The Thing About Bananas

I love bananas. I love them with peanut butter in a sandwich. I love them split with ice cream and toppings. I love them with Rice Krispies. Or I just love them peeled with a glob of peanut butter.

However, There is a brief window in the life of a banana when I deem it edible. I think that window lasts about 17 minutes or so. 

I bought two bananas at the grocery store on Monday. They were in perfect edible condition. Green just barely gone from the stem but still fresh enough so that you can tell there was once green there, No brown spots, not even any beige-ness.

By the time I got home, there was definitely some beige, and the stem gave no clue that it had ever been green. Oh well, thought I, with enough Jif Creamy smeared on, it will be fine.

On Tuesday morning, when I was ready to have one of my 'nanners for breakfast, they were not edible at all. Much brown, bordering on black. No amount of Jif would make them tasty. So I had some granola instead.

This morning I picked up the offending fruit and was about to throw it in the garbage. Honestly, yellow was definitely the minority color of the things now. Dark brown and almost black reigned. And then I thought, why they're just perfect for banana nut bread. So I made a loaf. And it was very very good.

Maybe next time I show up here, I'll have some quilt blocks or something fabric related to show. I have not been up the stairs since the last blog post with quilting. My daughter and I are discussing rearranging one of the rooms downstairs (either my bedroom or the dining room) so that I can move my sewing station down here and avoid the stairs forevermore.

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On 07/15/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

Oh, I love bananas and creamy peanut butter!! My mother used to mix creamy peanut butter with cherry juice and a little Hellman's mayo; mix well and either smear on a banana or glop some on a plate and dip your banana in. This is a creamy concoction and not runny in the least. Alas, no actual recipe. Good use of the too soft and too brown banana!

What a good idea to move your sewing machine to the first floor of the house so you don't have to do a full flight of stairs to get to it. Brilliant. We're in a tri-level so have two short flights of stairs between bedrooms Up and sewing room lowest. I can rest in the living room or dining room if need be!

Today I cut the Fairy Dust fabric that will be the alternate blocks for the scrappy Single Irish Chain baby quilt I'm making so am now having some wine. Oh, yes!

If you can believe it, we've now had more than 9" of rain since July 1 and this afternoon we again had torrential but brief rain and lots of thunder.

Hugs!

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On 08/01/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

Have you tried my mom's recipe yet? It should make a kind of thick sauce that can be thinned to your preference by adding a bit more cherry juice.

Hugs!
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Where Did the Week Go?

I can't believe it has been a week since I've been in the sewing room or on my blog. I can report, however, that I've been catching up on some of the books I've got stacked up to read. "Stacked'" metaphorically, since most of them are on Kindle. Also daughter Andy and I have had a few good lunches and watched a couple of good movies. Be sure to catch "Straw" on Netflix if you haven't already. It will break your heart, but everyone should see it.

When I did finally get in the sewing room this morning, I whipped out 12 of these little quarter blocks for my Windows quilt (Star Silhouettes pattern, I'm calling it "Windows" for now). When I laid them out to photograph them, I found that one was missing, so you see only 11 in the photo. I guess I dropped the other one somewhere in the sewing room. But I promised, I made 12.

When I signed online to write this post, I opened my email for a quick check and got some very sad news. A dear friend and quilt bee member, Martha, has passed away. That's three of our members who have passed since we've been meeting regularly: Martha, Barbara, and Gerri. Below is a photo of Martha eyeing my Halloween tumblers quilt at bee show-and-tell some years ago. And after that I'm posting some photos of us all together. Cyndi sent these out with the announcement of Martha's passing.

Martha and my Halloween Tumbler quilt (I'm behind the quilt.)

