This week, it was my duty to take my mother to visit her only nephew…..my only cousin. He was quite ill, and was being cared for in a nursing facility. He had asked to see her, twice, so we made the trip on Friday morning.
I bitterly regret that I had not kept in touch with him. I was shocked to see what the past eight or ten years had done to him. Communication was difficult. Emphasema had taken away his ability to project words. I talked to him about recent changes in our lives, and showed him a picture of my new granddaughter.
Our visit was brief, and I hoped to arrange a second visit when his wife or my sister (the nurse) were present, to help us understand what he was saying.
Unfortunately, my cousin passed away this morning.
He is the first of my generation to die. His passing is making us all reflect on the time we have left, and the things we have put off. We were about twenty years apart in age, and were not close, but still…..he was my only cousin. I wish I had made a greater effort to know him.
I’ll always remember him for his ascerbic wit, for remarkable talent with a camera, for an intense interest in the family history and genealogy, for extensive knowledge about the petroleum industry, for his successful efforts to improve the quality of the fire department in our home town, and for raising incredibly smart children and grandchildren.
I hope he is trading cracks with St. Peter….free from the pain that has shrouded the last years of his life.

When I weed, I need some mental diversion. I started my weeding marathon on Saturday, and was listening to WGN 720 AM Radio as I worked. Just before noon, the Paul Harvey Report came on. One of the last segments caught my attention. I’ve copied the facts down to hand to any of my young relatives who might have doubts about going to college.
If you do not graduate from high school, you are likely to earn an average of $18,826 per year.
If you graduate from high school, that figure jumps to $27,280.
If you go to college and earn a B.A. you will earn an average of $51,194.
If you earn an advanced degree, you are likely to earn an average of $72,824.
I’d say those statistics are pretty compelling when it comes to deciding what you want to do with your life. GO TO SCHOOL! Get an education, if only to raise your earning potential. I can think of a lot of other reasons for getting an education, but being able to make a decent living isn’t all that bad.
The current Federal poverty line for a family of four is $18,850. If you happen to live in San Francisco, you’d have to hold down more than THREE minimum wage jobs to meet the minimum standard of living for a single parent with a toddler and a preschooler: $69, 241. Not all places have as high a cost of living as San Francisco, but the point is, without at least a high school education, you are guaranteed to be living at poverty level.
So, talk up education. If finances are tight, use the Internet to find sources of grants and funding. There are an amazing number of grants out there waiting for the student with the right interests. Surf….you’ll see. And meanwhile… tell the kids to hit the books!

July seems to be a busy month for us for birthdays. Two sons and a daughter-in-law have July birthdays. One nephew, a nephew-in-law, a niece, my former sister-in-law and my grandfather were also born in July.
But…and I hope I’ve made it in time….I want to wish my oldest sister Happy Birthday today! I hope it was a wonderful day, and that you heard from all the kids. Happy Birthday, Sis!

The Farmers Market is one of my favorite places to shop. That’s why it’s so unusual that we have not visited one this year, especially since vegetables are so important to our diet now.
I’m thinking about making a list of vegetable dishes that I can accomplish quickly on a week night, and then creating a shoping list for next Saturday. I don’t want to miss any more of the sessions, since they only meet once a week.

Continue reading →

You’ll note that this entry is NOT categorized as “From the Kitchen.” I suppose it has to do with a kitchen, but not with MY kitchen.
I’m still in rapture from our visit to Maui. I suspect that you will all be thoroughly tired of my comments before the week is over, but when you’ve had such an incredible trip, it’s hard not to share your experiences.
The first night in Maui, Dear Husband and I went to dinner alone. That alone should tell you that it was wonderful….just the two of us, and no one grousing about having to eat at a place not of their choosing.
We went to the Hula Grill. On the plane to Maui, there was a young man who was a feast for the eyes, and he was wearing a T-shirt from the Hula Grill. So, I wasn’t exactly prepared for our experience.
The Hula Grill is perhaps twenty, maybe thirty feet from the Pacific Ocean. There is a section where the tables are set up on sand. You can walk in from the surf for a meal. Right next to that, is an elegant house, for lack of better words, with an open lanai. We sat on the lanai and let the trade winds blow over us.
Our waiter was friendly, well informed and there when we needed him. He described the specials and we mulled over our choices. We needed to eat, but neither of us wanted to overeat. The solution was to share soup and salad, and each have an entree.
The soup was fabulous. I’m trying to expand my soup repertoire, and one of the soups I’d like to learn to make is a tortilla soup. The Hula Grill offered a Fish and Corn chowder that is the best tortilla soup I’ve ever had! I wish I had begged for the recipe!
The soup was a mildly spicy tomato base, rather like a salsa that had been run through a blender for just a couple of seconds. It had chunks of tuna that were firm and bite-sized, a little bit of corn, some black beans, a sprinkle of toasted tortilla strips and a sprig of cilantro as a garnish. It was so good we almost licked the bottom of the bowl!
We both chose the fish special for the night. The plate had been dressed with a Lobster Miso Coconut sauce and four ounce cuts of herb grilled Ono and seared Ahi were laid over a small mound of ramen noodles. A fall of Shrimp Salsa decorated the area between the cuts of fish, and a fan of Asian green beans (identical to tiny haricot verts) finished the plate.
It was heavenly! Everything was done to perfection, and it satisfied all our senses. We were replete without having overdone. While we chose not to do dessert, we saw one of the signature desserts delivered. It’s an ice cream sandwich made with macadamia nut brownies and vanilla ice cream. It must stand four to five inches high and is easily six inches long. They decorate it with drizzles of red raspberry sauce. It’s the kind of thing you order when you plan to make dessert your entire dinner!
There’s a lot to be said about having someone else prepare your meal. I can tell you…..if I’m ever in the Hawaiian Islands again, I’ll be sure to return for another helping of the Hula Grill!

