It’s Friday again

[PeggyinCT]

Good morning Everybody,
Thanks for the comments about gelatin. Barbie, I don’t do much shopping on line, so I’ll wait until it’s back on the shelves.

Martha, Harold’s gelatin if it has been stored properly is good. A large box of Knox gelatin will last me a long time. I use it more in the summer to make chilled desserts. I wanted to make some coffee gelatin served with whipped cream when I discovered I did’t have any. I like to make lemon mousse and molded salads.

I used to take gelatin in capsules for my nails and hair, but I haven’t been able to find that for quite awhile. Now I have to buy biotin for hair nails and skin which costs three times as much.

Finally one more gelatin comment. My mother always served dessert which was pie or cake and there were always homemade cookies in the house. When my mother wanted to lose weight she would make a milk gelatin for herself. To keep us kids from eating it she would tell us it was “horses’ hooves”

The raspberry amaretto jam was okay; a little too sweet. Enjoy today and keep smiling under your mask. Peggy

[Othersharon]

Good Friday morning. I’ve been trying to catch up on posts since I just got back from a few days of camping. I left last Sunday and returned to yesterday afternoon. I was there with friends and had a lovely time. We went to Ives Run up near Tioga PA and on Lake Hammond. It’s a COE so for $20 a night with full hook ups it was a deal! Sure glad I have the senior pass! I was trying to think if I’ve ever had full amenities since I’ve had Lola. I don’t think so but who knows! Anyway it’s a very popular park and I can see why. Asphalt pads and lots of space between sites. We took a day trip up to Watkins Glen to see the falls but due to the lack of water they weren’t falling! But beautiful rock formations never the less. Then up to Seneca Lake and that was absolutely beautiful. That’s wine country so of course we stopped at a couple of them. I only went into one since we had a dog with us and it was way to hot to leave him in the truck. My friend stayed with him at the one I went into. I left yesterday a bit earlier then originally planned but the weather report wasn’t looking good. Glad I did since I had some wind and a bit of rain. The wind here at home was certainly blowing later in the day! I managed to clear out the refrigerator and mostly get things out of Lola before it started to really rain here! So I think it was a wise move! Social distancing wasn’t a problem either since it’s a large park. It was interesting to see how people camp. Some like myself spent most of the day outside and others I hardly saw come out at all. It’s amazing too how many people do travel with their pups and all types and sizes! I was proud of Rascal. He really only barked a couple of times and it was always at a black lab when they walked by. He’s starting to have trouble getting in the camper sometimes with his back legs not being able to support him and giving out on him. So I definitely will have to watch that in planning future trips. But he will walk and walk if I let him. He loves to explore! But I tried to limit our walks to frequent short walks so he could rest in between. So anyway, that was my week so far! I need to play catch-up here at home! Lawn needs mowed but again wait for it to dry out so inside chores today! And catch up on posts here! Have a great Friday and stay safe.

[Acadianmom]

Peggy, what is milk gelatin, I need to lose some weight. lol The gelatin I have is in a cabinet in the house so it is probably still good. I looked at the grocery store here and they have the small boxes of gelatin. Let me know if you want me to send you some.

Today is fish day at the deli so had to go get my fish dinner. I don't know how people wear the masks all day. I thought I was going to pass out at the grocery store. I have to take my glasses off because they fog up.

I see too much to eat on Facebook. Vanilla wafers has come out with mini bags of cookies. You put sliced bananas, vanilla pudding and whipped cream in a bag of the vanilla wafers. That would be a good camping dessert. The bags don't look very big so don't know how much you could put in one. You know I will have to try them.

Yesterday a rain storm blew through and dropped the temperature from 100 to 80. It only blew some stuff off the back porch but my neighbor lost a tree. We don't have rain predicted for today but it looked like it could rain when I came back from town. I would sure like to go camping but probably wouldn't be much fun in this heat. Sugar is on her last month of heart worm treatment so I don't think she needs to be out in the heat. Our campout at the beach is in two weeks.

Martha

[JudyJB]

I had a short drive today, but a longer one two days ago. That one took me on a Montana road from Fort Peck to Lewistown, except I did not realize that there was 120 miles WITHOUT A GAS STATION! I was really driving on fumes the last couple of miles so was happy to find one at my destination. The drive today was much better with lots of little towns and several gas stations if I had needed one. Whew.

I stayed last two days in a commercial campground and am in one for tonight and tomorrow night, except this one is really crummy with lots of permanent residents. That is not a problem if they keep it neat, but this one has a lot of really old units and tons of trash tucked around and underneath them. Roads are also dusty and site was unlevel, in spite of girl at the desk assuring me that ALL their sites were level. Yup! Heard that before! Had to get my boards out and drive up on a stack. And water is way in front of site, while sewer hookup and electric is way in back of site. Don't know who designs these campgrounds.

Reminds me why I much prefer state parks, but there was just nothing near here, so here I am. Oh, and other news is that I found some mouse dirt in a pan I have not used in a month. So, I got mouse traps, but I really need to clean out the drawer under my refrigerator where I store a lot of food. Probably have to put a mouse trap there. I got the kind where the mouse crawls in to eat the bait, but you don't really have to look at the mouse. I wish they would just stay away so I didn't have to trap them.

Got a ton of oral presentations to listen to and some record keeping to do regarding time spent as a POA for my aunt. I also picked up a box at Walmart's today and am packing up all the things I have bought as Christmas gifts along my travels. I will tape it shut and give it to my son when I see them on Tuesday, and he can take it back to Napa for me so I don't have to drive it around for next 6 months. So, I will be sitting in my spot catching up on things all day tomorrow.

