Gnawing on the Corner of This New Keyboard

I know it's a wonderful computer, this new one...but it's driving me CRAZY!!! I've spent all morning, half the afternoon and some time this evening trying to stop this thing from calling things I'm trying to open, "pop-ups", and blocking them. It has a sweet little blue thingy that invites me to click it to peek at the Pop-up anyhow. Liar. The blue thingy was like a mule. Did nothing, so I tried to wait it out. Then I poked it a few more times. I was tempted to poke it with my fist. A very nice geek on the helpline was telling me to click buttons here and there that did not exist....or if they did, do not exist where they are supposed to exist. Ahhhh WELLLL, just turn it all off, this pop-up blocker. So I did. SEVERAL times. I crawled into the bowels of everything I could think of on here, wandered down several dark halls, and found the pop-up blocker disable magic button, and gingerly and lovingly touched it, hope rising ...again.... and AGAIN. Try again to get to view my own Blog....NOPE. It's still considered a pop-up. ARRRGH!
I'm goina go find something to read. (I missed Ya'll too...pray for me....arrrgh.)

Cappy Was Home and We Gave Thanks Early

It was another two weeks of rushing around as soon as Cappy's feet 'hit da banks' (got off da boat). We had a lot planned, and got a lot accomplished, including this new computer, which is installed, but all the buzzers and whistles aren't buzzing and whistling just yet. Our old one was like someone in the desert,crawling on it's belly, panting, tongue hanging out, desperately trying to get to a watering hole, all the while not able to fend off buzzards. In this case, spybots. Cappy was going to Blog using this new computer, but didn't get the chance and had to get back on the boat for another four weeks, so now ya stuck with me again for awhile.
The first thing on our agenda was to help out with the Gospel Choir director's 50th anniversary party for her parents. We only did menial things, cuz she had it going on, with all kinds of people helping. The next day I sang with the group at Church, then the "ParTay"!! I play Christian Rock Accordian with the Contemporary group at Church, then off times, I sing with the Gospel Group. Cappy likes to brag that I look like a white marshmallow floating in a sea of sweet warm cocoa in the Gospel Group. Well, at the anniversary party, even with Cappy's tan, we both looked like marshmallows. We had so much fun! There were about two hundred people there. Talk about Classy people. I've always thought that when African American's are all decked out...NObody can outclass them for classiness. We took a lot of pictures, but they are stuck in the old computer picture files for now. We'll get 'em out eventually, and show you. And then, of course, there will be the pictures of just ol' "us" at the party, too.
A couple of days ago, one of Cappy's crew, who 'shrimps and fishes' to suppliment his income; what with his wife and FIVE kids, and all...sold us 50 lbs. of 'fresh out da wadder' shrimp. Here's a picture of Cappy "poppin' da heads off da shramps", with his side-kick SparkyBear slurping up any extras that happened to find their way into the mix, while they were catching the shrimp, like small minnows or tiny soft crabs. I bagged them in zip-lock bags and stowed them in the freezer.
We managed to go out fishing a couple of times on our own motor boat. It hadn't rained, not really, since Katrina waayyyy back in early September. It's been so dry, that the water level in the bayous have gotten very low. It took us a matter of time figuring out where the fish were hiding....DEEP along pilons. We caught this bass and three 'sac a lait' ("bag of milk" in French) on the second day. The first day was not a waste. Actually, thinking back now, we didn't fish the first time...we rode all around investigating bayous where we'd never been before, looking for perspective fishing places. We took the dogs and had a fun time. I really admire women who have grown up around boats and fishing, who know how to hunker down in the boat and 'potty' in cans way out in the woods in a boat during hunting season,without emptying their entire bladder into their downed overalls, and all over the deck of said boat to the horror of their two dawgs and husband, then having to pull up the warm, dripping overalls, strap them back on and ride in the wind. A technique I swore through gritted teeth on the way back across the open lake, that I would master.

