What's For Dinner?

After watching cooking shows all day, Abigail was ready to have dinner. She wanted to make some crackers. I couldn't find the recipe I had in mind so we settled on Cheese Straws. Instead of making straws I had her roll them out very thin and cut into squares. They were delicious. We decided to share in the preparation of dinner. Abigail made the meatloaf and vinaigrette for the salad. I made the spinach salad and the candied carrots.

Abigail wanted to make the vinaigrette and use the herbs from our patio garden. She chose sage, parsley and rosemary. She added extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of sugar and blended it in the blender. It was a nice flavor over the spinach, red onion, red bell pepper, tomatoe, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Those cheese straw crackers were really good with the salad.

The meatloaf was served with cream of mushroom soup. It was a great meal.

Cooking

Abigail and I watched the Food Network's, "The Next Food Network Star" marathon today. The contestants have been tested not only on their ability to prepare and cook food, but also on their knowledge of food, presentation, marketing skills, ability to cook anywhere and to show why they should be the next Food Network Star. Gosh, I couldn't make it as a Food Network Star! To much pressure for me. For years I've been the star of my own cooking show, "Momma's Home Cooking at Home". Like most of you I am my family's favorite cook.

I started cooking when I was eleven. My mother taught me to make homemade pie crust, to use fresh apples from the tree, and mace was the spice my mother used in her apple pies. By the time I was thirteen I had made Thanksgiving Dinner with all the homemade pies, cakes, ham and turkey with dressing and side dishes. I met Brent and started cooking for him. He liked all kinds of foods and would always ask me, "Can you make ______? Is it hard to make?" Cooking is not hard, some things just take a little more time to prepare. I enjoyed cooking for him. He appreciated my cooking and would certainly let me know if it wasn't my best.

He loved biscuits and I tried all our married life to get that RIGHT biscuit. I never could. Oh, they were pretty good and I never had to throw them out. Of all the biscuits I've ever eaten I will say the blue ribbon winner of biscuit making is my friend, Trina Pearl. Her biscuits are light and flaky and so yummy.

For many years Brent hunted and fished. I've cooked squirrel, coon, dove, deer and elk ( a gift from a neighbor) and different fresh water fish. We went the whole foods route where I made whole wheat bread from wheat berries that I would grind with my mill. We bought organic foods, had our own vegetable garden, raised rabbits for meat, chickens for eggs and goats for milk. We tried all kinds of diets. The Atkins diet, Whole Wheat Bread and Potato diet, Mediterranean diet, Low fat diets, Suzanne Somers and many more.

Food was always an experience in the Davis household. Even when Brent was in the hospital receiving chemo and radiation treatments he was thinking about food. Chemo takes over a person's whole body. While destroying the cancer in our bodies the mind becomes confused, slow to remember the simplest things and destroys our sense of smell and taste. Brent was repulsed by the smell of styrofoam cups, straws, hand washing soap, hand sanitizer, and body lotions and perfume. Most days simple things were usually a hostile encounter for Brent leaving him to reject sources of nutrition.

It is common for patients who are going through chemo to be deeply entertained by cooking shows. They long for they can't have and so they watch TV and read about food. Brent couldn't get enough of cooking shows. He talked about all of the foods he would cook when we got back home. Of the four months we were in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins Hospital he was at the apartment for a total of about 3 weeks. One afternoon he was watching one of Paula Deen's cooking shows. She was making salmon patties and had used saltine crackers to roll the patties in before frying. He asked me to make him some just like the ones Paula made. They really hit the spot for him. The week he was at the apartment I made them three different times.

I never would have thought that my interest in cooking would have changed with Brent's death. I've found my enthusiasm for cooking has left me. Breakfast and lunch are individual choices for all of us. Occasionally I will make a big breakfast for Samuel's enjoyment. Abigail enjoys non-breakfast foods in the morning. Dinner is always a hot meal made from scratch. Abigail has become interested in cooking and will very often prepare dinner.

Subscribing To My Blog

I added a new feature to my blog. In the right hand column you can see "Subscribe To" my blog. Click and make your choice. It is linked to Google, Bloglines, Netvibes, Newsgator, Yahoo and Atom.

