As Promised…Cheesy Potato Soup (and more)

Before I get to the recipe, I wanted to share a couple of items I found the other day while looking for something else. Surely you’ve never done that! The other day, I said something to Callie referring to the tigers which turned to butter in the story, “Little Black Sambo”. That was one I remember my Grandma reading to me and it was a favorite of mine. Callie had no clue what I was talking about and I wanted her to read it. Well, for some reason, it wasn’t in the place I always thought I remembered it being in. Instead, I found these great reminders of days gone by:

This is an old postcard Grandma sent from Regina, Saskatchewan in 1972. Her friend, in turn, returned it to Grandma and then Grandma gave it to me (knowing my love for the harvest). This is what is written on the back in Grandma’s handwriting, “We’ve had a very good year. This is like our 3 machines and we pick wheat up like it shows here in the North Country. Only we have cabs. I LOVE it up here. Pauline”

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The Field Trip

Yesterday started out on the cool to cold side. I didn’t know if I should have my Carhart on or a jacket. I decided to start with the Carhart and take the jacket for later in the afternoon. My day was going to be filled with 4th graders and one of their many field trips. The 4th grade is the year in our elementary school to learn about the history of Nebraska. In order to help pay for all the trips they take, they become mini salespeople. By far, their best fundraiser (in my opinion) is the Baker’s Candies – a favorite local chocolate company.

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“When You Only Got 100 Years to Live”

“15 there’s still time for you
Time to buy and time to lose
15, there’s never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live”

“100 Years” lyrics by John Ondrasick – Music Video performed by Five for Fighting

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Fall Has Arrived in Eastern Nebraska

This is Curt & Jamie’s home. The colors have not been edited or enhanced by any means! Beautiful, gorgeous, awesome, amazing picture taken by Taylor.

Well, we did it. We broke down and turned on the furnace earlier this past week. All at once, summer turned its steamy head and walked away! I wouldn’t be too upset, though, if it decided to come back for a little while. I was thinking about a day this summer that I thought was almost the hottest day I could remember. I remember this day in particular because we were cutting barley and I was trying to keep the barley chaff from filling the cab of the truck – so I had the windows rolled shut when both combines came to dump. It seemed like Ed’s green combine would unload the bin faster than Jim’s (maybe he had his idled down some). Anyways…by the time Ed was done emptying his bin, the sweat was rolling from head to toe. By the time Jim finished, I literally wondered if I was going to die in the cab of that truck! When Jim FINALLY finished, I jumped out of the truck to tarp the box. When the breeze hit me – I thought I was going to freeze to death! I remember goosebumps forming before my body realized it was over 100 degrees!

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Cowboy Church

Today began by attending “Cowboy Church” held at a local horse ranch. Thank you, Dave and Dolly, for organizing this “alternative” Sunday worship which brought us together in a humble setting – a horse barn.

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It’s What ANY Momma Bear Would Do!

The kids of Kansas have hit the “big time” once again! This time, the video that’s being talked about and has gone viral is a parody on the changes to the school lunch program…thanks to our First Lady, Michelle Obama, and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. I find the name of the bill rather contradictory – “Hunger Free”. This was created to help with the growing epidemic of overweight kids. My kids aren’t overweight – they’re hungry! How can anyone believe our school lunches are making our kids overweight? What about the kids who count on this one meal to get them through their day?

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A Red Letter Weekend!

Taylor was destined to receive the honor!

Grandma used to talk about “Red Letter” Days. These are the days that really stand out above and beyond the rest and are usually few and far between. When a Red Letter Day occurs, you NEVER want it to be over. Taylor was able to experience one of these – actually a Red Letter Weekend!

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The World That Most People Are In

It’s been three weeks ago that I spent the entire day sitting in the trailer house wondering what to do next. That was the first day of being thrown back into the non-harvest world and I had no idea where to start. Harvest feels like a dream ago. Did we really experience the summer wheat harvest?

In the past three weeks, I’ve emptied the cottage on wheels and have become part of the world that most people are in. There are harvesters still on the road doing what they started nearly five months ago. I miss that world. While driving around our rural area, I see the combines in the field and get homesick. Homesick for the lifestyle that we were still a part of just a month ago.

I keep ignoring the fact that the trailer house is still in dire need of being cleaned. Every day I think, “this will be the day I will begin that chore”. So far, every day goes by and I have yet to make that initial cleaning wipe! If I had all the money in the world, I would hire someone to come in and do it for me while I’m involved in the world that most people are in.

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The Worst Day.

The flag I immediately hung outside my front door. You can tell it was there quite a long time – ragged and bleached.

The day began like any other and ended with confusion, fear and…a sense of being united.

9/11/01 will forever be a memory in my brain.  A day in which the events will never be questioned by what I was doing and where I was at.

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“One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Treasure”

While sitting at an intersection waiting for a vehicle, I HAD to try to record the sun as it was coming up over the east horizon. Unfortunately, this doesn’t do justice for the beauty of the moment – especially through a dirty bus window.

The weekend started for me on Friday morning. Jim was caught up with dry corn and had been spending some much-needed time on combine and corn head maintenance. On Friday morning, he asked me if I wanted to ride along to Cornlea (Nebraska) to get parts for the corn head. Jenna thought that was quite funny…going to Cornlea for the corn head – appropriate. Cornlea was about 2 ½ hours from home. I thought…what the heck?! Before we could go, though, I had to sub for a driver on the morning bus route.

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