Happy Father's Day1

 Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers out there, especially My Honey, Kjell...

 

...our son, Les, father of our two beautiful grandchildren...

...our son, Don, father to four beautiful grandchildren... 

...and my wonderful Father (rip) who I miss every day.

Love to all,

Lois

Kalancohe on the Patio

 Good morning,

The kalancohe that I am rooting in a new pot is loving the patio!  

 I just love these blossoms.  I'll be sure to take more cuttings to take inside in the Fall, too.

How is your garden growing?

All the best,

Lois

It's a Dog's Life

 Good morning,

Lily is enjoying a pillow and blanket on the couch as she waits for Catherine to get home.

Catherine snuggles with the pups on the couch - a favorite part of the day for everyone.

Sweet!

:),

Lois

Another Bread Day - Brown Sugar and Cottage Cheese

 Good morning,

This batch of bread is a little different from most.  I used cottage cheese and brown sugar to produce a very soft, sweet bread.  

Adding a milk product to the bread creates the soft, richness of my bread.

Yum!

Lois

Fried Shrimp on My Bread - A Norwegian Style Treat

 Good morning,

This was another joint venture dinner. 

Kjell made the pan fried (in butter and herbs!) shrimp and I made the bread.  Kroger made the real mayonnaise.

It was a tasty, light Spring dinner.

Yum!

Lois

Kjell's Herb Garden

 Good morning,

Kjell's herb garden is growing like crazy this year!  He has planted all sorts of herbs in the center shelves and flowers on top.  What will be really fun will be the sunflower growing on that top shelf!

The container on the bottom holds water for his auto watering system. The system is powered by a solar panel - see top left.  Tubes run behind the plant stand into each of the containers so water is delivered on a regular basis.  It works, that's for sure!

I took this image just before our friend Bill arrived and cleared away all of the weeds, but it's still a neat picture.  ;)

Lois

Lily's Sweet Innocent Smile

 Hi!  I'm Lily! 

 I have such a sweet smile, don't I, but I got into big trouble recently.  

You see, I really love my family.  I love my family so much that I sometimes bonk them in the face when getting on a lap for cuddles.

I bonked Mom in the mouth about six weeks ago.  I didn't feel a thing because I have a very hard head.  I could tell her tooth really hurt then and continued to hurt until Friday night when she was eating a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.  I know this to be true because I was watching her eat as I always do.

All of a sudden there was a "clink" on her plate.  What could it be?  Bacon doesn't clink.

It seems Mom's front tooth caused the clink.  I must have cracked her tooth six weeks ago and it finally gave way to a BLT.

Of course, it's a weekend.  Mom has a message into the dentist so she can get her tooth fixed.  

I didn't mean to hurt Mom.  I love her.  Mom said I'm lucky I am so cute.... I'm sure she still loves me.

Love,

Lily (Lois' baby girl)

Flag Day - United States of America

 Flag Day - United States of America

 Image taken from car (passenger seat) on the way to Florida in 2024.

Grilled Lamb Dinner

 Good morning,

Catherine is our grilling expert.  She prepared lamb leg, buttered cabbage, potatoes, mushrooms, and spinach salad.  This meal would rival one in a gourmet restaurant. 

I was a member of the clean plate club!

Thank you, Catherine,

Mom & Dad

Flowers at the Hair Salon

 Good morning,

These flowers outside our hair salon are so pretty that I had to take a picture.  I'm sure the clover is a volunteer.  I just love the color of the purple pansies!

Enjoy!

Lois

Bread Day

 Good morning,

About three times a week I make bread.  Above is how the dough looks after the first rise in the oven with just the oven light turned on for a little heat.  I make bread in batches for two loaves at a time.  

 I use what I find available when I make bread.  This batch is brown sugar and sour cream so is very rich and soft.

Oh, this is good!

Enjoy,

Lois

Oh, no, Mr. Turtle!

 Good morning,

I got out of the car and saw this!  It seems Lily left Mr. Turtle outside and he didn't make it across the driveway.

Not to worry, Mr. Turtle is just fine.  In fact, Lily came out to greet us when we got home and didn't seem to mind at all that Mr. Turtle has been stopped in his tracks.

I'm not sure which is worse for Mr. Turtle, being under the car tire or being the object of tug a war with the pups. 

All is well now,

Lois

Jungle Jim's

 Good morning,

We took our new car out for a spin and drove up to Jungle Jim's International Market in Fairfield, Ohio. 

 When I was a child, Jungle Jim's was a roadside farmer's market.

 Now it's a complex of stores and entertainment centers.

 It took us awhile to find the Scandinavian section.  They moved it since the last time we were there.

Kjell stocked up on favorites from his homeland, Norway:  fish balls, caviar, and other goodies.

A trip to Jungle Jim's is as entertaining as it is important to find comfort foods from across The Pond.

If you have time and inclination, take a took at Jungle Jim's Web site.  

Enjoy!

Lois

African Violet

 Good morning,

This lovely African Violet is living in the window in our butler's pantry.  

This sweet plant barely survived the winter in our dining room inside the french doors.  I popped the few leaves that survived into this glass dish and wow!   

 I took this image about one week earlier when the first blossom appeared.

It's so pretty I'm sharing....

Lois

Why, Amazon, Why?

 Good morning,

It was raining.  

We have a portico roof over our front porch.   

Amazon delivered packages.  

Amazon left a package outside the covered porch in the rain.

Why?

*sigh*

At least we were home and saw it on our security system so rescued the package before it was soaked....

Lois

Porch Lilies in Bloom

 Good morning,

I planted these lilies 14 or 15 years ago.  I have two pots of them on my front porch and they return each year to delight us.   

 I originally bought two 6" pots and planted one lily in each large planter on the sides of my front steps.

 Each year since then I have done no more than add a little enriched potting soil to the top of the pots.  Mother Nature has done the rest by multiplying and coming back to see us each and every Spring.

 Just lovely.

Happy Spring!

Lois

Bread Day

 Good morning,

At least three times a week I make fresh bread.  The house smells awesome!

It's the little things that make life special, isn't it....

What do you like to bake that is special for your family? 

Enjoy,

Lois

Plotting Their Next Adventure

 Good morning,

That's (clockwise from left) Elsa, Lily, Teddy, and Tuey plotting their next adventure.  

They certainly do keep us busy with their antics!

Dogs are special, aren't they....

Lois

Reuben from Izzy's

 Good morning,

Catherine brought home Reubens from Izzy's and we had a marvelous meal.  Beneath that Reuben sandwich was a delicious potato pancake.

 I first went to Izzy's at their downtown location in the 1960's when Izzy was behind the counter yelling back and forth with the staff and customers.  In addition to fabulous food just eating there was a truly fun experience.

Check out Izzy's web site and if you have time, take a look at their history link. 

 Enjoy,

Lois

Winnie the Pooh Tree

 Good morning,

Our house guest, four month old Tuey, has found our Winnie the Pooh tree.

Our pups have dug out a hole under our old oak tree and think it is all kinds of fun to play in there.  

Tuey has definitely made himself at home!

:),

Lois

Waffle Cakes - Norwegian Style

 Good morning,

Catherine made a favorite dessert for us:  Norwegian Waffle Cakes with strawberries and whipped cream.

The waffle cakes are made with sour cream and are sooooo delicious!  She also uses a traditional waffle iron that makes heart shaped waffles.

So good!

Thank you, Catherine!

Love you,

Mom & Dad