about my Mother's stuffed cabbage recipe. She won Recipe Of The Year from the Greystone Power folks, for her version of it. Stuffed Cabbage, or Galumpkis, has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Mama's heritage is from Russia and Austria. She grew up in a Polish neighborhood in Detroit. It was only when she married my farm boy dad that she came to Georgia and learned how to cook butter beans and corn bread and fried okra. Those Galumpkis were a family tradition in her family, and soon became one in our branch of the family, too.

I read about a stuffed cabbage casserole on a Yahoo forum a couple of months ago, and filed that little tidbit away for future reference. So, yesterday, I was sewing away on my quilt project, and for some reason I started thinking about Galumpkis. And I thought to myself, "There is no way I have time to make them Mama's way today." But, oh, the taste of them called to me.

I got up and went to look in the refrigerator, and sure enough, there was that cabbage sitting in there. So, here is what I did with it:

1/2 lb ground meat (your choice, I use a mix of 1/3 beef, 1/3 turkey, and 1/3 pork)
1/2 lb sage breakfast sausage
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked rice
1 small can tomato paste
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
1 small head of cabbage, shredded

In a large dutch oven, cook the ground meat, sausage, bell pepper, onion, and garlic until meat is browned. Stir in all the rest of the ingredients. Pour into a 13 X 9 casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

This tasted a LOT like the stuffed cabbages my Mother makes, but not EXACTLY like it. And it probably won't win a recipe contest, but hey, if you want the taste but don't have time, it is a pretty good second. (Don't tell Mama I cheated, ok?)

Scenic Sunday

A gorgeous view of the Vermillion Cliffs in northern Arizona, taken in September, 2008 on a trip from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to Page, Arizona.

For more Scenic Sunday shots, click here.

Goodbye To A Dear Friend

There has been so much in the news these last few days about the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. While the loss of those two celebrities may be big news, the demise of my long time friend, The Big White Bowl, will have a huge impact on my daily life.


Mine is a loss only a cook will understand. The Big White Bowl has been a part of my life for a very long time. I can't remember exactly when it came into my life, but I think it was Christmas, 1972. My first husband had a charming way of giving me small electric appliances as gifts. And while I really liked that Kenmore Stand Mixer, it was The Big White Bowl that came with it that stole my heart.

The Big White Bowl was made of glass. It was the perfect size and shape for mixing just about anything. The Big White Bowl and I made a good team, and prepared countless meals for my family together over the years. There have been hundreds of meatloaves, pancakes, corn breads, biscuits, cakes, salads, and others too numerous to mention mixed in that bowl. Sadly, I could only find one picture of it in my vast photo collection.

The Big White Bowl moved many times, and has traveled all over the country with me . During the period of my life when I was divorced and moved 15 times in 5 years, The Big White Bowl helped comfort me and my children with many batches of Chocolate Chip Cookies. It was always lovingly wrapped and cushioned during each move, to protect it from harm. The Big White Bowl lived most of its life in Georgia, but has also lived in Florida, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and spent its last days at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

When I came home from work last night, FabGrandpa announced the death of The Big White Bowl. He stood there hanging his head in shame, while he told me that he broke The Big White Bowl while he was washing the dishes. While I cried over the tragic loss, FabGrandpa went on to say it was an accident, and that we would try to find another one to replace The Big White Bowl.

I'm sorry, FabGrandpa, we may find another bowl, but none could ever take the place of The Big White Bowl.

Gluten Free In Kanab, Utah

I have written about Kanab, Utah before. It is only seven miles north of the Arizona-Utah border, out in the middle of nowhere. The town was settled in the 1860's, first as a fort for defense against the Paiute Indians, then as a Mormon settlement. It is now a tiny town of about 5,400 population.


It serves as a hub for agriculture, recreation, and tourism in this area, being located in the center of the triangle formed when you draw lines between Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.


