Our parents died on Sept 30, 1973.

It has been a long time but the love remains.

It remains and grows and pushes out the sadness.

























































Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No, it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good

I know it's good.


~John Mayer



Always love.
Donna

Photographs and Memories.





Nancy gave me this picture over the weekend. She said she could get another copy. I will put it up on Facebook so all of our family can see it.

Jim and Esther are in the middle.
Next to our dad is Sue Scott, she is our brother in laws mom. Doesn't she look pretty in this picture!?
Next to our mom is Vern Scott, he is our brother in laws dad. What a dear, sweet man!

This picture was taken the summer before our parents died. We think it is Nancy and Binky's engagement party.

Our mom LOVED her green and white chiffon dress!! I did too.

After our parent's died, Sue and Vern were a wonderful part of our lives.
They were supportive and loving and always tried to do special things for us.
They did not know our parents well, but the short time they did was full of fun times and excitement for both couples.


Oh! How I love this picture.



*****


I want to share a great housekeeping tip.




In all my years....I have not heard of this one and it will be a real help around here!!

~thanks Pinterest



*****







I love the colourful clothes she wears
And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair
I hear the sound of a gentle word
On the wind that lifts her perfume through the air





Happy Thursday!
We are in for a windy afternoon!!!

I'm so excited! I love a blustery day!

Donna

Over the weekend, Nancy had some of our Mom's things she wanted to share with Cindy and me.
(I think I took it all.)

I came away with a nice large 9 x 13, a large stock pot, two Tervis Tumblers (from Nancy's collection)
and our mother's colander.


I actually really needed a larger colander.

This one is perfect. It will strain noodles and potatoes with the greatest of ease.
And it was our moms.

I will think of her every time I use it.
She was an amazing cook. It will bring me cooking luck, I am sure :o)




Katie had other ideas for the colander

We just get the one life, you know. Just one. You can't live someone else's or think it's more important just because it's more dramatic. What happens matters. May be only to us, but it matters.
~Ghost Town.

Always love,
Donna

Here we are,
the big sisters.

Janice and Janet are the little sisters....the twins.

The big sisters all live in the Midwest so we were able to get together for the Beef-a-Rama this year.
You know with all the exciting activities, my favorite thing to do is sit in the kitchen and talk.
We don't see one another nearly enough and there is a lot of catching up to do.

Because of the blog I feel like my story is out there...
Cindy's and Nancy's stories are told in the kitchen.

You can see that they are beautiful and stylish.
I always tell you that they are fun.

But what I don't tell you is what beautiful people they are inside.

Nancy has been taking care of others her whole life.
First it was the twins. She helped our mom out because she was the perfect helping age when the twins were born.
Then when our parents died and Nancy was only 20, she became our legal guardian. She quit college and came home.
When her children went to school, she helped out at the church pre school and now she works with autistic children.
She has something coming up in her life where she will again step out, in her self-less fashion, and give of herself and her time
because it is the right thing to do.
I am in awe of my sister Nancy.


Cindy is a remarkable and tireless care giver too. She loves her kindergartners and gives them her
best every day. She chooses to work with the children who have not had the advantages other children have had
because she knows it's crucial work. She is great at it and makes school a wonderful place of learning and fun.

Cindy also cared for Sue with love and compassion and humor. She was tireless in her support and care.
Not only did she daily help Keith but she was our eyes and ears and hands when we were not there.
I am in awe of my sister Cindy.


A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.
~Charles H. Spurgeon


36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [a]foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:36-39



The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.
~Audrey Hepburn



I see your beautiful souls, girls.
You inspire me to be more caring.

Love you!

Donna Elsie

Sometimes you have to make your own fun.

I think that is what the Beef-a-Rama is all about. It's about enjoying and celebrating your community!
It's just like the MardiGras, but with lots more clothes; more clothes, less gumbo, more beef.





The organizers were very clever. More cowbell!




The Rump Roast Run was very well attended! In fact so much so that they were all walking RIGHT IN FRONT of Cindy and Pat and Carrie!

This is Pat and Carrie. Good job!

Yes. That's a down jacket. Yes. It's Sept 24th.

gah.



There's Cindy! Hooray!!!

Sorry for the Craptastic photography.
What cha gonna do?


Minocqua 2011
Rump Roast Run



The winners with their beef held high~~~




While we were taking a few pictures and taking in the awards, I heard a familiar name.
It seemed that our blog-sistah Tammy made it to the race with some of her children and the littlest one had won a prize!!!

I watched where she went and found Tammy in the crowd!!!

Oh! She is so tiny and beautiful! She had a busy weekend but I was able to bump into her a few more times.
I can't wait to hear how her roast did and if they raised a lot of money for a very important non-profit she is involved with.


New Dawn Pregnancy Resource Center





What a beautiful girls, Tammy. So sweet!!





The contestants roast their beef along "Main St."
Most everybody else is... well....drinking and socializing.

At 2:45 the parade of beef began.




This is the family that owns Bosaki's now. They are from Madison. Bosaki's is now, Matt Morgans.
Fun fact to know and tell.




Here comes Tammy!




Their roast is in the baby carriage. :o)



This was Tammy's first time at the Beef-a-Rama.
It's not her scene really. She's a fish out of water at the Beef-a-rama.

I hope she had fun! It looks like it~




More roasts on their way to Torpy Park for the awards.
It was kind of cool to see the crowd follow the parade down to the park for their taste of beef.




I'm not sure what this is all about.

But. Go Packers Go. Anyway.

Look closely at this picture. There is a woman wearing a cheese bikini top.

Sweet.