Since we have been talking about unflavored gelatin, I just posted a recipe for jelled wine with melon balls. Makes a very nice, cool appetizer on a hot day.

[snowball]

at my dd's house using her internet... came up for that purpose and to fry up some yellow squash but the two girls decided to go out for supper .... guess there was some drama last night lots of hurt feelers and the younger of the two is treating her sister to help patch things up I guess. we will hope things are forgiven and forgotten (my younger dd didn't make it back for her nieces b'day and that resulted in the mom of the birthday gal saying something to the niece in law and she is one that doesn't hold back and said some very hurtful things..guess lots of tears flowed today as well as last night) like I said lots of drama that I am glad I missed ... think I should have taken time to go to the store today but didn't so guess I will see what I can find for supper...
still puzzled as I know I posted something on morning coffee on Weds... as that is the day I went to mom's.
don't remember what it was but ...
finally got my living room vacuumed dishes done not sure what is planned for for tomorrow but if not something exciting will figure out what I need to do to make my house more presentable I am actually hoping to go and see about the MIFI and or another phone but we will see if that actually happens
My dd shared on FB something that another educator had posted I thought it had merit... the gist of it was that the 'school year' be changed nation wide from Feb to Nov...and the reasoning for it made sense number one was that the kids wouldn't be in school during the typical flu/cold season...out for holidays in my dd's school they have a lot of Hispanic children that are taken out of school for the month of Dec so the family can go down to MX that would take care of kids missing a lot of school... the downsize was vaca time (they would still have some as most kids get a couple of weeks for Christmas long weekend for Thanksgiving and spring break those would be put into the summer months... the big one is that so many school's would have to get A/C units another is that people just don't like changes and this has been the way it's been for eons and we did ok...but perhaps there is a better way??? I don't know as I read it in lite of this pandemic why not just say no school till next Feb... and try do this new plan??? I'd be for it
you all take care
sheila

[JudyJB]

Sheila, school year schedules were originally set for summer vacations so kids could help with crops on farms. But I also remember going to school for half days in 4th grade because my district could not build schools fast enough to keep up with the population growth. I think I survived pretty well.

Also, when they were in elementary schools, my kids school district also had problems with too many kids and too few schools, so they went on year-round school. The kids were divided by neighborhoods into four groups. Each group went to school for 9 weeks and then were out for 3 weeks. Everyone had two weeks at Christmas for vacation and they shut the schools down for massive cleaning and things like painting the last two weeks of August. This way the schools could hold 1/3 more kids without crowding classrooms.

It worked out well for us. Kids still went to school with friends, and we were able to take family vacations slightly off-season. My kids had three weeks off in September, whole month of December, three weeks in middle of March, and three weeks in beginning of June. We went to Yellowstone in late September one year and spent one entire December in Florida because my husband was working down there that month. Ditto for March one year. And early June is a great time for a vacation. City parks and recreation staffed our neighborhood parks all summer, but hours were changed for school-age kids to from 2 pm to 8 pm in the evenings.

So, your suggestion is not a bad one--we just have to rethink things. My kids were really disappointed when they had to go to a regular Sept to June schedule because they liked all the mid-year weeks off. They never got bored or tired of school.

[Bethers]

My get away for the weekend is totally unlike me. I would normally be off boondocking. But, as chance would have it, I had a coupon for 3 nights at an rv park in the area... And so far today's the hottest day of the summer. We hit 98 degrees and so I'm very lucky to have electric and a.c. Then shortly after I checked in I got a text message from the park that there'd be a ice cream truck for a few hours around dinner time. Ty and I walked over expecting the Good Humor type items. Nope... Soft serve cones or bowls. I bought a cone and the gentleman put vanilla in the bottom for Ty and then chocolate for me. Ok, it was probably 97 out and it was dripping as I walked. I got home with ice cream over my fingers and some on my nose and face... Totally worth it. Ty gobbled up his share.
Ty also got to check out the rather large dog area.

Tomorrow should only get to about 80. Whew. We'll do more walking then. Mainly this is a couple days to breath and not think or worry about the store. Boondocking would be even more peaceful, but this busy resort is still way quieter than our sites this year by the store.

I would have liked the all year school schedules with the month for Christmas, a month in the summer and a week or two summer and fall. It always made more sense to me for those of us in cities. Having farm cousins, they needed the summers off.

[monik7]

I grew up in the hills above California’s Santa Clara Valley also known as “The Valley of Heart’s Delight.” Now it’s also called Silicon Valley, home of Apple, Google, Facebook, etc. As a kid, the whole valley was filled with apricot, almond, prune, pear and cherry orchards along with fields of strawberries. Schools didn’t start until after Labor Day so all the kids old enough could pick fruit during the summer.

They used to fly Blossom Tours in a DC-4 out of the old San Jose Airport. They flew over and around the valley that was covered with various colors of blossoms in Spring. Those were the days . . . . sigh. Needless to say, there are practically no orchards left (except one cherry orchard) . . . . sigh again.
Sandi

[BarbaraRose]

It is sad that so many orchards and groves are gone now. So many parts of CA are named after them when they were abundant and a big part of CA's landscape.

I just read on FB that Sarah's dog, Zipper was found. He was attacked and killed by a coyote. She is of course, extremely heartbroken. I really feel for her!

Did nothing here today other than watch Gunsmoke reruns. Hopefully will have more ambition tomorrow...

[snowball]

before I "retired" read quit... from the school district in SLC they actually went to a year round school systom as there was so many kids and not enough schools not sure what happened but understand that the school districts that did the year round schools have now gone back to the conventional school year... to me the idea had merit wish I could take credit for it but it was someone else's idea... it's getting the parents to wrap their head around the idea and see that it would actually word.
sheila