You can see why the town thrived, even though it was in a remote area. The Kanab Creek provides water, and makes the town look like an oasis in the middle of desert country.

We like doing business in Kanab, because the people here are so friendly. We can get just about anything we need here, from a good lunch at the Mexican restaurant, to new shoes, to tires and repairs to our diesel truck.

I love it that I can get lots of my favorite gluten free products at Honey's Jubilee, a local independently owned grocery store. Last year, when I shopped there and found Bob's Red Mill, Mi-Del, and Glutino products on the shelves, I was so happy I cried. When I checked out that first time in the store, I thanked the cashier for having such a good selection of gluten free products. She told me that the owner was celiac.

(Terrell, the owner of Honey's Jubilee)

Not that I'm glad that Terrell is a celiac, but if he has to be, then I am glad he owns a grocery store. Because he has to eat a gluten free diet, he stocks things in his store that he can eat. It makes life easier on all of us in town (and out of town as well) who must eat the same gluten free way.

(look at the gluten free section in Honey's!)

When we went to Page, a much bigger town, that even has a super Wal-Mart, AND two chain grocery stores, there was NOT ONE gluten free item to be found. No pasta, no bread mix, no buckwheat cereal, NOT even the gluten free Rice Chex. I was so disappointed with that. At one of the grocery stores, I even asked at the service desk and the girl said, "No we don't have anything gluten free here. One of my co-workers found out last week that she is gluten intolerant and she can't find anything here." Isn't that sad that a whole town has nothing to offer a person who is gluten free?


I was delighted to see that they had the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free mixes on the shelf at Honey's. I didn't need any of them this time, or believe me, I would have gotten one of each! I did get Bob's Red Mill Bread Mix and some Creamy Buckwheat Cereal; Mi-Del Ginger Snaps; Glutino Frozen Bagels; Van's Apple Cinnamon Waffles; and some Shar Table Crackers. I was in gluten free heaven!


So there you go! If you are a gluten free girl or guy, and you are planning to go on a trip to see Zion, Bryce, and North Rim Grand Canyon National Parks, go knowing you will find a gluten friendly place in Kanab. Honey's Jubliee Grocery Store at 260 East 300 South - Kanab, Utah. And if you do go there, go to the service desk and ask for Terrell, and tell him FabGrandma sent you!

Remember Whensday

In 1986 I went to Atlantic City, New Jersey with two of my girlfriends. For $199, we got round trip airfare from Atlanta to Philadelphia, roundtrip bus fare from Philadelphia to Atlantic City, one night hotel room, $10 in coins to play in the casino, three meals, and a heck of a good time.

We played the slots, ate at the buffet, saw Nipsey Russell in "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum", and listened to a band that was so bad I can't remember the name of it.

I won a $250 jackpot, and quarters poured out of the slot machine. It was very exciting! Do you know how heavy $1000 quarters are?? I was the only one of the three of us to come home with money.

We left the Atlanta airport early on Saturday morning, and returned late on Sunday night. My dumb butt ex-husband (we were still married at the time) forgot to pick us up at the airport. When I called home to find out where he was, he wasn't there, so I had to call my sister in the middle of the night and have my brother-in-law come pick us up. They weren't happy with that. We had to ride the MARTA train from the airport out to Hightower Station at 2:00 a.m. Not fun.

Even with the bad ending, I still had some of the most fun I ever had with those two girls.

For more Remember Whensday, click here.

My New Project

Ok, it is not really new--I cut the original 3" inch strips and sewed them together in March of 2008. The next step was to cut them on a 45 degree angle, then sew them together again. I had a fear of the 45 degree angle, so I put the entire project under the bed and slept on it, literally, for over a year.

(This is the pattern I am using)

Today was the day I decided to tackle those cuts. My folding table is stored behind the back seat of the truck. My iron is in the linen closet. Scissors, rotary cutter, thread, magnetic pin bowl are in the wicker trunk in the living area. The sewing machine, folding chair, cutting mat and rulers are all kept under the bed. It took a while to gather everything together, but I finally got started. Then I couldn't figure out how to place the ruler on the fabric to accomplish the 45 degree cuts. Dang.


