Good Morning (well it’s afternoon now)

In Southeast Alabama it’s in the 90’s today and suppose to be that way all week.  Does get down to the 60’s at night though.  We too had a horribly hot summer here with heat index’s in the 100 & teens. 

Not doing much today except laundry.  Need to have some clean clothes to wear to cooking class tomorrow.  Yes, Don and I take a cooking class on Tuesday afternoons.  Last week I taught the class and they learned how to make my mom’s Homemade Chicken & Noodles (noodles are like dumplings), Snicker Salad and Crab/Pasta Salad.   We’ve become friends  with the instructor and his wife Chef Michael and Jeanne Sigler and they’ve ben here for dinner on many occasions.  He’s had my Chicken & Noodles a few times and asked that I teach the class.  Even though it was out of my comfort zone it was a lot of fun.   This is the last 6 week session for the year and as we did last year we’re having a pot luck for the last class where we all bring in a dish and recipe to share.  I’ve got requests for homemade pizza which is a combined effort as I make the homemade crust and Don makes the homemade sauce. The toppings we have to buy ready made.

Thanksgiving won’t be as good as last year because my stepdaughter and granddaughter aren’t going to be here.  They live in Sweden and last year they came to visit with Lisa’s fiance and his 15 year old brother.  While they were here we planned a wedding in 4 days and Don got to attend his daughter’s wedding.   He wasn’t too pleased about his ex-wife visiting but he was cordial and even though I was a nervous wreck having never met the woman before I was proud of myself for being outgoing and friendly toward her.  I wanted her to see what a great wife Don had and what a great guy she let get away. 

It’s rainy (STORMY) in Iowa!  I just got up (I’m a night shift worker, not just lazy!!)  It’s supposed to start cooling down now. thank God!!

recipes like "dumpling" chicken soup and especially that Snicker Salad and Crab/Pasta Salad and not share…and I just came home from having lunch at Applebees with a friend but after hearing those titles of food, I want to try them…(especially as I am now listening as I type to Dr. Oz talking about loosing ten pounds would help all our health ) but I still love great recipes to cook once and awhile! 

Hubby is a HUGE Chiefs fan!  Glad they won last night!!

(to us in California, anything past the Rockies or the Sierras is very far east…) you must have gotten our summer this year…normally, we’re 100’s from July through early Sept. (now) and sometimes into October, and currently we’re in the mid 80’s with only a few days of upper 90’s to 100’s.  So we’re loving our mild weather.  And hoping for a very cold, wet winter! 

We all are in awe here of what you all have to go through back east in your winter time with the ice storms, blizzards*, thunder/lightening, Snow as high as four story buildings, etc. each year.  I see news reports on t.v. some times and people who live in snow country driving sedans – I guess snow tires work, but if I was going to have to drive that kind of stuff every winter, I’d invest in a 4X4 for sure!  I own one of those here and all our pavement does is get a little wet…

And I am very much looking forward to winter and "cold".  But our winter isn’t like your winter…I don’t have to wear a coat, (in fact, haven’t owned a coat in six years), a sweater on a "cold" day suffices…(and believe me I don’t like to be cold with my achey bones), but I’d much rather have the cooler weather.  We get two seasons, Hot and Raining.  Hot from April, to October – Rainy from November to March, (if we’re lucky), with a lot of nice sunny, cooler days in between.  From June through September – nary a sprinkle.

I miss the fall weather with the leaves turning like you guysies back "east" have.  That would be fun to visit.   I only have to drive 50 miles to see snow (like – Donner Party snow*) in the winter if I want to see snow. 

and we have some of the most beautiful deserts, mountains and beaches in the world.  I’ll tell ya what’s worse than the earthquakes…our taxes!  They would scare the you-know-what outta most folks (except maybe New Yorkers).  And living up here in northern Cali…you are correct, it’s like an 18 wheeler driving by but you mention the word "earthquake" to a non-Calfornian and it’s "freak out time" while with us it’s ho-hum…But then you mention hurricane or tornado to us and it’s "freakazoid time" for us.  I guess it all depends on whatcha get used to, all I know is hurricanes and tornado’s happen every year for months on end but we only get earthquakes (the bad kind) once in a blue moon…now watch, next week we’ll drop off into the ocean (Heaven and God forbid!)

And I know Florida well, being a military brat up until I was age 25 – I was born in Escambia County at the navel station in Pensacola, but never lived in Florida – parents were just coming through to visit grandma after living over seas, and mother decided to go into labor with me.  My father was born and raised there and I have lots of relatives (wouldn’t know them from Adam but they are there).  Been back to visit on vacation as a youngster though.  I loved watching the thunderstorms roll in across the sky…and the fact that every day it would rain for about 20 minutes, always made the air smell good (not good as you say for a convertable car)…ha-ha!  How did you decide to move clear across country?  Family?  I used to love moving at the drop of the hat being a miltary family in fact, I still have that wonderlust to move every three years – it’s in my blood I guess.  But I’ve been pretty much in this area for quiet awhile now…(at least until the earth moves!