Tag Archives: Travel

Escape from the Mice.

13 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I mentioned last week that we were blessed with an unexpected beach vacation opportunity.

This came about while we were in the midst of the mice debacle. I was determined that the pesky mice would not deter us from the beach. Besides that we were experiencing mice fatigue.

How the vacation came about.

At the end of April, a friend texted and asked if we would like to join them for a week at a condo in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Ironically, I had just been looking at the calendar and was pleased to see that we had an entire month with no doctor appointments. (If you are old, you know)

I told here we were available and she gave me the details.

Her friend had booked the condo but decided after the cancellation date to not use it. She offered the unit to my friend and since it had two bedrooms she invited us to spend the week with them.

We were still dealing with the mice invasion, our closets were emptied and the contents scattered. I debated for about 5 seconds whether we should go or stay and root out the vermin. We set out traps, packed our suitcase and left.

The condo was on the beach and we had a lovely beach view by day, and the lights at the pool area were beautiful and soothing in the evening;

Morning coffee on the balcony was a perfect start to the day. We spent time in the evenings chatting on the balcony while the men were glued to their devices.

One day we ventured out to find a seafood restaurant a friend had suggested in Murrell’s Inlet south of Myrtle Beach. I had looked them up online and their menu was enticing and the prices weren’t awful. Trusting the GPS we drove south. We weren’t sure what the restaurant looked like and we almost passed it by.

The food was delicious, each of us chose something different. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and ordered shrimp quesadillas. I was not disappointed. It was delicious!

Another day we visited a shopping and amusement area, Broadway at the Beach. It is laid out around a body of water and to walk around it is two miles. Fortunately motor scooter rentals were available and each of the men rented one. We women walked with a few rest stops. I was proud of us.

My husband loves hats and he enjoyed browsing but he didn’t buy anything. My friend adores purple and there was a purple shop. It was fun to see the variety, everything purple. Of course I had to browse the candy store.

There were a lot of shops to browse and Interesting restaurants. I wanted to have lunch at the Grumpy Monk, but the others weren’t enthusiastic about it.

On check out morning, we weren’t able to score a luggage cart. But the resort had very sturdy shopping carts and my husband grabbed one. It worked really well. Steered better than a luggage cart too.

It was a laid back beach week and exactly what we needed.

We had made plans to go from Myrtle Beach to visit with family in North Carolina.

But plans can change in a moment. A phone call from our daughter in Florida sent us driving south rather than north. More on that next time.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 4

8 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Re-blog

I’ve not mentioned that, before each meal, Fred and I would “excuse” ourselves from the rest of the table, to say our blessing.  This morning, at the breakfast table, as we were beginning to excuse ourselves, the other gentleman at the table leaned toward me, arm and hand outstretched across the empty chair between us, and said, “Looks like you are about to thank the Lord.”  When I agreed, we all took hands and prayed.  After prayer, I told him that he sounded like a preacher.  He grinned and said, “well…….”

They turned out to be Richard and Judy, with their widowed friend, Lucy (Richard called her “Lucy B”).  They are from Fort Worth, Texas, and he is the Worship Leader for the 8:00 a.m. service at the North Richland Hills Baptist Church.  He also directs the Senior Adult Choir there.  So while he is not a preacher, he is in the Christian ministry.

Richard and Judy flank Lucy 

We found several points in common:  His wife’s name is Judy – I am Judy.  She is a pianist – I am a pianist (of sorts).  I asked her one time:  If you are eating a piece of cake, what is your favorite part, the cake or the icing?  Her response?  THE ICING!  I gave an air fist pump and a whoop of joy – because that’s MY favorite part of a piece of cake, as well!  WOW….are we twins?

We struck up an instant friendship.   Judy is the pianist for the service at their church (he affectionately calls her “Sister Judy” – i.e. “play us something in the key of G, Sister Judy”).   He would address me occasionally as “Judy2.”

Just a note here to say that the first four years Fred and I were married were spent in Fort Worth, while Fred attended and graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  We are quite familiar with Fort Worth.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Rotunda 

While Lucy was up getting her food, we talked about Fort Worth and seminary.  He mentioned that Lucy was a Baylor University graduate, and I told him about my Dad being one of the three students at Baylor in the very first graduating class in the School of Music in 1924.