I'm not sure what year this is. I think it must have been in the early part of the 2000s. Pictured are, first row seated, left to right: I don't know the First Lady is, maybe a visitor, Martha, Donna (no longer a member), Me, Mary (moved to Atlanta a couple of years ago): Back row, left to right, Barbara (seated) (passed away earlier this year), Mary (no longer a member), Sally, Doris, Rita, Mary Grace, Gerri (passed away earlier this year), Cyndi

I don't know what year this is either, but I think it's later than the photo above. Pictured are: Front row: Martha, Cindy, Cyndi, Gerri, Mary (no longer a member): Back row: Rita, Barbara, Mary Grace, Me, Doris, Mary U., Sally.

Now, back to the reading stack.

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On 06/28/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

LOVE your scrappy stars!!! Aren't HSTs just the very most versatile blocks in the quilting universe?
My sympathy on the loss of fellow quilters from your bee. I remember when an elderly quilter from our guild passed away I was saddened afresh when I realized what amazing quilting skills and knowledge was gone with her.
I've started a scrappy baby 9 Patch quilt so wish me luck!
New author to me: Iona Grey and I loved, loved her novel: "Letters to the Lost".

Hugs!

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On 07/11/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

Psst! Jesse and I are waiting for a new post from you!

Hugs!
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Doing a Lot of Something

At least it feels like a lot. I finished Kris's cat quilt top. I'll take it to Angela to quilt for me, and maybe it'll be ready to bind, label, and give to Kris by Autumn, maybe before.

I puzzled over whether or not to put a border on it, but it seems plenty big enough. And I think it looks fine without a border.

When I had the cat quilt finished, I made about 25 more of the little 4" quarter blocks for the "Star Silhouettes" quilt. (I'll be naming mine something else. Don't know what yet.) It takes over 200, so I'm not nearly finished with yet.

It feels so good to have a bit accomplished this week. And even two blog posts. Yehaw! 

Today, daughter Andy came over. We had a pasta dish that I was trying out, a version of which called Pasta Limon, which I saw online. My version was angel hair past with a sauce of butter (lots of butter), parmesan cheese, garlic powder, a splash of lemon juice, salt, and pepper with chopped and sautéed asparagus, carrots, and onion mixed in. Simple, easy, and very tasty. Then we watched a really good movie titled "The Brave One" starring Terrence Howard and Jodie Foster.

And that's all for today. 

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On 06/21/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

Applause, applause at finishing Kris's charming Starry Cats quilt top!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd probably add a border just because I like borders.
Love those little scrappy stars, too, and their fabrics are a delight.
Yeah for you and all you've accomplished this week!!!
I hope to be inspired by you. The first of the week we're expected to be at 100*F and 101*F and I don't wanna go anywhere on those days.

Hugs!

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On 06/26/2025, Bonnie in Minneapolis said ...

Those kitty cats sure look happy. Thanks for sharing!
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Doing a Little of Nothing

I don't know why I just can't get my blog back on track--or actually, why I can't seem to get my life back on track. I want to do a lot, but I can't find the energy and strength to do hardly anything. I cook a little, do a little laundry, clean something when it absolutely has to be cleaned. And to me that seems like a lot, but I know it isn't. My house isn't nasty or anything. Jesse and Andy help with that. But it certainly isn't at a point where I would want to welcome company. 

I make resolutions. I determine to do better. But before I know it, it's weeks later and I haven't done a bit better.

I have a bunch of quilts started, ones I want to enter in Birmingham Quilters Guild's Quiltfest a year from now. But I haven't even finished Kris's cat quilt yet. I have managed to get the top about 90% finished, so maybe at least that will happen.

I had my annual physical exam last week. Nothing serious found except my blood pressure was sky high. Doctor put me on a new prescription, and it has come down a bit. But not enough. I guess he'll have to try something else. Will call him and see.

I'm going now, determined to make it up the stairs to the sewing room today. And I'm not coming down until the cat quilt is done and at least a few stitches are taken on one of the quilt show quilts.