That's all for now, folks.
Sister stories tomorrow.

Love,
Donna

North to Minocqua...


photo by Gene Patey



well...not quite. That's Goose Cove Canada. The ice berg floated into the cove from Greenland.
Wouldn't that be a sight to see?





photo by Jesse Canfield


This is Minocqua Wi. The Island City.
Nancy invited us to come up for the Beef-a-rama this year. Cindy is coming too.
I am always excited for a sister visit, so Katie and I will head up there after school today.


***

Today is the finale to end all finales.

All My Children airs it's last show today.

I have been watching since 1973. The wrap up of the soap has been terribly convoluted and impossible,
but no matter how mad I got at the writers thru the years, I couldn't abandon my 'story' (as the grannies call it).

These characters have been with me on a daily basis since high school. It's crazy.
I can't seem to find a group of friends, on Twitter or Facebook or on my blog, who care about this show...so
is it any wonder that it is going off the air?




I think I will miss you most of all.
(Thad Martin)





***

Have a great weekend! Fall is here.

Encourage one another,
Donna

The pork chop and I.


I rarely make pork chops. The word tough comes to my mind when I think of pork chops.
But on Wednesday, on a whim, I picked up three beautiful looking pork chops at Whole Foods.

I remember sister Sue making the most delicious pork chops on the grill when she was but a college girl.
I figured the grill was the secret weapon.

So I fired up the grill,
Googled grilling times and seasoned the chops.

The grill was hot. 500 degrees. (It was ready. I preheat the grill with the top down but
I grill with the top open.)

I carefully placed the pork chops in the best place for perfect cooking, turned and went back in the house to check the time.

5:52

Five minutes later I went out to turn them over.

To my great distress the top was down.
I quickly lifted the cover and was greeted with flames and black chops.

I can not remember how much my pork chops cost.
I consider this a mercy.
It would torture me if I remembered, I'm afraid.

I can't remember a time I burnt the dinner to a crisp.

My chop with the lemon pepper was especially black.

Patrick salvaged some meat from the other two chops and was able to make a meal with other things in the house.

Katie ate yogurt.


I can't remember what I ate....
it seems that THAT memory has flown away with the memories of closing the grill top and how much they cost.


C'est le vie,
Donna

Once upon a time there was a girl named Farrah.
She married the 6 Million Dollar Man.
She was from Texas.

She posed for a poster in 1976.
It sold millions of copies.




The rest is television and media history.
She was on Charlie's Angels and played Jill Munroe, the sporty one.

Her hair and her teeth were epic.

She died of cancer in 2009

I would have thought everyone knew this...
but not everyone is as old as I am and grew up glued to the boob tube,
like me.

(as hard as this is for me to imagine)

****


In the movie Being There, Chance the Gardener is mistaken for a brilliant philosopher.
He is really a simpleton who watches TV all day.

Just before he goes on the 'Johnny Carson' show, Hull tells Chance the following;

Morton Hull: Do you realize that more people will be watching you tonight, than all those who have seen theater plays in the last forty years?
Chance the Gardener: Why?

from Being There


****

I don't know where I am going with this....

My mind is a steel trap for useless information.

gah.

Donna

Good morning!

I have a few things to share this morning...

First is a delightful Senior Session I had on Saturday morning.














I said...Oh! A Farrah Fawcett pose...
and she looked at me quizzically.



Eva helped me find the light and stayed clear of the blotches of sun.
She's a smart cookie and may one day be your Doctor.




Beautiful.


***


Dancing with the Stars: Who will go home first and who will win?

Let's go over this...


Chynna Phillips & Tony Dovolani: 22
J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff: 22
Hope Solo & Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 21
Ricki Lake & Derek Hough: 20
Kristin Cavallari & Mark Ballas: 19
David Arquette & Kym Johnson: 18
Carson Kressly & Anna Trebunskaya: 17
Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer: 17
Nancy Grace & Tristan MacManus: 16
Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke: 16
Elisabetta Canalis & Val Chmerkovskiy: 15
Ron Artest & Petra Murgatroyd: 14


There are the scores...

Chynna Phillips and J.R. Martinez deserve to be where they are, on the top of the leaderboard.

Chynna is graceful and has natural dancing ability. So does J.R. Martinez. J.R. has a lovely contenance and very good acting along with his wonderful musicality and lines.

I predict J.R. will win this year. (Unless he does not get votes because he is pretty unknown. He is on All My Children.)

Hope and Maks seemed too combative. She is not warming up to him at all. I didn't care for her personality and wasn't inspired to vote for her.

Ricki Lake has talent and I like her personality. I'd like to see her stay around.

Kristin C. was so tiny and stiff, I thought should might snap in half. She could do this...but man, she needs to loosen up...a lot!!

David A. was sweet and excited to be there. I'd like to see him improve. I'd like to see him stick around.

Carson K. was the STAR of the show last night. His dancing was dorky and he lifted his knees in a funny, prancing way, but he was full of joy and enthusiasm and showmanship!!! No fear I tell you. Everyone else was timid. Carson was a riot!!!

Chaz B. has some natural rhythm and is average.

Nancy Grace seemed to be moving very slowly...well...except for her heaving bosom. She has more nerve than me.

Rob K. was fine.

Elizabetta C. was skinny and stiff.

Ron A. was awful.

I think Ron A. will go home first.





So much fun....and isn't that what it should be??





This is J.R.
Darn good first dance.


****


I sent a carmel apple to school with Katie for lunch today. We can get them without nuts now so she will eat them.
I happen to love the nuts.

Isn't this a great time of year?





Yum,
Donna