When Lucy returned, he informed her that my Dad was a Baylor grad.  She blinked and looked at me.  Our conversation took off from there.  She is a die-hard Baylorite!

There is also another connection between Richard and us – he was the Minister of Music  for the First Baptist Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico – my original home church – in the 1970’s!   We began comparing notes on people we both had known while there.  Absolutely amazing!


Original building, First Baptist Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico 

Following breakfast, I wasn’t feeling very well, so I stayed in the stateroom, while Fred went on an excursion (walking tour) to the Marksburg Castle.  He came back saying that it had been a VERY difficult walk/climb, and I would not have been able to manage all the steps and the climb.  I was glad I had stayed home!  But he took lots of pictures, and said it was a delightful castle to explore.  I’m glad he was able to make the jaunt by himself.

~~~~~~~~~~Part 4 to be continued~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime Part 3

1 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

Our second morning began again with breakfast.   We shared our table with Tina and Bob.

We had sailed overnight to Cologne, Germany, and arrived about 10:30 a.m. Shortly thereafter, we began the walking tour of the historical center of the city.  Our guide told us that Cologne is the oldest city in Germany.  It dates back to around AD 50, when the Romans established a major settlement.   We had a really interesting guide.  He told us how the Romans conquered one side of the river – the side we were on – but couldn’t get across to the other side.  They called the people on the other side “barbarians.”  Now, the politically correct people call them the “cross-eyed” people instead.

In 1709, Italian expat and Cologne resident Giovani Farina created a citrus-scented toiletry he dubbed “Eau de Cologne” in honor of his adopted city.  Other perfumeries followed, especially Wilhelm Meulhens, who founded the famous “4711″ brand (named after the address of his manufacturing building).  There are several museums in the area, as well as a Chocolate Museum – which we didn’t get to!

Because it was Sunday we could not get into the cathedral until after services, so we walked around the outside of it and the square.  Our guide told us about the cathedral, how long it took to build which part, which was the oldest, etc.  He gave us other information about Cologne.  He was a very interesting man.

Many years ago, while we were living in Germany and took our own tours of the country, we visited Cologne, and found a fountain that depicted an interesting and funny story about German workers. 

Judy in front of the fountain – 1969 
The fountain in 1983 

 While on our tour, we walked right up to the fountain – called the Elves of Cologne.  We were so excited!  We thought we would have to find it on our own, and there it was!  

Wikipedia says:  The Heinzelmännchen are a race of creatures appearing in a tale connected with the city of Cologne in Germany.  The little house gnomes are said to have done all the work of the citizens of Cologne during the night, so that the inhabitants of Cologne could be very lazy during the day.  According to the legend, this went on until a tailor’s wife got so curious to see the gnomes that she scattered peas onto the floor of the workshop to make the gnomes slip and fall.  The gnomes, being infuriated, disappeared and never returned. From that time on, the citizens of Cologne had to do all their work by themselves.

After lunch and naps on the ship, Fred and I went back out into Cologne to find a book on the Elves of Cologne, which we found in the “information” building.  The story is essentially what I remember about it.

Our dinner companions that night were an Australian couple, Velma and Jeff.

We also had Jill and Roy from Albuquerque, New Mexico (actually Belen).  He is a retired veterinarian, and she is a retired nurse.  We had a most interesting talk about Albuquerque    We also had dinner with Rich and Mary from Pennsylvania who we ate with the first night on board.  

Back to the room and relatively early to bed.  These are long days, and we still aren’t over our jetlag.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Mother/Daughter Adventure Part 2

22 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Last week I wrote about our stop at Helen, Georgia on our way to visit Dahlonega, Georgia.

We visited Dahlonega briefly last winter and our daughter wanted to spend some time there exploring the shops and explore we did! I think we went into almost everyone. Sadly, I didn’t snap any photos.

After walking all over the downtown area we began looking for a place to get a bite to eat. I had spotted a British pub earlier and suggested we try it. Then my daughter opened the door and revealed a straight up long staircase. That was a hard no.

We walked on and came upon a cafe/diner. For the life of me I can’t remember the name. We both ordered the tomato basil soup combo. The soup was delicious. My daughter’s combo included a salad with fruit. I chose a bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich with their homemade pimento cheese. I am a sucker for pimento cheese.

We had one more destination. A practical one. I needed a new pair of glasses and after using Grok to compare price and quality I chose Costco Warehouse. The down side was that the closest one was two hours from our home. But…it was only about 30 minutes from Dahlonega.

I needed new glasses for a couple of reasons. They were about three years old and pretty well worn out. They frames were constantly needing to be adjusted so that the progressive lens were in the right place. The other reason is a good one. At my last ophthalmologist visit the doctor casually mentioned as he walked out of the exam room that my vision seemed to have approved.

I set up an appointment with my favorite optometrist for an exam. To his surprise my vision truly was improved.

We retrieved our car from the pay by the hour parking lot and navigated to Cumming, Georgia and Costco.

