The Bags are Packed

The bags are packed and the countdown is almost there. We leave tomorrow for Billings and have an early morning flight to NYC on Saturday. Sunday we board the Caribbean Princess and head north to Canada. After a sea day, we will port in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; Bar Harbor, Maine; Boston; and Newport, Rhode Island. We return on the 15th after spending a couple of days in New York City. I'll try not to bore you with too many picture when I get back, I'll only post the really good ones. See you in about 12 days.

Caught in the Act

My little granddaughter went shopping with me Saturday. While I was trying on clothes I caught her admiring herself in the mirror. I started carrying my camera in my purse when I started this blog, just in case I come upon something "blog worthy" so I quickly snapped her picture. The second picture is after she was caught.

Only in Montana

At work today I was asked by a bus driver to call one of our local ranchers and let him know that one of his buffalo calves was on the road. I thought to myself "how often do you make a call like that"?

(Just to clarify things, that is not the actual buffalo calf that was on the road. It's a picture I stole off the internet. The darn bus driver didn't get a picture.)

Birthdays, Birthdays and more birthdays

I almost let this month get by without mentioning the guys in my life who have birthdays this month.

Tanner was our firstborn grandson and was the most mellow, laid-back baby you ever saw. His personality hasn't changed much. He's just a very easy going kid. Tanner loves sports and participates in football, baseball and wrestling. He also likes golf and is a die-hard fisherman. Tanner is a sweet boy (he probably won't appreciate me saying that) but he really is a sweetheart. Tanner turned 15 on the 15th.






Tucker was born two years and 6 days after his older brother. Tanner and Tucker are good friends as well as brothers. Tuck is the responsible, level headed child of the family. We used to tease him that he was 12 going of 40. However, he has also has a great sense of humor and I love to listen to him giggle, especially when he's getting a kick out of something corny his grandpa has done. He's very athletic and is an intense player in whatever he does. Tucker turned 13 on the 22nd. His most endearing quality, to his grandpa at least, is that he loves the Denver Broncos.


We inherited Tristan when Cami married Wes and he's a keeper. When Tristan was little he reminded me of a colt running around. His spindly legs where always in motion, flying in all directions. Tristan is smart and also loves sports. He is also extremely affectionate and loving.



Tristan will be 11 on the 29th.

Last, but certainly not least, is Ken. He is patient, loving and has put up with my sarcastic and sometimes, sharp tongue for over forty years. Ken loves golfing, fishing, the Denver Broncos and his family. He is a super grandpa.

Happy Birthday to all these great guys! (and to Empress Bee--four birthdays and not one piece of cake! Can you believe that?)

SURVIVOR

Whoohoo! Survivor starts tonight! I'm a relatively new fan as this is only the 4th season I've watched. I held out for a long time because I thought the whole premise was stupid. Once I started watching I quickly became hooked, although I'm always disappointed in who wins. The person who plays the game the best never wins, well maybe they do play the best since they did win. This year I have even joined a fantasy survivor league! How lame is that??? I promise to do a better post this weekend, but for now I've got a show to watch.

MY NEW FAVORITE KITCHEN GADGET

Who would pay $14.95 for an avocado pitter? I had seen them in kitchen stores and thought there must be a better way to spend fifteen dollars. However, after the pain and agony of 4 stitches in the palm of my hand and a $600 emergency room visit, I spent the $14.95 for the pitter and I love it!



The round green end removes the pit and the other end makes perfect (or near perfect) slices



My favorite way to eat one is plain, with a little lemon juice and salt. But when I find four or five good ripe avocados (doesn't happen often in our little town) I make a shrimp and avocado salad.


I found this recipe in a magazine when we were in Seattle on vacation many years ago. We were camping in our tent trailer and I made it for dinner one night. It has become a huge family favorite.

1-12 oz. pkg shelled and deveined frozen shrimp
2/3 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ tsp. lemon rind
1 ½ tablespoon white vinegar
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 medium avocados

Cook shrimp. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain again. Pat dry with paper towels. Place in large bowl, stir in celery and onions. In small bowl combine, oil, lemon peel and juice, vinegar, celery seed, salt and pepper. Pour over shrimp and toss well. Cut avocados in half. Scoop out avocado, leaving ½ inch shell. Coarsely chop avocado and stir into salad. Divide among avocado shells and spoon dressing over top. Yummy!

Blast from the past

Back in the 70's I begged Ken to buy a leisure suit. Thank goodness he ignored my fashion advice. However, he had several shirts that looked a lot like these. What were we thinking? If this makes you nostalgic for the 70's, check this site out.
http://www.plaidstallions.com/fashion.html