unless

unless--oh yes that wonderful little word we can pull out when in doubt

unless it rains, i will definitely be there

unless my dog gets sick, i can come to dinner---unless my hair gets unusually dirty, i can take you to the doctor

it is a great word--it is more sure than until and more vague than maybe---

i know i use it whenever i am caught off guard or can't make up my mind, if i want to say yes or no or just can't think of a good excuse----

unless, makes the other person know---that unless that thing happens or the unexpected emergency occurs, they can surely count on you---they can know, that unless this unforeseen unlikely disaster happens, you will be there for them with bells on

if they ---only knew, that your unless, means the same thing their unless means

tuna

i first feel i have to apologize--for not being too creative with some of my a-z blogs---truth be told, i am kinda struggling to finish this challenge----but the food thing interests me right now, so i hope you will forgive another food post--especially since it wasn't even on my radar to do a food blog---

tuna----i have always loved it and i tell you, i haven't met anyone that loves it more than robyn---whenever we split a sub, i know what kind i will be getting---tuna---tuna---tuna

it is good and in moderation, pretty good for ya---although i am not so sure about all the mayo and pickle--

the way i really enjoy it on a sandwich--is with of course the mayo---onion, celery and lemon----i rarely have that on hand so, it's usually the sweet relish with the mayo-----i prefer it not toasted--and i now only use the tuna packs----oh and i hate those tuna packs that are sandwich ready---to me they have a strange artificial taste-

i used to make this great dish---it was kinda like a chinese style tuna and you would serve it over rice---i think i can remember all the ingredients, and there were quite a few----to the two cans of white tuna you added, a big can of chinese vegetables, chicken bouillon, celery, onions, mushrooms and an extra can of water chestnuts ---i think that was all----it was very good, but ended up tasting like chicken

i like the more traditional tuna casseroles as well---even the tuna helper----but frank used to make the best one ever---he doesn't recall what he put into it but i think it had cream of mushroom soup and i know it had rice----loved it----he would make it quite often when i was pregnant and not feeling too well---it was one of those comforting foods we all like--

 if i have ever been tempted to order a tuna steak in a restaurant, i will resist---btw--little piece of advice, i follow---they say--never order any seafood on a monday---chances are it won't be fresh--just left-over from the weekend----

soup

i love soup----especially the broth-----you probably all have heard the story "stone soup" or a variation of it---as a child and even as an adult, i have loved this story----

it always leaves me wanting a steaming bowl of soup--

this love of soup takes me back to my early days of school----we would have a half day schedule and that would mean we only had a snack at school---if i was on the morning rotation week---i would return home to soup and sandwiches on the coffee table, along with my sister-

i remember my mother's vegetable soup and my grandmother's soup----it was my dad's mom---who i remember making the vegetable soup----mom's was really good, but grandmal's  was very sweet, i think it was the extra corn she put in it---

i even liked the soups the school cafeteria served-----and mmmm their chili was wonderful, although i don't count that as a real soup--more like a stew---hey another s word---wasn't even trying ---

i recall how i would watch one of my nephews every friday when i was a teenager---as i was making his lunch, i could count on his asking for soup---never failed--

soup makes you feel warm and cozy and full---it's great if you are trying to lose a little weight--if i wait a while after eating a bowl of soup, i usually find, i don't want too much else

this past fall, i got adventurous--making pumpkin soup---it is one i plan to make again, in season

you know--i think next time i am watching my younger grand-kids--i will read to them the charming tale of "stone soup"----no slurping----omgosh--did ya see that

reading between the lines

sometimes people mean what they say and say what they mean---others

have you ever had someone tell you something or say something off handed and laughed--only to say to yourself, when you got home---oooohhhh, that's what they were saying hmmmm

i fancy myself, a person with discernment---seriously, i think, i have that God given gift----my mother had it too---i remember as a child, thinking she was cold and judgmental---i came to realize, that her assessments of most people were very accurate, if not pretty

now i know, as women, sorry, we tend to read into things, and listen a little more eagerly---but i believe people rarely say exactly what they mean and when they do have an agenda, i believe they try to disguise it as nicely as they think they can--and still let you feel the jab---

even the ones that seem to "tell it like it is"---they too are holding back---they don't tell you what has led them to this unpleasant out-burst

so maybe the next time, someone says something and then laughs a "i'm just kidding"---you might just wanna try and think what they may be holding on to---

or if you are a man reading this----just go along your business, cause we know, you don't "read between the lines" and if ya got it, chances are, ya wouldn't give a darn-----sorry, men, just trying to keep it interesting on the a-z challenge----hmmm do ya think that's what i really mean

quiz

i thought it might be fun if i give everyone a little t.v. quiz today--and no looking up the answers---



1. on the "laverne and shirley" show---who was shirley's kinda boyfriend through-out most of the show--and he danced

2. on the "happy days" show---how many kids did the cunningham family have

3. name two spin-off shows from "all in the family"

4. name two spin-offs from the "mary tyler moore show"

5. name the daughter in the "adam's family"

6. name the niece in the "munsters"

7. how many siblings were in "the big valley"

8. what famous disaster movie was the first "fallon" from "dynasty" in

9. what was the real first name of the actor that played pam's brother on "dallas"

10. what were the characters names of andy and barney's girl-friends on "the andy griffin show"


please leave your answers and a question--hope i didn't make these too easy

picnics

i have been thinking about taking my dad, soon, to visit some of our loved ones graves----they are about and hour or so away----i was also thinking it might be nice to pack a picnic lunch-

i love the thought of picnic food but rarely make one---

a few stand out----years ago, we took the kids down to the park in our neighborhood, where there is a pavillion and a pond----we had a great day---the two oldest boys fished and we had lots of special picnic foods, including fudge brownies-

another picnic that i recall--started with a lovely picnic array of foods, but we got so hungry, that, unable to find a spot to eat, we ended up eating in a convience store lot----but we particularly enjoyed the hard-boiled eggs--

occasionally we will stop and get chicken with the fixings and head out to a lovely park in our town--

but when i think of a real picnic--i think of preparing my own foods-

i guess the last really good picnic our family had, was one in the mountains---i remember bringing so much food--i couldn't stop myself----

we had all kinds of sandwich stuff---pickles-chips-cookies-fresh fruit-potato salad ---well it seemed like more---

so i might just do, it---shoot, i might just go crazy and make my grandmother's famous fried chicken---

what goodies do you pack on your picnics?

once upon a time

once upon a time---awwww wasn't that how some of our favorite stories started----

once upon a time this beautiful princess--once upon a time there was a sparkly kingdom-----

so many wonderful writers have begun their masterpieces with these four little words

as most of you can tell, i don't really follow your conventional ways of writing nor do i pretend to have knowledge of the many books about how to write, etc.

now i am not knocking those books, it's just i haven't gone this path----but there is one thing i learned long ago in my senior year of high school that has stuck with me all the years-

we were given movie cameras and told to go make a movie-----we learned sorta like a crash course in movie making---

the most important thing that we were to remember, was not to start our movie with some monumental or tragic beginning

we were told that if you did something too disturbing in the first few minutes of your movie, that you would lose you audience---they would be too preoccupied with the horror or terror they had seen and then not be engaged in the further action or story of the film-

like i said, that one thing, i took away from that course---has intriqed me ever since

i am guessing this would hold true for books as well

so as we try to grab the reader from the get go---we must not overwhelm them-----

i don't know if i am any good at the beginnings of stories, but i have to say, that is probably my most favorite part of the process-----

what do you say--