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On 06/19/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

Amen, sister!! I hear you and am in the same boat you are. Lupus fatigue is at an all time high and I do far too little beyond keeping us in clean clothes and clean dishes. That God for washers, dryers, and dishwashers!
My TX rheumatologist told me the first 10 years with lupus are the easiest and I'm at 28 years post diagnosis now and it's the pits.
I'm also much more sensitive to heat now. Are you?
Have fun in the sewing room today and have someone pat you on the back for your determination. I'm too far away to do it myself.
I look forward to seeing Kris's quilt in due time.

Hugs!

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On 06/22/2025, Sandra Hutchins said ...

You are so very lucky to be in your home, able to quilt and climb stairs. I haven't commented in many months or maybe years. I used to be Sandy Gail on Facebook but my husband had developed dementia from a bad parathyroid. He got on my Facebook page and got scammed out of $8,000. The scammers took over that Facebook page. I did not get a new one until recently. As Sandra Gail this time. We sold our beautiful two story home and have moved into a retirement village. I can no longer even sit at a table and can't use my sewing machine. I am wheelchair bound except I can use a walker to move around in the house. Our lives have totally changed in a flash. I have both Lupus, MS, and two kinds of arthritis now. I am selling my quilts in an online auction minus the dozen or so that I gave to family members. So, enjoy being able to still do the things that you do, it may be in pain but at least you are in your own home and can sew, cook, drive a car, go out to eat. I can no longer do any of those things, I am 76 years old. Sandra Hutchins
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Springtime Reading

Bitter Blood by Jerry Bledsoe
This non-fiction book recreates a complex case that claimed nine lives, one of the more shocking crimes of recent years. The links in all the deaths were Susan Lynch and her cousin Fritz Klenner, each from a prominent, upper-middle-class Southern family. The murders began with the shootings of Lynch's ex-mother-in-law and ex-sister-in-law in Kentucky, and continued with the slayings of her parents and grandmother in North Carolina. What connected the killings was the bitter divorce between Susie and her husband Tom, and the impending custody battle for their children, particularly since it became increasingly clear that Susie regarded the boys as pawns in a power struggle. Although this book spent many weeks as a New York Time best seller, I can't say I was particularly enthralled. I had to squeeze out the three happy faces I'm giving it in deference to the best seller list. KKK 

And Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together> It has been ten years since her youngest child, Ellie, disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. When she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away. Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. KKK

Watching You by Lisa Jewell
She's back home after four years working abroad, new husband in tow. She's keen to find a place of your own. But for now, she's crashing in her big brother’s spare room. That’s when she meets the man next door. He’s the head teacher at the local school. Twice her age. Extraordinarily attractive. heS finds herself watching him. All the time. But she never dreamed that her innocent crush might become a deadly obsession. Or that someone is watching her. KKK

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
What if you lost your memory every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love–-all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust to give you your memories back every day when you wake up may be telling you only half the story. Welcome to Christine's life. Every morning, she awakens beside a stranger in an unfamiliar bed. She sees a middle-aged face in the bathroom mirror that she does not recognize. And every morning, the man patiently explains that he is Ben, her husband, that she is 47 years old, and that an accident long ago damaged her ability to remember. This is a really well-written and intriguing mystery. I liked it a lot.KKKK

Pew by Catherine Lacey
This is a very good, and short, book. It's the best book I've read this year, I think. The story and plotting are very "Shirley Jackson," But the writing is much less "straight to the point" than Jackson's. You might have a bit of trouble with her prose, and the ending might leave your wondering. I was able to figure it all out though, at least to my own satisfaction (and maybe because of my familiarity with Shirley Jackson's novels). 
Here's a brief synopsis mostly from Amazon: In a small town in the American South, a church congregation arrives for a service and finds a figure asleep on a pew. The person is genderless and racially ambiguous and refuses to speak. One family takes in the strange visitor, who remains mostly silent, and nicknames it Pew. As the town spends the week preparing for its annual Forgiveness Festival, Pew is shuttled from one family and another.  As days pass, the mystery of who and what Pew is begins to unnerve the community, whose generosity erodes into menace and suspicion until Pew’s story reaches a shattering and unsettling climax at the Forgiveness Festival. KKKKK


