Today I have a confession to make.  I see pictures in textures.  In my carpet I will see animal faces or people faces.  In my wood floor I see the word “Sissy”.  If I could only draw or paint what I see but when I look away and turn back, it is different.  I have tried to outline the shape so I can go get a pencil and paper but that doesn’t work. Does anyone else share this very strange characteristic?

When I was a child my dad painted our bathroom anew.  It was God awful ugly.  It matched the bathtub surround tile.  It was black, white and bright bubble gum pink.  It was so ugly.  Well my mother exclaimed one day that she saw Jesus in the newly painted wall.  She ushered each of us in to take a look and see if we could see Jesus too.  I’m so embarrassed to admit that I thought I saw a picture of a man’s face where she pointed.

Everyone proclaimed we had found Jesus in our bathroom.  It’s strange that my mother had such an aversion to cleaning the bathroom.  She was in there with Jesus, what more could you want?  But my mother did have this thing about cleaning the bathroom.  She wouldn’t let me in the kitchen to do anything.  If I helped to dry dishes I would invariably drop one and break it.  She couldn’t bear to lose any more of her precious dishes.

So I would offer to clean the bathroom.  I actually like cleaning bathrooms because when you are done they look like they have been cleaned.  I love the shiny sink and tub and the mirror without floss specks.

So I have diverted enough already.  I wish I had artistic talent so badly.  If I could only copy just one of those pictures that I see in the textures.  I saw one recently that I swear could be a work of art.  Just the look on the man’s face, the softness of his brows, the shape of his mouth.  I may just have to find myself an art class and take it.

I write today with a heavy heart. (I bet you thought I used a computer.) My tomatoes have a disease and are dying.  I have a lot of tomatoes but I don’t know if they will survive the dying branches.  I am taking some leaves and branches to the extension office tomorrow to see if they can determine what is wrong.

Today I picked 6 cucumbers.  They are so sweet and delicious this year.  I took one to my neighbor across the street.  I know I cannot eat them all.  If anyone wants a couple of cukes just let me know.  (And no, I am not sending them across the country.)

I canned seven quarts of hot dilled beans today.  I had been making the jars and putting them in the fridge until I had a load to can.  I made three quarts today and had four in the fridge.  They are lovely.  I make them for the father-in-law who makes us such delicious Bloody Wilmas out of them.  (That is a regular Bloody Mary but made with gin instead.)  Since I discovered it, it is named after me.

I have three pints of raspberry sauce that I am going to can next.  I hope this works so we can have this at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I plan to give one jar to a very special raspberry loving friend of mine.

I picked seven green peppers and laid them out on a cookie sheet to freeze.  I’ll bag those up tomorrow to put in the freezer for this winter.

I am going out to gather sage to dry in the dehydrator.  It should be done tomorrow also.  I’ll start on some dried rosemary tomorrow.

Although I am struggling with my grief over the tomatoes, I will persevere.  I figure I will plant the tomatoes in the herb garden next year and plant the herbs in the regular garden.  I can give it a couple of years and see if I can get this disease or whatever it is to die!

I have beets out in the garden and I guess I will make some beet relish and can that this weekend.  There is no rest for the wicked or rather for gardeners who plant much more than they really need.  I just can’t resist growing things.

My adventure today came as a result of a newspaper lady calling to interview me and see my herb garden.

She asked about how I became a Master Gardener and I told her all about my plants and even gave her some of my favorite herb recipes.  I offered her some fresh herbs but she declined. (?)  Free stuff?  I’d have taken them.

So anyhow, I will let you all know when the article appears and send a link to read it.

My cute little swan with blanket flowers.

Breakfast

I have a new breakfast addiction.  It is tamales.  The lady at the local grocery store makes them fresh and I cannot resist.  A little cheddar cheese, some sour cream and hot Pace and I am in breakfast heaven.

I admit that I go through stages of breakfast eating.  When I awake in the morning my first thought is “what do I want to eat?”  On occasion, I blow off the thought and do my yoga/Pilates/Qi Gong instead.  But lately, those tamales are calling me from the fridge.

I have tried the chicken, pork, beef and cheese with jalapeno.  I really want some veggie ones but she said she never makes them.  I might have to make some myself.

Several years ago we had a tamale party and us girlfriends made a shitload of tamales.  We divided them up and everyone got to take a bunch home.  I find that they are just the right amount of food in the morning to keep me feeling filled.  I have a hearty appetite and can eat a LOT.