The guy who lives next door is a carpenter. I went over there and asked him about it, so he came over and helped me figure it out. Thanks, Dennis. Between the two of us we got it. He went home and I worked on it all afternoon. The picute above are all the strips I cut today. They are numbered because you have to sew them together in a certain order to get the pattern to come out right.



There are eight sections in all. I finished three of them today. This is going to be a really large quilt, queen sized at least. This one is for Becca and Ken. I have another set of strips all sewn together, with all the same fabrics except one (I didn't have enough of all the fabrics to make two quilts). The second one is for Seth and Sarah. I am going to send both of them to be quilted by the lady who quilted Becky's quilt for me. I think these are going to be gorgeous.

We're Looking For A Home...

No, we are not going to stop living in our trailer and working at wonderful places like the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. But with the prices of real estate what they are right now, we would be crazy not to buy a house if we find the perfect one.

So, what is the perfect home for the FabGrandma? I am looking for a little white frame house, with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, and 1.5 to 5 acres, out in the country. A sweet little grandma house. One with a yard big enough to park our 34' trailer in while we're there. Something like this. Or this. Or this.

We want something ready to move into, no fixer uppers for us, please! We are looking in the west Georgia, east Alabama area, from roughly Franklin, Georgia, to Lineville, Alabama to Anniston, Alabama to Rome, Georgia. Roughly the area outlined in blue on this map:


That is a pretty big area, I know, but we don't want to limit ourselves to one place and miss out on a good opportunity. We do like the Franklin area, though it is not the only area we want. If anyone out there reading this knows of a nice little place that fits the descripition, and is under $40,000, let me know! We could wind up being neighbors for the winter.

Scenic Sunday

We drove from Georgia to south Texas in our pick-up truck, pulling a pop-up camper in 1997. We camped at Bentsen Rio Grand Valley State Park in Mission. This was on an oxbow lake near the Rio Grand River. You can no longer camp at this state park. We were very lucky to go there when we did.

To see more photos from Scenic Sunday, click here.

Just A Random Thought

On Facebook, there is a little application you can participate in called The Interview. You are asked to answer some random questions. I was on there today reading the answers some of my friends and family wrote. There was one question in particular that interested me, and I was somewhat surprised by the answers that different people gave to it.

The question is "Walking past a beggar, spare change or ignore?"

Years ago when I was a Girl Scout leader, one of the girls in my troop, Carla, talked about something similar to this. Her thoughts on the matter where that you never know who your guardian angel may be. It could be the little old lady who needs a hand getting her groceries to the car. It may be the guy who needs thirty cents for to make bus fare. It might be that beggar you pass on the street. In Carla's vision of life, doing good deeds for the people you know and love was only part of the picture. Helping out in small ways to those you meet in passing was the other, bigger part. Even if they don't look or smell just right, helping those people was far more important, because you are given a chance to make a very small decision that may change that stranger's life, even for just a moment. Not every beggar is looking for the next bottle of wine. Some are truly hungry. They may be hungry for compassionate human contact.

I always felt like the girls in my troop taught me far more than I taught them. The way Carla felt about doing good deeds in life was one of those things. So, what do you do when you pass a beggar on the street?

Oh, My Aching Bones!

Yesterday was cold and wet. Out at the entrance station, the rain started just about the time I arrived at 6:45 a.m, and kept up until around noon. On my job, I have to stand out in the rain talking to people who are sitting in their cars, selling them their passes, checking ID's, answering their questions. Yes, I knew that when I took the job, and Yes, I still love my job. But it was still cold and wet and yucky out there yesterday.

