Simply Reaching Out

Hello! I'm back! Sorry I havent blogged lately. I am still trying new things, when I can find the time. A few months ago I blogged about making jelly. My mom, Retha, was with me that day and suggested that I learn how to make bread from scratch. And she offered to show me how. During Christmas break the kids wanted to spend time with my mom so we decided that would be a good time to bake bread. When I got to my mom's house in Newman she had everything spread out and arranged on the table. I felt like I had just walked on to the set of a cooking show where everything is prepped before the show starts. My mom is a really good cook and enjoys it. I think cooking is in our blood. My grandma, Anne was a cook at Latif's restaurant in Turlock for years. Pies were here specialty. Eventually my grandpa, John and her started there own restaraunt in Newman called the Country Cafe. They operated that business for about a decade. Most of my family worked there at one time or another....

I have roller skated, roller bladed and snow skied but never ice skated. I loved roller skating. That was one of my favorite things to do when I was a kid. I loved to go to the the roller rink and skate to the music. I started going to the skating rink when I was around 9 years old in the late 70's. Some of the music I skated to were songs like "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson, "Knock on Wood" by Amii Stewart, "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer, "Celebrate" by Kool & the Gang, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, "SuperFreak" by Rick James and "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen. The spinning lights, the disco ball, the colors everywhere.  I felt pure joy and freedom going in circles around the rink and singing the words to these songs. And I always looked forward to the "Speed Skate" where they let you go as fast as you wanted to for one whole song. As time went on I still enjoyed g...