Tomatoes, Tomatoes, and more Tomatoes

This is a year for tomatoes in our garden. We have a bumper crop to say the least. Each day I harvest about thirty more cherry tomatoes and a handful of other varieties. We planted six tomato plants this year, but our tomatoes from last year reseeded themselves and produced about a dozen more plants all full of tomatoes. We also have a few cucumbers, but nothing like those tomatoes. This is my harvest from today. I went online to get some ideas on how to use these tomatoes.

I started with this yummy fresh summer salsa. It is just two cups of halved cherry tomatoes, one red onion diced, fresh cilantro, salt, pepper, and lime juice. I did not add the jalapeno pepper since neither John nor I like things really hot and spicy. Add some salty tortilla chips and this was so yummy. I plan on making batches of this for my lunches in the next few weeks.

This is a salad made with halved cherry tomatoes, a sliced cucumber, a few onions, and a green pepper. The dressing is just oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Very crisp and fresh tasting.

I also found a recipe for pizza sauce made with 2 cups of cherry tomatoes. I just put them in the blender and chopped them up, added oregano, basil, salt, and pepper and it was ready for the pizza

Here is how it looked when I spread it on. It was a bit runny in consistency, but had a great flavor.

And here is the finished pizza with some fresh basil from the garden on top. I am planning on freezing some of this pizza sauce for the long, cold winter. I also make a cherry tomato/italian sausage sauce that goes over spaghetti. That is very yummy, too. I read online that you can freeze cherry tomatoes, but they will only be good for cooking since they get mushy, but that will be perfect for winter meals, too.

Tomorrow I plan on making some freezer tomato sauce, too.

Next year we will have to work on growing some carrots, onions, and peas, too, but for this year I am thrilled with all the tomatoes!

A Weekend not according to plan

Actually, part of our weekend was quite planned and turned out to be a great time, but part of it was not planned and required some creative thinking to make it all work. Now as I sit here on Sunday night, sometimes a weekend not according to plan can be good. We started out our weekend with a planned trip to Oshkosh. My mom came along so she could see Courtney and Paul's beautiful yard. We began at the Oshkosh Farmer's Market where Courtney is a vender selling her beautiful hats and other crocheted goodies.
We found Tizita and took her over to the town square where there was a free children's fair going on. She bounced in the bounce house, played games, got her arm painted, and ate free ice cream. Mom and I sat and enjoyed the musical entertainment while John took her around to all the activities. The time passed quickly and soon it was time to meet Courtney and Paul for lunch at Cranky Pat's. We all enjoyed our lunch and then headed over to Courtney and Paul's for the garden tour.
We all walked to the park to watch Tizita on the monkey bars. She must have crossed those bars twenty times.

Here she is posing with Gigi after a break from the bars.

Grandpa did give her a lift back home.

No, this is not a clown hired to entertain the crowd, it is just a grandma entertaining her little Tizita. We had to take turns on the scooter and the bike. Notice the trusty Taurus in the background. It has to do with the unplanned part of the weekend, stay tuned.

Gigi and Tizita enjoyed some piano duets.

There was some dancing and singing.

Some more hanging out at the park.

A little more scooting,

And here we are after a fun, fun planned day.

Gigi, John, and I hopped in our trusty Taurus and headed home. As we were leaving a stop sign about a mile from Courtney and Paul's house, we heard a loud roaring sound and figured it was the car next to us, but, No, that loud sound was coming from our car. We turned around and went back to Courtney and Paul's. Wheels were spinning on how to work this dilemma out.

Well, we drove Courtney and Paul's car home, left our broken Taurus there and returned today to bring their car back. I know it sounds confusing, but it all worked out well. Now our Taurus is in Oshkosh waiting to be fixed sometime this week, we have the Kia for John, I will walk if I need to get anywhere this week, and the Vibe is back home with the Van Aukens.

As I said, this was not in our plans, but life not according to plan can be okay once in awhile. Check back and see if I still have this positive attitude when I get the bill for the Taurus.

