Looks like I could not sleep so here I am. Was going to install PSP but went to the Card Shoppe and caught up on all they have been doing. Great to see Phyllis and Patricia (Angelface) back to creating some beautiful work again. Thought I would check here because who knows how long I will sleep once I get into the land of nod.

JUNE  I wouldn't mind having a hotdog cooked on a grill but minus the bacon. That I like fried nice and crisp.

JANE  I agree with your God Bless us Every One, our families and friends, especially those with health problems.

JACKIE  I knew my son's dog, the one I called my shadow when I was at their home, was slowing down but when my DIL called me and told me she had to take him to the vet and he was sent over the Rainbow Bridge I cried for a week. Still tear up when I think about her.

Guess I will try and catch some zzz's and hope this time I will sleep.

Good Thursday morning, Everyfriend, on this last day of June.  There's assorted bagels  to accompany your coffee or tea. I wish everyone a good day!!







The Funeral

A priest, a rabbi, a doctor and a lawyer are gathered at a mutual friend's graveside to mourn his passing.

The priest says to the others, "I think our good friend would have liked to take something with him to his next life." He pulls a $100 bill from his wallet and drops it on the casket.

The rabbi agrees, "That's a fine idea," and drops his own $100 bill on the casket.

The doctor, not to be outdone, does the same.

The lawyer murmurs, "What a wonderful thought," as he gazes down at their friend's casket. Whipping out his pen, he quickly writes a check for $400, drops it into the grave and takes the three $100 bills as change.


Parable in Action: The Good Samaritan
(Author Unknown)

Tim Hansel tells of a seminary professor who set up his preaching class in an unusual way. He scheduled his students to preach on The Good Samaritan. One by one they were to go from classroom to classroom, preaching love and compassion for others. Some students had 10 minutes between classes, but others had less time, which forced them to rush in order to meet the schedule. Each of the students had to walk down a certain corridor and pass by a "beggar" who had been deliberately "planted" there by the professor.

What happened was a powerful lesson! The number of would-be-preachers who stopped to help this man was extremely low, especially those who were under the pressure of time! Rushing to preach their sermon on The Good Samaritan, they all walked right past the beggar at the heart of the parable!

Today I read again these words: "I was hungry and you formed a humanities club to discuss it. I was imprisoned, but you just complained about the crime rate. I was naked, and you debated the morality of my appearance. I was sick and you thanked God for your health. I was homeless and you preached to me about the shelter of God's love while neglecting my practical needs. You seem so holy and so close to God; but I'm still hungry, lonely, cold and in pain. Does it matter?"




“Be the flame, not the moth.”

~ Giacomo Casanova

Good Morning Everyfriend!  I've decided that today I'll go pick black raspberries.  It's not supposed to get past 78 until after noon today and I'll be home long before that.  I'm going to try to be there by 8 a.m.   They have a rather short season and I want to make sure I get some this season. 

I hope you all have a good day!

Good morning everyone.

We are off to the city ,hubby has an appointment for a test today..a two part test so will will be long in the city. Our neighbour will be over to let the dogs out for us and feed them too if we don't get home in time.

Jane,those berries will taste good!!

Joan, thank you for breakfast.

Enjoy your day everyone...

Good Thursday morning Joan, almost noon here.....

I am part waiting in for an organic delivery box from a company I haven't used yet called Goldhill....Also waiting in for dog food from Lily's Kitchen, my usual supplier, I have left instructions that if I am out where they can leave them but I would like to be in to meet the delivery driver who will be my regular organic box, if I order from them again, to meet him and say say hello....This box is running alongside my usual Tuesday organic delivery box from Riverford, I am just inquisitive to compare differences between their produce...I have on order from both boxes this week of fresh sugar snap peas and fresh apricots, they have also promised me some fresh blueberries will be placed free in my box as a new customer.....the only place to go out to today is the seamstress who is altering my three garments, no specific time, just today has been given as my earliest pick-up for collection day...all I need do is to phone her to tell her when we are on our way....

Jane S, thats one thing I have never done, yet, is to " pick your own..." these places advertise from open farmland, you pick your own and pay for what you bring home, be it, strawberries and raspberries, of course now I am not in a fit state to go up and down through isles, but I would still love to go collect a punnet or two, bet there's nothing better than freshly picked berries that are chosen and picked by our own hands.......There was a time I would go out and pick wild grown blackberries from the bushes...