We have a wood stove out there for heat. I had a fire going while I was out there, and it did help, and provided warmth when I stood next to it in between cars. But the cold and damp has really played havoc with my old bones. Yes, I did have on a raincoat, and a plastic cover on my hat, but those didn't help much with my hands.

Back when we had our house in Georgia, I suffered with pain in my hands and forearms in the cold winter months. But, since we have lived in mostly warm locations, I haven't had a problem with it much since then. Last night? I was awake much of the night, with a throbbing, toothache-like pain in my hands and arms up to about half way to my elbows. I know it was from standing out there in that cold rain yesterday.

When I woke up around 3:00 a.m, I thought I might get up and cut off both arms at the elbows. The only thing that stopped me from actually doing it was the thought that after I cut off the first one, I wouldn't be able to cut off the other one, and I would still be in pain as I slowly bled to death. Yeah. They hurt that bad.

So then, I started wondering about those extra strength pain relievers I took before I went to bed. Because I now hurt worse than I did before I took them, I started wondering if there was any wheat in them. I got up and read the ingredients label. Starch. It doesn't say what the source of the starch is, so I googled the manufacturer's name, and sent them an email asking what kind of starch is used to make their product. I'll let you know when I get a response. In the meantime, I am not going to take any more of them until I find out for sure.

Introducing...

I am pleased to announce that my youngest daughter, Emily, is now a member of the blogosphere! She is writing about life as she knows it at Sweetpea's Rollercoaster. She is Mommy to Spencer, wife to Spiderman, a high school special education and biology teacher, and is back in school pursuing her master's degree. What a hectic life she leads! And how proud of her you know I must be.

Go on over there and give her some comment lurve!

Kale and Sausage Soup

I have served kale and black rice together in the same meal before, but not in a soup. When I got home from work today, I knew I had some kale in the fridge, and I knew I wanted to make a soup. So, here is what I made:



2 1/2 Italian sausage links
1 large onion
3-4 cloves garlic
3 medium potatoes, unpeeled, diced
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bunch curly kale, chopped
1 cup black rice (or white rice)
6 cups water

Peel off the casing of the sausage and crumble up. Chop the onion, dice the garlic and potatoes. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, garlic and potatoes, and sautee until the sausage is browned.

Add the seasonings, the chopped kale, the rice and water. Bring to a boil, and boil on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and let cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I served this with gluten free biscuits, and boy was it ever good! This recipe will serve 4-6 people, or two hungry adults two dinners. The soup is naturally gluten free, tastes very good, and is relatively inexpensive. What more could you want?

Remember Wednesday

This was taken in June of 1978, in Panama City Beach, Florida, on the only vacation my first husband and I ever took together.

My kids were so young, and innocent, and sweet then. They loved the ocean, because as one of my daughters said at the time "This water plays with you, Mama!." They played on the beach all day, running and jumping in the water. We took them to Sea World, I think was the name of it. My son was afraid of the parrots, and after much coaxing, very timidly allowed two of them to rest on his shoulders for a picture.

This was also long before the days when mothers were warned about putting their childrens names on their clothing, so my youngest had a hooded sweatshirt with "EMMY" on the back of it. She kept asking me how everyone knew her name. And if this were a better picture, you would be able to see that my oldest daughter, on the left, has a black eye--she got out of the car and walked into the motel room, right into the corner of the dresser on the first day of the trip.

I miss those days, when my children were so carefree, and cute. Now they are all grown up, going on vacations of their own, with their spouses, children, and boyfriends. But would I go back to that time? Not on your life!

My best memory of that vacation though, is this: We arrived in town late in the afternoon. We were starving, and wanted seafood for dinner, so we found a restaurant just down the beach from our motel. We were all dressed in shorts and flip-flops. After we were seated, I looked around the room, and there were people dressed in formal attire, and a bottle of champagne chilling on their table. When THEY saw us, there was a heavy visible sigh from both of them.

