Tuesday 4~ We've Got Questions

We've Got Questions

 Welcome once again to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. It's nice to have you take part.

Here are some questions for you.....

1. Where did your mother and father grow up?
My Father grew up in Crafton, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Here is a link to some fun stories I wrote about where he grew up. My mother grew up mostly in Ohio, but also lived in Maryland for a short while when she was young. HERE is a link to some stories about my mother and her family.

2. Where did you grow up? 

I was born in Clarion, Pennsylvania and lived there on a farm until I was almost six years old, (and farming became too expensive  unless you had partners or government assistance and my father didn't want to go that route) but we moved to Tavares, Florida when I was in 1st grade. I lived there until I was married. HERE is a link to a post about my hometown. (where I grew up).

3. What was your favorite meal your mother made? What is your favorite recipe to make?

Gosh, I can't remember, there were so many good things my mother made. I don't know how she cooked so many wonderful meals and worked a full time job. I'm remembering her Salisbury Steaks and gravy, Mashed potatoes, and probably green peas.   

I actually just made the same thing the other day, except for the peas...we had green beans as hubby is not particularly fond of green peas, but he LOVES Salisbury steaks.  To make them I use ground chuck, and mix it up much like I would for a meatloaf...add chopped onions, bread crumbs, egg, and a little bit of ketchup and mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Make them into patties and brown them good on each side, drain off the grease, then add water and cover and simmer until they are done. Then make gravy with the water that they have been cooking in. They are SO good! 

 

Here's Mom cooking in her kitchen...

 She probably just got home from work...note she is wearing a dress with an apron and still has her earrings on, which she didn't ordinarily wear at home. LOL.

And she had to feed a family of six hungry people...two big teenage boys who were football players, my dad who worked hard all day at the post office, and my sister and I who were growing girls.  Here's a picture of us kids not long after we moved to that house:

4. What are the advantages you enjoy where you live?

Where we live now? Well, let's see...it's not far from our local small town and grocery store, doctor, church, Dollar General, gas stations, etc.  And the closest bigger city is only 15 miles, where there is a Walmart, small hospital, and many other stores and restaurants, etc.    It is still a "small city", and we don't have to fight traffic to get there.  Where we live is semi-rural, and even though it isn't fancy, it's  friendly and convenient.  We are very thankful for our home and community. And our kids live nearby. You can't beat that!

So now, why don't you tell us all about you?  You can join in the fun HERE

(Writing this on Monday afternoon) Oh, one last thing...Thank you all on your comments on my Sunday post! Some of you asked how Blackie did in the new kennel/crate last night. 

Well, MUCH better! We brought him inside around 10:00 p.m., when we were going to bed. I put him inside the crate and tossed a couple of treats in there and shut the door and he didn't object one bit. I will admit that I probably did not sleep as well as he did, as I had one ear on the door of our room trying to hear if he was making any noise out there, and a couple of times I tiptoed out to where I could peek at him without him seeing me, and he was perfectly peaceful.  I ended up getting up around 5:00 a.m. and let him out and fed him, and then I encouraged him to go outside to go potty, but he really didn't want to go out in the 30 degree weather, and the porch actually was icy from the rain we had the day before.  Finally he stayed out for a little while, but was right back at the door wanting to come inside, so we brought him in and let him wander around the house for a while.  He discovered this box and promptly jumped right in and twisted and turned about in it for a few minutes and then jumped back out and went and tried to make the back of our couch a scratching post, so that was that and outside he went!

 By then the sun was up and it wasn't too bad, but the pond looked like this:

Yes, that is frost. I also did see a few tiny snowflakes swirling in the light on the porch while it was still dark outside. I know the northernmost part of Florida did get snow yesterday, but we really weren't supposed to,  however, I know what I saw! It was snow! Frost doesn't come down in flakes and swirl around!

So all in all it was a good night, and he may have to come back in tonight too because of the freezing temps.  I'm glad we have this option and it helps my conscience knowing he's not outside freezing!

One more thing, in my last post I told you about our visit with blogging friend Terri. She posted her version of our visit HERE today, if you want to check it out!  It sure is fun to meet up with our blogging friends in person, and I wish we could ALL do that someday!! Wouldn't that be wonderful?  It would take some doing to make it happen, but it sure would be fun!  

Okay, I think that's all for now. This post will go live Tuesday morning, but we will be traveling to Gainesville for an important doctor appointment for my hubby, so I won't be around all day to visit. I'll try to catch up with everyone hopefully Wednesday.  Blessings to all!!!

Some words from God's Word to ponder:

Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

That definitely gives us some "food for thought".   Amen.

P.S. Tuesday morning 5:51 a.m., I had some "help" with posting this blog this morning:

Yes, that's Blackie, and yes, he spent the night indoors again last night and did very well. Never heard a peep out of him, but he was sure happy to see me come let him out of that crate this morning!

And for those of you who may not remember or weren't here with me then, that "clipped ear" you see is from when he went to be neutered. Because he went to a special program for neutering and spaying "feral" or stray outdoor cats, they clipped his ear to show that he has been neutered.  Although I'm not crazy about it, it does give him a special extra "charm".  

Okay, time to get this thing published so I can go on about my duties today. We will be on the road in a couple of hours to drive an hour away for a medical appointment for hubby. TTYL.