If you enjoy reading my blog and get tired of coming back and seeing there is no new post, this might be thing for you. I'm always coming up with ideas for my blog, but never seem to get around to writing what's on my mind.

Metal Detecting

In the late 1800's scientist and engineers were using their knowledge of electrical theory to invent a machine that would pinpoint metal. In 1937 Gerhard Fisher was granted a patent for a metal detector. In the early years of World War II a Polish officer, Lt. Josef Stanislaw Kosacki, refined Fisher's design for practical use. After WW II there was a surplus of detectors on the market which were being bought by relic hunters. Thus began metal detecting as a hobby.

Friday, June 27, 2008 was an exciting day in my front yard. My cousin Becki's husband, Tom, likes to metal detect. Since their first visit last year he has wanted to come back and metal detect. My parents bought the property in 1943 before metal detectors were available for the general public. Knowing that this property was virgin territory was very exciting for Tom. Abigail and I were both very interested in learning what it was all about.

Friday morning while I was visiting my hospice patient, Tom was in my front yard with his White's 6000 metal detector. The detector beeped indicating there was something between a penny and an aluminum pop top. He begin to dig the spot not knowing what he would find. He brushed off the dirt and realized he had a button. He brought it into the house to get a better look. He could see the eagle on the front, the letter "I" in the center. It was a Union Civil War button! I was thrilled. I'm ready to research this property to find out more about the people who lived here years ago.


My sister Grace told me that one of her former neighbors had told her there used to be a fort here. I called the neighbor to hear the story from him. Fort Harris was an encampment just down the road. When he comes to visit at Thanksgiving he will show me where it used to be, including the confederate graves.

The back of the button (image below from the web) had lettering on it. We looked around on the web and found who the maker of the button was. You can visit the following site to see the description:
http://www.relicman.com/backHorstmannA.htm, look for HorstmannA10 var (21mm) about half way down the page.

History

What is history to you? Is it the exciting adventure of people who lived before you? Was it a text book you had to read in high school? Is it dreary, uninteresting facts that mean nothing to you? History is fascinating to me in all forms. I enjoy reading history books, researching my own family history, visiting living history sites and museums.




















I was introduced this week to a couple of new and interesting ways of learning history. My cousin, Becki Redwine Buchmann and her husband, Tom, came for a visit. They're on their way to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where they will participate as reenactors at the Battle of Gettysburg which originally took place on July 1-3, 1863. Becki showed my sister, Grace, and I the clothes that she and Tom wear when reenacting. She explained how she made some of their clothes and why they were made that way. The dress above is one of her favorites. She took the bodice to the dry cleaners to have it cleaned before she was to make a TV appearance. When she went to pick it up she was horrified to find that it turned a faded green color. What was she going to do? One of her reenactor friends ask her how many yards she had in the skirt. There were 8 yards of material in the skirt. She was able to take 2 yards of material out of the skirt and use for the bodice. The inside of the garment has been beautifully finished.
In the second photo you can the antique beads she added to the bodice. Although the dress is cotton it is quite heavy. The third photo shows the gauging on the skirt. She showed this technique to Abigail who has already made two dresses for her Barbie doll. Something else that the dresses in her collection have in common is the binding on the hem. Because the dresses are long and touch the ground the binding prevents the hem from becoming frayed. When the binding does become worn the skirt is taken apart and turned upside down. The hem now becomes the waist and the waist becomes the hem with new binding. Grace asked her about washing the clothes. They are not washed to often. They are spot cleaned. I wondered about body odor. Many of these reenactments are done in the summer in high temperatures. Becki wears full cotton under garments which keeps the body odor and body oils away from the clothes. The clothes that Becki sews or buys have been made using sewing techniques from the 1860's period. She and Tom have 12 years of experience as reenactors and she was able to answer ours questions with ease.

Thursday night, June 05, 2008 Mike and Anna were hard at work decorating the church and the reception hall. They found a lovely old church in town to have their wedding. Anna had spent the past two years buying things on sale to use as decorations for the wedding. It all paid off. The decorations were simple and lovely. The above video clip shows the inside of the church. The music in the background is from Samuel's CD.

