roberta mccanse

I like overnight oats. I use what I call oatmeal, the big bag from Costco that I bought twice because I forgot that I had bought them the last time. Half a cup each of oatmeal, oat milk (or whatever “not milk” is on sale) and low fat yogurt. Add seeds, (pumpkin, hemp, chia…,) stevia or maple syrup for sweetness, and blueberries frozen from the garden last summer. I make four or five covered glasses that go in the fridge. This keeps me energized for four days of Zumba at the gym and a couple of mornings a week as a cat slave at the animal shelter.

My Aunt Nellie made, when I was a child, what she called pettijohns. They sat on the back of the wood cook stove overnight. When she finally upgraded to an electric stove they never tasted the same.

I remember taking the steam engine train from Broadhead, Wisconsin to Milwaukee with my Aunt who was a children’s librarian in Milwaukee schools. Late 1940s, early 50s, I was probably four and five years old. The huge steam engines were frightening. I got to “go to school” with my aunt before we had kindergarten in my small Wisconsin town. Milwaukee also had electric streetcars that we rode to and from school. How exciting. More lately I have taken Amtrak from Libby, Montana to Chicago, usually with a sleeper, and enjoy meeting people from all over. The romance of trains continues. I fear that Amtrak will alter its Empire route to the south of us and leave the small towns that used it for daily transportation along the Highline train less.

My son-in-law’s gate to his unfenced property.

At 82 I decided that I needed an electric hauling vehicle. I garden on the roof of my earth sheltered home and lots of things, like compost, wood chips, etc need to be moved up hill. So I ordered a “recommended “ electric wheelbarrow. Alas when it arrived, and had been assembled by helpful neighbors, it was very heavy for me to use. I am 5’2” and lifting the handles, which were too high for me, and the motor which was mounted toward the rear, was simply too much for me. Fortunately my 25 year old, over six foot, grandson arrived to house sit and he loved it. He easily hauled wood chips for garden paths, compost and garden amendments up to the gardens.

So beware of electric wheel barrows unless you are young, tall, and strong.

Love the painting. Love the dogs.

John W. What a beautiful dog. He looks bigger than Val. I met a woman at Zumba (Val often comes along as we dance at the riverside) who has a larger male from the same breeder, black and brown. He must also look very much like your boy. Note: I adopted Val when her people lost their properly. No problems with car travel, strangers, deer, cats… except for elevators. She hates elevators. She spent three hours interacting with people at my son’s favorite bar. So she must have been well socialized by the breeder.

This is my Valkyrie, previously posted with my little dog, Gizmo. Here she is engaged in canine therapy with my granddaughter who was missing her absent dogs. To see how Val dealt with an angry charging dog visit the Strange Things Dogs Do thread.

This is Valkyrie.

Valkyrie is a Caucasian Shepherd. It’s a good thing that she is a sweetheart because at 140 pounds she could head off anywhere she wanted to go, without me. I discovered her wolf and bear killing fangs one day when she snarled at my son’s dog, an older unneutered male who was extremely fear aggressive towards her. Although we tried religiously to keep them apart one day I mistakenly opened a door only to discover him on the other side! He charged, she backed away slightly, and then pinned him against a table until my son could retrieve him. No teeth marks, no blood. Good girl.