*****
BOOKS I DIDN'T FINISH AND WHY

The Peaceable Kingdom by Jan de Hartog
This was the April and May selection for my book club. It's a very long book, near 800 pages divided into two parts--a novel based on the history, both in Europe and America of the formation of the Quaker faith. I made it through the first, the part that takes place in Europe, and then I was just burnt out. I couldn't make myself open the book again. In my defense, however, I think I was not the only person who couldn't make it through. I believe nobody finished it except Ramey, who selected the book and often attends Quaker meetings. But I'll give it two happy faces since Ramey really liked it, and she's smart. KK


Homecoming by Kate Morton
This one is pretty long too, almost 600 pages, but I don't think that was my problem. It is a story about a family's murder that takes place in Australia in 1959. Many years later, Jess, a journalist who lives in London now, is called home to Sydney when her grandmother who raised her is ill. In her grandmother's house, Jess finds a true-crime book that chronicles the murder. And she learns of her family's connection to the crime.
This story is compelling, and I hope to get back to it sometime soon. The problem for me is the writing style. Too much description, and every character has a back story. I'm bad about losing interest if the main story doesn't move along as my brain feels it should. Still I'm giving this one three smiley faces, and renewing my resolve to finish it. KKK

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On 06/07/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

Love your book reviews and just yesterday requested "Homecoming" from the library. Hope I can manage a story with that many pages and it's going to be even thicker as it's large print!
You know I don't read creepy scary thrillers so hope this isn't one. In that genre, the last one of those books I read was "The Shining" (long ago) and finished it in one sitting at 3am, with all the house lights on and Rob keeping me company because I wouldn't let him go to bed! Never again. No way, Jose!

Wishing you well!

Hugs!
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Bad Blogger Report

My nephew Jed drove over from the Atlanta suburbs on Sunday to have lunch with me, my sister Ramey, Daughter Andy, and niece India at the Irondale Cafe (inspiration for Fanny Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe). We had not seen him in more than a year, so we had a good lunch and a good visit. While visiting, Jed reminded me that I had been lax in updating my blog, which he follows. I also got a note from friend and long-time blog reader,  Barbara this week checking on me. I won't make excuses; crap happens.

After lunch, Jed, Ramey, and India drove over to Ruffner Mountain and had a good time on the trails. Daughter Andy and I didn't go. I'm afraid my mountain-hiking days are over. And Andy never was much of a hiker.

I'm determined to get a photo today of Kris's cat quilt progress, and maybe work on the quilt a little. It has been more than a week since I've visited the sewing room.

I also need to update my reading list. I've read some books since last I posted, one really good one I'd like to tell you about. 

So stay tuned, everyone. I promise I'll be back shortly.

Jed took some fun photos of our visit, at the cafe, Ruffner Mountain, and at Ramey's' house. I copped a couple more from the internet. Photos by Jed Cage except as indicated.

The Irondale Cafe is a popular eatery. We stood in line for 15 or 20 minutes. That's Ramey in the front.

Fried green tomatoes at the Irondale Cafe. YUM! YUM! (not Jed's photo)

Ramey and India at Ruffner Mountain mural

Trail at Ruffner Mountain

More Tail at Ruffner Mountain (not Jed's photo)

Jed and Ramey (I guess India took this one.)

Ramey at her house looking up at something. (I guess Jed had a drone. I wasn't there at this point.)

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On 06/05/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

Good to have a new blog post and how delightful your family to get together at the restaurant that inspired the Whistle Stop cafe! AMIL and DH share(d) a love for fried green tomatoes but me, not so much.
I'm looking forward to seeing your Starring Cats quilt progress and the book reviews. You're ahead of me in sewing when I was on a roll til I sprained my left wrist in a fall about 6 weeks ago. Haven't gotten going again yet.

Hugs!