The next day, we headed out for the Achafalaya Basin, putting in at Belle River. We drove in some of the most beautiful country God has ever made. The last time we took the boat out in that region for my very first time, I fell in love with Bayou Pigeon and actually wept, being so privileged to see such beauty that not many people get to see. Well, last week, this new-to-me territory, took me by surprise again, just as Cappy predicted. We rounded this one corner in our boat, and slid into an area where this world meets Heaven...all open area, and is pushed right up into Heaven. You can feel it, not just see it. It went on for miles before it all passed. On the way back through, it was all there again. Nobody was there. Few people ever go there...only those who work out there in the hidden away oil fields, or a few people who go to fish. Curious. It was so devoid of humans, yet somehow 'busy'...teeming with life. And as I had mentioned...there was Heaven...I could feel it. It defied all my Bible larnin'. Maybe there's a 'portal' to Heaven right there or something. I kept thinking, "THIS is the 'place'...how come everybody isn't out here? They think big cities has it all, but if they could come here and see this place...". Cappy baked these fish to perfection. I swear, if New York State, where I grew up had fish that tasted so fresh, I would have loved fish. Most everyone I know up there says they don't like fish. Fish should not smell 'fishy'. Cappy doesn't understand it. It confuses him. I told him about popular fish stores in western NY where you about get knocked over with the smell, about fifteen feet from their front door...and going INto the store about makes ones eyes water and sets off the gag-reflex. He asks why anyone would buy anything there. On numerous occasions, including the ice-chest full of shrimp you see above, he has told me "go ahead...put your nose right down almost ON the fish...what do you smell??" I always tell him, "Uh...nothing....water??" He says if you can smell it...don't eat it...it's spoiled. The first time Cappy stopped with me at a fish store down here in South Louisiana, I can't tell you how much I dreaded the trudge the few feet to the door of the place. When we got inside, I was shocked to only be smelling 'sea air'. I had to look around to be sure there were fish anywhere in the place. There were. Everywhere. Fresh fish and seafood of all kinds.
These fish were so delicate in flavor and texture. They were wonderful.
The freezer, small as it is, is now full of fresh shrimp on the bottom shelf. Because we had to celebrate Thanksgiving two weeks early, Cappy made 'dirty rice mix' to go with the turkey. He makes a big batch, then freezes the mix so that most anytime, we can just make some rice and stir an unthawed bag of the mix into it. It's Goooood stuff, Yankees. He also made some oyster/cornbread stuffing. Omigosh. That was "to dah fo" good. Of course he's never alone in his cooking ventures...I always peel and chop TONS of onions, bell peppers, garlic,"seller-eller-ellery",green onions (just the greens) two or three different kinds of Cajun sausages, and anything else that comes to Cappy's mind that might need chopping. Then I'm there to 'round up the usual suspects', like our spices or pots 'n' pans, clean up behind us, as best as I can,(he tries too) and just generally be his (how d'ya spell "Soo-Chef"??) and accomplice, working on my own projects, as well.
There were just the two of us this year for our Thanksgiving, but it was so much fun, and we were very Thankful to have two weeks and two dogs to spend it with, and end up with full hearts and full tummies..all four of us. Now when the 'real' one this year, rolls around, I can spend the time enjoying our family up north, on this new computer watching them celebrate, and maybe eating some leftover Thanksgiving stuff in that freezer.

