Summer Play List 2

 Last week I wrote a post about songs that brought back memories of summers past. Thanks to my readers, I have a second list of suggestions. It was so hard to just choose ten. Here is list 2:

"Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly and the Family Stone

"Groovin" by The Rascals

" In the Summertime" by Mungo Jerry

"In the Year 2525"  by Zager and Evans

"Even the Nights Are Better" by Air Supply

"This Magic Moment" by Jay and the Americans

"Under the Boardwalk" by The Drifters

"With a Little Help From My Friends" by The Beatles

"Brandy, You're a Fine Girl", by Looking Glass

"You've Got a Friend" James Taylor

and the one they always played on KWAL....

"Rock the Boat" by The Hues Corporation

Here is my first list: https://gatheringaroundthetable.blogspot.com/2021/07/summer-play-list.html

Childhood Favorite Foods Revisited

 The other day a friend of mine asked how people felt about  Franco American Spaghetti Os. The reviews were mixed. It reminded me of last spring when foods were jumping off the shelves into shoppers' carts during the pandemic. People were purchasing foods they hadn't eaten since they were ten years old. Was it nostalgia?Was it the fear of having all the food disappear from the shelves? I have to admit when I stocked up last year I did purchase a few items I usually wouldn't buy.

Spaghetti Os: Yes, I did buy one can. They were okay. I didn't love them as much as I did when I was ten years old, but if it was all that was left in the grocery store, I could eat them.

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese: Yes, I bought it, Yes, I loved it, Yes, I wanted more. Why? I have no idea!!

Ice Cream Sandwiches: I just don't buy novelty ice cream treats often, but when we had money and went to Don's Market as kids I loved to buy an ice cream sandwich. Were they still good? Yes. Would I buy them again? Yes.

Campbell's Vegetable Beef Soup: This has always been a comfort food for me. It is a requirement to serve the soup with buttered saltines on the side. Would I eat this again? I always have it on the shelf. Too much sodium? Yes! It is all about balance.

Swanson's Meat Pie: These are not the same as they were when I was a kid. Maybe because then they seemed like this huge, warm, delicious dinner. Now they are different. They are salty. The crust isn't as good.  I only bought one and that was enough. 

Nalley's Original Chili: My husband had lost his appetite during the pandemic. This is one thing he just loved. Go figure. I think it reminded him of camping. We always had some stocked in the RV when we went camping.

Banana Bread: I following the Instagram/ Pinterest trend of making banana bread. The silver lining was that I discovered new recipes I hadn't tried. Now none of these recipes were as good as my Grandma Woolum's, but they were a close second. Now I haven't tasted one piece in about six months.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread made into toast: I hadn't had a loaf of this in the house for a long time. Again, something my husband liked.  It made the house smell wonderful and it was good!

Did you return to any childhood favorites during the pandemic?

Summer Flower Winner: Portulaca

 

They thrive in containers in the hot sun.

During this hot, smoky month the portulacas have been a winner in my gardens. Mom and I never could say the name right so we used the common name moss roses. 

I love the colors.

"A truly beautiful, low-growing groundcover type plant is called the portulaca (Portulaca grandiflora), sometimes known as the sun rose or moss rose. Portulaca plants are native to Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. Portulaca flowers are easy to grow and enjoy. "

This one is growing in a window box. It is the only plant that has thrived there.

Last year I discovered if you didn't buy them early, they were hard to find. I bought them early this year and I am glad I did. They are hardy, tolerate hot sun, bloom nonstop, don't require watering twice a day, and they spread quickly. You can plant them in containers or in the ground. My favorite thing about them is the variety of colors. One plant can have multiple colors. They photograph well also.

I got a tip from SP recently that they were available at WalMart. I was pleased to find some to fill in some places other plants had dried up. The only disadvantage with the plant is it's an annual, but a very hardy one at that. Add these to your list for next year if you have never purchased them. You will love them.

What plants have you been successful with in this hot,smoky weather we are having? 

