The Ghost Over Clint's Spaghetti

Last evening I plopped down Clint's spaghetti and meatballs.  We were in awe of the
sight above his plate!  An intense sliver of the evening sun illuminated
some steam over his plate.  It kept changing forms and I captured this image.

Yes, the meatballs were homemade and yes, Clint is spoiled!

Some carrot soup I made a few months ago ... I was experimenting'
with my swirls...low fat sour cream does not work as well.

I do have to boast a little, this quiche I made a couple of weeks ago
was very delicious.

A favorite of mine, these pecan tassies were made for our neighbors.



My second attempt at making a bloomin' onion.





Today's sliced tomato.  I had already noticed the design in it
when Clint mentioned how good it looked.


Today I decided I'd just share a few food photos that I had not posted before on my blog.  I have no recipes for any of the dishes, I mostly made them up.  The recipe for the Pecan Tassies came from Pampered Chef and can be found easily by Googling.


Thank you all for your time spent visiting my blog.

♥

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Is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?

Yesterday Clint and I took a little trip to Chattanooga, TN.  It has been over a decade ago since we had last visited the city. 

We first stopped at All Books, we had  visited this quaint and charming
used book store about twelve years  ago.

I had not forgotten how rude the owner was to me all those years ago.  I had picked up a magazine from a box on the floor and had carefully placed it back in the box when I had finished looking at it.  The owner came up and asked me if I had looked at a magazine from the box.  I replied that I had and she proceeded to give me a talkin' to about how I had not placed it back in the box properly ...blah blah blah

This is the very sad state of the book store today.

Are there any fire codes in the city of Chattanooga, TN?

There were several free and recent alternative newspapers on the
floor and I picked one up.  I was going to ask her if I could have it
on the way out.  OMGosh...after a few minutes I realized the newspaper
was WET ... it was her poor little dog's BATHROOM!

Our next stop was wonderful ... we had always enjoyed eating at the Big River
Grille and Brewing Works on Broad Street.  We were delighted to learn it was as good as ever.



Our server Grant was most attentive.  He was such a well-mannered
and professional  young man.  If you are seeing this Grant, thank you again
for making our return trip to the Grille so special!



We are not beer drinkers but Grant introduced us by way of shot
glasses a new beer concoction called "Espresso Stout".

Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it!  Clint ordered a glass
after he tried it.

Well ... maybe the shot glass was not a shot glass after all ...

maybe it was a little larger.  Clint and I actually ordered wine
with our lunch.  I was having the thought before lunch and he shared he
had entertained the same thought. 

So a glass of wine it was, we could not remember the last time we'd
had wine with lunch.



Clint had the southwestern chicken sandwich
with cilantro mayonnaise.



After our most enjoyable lunch, we headed up to the arts district ... on foot.
Shown ahead is ONE of the hills.  I usually can keep up with Clint
but yesterday I was having a little problem.  It was about 91 degrees.

A beautiful view yesterday of the Tennessee River off of a bridge.

Oops ... forgot to include my New  England Clam Chowder, half of
a Brewster's Club Sandwich and vegetables.  The clam chowder
was so velvety and delicious!



BTW, in 1977 I had a painting hanging in this museum
as part of the Tennessee Watercolor Society's Traveling
Exhibition.



What detailed  restoration work is being done on top of the museum.

We walked by this taste of Mayberry in Chattanooga on our walk yesterday.

The museum on the limestone bluff.  Next photo is a closeup
of the little bluish shed-like building attached to the bluff.

Not sure about this little building's purpose..  I don't think
I want to walk down to it and find out.

You might want to read Clint's account of our wonderful day on his blog.

http://youtu.be/QzHIn5S-RbY



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Smoky Mountains Completed

It seems it has been a long time since I posted a blog.  I've been busy and am happy to say I finished (finally) my oil painting of a Smoky Mountain scene.  I had visualized how it would look over our mantle and was happy the finished project matched my vision.  I think earlier I had blogged about this old gold leaf frame I found at the Purple Heart Thrift Store.  I was looking for an old traditional ornate frame like this and knew the instant I saw it that it was the one!  It was actually a framed mirror, I threw away the old mirror. I did have to make an effort to make the canvas board fit the odd dimensions of the old frame.  Paying only $20 for this deal-of-a-frame, the extra effort was worth it.

Today I prime a wall of our dining room for a mural I am painting.  I have yet to decide on a design.  Of course I can't help but blog about it so I will share my design later and some progress on it

 

A thought for the day:

If life gives you melons, you might be dyslexic.

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What a Day!

This photo was made a few minutes ago.  I have been working on my
large oil painting.  It is rather difficult to paint a coniferous tree.  It did
help to study the structure a little.

It has been a while since I have written anything on here. It was time for a break from the oil painting.  I had some other topics to write about but Clint made me change my mind.  He was telling me what he wrote in his diary yesterday about my day.  He seemed to think it was interesting but honest-to-goodness, I have odd things happen to me all the time.  Clint agrees.