When I was a child, my mother was so proud of me.  My sister and brother would not get up early in the morning.  They waited until the last minute to hurry and get ready and make the school bus.  Not me.  Mother would say quietly through my door, “Breakfast is ready.”  I was up in a flash.  She spoiled me with gravy and biscuits.  (Have you notice here in the North that people always correct you and repeat, “biscuits and gravy?”)  I’ve always said the opposite.

I have just completed my round of being addicted to grapefruit in the morning.  The last batch I had was kind of dry and mealy.  I’m into oranges right now but the ones I purchased last have more pith than meat and I’m not really happy with them.  I have one anyway because I need my fruit in the morning.

Years ago I got into the habit of eating a bagel for breakfast.  I like mine with smoked turkey, yellow mustard and jalapenos.  Warmed!  It was a little too much carb for me but I’d still eat one!

One summer several years ago I decided I would try to eat my cereal for breakfast.  Breakfast is just not breakfast without something warm and I have never like cereal.  I got Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat and Cornflakes.  I would do Raisin Bran one morning, shredded wheat the next, cornflakes the next (with banana) and oatmeal the next.  I really didn’t notice any difference in my health or BMs.  (TMI)  And I really missed my warm food for breakfast.

Years ago we went to breakfast every Sunday morning at the Sand Burr Restaurant in Brodhead, Wisconsin.  Fabulous breakfast and reasonable prices.  My favorite was Gravy and Biscuits, Roesti potatoes and a sausage patty.  Our friends, the Webbs, and the van Ests would join us.  Sometime the girls went with us and sometimes our friends’ son joined us.  Addi called it our church.  We would discuss all kinds of things and offer stories from our lives to share.  It was great!  The only thing better than breakfast, is breakfast with those you love.

(I know you are saying, “back up Smother.  What are Roesti potatoes?”)  Well Roesti potatoes are hash browns with onions that are fried crispy and topped with melted Swiss cheese.  They are so good.  And a meal in themselves.

My buddy, Jeff, would always share his Roesti potatoes with me and I would share my gravy and biscuits with him.  A family style breakfast.

I may just have to go to the Sand Burr soon and get breakfast.  My mouth is watering.

Today I worked at the Children’s Garden at Lake Summerset.  It is every Saturday from 9:00 to 10:00.  Master Gardener, Jackie Wiggins is the leader and I assist her.

Today we learned about dirt.  The children were given three buckets of different soils.  One was heavy clay, one regular dirt and the other potting soil.  They were instructed to make a worm out of the dirt.  Of course, the clay dirt worked the best and we discussed which dirt would be best to grow plants in.  We settled on a combination of soils for our garden plants.

We next played with clay and the kids made the most wonderful things.  One looked like Cookie Monster, one Garfield.  One dad constructed a dragon for his 3 year old son.  One mom used the examples on the package to do a flower, dog and other little animals.  Another mom helped her three year old make a lady bug and a duck on a pond.  I’m not sure how it related to gardening but the kids had a very good time.

This is Angel with his Garfield.  (Dad helped.)

I made a pretzel (sorry I am artistically challenged) which one girl decided to destroy. Jealousy kicked in for a six year old.

Next week I have to skip the meeting as I am going to be in another movie.  The movie is being shot in Harvard, IL and is about a little girl who wants to grow up to be a ballerina.  It is being shot from the knees down.  I have to take three outfits and different shoes to be in the movie.  It should be very interesting.

The lot next door

The empty lot next door to our house has many fond memories for our family and friends.  When we first moved here our neighbor told us we had the best kite flying lot at the whole lake.  When February came around we went kite shopping and got some really great kites for the girls.  We attended a kite workshop at the Children’s Discovery Center in Rockford to get some tips.  It turned out that Addi’s picture was in the Rockford Register Star while working on her kite at the workshop.

The wind picked up and out we went to fly the kites.  It was a perfect day and the kites flew wonderfully.  The next try was not so easy and we lost Jess’s kite in the woods next to our house.  She was so distraught but we got her a new kite soon after.

The kids in the neighborhood would gather in the lot next door to fly kites and it was such a sight that people would stop their cars down the hill and watch the kites.

