Just Because.....they'll soon be gone.

Friday My Town Shoot Out: Incongruous

I chose this week's topic. It may have been one of those ideas that sounded good, but was difficult to execute.

"Incongruous: meaning out of place, ridiculous, inconsistent, contradictory. Things mis-labeled or not where you would expect to see them, just odd stuff that you might be used to seeing everyday and we would find interesting or amusing."

I got the idea from this boat parked in front of a barn. It has obviously not been moved in a while. We are at least 60 miles from any size body of water.



I live in a small Northwest Kansas town. Last week a water tower was being added to boost the water pressure in a newly expanded area. I didn't get to see how they do it, but evidently they erect these things from the ground up, because it was missing a "Y" on the bottom.

You wouldn't expect to see palm trees in this flat arid country, but the Chamber of Commerce is using a slogan "Oasis on the Plains" and this truck stop complex calls it's self "The Oasis." The trees are constructed out of metal and I believe fiberglass. I know there was concern about those branches breaking loose in one of our 70 mph winds.

- complete with parrots.(click for a better view)

Another thing you don't expect to see everyday is a real semi-truck suspended so high in the sky that it can be see for miles.

Lastly a bonus from my trip this week. It comes from Pratt, Kansas. How's this for a town with a sense of humor? If you zoom in on the "hot" you can see the gingerbread detail around the top.

Decimate

I really, really hate these things and they really, really love the four-o-clocks by my front door- which I seldom use. I think an extended family moved in out there. I've been picking and smushing (gross), but they are pretty good at blending in. So it's a race to see if the plants are decimated before the worm family. I'm doing my part.

Friday My Town Shoot Out: Signs

This week's Friday "My Town" Shoot Out topic is " amusing or interesting signs in your area." I think I found that my town just isn't that amusing.

This sign is posted at the end of my friends' driveway.





Can you tell that they have horses?

Lunch for sixty?

I couldn't decide on a title for this post. The first one that came to mind was,"Oh, my aching feet!", but given the background it seems more than a little self absorbed.

I coordinate the funeral meals for our church. Today we provided lunch for the family before a memorial service. Customarily, services are held around 10:00 with lunch following. For the last several years we've been serving a casserole with salads and desserts. We ask how many to expect, but it's always just a guess.

I use this old-time favorite recipe for the casserole:

Tator Tot Casserole

Brown together:
2 lbs hamburger seasoned w/salt, pepper & onion

Add:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cans green beans, drained

Top:
2 lbs. tator tots

Mix browned, seasoned burger, soups & green beans. Spread in the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with the tator tots. Bake at 350 until bubbly & brown.

Although this recipe should serve 12-15, I estimate one recipe per 10 people to be served, just to be safe.

I call my list of faithfuls who volunteer to donate food or work in the kitchen and they bring salads and desserts. Just before the meal I pop pans of yeast rolls in the oven to give the kitchen a comforting, homey smell. Who doesn't love the smell of fresh baked bread?

We don't charge anything for this, though families often make a donation, and we don't have a budget, it just always works out.

A time or two, I have been pretty stressed when the attendance greatly exceeded the estimate. Then there was the time that Pastor invited everyone downstairs for lunch when we only planned for 70, but still it worked out okay. This jobs makes you believe in loaves & fishes.

Here's a picture of some of my helpers today. Don't they look lovely? Sorry, I didn't get a picture of everyone. There were three more of us.

Wasn't this a pretty spread?

If These Old Walls Could Talk: Part 3

Old, Old Schoolhouse? I blogged earlier about "The Old School House". While I was on my photo safari, I spotted this old foundation on a narrow road. I had decided it must be the remains of a school or church because of the wide step. Then Aunt Dinah told me that the previous school had been North & West of the "New, Old School. Exactly where this is. There are no buildings around it for miles. Can you imagine having to mix the concrete for this by hand, maybe even hauling the water. Building was really hard work back then. I wonder if there was a well, probably an outhouse. What did they heat with. It didn't look like there was a source of firewood nearby. Do you suppose the kids rode ponies to school at one time?



See how far back it sets from the road, just the footprint of a memory. I wish I could order up a video of that time. Would I see muslin and homespun?

P.S. Yes, I do know that this doesn't actually have walls.

Friday My Town Shoot Out: Relaxation

The object of the Friday My Town Shoot Out posts is to use an assigned theme to post photos of my town. This week's theme is "Relaxation" chosen by Lena at Spirits of Lena.

This time of year, lots of people, mainly children, like to relax here.

I would relax there too, if I could be INVISIBLE.

Relax here and leave with peace.



Some people like to relax here.




The most frequent place for me is this.

I take a little something from here.



Children are welcome.



Travelers can check their email. Students surf.



I can trade in a book from home.



I can even check out a cake pan! What shape & flavor would you like for your cake?


Have a wonderful weekend. Mary