The Gooseberry

Hey, I've missed you, bloggy friends. It's mine, not thou's fault. I got stuck in Helena for a week with the weed whacker. (winter preparations, there, too)

I'm going to plead "old age" for the reason it took so long. That's like the old romantic novels where the young gal's pleaded their bellies. I first saw that expression in "Forever Amber" in 1944 when I was 14. I found my mother's copy she hid in her underwear drawer. It was too racy for my eyes. How times change. What I'm trying to spit out, "It takes me longer to trim bushes than it used to."

I was going along, trimming my 3rd gooseberry bush down to the nibs when I happened to notice all the bushes were pleading their bellies. (So happy to get a chance to use that phrase again). Bazillions of glistening droplets of plump berries, crying out the word "wine." I blurted out, "No no, don't do that to me. I don't have time to pick you or caress you into a fine wine."

Oh, what the heck. Organic gooseberry wine. A white delicacy.

I'm now back in Bozeman with gooseberry wine fermenting in the wine bucket. I know I will be asked how I do it. Very simply, the old fashion way. Berries, handfull of raisins, one lemon, sugar, yeast. I still have my elderberry wine as I'm not much of a drinker. A thimblefull is sufficient once in a while.

I've made wine out of just about everything. Back when the good wild stuff was not drenched in poison spray, clover and dandelion were great favorites.

Sizzle, sizzle..... great fermentation. Now to catch up on my blog reading of my dear bloggy friends. Adios
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P. S. Evidently I opened a small can of worms with the mention of the phrase "plead your belly," from the book Forever Amber. I'm so old, I guess I thought everyone had read the book as I think of it as a classic. The story takes place in the 1660's following Charles 2 return of the Stuarts to the throne. Homeless street girls who were pregnant, would "plead their belly" for a stay of execution for petty crimes they committed for survival. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. I hadn't read it in 67 years but I remember it in detail. How many books can boast of that?

Crazy-Making Days

The big crunch of pre-winter is here. Lawn furniture goes to the rear of the shed while the snow blower becomes the star attraction. It's like an old vaudeville show; each tool has a glorious moment to perform well, or it gets the hook.

September is time to fold up the old sun umbrella and consider moving inside for dance lessons. Two classes are into their first week of Country 2-step (Yah-hoo) and East Coast Swing. Flamenco classes are still fluctuating on choice of night. My classes are no-charge..... free. So why do I work so hard? It's my pleasure to help young people whose talent lies in the direction of dance. I remember "way back when" I was a struggling dance student trying to stretch funds. I would have been eternally grateful for free dance lessons.

If anyone saw the "2-old Broads making energy bars," here is a "2-old Broads minus one" doing the hula hoop. A few posts back I mentioned my athletic hula hoop. It's weighted with five pounds swinging around your waist. I can work up a sweat doing 200 turns. Below is a very short vid of me doing the simple hula hoop. No fancy dancing, although some gals do. I'll have to work on that. Now everyone in my family is getting one. Don't buy the ones for kids...... too light. I had to send for mine online. My Granddaughter took the video and adds a few comments.
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Tid Bits

I got up this morning and made a batch of fudge. (Hey, don't give me that look. I feel guilty enough.) I like fudge. Especially this one. It's made with macadamia and pine nuts, raw cacao, avocado,and agave. If Marilyn were still here, we'd do another Julia Childs.
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Then I fired up the old Mac and there, on my blog, was this cute little puppy from Carol at Under The Tiki Hut. Carol writes mysteries and her short stories put prickles on my arms. I've loved mysteries all my life so it has to have a pretty good twist to add the prickles and Carol is a master at it. Thank you Carol.

There's always a catch to accepting cute little puppies. This one is easy-peasy. I have to recommend a book. I just finished reading "Kiss it Better" by Linda Kage. Most of you know I'm way past the age of young romance reading material (age 81) but I love to read the books of the writers I blog with. This is one hot book. Steam was coming from my kindle when I opened it. You had me hooked from the beginning, Linda.

Reed Walker, perfect man, perfect accountant, perfect lover, harbored a dark secret and I wasn't going to put the kindle down until I found out what it was. Linda's writing really pulls the reader in. The love scenes would make the average old lady blush, but hey, I have a memory. :) I recommend this well written book.
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I'm going to pass this cute little puppy to 2 of my male bloggie friends.

Chuck at Apocalypse Now

Al at Penwasser Place

Visit two fun guys. You never know what to expect when you do. :)

Buck Up

I was at Costco this morning and you know how everyone joins in on a conversation. The bagging guy was next to the cashier and said, "My Mother tried to ruin my Thanksgiving one year when she served salmon in place of turkey."

The cashier and I looked at one another and laughed but the guy dead-pan serious, said, "No, it's true. She had salmon in place of turkey." We could tell by the look on his face that he meant every blasted word he said.

Big ugly silence. The cashier forgot to keep ringing up. I said, "And now she keeps telling you to get over it." By now the cashier had recovered and chimed in about "get over it."

"No, she doesn't say that," bag boy (in his 30's) said in all seriousness.

Bye, I'm outta there but I thought about it all the way home. HE'S BLAMING HIS MOTHER .....YET.... THAT SHE RUINED HIS THANKSGIVING.

How times have changed. Who ever had the youth of a princess. Not me, for sure. I owned 3 dresses (girls didn't wear slacks or jeans then). Did I wish for more? I honored the dresses I had and loved them. 2 school dresses and one for Sunday. I thought I was lucky because I knew some girls who only had one dress.

Oh, the picture above is of a new patch on my jeans. I know, it's in style to wear jeans with holes, but not for me. I retrieved that pair of jeans from my daughter's Good Will bag long ago and such a perfect fit, it's difficult to part with them.

I was on a picnic with friends and a little girl got stung by a bee. She cried and whimpered and the mother gave her appropriate attention, love and some salve. An hour later, the little girl was still whimpering. All the Mother said was, "Time to buck up," and the little kid stopped crying and went on to play.

Evidently some mother's forgot to say that to their kids. Mine said it.