I Remember

I remember where I was 10 years ago today . . . . about an hour from now . . .

I was at work. It had started out as a normal day and then the secretary said something about the Twin Towers. We went across the hall to the doctor's lounge and watched the footage. I remember the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach as the smoke towered up. Then, while we were watching live footage, the second plane crashed. The television reporter and everyone else in the room with me was talking about air traffic controller mistakes, which is what it was originally thought to be.

I turned to the other girls and said - oh, girls, this is not just an air traffic controller mistake. That just doesn't happen - not with a building that big. Mark my words, girls, this is a terrorist act . . . . and the man behind it is Osama Bin Laden. Those words had to come from the Lord. There is no other way. I had heard of Osama Bin Laden - vaguely. But I don't watch the news and I had no real thought of him before I spoke. The words just came out.

I remember the hurt I felt for those people, the outrage I felt that such a thing had happened.

I know that America has not had to deal with the kind of terrorism that many other countries have. We don't have daily bombings everywhere and we can generally walk the streets without having to worry about snipers. We have been fortunate that way.

I remember the outrage I felt as an American, even being so far removed from what happened. But burning the Quran isn't going to bring those people back. It will not reverse any of the damage that was done that day. All it will do is incite other terrorists and hate crimes. No, I do not think that they should be allowed to build a mosque at the proposed site. Both actions will cause further tensions in this world that is already riddled with them. But two wrongs don't make one right.

Let's remember our brave heros and mourn our dead from that fateful day - not commit further terroristic acts.

Sorry if this offends anyone, but this is my blog and this is how I feel.

Glorious Fall Day

Hello everyone! It is an absolutely be-yoo-ti-ful day here in Missouri. Fall is finally starting to peek its head around the corner. We have had a bright, sunny day with bright blue sky and warm temperatures. These kind of days could just last forever, as far as I am concerned. I had a great day (even tho my hay fever is in full swing) just out and about. I mailed a package at the post office, stopped in and paid the water bill, did a bit of grocery shopping, got breakfast from Wendy's (bacon panini, seasoned red potatoes and iced coffee - YUM)and have just been lazing around home, doing a bit here and there. Then my parents came over with my niece who is up visiting from South Carolina. We ordered pizza for lunch and had such a good visit. DS and his girlfriend, Liz came thru on their way down to visit Liz's parents. Such a great change from the hectic work week. Only thing is, I do have to work tomorrow and Sunday - blah. Then I am off Monday and Tuesday. Oh, well, it pays the bills I guess.

Thought you all might like to see a few pictures from our sister's tea last weekend. I say sister's tea - it is actually my mom and her sisters. Alas, I have none.


This is a picture of my Mom's oldest living sister, Colleen. It was her house that we were at for the tea party. She polishs rocks and makes jewelry, etc. out of them. My mom is leaning over her shoulder.


This is my aunt Marilyn, the next oldest. She does house cleaning, etc. She is an ordained minister - Methodist, I think.


This is my aunt Naomi. She has a twin sister, Ramona, who lives in Nebraska and so was not at the tea party. Naomi is an LPN at a local hospital.


This is my aunt Charlene. She is a widow and works as a janitor at a local school.


This is my aunt Loqueeta. She and her husband farm-sit year-round for a jet-set couple.



This is a picture of all of them together. They really have a strong resemblance, don't you think?

We have a lot of fun, they gab and gab and gab. Well, me and my cousins do as well.

Thought you might want to know what I whipped up to take!

Ham Salad

I am very bad about measuring anything, but here goes. This turned out very moreish.

1 lb sliced ham
1 hard boiled egg
2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
1 large or two small stalks celery - chopped
1 tablespoon (more to taste) chopped white onion

Dressing:
1 tablespoon honey
2-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard (I used the country style with the seeds)
1-3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons pickle relish
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, mix dressing ingredients. Throw everything else in the food processor and process until finely chopped. You can make this as chunky or smooth as you like. Pour dressing over top and mix well. Serve with crackers, like Ritz. I used the buttery garlic club crackers - oh yeah!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week.