Anna and Mike's Wedding, June 07, 2008

Can't Sleep

I'm wide awake and it's 4:10 am. I got all snug in the bed and laid there for an hour and a half with my eyes closed and it didn't work. I went to the kitchen and made myself some Raisin Bread toast and drank some milk. This is not the time for me to be wide awake. I go to see my hospice patient in a few hours. I need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed! I have errands to run later in the day. My oldest daughter, Anna, is getting married Saturday and there are a lot of things to do. I'm listening to my Thunderstorm CD hoping it will relax me and help me to fall asleep.

Being awake at this hour is not uncommon. I think it has something to do with menopause. My sister is also having this same problem. She's a very routine person but she's finding herself waking in the early hours not being able to sleep either. Our mother had the same problem. She would go to the living room and watch a little TV, sew or read a book.

Brent always called me a hoot owl. Many were the times he would call for me to come to bed. He told me he couldn't sleep until I came to bed. Sometimes I would lie there waiting for him to start snoring then get out of bed and quietly go to the living room and busy myself with something.

MySpace, Facebook, Blogs and CarePages

Facebook.com
I had a friend send me an invitation to Facebook. I accepted and thought I wouldn't use it much. Oh, I'm having a great time with it. It is a mindless way to occupy your time and yet keep in touch with friends and relatives who live far and wide. For you older folks (of course, this includes me) it is a great way to relate to your children, nieces and nephews, and young adult friends. Great for cousins who might live far apart. Facebook allows you to load as many photos as you would like. My favorite application on Facebook has turned out to be "Pieces of Flair". You can select from hundreds of buttons with sayings, photos, cartoons, Bible verses and so many more. You send them to your friends and they can post them to their bulletin board. I admit with embarrassment that I spent a good deal of time yesterday making my own "Pieces of Flair". My favorite flair was the one I made from a photo of Brent. I sent it to my friends who knew him. I also made one from a photo of a panda that I took at the zoo. You can list flairs in the directory for everyone to use or in the case of the photo flair of Brent I kept that one to myself and can send it to the people I choose. To my surprise I've had 16 people choose my panda to send to their friends. Guess what? It feels good that the flair I created was chosen by someone else.

MySpace.com
My oldest daughter, Anna, has had a MySpace page for a long time. She decided to set one up for Brent before he went to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. She said it would be a great way to let people know about his leukemia and what was going on with him. I just couldn't get into it. Well, after spending all this time with Facebook, Anna tells me MySpace is just as good as Facebook. Okay, so now I'm spending this evening setting up a MySpace account. I'll see how I like it.

Blogs
The diarist in me loves to write on my blog. I enjoy writing life stories/moments and sharing them with others hoping they will be encouraged. My friend Liz is an avid blogger. She rarely misses putting something on her blog on a daily basis. I freeze when I begin thinking about writing on my blog. I begin thinking about how long it will take me to write my thoughts, or I think "Nobody wants to read about so and so or this and that." Liz will send me ideas, or tell me to just post a photo or a joke. I feel guilty, as all diarist, when I don't write something everyday. I'm a big procrastinator and it is easy to find an excuse. I'm not even moved by the fact that my visitor counter hasn't moved for several days. But, my blog is here for me whenever I need it.

Grandma and Grandpa set up a blog for your grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Write family stories and add photos.

CarePages.com
What a blessing CarePages was for me. The spouse of a patient at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD told me about the CarePages. They are free pages where you can share updates about your loved ones illness or hospital stay. You can post up to the minutes updates and photos to hundreds of friends and family. Your friends can send you messages of encouragement and let you know they are praying for you and your loved one. CarePages was my lifeline to friends and family back home. In the evening when I came back home to the apartment I could write an update about Brent and send photos. It helped me to keep my thoughts together and keep me sane for the 4 months we were there.

It may be hard for the older generation to relate to these electronic ways of communicating, but it is certainly something that young people embrace. RSVP's, long hand written letters, and thank you notes are all but gone. The days of spending my summers writing 15 page letters, to pen pals and classmates who had moved away, are long gone.

The above web sites are great ways to keep in contact with family and friends who are near or far away. They all provide you with the option of only sharing your page with "friends only". I hope you'll try one.