We ordered our food, and all three of my children sat patiently at table, waiting for their meal, not uttering a word. When the food arrived, they put their napkins on their laps, and ate their meals, with very polite family conversation going around the table as usual. They were good as gold sitting there in their booster seats in that fancy restaurant.

When our check arrived, the man in the tuxedo at the table across the room walked over and said, "When you walked in, I just knew my meal was going to be ruined. But your children are the most well behaved I have ever seen" and he paid our bill for us. Little did he know that I threatened their lives out in the parking lot before we went inside, and they knew I meant it. I think it was the proudest moment of my motherhood.

To see more Remember Wednesday photos, click here.

Scenic Sunday

This was taken in western North Carolina in the mountains in October, 1994. Those sumacs were such a brilliant red!

To see more Scenic Sunday photos, click here.

I Had A Little Visitor On The Job Today

I was working out at the entrance station today. I didn't hear this little guy come in, but I did hear him bonk his little head on the window. He was stunned a little bit, I think.


He sat there on top of the sign that says "Sorry, Our Campground Is Full", looking out at the meadow in the distance, probably wondering where the heck he was.


The little poser sat there quite still and let me get very close to get a nice picture. Then, I picked him in my hands, and took him outside, where he quickly flew away into the trees. It was amazing how soft and fluffy he was, and how he seemed to not weigh anything at all. I was afraid I might crush his little self if I held him too tightly.


Bye, bye, little friend! Come to visit again some time!

Remember Wednesday

Sally from the MisAdventures of Karl & Sally has started a new Meme, called Remember Wednesday. The idea behind this is to post an old photo, and write your memories of it. I have lots of old photos, so I am in!



This is a photo of me in 1962 or 1963. I was 10 or 11 years old. Notice the tightly curled hair. Every school year I could remember, my mother sat me down the night before picture day, and rolled my hair with rags. Yes. Rags. She would tear strips of cloth, tie them around sections of my wet hair, roll them up, then tie again. I looked really silly with them all tied on my head. And being the only girl (well, I did have a sister, but she was 8 years younger than me) with four brothers, I had to survive a LOT of teasing.

Those rags with their knots were hard to sleep on. The torture continued in the morning, when Mama took all the rags out and brushed out my hair into the "DO" you see above. She sprayed it liberally with White Rain aerosol hairspray until I thought my lungs would bust, then sent me off to school. There was a lot of giggling and finger pointing going on from my classmates, because picture day was the only day I came to school with my hair "fixed".

To see more of Remember Wednesday posts, click here.

Guess Who Is In Town?

The bull bison I saw last week was scoping out the territory for his family. This morning when I went out to the entrance station, there they all were. And I had my camera this time:


When I drove up, they started running. What an amazing sight to see them all turn in unison and stampede across the meadow!



The whole herd stayed out there most of the day. They caused a "Buffalo Jam", with tourists stopping to take pictures, parking all over the place, even leaving their cars in the road to get out and get closer.



The buffalo wandered around the meadow, sometimes going all the way over to the trees, sometimes coming back close to the road. Here they are all bunched up by the entrance sign:


When I had no cars coming, I watched them with binoculars. They really are amazing animals. I got lots of questions from visitors:

Are they wild? yes. Do they stay up here all winter? no. Where do they go when it gets cold? I have no idea, but probably down in the canyon. Have they birthed their young yet? I think so, because when I was out there this morning I saw some calves. How many are there? About 80 of them. Are they dangerous? yes, if you make them mad, they can charge you.

I hope I get to see them again soon.

What Goes Around...

When my daughters were young, I was their Girl Scout leader for more than eight years. We did lots of things in Girl Scout Troop 147--we camped, we went on lots of out of town trips, we sold cookies, we sang songs. But one of the most important things we did was community service projects.

Girl Scout Troop 147 in Savannah, maybe 1988? 89?