40 years and still smiling

Last Saturday, I attended my 40th High School Class reunion. It was a step back in time, a step back to 1971.


I had some reservations as I approached the tent, who would be there, how would we all have changed, would conversations flow or be tense, would old feelings be better left stored in the memory bank?


Well, any reservations I may have had quickly passed as I was greeted warmly by an old friend as soon as I walked over to the tent.





40 years later and we all still laughed together, shared some personal history, reminisced about the old memories (which are much better shared and brought out of memory storage) and for just one short evening nothing mattered except our class of 1971. It didn't matter if we had changed the world or just changed our underwear. It didn't matter if we had accomplished every dream we ever had or lived through a nightmare. It didn't matter if our legacy would live on forever or be forgotten as soon as we left this world.


What mattered was that on that evening, 40 years after graduating, we came together and laughed. We came together and touched one another's lives if even for just a few hours. We became teen agers once again and went back to that time, which is much sweeter as you look back on it. Sometimes living it was anything but sweet, but years have softened it and made it better than it actually was, at least in our minds.


Yep, it was a good night and I am so happy I attended. I walked away feeling happy, accomplished, and very excited to get back to my family for the annual Riverfest fireworks. Here is how it looked as I approached. Our class was not well represented at the reunion, but the people who came certainly had a good time reconnecting.

That's me in the black shorts talking to my friend, Mary Krueger Scherer. She was one of the first non-St. John's person I met in my homeroom on that first day of High School. It was a scary thing to be leaving a parochial school after eight years and walking into a room full of people that I did not know, but meeting Mary who just happened to be from a different parochial school made is all okay. We were coming from similar backgrounds and we were both a tad bit scared of what this High School business was all about. We are still good friends, but life has been busy and we have neglected getting together as often as we wanted.

This is Mary's husband Mark. I seem to be explaining something of great importance to him on this photo. I didn't know Mark very well in High School. I am thinking we moved in different circles, but since he married Mary, I have gotten to know him very well. I enjoy his laid back spirit and warm personality. He has a quick wit and I can see why Mary loves her life with him.

These are two of my friends from St. John's where we spent those eight years together. Pam Baumann Irwin is in the foreground with her husband. They came all the way from Colorado for this reunion. Pam looks just as I remember her from gradeschool. She had a ponytail with a long curl. When I sat behind her in school, I could stick my pencil up that curl. I was envious of her beautiful ponytail. She still has gorgeous hair. Pam was sweet, kind, and quiet. She was a caring person and I can tell she still is. I don't remember Pam from High School because we went our separate ways, but in many ways, the memories from St. John's are dearer and sweeter to me.

The girl (I know we are no longer girls, but woman/lady sounds so odd)
on the left in the background is the other gradeschool friend in this photo. Her name is Karen Stueber Sherry and I remember her as being the best girl athlete in our class. I liked to go over and play at her house, I liked her family. Karen had a carefree, fun personality. A few years ago, we were both teaching Sunday School at St. John's. She surprised me on my birthday with a candy corsage just like the kind we made for one another in gradeschool. That kind gesture made my day. That is how Karen is. Again, I don't remember her in High School, but it is good to have reconnected.

This is Nora Zemis in the blue and Devonne Banek. Nora was from St. Bernard's and I am not sure where Devonne went to gradeschool. I didn't know them well in High School, but I shared classes with them and always found them friendly and fun and very smart. I was involved in Forensics in High School and that is where I met many people who ran out of my usual circle. I think Nora and Devonne may have been on the forensic team. At any rate, it was good to catch up with both of them.

In case you can't tell, St. John's was very well represented at this reunion. Here is Karen again, talking with my best gradeschool friend, Jane Warner Schroeder. Jane moved to Watertown and started attending St. John's in seventh grade. (I hope memory serves me correctly on that one) I had just watched my best friend, Cathy Corbin pack up and move away the previous summer, so when Jane joined our class, she filled my need for a new best friend. We shared so many great memories doing what seventh and eighth grade girls do. I was boy crazy and she tolerated that trait with patience and grace. I am sorry that we did not stay connected in High School, but am happy to report that we are FB friends and are keeping up on one another's life that way.