I went to the gym and did my work out.  The guys were working hard, they were near me and were joking and laughing and before long they had me laughing, too. That was a positive thing! :~D

Afterwards I drove a very short distance to a chain grocery store. It is in the same parking lot as the gym.  Clint and I both have been disappointed with this particular store.  I stop there because it is convenient. Sure enough, yesterday there was only one lane open.

I am walking into the store, parallel to the front of the building when I am aware a truck is driving very slowly beside me.  Suddenly a male voice yells out, "I wouldn't have known you, sweetheart!"  At first I thought it was someone joking around, someone I might have known from the gym.  I turned with an (innocent) smile  on my face and looked at a stranger, a man who was grinning behind the wheel of a white pick up truck. 

Good gracious!  I don't know what that was about and why the man yelled out what he did in a Popeye kind of voice.

While shopping, I was hoping that this stranger was not lurking around the parking lot when I had to go to my car.  Little did I know there were other dangers awaiting me in the parking lot.

My trunk lid is open, I have the grocery cart resting against the bumper as I am trying the tops of about six grocery bags.  Approaching me is a young employee who is gathering empty carts in the lot and he is headed straight for me.  Was he ever heading for me!  He rammed his empty carts right into my cart while I am behind it, it still resting by the bumper and groceries still in it! I could not believe it!  I know the handicapped are hired at this store and that is a good thing ... in most cases I assume. It is not a good thing when an employee has behaviour that could hurt a customer and/or damage vehicles. It was obvious this young man had mental problems.  I did not even try to reason with him or talk to him.  He muttered a "thank you" before he left with all the carts.

After I got home, I called the grocery store.  True to form, it took three transfers and about eight minutes to get the "manager" on the phone.  He acted very unconcerned and when I told him I felt the young man had mental problems, he said, "he does".  The manager didn't ask if I was hurt or if the car was damaged. Here I am on the phone feeling I am having to tell the manager that someone is going to get hurt in that parking lot and others might not be as nice as I was about it.  It really goes without saying but someone could cause that employee great physical harm for such behaviour.

Well, folks ... that is about all for today.  I can hear you whispering "good"! :-)

Now back to trying to realistically paint a large coniferous tree.  I can't wait to get this painting hung over our mantle. 

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Southern Summer Days

 

“Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum.”

~Quote from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Several years ago an old friend of mine wrote me a letter.  Yes, a real honest-to-goodness letter consisting of paper, ink and a postage stamp. She used the quote above in her letter and it made an impression on me.  While trying to find a photo to fit the quotation, I realized the perfect photo for me was right in front of me on my table.  Saturday at the flea market, I bought only two items.  The photo at the top of my blog is one of two old black and white photos that I bought that day.

 
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Thoughts of Summer

Today I was having thoughts of summer and was remembering the prologue in James Agee's book, A Death in the Family.  Blogger Stephen Janson called this prologue "one of the greatest pieces of prose in the English language".  I agree.   Below are a couple of quotes from the prologue, favorites of mine.




KNOXVILLE: SUMMER 1915



We are talking now of summer evenings in Knoxville Tennessee in that time that I lived there so successfully disguised to myself as a child.  (one of my favorite quotes from the book)



On the rough wet grass of the back yard my father and mother have spread quilts. We all lie there, my mother, my father, my uncle, my aunt, and I too am lying there… They are not talking much, and the talk is quiet, of nothing in particular, of nothing at all. The stars are wide and alive, they seem each like a smile of great sweetness, and they seem very near. All my people are larger bodies than mine… with voices gentle and meaningless like the voices of sleeping birds. One is an artist, he is living at home. One is a musician, she is living at home. One is my mother who is good to me. One is my father who is good to me. By some chance, here they are, all on this earth; and who shall ever tell the sorrow of being on this earth, lying, on quilts, on the grass, in a summer evening, among the sounds of the night. May God bless my people, my uncle, my aunt, my mother, my good father, oh, remember them kindly in their time of trouble; and in the hour of their taking away.  (This passage I can relate to very much.  In my family we would lie out at night on spread quilts, watching the stars while homemade ice cream was being churned.  Sometimes the quilts would be spread when we would be eating watermelons.  I have such strong and sweet memories of such simple old times)


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Tales to Tell: What Mary Saw

Mixed Media 5 x 7 inch Collage:  pencil, watercolor, ink, white out, photographic paper, Sharpie pen, matte coating and Mod Podge.

What did Mary see?  Mary B. Wade was an actual person who faithfully comforted injured Civil War soldiers.  Her "kind, winning and motherly ways made her always a great favorite with the soldiers" who always called her Mother Wade.  She was still going strong at the age of eighty.

I learned about Mary while reading a 145 year old book we have in our Civil War book collection.

She came to mind when I was thinking of how we all have tales to tell ... our life stories. 


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