Amy, have a safe journey to hubby's city hospital...hope the day doesn't become too long for you, with no unexpected traffic hold-ups....

Gloria, you were up and about with me this morning, or was it night-time for you, anyway hope you did manage to go back to bed and get some more shut eye...

Where is Lloyd Hammond?

Good morning, Janie.  Black raspberries are so good.  Could you please put a few in the hidey hole? 

Amy--Good morning.  Travel safely and best wishes for good results from your husband's tests.

Good morning/afternoon Vanilla-Jackie.  Hopefully your deliveries will be there before you have to leave to pick up the items you were having altered.  Lloyd must have slept in this morning.

Good Morning everyone. we had a little rain in the night and it is sprinkling now. Have a great day everyone.

Lloyd

Good morning, Lloyd.  We still haven't had any rain.

Good morning, Joan. 

I will be sure to put some of our steamed crabs in the "hidey-hole" for you.  I will have to do that before we start eating them, or there might not be too many left for you.   ( really wish I could send you some real ones)

Have a good day.

Joy

Good MOrning Everyone!

I see everyone is up and going about their usual.  Janie, I would love to be able to pick some berries.  But I am afraid I would get down and not get back up...
Do they furnish milk to go with the berries.  Nothing like a bowl of berries with fresh milk poured over them.

Jackie, hope your veggies are nice and fresh an crisp.  My daughter did belong to a club that got fresh veggies right off the truck.  I guess she still belongs, she hasn't mentioned it lately.  You were speaking about Benji and not knowing what was to transpire, I think we are all like that.  I have had two friends that were here one minute and gone the next. 

Lloyd the rain just keeps on passing us by and now they say nothing but hot weather lies ahead.  Suppose to get into the 100's in the next few days.  Summer, along with the usual high that parks itself over Texas is here for sure.

Joanie, how true you little story about the new preachers.  It seems, like they say, always have good intentions but fail to deliver.

Well I have to start moving, got men's bible study and breakfast this morning. 

Amy you and hubby have a safe trip, hope his test get good results.

Hi everyone.  It has been a long night as awoke at 2:30 and was never able to go back to sleep.  Nothing bothering me and guess it was just one of those nights that I seem to be having more often.  It looks like it is going to be another nice day only getting up to 91 degrees this afternoon. 

This will be my usual Thursday morning with coffee with the guys and then to the church for the Wisdom group.  Yesterday evening Pat, Scott and I went to a Chinese Buffet that has a Hibachi grill for dinner.  I didn't have the Hibachi but ate from the buffet but Pat had the Hibachi and was pleased. 

Jenny, sure hope your friend's home escapes those terrible fires.  I hadn't heard of the fires in N. Arizona.  I see you all have the same problem Pat and I have in trying to decide where to go eat.  I am pretty sure we will eat at home this evening. 

Patricia, it seems with every group of people there are the doers and the takers and the folks who don't complain and those that do. 

deAngel, sorry that you experienced water problems.  Hope they got the problem fixed for you yesterday but you are left with the mess of getting things dried out.

Gloria, I don't think Doctor Spock did anything to improve society.  Our children were raised knowing there were boundaries and misdeeds had consequences.

Jackie, always nice to meet new neighbors and glad you like the couple.  You have a bond already because of the love of dogs.  It must be nice to get fresh produce delivered to your door.  As far as I know we have no such services here.

Hal, if I have milk on fresh berries I want it to come in the form of ice cream.   

I'm here...not as bright and early as some of you but I made it!  Sun is shining this morning but we had more severe thunderstorms last night.  Quite a bit of hail and wind damage north of us but we only had rain....lots of rain.  Rain is a good thing but too much of it is getting a little tiresome.  Not complaining!  Just sayin'.   

Jane, I would love some fresh blackberries on my granola this morning.  If it isn't too much trouble could you remove the seeds for me?  Thank you soooo much!

Jeanne Lee, according to tax code, if the house cleaner is self-employed you do not have to report taxes.  It is up to the house cleaner to report them as income.  see here:

http://work.chron.com/tax-rules-employing-housekeeper-10188.html" Housekeeper Tax Rules.

Off to the grocery store....that chore seems to come around all too often.

Take care, everyone, and be happy today.