The boy/gentleman talking to them is Tom Reason, another St. John's friend. It was so nice to chat with him at the reunion. Tom was one of my first boyfriends way back when those relationships are in the experimental stages and I have only happy memories of that time. I don't remember Tom from High School and I am not sure why that is, since we should have been hanging in the same groups. I do remember having Chemistry class with him and our crazy teacher, Mr. James and that is all I will say on that man.

Here is Darlene Schmoldt Shell visiting with Karen and I am not sure who else. Darlene had a twin brother Daniel who were my classmates all through St. John's. I remember their birthday party in the second grade. They lived in the country and the party was at their house. Daniel invited some boys and Darlene invited some girls. I don't remember much about the party except that it was fun. We all got a ride home in the back of their pick up truck. Wow, that was so much fun! Darlene was quiet and kind. She had a sweet smile, still does. I am her friend on FB and I am enjoying her memories that she has been sharing on there lately. It looks like life has treated her well and for that I am glad.

This is my friend, Pat Schnieder Zimmerman and her High School sweetheart, Tom. I have very fond memories of Pat. We walked to school together and had many heart to heart chats on those walks and yes, it was four miles uphill, both ways! We were in lots of the same classes and became friends through those shared experiences. Pat is not a St. John's graduate and I cannot remember where she attended gradeschool.

This is Mark Uttech, a friend from St. John's. We have recently reconnected through FB and I have enjoyed his many thought provoking posts. He is a good writer and has a different perspective on things. He noticed all of our classmates who looked sad and disconnected at the reunion while I was too busy in my own comfort zone. He expressed that he wished he had approached those lonely looking people and talked with them. I guess that sums up the kind of person that Mark is, caring and compassionate with empathy for others.

Two more of my St. John's friends, Norman Lorenz on the left and Dennis Lange on the right. Norman's sweet wife, Michelle is in the middle. Dennis was my boyfriend in fifth grade but we didn't talk to one another. What can I say? I guess that is how boyfriends and girlfriends were in the fifth grade. I also remember double dating with Dennis and Mary Lincoln in High School. Dennis drove and we went to Milwaukee. Big outing for kids from Watertown. I remember we laughed a lot. Dennis was always sweet and caring and I know he has not changed. He just became a grandpa and it suits him well.

Norman also has a kind, caring personality. I am so happy that he found Michelle a few years ago. He deserves a wonderful person with whom to grow old. I don't remember our paths crossing much in High School, but I think he was in forensics with me, too.

This is Coleen Christianson (not sure of her married name) I believe she joined our High School class as a sophomore, but am not sure. I do remember her as a friendly, kind girl. She lives in Utah and has 14 children and 23 grandchildren! She looks just as pretty as she did in High School. She is truly blessed.

And here is the last picture of that memorable night.This is Mark, Dallas, me, Mary, Mary Tangney, and I am not sure of the last girl. Dallas was my lab partner in Physics before he flunked out and left me high and dry. it was not a match made in heaven since niether of us knew a lick about Physics. Other than that, Dallas and I did not run in the same circles.

Mary Belle Tangney Palmer was another one of my first friends in High School. She was from St. Bernard's and she was always so much fun to hang with. Her beautiful smile is still the same as I remember it way back then. She was the first one to greet me as I walked through that tent.

There are so many more people that I wish were on these pictures, but this is all I could find to post. I want to give a shout out to an old Gradeschool friend, Gary Guetzlaff who really got me thinking about our days at St. John's by his blog posts. Gary could not be at the reunion and I missed him. I would have enjoyed seeing him and chatting about all his memories. I know his is a gifted writer and I am drawn to his blog. I know he is caring and kind because he visited our old second grade teacher in the nursing home and she was not a nice person. I am hoping to reconnect with Gary by visiting his theater sometime soon.

