This Week Recap

This has been a good and uneventful week.  We like those.  We decided a month or so ago that we could use a housekeeper to come in once a month to do things my back no longer allows.  This week was her 2nd visit, and although it is awkward having someone in the house, it is helpful to get baseboards cleaned, etc.

I've started reading a book that was recommended by my friend Cele, "A Note Yet Unsung" by Tamera Alexander.  So far, it is hard to put down.  So thanks, Cele.

Dallas (source)

When we realized we would not be able to take the extended fall trip we had anticipated, we decided to at least enjoy short road trips each week.  We have not explored the Metroplex since moving here five years ago for various reasons, the main one being the traffic to just get out of the city.  Last week we decided that is not a good enough excuse anymore.  As long as I can drive (and I am an excellent driver), and the GPS doesn't fail us, we need to go while we can.

We have been wanting to visit the recently declared, by Steve Doocy on Fox & Friends, neatest little town in Texas, Granbury.  Go HERE to see the show on YouTube.  It is only an hour & a half from us, but of course, it takes an hour to just get through West Dallas and Fort Worth.  We have friends who live there and have heard such good things about the area.  So, that was our destination this Friday morning.  We soon got into a nice rain which made changing lanes and finding the right exits even more exciting.

The most notable thing about entering Granbury is the beautiful and expansive Lake Granbury.  This is what draws so many to this iconic little town, as it did our friends.  There are gorgeous homes surrounding the lake, as well as less desirable ones that have obviously been there for a very long time.

The center of the town and what Granbury is also known for is its town square.  Many small Texas towns were built around their courthouse in the center of the square, with shops and businesses on each side.  It has been called "one of the most complete nineteenth-century courthouse squares in Texas."

Built of Brazos limestone, like many of the old buildings in Texas, between 1890-1891, it consists of 3 main stories.  The imposing 3-story central clock tower was completed after the rest of the building.

A cornerstone

We found this placard outside the building to be interesting.

Hanging inside the courthouse was this handmade quilt showing landmarks of Granbury, and showcased as well is the old sewing machine used to put it together.  So much intricate work.

Now, let's visit the rest of the square.

Our first stop was a store featuring beautifully crafted furniture and leather items.  There was also plenty of Western art.  This realistic bison painting caught our attention, and we couldn't miss getting a picture of it sniffing Dick's head.  

There was music throughout, and most of it came from this real-live jukebox.  When was the last time you saw one of these?

There are quite a variety of shops and businesses around the square.  As we are not shoppers, we really weren't interested in going into many of them.

We found it so interesting that all along the streets were these acknowledgments of "Hometown Heroes."  I think it is safe to say that Texas is a very patriotic state.

The Opera House is a drawing card to the community, regularly showing old movies.  It is also said to be haunted.  It was closed this morning, so we were unable to go inside to confirm this.

I noticed this building as soon as we rounded the corner behind the courthouse.  One of my oldest and dearest friends was a Nutt from North Louisiana.  We later learned that the original building, built in the late 1800s, burned a few years ago and has recently been rebuilt.  It has a fascinating history.

It didn't take us long to discover where we wanted to eat lunch, and we weren't disappointed.

We learned that this massive piece behind the bar was once in one of Al Capone's restaurants in New York City.  Wouldn't you love to know how it came to be here in a small town in Texas?

The food was superb.  My meal consisted of a grilled chicken breast on a bed of sauteed butternut squash and bell peppers, covered in the most delicious gravy.

The doors behind us came from a castle in France.  Again, what's the story behind that?

Needless to say, we are so glad we finally faced off with the DFW metroplex traffic complications and made a trip to the neatest little town in Texas.

Come back next week to see where the roads will take us.  You might be surprised.

An Alfredo Hodgepodge

We owe this fun post to the never-ending creativity of Joyce, who weekly gives us fun things to think about and share.

1. What's worth standing in line for?

Honestly, I couldn't tell you the last time I stood in line for anything.  My back doesn't allow much standing, and I can't think of a thing worth the consequences.

 

2. Tell us about a favorite food-related memory. 

In 1972, we took a trip to the Holy Land with friends.  When we returned to Rome for our flight home, we learned that a pilot strike would necessitate our remaining in Rome until it was resolved.  As you can well imagine, although we were eager to get home to our babies, we couldn't think of a better place to be, all expenses paid.