Girlfriend, Ellie, is a pink flamingo fanatic.  One year for her birthday we all got her pink flamingos and she had a little gang of flamingos on her lawn.  We used to sneak into their yard and rearrange the flamingos.  Once they were caught “doing it”.  We put instruments on them once and they were a band.  Once we had a little party on our deck and Ellie’s family came.  Their son Jay has this tremendous sense of humor. The girls decided to fly kites and Jay snuck down to their house and brought up a flamingo which he attached to his kite and flew the flamingo.  We took pictures.  Ellie got such a great kick out of it.

One beautiful evening we decided to go for a stroll and when we walked into the lot next door we saw the Northern Lights for the first time ever.  The hubster was so excited he went and woke the girls up to come out in the lot to see the Northern Lights.  They were too sleepy to appreciate it but it’s still a great memory.

The first few years we lived at the lake we had three apple trees in the back yard.  I put up quarts of apple pie filling.  I made dried apple fruit roll ups.  It took forever to make them and the girls snarfed them down so fast it was unbelievable.  I don’t think I ever made them again.

When the apples were pretty much gone all was left was the stupid rotting ones on the ground.  We had batting practice with them and batted them into the lot next door.  In November when our Jack-o-lanterns were rotting we would roll them down the hill into the lot next door.

After eating corn on the cob, we would all go out on the deck to see who could throw the corn cobs the farthest.  It was so funny in about a month to see the ground covered with corn cobs.

Once someone tried to build a house on the lot next door.  After they put up stakes setting out the plans for the house, the hubster and I went out that night and pulled up all the stakes.  Their plans must have fallen through because there still isn’t a house on the lot next door.

When the lot next door went up for sale the hubster was devout in thinking we were going to purchase it.  I put my foot down.  Two tax payment, two association fees, two water bills, let alone maintenance of the lot?  There was no way we were buying that stupid lot next door.

After the hubster charcoaled and built up his ash collection he would go dump the ashes in the lot next door.  That dirt will never grow anything but weeds.  He dumped his ashes in my garden a few times after he hogged up the lot next door so bad that when they mowed it there was a huge dust storm of charcoal ashes.  I couldn’t grow anything in those darn charcoal ashes.  We now save our charcoal bags and empty them into it and put them in the garbage.  The dump should beware!

When I garden and find little rocks I usually sling them over my shoulder into the lot next door.  Just wait for the mower to show up, and stay inside is all I can say.

In the spring when I am cleaning up the yard I drive my truck into the lot next door and rake the white pine needles right into the truck.  Makes for easy clean up.

When we first got Jessie dog we would play fetch the tennis ball with her in the lot next door.  She discovered the gophers soon thereafter and began hunting gophers.  She uses her mouth like a crane and takes a big divot out of the hole and then she repeats until her mouth is so nasty.  Then she starts digging with her feet.

I quickly learned that when she made that first bite to get her away from whatever she was trying to get to.  Addi came home once and took Jessie dog into the lot next door. She allowed my dog to hunt gophers. She was laughing so hard.  She thought it funny.

The hubster also once took Jessie dog gopher hunting.  What is wrong with these relatives of mine?  It takes forever to get her mouth clean again.

These days I am battling the beetles.  Japanese beetles are everywhere.  On my raspberries, on my beans, on my basil!  I am so mad at the Japanese beetles.  Whoever brought them to the US of A should have to eat a big pile of beetle fried rice or a beetle taco!  My newest method of beetle battling involves an ice cream bucket with warm soapy water.  I rake the beetles into the water.  The soap gets on their wings and they can’t escape.  I leave it sit overnight and then I dump it in the lot next door.

Someday, excavators are going to be digging in the lot next door and will be amazed at what they will find.  I’m thinking I should throw Jessie dog’s old bones in the lot next door.  That will make their find even more interesting.

This is a photo of my Daddy's garden.  It has his old shovel and his old wheelbarrow in it.  He was quite the patriot and so I made it a patriotic theme.  Red, white and blue flowers and I decoupaged the flower pot with flag material.  I think he would really have liked it. Behind it is the lot next door.

Caught in raspberry hell.

Well folks I never thought I’d think it but, “I’m sick and tired of red raspberries.”  It is now out in the open.  I have been picking berries for three weeks.  I have been fighting Japanese beetles for three weeks.  My fingers have little teeny, tiny stickers in them and if you hit it just right it feels like I have a telephone pole splinter.

I’m standing in the middle of the patch with my little ice cream bucket of soapy hot water raking scads of Japanese beetles into the bubbles.  Their little screams relieve my prickled fingers.  I leave them overnight and then dump them in the lot next door.  (The lot next door should be my next blog.)