Joy--I thank you so much for agreeing to put some of those steamed crabs in the "hidey hole".

Good morning, halkel.  We're waiting and waiting to get some rain, but all we've gotten for weeks is HOT and HUMID!!

Larry--Good morning.  Sorry you had one of those sleepless nights.  Like you, if I have berries I want them in ice cream.

Good morning, Phyllis.  Weather patterns are sure fickle.  They keep saying we'll get rain, and we get it within a few miles, but none here.  What are you going to "gather" today?

I have a fellow coming in about an hour to do some body work on my car.  He's going to fix the scratches that my CNA got on my car's rear bumper when she backed out of my driveway and hit a vehicle parked in the road at the house across the street.

Hal, I like berries in milk too, but I also like them with ice cream.  I remember one time I had no milk, so put ice cream on my cereal and let it melt - it was vanilla ice cream, by the way.

I'm wondering - does anyone else like strawberry short cake with milk?  We always had it that way; we'd have a Jiffy Mix shortcake, bake it in a round tin, split it and put butter in the middle, then add strawberries, cut pieces for everyone and put milk on it.  Makes my mouth water just thinking of it.  It helps to have some of the strawberry juice, too.  I never found out if this was an English custom or Danish.

Mary Ann

Good morning, well I finally slept and now ready to enjoy the day. Already 78° according to TV and a blue sky again, not humid like yesterday.

JOAN  a lightly toasted blueberry bagel/cream cheese will be great about now. The Funeral, sounds like some lawyers. There are some like that but not all, there are some honest ones. Seems these days people are in too much of a hurry and so self centered the pay no attention to being a Good Samaritan. Thank you for all today's goodies. Just wondering how log ago it was when I found your Busy Nest and started enjoying your morning goodies. It was not long after I first got a computer, must be at least 25 years. You sure have spent a lot of time on your own looking for all you have posted for our enjoyment. I thank you for all those years that I have enjoyed and saved and shared so much of what you posted.

JANE  you plan on making jam with those black raspberries after you eat half of what you pick?  Nothing as tasty as home made jams and jellies.

AMY  good luck to your hubby on the tests today. Safe trip.

JACKIE  yes I finally had a few hours of good sleep and feel wide awake now.

LLOYD  good morning.

JOY  good morning. I never had steamed crabs, only crab  I had was from cans or years ago the king crab legs. Think I missed something yummy.

HAL  I remember breaking up slices of bread into a bowl adding blueberries  and milk. That was a treat back then.

LARRY  so many fires out in the western states and they started early this year. Every time I hear of one in California my heart skips a beat till I know where it is remembering the year my daughter and family had to evacuate but the fire stopped before reaching the end of the road they live on. Now I will worry about hearing about one in Arizona where they will be living but both grandsons will be in San Diego. Dr. Spock did a lot to mess up a few generations. Heard his own son committed suicide. I was raised by strict parents and that is how I raised my 3 and the way they have raised theirs. They are all good people.

PHYLLIS  looks like a good day here, humidity is low again and that is good for me. I will be sending my CNA  to the market tomorrow. She like shopping and makes sure she gets what is on my list.

MARY ANN  your strawberry shortcake sounds good.

Good morning, Mary Ann.  I don't like strawberry shortcake with milk.  I make baking powder biscuits, split them in half and put in a bowl.  I clean and cut up the strawberries ahead of time, add a little sugar and lightly mash (for juice).  When ready to eat I put the berries and some of the juice on top of the biscuit halves and add a BIG dollop of REAL whipped cream.  That's my very favorite dessert.

Gloria--Good morning.  Glad you slept well.  I think I started doing the "Nest" at least 20 years ago.  Thanks for your appreciation all these years.

The body repair guy hasn't come yet.  He called and said there was a fatal accident on I-95, so he had to drive in the median to get off.  When he got off I-95, the main road to my house off the interstate was also closed.

Good Morning dear friends. It is so good to see all your sunshiney faces. This is an odd morning for me. I didn't want to do my usual prayer/exercise thing today. Still don't. So I am just going to let the day unfold as it will, and make no plans. My mind does not want to wake up either, so I will not push it. Have a happy day, keep well, and enjoy every minute. June

Joan, your strawberry shortcake with baking powder biscuits is like what I make with Jiffy Mix and I layer the berries, then put milk in the bowl.  Since both my dad and mother liked them that way, I don't know where the idea came from. 