Best friends making memories in Rome, 1972

On the first night, we had reservations at "Alfredo's."  Remember, this was the early 70s, and Alfredo Fettuccine was the rave.  We were thrilled when Alfredo himself came and mixed his famous dish at our table, and actually let my best friend, Sarabeth eat with his renowned gold fork and spoon.  This will always be a special memory.

The Real Alfredo

The original “Fettuccine Alfredo” since 1908

The Real Alfredo, at Piazza Augusto Imperatore 30 – Rome, is the historical roman restaurant where you can eat the famous Alfredo’s fettuccine known all over the world since twenties, when the popular couple of american actors, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, after eating the majestic dish, gave as present to Alfredo a golden fork and spoon. From then the creative man let eat his gastronomic creation to his special and important guests with them.

3. What are some things you find particularly peaceful or calming?

Listening to good music.  Being on a mountain.  Sitting beside a quiet lake, listening to the sounds of birds and rustling branches.  Sitting in my sunroom every morning.

 

4. Is there something you do now that gets you just as excited as it did when you were a child?

Making plans for something to look forward to soon. 

5. To what degree are you in touch with friends from grade school? high school? college if you attended college?

I am only connected to a few friends from grade school and high school on Facebook, which is very limited.  I am not in touch with anyone from college.  Those relationships have passed.  I do however, stay in touch with the sweet girl I shared a room with while attending college.

 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We learned this week that the granddaughter of my best friend has been accepted from a group of 1,100 applicants for one of 5 openings with the Radio City Rockettes.  This has been a lifelong dream of Audrey and one she has worked hard to achieve.  We are so proud of this beautiful and talented dancer.  So, when you see them perform, look for the tall, beautiful, brown-eyed girl from Louisiana.

By the way, this grandmother is the same best friend who was honored by Alfredo.

A Week Recap

Recapping this week.

After my visit with a new shoulder surgeon on Monday and receiving his recommendation of remaining with conservative treatment - an injection into the joint, I have felt much better.

On Wednesday night, we met Dick's life-long friends, Johnny and Betty, for dinner at our favorite seafood restaurant, Anaya's.  We always enjoy our time with these friends and love hearing about their world-wide travels.  Honestly, they take the most amazing trips, so we just simply live through them.

So, now it's Friday.  What do you do when your husband walks into the room and says, "Let's take a road trip to the end of the road!"

Most would probably say, "Let's go!"

My response was, "The end of what road?"

There is a main street not far from us, that runs north & south from Dallas to the Oklahoma line, named Preston, but it ends at a lake - Lake Texoma.  Appropriate name, don't you think?

After he explained, I then answered, "Let's go!"

On the way out of the city, we first must maneuver 8-lane traffic on a Friday morning; however, since I am now a seasoned Texas driver, this was nothing.

On the way, we saw our favorite bronze cowboy still hustling longhorns.  If you haven't seen this small park in Frisco, you need to treat yourself.

It is hard to believe the amount of growth in North Texas since we moved here 5 years ago.  Highways, schools, subdivisions, and shopping centers that didn't exist then now crowd the landscape.  The new PGA golf course and other attractions have added to the area's appeal.

Before we knew it, we were out of the city and no longer on a four-lane road, bustling with new businesses, but a two-lane country road.  That's when we saw actual, real longhorns and donkeys out among the scrub trees typical of North Texas.

Before we knew it, the road narrowed even more, and we began to see the lake on both sides of us.  We continued onto a small peninsula, which gave us great views of this beautiful lake.

And sure enough, that was the end of the road.

On the trip back, we detoured into Sherman, TX, and treated ourselves to lunch at an old Dairy Queen, one of Texas's original eateries.

This was such a fun day trip, and we wonder why we don't do that more often.  Actually, who knows what else we might find at the end of another road leading somewhere.

Spaced Out Hodgepodge

Thank you, Joyce, for this week's questions.

1. August is National Golf month...do you play? Do you enjoy following golf? Have you ever been to a professional tournament?

No, No, & No

 

2. Astronaut Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 fame passed away this past Thursday. Are you interested in outer space and what's happening today in terms of space exploration? If space travel became common in your lifetime, would you go? How do you personally relate to the idea of exploring something vast and mysterious...does the idea excite you, intimidate you, or something else?

 This was enough to turn me off if I had ever had such a dream.

I am not interested in space exploration, although I did witness the first moonwalk at an after-church, Sunday night party with friends in 1969, and followed the careers of these early astronauts.   The idea of personally doing space exploration, I think not.  It does not excite me, intimidate me, or anything else.  Just not interested.

