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I was not ready for the new year, much less a new decade. I felt a little heartsick because I have family members battling the ravages of time in far away hospitals and friends who I love so much I consider them my extended family that are experiencing illnesses and loss. I couldn’t seem to shake it, not even when my favorite January centerpiece of camellias and Holly berries was on the kitchen counter.

Then it was time for our trip to Florida. We visited Anna Maria Island for the first (and hopefully, not last) time. We stayed at the Bungalow Beach Resort, a not to be missed Old Florida gem. It helped that this was the view off our back porch less than ten feet away….

But, believe it or not, that wasn’t the best part, although the sound of waves and smell of salt water always lifts my spirits. It was that six out of my nine siblings were there too! My sisters who live farther north than Alabama don’t take much arm twisting to go to Florida in January and our baby brother lives near by with his beautiful wife and two precocious sons.

It was just what I needed. Since we had a beach front bungalow as did sister Lori, we could bebop back and forth and visit. As one of my sisters noted, as long as at least one of us was on the beach, we all could be! Good restaurants were within walking distance and there was a free trolley for further jaunts. Lest I start sounding like the Anna Maria Chamber of Commerce, the most important thing was being together.

Saturday night we descended upon my brother’s house, by invitation from he and his wife, and had a taco party. Whoever said you shouldn’t have too many cooks in the kitchen was simply wrong! I’d say instead that many hands make short work….. and terrific tacos!

I returned home refreshed and with a renewed spirit. Bad things are still happening to the people I love, but somehow my heart is better prepared for them. Seeing the amazing people my siblings have become makes me recognize once again how important family is to the core of my being…and always will be.

We pulled in the driveway to see two daffodils in full bloom almost three weeks early…. that can only do a heart good.

There are lots of Christmas memories that involve food. Tantalizing aromas wafting out of the kitchen and working in the kitchen with my sisters doing what we all had down pat after years of having our assignments for the feast. But memories of Christmas in the kitchen would not be complete without lots of laughter. Some of the most memorable ones involve disasters averted. Here are two.

Mother read somewhere, we never knew where, that the best way to heat brown and serve rolls was in a brown paper sack in the oven to keep them fresh and moist. So…she did that, but apparently skipped a step. Soon smoke was billowing out of the oven. I opened the oven door, wet towel in hand to douse the burning bag. Mother grabbed another towel and tried to blow out the flames by fanning the towel. Luckily I got them out with the wet towel before she managed to set my hair on fire. My nephew Patrick took part of the charred remains of the bag to put in a baggie as a memento of the Christmas eve that Grandma tried to burn down the house. Mother insisted the rolls tasted fine – she was right if you liked more than a hint of smokiness to your dinner rolls.

The second episode occurred because after years of peeling, what seemed like ten pounds of potatoes, Mother found a way to make boxed instant potatoes taste like the peeled thing. Christmas Eve she instructed me to put sour cream in the potatoes. When I asked how much, she said to “just use what’s in the refrigerator”. I did and she was right, the result was delicious “real” potato taste.

Christmas morning I went over to her house early to make the hash brown potato casserole only to discover that one of those cartons of sour cream was supposed to be saved for the next morning’s brunch. I called my sister Lisa who was still at the hotel to have her pick up sour cream on the way over. Mother lived in a small town where there was only a convenience store open that morning. Lisa called in a panic, no sour cream but they did have several cartons of French onion chip dip. She bought all they had. Mother stayed out of the kitchen, although she wondered what was going on with all the whispering and phone calls. We skipped the onions in the recipe and added the dip. We stuffed the empty cartons in the bottom of the trash bag and immediately took it out to the garage.

When the brunch was over Mother proclaimed that was the best casserole she’d ever made, not that she made this one……we might have gotten away with it but I started laughing and it became contagious. When we were laughing to tears, we finally confessed what the special secret ingredient was. Unfazed, Mother simply announced she would always use French onion chip dip from now on. It was pretty tasty!

Wishing you and yours all the blessings of this Season and may your only disasters turn out to be tasty!

