First Cup of Coffee

Here I am with my first cup of coffee for the day. You may wonder why there is a small shaker of turmeric by this "Cuppa Joe".... well, my doctor (doctor of internal medicine who happens to be from India) diagnosed me with osteopinia... a precursor to osteoporosis. It is a refersible condition if I mind my P's and Q's. My doctor did tell me though that in her native country turmeric is a very common spice. One of its attributes is that it helps to ease the pain of achy joints. As soon as I left my doctor's office last Friday I headed straight for my local grocery store and bought fresh turmeric. The bottle in my spice cabinet had to be at least five years old. She told me it would just take a pinch daily in a cup of warm, sweetened milk. Since I am not a fan of warm milk (at all!) I chose to put it in my first cup of coffee every morning. I was told it would probably take six weeks to notice a difference, so this is purely an experiment for me. Just thought I would share this bit of information with you. And there's just nothing like that first cup of coffee... even with turmeric... which I cannot taste.

Kensey at the Pumpkin Patch!

I just had to post this cute, cute picture of my niece, Kensey, at the local pumpkin patch.
This really puts me in the Halloween spirit!!
She is such a sweetie. She loves school, friends,
volleyball and is active with in her church. And
there aren't many people in this world that I can enjoy sharing a bag of Cheetos with other than
Kensey!

A Sentimental Journey

Aunt Jo Anne with my sister and me

My husband and I are off to see Aunt Jo Anne in a couple of days. I can hardly wait! It is a special time to be with family. It will be one year since my father passed away this Friday, October 23rd. Jo Anne is my father's youngest sibling... the only sister. She was considerably younger than my father and he even helped to name her when she was born. Jo Anne has never married, so her father and her older brothers have been the most important men in her life. There was a serious boyfriend at one time, but that just didn't work out. Jo Anne, along with my husband and I will make a sentimental journey on Saturday. We are going to drive to the town where my father and his brother spent several of their growing up years. Their parents were in the hotel business in Big Spring, Texas. After a few boyish pranks it was decided that my father and his younger brother should go to the farm in Rochelle where their maternal grandmother lived. It was perfect for young boys... wide open space, places to fish and hunt and a good school to attend. We will drive to the farm and see the home where they lived... which is still standing and in great shape. We will tour the area and hopefully my aunt will remember some family stories and a little history that she may possibly have forgotten. Since I love genealogy and old family stories this is a trip that I have looked forward to for a very long time.

Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos

Bodega - Tecoman, Colima, Mexico

Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos in Spanish, or All Souls Day in the Catholic church, is celebrated November 1st and 2nd. In Mexico it is a day to honor the dead. Shrines are built to honor a loved one, or as in the case above, someone people admire and respect. This is the shrine that was displayed at our local Bodega, a grocery store chain in Mexico owned by Wal-Mart. In case you do not recognize the man in the picture, it is Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart. The employees of Bodega made this shrine. It displays foods and drinks that the employees fee that he might have liked. While this may seem a little strange to some people it truly is a sign of respect.

Cornucopia - "Horn of Plenty"

Cornucopia - "Horn of Plenty"

If it was Fall, then this cornucopia was on our maple table or hutch when I was growing up. We moved fairly often, but my mother liked using many of the same items for decorating using a little twist of something different each time. Seeing our traditional decor for the seasons probably gave our family a sense of security and definitely home. I remember helping my mother to decorate, probably one October day, when I asked her what a cornucopia was. She explained to me that it was a "horn of plenty", meaning that it was a symbol of having enough to eat. I can hear her voice now explaining this to me. I'm not sure at what point I asked my mother when I was fully grown and had a family of my own, if someday I could have the cornucopia. She insisted that I take it then and told me that it had been a wedding gift to her and my father. I cherish this cornucopia dearly... and by the way, as I placed it on that same maple table today, I felt my mother smile.

The Treasure Shop

The Treasure Shop in Dickinson, Texas was a beautiful place for ladies to shop in the 1950's. Jean, my grandmother, and Rosemary, my mother, are pictured here, probably waiting for the next customer to arrive.

I loved going to the Treasure Shop. My younger sister and I (age probably, 10) would entertain ourselves by "posing" as mannequins in the very large picture window in the front of the store. Jean would actually allow us to do this! We would stand in some dramatic form, perfectly still, trying not to giggle. Then when we knew we had someone's attention we would wave and laugh! More than once we nearly caused and accident right outside my grandmother's shop.

We went so far as to "entertain" customers when they came into the shop. Jean would have us sing and act out "Dance with me, Henry! No! No, baby!" We just knew eveyone was thrilled by our charm. Ha! I wonder how much business my grandmother actually lost. It's just so much fun to think back that far and remember such fun times. You can read more about Jean and Rosemary in my older posts.