After the beetle battle I start picking berries.  The ones at the south of the patch are not as nice as the ones at the north so I pick them first.  That way when I am just about pooped out from the heat and sweat and prickles, I see a bunch of really nice big berries and I know I just have to pick those.  I try to save them for the in-laws.

The berries came from the hubster’s Grandmother who lived in LaSalle.  She grew the most wonderful red raspberries and I fell in love with them.  When she realized that I was a gardener (and still am) she insisted that I had to have red raspberry plants.  I knew nothing about them.  My father grew black raspberries but never taught me anything about gardening.  I had to learn it by myself

I found a brochure from the Department of Natural Resources about growing raspberries and I read it time after time.  I still refer to it before I trim and thin my berry patch.

Yesterday’s pick was about a pint which is what I got for the first week and am getting for the last week.  I have made raspberry jam, jelly, sauce, vinegar and a vinegar sauce that I was not impressed by.  We have had raspberry shortcake and raspberries with Breyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream.  I haven’t made raspberry pancakes yet but my friend, Naomi, has.  The in-laws prefer butter pecan ice cream with the raspberry sauce.

I am facing going out to the beetle battle and the raspberry pick.  Of course, I’d rather sit here and write about it.

Daughter, Addi, sent me this photo once.  Today I send it back to her.  (BTW, she hardly ever reads my blog so she will never see it.)

My latest adventure was with friend, Garnet.  We decided to go to the beach and do the floatie thing.  We have these blow up float what we lounge on and drink beer and share stories of our lives.  It is so relaxing and with it being around 90 yesterday it was the perfect setting.

We scouted around for a place, sans little screaming children.  The south side of the beach was pretty clear except for three large women who were doing the lawn chair in the lake thing.  Which is fun too but I really like my floatie.

Garnet has this wonderful pump that works by electricity to blow up her brand new floatie thing that she got at Farm and Fleet last year at the end of the season.  It was on sale!  We walked up to the beach house and plugged in and it did not start.  I pressed the reset button the outlet and it started right up.  Whoo and yeah me!  She finished blowing up my floatie since my breath had not filled it completely.  Then she blew up hers.

We were off to floatie.  I had to dive into the lake first because I cannot just go in gently.  I grabbed my floatie and my beer and gently hopped into my floatie.  In I went and oh my, did it feel wonderful.  Garnet had to get a beer first and came out to let me hold her beer while she attempted to get onto her floatie.

I say attempted because it took her a good five minutes to figure out how to get on the floatie.  She first tried the hop backwards method and almost took me in with her.  I was trying to stabilize her floatie with mine.  Next she tried the straddle method and we just about lost it laughing.

I suggested going to the end and belly flopping onto it but she rejected that idea.  There was a little hole section at the bottom and she thought she would try getting into that but that didn’t work either.    She tried one more hop backwards and turned herself over and into the lake.

Finally, I told her to go to the shore, get on the floatie and paddle out to me which she did.  When she got to the rope and buoys I suggested going under the rope and she got tangled in the head rest and off she flopped again.  We were so entertaining I’m sure everyone at the beach loved us.

Back she went to the beach and got onto the floatie and came out to the rope.  I lifted the rope and she lifted her end and she made it into the swim area.  Small victories are some of the best.  I got her beer to her and we floated around and talked and laughed.  She floated out of the swim area which is not allowed at our beach.

In her struggle to get back in the swim area she found herself back in the shallow water and now had to attack the rope and buoys again.  I suggested we go to the other end of the beach and float down to where we were now.

I suddenly heard thunder and pointed to the north at the huge clouds that were accumulating.  I prayed it would blow over us.  In about three minutes of thunder the lifeguard blew her whistle and announced a short 15 minute break for the thunder.

I had to pee anyhow so I went up to the beach house.  Coming out I felt the drops of rain begin to fall.  Oh no, our floatie thing was going to be ruined.

When I got down to the beach Garnet was already packing stuff up.  It was raining pretty good by then.  We rinsed our floaties and beach chairs off and took them to the grass.  Garnet moved her truck down to the parking lot and we loaded up.  Time check and we had had one and a half hours of floatie time.  Most of it spent with Garnet trying to get on her float.

We were still laughing when we got home and unpacked.  Another fun adventure with one of my favorite people in the world.

Next adventure…we are going downtown Rockford to the Kryptonite disco (or whatever they call dance places these days) to be in a movie as extras.  We might just have to enjoy a refreshing beverage while we are there.