Hospice

Today I visited with my patient. The patient was in pants and a tee-shirt. It is a good sign they feel better. It is so rewarding to sit and talk with my patient. The three hours I spend in their home just flies by. After the spouse leaves we talk awhile and then the patient ask for strawberries. I fix some for the patient and they always ask me to fix some for myself. We sit enjoying our strawberries and share our stories. The simple act of sharing some strawberries helps my patient feel as if they are still a part of the world. They are able to have a social time and to show their hospitality.

The Old Bridge

This old bridge holds many memories for me. Years ago our family would cross this bridge on our way into Memphis to see my grandparents and relatives. Daddy crossed the bridge on his way to work and so did I when I started working.

Twenty five or more years ago there were improvements made to the road along with giving it a new direction. The bridge was closed to traffic.

Brent was raised in the city, but had the heart of a country boy. He loved living in the country. The first couple of years that Brent and I were married we went fishing together, or Brent and my brother-in-law would go fishing or hunting. When Brent and Ronnie would go coon hunting my sister, Grace, and I would take turns going to each others house. We'd stay up until the boys got home from hunting. Sometimes it would be 2-3 am. We spent the time playing Scrabble, drinking coffee, cooking, watching TV, talking or cleaning house. My sister taught me how to cook those coons. It taste very much like beef roast. It is excellent cooked with sweet potatoes and gravy. Even our dogs, Bob (Grace & Ronnie's blue tick hound) and Tandy (our lab & pit bull mix), were the best of friends. They both went hunting with Brent and Ronnie.

Ronnie grew up in the area and knew all the places to hunt and fish. Brent and Ronnie were always on the lookout for new places to fish or hunt. The old bridge had a new job. It became the perfect fishing pier. One evening Brent, myself, Ronnie and Grace went fishing off the old bridge. We had chaise lounge chairs, a cooler of drinks, and a lot of fishing poles. Brent and Ronnie set out all the poles and dropped them in water. There were small bells on the poles. When we got a bite the bells would ring a small soft sound. We were after catfish. We sat there from sunset to about 3 am. It was a wonderful time. There is never much traffic on that road and after midnight I don't remember seeing or hearing any cars. We were relaxed, talking and having a great evening.























This photo, taken about 1983, is of Tandy on the right and her son, Bear. They were our children before Anna was born.

The next photo is of my brother-in-law, Ronnie, taken about 1983 with his dog, Bob, and some of the coon hides. Unlike most owners of hunting dogs, Ronnie raised his hunting dogs in his home. He never put them in pens only to be brought out at hunting time.

The last photo, taken in August 1982, is of Brent's catch from the pond on the back of the property. We ate good that night and had some to put in the freezer too!

Wonderful Comments About Brent

The photo above was taken in 2004 at Turkey Track Bluegrass Park in Waldron, Arkansas. We would go three times a year for about 10-11 days. Brent picked with his buddies for hours at a time 2-3 times a day. He loved it.

I'm posting comments from some of the emails that I have received this week. I'll put them in quotations and will keep the name of the person who sent the email private. I wanted to share how much Brent was loved and well thought of.

"I watched it all tonight. I loved that crazy guy and as I said before........I may never delete this ........some great shots.........of a great guy..........he will never die in our hearts and those of us who remain can only hope to live the kinda lives that make people feel about us the way we do Brent."

"Thank you for sharing this. When I first received it, I didn't open it right away, and I had to get in the right frame of mind to do so. I considered Brent a good friend, even though we didn't get to see each other that often. When we did, we had a ball. I loved Brent, and I trust that God is giving you and yours peace."

"I saw your slide show of Brent, it was so fun to see the early pictures of Brent. And so heartwarming to see him with each of the kids. (I thought you were a lovely bride) I know you have many happy memories. Hold tight to them. . .they will become more precious. Your entire family has been on my mind all weekend. We love and miss seeing you all."

"We went out to see Brent yesterday. It is such a pretty place. We sure do miss him."

"That was beautiful! I think about him all of the time, but I love to remember him in pictures...larger than life and lovin' you and the kids so much. He talked about that all of the time...you had a spell on him. I always thought that was how I wanted my husband to talk about me when I wasn't around. Wonderful.""I remember the first time I met Brent and there was just something about him that was special. He was a loving husband, loving father and a good example to all of us, even until the end. He never gave in to the anger and he always showed us how to overcome obstacles that sometimes can't be overcome...you have to put your faith in God and He will lead you. I admire
you and the kids for keeping Brent with us. You are an amazing woman and a great inspiration. I can see him now, smiling and thinking how proud he is of how you have carried on in his name. Thanks for sharing the pictures of his life and keep up the Lord's work. We will all sing together one day in heaven. May God bless you, Helen, and the kids. What a way to be remembered! He left quite a legacy and I am just glad we were able to meet all of you and share a part of your life."