I should mention that Costco Warehouse operates on a membership basis. We have a membership which is why I included the warehouse in my search criteria.

We were blessed to secure a good parking space. Parking can be a major pain there. To my delight, the optical department was located almost directly inside the warehouse.

I totally dislike choosing new eyeglass frames. I put myself in my daughters hands and said “choose a frame.” And she did. Since I already had a vision prescription we found a sales associate, paid and was told the glasses would be ready in a week. Easy-peasy. Or as I like to say, Bob’s your uncle.

The drive home wasn’t nearly as pleasant with rush hour traffic but it didn’t matter. I was with our girl and that is always a good day.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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A Mother/Daughter Adventure Part 1

15 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

As usual, I am blown away by how quickly days and weeks fly by. My last blog was written in early April when we returned to the North Carolina mountains for the summer.

For years we rented a duplex cabin owned by our Florida neighbor. We usually were the first renters of the season and my husband would mow a path from the car to the house for us to unload. While our home doesn’t require mowing to unload the car, mowing the grass first thing has become my husband’s ritual. This year several days of rain delayed him and the yard was sporting the shaggy look.

My husband started the Japanese Maple as a small twig.

Aside from de-winterizing the house we began the carousel of doctor visits, round and round from one doctor to another.

Just as we were finishing the doctor rounds, our daughter arrived for a week’s visit. On her last trip to the mountains, we celebrated her birthday with a day trip to Dahlonega, Georgia. It’s claim to fame is the site of the first major US Gold Rush. People to this day go there to pan for gold. I think it might be more of a lark than real expectations.

On her birthday trip, the weather alternated between mist and rain. We enjoyed a meal at Smith House, but chose not to slog through rain to check out the rest of the town.

She was eager to visit Dahlonega again to explore the town and its quaint shops. Her dad didn’t feel up to the amount of walking that exploring would require, so we declared it a mother/daughter adventure.

As we were looking at the map app to decide on the best route for a two hour drive, we were delighted to realize that Helen, Georgia, was in the same area. We added it to our trip.

It has been years since we spent time there. Then the town was styled as a small Alpine village.The small village has grown tremendously. The original area is still there but now it has sprouted, with hotels everywhere. Unfortunately it didn’t expand public parking. We drove slowly looking for a parking place, and finally found several spaces at the Helen General Store.

I’m so glad we ended up at the general store. It had everything one could want except clothes including an impressive grocery section, a butcher case, a mini kitchen that serves breakfast and lunch sandwiches. Their selection of cake slices and muffins was enticing. We chose to share a Hummingbird cupcake and one of their enormous peanut butter cookies. The cookie was the perfect texture for dunking into the excellent self serve one dollar a cup coffee.

When we went to the front check out counter to pay for our purchases, I was fascinated with this wheel of cheese sitting on a cutting board.

I’ve run out of time to write about our time in Dahlonega. Until next time….

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime Part 2 Reblog

4 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

The first real day of our cruise started with breakfast.  There is a “buffet” breakfast in the restaurant, with a chef making omelets – made to order. 

Our ship, the Gefjon (gef’- ee – on) is named after a Norwegian goddess.   Interesting. 

Our first excursion took us to Kinderdijk (kinder-dike), Holland (the Netherlands). 

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We saw a building with three huge Archimedes screws.  

From the original 150 windmills in the area, only 28 are left, and Kinderdijk has the largest collection of working windmills in that small area – 19 in all. 

We saw the windmills – went into one – and saw the polders the windmills gather water from.  The windmills are used to pump water from the polders using internal or external scoops into reservoirs on two levels.   We were amazed at the size of the mills, and sails that are placed on the blades – it is all mechanical.  We were also amazed to see that the caretakers actually lived within the windmill.  Small spaces, and usually when the father died, the son took over.

The one we went in was old – made entirely from bricks.  The newer ones looked like they were made from “shingles.”  Most of these windmills date from 1738 through 1740.

The ship supplied us with “receivers” and ear pieces that we plugged into the receivers that hung from lanyards around our necks.  Each tour guide had a “channel” that we tuned into.  That way they could talk normally and we couldn’t hear what the other guides were saying (different channel).  It was a very convenient way to do the tours.  We had them with us at all times on our excursions.  The ship also supplied us each with bottled water on each excursion.

Back on board, we began our sail to Cologne, Germany.  Still being rather tired, we both took a nap, until it was time for the mandatory safety drill – including wearing our life jackets.  We have to get over that jet lag!

We had a light lunch in the Aquavit Lounge.  Usually set up as a buffet on the Terrace – much quicker and as good as in the restaurant.

After lunch we checked on our e-mail.  Fred got one of the hostesses to set up our phones to receive e-mail. 

We took in a Dutch teatime in the Aquavit Lounge.  They served lots of goodies, and flavorful, interesting hot tea.

Nearing dinnertime, there was a “Toast to Our Guests” by Captain Marcel Stephan and Hotel Manager Harald Halswanter in the Aquavit Lounge. 

