A New Tradition

“Rumor has it, this crowd-pleasing cake got its name because every bite makes you hum with delight.”  And that we did.  Micah made my birthday cake from a recipe link I had sent her months ago.  It is called the Hummingbird Cake.  It has all of my favorite ingredients:  pineapple, nuts, bananas, cream cheese just to name a few.   The recipe originally ran in 1978 and has become one of the most requested recipes in Southern Living history.  This signature Southern dessert has been a favorite of many for almost forty years.  Hats off to Micah for making me “hum” all though my piece of  birthday heaven.

 

Truck Before Toys

I could promise Hinckley and Hatcher a trip to Toys R Us but I would be declined if it meant a ride in Granddaddy’s big red truck.  So we illegally loaded up the little guys for a short Big Lake drive and a stop at the new Shell station for some M&M’s.  The rumble of the truck, the bumps and the turns produced squeals and smiles.   Aunty Micah brought sprinkle donuts and the boys ate lunch together like little pals.  The little H’s are becoming more than just cousins – they are buddies.

At Death’s Door

I was out in my lift by six am and painted until three with only a twenty minute lunch break.  If I even attempt to explain how tired and sore I feel I would not even come close to the reality of the situation.  My hands hurt, my feel hurt, my shoulders hurt and my hair contains paint.  It was a good day though and the progress was substantial.   We will have to rent it one more time for the front of the house and to put up the gutters.  I have my chair, my soda and my Tylenol.   All is well.

 

On Top Of The World

Wait for it!  Wait for it!  I sound like a quip to a Facebook video but seriously I had to wait for it for a long time and today. . . ta dah. . .it arrived.   My very own (for twenty-four hours) hydraulic lift for me to finish painting the house.  You would have thought I got a gift card to Target but this is the next best thing.  At first I was a little weirded out with lots of controls and a shaky basket twenty feet above the world but after awhile I was contemplating a job fixing wires on telephone poles.  I had everything I needed:  paint, rags, Windex, paper towels, water, soda, sound system, phone, paint brushes, pliers and a screwdriver.   It was me and my bucket making it happen.

Summer’s Gone

One look at the edge of the yard tells me summer is over.  Good bye fireweed and good bye traveling out of state.  Gone are the late nights and late mornings.  The house painting will be wrapped up soon and the lawn will be mowed to pick up leaves.  My summer purse will be changed out for my fall teal bag.  My home color palette turns autumnal with straw and pumpkins in my mind.  Claudia Wilde made me a beautiful quilt years ago which I bring out – it is my signature sign that fall is right around the corner.

Blue

After cleaning my home and others (my old job) for about thirty-six years I have given up on using harsh chemical products such as toilet bowl cleaners and other cleaning solutions.  My tried and true replacement product is Dawn Dishwashing Soap mixed with vinegar in my own spray bottle.  Gone are the days of “passing out fumes” when cleaning a bathroom and the expense of the products purchased.  I found this idea on Pinterest a few years ago, I tried it and liked it, and now my under-the-sink kitchen cupboard doesn’t sport a dozen bottles anymore.  One “blue” cleaner and one blue Windex.  A simple life is good.

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Morning Sounds

Cock-a-doodle doo is back.  This morning began at 4:45 am and we are back in action.  It is back to ironing Mike’s shirt, making his lunch, making Rhea’s lunch and getting them off to school/work.  I hit my list of things to do hard and then I heard him – the neighboring rooster.  I haven’t heard him all summer which tells me I must have been slumbering through his racket.  He crows at five am and continues to crow about every thirty minutes until eight am.  I am ok with him marking his territory or just crowing when the sun comes up – at least someone else is up with me.

Singing Scripture

I wondered why the program at church didn’t have any speakers listed.  I soon found out it was because we were having a special musical program where anyone who felt so desired could share their favorite hymn and testimony about it and which desired verse they would like all of us to sing.  It turned out to be the most inspired, touching meeting I have been in a long, long time.  Music touches the soul when sometimes words can’t.  Teary eyed and filled with emotion we all pondered that hour throughout the rest of our day.  I just love Sundays like this.

Homeward Bound

We bid farewell to Hoonah after a very nice visit.  Gus and Kris were most hospitable and we enjoyed our time with then.  Dillon and Kristi are awesome parents and little Alfie is so good and sweet.  We were sad that we couldn’t see Lane but he was deep in the ocean waters doing his job.  We did get a call that our flight was delayed (deja vu)  but within twenty minutes we were heading to the plane.  When the wheels hit the runway in Juneau after a bumpy ride I was so very relieved that leg of the journey had concluded.    Let’s do the ferry next time.

Hoonah Moments

~walked to Chipper Fish for waffles

~checked out Dillon’s boat

~watched the making of Tlingit canoes that will be transported to Glacier Bay

~Hoonah drive to look at property

~Alfie time