Shrimp Boil

Jerry Jr. brought up 8 or more pounds of shrimp for boiled dinner.  Fortunately Bandit was returned home so we could celebrate rather than cry while eating. The Mississippi shrimp were large and fully intact. Long feelers extended off the heads along with sharp defense spikes.

Added to the pot were Zatarain spices red skin potatoes, celery, 20 cloves of garlic, onions, and carrots.  The carrots were a last minute idea, and perhaps turned out to be a terrible one.  The carrots became very salty.  So if you want to put them in the pot to absorb extra salt put them in, but don't eat them.

 

Corn was added to the pot too, but a little too soon for my liking.  I prefer my corn to be just warmed through with a five minute boil.  FYI corn is edible raw and fully digestible.  In shrimp boil dinner the corn gathers a wonderful spicy heat that with numb your lips a little.

Andouille  is a smoked, garlicky, spicy hot, pork based sausage.  

 For this meal the shrimp was cooked in another pot with some garlic, onions and seasoning because Mike is allergic to shell fish.  

The table setting included butter for veggies and bowls for peelings. A surprising pleasure was the boiled garlic which was smashed into the potatoes.  In the end we wanted more potatoes.

***Zatarain's dry crab boil contains msg. In the future I would choose a brand without msg.

Dog Gone

Jerry jr. (Gwen's brother) came up around Father's Day for a week-long visit.  He brought his two little dogs Bandit (shih tzu) and Bambi (fox terrier, whippet, chihuahua mix). Bambi is smart, energetic, and full of personality. She if gifted and is known for her ability to locate an escape route out of a fenced in yard.  While visiting she found a way out of her auntie's yard and little Bandit followed her lead. 

Not long after their break out Jerry received a call about Bambi who was found a mile from home.  Investing in a dog tag engraved with the owner's name and phone number is money well spent, Jerry learned.  But little Bandit was not found.  The usual authorities were contacted along with Facebook about lost Bandit. There were long drives in the car and the mind had to be reigned in from imagining "worst case" scenarios. 

36 hours later and eight miles away he was found curled up on a very swanky front porch sunburned, thirsty and with a cut on his paw.  He evaded the coyotes. 

This is little Bandit destroyed by the excitement.

 This is the eyes closed tired smile he gave me when I asked Bandit if he was glad to see his dad.

Jerry is a professional gambler so I got this for Bambi and Bandit - safer risks are involved.

Learning from the more Experienced.

My colleague Emily is 28 years old, but plays in the Siena Heights University Youth Symphony.  
She invited me to attend.  I saw many friends there, but it was an enlightening experience for me. Older experienced musicians play in the symphony alongside young adults to give them the experience of playing well together.
It's sort of like putting a less experienced athlete on a "stacked" team.  This was interesting to me, because my granddaughter is in softball and is playing alongside other girls who have very little experience playing ball.  There are many concepts to be learned in softball that are hard to translate into practice just by verbal direction.  It seems that these girls could have benefitted by playing alongside older girls with more experience who could verbally command and visually demonstrate the goals of the game.

Farmington

I went to Farmington for a memorial service.  I arrived early and took a stroll around the town, bought cookies and bread at the local bakery, visited a few shops, walked around the historical museum and cooled off in the library, which had a perpetual book sale - one grocery bag for $4.  Yes, I got more books.

Many things were weighing on my mind when I went to the memorial service.  But God had this quiet comforting little adventure designed for me.  It was a sweet time and it filled my heart with gratitude so that I could come with grace to give to a grieving family.

French Cooking Class

I was offered the opportunity to go to Ann Arbor to take a French cooking class.  The chef teaches at a variety of venues, but class it was instructed in her sweet home.  Her lovely daughter assisted and we were taught how to make a raspberry meringue pie, chicken tenders with mushrooms, scallops and port.

The theme of the meal was Normandy. 

There was wine, water, sparkling water, and hard cider. Appetizers were baguette,  a platter of cheeses (the sheep cheese was the big treat) and roasted marinated eggplant with basil on french bread. Additionally there was scallops and port.  

My classmates were tax preparers from the H & R Block in A2.  It was an enjoyable and diverting activity to kick off the summer.

Brutus

 This is Brutus the Goldendoodle. He is a good natured dog. In fact he is the most laid back dog I have ever met.

He belongs to my friend Jamie.  She asked me to stay with him while she and her fiance' went on a trip scuba diving. Before I stayed with him he got trimmed.  Good thing too because we had a 90 degree plus day already.  I took my granddaughters for a swim in Brutus's pool.  As you can see he has his own life jacket.  This is mostly because he is an older dog who might tire out easily.

Honestly is was the best swim party ever!

More Little Joys

I gifted myself with this sweater for my birthday.  

I received more chocolates from Le Chatelain, Bozman MT. 

Joys

Many things go unposted because I don't have internet. But here is a sampling of the little joys 2016 has brought so far.

I won this small metal clay charm at the Hot Chocolate Hustle.  It was designed by an AHS art student. 

One day in March I went out with the girls from work and we visited the Humane Society.  A very sweet deaf pit bull was there.  She waited a long while to be adopted, but many people were rooting for her and she had a large following on face book. In the top frame her collar indicates that she is deaf.

 I found this decaying pumpkin in the Fedor's garage that I found strange and beautiful.

This is my young friend Emma as Dr. Watson in her school musical.  All the songs were written by a classmate and high school student.  This was very impressive, not at all schmaltzy.

Kitten Tracks left in an early March snow.

Cute handmade bunnies found at Peaceable Kingdom.

Friends and Family weekend at the Second Baptist Church. The youth group is directed by my friend and co-worker.  It was spiritually uplifting.

I spent Easter at friends.  This is their fine Blue Heeler Cooper.  This is a great dog. He is full of energy and can play ball all day.

This is their other dog Zoomer.  He can't be let loose or he will run, and run, and run.

 Cake at work

 I cut the happiest piece I could. I've never done that before.

 My grand daughter was a pirate in Peter Pan.

 I found these lovely English porcelain earrings at the second hand store. 

An early April snow. 

 This is a blue aka lilac aka silver beagle I met at the farmer's market.

 This is the beagles yellow lab mix companion. She is a little shy.

I bought these large may morels from the mushroom man at the farmers market. They were so tasty.