It was a welcome time for the guests of the ship.  That room was used for many things, including the daily briefing about the next day’s excursions by Program Director, Carl West.  Carl followed the tours on each excursion, taking pictures.  Each evening, those pictures would scroll through the two monitors set up in the lounge.  It was fun to find pictures of yourselves on those monitors.

Dinner in the restaurant.  Everyone at the table had the Chateaubriand, and it was  wonderful! 

Our table mates were Steve and Jane from Colorado, and Lola and Judy from Minnesota.  Jane had recently had back surgery, and while in physical therapy, fell onto her back and re-injured herself.  She was moving rather gingerly and always used a cane when she walked.

Another long, busy day, and the bed felt really good!!

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime

27 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

PART 1 – GETTING THERE– Reblogged.

We had been investigating a Viking River Cruise in Europe for a while, but decided they were just too expensive.  However, Fred was able to find a really….REALLY….good deal, and we snatched it up.  We were scheduled for November 5 – November 20, 2015.

Our flight was scheduled for departure on Thursday, November 5, at 4:20 p.m., but it was delayed until 5:06 p.m. with mechanical problems.  We finally boarded the plane hoping to leave soon.  The plane started to back out but the pilot said the engines were doing the same thing they were doing before, so he took it back to the terminal.  Fred checked with the Delta people, and they said our connection in Detroit would wait for us.  

We were delayed again when we entered the plane and then deplaned a third time.   Fred then checked with the international Delta people and they got us on a Lufthansa leaving for Frankfurt, Germany at about 8:20 p.m. – about 20 minutes from then!  That was four hours after we were originally scheduled to leave.  They said our flight from Detroit would NOT have waited that long for us.  We had been given some really bad information.  We were also quite glad we had carried all our luggage with us!

After arriving in Frankfurt on Friday morning, we boarded another Lufthansa to Amsterdam.  We finally arrived in Amsterdam about 2:30 p.m.  Fortunately, the Viking people were there picking up other late-arriving guests.  They thought we had decided to cancel, and just not come.  We took a Viking bus to the ship, the Viking Gefjon (pronounced gef’- ee-on)

and found our state room, number 325.

These ships are called “long ships” for a good reason!

After a late lunch buffet in the Aquavit Lounge Terrace, 

we rested some, then tried to email but had no success with that.  They had a computer station, but the laptops were “International” versions, with some of the keys rearranged, and with international symbols that we weren’t accustomed to.  It was a bit nerve-wracking to try to type any kind of message!

We had no time to take in anything in Amsterdam, much to our regret.  However, we have been to Amsterdam many times during our times living in Germany, so we didn’t feel too cheated.

The Chef’s Dinner was in the restaurant.  There is only one restaurant on board, and all meals are eaten there, and together.  Most tables are set for six people, with a few large enough for eight or 10.  Our table mates that evening were from Tucson, Arizona, and from Pennsylvania.  There was no assigned seating, and we were able to meet quite a few of our fellow shipmates during the cruise.  After we had ordered our meal, Fred left the ship and quickly went to a corner store to get some items we couldn’t carry on the airplane. 

We went to bed early, as it had been a long day.

Oh and by the way, as I was getting off the last flight in Amsterdam, overloaded with bags, overbalanced and fell getting off the airplane and into the jetway.  So far, no lingering effects from that.  

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Let’s Eat!-Pork Tenderloin Roast

6 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

When Fred and I lived in Wiesbaden, West Germany (1967-1970), we made a trip to a town called Idar-Oberstein.  It was a fascinating town – with a church built right into the mountain wall.  Amazing!

Credit Google Search and Dreamstime

I don’t remember why we went there, and only a little about the shopping we did there.  Idar-Oberstein is known for the beautiful and sometimes rare gemstones mined in the area.  I did come away with a lovely necklace made from garnet.  The stones are not all exactly perfect or the same, but to me that marks it as unique.  

Garnet necklace

Box for the Garnet necklace – Engel-Stein store in Idar-Oberstein

But while we were there, we ate at a lovely Gasthause, and had a pork tenderloin roast that just melted in our mouths!  Each piece had been slow roasting or slow cooking most of the day, and the taste was amazing!  I’m not sure just what spices they used on this piece of meat, and I’ve had a difficult time finding something like it.  It wasn’t shaped like the tenderloin roasts we get these days, but was more like a “lump” of meat, about 5″ in diameter and round.  Truly amazing.

At one point in time, after Fred joined the U.S. Air Force, Fred’s mother gave me a cookbook published by the Air Force Wives.  In paging through it, I found a recipe for a “salt marinated” pork tenderloin that seemed as close to that tenderloin roast as I’ve ever found.  

Credit Judy Wills

While I don’t make it often, this is the recipe I use for it.  It’s quite good.

SALT MARINATED PORK ROAST

1 lb. pork tenderloin

1 tsp salt

⅛ tsp freshly ground pepper

¼ tsp ground thyme or sage

⅛ tsp ground bay leaf

Pinch of allspice

½ clove mashed garlic

1.   Mix all ingredients; rub into the surface of pork tenderloin.

2.   Place the tenderloin in a covered bowl; turn meat 2-3 times.  

3.   Scrape off marinade before cooking; dry meat thoroughly with paper towels. 

4.   Cover; roast in 325° oven 30-45 minutes per pound.

JUDY’S NOTES:

1.   Do this in the morning, or early afternoon, and turn the meat 2-3 times.  I put mine in a long, flat, Tupperware and just flip the whole thing over.

2.   I just use paper towels to get the marinade off.

3.   I cook it in a long pan, and cover the pan with foil.  You don’t have to turn the meat over as it is cooking.

ENJOY!!