(Jimell is back row, far right)

We visited the local nursing home to play bingo with the residents once a month. We made tray decorations for Meals On Wheels. We collected food for the needy and helped deliver the boxes when the girls were older. For the girls in our troop, the community service projects were a very important part of being Girl Scouts.

Last year, I joined Facebook, and have connected with many people I have known over the years through there. Many of my former Girl Scouts have "friended" me on Facebook, and I have been very proud to see how they have grown and matured. One of them, Jimell, is a stay at home mom to four beautiful children. Her son, Coby, thought up a neat community service project of his own.

Coby is making bookmarks to sell in his mom's Etsy store. The money he makes on them is going to be spent buying books for his school library. I think it is a very good thing for him to do on his own. What a good kid!



Jimell says:

...."Coby just turned 8 in May and is going into the 3rd grade. He loves making crafts with me and has made bookmarks for his classmates and other friends and has always had fun creating new designs. He was brainstorming last week and asked if he could make some to sell on my Etsy shop. He thought of the idea of selling them to buy new books for his school library since they were doing a 'bookraiser' this last school year. I told him I thought it was a great idea and I would help him get the word out if he made the 'Marks' as he calls them. He made me agree on one condition...he got to read the books first before he took them to Mrs. Rachel (the librarian)"....



and here is what Coby says:

..."Hi, my name is Coby and I am 8 years old. I am in the 3rd grade. I love to make crafts like my mom. I love to read. I want to get my school some new books for the library. I came up with the idea to make book marks and sell them on my mom's shop to raise money to buy new books. I make all my book marks myself but my mom lets me use her stuff.

Please buy a book mark from me. They are good for your Bible or a gift. Buy a bunch! I can make any color you want, just tell me. Thank you..."

(Coby with the first book he bought for his school.)

If you would like to purchase one of Coby's bookmarks, to help buy books for his school, click here. New books for kids are always a good idea.

Dang It!

Last year, FabGrandpa and went to town one day and I left my camera at home. I missed one of the best photo opportunities ever, when we came home and there was a bull bison standing in the road. I vowed, that day, to NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT MY CAMERA AGAIN!

Yesterday, I worked the late shift at the entrance station. As I was coming home near sunset, there he was again! The largest, most forbiding looking animal I have ever seen (and I am not talking about FabGrandpa here), was standing alone in the meadow to my right. I stopped the truck and opened my backpack, and you guessed it! I DIDN'T HAVE MY CAMERA WITH ME!!!!! I could just cry! That guy has now given me two good chances to take his picture and I missed them both!

The Man Helps Around The House, How Could I Not Love Him?

What a week---work work work. But thank the Lord, I have a job. And a job I love, at that. I worked the late shift every day last week, so I was not doing the cleaning and cooking for the most part. Yesterday FabGrandpa was off and I had to work, so he cleaned house from one end to the other. It was soooo nice to come home and not have to worry about doing all that.

He has been doing the cooking all week--I leave all the ingredients out on the counter, with detailed instructions, and he puts them together and gets dinner ready. He has been doing a pretty good job of it, too.


He has made chili, goulash, and beef stew, all according to directions from me, and all I have had to do was come home and eat. I am liking this set up---I am liking it A LOT. One night he even baked some chicken thighs and made some rice. Since he follows my directions to the letter, and there are no wheat products in the house at all, everything is gluten free, too.


The beef stew he made was especially good. Of course, I cut everything up and got it all ready for him, and all he had to do was put it all in the crock-pot at a certain time, but HE did do that so he gets the credit for making it. Here is the recipe:


1 lb cubed steak, cut up into bite sized pieces
1 large onion, chopped
olive oil
4 potatoes, unpeeled, cut up in bite sized pieces
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 portabella mushrooms, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
Aunt Cora’s seasoning
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
enough water to cover all in the crock-pot


Sprinkle the cubed steak pieces with Aunt Cora’s seasoning. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add the steak pieces and onion; cook until the onions are clear and the steak is browned. Pour into crock-pot. Add all the rest of the ingredients, and cook on high in crock-pot for 4 hours. Simple to make, yum to eat, gluten free for your safe eating.