Read more at Gardening Know How: Portulaca Flower: Tips For Portulaca Care https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/portulaca/portulaca-plants.htm

Keepers From the Recipe Box

I collect cookbooks and recipes. I still have a recipe box with all my favorites written on recipe cards. I also have many of Mom's recipes in that box. Pinterest has provided an excellent tool for me to organize recipes I find online. 

At the top of my blog I have a page that links you to favorite recipes. I haven't updated this for awhile, so that is my goal now is to add more recent recipes. 

I love the combination of lemon and chicken and am always using for a recipe that combines both. This  recipe was a big hit. It has been added to my keeper list. 

https://everydayannie.com/2010/04/15/lemon-chicken/

Another recent recipe I really loved was Sunny Anderson's Spring Goddess Salad. I watched her make it on The Kitchen and tried it right after. It is delicious and makes lots of extra dressing for another dish.

 https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/spring-goddess-salad-recipe-1946696?soc=sharepin

The last recipe was a favorite at a birthday party for a friend in March. It is called Lemon Lush and it is really easy and and delicious. 

https://spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com/lemon-lush/

Stay tuned. I will be sharing more of my favorite recipes. 

Timeline of Life with Photos

the cemetary in Kellogg in autumn

I love to take photos of flowers, bouquets, food dishes, places I have traveled, craft projects, seasons of the year and sunsets just to name a few. I don't take as many pictures of people.

a spring bouquet

When I first started using a digital camera I just loaded and saved all my pictures.

a favorite strawberry cake recipe

I have discovered my photos are a timeline of my life. They are all saved in chronological order. Sometimes people roll their eyes at foodie pictures. I am relieved I have taken so many food pictures so I can remember recipes and how a dish looked when I prepared it. 

annabella  hydrangea

My garden pictures remind me of what was blooming at what time each year. The pictures also remind me of flowers I had planted in former gardens and what thrived and what didn't. They also give me ideas for how to combine colors and textures in containers. There is a good reason for me to have hundreds of flower pictures!

Shelby and Annie

Of course, my photo timeline helps me keep track of all my dogs and cats, when we got them, when we lost them, and how they entertained us. Boy, have I taken a lot of pet pictures. 

Maybe this will help you look at your huge collection of pictures off your phone and camera in a different way. It is your life in images. I know there will come a day when I need to organize all my pictures and remove duplicates and not so good images. I think that will be a good winter project.

Sherman Pass

Silver Linings

" We are the silver lining in any and every dark cloud we could ever find. There is no need to go looking for the light when you bring it with you. " Tyler Knott Gregson

In April last year I wrote a blog post entitled "We Are the Silver Lining".  It was after we had been sheltering safe for about a month. Instead of getting down, Everett and I chose to search for silver linings. The quote above is the same one I used last year. It is still true. Here that post. https://gatheringaroundthetable.blogspot.com/2020/04/we-are-silver-lining.html

The world is a tough place to live in right now. People around me are hurting. People around me are struggling,  There are days when I am hurting. There are days I am struggling. I continue to work at bringing the light with me. I continue to search for silver linings.

Every week Family Dinner is a silver lining. It isn't always about the delicious foods everyone prepares, but it is knowing it is a place we can share, get lifted up, sing, and laugh.

Riley is a silver lining. What would I do without Riley? My day starts with him greeting me with a snuggle and all through the day he makes me laugh and provides companionship. He just knows when I need kisses or a paw on my arm. Here he is building a pillow fort on the 4th of July.

My gardens are a silver lining. When the day is coming to an end I find joy wandering around looking at what is blooming and what is finally sprouting. I am thankful for sunshine and water.

My friends are another silver lining. I am surrounded by a special circle of friends that call, text, join me for a meal, or just show up. It is so nice to be able to share a laugh, a memory, hear about their day, talk about a new book, or just sit outside and enjoy fellowship. Knowing they are out there somewhere is a huge silver lining. 

Where I live is a silver lining. I can jump in the car and be at a beautiul place in minutes. I am surrounded by beauty, history, quiet places, busy places, and so many places that bring back memories. I love the place I call home.

Do you have a silver lining?

the view from my front yard