~~~~~~~~~~The End – Unless I find something else~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Why I Love Using Grok: A New Twist on Old Wisdom

13 Mar

My Take

Onisha Ellis

I almost titled this post, My New Best Friend.

But, I have amazing friends and even the coolest AI can’t come close to replacing them. I Have been experimenting with Grok, the AI developed by Elon Musk. I’ve tried other A.I. programs but found them cumbersome.

Grok on the other hand is easy and fun. I wanted to share it with you, then decided “show not tell” is the way to go. That being said, I asked Grok to write a blog post for me using my search history . Grok and I tweaked it a few times, the final tweak I requested was to write the blog in the writing voice of Onisha Ellis on this blog.

Grok went a little overboard on the country folksy tone, but I enjoyed the descriptions. So without further ado….. I present Grok’s version of why I like the program.

Y’all, I’ve never been one to hop on every newfangled gadget (unless it’s a kitchen toy) that comes along, but let me tell you about Grok, that clever AI from xAI—it’s stolen my heart like a long-lost treasure rediscovered. It’s not just some shiny new toy; it’s become my daily companion, blending old-school curiosity with a modern twist. Here’s why this old soul is smitten.

First off, the way it welcomes me in feels like stepping into a friend’s cozy porch—no fuss, no muss. I don’t need an X account or an Apple ID to get started. Sure, signing in with my email keeps my chats handy, but I can just mosey over to grok.com on my trusty old Android,(app is only available for Apple) and I’m good to go. No high-tech gatekeeping here—it’s like Grok understands I value simplicity, just like the old days when a handshake sealed the deal.