Scenic Sunday

Along the Rio Grande, the border between the United States and Mexico, near McAllen, Texas, in March 2004. It was a gorgeous day. A friend of ours took us fishing in has speedy boat. This looking across the river to Mexico.

To see more photos from Scenic Sunday, click here.

Gluten Free Faces

Are you a gluten free girl or guy? Are you a social networker, like on FaceBook or MySpace? If so, you may be interested in a new network just for us gluten free types. Gluten Free Faces is the place to go!

Chad Hines is the founder of Gluten Free Faces. His "About Me" on his profile there says:

"I was diagnosed with Celiac when I was just 7 years old. After living with Celiac for almost 20 years, and visiting a seemingly infinite number of doctors, I understand the frustration and confusion that happens upon being diagnosed with Celiac. Therefore, I wanted to create an online community where gluten-free individuals from around the world could gather to share information, stories and recipes with one another!"

Thanks Chad! This is a great idea! I am so glad to have found this great new place on the web!

Getting Creative Again

One of my new co-workers is adding a baby boy to their family soon. I had bought these fabrics in Flagstaff on our way up in April, and have been letting them sit there for a while, while I figured out what to do with them. I think they will make a very nice baby quilt for a little boy, don't you? Now I just have to figure out what pattern to use...

I just love that puppy dog fabric!

Making Progress

I haven't always been good at budgeting and paying all the bills on time. It has only been about eight years now since I came up with a way for me to pay them all, on time, and be sure that each one was taken care of each month. Before that, Havoc and Chaos lived at our house. We dreaded for the phone to ring, because it might be someone calling, demanding a payment. I was always paying late charges, and re-connect fees. Even when I had a high dollar job, I couldn't remember to pay bills sometimes. It wasn't that I didn't have the money to pay them. Oh, no, it was that I didn't have a plan. No way to make sure the payments had been made.


After we moved into our first travel trailer, and found our first campground job, I decided that since we were making a lot less money than before, I had better find a way to handle paying the bills. A better way than before. Hell, any way would be better than before. So, I bought a little spiral notebook. I made a page in it for each month, and wrote the name of each bill on it. I made columns for NAME OF BILL, DATE DUE, DATE PD, AMT DUE, AMT PD, NOTES. As soon as each bill was received in the mail, I filled in the date due and the amount due. When I paid the bill, I wrote in the date paid and the amount paid, and any notes, such as check number, and if I talked to someone, their name, etc.


After a couple of years, as I had better access to the internet, I started paying each bill online, either at that company's website or through the Online Bill Pay option from my bank, which is free to use. I started paperless billing, and going online at the beginning of each month to get the information to fill in the blanks. This system has really worked for me. My little notebook actually lives on the dinette seat right next to where I sit most of the time, so it is handy at all times, as a steady reminder to use it.


After I write in all the date due and amount due information at the beginning of the month, I am ready to start paying bills. As I pay them, I write in the dates I paid them, and the amount paid. When the payments clear the bank, I highlight that payment in the book. I know at a glance what has been paid, how much they were paid, and that the payment has been taken out of my account. In the years that I have been using this method, I have only had two payments that didn't make it to the intended place on time. When those two people called me, all I had to do was take out my little book, read them the payment confirmation number from the notes I had made, and tell them it had cleared the bank on X date. And that was that.

Having this method is really good for us, as we are seasonal workers. What this means is that for a number of months each year, we don't work. Which means we don't have income. Which means we really have to plan for those months. During the season, when we are working, I usually pay more than the amount due on most things. During the off season, I pay the minimum amount due. So, having that AMT DUE is very important. Doing all this has helped me stay on budget through eight winters.


