Apple Bobbing Shirley

Bobbing for apples is an age old tradition that must have been invented by mermaids. Here I am, an apple bobbing volunteer, surviving a near-drowning. (I've gotten water up my nose in the shower! That's what comes of having an upturned nose.) Still, I came away without an apple in my teeth. (Chris Adams is victory-fist pumping on the right, because he won. Gerald Wayman is getting water out of his eyes in the background...or is he trying to hide the second place winner apple in his mouth?)

As you can see below, I survived, and snapped up an apple with my dexterous fingers. How about changing apple dunking to apple pie eating? I think I could get my teeth into that!

What are your favorite Fall activities?

Green and Orange Guys on the Street

When I saw these green and orange guys on the side of the street in Logan, Utah, I had to turn around and go back for a picture.

Then I had to join in the fun!

They were advertising a place called... I think it was "Twizle Berry" or something... where you can build your own cold ice cream treat with enough toppings to scare a mad hatter, and then you pay for it by weight. (By the way, that's my sister Rebecca popping up behind the sign. When she's with me, she lets her playful side out to have fun, too!)

While we were posing, Brent the Bike Guy rode past. Rebecca called him over and told me that he rides his bicycle all over Cache Valley (that's where the city of Logan is.) 

Rebecca said that some bullies took exception to Brent's innocent habit of waving at everyone, a practice that his child-like mind uses as a gesture of friendship to all. For some reason I can't fathom, the bullies beat Brent and broke his bicycle. In response to the attack, the community rallied and got him a new bike. Now the citizens of Cache Valley collectively watch over Brent the Bike Guy. 

Brent was nice enough to take part in a photo op for us, and he never stopped smiling and waving. It was a privilege to meet such an innocent and inspirational human being.

Who have you met who's made an impression on you? 

  

Salad Rolls To Go!

     Once upon a time, I took some food on a trip with me. Along with the standard carrots and celery, I took peppers. Not the mini ones, the regular size. I offered my sister, who was traveling with me, some of my food. She picked up a pepper, turned it over, and said, "It's not cut."

     "You cut it with your teeth," I said. "Just bite it like an apple." I raised my own pepper to my mouth and took a bite.

     My sister shook her head in wonder. "I was going to bring vegetables on this trip, but I didn't have time to cut them up. I never thought of bringing the whole thing."

     I couldn't help but wonder if other people struggle with portable vegetables, so I decided to share my salad roll-to-go technique.

FIRST you start with lovely, nutritious lettuce leaves.

I've really only tried this with broad leaf lettuce. (You could try iceberg lettuce if you want to, but I don't guarantee the results.)

Then choose a large leaf and put a stripe of your favorite salad dressing down the center.

I recommend blue cheese, the best kind of salad dressing ever made, although my husband can't seem to appreciate it. 

Add more leaves. Stack a couple of them beneath the dressed up lettuce, and stack some more on top.

These are fanned out just so you can see the lettuce dressing beneath. Stack them in opposite directions, with the leaf tops up and down and up and down. It rolls better that way.

Now roll your lettuce leaves into a tube.

It's a good idea to tuck a leaf on the bottom up to hold in any dressing that might drip. Creamy dressing is easier to contain than something like a vinaigrette.

This is how it looks when you bite it. YUMMY!

I always like more lettuce than dressing. So refreshing!  You can even wrap it in a paper towel, like a burrito. Just be careful not to eat the paper. You can even roll up other salad ingredients in with the dressing, such as strips of pepper, avocado, carrots, grapes, sunflower seeds, anything your heart and tummy desire. Enjoy your salad to go!

What do you like to eat while driving?

Chocolate Lipstick

Back when I was eating more sweets than I am now, I helped myself to a chocolate turnover from Arby's. Eating while driving can be a little bit tricky, especially with something that has a soft center like a warm chocolate turnover. But, no worries, if it gets on your lips, you can just save it for later.

(Just to reassure you,  wasn't taking pictures and eating while driving. My little sister Carolyn took this photo.)

I found out from watching a snippet of information from Doctor Oz that no one should worry about their weight. What a relief! Instead, you should worry about the tape measure. (If it's enchanted, it might turn into a snakey thing that eats your food before you do!) Not really. According to the good doctor, the ideal waist size is no more than half your height. Interesting. And perhaps with an eye to ruining your appetite, Doctor Oz showed a couple of organs for comparison. One was thin and clean, the other was clogged with fat.

That did it for me. If I overeat now, it involves crunching on green leafy vegetables.

Have you figure out yet what your waist measurement should be when compared to your height? Don't worry, I won't ask, that's between you and your chocolate turnover!

Swinging Along

I already recovered the swing once, but it didn't last.

So I tried again with webbing straps instead of plasticized fabric.

 The problem was, I didn't have enough webbing. So it was back to ebay, wait a few days, and...

 voila! A lovely swing to sit on in the shade. (I need even more webbing to weave the overhead shade, but if there's a tree above, then why bother?)

I don't know if you can see it, but I didn't cut individual strips and fasten each end. I looped the straps over the bar and then ran them back the opposite way, then looped and turned, looped and turned. It took less time, well, not considering all the attempts I made, but it didn't take as long as fastening all the ends. Still, when a little boy who lives around the block sat on it and his bum fell through to touch the ground (he liked it that way) I realized I still had to stitch each end so the straps wouldn't slide around and separate.

Have you already discovered that figuring things out can be oh, so frustrating, and ever so much fun?