There have been at least three deaths in our community this week. Harold Kessler of Bowen passed away on Jan 25th. He and his wife could be found at the Buss Stop on chicken night. Got word that Ron Ramsey passed away this weekend. He is related to all the Ramseys in our area. Ryan Phillips, the son of Carolyn and the late Larry Phillips, passed away yesterday. He was a teacher in the Southeastern School District. Please keep the family and friends of these individuals in your thoughts and prayers.
Hope you have been looking skyward this week. The sun rises and sun sets have been lovely when the sky was clear enough to view them, however the moon has been awesome. The moon has been full or nearly so all week. The moon rise in the eastern sky has been spectacular as has the moon glow during the night. Hope you got to see them.
Have been feeding three types of birdseed which has brought in a lot of cardinals, juncos, wood peckers, sparrows and more. Love to watch them enjoy the food. Squirrels also come along to eat the scattered food below the feeders. My demon squirrel was back on the roof this morning. I heard his footsteps on the roof and when I got outside and looked up, it was looking at the hole it had created a couple of weeks ago in the side of my house. When I yelled at the squirrel, it went higher onto the roof and took shelter under a roof eve. If I were a better shot, there might be squirrel stew but it is safe. I do not need more holes in the roof! I keep ear corn and oil sunflower out for the squirrels. They do not need to eat my house too!
Had not gotten any calls for three days from the car warranty people then I got three calls in one day and even a letter in the mail. Wish they had a real job. There must be some gullible people as they just keep calling.
Would like to thank Curtis Baldwin for clearing my walks. It was appreciated.
There are few in person auctions now. What auctions there are, are online. A friend sold his Aladdin lamp collection this week. Kyle Kelso was the auctioneer but one had to bid on the computer. As I carry Aladdin lamps, other lamps and parts for them all, I was interested in buying several lamps. Got out my Aladdin book and checked the prices of the lamps and bid all week. Had the high bid on many things near the end of the auction. Sat down at the computer to watch the auction end. Found that I am not as good at bidding at the end of an auction as others! I got one lamp, one Aladdin shade, one 100% beaver cowboy hat and five hat stands. When I went to Bushnell to pick up my items on Friday morning, saw more eagles. There were also friends there picking up their purchases and another friend stopped by the store on his way back to Quincy. Had not seen him in a while and after sharing a hug, told me he had open heart surgery this year. He now has a new lease on life and a new heart valve. Amazing things are medically available now that we would not have thought possible only a few years ago.
Had a couple stop by the store yesterday who were interested in the ferals for which I care. Explained that I had all the females spayed and that the vet also nipped a tip on their ear so that others would know they had been fixed. We discussed shelters for ferals and they offered to make a couple more for my kitties. As they left the store, they gave me money to buy a thirty pound bag of Meow Mix for the kitties. There are still a lot of good people in the world!
Have mentioned that I got my first COVID-19 shot. All the people that I know in our area have had the Moderna vaccine. All have had very little reaction to the first shot. Those I know who have gotten the second shot, have had a bit more reaction to the second one. I have not heard of any bad reactions as yet. The new Johnson and Johnson vaccine is about to be released. It requires only one shot. It is not as effective at preventing COVID-19 as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines but there have been no hospitalizations or deaths with the new vaccine. Now that is really good, what more can we ask. Please get the COVID-19 shot to protect not only you, but those around you when you are able.
Pastor Sheri was not feeling well this morning so Carol Bollin filled in for her at church. Part of the sermon included a quote from John Wesley that I often use. It is “Do no harm, do good, stay in love with God”. I always thought that “Do Good” was the first and most important part of the quote. I was wrong. The first part is “Do no harm”. If we did no harm, there would be no wars, no riots, no name calling, no looking down on others or any of those actions which hurt others. There would be respect and at least like if not love for all. We need to do so much better. Do no harm!
Snow and freezing rain pretty much keep me at home so I have to cook if I want to eat. Normally am one of those cooks who just cooks, you know add seasonings till it tastes right, add water until it is the right consistency etc. Well have started writing down my recipes for others or for me when Alzheimer’s starts to set in. One of my favorite chicken casseroles we will call Chicken Linguine Bake. I start by boiling two chicken breasts with a chopped onion and a teaspoon of poultry seasoning. When the chicken is done, remove it from the broth and shred. Put a half to a whole 16 oz box of linguine in the broth and cook till done. Remove excess broth if needed. Mix one jar Alfredo sauce, 22 oz from Walmart, one small can of mushrooms, salt and pepper and one tablespoon of “ chicken broth base and seasoning” for added flavor and add the chicken. Place the mixture in a 9 by 13 baking dish. Generously top with shredded Mozzarella and then generously sprinkle Parmesan over the Mozzarella. The Parmesan adds a lot of flavor. Bake at 325 for approximately 30 minutes or until the cheeses are golden brown. You will enjoy this if you like comfort food!
Have a good week. Enjoy nature-birds, sunrises, sunsets, beautiful moons and even your friends and neighbors. Scatter Kindness.