Today I'm posting some pictures that remain from June and July. The above two pictures are of the grandsons shooting off more fireworks. The pictures were taken the day after the flood. The creek was mostly back to a normal level by the 4th of July.
I think it's safe to say that most Americans know what a s'more is, but did you know that the Girl Scouts are credited with the invention of s'mores? The recipe for s'mores was first published in a 1927 edition of Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts, an official Girl Scout publication. There were many evenings while the grandsons were visiting that we enjoyed this sacchariferous sweet. One evening as we gathered ingredients to make s'mores, we found that we were out of graham crackers. Middle grandson suggested we use cookies instead of the grahams. They were delish! I'm not sure we'll ever go back to graham crackers.
Who doesn't enjoy regaling their grandchildren with stories of "back in my day..." ? I myself am guilty of this very thing. With three growing boys visiting over the summer, food was an often mentioned and recurring topic. One day the boys asked what was the worst food I had ever eaten. That's when I told them about my experiences with goulash.
There were occasions when I was growing up when my mother had to be gone over a weekend. When my mother was absent, my father took over the cooking chores. Have I ever mentioned that my dad was a cook in the National Guard? The man knew how to sling hash. One of his favorite dishes to make was goulash. He mixed crumbled hamburger, elbow macaroni, chopped onions, a can of tomatoes, and lots of chili powder together then proudly presented it as if it were a gourmet meal. My stomach does flip-flops just thinking about it. I told my grandsons that this was the worst, most horrible thing I had to eat as a child. (Although, upon reflection, I think breaded tomatoes were really much worse.)
After describing this gut-wrenching cuisine to the boys, they insisted we try it. They thought it sounded wonderful and begged me to make it. So I did. Fifty years ago I promised myself I would never, NEVER cook goulash or make anyone I cared about eat it. Well, you know what they say: Never say never. Both consort and the boys proclaimed the goulash delicious. As for me, the goulash tasted the very same as the hot mess my dad served up. I believe it's a one-and-done.
If you're a regular reader of this blog, maybe you'll remember that we left our Westiepoo, Bella, here in NE Tennessee last year with her new owner, K. K's grandparents own Roan Creek Campground, and we've had the pleasure of her company several times this season. Of course, wherever K goes, Bella goes. K and Bella were here over the 4th of July while the grandsons were still here. Consort, the boys, D.O.G., and I all got to spend time with her.
The first time Bella showed up, D.O.G. broke into his happy dance -- jumping up and down with all four paws leaving the ground at the same time. Bella, ever the "too cool for school" dog, acknowledged D.O.G.'s presence, but didn't seem all that excited to see him. She just walked around sniffing each of us with what seemed to be complete indifference. We all wondered whether she even remembered us. Once the adults were settled in camp chairs, and the kids ran off to play, I called Bella to me. She ran to me and jumped up on my lap burrowing her face into my neck as if to say, Of course I remember you! Priceless!
I am happy to report that Bella is living the life of a very lucky dog. Although she was in and out of our fifth wheel making herself completely at home, and followed after the kids and D.O.G. all day, when it was time to say goodnight, she was always ready to leave with K. She rides on the back of our friend's ATV, has full run of the campground, and is a favorite of employees and customers alike at the marina where K's mom works. No longer does she play second fiddle to D.O.G. with his unique dreadlocks. She is the number one dog, and we are so pleased.
This little guy was seen wandering through our campsite early one evening.
Haven't seen any bears....yet.
Fulton went to the vet a few weeks ago and was neutered. He had laser surgery, so there were no stitches. In fact, he did not seem to have any pain or discomfort at all. After picking him up, I settled him into the backseat of the pickup. He immediately took shelter under D.O.G. curling up between his legs. No amount of coaxing would bring him out. Interesting that the cat feels most secure nestled under a dog.
We spend a lot of time outdoors here. We had about a week of temps in the mid to upper 80s, but it has cooled down again into the 70s during the day, upper 50s at night. Everything is lush and green. Completely beautiful! Pictured above are D.O.G. and Fulton in the creek. My dog-loving cat now enjoys playing in the water. He has also figured out he can climb trees. Fulton's favorite outdoor sport is teasing D.O.G. until he becomes so agitated he turns and chases the cat. Fulton then runs up the nearest tree leaving D.O.G. on the ground below, barking, with his paws up on the tree trying to reach the cat. Watching the two of them interact is always entertaining!
Final note for those of you who receive this blog via email. I have received notification from Blogger that they are disabling the ability for one to follow the blog through email. As far as I can tell, this change will occur sometime this month. I will be the first to admit that I am technologically challenged, so I'm not sure I fully understand the changes. This is just a head's up. If you stop receiving emails with new blog posts, just google Permanent Sag and you'll find your way here. In the meantime, I'm working on sorting it all out.
Quote of the day: A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within. ~W. Durant
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