We Are Growing Impatiens

This is a picture of daughter Jennifer aka Sookie, with her Pop and SparkyBear the camera piggy. When we got to New York State, we stayed with Jennifer, her husband, Russ, and their nephew Tim...and all the 'mountain' cats. The girl has a lot of cats. SparkyBear and MarkyBear happen to love cats, and in fact, think they are cats. The cats knew they weren't, so it made for interesting interaction between them.
It was sad that Jennifer got sick just as we were getting there. She's always had bad bouts with pneumonia and bronchitis. The only time she got to go out day-tripping with us to show Pop the sights, was our first real day there. That day we went to the Charlotte Beach with her, Tim and son, Dan, then to get some fresh apple cider AND the obligatory cake doughnut.
By the time we got her home, Jennifer was plainly feeling not good. They gave up their bed, to us, the guests, and she sat up on the couch all night, and for the rest of the time we were there! Actually, she sat up coughing most of the nights, the poor thing. Getting her to go see the dr. was hard to do, cuz she, like her Pop, don't wanna do that if they don't have to. So... echinechea and golden seal and vitamin C were advised, as usual, by..uh..."dr." Mom. Finally, the last day we were there, she started feeling a little better. I was sad because I didn't get to see her very much while we were there. We sat outside some on her porch, chatting lightly, while I admired her flowers. She's got nice mounds of lavendar mums. Because of that, when I got home, I put in some mums like it, too. ( I know I'm digressing, but I also put petunias in the window boxes, because it's about to be winter season down here in South Louisiana. Everybody is trimming damaged branches and limbs from the hurricane storm damage. I had some nice shade plants that were all comfy in the shadows of our neighbor's trees. Yesterday some guys came and chopped all of them to the ground, then buzzed the stumps into sawdust! My ferns! My ivy! My hostas'! My impatiens! Oh well, the lady is a sweetheart and knows what she's doing. Wish I did. We'll find another place for them, or find a way to shade them again. .....now back to Sookie's garden...) Jennifer has a lot of roses, too. That's one thing I haven't tried growing in the South. I think she has my grandmother's green thumb, cuz it comes so easily for her.
I wish I hadn't had to spend so much time in Olean and Port Allegany with 'closure issues'...past hurts, etc. from my childhood, that I wanted to share with Cappy. We had planned on getting back to Rochester in time to go to the drive-in with Jennifer. We had really looked forward to it. Rats.
Our last day there came much too quickly. It was sad to be leaving. Jennifer had her household all assembled on the front porch as Cappy, the dawgs and I were in the SUV about to pull away. Cappy and I had gotten into the habit of giving the 'Cajun Yell' (AAAAAAAAIEEEEEEE!!! the "I" being a yodel in the middle), as we drove away from anyone of the kids' houses while we were there. As we were driving away, she had them all give us the Cajun Yell, then added, "The Cajuns have left the building, but they have not taken all the Spirit!!" That means we left them with Joie de Vivre (Joy of Life).

Two of the Nicest People You'd Ever Want to Meet

This is Mr. Ed and Jean. They are a couple of funsters. Forget that they look all normal and everything. Mr. Ed is a wild and crazy dude on the guitar and kazoo. He entertains whereever he goes, singing hilarious songs, or maybe old Beatles or Peter, Paul and Mary songs, that have everyone singing and clapping along. He's the pebble in the center of the pool of laughter rippling all around him.
His wife, Jean, is a ball of creative energy. This woman is always on the go and always has something up her sleeve. She organizes initiatives for fund drives, or at Christmas time makes so many different kinds of cookies so as to make one think she's running some kind of cookie factory, or she's quilting by HAND the most gorgeous quilts or embroidering beautifully something or other. Last year she held an authentic Hawaiian Luau at their house, replete with roast pig. She even lined up an Hawaiian dancer. She made many, many costumes for her guests to wear. Hula skirts, leis, etc. Oh gosh! If you hadn't known better, you would think that, by looking at the pictures in her photo album, that the whole thing MUST have taken place in Honolulu. Plus, she's an amazing cook. I know I'm not including all the things she's done or been involved with. I for sure, can't keep up with her. She leaves me panting in the dust.
If you've read the archives, you know that Mr. Ed and Jean came to visit us last Spring. We had so much fun with them, we could hardly wait to get to see them when we went to visit western NY last month. We just couldn't wait to "hug their necks", as Cappy puts it. Well, we got to see them. We only got to see them the one night, but it was absolutely wonderful. They invited us out to dinner with them. Unbeknownst to us, they were including us to join them in celebration of their anniversary. What an honor. I don't remember ever having had such a sumptuous meal. It was my first time eating...I think they were King Crab legs. Well, now I'm spoiled. When Cappy gets off the boat this time, THAT's what I want. We dined like royalty at a wonderful restaurant near Rochester, but the name escapes me. The meal lasted for a couple of hours as we relished in each others' company. Mr. Ed, a chemist by profession, is an intelligent conversationalist, who tosses humor into the mix, which is how Cappy talks as well, so they always have their heads together. You'd think they'd known each other for years. (they haven't) Jean, is so sweet and funny. I love hearing about all her new adventures. Just talking about this couple makes me miss them so much (....hey!Pegody! No puddling up here on 'da blog'!)
We went back to their house afterward and before we left, you should see the 'welcome basket' they had prepared for us. And Cappy & I thought we had the market on (Southern) hospitality....the Northern hospitality aint not that bad either. We had them down here for a couple of days. They only had us for a couple of hours, but they sure did it in a big way. Mr. Ed said at the restaurant, "We're gonna shoot for the moon tonight!" I think we musta shot a hole right through it...if not, his wallet then. They wouldn't let us pay for a thing.
Now look at their picture again. Can't you just see the fun in their eyes?