(yawning) I’m just starting to get over my jet lag….but it might take another day or so.
We’re just back from a trip to Maui to attend a family wedding. It was my first visit, and we had a wonderful time. I have a lot to say about the trip, and you can see the “Cliffs Notes” in the entries below. I’ll expand upon them when I have just a little more time.
If you haven’t been to Hawaii…..start saving! Everyone should go at least once. And….when you go, plan to stay more than six days. Our trip from Chicago to Maui wasn’t bad, but the trip home was a killer. We really wished we had planned to stay longer to make that flight worthwhile.

1. Hawaii is the cleanest state I’ve ever visited!
2. The trade winds blew in the day we arrived and stayed through all but our last day there. Thank you, God, for trade winds!
3. The person who handled the rental arrangements for our car at Avis gave us incredibly clear directions, complete with landmarks. Even better, it only took us about ten minutes to get through the entire transaction, and she was pleasant the entire time. I suspect that Avis DOES try harder.
4. The view up the mountain each morning when we woke.
5. The amazing variety of blooming shrubs and flowers.
6. The gorgeous birds.
7. The heart stopping view out over the ocean from Ka’anipali on the west side of Maui. The restaurants where we dined each of the evenings had a view of the nearby islands and the setting sun, and it was heavenly.
8. My first try at parasailing!
9. Snorkling. (I didn’t do it…DH did…and said it was great!
10. From the time we landed, to the time we left Maui, we experienceced the most amazing service. I’ve heard the phrase “service with a smile,” but Maui is where you truly experience it.
11. The curved shower rod.
12. The shower with two shower heads.
13. Breakfast at the Plantation House.
14. Dinner at the Hula Grill.
15. The wedding on a rough spit of land where an old lava spill tumbles into the ocean near the Ritz Carlton.
16. The luau….and the late twenty-something guy who was the lead dancer.
17. Walking along the edge of the surf before going to bed.
18. The cost of Hawaiian 100% cotton fabrics.
19. The open-air structure of our hotel….the winds blowing through, and the incredible waterfalls and pools that we walked past every day.
20. Getting Leid…. (old joke)

1. Lack of assigned seats prior to arriving at the airport.
2. Incredible lack of space on the airplane for a 10 1/2 hour fight.
3. Stepping out of the shower the first afternoon to discover there were NO TOWELS. (I know….I should have checked before I got into the shower!)
4. The mirror on the bathroom door was never cleaned, and the light on my side of the bed needed a new three-way bulb. (I KNOW…..I should have told housekeeping.)
5. Parking in Lahina and Ka’anapoli is a joke.
6. The restaurant where we ate after the wedding, needed to be more realistic about how long it would take ONE waiter to take the orders for 21 people. At the very least, two waiters should have been taking care of our group, and four would have been even better. When the food came from the kitchen, four of them handled delivery, and were very confused about where most of the plates were going.
7. Sunday night, when we landed at L.A. we overheard the pilot informing his superiors that he would NOT be flying the same plane on the next leg of our journey. Apparently, the plane was having rudder problems. Hmmmmmmmm……actually…this should have been entered under “The Good.” Any pilot who wants to save my life can’t be bad.
Okay, compared to “The Good,” you can see that I really had to work to find something bad in this trip. It was an exceedingly glorious visit, and I really hope to get the chance to go again.