Well I have been negligent in writing every day for the past while.  It is because I have been incredibly busy being lazy.  In between all my silly responsibilities I find I run to my computer to do a puzzle or surf the internet or, silly me, just screw off.

I picked a pint of raspberries every day for about a week.  And then the next day I picked five and the next day another five.  It backed off the next day for I discovered my girlfriend, Naomi, in my patch picking berries.  Bless her heart.  I had taken her a jar of the raspberry jam that I had made on Wednesday and told her she was welcome to pick any time.  I was weeding and watering at the Children’s Garden and she picked my berries.

The mosquitoes didn’t seem to like Naomi as well as they like my fat ass.  She is so skinny that there isn’t much to gnaw on.

I did blow off Zumba on Wednesday.  It was 58 degrees, for Pete’s sake, (who is Pete and why is his sake so important?) and I decided it was a perfect day for canning.  I had saved up my berries in the fridge.  I had made raspberry sauce and saved the seeds to soak for juice.

The hubster had gone to work because of a hot project and I turned on my rock concert, as he calls it, and danced and made 10 jars of jelly and seven jars of jam.  I have already given away 3 jars of the jam and need to mail one or two to Arizona and one to New Hampshire in this next week.

I do on occasion indulge in my abundance.  Just the other day I have shortcake with raspberries, raspberry sauce and ice cream for breakfast.  I’m retired.  I can f…ing do what I want to do.

Aside from the garden weeding and raspberry picking and preserving, I have been trying to memorize the script for the movie.  I still am just so star struck by myself.  I stopped at the local nursing home to see if I could visit a person who had had a stroke.  I’m still not quite sure of how to act this out.

The cast and director met on Saturday to go through the script.  I have some major challenges as I have to try to get out of a bed while incapacitated.  When you see the movie, try to envision my idiocy in this endeavor.  Chicken whiplash comes to mind.  (Don’t ask.  It was cruel.)

Last night I decided to indulge myself again.  I went to the bar across the street to see Naomi’s band perform.  They are Decades and they are so good.  Well, she is so good.  And they are a very good band.  They know a lot of old songs that I like and I like hearing her sing them.  I really wanted to dance but I didn’t have anyone close to grab and go boogie with.  I finally just went out and joined a bunch of people dancing and to heck with a partner.  It was fun.

I ran into an old friend who I hadn’t seen in many years.  Jean Ann is one of those old souls in the world.  She is like a magnet and draws people to her.  I saw two people physically cry when they hugged her.  To love and be loved is the greatest joy on Earth.  Isn’t it true?

 Had to take a break just now to talk to friend, Garnet, who wanted an update on the movie star adventure.  Garnet and I are both penny pinchers and we pick up any money on the ground.  A week ago I went thrift shopping with friend, Lauri, and when we got to this one shop, on the ground under her car were a ton of pennies.  Knowing me, she pointed the pennies out.  Of course, I picked them up.  Not the ones under the car because I could not bring myself to stoop that low for a couple of pennies.  And so while I was talking with Garnet I was washing my found pennies.  I forgot to tell her about them.  She will be so jealous.

The pennies had big boogers on them and were stuck together and gross.  I couldn’t put them in my penny bank like that and so I got out my little scrubber and washed pennies.  I came across a 2015 penny the other day.  I thought they were going to stop making them?  What’s with that?

Today I am washing my hummingbird feeders and refilling them.  They were full of earwigs.  I hate earwigs.  They are so gross.  And so I’m not grossed out enough there is a white spider in the sink also.  I had a moment of thinking to take it outside and set it free but no I washed it down the insinkarater with the stupid earwigs.  I have to go out and fight the Japanese beetle battle next.

I need to set aside my time for blogging each day.  Every day is a new adventure.

On Tuesday I drove to Rockford and met Elenita and her mom, Kimberley, at the local McDonald’s in their neighborhood.  Elenita is so mature for her nine years of age.  We chatted about our acting experiences and she told me all about her theatrical career.  We all shared stories and got along fabulously.

I am very excited to start working on the movie.  We meet tomorrow at Rock Valley College to start making plans and schedules.

Another great retirement adventure for me

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On Wednesday it was 58 degrees outside and so I opened the house up.   I decided to blow off Zumba that morning.  I picked 5 pints of raspberries and with the others I had picked throughout the week I made 10 jars of raspberry jelly and seven of jam.  The berries are still coming and I have a new recipe for raspberry vinegar sauce that is purported to be wonderful.