I did spend much of my High School career dating Duffy Neubauer and so many of my memories revolve around the times we spent together. He was my date for all the dances and whenever I try to recall High School, he is my biggest memory. He was not at the reunion and that makes me a little sad, it would have been nice to see him again, but that is my only regret.

In closing, I just want to thank everyone who turned out for this magical step back into time. I hope all of you have good memories of me from High School, but if you don't I apologize for the times I may have hurt your feelings or was not as kind as I should have been. Time changes much... and yet in some ways many things stay the same.

A Sweet Good-Bye to College Bound Mallory

Before heading to Riverfest on Friday with the twins (see previous post) we had a little good-bye party for Mallory who will be leaving for Whitewater in a few short days. We had little good-bye parties for both Courtney and Alissa when they were leaving for Knox and IWU. I asked people to bring some little gift that would remind them of home and our love for them. I wanted them to take these little tokens along to school and be able to remember how much we loved and missed them especially on those difficult days when home seemed so far away. I wanted to give Mallory the same send off. We started the party off with mom's infamous ice cream cake which was enjoyed by all of us. We posed for a few pictures with Mallory.

Of course, the girls had to have a few crazy moments together.

We started our party in the house until Mallory opened the first present from Tizita. It was a fart bag and the smell sent all of us scurrying our of the house. We continued the gift opening on the patio in the fresh air.

Courtney and Paul chose a beautiful mug with a very meaningful sentiment on it. They figured every college girl needs a mug.

Alissa and Nathan gifted Mallory with a dice drinking game and a cedar box from the Dells. Two more gifts that a college girl needs.I chose to give Mallory three very important reminders of some of our great times together. I gave her a pair of nude booties to remind her of one of our crazy trips to Chicago, I gave her a gourd to remind her of the time I broke a shekeree at the Milwaukee Museum, and the best one of all, was four little tarts to remind her of an incident that I had with a tart in Chicago on another one of our crazy trips there. Tizita was thrilled to hear the girls retell the stories from these three items. We laughed a lot that afternoon. I think Mallory will have some good memories of home and this crazy Aunt when she sees these gifts in her dorm room.

I had also given Courtney and Alissa a shoe box filled with 20 small, wrapped gifts to be opened on days when they were feeling homesick and just needed a gentle reminder that someone back at home was loving and missing them. I did the same thing for Mallory. My girls both still have that shoe box. Both of them opened a few gifts over the four years of college, but they knew they always had that box of reminders of home just in case they needed them. I hope Mallory does not need to open many of her gifts either, but they are there just in case.

After the gift opening, the girls played a bit of dress up. That is one thing that they have all enjoyed doing together ever since Mallory was a little girl. As you can see, Tiz fits right in with the fun.

I will leave you with this picture of four business women.

I will miss Mallory when she goes to college. She has been much like a third daughter to me especially when my two left for college. John and I enjoyed taking Mallory with us to museums, zoos, malls, and restaurants. She filled our empty nest. Mallory taught me so much about technology and we spent an entire summer playing Toontown and Neopets.

Yep, I am going to miss her, but I know she has an exciting future waiting for her and it is her time to go off and pursue it.

Good-bye Mallory, I will miss you.

Teacups, Twins, and Trumpets

It is hard to believe that we have been celebrating Riverfests for 25 years now. I will never forget that first Riverfest with my now famous line to the girls, "We will just meet you over there somewhere," pointing in the general direction of the midway. Little did I know that by the time we were supposed to meet up with the girls, the park was filled and I mean every square inch of the park, was filled with people. Long story, short, the girls walked up to my mom's and we found them there. Since that first Riverfest, we have enjoyed many, many Riverfests. We have visited with long lost friends, drank countless beers, and heard great bands at Riverfests over the years.
This year our Riverfest began with a trip to the rides with Tizita and her two little friends, Sinai and Aquila. They are twins and they are full of spunk just like Tizita. Walking down to the rides together. These are three very excited little girls.

They all agreed to start with the Merry go round. Sinai and Tiz chose to ride together, but Aquila rode off in a different area. She has an independent spirit.