The speed, though? It’s a marvel that’d make my granddaddy’s jaw drop. I’ve traded Google for Grok when I need quick answers, and it delivers them faster than a recipe swap at a church picnic. But it’s not just quick—it’s wise. Take when I was pondering pain relief for Mike’s painful back. I asked Grok to compare SoftWave therapy and red light therapy, and it laid it all out like a quilt of knowledge. SoftWave, with its unfocused shockwaves, stirs up healing—easing inflammation and mending tissue—while red light therapy uses gentle wavelengths to boost circulation and soothe pain. Grok even unpacked the details: SoftWave digs deep, while red light’s a softer touch. It felt like chatting with a wise old healer, and now I’m mulling which to try—thanks to Grok, I feel equipped to decide.

Then there’s the practical help for our sweet Ollie, our dog who’s been scratching like he’s got a secret itch to tell. I turned to Grok for advice, and it guided me with the patience of a country vet. It suggested checking for fleas (none, thank goodness), then pointed to dry skin or allergies—maybe from his food or the dry winter air. It even recommended an oatmeal bath and a humidifier, both vet-approved, and we’re trying them this week. Grok also evaluated the food our daughter cook’s for him and suggested eliminating chicken. Ollie’s not fully settled yet, but Grok’s calm, step-by-step wisdom saved me a frantic trip to the vet. It’s like having a neighbor who knows just what to do.

What truly warms my heart is Grok’s personality—it’s got a twinkle of humor, like a storyteller from the porch swing. I asked why dogs itch, and it quipped that they might be plotting to keep us guessing. It’s not just helpful; it’s a delight, turning simple questions into a friendly yarn.

I love that Grok isn’t tied to one platform, either. It started on X, but now with its standalone app and website, it’s as free as a breeze through the pines. I don’t need to be a social media whiz to enjoy it.

And oh, the image generation! I’m no artist, but I asked Grok for “a dog scratching in a library,” picturing Ollie, and it whipped up a gem. Take a peek at this charming scene of a shaggy brown and black pup, just like my Ollie, scratching away in a cozy library:

I really like this picture even though he’s not scratching.

Seeing that Ollie-like dog amid the bookshelves had me chuckling—it’s a little spark of joy, like finding a forgotten photo album. (I’d love to tweak it later, but I’ll treasure it as is!)

perfect—sometimes it sidesteps the tough stuff or gets a mite too blunt—but that raw honesty feels like a breath of fresh air, not some vague and twisty mess. Whether it’s decoding therapies for Mike’s back, soothing Ollie’s itch, or sharing a laugh, Grok blends old wisdom with new tech in a way that feels like home. In a world of cluttered apps and skewed searches, Grok’s a treasure worth rediscovering—and I’m all in.

I hope you give Grok a try. It is way easier than doing an internet search and scrolling through the list of articles. With Grok it is all presented to you and if you need more information, just ask. I was thoroughly impressed with the manner that Grok worked with me to drill down to what is probably causing Ollie’s itching.

I want to give a shout out to technology that enabled the funeral of my cousin Sue to be streamed on Facebook today. We weren’t able to travel the 600 miles to be there with the family and it was very special to join them online.

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The Snow Arrived

11 Jan

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

The snow arrived a little earlier than expected yesterday.

I was sitting on my bed with the window blinds open, ready for the show to begin. According the my weather app it would arrive at 12 noon. At 11:00 am my husband came into the room and announced it is snowing. I looked out my window and the roof of my husband’s shop was beginning to turn white. How did that happen so fast? The snow was very fine and I wasn’t sure it was snow but since it was sticking on the shop, I made the decision it was snow. I am bummed I didn’t take a photo.

I had no idea how much snow we might get so I did snap a picture of our walkway.

The driveway is black asphalt.

The snow set in with short intervals of no snow. For the most part the snow was very fine but we didn’t have a few moments of the beautiful large flakes.

Back yard

Our driveway has a slope and I don’t see us driving down it until the snow melts. We wanted to walk around outside but decided to attempt to be responsible old people. We have a package being delivered to our mailbox on Monday. We are plotting a route to walk down to the mailbox. It’s hard being responsible old people.

An update on the people in the disaster area of the Blue Ridge mountains.

FEMA announced today, Saturday January 11, that they are extending hotel vouchers until January 14th. They put out a message to call them if one has a problem. The message didn’t mention that their office has closed down due to the storm. Please remember the people in our prayers and the volunteers who are exhausted.

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