Winston Churchill is reported to have said “Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” Luckily, I have never experienced that kind of exhilaration, but after the past week I’d like to borrow Sir Winston’s turn of a phrase to say “Nothing at my age is so exhilarating as to complete outdoor work without a trip to the Emergency Room!”

My husband, following in his father’s footsteps, wants to keep doing the major maintenance work, like this week’s raking and gutter cleaning, as long as he can. Of course, that means that I am out there helping even if it’s just holding the ladder and ducking to avoid debris hitting me from above.

I know, those of you who have already had to get out your snow blowers are wondering why we’re raking leaves in December. Here they have only just all come down and the fifty and sixty degree weather makes it the ideal time to work if there’s not much wind and several days without rain.

On Tuesday we raked and used the leaf blower. I walked to the top of the yard and promptly stepped off the hidden curb onto slick leaves and in an instant was on the ground. Luckily, I escaped without anything more than some bruises. Jim thought I should not try to keep helping, but I did it any way. He muttered something about me being my father’s daughter, then helped me up off the pavement. I must confess that when my stubborn wore off, I was pretty sore. But the yard and driveway looked lovely two hours later.

In Thursday, we cleaned gutters, me on the ground holding the ladder steady and Jim high over head. He likes my help then so the ladder doesn’t take a notion to travel!

The key take away is that we didn’t have to have any medical care beyond some ibuprofen and a little bourbon! Now, that is exhilarating!

I used to think that you only got cabin fever when you were trapped inside by bitter cold weather with blustery winds and even snow, for weeks at a time. I was wrong. You can get cabin fever trapped in the air conditioning for weeks at a time trying to avoid the sun beating down so strongly that even a walk up to the mailbox can make you break out in a sweat.

It’s nearly October. The Tide are playing their SEC home opener today, but there are no crisp mornings with the waft of Fall in the air. No thoughts of morning coffee outside or afternoon crossword puzzles on the deck. It’s too darn hot!

The seven day forecast shows 90s every day – mid to upper 90s and lows never dipping below 70. That’s not October weather in Alabama. And nary a drop of rain. Somehow Mother Nature is stuck in the dog days of August.

I might begin to believe that global warming is real – except that the records we are breaking for heat are from 1897 yes that’s not a typo 1897! Or 1946. Or 1954.

So I’ll just pour another glass of tea – hydration is important you know – and be thankful for the creative mind that developed whole house air conditioning! And be glad I wasn’t in Alabama when the 1897 record was set! Stay cool!

Last week we attended the Union County Fair for Kiwanis barbeque sandwiches, lemon shake ups, and harness races. When we were first married, the races went on for two or three afternoons. My in-laws had box seats in the grandstand and it was always a fun afternoon. Like so many wonderful activities, the harness races have dwindled in popularity. Last year they did not have a single race. This year they had one afternoon with seven races.

A couple of the races were only three horse affairs and the horses clearly hadn’t raced for real very much with one coming up in each race at the very very end, long after the one and two place horses crossed the line. The last three races though came down to the wire. You could even pick winners for your chance a ten dollar prize. We didn’t do that but only picked among ourselves – my husband, his sister, her husband and me. It was wonderful fun after so long an absence from the track.

When we got home I searched for a picture I knew that I had. This is it.

This is in the late sixties and it is Daddy driving Roddy Mac in his “silks” an all white outfit. We spent several summers going to county fairs all over Wisconsin and Illinois and Iowa while Daddy drove Roddy Mac or Spendthrift, our other horse, in the races. We didn’t get to see him in every race, but if Mother could haul us over for the race, because it was close and we could get home that night, we went.

My sister Lori and I got to go out to the track and exercise the horses. We quickly learned how to put on the harness and attach the sulky, much to the amazement of the old men who seemed to live out at the barns on the fair grounds. Especially since Spendthrift was supposed to be an outlaw horse. He was never anything but sweet to the little girls who brought him carrots and that he pulled around the track. We decided he must have been badly treated at some point and it made him behave badly, like an outlaw. Daddy got the horses as payment on veterinary bills. They never won a race, but they helped make the summer vacation and weekends in the fall after school started a little more exciting.

It was wonderful to be with family and out to the races- despite the heat. Most of all, I enjoyed pacing down memory lane!