Addendum to Yesterday's Post

More like AddenDumb. These boys have always been into mischief and making messes from early on. This is one picture where I literally 'caught' them in the act, when Mark was still a puppy.
I was thinking about yesterday's post about the dog cah-cah and lipstick smeared all over the bathroom. No matter how much makeup or coverup one can use, it's still not going to make real s*** any prettier.

These Little Town Blues are Melting Away....

YeahYeahYeah, I was kinda down after coming back from New York State. Back home to our little town here in South Louisiana. I guess a lot of people are depressed around here what with all the hurricanes. In THAT I wasn't alone; I just didn't know it cuz I was alone. I wondered why nobody around here was around here much lately. It appears everyone has been sort of keeping to themselves, just quietly recouperating. I really got to feeling cut off from society for awhile, so whenever I was able to talk with poor Cappy on the phone, I whined. A real nice thing for a tugboat cappy to have to hear from the 'homefires'.
Finally yesterday the phones started working better, so we got to talk for hours. Ya gotta know Cappy. He had me laughing in no time, concentrating on things that were going WELL, instead of things that were going wrong. He had me see the humor in the other night,when I had felt exhausted and wary, so I locked the dogs in early with me and went to bed. I closed the back door in such a way that they didn't have access to their doggie door. Around three a.m. I got up and staggered blindly into the bathroom, not turning on the light, as I usually do. I got halfway across the room, then skidded and slipped the rest of the way.(?) Whaaaa? I stomped around in the dark, back to the light switch, feeling something very wrong underfoot, and dreaded what I was about to see. Turning on the light I saw it. All over the floor. Upon not so much further inspection I noticed red smeared all over too, amongst the doggy-doo. Wait, tho...it wasn't blood. It was ...lipstick??? How had lipstick gotten down on the floor, too? Dang that SparkyBear...he's taken to jumping up and ferreting around for things on the countertop. So, I had dog cah-cah slathered on the bottom of my left foot, and lipstick caked on the bottom of my right foot, and I had been using them both as pallets and as art brushes on the canvas of the floor. Did I mention all over the floor? At three o'clock in the morning? Too late to get angry at the dogs. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub lathering up my feet, I had to admit the warm water felt kinda good. Then I got the floor cleaned up. In the whole production,what with my yelling when I took off on one heel across the bathroom floor, almost falling when I first went into the bathroom, and the water running in the tub, etc, the dogs, who always investigate whatever I'm doing, were suspiciously absent. When I finally crawled back into the blankets, they were sound asleep, snoring. Snoring too fast, I thought.

Gone With Da Wind

Been in a funk lately. Oh, I've been keeping busy, for sure, but since coming back from the trip and Cappy being back out on the boat for four weeks, it's just plain kinda depressing. WhineWhineWhine. And dat's why I haven't been blogging lately.
And what in the world happing'd to da squirrels? Since coming home, just after Hurricane Rita roared through here, MarkyBear, SparkyBear and I have not seen 1 squirrel! Not one cute cuddly squirrel nor one miserable squirrel. They packed up our pecans, and flew off into the next parish (county), with the help of Rita,I guess.
Although I know I'll never be a real Cajun, I love their attitude about making good things outa bad circumstances. Like life handing Cajuns lemons and instead of making the usual lemonade, they make zee poofy wonderful lemon merangue pie. So, I took the squirrel situation and tried to find zee poofy wonderful humor in it. Cappy wanted to make zee poofy wonderful squirrel gumbo.
Not to worry, I've got more 'lemons'. I've got little fingers, not big paws that handle tools very well. I'm on my third weed-eater in three years. Cappy says, "You're da man!" when he's out on the tugboat. Well, I got this one all ruined already and tried fixing it myself. I took it in to be repaired. Still not working. I put it out to the 'curb' and even the garbage guys won't take it. I've been down to Thibodaux three times looking for another one, to no avail. Meanwhile, I have healthy corn stalks growing tall around the bird feeder. Am still fumbling around for a recipe for dis lemon.
Lemon #2. Zee dryer won't start. Oh well, I'll figure out something. Until then, I'm enjoying hanging my laundry out, and avoiding the area on the line where the hummingbirds like to sit. They are tiny, yeah, but their poopy stains. I had to laugh this morning, remembering my Grandma bringing frozen towels, stiff as boards, into the house in the winter up north. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but mine are stiff as boards, too, and they sounded like metal bending when I folded them. It's going to be an adventure toweling off with them.
Lemon #3 Wilma. Can Fred, Barney and Betty be far behind? Beam me up, Cappy!

