Happy Birthday Toby

Happy Birthday Toby
Originally uploaded by Neva in 2010

Toby is celebrating his 8th birthday on November 20, 2010! He received many nice birthday wishes from his Flickr friends. Happy Birthday To You, Toby Three Paws.
We Love You! >^^<

Happy New Year!

Christmas Cookies
Originally uploaded by iwork4toby

Peanut Blossom Recipe ~

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening and peanut butter. Add remaining ingredients. Shape into balls the size of walnuts. Roll in sugar. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in 375 degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and place milk chocolate kiss or star on top of each cookie, pressing down so the cookie cracks around the edge. Return to oven for 2 minutes or until chocolate just begins to melt.

Substitutions ~

I substituted butter for shortening; Skippy 25 percent reduced fat creamy peanut butter for peanut butter; Splenda for sugar; Egg Beaters for eggs; and Skim Milk for milk.

Thanks, family, for your kind comments! : )

Kalona, Washington County, Iowa

What a fun way to spend a weekend day! Hey, that rhymes! Sherry and I met Carla at her home in Iowa City mid-day on Saturday, October 24, 2009. Our next stop? The historical village of Kalona, Iowa, home of the largest Amish settlement west of the Mississippi. The Iowa Mennonite School is located just a few miles to the northwest. We enjoyed a scrumptious lunch at Tuscan Moon and strolled through several antique stores. The ladies manning the register at the old hardware store chatted for a spell and made us feel welcome in the community! Our visit to Stringtown Grocery led to the purchase of Chocolate Raspberry Mocha and a dry potato soup mix which will, most likely, come in handy on a cold, winter day this season! Despite the high gasoline prices, Carla drove around the country roads in order to catch a glimpse of Amish life during the peak of Autumn. Out of sensitivity and respect for Amish beliefs, I did not attempt to photograph individuals; however, I will hold onto the memory of the mother and daughters raking leaves in front of their farm home, the horse-drawn buggy carrying a father and son, and the wife hanging a multitude of dresses, shirts, and pants on the clothesline to dry in the strong country breeze. It was an amazing day!

534th Engineer Boat & Shore Regiment 2009 Reunion

We began our journey to Grand Rapids, Michigan on a clear, windy day, stopping for a quick, hot breakfast at McDonald's! After driving several miles, we enjoyed box lunches purchased at HyVee (the local grocery business who sponsored the Honor Flight) on a picnic table at the Interstate Rest Area! While driving through road construction near the Chicago area, at least two cars swerved into our lane . . . yet, we traveled without incident. We finally purchased a Road Atlas after losing our way on two occasions! Also saw at least 20 Highway Patrol and Sheriff's vehicles, but completed the entire trip without receiving a ticket! During our adventure, we toured Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park as well as the Gerald Ford Museum. Grand Rapids is a beautiful city! If you ever have an opportunity, drive through the small town of Mt. Carroll, Illinois. Their Historical Society researched records and posted signs in front of several beautiful, old homes. We traveled across Lake Michigan on the Lake Express! See the photo of the Milwaukee Clipper and Lake Express, side-by-side! The most memorable part of our trip, however, was visiting with the World War II Veterans and families. While sitting in the Hospitality Room, discussions ensued regarding War times and current events. This year, the Veterans honored a Silver Star recipient by presenting him with a tie.

To the Veterans of the 534th EBSR~WE THANK YOU AND SALUTE YOU!

Rest and Relaxation!

Finally! A time for rest and relaxation. After leaving work at 3:10 p.m., I raced home (just a bit over the speed limit), poured a glass of smooth soy milk, and got comfortable on the back porch! Toby is watching the activity from his "tube." As folks returned home from school and work, we began hearing the buzz of lawn mowers, the clatter of silverware on patio tables, the sweet summer song of the locusts, and, interestingly, the song of a pileated woodpecker! I had been hearing that particular song throughout the summer and finally identified it through Google! My home is in an older, established neighborhood with older, established trees lining the streets and backyard fence lines. Pileated woodpeckers choose forest areas and are known for keeping their distance from humans. This guy (a little bit of red identifies this one as a male) finally swooped low enough for me to catch a glimpse. The down side to this story is that pileated woodpeckers consume CARPENTER ANTS. Yikes! Well . . . at least the ants will be consumed, which, hopefully, will keep them away from my home! Now . . . back to my rest and relaxation!
Until next time . . . On The Back Porch