I went to make shortcake recently; I had the strawberries and went to the Jiffy Mix box and found about two tablespoons of mix in the box.  I didn't bother to make shortcake from scratch.

Mary Ann

June--Guess your mind was telling you it wanted a vacation.

Mary Ann--Too bad your Jiffy mix was almost gone.  Maybe somebody else used it?

I'm back!  I got two boxes of red raspberries and 4 of black raspberries and almost 2 pounds of blueberries.  It was a lovely day to be out in the fields.  It's still only up to 81 but it doesn't fell that warm.  There was a light breeze blowing and it felt cooler than it was.  It was only 78 when I started home.

Phyll, the little dish on the side in the hidey hole is seedless black raspberries.  Please share them with June because she can't have the seeds.  There's also vanilla ice cream to go with the berries and some milk if that's what you prefer.  My choice is heavy cream but I usually settle for 1/2 and 1/2 these days.  Back on my grandparents farm, cream was plentiful.

Mary Ann, I don't think your strawberry shortcake recipe is English OR Danish because that's the way we ate it, too and I had a German Grandfather who was the baker and the shortcake was always either made by him or with his recipe.  And I had an Irish Grandmother who also served it that way.  That's the way we always had it.  And another Scottish/Irish grandmother.  So is this recipe English/Danish/German/Scottish/Irish or shall we just call it GOOD OLD AMERICAN?

My sister still makes shortcake over my grandfather's recipe and so does my niece.  It's probably most like Bis' baking powder biscuits but not exactly so.

You folks have certainly put my mind at rest about hiring someone to clean my house.  Phyllis, thanks for that link - not only explained the tax law but also offered a search for up to four names in my area.     I'm going to have to get really serious about this, although I really hate the thought of anyone else doing what I should be doing.  One more step in releasing my independence.   

I was thinking about the headlines about some rich b*****s who had live-in illegals for maids and nannies and gardners and didn't deduct anything, etc. and who wound up either paying huge fines or time in jail.   

Jeanne Lee--Now that your mind is at ease, you can interview and hire someone to clean for you.

jeanne Lee, you should be taking it easy at this stage of life and if you can afford someone coming in occasionally do doing the heavy lifting, there is nothing wrong with that.

Good morning from a sunny/cloudy Interior day. I am starting to think about hiring a housekeeper this fall. I have for some time used a voice system for the computer and various things are justing letting me know I can't do them anymore. Such is life.

We have raspberry bushes, but no black raspberries, and strawberry, blueberries and many other types of berry bushes everywhere growing wild. You just have to compete with the bears at times and be loud and watch carefully, especially with children. Many folks have them growing in their yards.

I have bimonthly produce from a local farm that offers pick your own, work for a supply or like me pay a monthly fee. I also have game meat, given by friends when cleaning their freezers after the new meat is coming in. Regular processed or convenience food has chemicals that I am violently allergic to so eating clean is best.

We simply do not have the farm systems as Janie describes or any roadside stands, but we do have these farms putting food out there for either a monthly cost or a portion of manual labor and there are the farmer's markets.

Hal, the important phrase in your message is "if you can afford..."    I will be in touch with the county next Wednesday about recertifying for food stamps and HEAP and will ask then about state or county help with the house cleaning as well.

Joan, I am sure you know that Jiffy Mix is like Bisquick.  I can make either separate biscuits or one large one in a round cake pan.  Jiffy Mix is made in Chelsea Michigan and is less expensive than Bisquick.  It used to be much more less expensive, but they've been catching up.  It still is less than Bisquick and does the same things.

Jane, I have all of those nationalities in my ancestry, so who knows where my family got the idea.  Anyway, I prefer my shortcake with milk; I think it is delicious.

My refrigerator control went bad and to replace it would cost almost as much as a new refrigerator - so we bought a new refrigerator.  The control would take a week to get here and the refrigerator can't be delivered until Tuesday, but that is the route I'm taking.  I bought a top freezer after consulting with Tom as to his preference. 

Mary Ann

Jeanne, here Medicare will pay for two days a week cleaning. Since I qualified, being 65 in July, I am looking forward to assistance.

Sandy/Dapphne last posted on the morning of the 26th. Has anyone heard from her?