The Big Apple State

When we first got to New York State, we stayed at daughter Jennifer's house with her husband Russ their nephew, Tim. We were so excited we didn't even get pictures of them or their house, but will be posting pics of them in the future. Jennifer wasn't feeling well at all, so she didn't accompany us on our excursions. The first day, she did (and so did Tim and our son, Dan.)when we visited Lake Ontario, an apple orchard and the traditional ice cream stop at Abbott's at Lake Ontario...it's a Ya Gotta Do. Cappy took these pictures of the Genesee River Outlet area. At Kelly's apple orchard stand, we got the walk-thru of the place where they make cider. Cappy tasted his first raw apple cider AND had the doughnut with it. He kept asking, "Why do I have to have a doughnut??" Well, now he knows. They just go SO well, together. It was also his first time seeing an apple orchard and eating fruit right off the trees. He also got to see the Lake. Being a boat cappy, he's always interested in waterways. It was a beautiful day for the trip.

Cappy Visits the Erie Canal

Cappy pilots his tugboat pushing huge barges along the canals, Intracoastal Waterway, back bayous and Mississippi River in Louisiana. Growing up he'd heard and sung songs about the Erie Canal, so it was his great pleasure to see it in person. Right now he's back out on 'da boat', but when he gets home, he may want to add more of his thoughts about these pictures which he took.

Da Finger Lakes..."STOP DA truck".

Cappy said he hadn't expected to see that New York State was so beautiful. All he had ever heard and imagined was that the whole state was paved and/or covered with parking lots. In Naples, on/near Canadaigua Lake, the town was setting up for it's Grape Festival. Cappy had been hearing about their grape pies for a couple of years from me. He and Dan each ate a small pie. Now they are sorry they didn't go for the whole pie. Cappy said that the bad part of trying grape pie is that now he's addicted to them, but can't get to them. (we'll see...) We drove around a few more of the Finger Lakes and stopped at a few of the wineries to sample and bring back some New York State wine to Louisiana.

One of the places we stopped had several of their bottles displayed high on shelves, looking for all the world as though they had been Olympic winners, festooned with all sorts of medals. It was definitly a 'high-dollar' place. We all bellied up to the 'bar' to sample. The lady was very prim and proper and knowledgeable about her wines to be sure. I've been a wine 'newbie' for at least ten years. I know nothing much about wines; my taste has never matured to begin asking for more dry wines, like "they" said I would. Dan wanted to sample Merlot, but Cappy and I wanted something sweet. Then we wanted something sweeter. Then something sweeter. The lady was finally at a loss, so I joked, "Ya got anything that tastes like Koolaid?" She might have guessed by our appearance, that we weren't the upscale clientele she was used to, so the question shouldn't have shocked her as much as it seemed to have. She composed herself, pursed her lips, raised one eyebrow, looked down her nose again, to see us further below than she had initially realized, then uttered, "Perhaps you would be better off visiting Bully Hill's winery". Well, dang if she wasn't right! We found Bully Hill, and boy! if those people weren't having fun! Large crowds were milling everywhere. Tour guides had everyone laughing. Big tour buses were parked everywhere. Inside the wine tasting was a mass of people laughing with the people who were serving them. They had the crowd repeating after them,"Bully Hill is Fine Wine" (bully hill is fine wine) "Napa is Auto Parts" (hahahaha) So, at Bully Hill we bought some SWEET wine. So there.

Cappy said this "Old boy" is one of his heroes. When we got to Canandaigua Lake this gentleman was sitting there fishing. Before he even really looked at the lake,Cappy walked over and struck up a conversation with this man, asking him what kind of fish he was looking for, what kinda bait he was using, etc. He learned that the man was in his 90's and came fishing everyday. I can't remember what he caught and what he used for bait, but Cappy walked away saying, "Man, that's what I wanna be doing when I'm in my 90's"