The teacups were next. It was hard for the girls to agree on the color teacup to ride in, but they finally agreed on the red one. The girls spun that cup around so fast and laughed the whole time.

Then it was on to the bees and a flight into the sky. Here they are not quite sure of what is going to happen on this bee, but they are trustworthy little girls and believed us when we told them it would be a fun ride.

We took a break for sodas, hot dogs, and pizza,

followed by a game of London Bridge,

and lots of running and dancing.

We ended the fun night with a game where all three girls chose a trumpet for their prize. They played their trumpets all the way home.

It was so special to see Riverfest through the eyes of these three girls where everything was fresh and new and exciting!

And poof, they were gone!

On Wednesday, Lynne, Melissa, the boys, Meghan, and I headed up to Oshkosh to spend the day having fun at the park, zoo, and beach. The weather was absolutely perfect for a park day. It was one of those days that only comes along once in a great while in the summer. We started our day at the playground. It took Tizita a little while to warm up and move from the monkey bars to other parts of the playground with the other kids, but once she started, they all had a great time running around together. From the play area, we walked over to the train and merry go round. Here the kids are waiting patiently for their rides. I would have had a few pictures of the rides, but unfortunately something happened to my pictures, more on that later.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch by the lake. There were a few seagulls who would have liked us to share our lunch, but we knew better than to do that. After lunch we went to the zoo and had fun feeding the goats, seeing the wolves, and climbing on a turtle statue. We ended our zoo trip with ice cream treats and laffy taffy. Again, I took some very nice pictures, but they are no where to be found, more on that later.

Here are the kids taking a break by the wolves.

We gave the kids a choice of either going to the beach or playing with Tizita's toys in her playroom. It was unanimous, the beach, it was. Even though it was a little on the cool side, the sun was hot and the kids enjoyed a quick dip in the lake as well as some quality sand time.

Everyone headed back to Watertown after a great day. I stayed in Oshkosh to spend some more time with Tizita.

We did some shoppping on Wednesday before dinner. We stopped at St. Vinny's at which point, Tizita proclaimed that she had no shoes on. Easily solved, we would get her a new pair at St. Vinny's, but it was closing time, so we decided to head over to the dollar store to purchase some flip flops. We ended up having to buy dress up shoes because there were no flops left. We made a few more quick stops and then went over to West End Pizza for dinner. So far, the shoes had held up and served their purpose even though Tiz had to walk very slowly with very short steps to keep those shoes on her feet. It was on the way to the arcade games in the pizza place that the dollar shoes broke. You get what you pay for, folks!

On Thursday, Tizita and I spent the entire day together. We played house, Barbies, baked, played piano, sang, and danced. It was sometime during all of this that I tried to load my photos onto Courtney's laptop. My chip was empty, there were no photos. It appears that Tizita had deleted all the pictures. Sometimes that girl is too smart for her own good. Thank you to Melissa for emailing me the above pictures so I could at least have a few to document our day.

We ended our Thursday night with a soak in the jacuzzi. Tizita gave me a great hair massage with lots of conditioner. It was another fun day.

On Friday, we left for Watertown to celebrate Riverfest. More on that later.

Having a Smurfy kind of day

Today John and I took Tizita to see the Smurf movie. Here she is with Mimi, who also came along to the movie, on the way to the theater. Of course, we had to buy popcorn, soda, and snacks for the movie.

We all enjoyed the movie. Tiz asked lots of questions about what was going on and there was just enough adult humor to keep John and I entertained as well.

After the movie, Tiz felt as if she knew all these characters personally. I wish I had kept the Smurf items that my girls had when they were little, but they are long gone.

Tiz took this picture of John and I posing by the Smurfs. That is Tiz's little purse, not mine!

After the movie, we went to McDonald's where Tiz enjoyed her first ever cheeseburger. The Happy meal prizes were Smurfs, how perfect is that?

Tiz enjoyed some time in the play area after we finished eating.

It was a great day for all of us.