Sunday, May 9
Of course, I am always a little nervous before speaking in church, but a little bit of nerves is a good thing to keep my attention focused. In teaching, we said that it was important to raise the student's level of concern to get and hold their attention., not too much as to make them anxious, but just enough.
My morning message was well received and is online on YouTube at https://youtu.be/2PceCWN7VAc and on this blog at https://flowersandfeathers.blogspot.com/p/mother-earth_10.html
Later in the afternoon we went to the Matzeks for Mother's Day supper prepared by Claire, Amanda and Mike. Claire made Fettuccine Alfredo (her speciality), Amanda made the salad and Mike grilled salmon filets. We had a fun visit which included getting to play with the four little kittens that they are fostering this summer.
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| Claire with one of their foster kittens |
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| Laura and Me |
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| Almost got a picture of Amanda |
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| David's family showing off their new furry family members |
Monday, May 10
Fun Fact: every gallon of gasoline burned produced 8.89 kg of CO2, about 20 pounds. Therefore our RV trip of 685 miles, at 10 mpg, burned 68 gallons of gasoline and produced 1360 pounds of CO2. Every miles that we drive the RV releases 2 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere.
An average tree absorbs 31 pounds of CO2 per year. We would have to plant 15 trees per mile to offset our CO2 production. Since we have owned the RV we have put about 52,000 miles on it, or about 5200 miles per year. We owe the planet about 13,000 trees just for our annual RV use and 130,000 trees to make up for the last 10 years. WOW! It really adds up. The Vos Family Foundation will plant 1000 trees for every $100 donation. By my convoluted calculations, we need to donate $1300/year to the Vos Foundation to offset just our annual RV use. It would take a $13,000 donation to make up for the past 10 years.
Well, you can see how I spent several hours of this day! For our supper, I made Thai Coconut Curry. I thought I had enough for 2 meals, but it was so good that we had just a scant serving leftover.
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| Thai Chicken Coconut Curry |
Tuesday, May 11
I am excited that I have a haircut scheduled for 12:45 today. I used the morning to start getting the front bedroom, my sewing room, ready for Melanie's visit. I also started a batch of bread with the intention of having a long bulk rise while I am out. After my haircut, I went to Mayo's and got the last of the herbs I wanted, lemongrass and chamomile. I also stopped by the wine store to stock up.
After I got home I was able to move the bread dough along the process of folding and kneading and be ready to proof overnight.
Wednesday, May 12
Baking bread was first priority this morning. I had to have it all done by 10:30. I made just 3 loaves this time to shorten the total baking time. Same amount of dough, larger loaves.
I left home in time to pick up Claire at 11 for a trip to Chattanooga for a momentus occasion. We are meeting Melanie to bring her home with us for a short visit before I take her back to Jackson. I'll stay in Mississippi until Monday and celebrate her birthday on Sunday. We haven't seen each other since March of 2020 because of Covid. She has been with Chris and family in Chattanooga since Sunday. We met at a local cafe that they like and had a fun lunch. Little Solis has grown up into a little girl. She is just a couple of weeks older than John David.
After we got home and settled in, wee enjoyed wine and pimento cheese on the deck. The best part was just being together! Bill grillled a pork tenderloin for us which we had with sweet potatoes and green beans.
Thursday, May 13
With leftover tenderloin, we had to have biscuits for breakfast. What a treat! Melanie and I had a whole day to spend as we wished. After breakfast we (and Bill) went for a walk across the river. We hoped to see the eagles and we saw a pair of what we thought were juveniles in flight over the tailwaters.
After our walk, Melanie said she would like to do some shopping which surprised me. We went to Honey Blossom in downtown Lenoir City in search of leggings and tops. We each bought several outfits. After lunch and a rest, Kathy can over for mint juleps on the deck. We had lots of fun talking and laughing. Before she left, Laura arrived, so the talking and laughing continued. All before supper! Early, I had put some chicken wings in the marinade in Sweet Baby Ray's Teriyaki sauce. They were delicious with potato salad and green peas.
Friday, May 14 - Travel Day
We got on the road before 9:30 am and had an uneventful travel day - the best kind when traveling a long distance on the interstate. We got to Melanie's house in about 8 hours, 425 miles. Gas has been in short supply for a few days, but we were able to find what we needed in Trussville when we stopped for lunch. For supper, we ordered Mexican from a cafe that Nathaniel and Jayna like. It was very good. And we enjoyed more talking & laughing with them over our meal.
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| Front entrance |
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| Living room |
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| Back deck |
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| Back yard |
Saturday, May 15 - Wolf Lake
After breakfast Melanie and I took her little chiweenie (chiwawa/dauschound cross) for a walk around the arboretum where they walk regularly. The weather was perfect. We had an early light lunch of leftovers and hit the road again. Our destination was park & C indy's lake house (rental) on Wolf Lake near Yazoo City. We got there about 1:30 and soon after went for a pontoon ride up and down the lake. Wolf lake is a long narrow oxbow lake formed by a cutoff of the Yazoo River. The weather continued to be perfect. Not long after we got back, Erica, Drew and Sandling arrived, then Elizabeth a little later. Some neighbor friends of theirs showed up also with 2 kids about Sandlings age - his good buddies. Park had smoked at least 3 racks of ribs, as only he can do. Cindy made black beans and a kale slaw which she says comes in a bag from WalMart. Of course, it was all delicious.
The lake house is a single wide trailer mounted on poles to raise it above flood level. It has an upper covered deck and a concrete pad below that they use as a patio. Park has even made an outdoor kitchen with a full size side-by-side refrigerator and a large gas grill. Cindy has furnished the patio with plenty of tables and chairs with comfy pads. They lease the house from April - September and make it their summer home. Park works nearby in Yazoo City and Cindy travels all over the state, so it works well for them.
The crowd left about dark. Park treated us to a night cruise on the lake. What a great day!
Sunday, May 16 - Happy Birthday, Melanie!
Melanie and I shared a room and woke up early. Sitting on the upper deck with a cup of coffee in the early morning cool, watching the hummers and other birds was delightful! Park soon joined us, then Cindy. Park fixed us a hearty breakfast and we continued our visit until about 11 when it was time for Melanie and me to load up and return to Jackson.
Park was able to get 20 pounds of catfish from a local processing plant. My cooler was exactly full and I hoped the fish would stay frozen until I get home tomorrow night. We got back to Melanie's and ordered Chinese for a late lunch, Nathaniel's treat. We rested most of the afternoon.
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| Melanie, Nathaniel and Millie |
Inspired by my bulk catfish purchase, we fixed oven-fried catfish for supper. I was glad for an early bedtime after staying up late last night. Tomorrow will be a long travel day.
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