 

3. Describe your communication style in three words.

Straight-forward & to the point

4. Do you have a favorite cookbook? A favorite celebrity chef? Do you watch any cooking shows on TV? 

I rarely use a cookbook, but when I do, I use my trusty old Cotton Country from the 1980's and published in North Louisiana.  When I use a recipe, I usually get it from Pinterest.

I do not watch cooking shows, therefore, do not have a favorite celebrity chef.

5. As a child did you have any back to school traditions? If so, did you carry on those same traditions with your own children? Do you have any back to school traditions you've started on your own?

We always had a new dress and a new pair of shoes.  We also would have all our supplies on hand such as a tablet, pencils and crayons.

My children would have selected their outfits for the first day of school, new back-packs, etc.  I don't think we started any new traditions specifically for our children.

 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We lived right next to our Elementary, Middle, and High School, so my sister and I walked every morning until we moved mid-8th grade for me.  Then, we had to be ready to ride the bus much earlier than we ever had before.  I think our dad ended up driving us most mornings.  It just takes longer to get ready when you're in high school.

12 Ugly Things....

I read an article today entitled, "12 Ugly Things Seniors Do As They Age" and thought since I well fit into that category, I might should read it.  I was appalled at the number of items that I could actually relate to.  What about you?  Do you fit into any of these uglies?

1.    Negativity

Do your conversations either begin or contain negative feelings about the world around you, your health, your current situation, family issues, etc?

This one did hit me, because I do tend to discuss my current health issues too much and can be a "woe is me" participant when anyone asks.  And after all, who really cares, so I need to just say "Fine" and let it go.  I'm going to work on that.

2.  Daily Appearance

Do you dress in something nice or at least appropriate every day, or do you stay in your PJs or just comfy, oversized clothing?

Getting dressed every morning has always been my habit.  Although I don't always do on the full make-up regime, unless I'm going out, I try to look presentable.  In my younger days, I would dress for work, thinking what if I ran into an old boyfriend.  Well guess what!  At the end of the day, my favorite boyfriend always came home, and I was glad I had dressed well.

Being retired and not as active as we once were doesn't mean that we can't dress for ourselves.  After all, it helps our self-image if nothing else.

3.    Becoming stubborn and resistant to change

It is easy to become resistant to change if we aren't challenging ourselves to explore and try new things and stay up-to-date with technology and new equipment.  If we don't challenge our mind and body as we get older, then they both get stale and inflexible.  I don't want that to happen to us.

4.    Hoarding or refusing to clean out

I shall never forget, as a teenage girl, being asked to go with a friend to see what I might want in the house of a mutual friend who was near death.  I knew the lady and had been in her home a few times, but I was not prepared for what we found.  She had become a hoarder and refused to throw away anything.  That meant everything from all her childhood and family treasures to the last can she had opened.

Hoarding and cluttering is not something I am inclined to ever do, so this is not a temptation to me, and I pray it never happens.  I think my husband and children would have me committed should that happen.

Now back to my old friend.  I actually did find a couple of items I wanted to keep.  One was an old pattern book from the mid-1920s.  If you are younger than 45, you may not know what that is.  I think I kept it until we moved in 2000.  I still like vintage things, but don't collect them.

5.    Losing patience too easily

Do you find yourself getting frustrated with circumstances beyond your control too easily?  What about that lady ahead of you in line who can't find her money, or the cashier who is having a bad day, or the driver who has no idea what they are doing, or the woman sitting behind you with the high-pitched voice who never stops talking?   I'm getting frustrated just writing about it.  Seriously, these are things that do tend to get on our nerves sometimes.  What I am going to try to concentrate on is why this is bothering me so much, and how I can show kindness to this person instead.

6.    Over-talking and not listening

I don't want to be that person who interrupts a conversation to share my story and do one-upmanship.  As we get older, we tend to think our stories are more interesting than anyone else's.  Although they may be great memories and experiences for us, not everyone is interested.  Let us ask more questions of the person we're conversing with and listen to more rather than talk so much.  We will learn so much more, and who knows, that person may actually enjoy conversing with us.  After all, isn't that what we want?

7.    Pushing people away instead of asking for help.

Allowing others to assist and help us can often actually foster connections and relationships.

8.    Being too frugal to enjoy life

I am happy to say that none of my friends fit into this category, and neither do we.  We love spending our children's inheritance on doing what we enjoy.  Time is too short for that foolishness.

