Back from vacation

I am back. I had such a great time, I wish that you all could have been there. I got to see a lot of my cousins that I haven't seen in a while. And aunts and uncles, etc. The old home place has not changed much. It was so good to see. We went into the town where I lived in grade school and so many of the places I remember have not changed at all! I got some pictures and I will be sharing them with you as time goes along.

We had an eventful trip on the way up, it rained on us about half of the way, we got kinda lost because we had an old atlas and they moved the Missouri River bridge at Lexington so we had to detour about 40 miles out of our way, and in Kansas we had a tire belt that busted so we had a blow out, had to change the tire and buy a new one. But all in all, it was ok.

The weather was gorgeous the whole time we were there, sunny during the day, but not too hot, cool at night and not a lot of wind. No bugs. I had forgotten how beautiful Nebraska was. The rolling hills of prarie. You can see, literally, for miles. The miles and miles of crops. Corn, wheat, soybeans. The breadbasket of the nation. Amber waves of grain. Towns are usually few and far between. The farms are big. The home place is half a mile wide and a mile long. Half of a section.

We had a beautiful drive, the wild flowers are all in bloom. Queen Anne's lace (white), chicory (blue), black-eyed Susans (yellow and black), Indian paintbrush (bright orange), clover (purple and white), bird's foot trefoil (golden yellow), daisies (white and yellow), purple coneflower. God has been busy with his paintbrushes!

The drive back was very nice, we took the sceneic route, stopped a few times and took pictures, stopped and ate. All in all, we had a lovely trip. It was just too short, but aren't they all?

Before we left, Dad requested that I make him a Cottage Pie to "tide him over" while we were gone! Mind you, this is a short-cut version!

Cottage Pie

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 can beef or mushroom gravy
1 (1 pound) bag frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas, green beans and lima beans)
1 can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
5-6 medium-sized potatoes, mashed with milk and butter
Shredded cheese (I used mozarella and cheddar)


Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet and drain. Meanwhile, cook the mixed vegs in a small amount of salted water and drain. Cook your potatoes and mash. Season well.

Mix the beef, vegs, gravy and mushrooms. Season well. Put in a greased casserole dish. Pile the potatoes on top. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for about 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and pie is hot through. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.