I have to go pick berries in the 79 degrees today.  I will put on mosquito repellent today since I know they are so bad.

He was sitting across from me the room.  There was a magnetic pull coming from his body to mine.  I just wanted to go over and touch him.  I turned away but had to look back.  He was looking at me.  There was something in his eyes.  I could barely catch my breath.

I crossed the room scarcely aware of anyone else in the room.  I lean into him allowing him to glimpse my cleavage.

“It’s Friday,” I said.  “Would you like to go out with me this weekend?”  I stood back up to gaze into his face for his reply.

“I sure would,” he replied and then unbelievably he said, “For you are my sun, and my stars and my moon.”

I told him he could have anything in my world.

And he said to me, “I’m looking forward to it.”

My soul had climbed so high that I didn’t notice that I had sat back down across the room.  I know I floated there.  I was imagining myself biting his earlobe.  I was envisioning him licking my chest.

It’s about that time I woke up.  I was so disappointed.  My heart was broken.  I wanted to have that date with him.

I have no romance in my life so I guess I am dreaming it.  It’s nice to believe there is still romance in the world.  I hope everyone reading today has romance.  I sometimes miss it.

I was looking up quotes the other day and found this one.

"Be humble, for you are made of earth. Be noble, for you are made of stars". —Serbian Proverb

Isn’t that just kick ass?

I discovered recently that when I say the word “them” I am actually saying “thum”.  What is wrong with me?  Several years ago I realized that when I said “for” it came out as “fur” and then I noticed my children doing it also and then the hubster was doing it.  I now have to study everyone for their “thems”.

I have been negligent with the blog because I am so busy.  (Yeah right!)  Actually I have been pretty active for the past several days.

On Wednesday and Friday of this week, friend, Garnet and I went to a Zumba class.  It is quite different from the cds that I have been using but it is fun.  And a fun bunch of ladies in the group.  I ran across Beelawn who I knew when she ran the Johnny on the Spot Dry Cleaners in Freeport.  She remembered me too! Our instructor is Ginger and does that girl have some energy!  I am soaked when I finish the hour.  I plan to continue taking the class twice a week.

After the class on Friday it seems as though my Qi Gong instructor is giving another class and I may just stay for that also.  Qi Gong doesn’t seem like an exercise to get in shape but I tell you, after doing my work out in the morning after my yoga session, my arms are pretty heavy.  I highly suggest the exercise to anyone, young or old, fit or obese.  It is very soothing to the soul as well.

On Thursday, friend, Laurie, had the day off and so we met in New Glarus and did some running around.  I found the cutest little gecko in one shop and he is now in my flower garden.  I also found a lady bug and she is in the garage flower bed.  At another shop I found a new top to do yoga in.  It is hot pink and not really me but it has a nice bra inside for my large American breasts

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Laurie and I ate at the Grumpy Toll in downtown Mount Horeb.  I had the walleye sandwich and I don’t know what their seasoning was but it was delicious.  I also had sweet potato tots and I really wasn’t that impressed.  Some Tobasco helped a bunch.

On Wednesday, Garnet and I ate at the Ridott Corners bar where we had a beer because we retired ladies can have a beer at lunch.  Tee, hee, hee.  I asked if they had Michelob and he said, “Yes.”  Then he brought me a Michelob Ultra which I told Garnet it tasted like horse piss.  She called him over and told him what I said and asked that he bring me a different beer.  He agreed with her and I got a Samuel Adams Boston Lager which is almost comparable to Michelob but not quite.

I also worked in the Children’s Garden twice this week.  I weeded, deadheaded marigolds and fertilized.  It looks terrible because we got the plants in very late but it will liven up after its much needed feeding.

The biggest adventure of the week came by a phone call.  A student in the visual arts class had seen my try out for a movie part the week before and he asked if I would play a nanny in his short film.  I met him in Rockford at the Farmer’s Market and got the script.  I am nanny to my granddaughter, and I have a stroke which leaves me unable to communicate.  This should be a challenge.

I plan to visit the local nursing home and try to observe a person who has had a stroke and try to mimic them.  This makes me feel sort of strange but if I am to be an actress, I must face this.  It is not making fun of them, it is acting!

I’m also going to go meet the little girl who will play my granddaughter and get to know her.  Ron, the director, said she is very sweet and quite mature for her age.  I think he said she is ten.  Oh no, what do I have in common with a ten year old?  Any suggestions?