What Was I Thinking ?

It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was trying to get out of my 5 week slump and into the Easter Spirit. So I bought a HUGE ham. Huge. And no one but me and John for Easter dinner. I thought it would be nice for leftovers. Easter was yesterday and I am already tired of ham. What am I going to do with all that ham? My sister-in-law and best friend, Julie made pasta with meat sauce for Easter. I wondered about that move at the time. In the morning light..it looks like it was a good way to go. I never really liked having to deal with an enormous amount of leftover holiday meat. On Thanksgiving, I am tired of turkey before the day is over. So here I am faced with a HUGE ham...and I don't really even like ham.

I am still in that "licking my wounds phase". So I got our Betty Crocker for some comfort. Ham crouquettes with white sauce. Huh? Really? Should I do it? I remember an episode on" All In The Family" where Edith made ham crouquettes...and it did not go over very good there with Archie either.Are they really that bad? Can't it be a case of " everything old is new again?"

So I made them. I don't know how they will be. I just Cusinarted (is that a word) some ham with parsley from my garden, a little pepper and dijon and an egg...formed them into little circles and dipped them in panko bread crumbs. It said to let them sit a couple of hours before frying. How can anything fried be bad? We'll see.

Teddy Update: Made our room reservations today for Tuesday, April 20th. John and I are driving to Riverside, Ca ( NOT a vacation destination)...going to dinner and spending the night. Then we will get up Wednesday morning and travel the rest of the hour and a half into the desert to a town called Anza...kinda by Palm Springs. We are a LONG way from home. We will get Teddy and make the 7 or 8 hour ride home. We are so excited. I'll keep you updated. 2 weeks to go !

Old Fashion Easter Egg Hunt

I went with my family today to breakfast across the street at The Del Monte Cafe. After the breakfast we all loaded up and headed over to Meadow Park here in San Luis Obispo for an old fashion Easter Egg Hunt. They had popcorn and cupcakes and bbq hot dogs and face painting and balloons...and an Easter Egg Hunt..along with getting your picture taken with the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny scared me to death as a kid...but nobody was crying here today. Seemed like they all loved it.

John and I are having a quiet Easter here at home alone this year. After the past few weeks, I just wasn't in the mood for a big deal kind of Easter. I told John this morning that I have planned an old fashion dinner. Nothing "Martha" here this year. Not one thing. I have a Farmer John ham...it even has a little package on the side that has a brown sugar sauce to put on it. And I am doing it. Making scalloped potatoes and some asparagus. I got rolls..Oh yes I did..the kind that comes in the round blue tube. You know the ones. The Pillsbury cresent rolls. I am opening a can of mandarin oranges and dessert is strawberry shortcake. I'll make the shortcakes with Bisquick. I love Bisquick. Especially when I am in one of those "comfort me" kinda moods like I am this year. Actually, I am pretending I am in a Farmhouse in Vermont. Wood floors, bouquets of sweet peas from the garden, a small fire smoldering in the woodstove,cats sleeping curled up in wing back chairs,the smell of ham coming from the Wedgewood stove, strawberries sliced and sprinkled with sugar,shortcakes cooling on the windowsill,mandarin oranges in pretty sprigware cups....the only thing missing is.....Teddy !

Happy Easter, my friends

Stuffed Shells For Supper

I put away the pet loss books this morning and went to the grocery store. We have been living on junk food and I was getting tired of it. Needless to say John must have been too, although he never said a word. It is cold here on the Central Coast of California for April, so I decided to make some stuffed shells for supper tonight. Super simple. I just made a light marinara sauce adding in some turkey sausage and herbs. I cooked some pasta shells and filled them with s stuffing of ricotta, eggs, grated parmesan, parsley from my garden, a little nutmeg, and some salt and pepper. That was it. I stuffed the shells, covered them with sauce and popped them in the fridge. Come suppertime I will top them off with some grated mozarella and pop them in the oven to bake for about an hour. Serve with a salad and some toasted bread. A nice change for tonight. To be sure.

Getting Ready For Teddy

Today is one month since I lost Buddy. And I don't even remember March. One whole month. Gone in a haze. But I am trying to move forward and in doing so have started to get ready for little Teddy. Right before Buddy died I had started taking knitting classes. And I loved it. I was working on a pair of fingerless gloves. But needless to say, after he died, I lost interest in everything. Even eating. So the other day I walked into town and picked up this organic cotton yarn. I turned on You Tube and took a knitting lesson right here on the couch. I wanted to learn the seed stitch. And all it is is knit and purl. So I am knitting Teddy a little blanket to put in his basket for the ride home. So as I pass the time waiting to bring home the new baby lamb of love, I will knit. And dream of happier days to come.

Teddy

First of all I have to say I have been overwhelmed by your kindness, support and sympathy over the GREATEST LOSS OF MY LIFE....MY BUDDY.

This has shaken me right to my very core. It has turned my world upsidedown . At times I really wondered if I could carry on. Would I be better off with Buddy? Maybe. I didn't know a human could be that sad. And lonely. I didn't know a human could cry that much. You can. Right after Buddy died, someone told me you won't be able to breathe for a month. They were right. I couldn't. But I will tell you this. Having all you wonderful, wonderful friends in this place we call a BLOG has saved me. I don't know what I would have done without you. This is a great community of the greatest people I have ever been lucky enough to meet.

There will be a new little red toy poodle coming into my life around the 20th of April. And I can hardly wait for him. I know I just can not live my life without a dog. No way.John and I will be driving down to Southern California to pick him up. And we are naming him Teddy.After a very, very special friend. Thanks for all your kind words and encouragement during the darkest days of my life. I love you all and can't wait to share Teddy with you. Kary.

Eight Days Of Sad

The Greatest Loss Of My Life

In Loving Memory of Buddy..... the light of my life. Gone but never forgotten and always loved

November 2, 1995

March 3, 2010