"Thank you Helen. That made me laugh and cry. I sure do miss him."

"Thank you for sending the picture blog to me . I've had Brent on my mind along with the rest of you for several days. I was mowing the grass yesterday, that's when I unwind and just let my mind wander on it's own. My mind was filled with thoughts of Brent and all the conversations he and I had and the times we had together. I'm not much on show or expressing my emotions but I must tell you that I miss that man badly. I regret that I didn't have the chance to meet him earlier in life. But I do cherish the time I did have. Meeting him and you had an impact on my life that will go with me forever."

"I thought about him all day on Saturday. I knew it would be a tough day for you and we will certainly visit your blog. I can still hear him singing. We miss him and want you to know how much we loved him and still love your whole family."

"WOW...I'm wip'in away tears. He did more than most folks could ever dream of doing in his shortened life."

Brent and Cheeseburgers

The photo on the left is of Molly Elizabeth Campbell Davis, their son Louie, I mean, Santa, and Lancy Warren Davis. The half body is of Brent.

Brent loved eating cheeseburgers. He always liked to tell the story about the time he stayed with his grandfather, Lancy Warren Davis. Brent was young, under the age of 10. If I remember correctly, Uncle Don was in the hospital. Brent's grandmother, Molly Elizabeth Campbell Davis, was staying with Uncle Don, her son, in the hospital. Brent went to stay with his grandfather as company while Don and his grandmother were at the hospital. PawPaw, (Lancy) ask Brent what he wanted to eat that week. Brent told him he wanted to eat cheeseburgers and drink a coke everyday. They ate cheeseburgers and drank coke everyday!

Brent never got tired of eating them. At least once a week, Brent would grill them and I would on very rare occasions fry them. After Brent's death I noticed the mustard was lasting at least 6 months instead of a month and the pickles were not being eaten. I haven't bought pickles since before Brent died. I realized after his death that the kids and I were not eating cheeseburgers. The kids and I like them but we never think about having them. This week we've had cheeseburgers several times!

Brent

One year ago today, May 05, 2007 I lost my husband Brent to leukemia. We would have been married 26 years on May 16, 2007. The kids and I, his family and friends have missed him. He was a hard working man who loved and enjoyed his family. This week I will be showing you his life in photos. I have so many photos and it takes awhile to scan them. I will add slide shows during the week. I hope you will enjoy them.

My oldest daughter, Anna, and I were talking about him this evening. Our greatest time of saddest comes for both of us when we see MLG&W trucks. He worked for the utility company, MLG&W, for 19 years. He spent 3 years trying to get a job with them. I remember the day the lady from personal called to tell us he had the job. I cried tears of joy. It was in January of 1988. He was going to have to drive into town and do all the paperwork that was required. The Memphis area rarely gets snow, but that year there was about a foot of snow on the ground. We were so happy, yet apprehensive about his having to drive in that snow. He had been doing carpentry work for about 1-2 years trying to make ends meet. He and my brother-in-law, Ronnie, would go hunting and fishing to bring meat home. We also raised rabbits for meat, and had a vegetable garden. Our landlord had guineas and I'd gather the eggs. There were pear, apple and pecan trees on the property too. To help pay the rent he worked out a deal with our landlord to paint the houses on the property. Getting that job at MLG&W was a wonderful blessing. He worked the first 10 years on second shift. He was a mechanic for about 17 years and then transferred to the gas department. He worked at MLG&W and I worked at home caring for our children.

When I see those MLG&W trucks there are so many memories that come flooding back. He worked hard to support his family and never complained. He was the kind of man who could fix things at home. When the dryer didn't work he could repair it. He could till the soil for a garden, hunt and fish, repair our automobiles, build anything out of wood, and most importantly he was the spiritual leader of our home. Those trucks represent his willingness to work hard, to love, support, and care for his family.