9.    Talking down to younger generations

This isn't something I'm tempted to do because all my grands are much smarter than I am.  Besides, they wouldn't put up with it anyway.  There are times I would like to make suggestions and share from my vast storehouse of wisdom, but I've learned that unless asked, it's best to keep all that to myself.

I want to be remembered as the one who encouraged instead of criticizing. 

10.    Holding on to regrets and resentments

Have you ever known a bitter old person?  They sure aren't who you want to be around.  We just can't hold on to the past hurts and disappointments we may have experienced.  Instead, pray and forgive.  It might even be good to seek forgiveness for those hurts we may have caused.

11.    Ignoring health issues

As we age, ailments are inevitable, and we need to be conscious of those changes as they occur.  Learn the symptoms of various illnesses and seek help when you have questions.  We can't just ignore problems and hope they go away at our age.  Stay on top of your health.  No one cares about your health more than you do.

12.    Stop seeking joy and laughter

Do be a crumpy!  Nursing homes don't even like grumpies.

Look for those things that make you happy and bring you joy.  What is a happy place for you?  Find it and enjoy it.  Read good books that make you laugh.  Find a silly friend who likes to do unusual things and embrace that.  Listen to good music.  Read your Bible and seek first the things of God and His righteousness.  You can't stay joyless if you know the one who brings joy, love, and peace.

All this to say - DON'T BE AN UGLY OLD PERSON!

And, if you see me doing any of these things, tell me to straighten myself up and get over it!

Good Bye July

We are in an extended heat wave, with daily temperatures expected to be over 100 degrees this week, which means a heat index of well over 115, so guess where I plan to spend my days.  If you guessed inside, you win the prize.

Thank you, Joyce, for providing a bit of indoor entertainment on this Wednesday.

1. On July 29th 1957 The Tonite Show premiered with Jack Parr as it's host. This marked the beginning of the modern day talk show. Do you watch any daytime or late night talk shows today? Do you have any thoughts on the hubbub surrounding the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or are you more in the camp of 'who is Stephen Colbert? 

We occasionally watch daytime talk shows on Fox, but rarely late-night shows. I can honestly say I have only seen clips of a Stephen Colbert show, and have never found him to be entertaining or funny.  He will not be missed in this house.

2. What's the best part of your day?

The best part of my day is early morning, when Dick and I sit in our sunroom together, each doing our daily Bible reading while enjoying a cup of coffee/tea, and visiting.  These are the most well-spent two hours of our day.

3. What's something your generation does that you actually dislike?

Comparing ailments.  Although I dislike it, at this point in our lives, it is often the most shared interest and concern.  We have numerous friends who are undergoing grave physical issues, so naturally, we discuss them.  This is not what we had hoped our 80's to be all about.

4. When you cook do you clean as you go, or clean it all up once you're finished cooking? What's the last thing you cooked/baked in your own kitchen?

I dislike a messy kitchen, so I wash everything as I go.  When a meal is prepared, the kitchen is spick and span.  The last thing we baked in our oven was a homemade pizza.

5. Sum up your July in ten words or less.

Incapacitated, a lot of sitting with hot/cold compresses and a Tens Unit, a 3-year old's birthday, and most important, time with our family.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

 

Our son and daughter-in-love flew in from Northern Indiana last Thursday for a few days before using one of our vehicles to drive to Louisiana Monday morning for a family wedding this week.  On Saturday, we had our daughter and her family, as well as her oldest daughter, Chandler, and her family, to join us for lunch and a time of catching up with each other.

As I was unable to do much cooking, we ate out several times and enjoyed the local cuisine.  Sunday, the four of us enjoyed a Cajun lunch at Pappadeaux's before Dick and John went to Cosm for a Matrix experience.  They were not disappointed, as it must have been worth every cent it cost.

Here's a Great Grand picture catch-up.

Baby Bass is the happiest 6-month-old and enjoyed his great-grandmother's lap for a bit.

But he wasn't too excited about watermelon.

Without a doubt, big brother, 3-year-old Landon's favorite food is ice cream, and their recent trip to Greece offered a magnificent offering.

Their Greek cousin, Noah, is the most advanced 6-month-old we have ever seen.  Dad is giving him a head start on one of Greece's favorite sports, basketball.

Jax had his 3rd birthday in July and also attending a "Horse Camp." He said he needed his papa's western hat for that, which he got, and now the hat belongs to Jax.

Ten-month-old Navy Grace is sporting her own hat while being held in Papa's arms.

Enjoy your week!