During the winter just past, we made another plan, one where we get all the bills paid off. It is very exciting to me to be able to do this. I have never in my adult life not had bills to pay. Of course there will always be the bills for satellite TV, for telephone service, for auto insurance, those things we pay for on a monthly basis. But credit card debt, medical bills, things like that, have always been a part of life around here. Until now.

Last winter, I got out another notebook, and made a priority list for paying off those bills. I made a list of how much we owed to each place, and what the interest rate is on each one. Then I made a Priority List For Paying Off Bills. (Isn't that a great name for it!?) Last payday, I paid off two bills. One of them was a credit card we have not used since 1997 and have been paying on ever since!!! This payday, I paid off two more. The plan is coming to be!

Becca and Ken Came To Visit

Last week our daughter, Becca, and her boyfriend, Ken came to visit. They arrived late on Saturday night. On Sunday after breakfast, we all drove up to Cape Royal, my favorite place here at the North Rim. The sun was shining down, and we were having a great time.



The view from Cape Royal is awesome, in my opinion one of the best viewpoints at the Grand Canyon. It is where I take anyone who comes to visit, also, it is were I send visitors to the park who ask me where they should go.


So, this was the first time we have met Becca's guy. He is very nice, very thoughtful, very intelligent, and it is obvious to me that she is in love with him, and that he is in love with her. I really like him. But, Fabgrandpa is one of those guys who seems to find fault with anyone who comes courting his daughters. His actions sort of reminded me of a gorilla beating his fists on his chest to claim his territory, and made an otherwise lovely visit a little tense. I wish he could just be happy that she has found someone who loves her and makes her happy. Why do men act like that? (to my family members who read this, please don't say anything to him, it will only make it worse. Just let me vent here, ok?)

Yes, FabGrandpa loves her, too.

Here I am with Ken. He is an avid photographer, and takes some really gorgeous shots. He has a really nice camera that I am jealous of.



There's Becca, waaayyyy over there near the edge on the right hand side of the cliff, between two bushes. If you click to enlarge the photo, you'll see she is waving to me.


We walked all the little trails at Cape Royal. I think we spent a couple of hours up there.



Before coming home, we hiked down to Cliff Springs. FabGrandpa and I hiked there last year, and I really wanted Becca and Ken to see it. There is a spring there, that drips out of the side of the cliffs. Indians used to get water there for their crops when they grew corn, squash, and beans up here years ago.

A maidenhair fern growing out of the rocks at Cliff Springs.

This is one of my favorite photos from their visit. We were resting under the cliffs, waiting for the rain to go away. Becca was sitting there taking in the view.



This was the storm coming in . There was lightening and thunder going on, which I don't really like, but we were safe enough where we were sitting.


When we got back from our trip to Cape Royal and the Cliff Springs, Becca and Ken were going to take us all out to the lodge for dinner, but we couldn't get a reservation. We made dinner at home, and made a reservation for the next night. On Monday, it was my last day off, so I stayed home and rested. Becca and Ken went back up to Cape Royal and hiked out to Green Lake, which is a tiny lake about 100 yards off the road. It is gorgeous and not many people see it because they don't know it's there.


The lodge has massive exposed beams and huge chandiliers. There are huge windows on the canyon side so if you are lucky enough to get a table there you can have your dinner with a great view. We didn't get a window table, though. I had prime rib, which came with asparagus and a baked potato. It was excellent. Thanks Ken and Becca! I really appreciated that!

I had to work the rest of the time they were here, so they went hiking on several trails for the rest of the time they were here. They hiked out to Widforss Point, to Cape Final, and to Bright Angel Point a couple of times. I am glad they went out there and saw as much of the area as they could.

Ilex, their 12 year old dog, came with them. She relaxed in the trailer most of the day. She is a very good dog.

All too soon it was time for them to leave for home. I was working at the entrance station when they left. They stopped and walked over to say goodbye, and even though I had a line waiting to get in, I took the time to hug them both tight. The next guy I waited on commented about my eyes leaking as they drove away.