Jeanne Lee

Comes a time Jeanne when we gradually let go of our independence.
Thank goodness my cleaner comes today and may I never have another day like the one that has just past.
I think they were testing my vitacall and I messed up turning itnOFF,2very nice ambulance people appeared at my door about 15 minutes later.
Well, My daughter,who is my carer, is away,gets a call from vitacall and then rings here from her travels on the Danube in a state.
Oh my it didn't end there but again I,SURVIVED.
It sure was a testing day,I,just want my bed changed today
And have a nice clean unit by mid day.
Get a cleaner, Jeanne.  Hi everyone.

Its now heading near to an early bedtime, not quite yet but getting there...Well so far today I have managed to keep my eyes open, haven't nodded off once, yet.....

The day has gone faster than some days....after popping out for around three hours from noon to 3pm'ish....first was to make the journey to pick up my clothing Items that I had left with seamstress almost three weeks ago....she done an expert job, but then that was what I was paying her for....Both myself and R found her to be on the rude side today, yes she asked how we had been since she saw us last, a quick flash at the seams on my dressing gown to make with my approval the, she then ushered R out of the way to make room to pass a young student looking girl carrying what looked like a white wedding dress, but was probably a prom dress, as that was what she said she mostly does....then seamstress totally ignored us to deal with young lady, telling the man ( not sure if he was her hubby, how much I need to pay, he brought out the card paying hand machine, I paid, she still ignored me dealing with the prom dress young lady, thank heavens man made some friendly conversation before we left, we both just felt she was rather rude, after all I was a new customer of hers.....

Anyway the rest of the three hours went good...We saw a sign for what sounded like a plant nursery, so we paid a visit to explore, a strange kindof place, a cattery and dog boarding kennels, never heard any miaows or barking, a narrow foot bridge leading to a large tree lined nursery garden filled with plant pot containers all marked with the selling price's just scattered evenly around the garden....I couldn't walk around the garden so we came out after R said he doesn't think these are what he is looking to buy...as we were coming out a down to earth country guy waved to us so we knew he was the plant owner- seller...he was very friendly, we chatted and we told him how honest and trustworthy he is, there was a notice we spotted that said," sorry he was unavailable but to help ourselves to the plants we want and leave the money in the postbox above...." To our left of the carpark, ( we were the only people there,) there was a lovely old house, high steps with plant pots on that we asked him what the house was, what was in there as we weren't familiar with the advertising notice, to be told a guesthouse, and he lived in this near side...It was a lovely and secluded place and grounds, through a driveway that to outsiders travelling along the road wouldn't know was there...

After we drove out from there, we then stopped off at a proper garden centre where of course I headed for the loo, right at the far end, inside the building through to the restaurant area..... The outside had all the plants, trees, hanging baskets and and plant pots...so when we reached where the outside loos were just outside the restaurant area, we stopped to have a cappuccino, before resuming back outside in choosing our plants, we bought three, plus a container, and a new watering can....picked up some coconut cream fairy cakes for eating when we got home with a cuppa....So all in all an enjoyable three plus hours, with a fair bit of walking, albeit I hung onto a metal shopping trolley for support most of the way as my legs got weaker....I even just about managed walking back through the indoor garden centre, back through the restaurant area to go outside to the loo for a second visit, a large disabled loo awaited me....Yes not often I can say I went out happy and came home happy, but I did today..even our weather stayed dry and pleasantly warm.

The berries are delicious, Jane, and thank you for putting the seedless ones in the hidey hole for June and me. 

Joan, I fix shortcake the same way you do.  Make my own biscuits but add a spoonful of sugar for just a little bit of sweetening.  And I fix the strawberries the same way.  When they have marinated for awhile with sugar on them they get nice and juicy and that sweet juice soaks into the biscuit shortcake and is so yummy.  The big dollop of whipped cream on top makes it all the better.  I "gathered" some nice looking strawberries at the store today (along with 'way too much other stuff) so shortcake here I come. 

Jeanne Lee, you are welcome.  I was pretty sure you didn't have to deal with taxes for using a house cleaner.  I'm moving ever closer to that, too, but haven't given in just yet.  I am an independent soul and like to do things MY way but the time is coming that I'll have to back off and let someone else do it THEIR way.  The creaky old body says so!

I think David and I will indulge in an old fashioned, bad for you, DQ burger and shake tonight.  Talk to you all tomorrow.....God willing.