Enlarging the tank, stage 1

Our tank is completely dry now. Taking advantage of that, we decided to enlarge and deepen it. A nice friend with a big dozer is helping us out. He tore down our bridge to make way for a wide expansion. Mike built the bridge when the kids were little and I will miss it. They fished from it so many times and "fell off of it" into the tank when they got bigger.Mike will re-use the wood and build something else-probably part of the deck we plan to build on this bank.

He works on the shallow end. The depth was only a couple of feet here and that doesn't hold much water. Our goal is to collect as much water as possible. I think maybe the depth will be close to 12-15 feet when he is done.

Stage 2 will be shown tomorrow!

Something different-Salty and Sweet

I came across a recipe for butter pecan cookies with a salty/sweet topping. It gave me an idea to make up my own version. I decided to use the original Toll House recipe but I substituted butterscotch chips for the chocolate ones. They were really good but a bit too salty for me. Next time, I will only dip the tops in the sugar/salt topping.

Salty/Sweet butterscotch cookies
Topping: mix and set aside

1/3 C. sugar mixed with 1 tsp. salt

Cream together:
1 C. butter
3/4 C. brown sugar
3/4 C. white sugar

Then add
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Sift together 2 1/4 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Fold in one pkg butterscotch chips. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip each ball into the salty/sweet topping. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.

I have a new friend

Mike and the troopers had a get together last night at the beautiful home of one of the secretaries. As I sat there with my feet in the swimming pool, one of her 4 very large dogs walked very slowly and gracefully up next to me. He gently put his head (which, I noticed, was bigger than my entire 10 pound dog, Amos) next to mine to be petted, then casually pushed closer-intending to get into my lap. I convinced all 100 pounds of him to just lie beside me and put his head into my lap instead. He took a cozy little nap and then moved on to visit some of the other guests. Spike is a very sweet, gentle, friendly boy.

Incredibly Special Milestone

Happy 70th Wedding Anniversary to our Aunt and Uncle. That's right-70 years ago they were married. The celebration took place in a small, beautiful, country church. The mood was calm, reflective, happy, and almost reverent.




Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.

God gave you and me

A precious love

That has grown in time

When things were tough

It was in those times

When love came through

In laughing, in crying

Our love stands true

Our love still grows

And deepens even more

With hope in our hearts

And trust in our Lord

© By M.S.Lowndes

More ideas for my Netflix addiction

It looks like there are even more ways to enjoy Netflix movies. I will be investigating (I have questions for you James) your suggestions and maybe I'll have even more praises for Netflix. Got some movies to watch....bye...

Let me tell you how much I love Netflix!

We have found a really good thing!...Netflix...

We can watch about 16 movies a month by subscribing to Netflix. All we have to do is walk to our mailbox to get the movies or return them. No late fees! I can mail movies on Monday and have the new movies on Wednesday. How can you beat that? I live 10 miles from town, so even a $1 Redbox movie requires me to drive to town to rent it, then again to return it. We have made a long list of movies to rent, mostly old black and white ones. These are so much fun! Oh, and you can watch movies on demand anytime-for no additional fee-on your computer.

This is a service I highly recommend. We have subscribed (we have the "2 movies at a time" plan for about $14 per month) for about 3 months and I am extremely pleased. You might want to try it. Most nights, there is nothing to watch on regular TV anyway, so why not try a great, classic movie.

My take on the movie "Julie and Julia"

(The real Julia Child and Julie Powell are on the right)


My daughter and I recently saw the movie "Julie and Julia". It is based on two real women, Julia Child, and Julie Powell. The premise is that Julie Powell wrote a very popular blog about the year in which she cooks her way through each recipe in Julia Child's famous cookbook. It is about her triumphs and her disasters-in cooking and in life itself. Intertwined in Julie's story, is Julia Child's account of her early life in Paris. The movie depicts Julia Child's beginnings as a chef, and it gives us an intimate look into her personal life. We really enjoyed the movie. We loved the humor and thought that Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julie Child was masterful. And by the way, it made us want to buy Julia Child's book and try some of her recipes ourselves.

I do need to say that I know nothing about the real Julie Powell or her blog. I have never read anything from her blog but I am now aware that there is some controversy about it. I am, however, a knowledgeable fan of Julia Child, having grown up watching her television show, and I think I love her even more now. I don't really care about the controversy. I did like the movie and hope that the real Julie Powell has as much respect for Julia Child as her movie counterpart.

The only thing that disappointed me was that there were several strong curse words (including the F-word) that will now keep me from taking some older church friends to see the movie. It is rated PG 13, and I had hoped that it would be a movie I could take my women's group to. I guess I could overlook those words and still enjoy the movie, but it certainly won't do as a church activity. Oh, well...


What we did watch as a church group was "Lilies of the Field". That was so appropriate and meaningful, not to mention enjoyable. But....that is another review.

Homemade Chicken pizza-2 ways

BBQ Chicken pizza





Vegetable Chicken pizza









I made two kinds of chicken pizza the other day. I baked 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, then used 4 chopped thighs for each pizza. I also sprinkled Cajun seasoning on each thigh before baking.
Pizza dough:
3-1/2 C flour
1 pkg Rapid rise yeast
1 tsp salt
1 C very warm water
2 tbl olive oil

Mix water, yeast, salt, olive oil and 1 C flour. Mix until smooth. Add enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead about 6 minutes until smooth and elastic. Rest 10 minutes. Roll out into 2 (12-14 inch) crusts. Top and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

BBQ Chicken pizza:
Top the dough with 4 chopped chicken thighs mixed with about 1 C BBQ sauce. Then add cheese of your choice (I happened to have Swiss). Bake until crust is done and crispy on the bottom.


Vegetable Chicken pizza:
Use the remaining 4 thighs, chopped. I mixed a small can of tomato paste thinned with 1C ketchup with the chicken. Spread evenly on the pizza crust. Add desired vegetables (I used thinly sliced onions and mushrooms). Top with cheese (I used fresh mozzarella and grated Parmesan).


I used Cajun seasoning because I am still on a roll with those flavors. I will post my new recipe soon. It was a quick and delicious Cajun casserole.