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On 06/06/2025, Barbara Groeschell said ...

I check your blog daily and was delighted to see activity. Looks like a fun day in beautiful and delicious Alabama.
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Book Report

Below are the books I've read in the past three months.

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
The summer that Chloe Davis was 12 years old, six girls went missing in her small town. By the end of the summer, her father had confessed to the crimes, earning him a life sentence in prison. Twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist and young girls again start to disappear. Is she paranoid or does Chloe see parallels in the disappearances? JJJ

American Daughters by Piper Hugely
A story of the friendship between Portia Washington, daughter of Book T. Washington and Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt.This was our February book club selection. Everybody else in book club seemed to enjoy the book more than I did. It was well written, but I just couldn't find a character that I liked or disliked enough to grab my interest. JJJ

The Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix - Marcus grew up believing his father killed his mother—then blamed it on the boogeyman under the bed.* Always leave the lights on, his father warned, or the boogeyman will get you. And don't let your leg hang off the bed or he'll grab you and pull you under there with him. Marcus still heeds the superstition, especially when he invites his new girlfriend over. Is Marcus haunted by a creature or has he just inherited his father’s murderous delusions? JJ

Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey
Cassie McDowell’s life on a farm in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. Yes, there are her parents’ strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them.But when local boys begin to go missing, then return violent and withdrawn, rumors begin to fly and Cassie's life becomes not so wholesome anymore.

Black Widow by Ryan Green
A true-crime account of the Giggling Granny, Nannie Doss. Over a period of two and a half decades, before she was finally caught, Nannie murdered 11 members of her family, including two of her children, a grandson, and four of her husbands. These were not crimes of passion. They were simply people who got in the way of Nannie's life as she wanted to live it. JJJ

The Radley by Matt Haig
Matt is one of my favorite authors. I had read all of his fiction with the exception of this book, which I have avoided reading for years. Why? It's about vampires, and I don't like vampires. I love ghost stories, murder mysteries, haunted house tales, and all kinds of thrillers and scary stories, but there's just something about vampires that puts me off. Well I finally decided to grit my teeth and read it. I can report that like all of Matt's stories, this one is well written and intriguing. The story draws you in and won't let go. So if you have nothing against vampires, especially if you're a Matt Haig fan, you'll probably love this book. As for me, I hope he doesn't write any more books about those irritating blood suckers. I give this book four happy faces because it's Matt Haig's excellent writing. JJJJ

The Sleep Experiment by Jeremy Bates
In 1954, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet military promised four political prisoners their freedo if they could endure an experiment designed to keep them awake for fourteen days using a powerful stimulant gas. None survived. In 2018, Dr. Roy Wallis, a renowned psychology professor at UC Berkeley, is determined to recreate the experiment. With two student assistants, he monitors a group of young Australian test subjects as he keeps then awake day after day with the same gas the Russians used in 1954. But what starts as an academic study quickly spirals into a waking nightmare. JJJJ

The Crash by Freida McFadden
Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in order. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn’t realize she’s heading straight into a blizzard. She never arrives at her brother's house. Stranded in rural Maine with a wrecked car and broken ankle, what Tegan goes through for the next few days might put you in mind of Stephen King's novel Misery. JJJJ

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
After having watched the movie on Amazon Prime starring Will Smith, I decided to read the book on which the movie is loosely based. In this post-apocolyptic story, the population of the entire world has been obliterated by a pandemic of vampire bacteria. Yet somehow, Robert Neville survived. He must now struggle to make sense of what happened and learn to protect himself against the vampires who hunt him nightly. Vampires, yeah. So you know how this book set with me. But Matheson's story telling is excellent. Just three smiley faces because of the vampires. JJJ

Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent
In 1980, after fifteen years as a delivery room nurse, ten years as a childbirth educator, and three years as the director of the first alternative birth center in Berkeley, CA, Peggy Vincent became a Certified Nurse Midwife. For the next 40 years, she delivered some 2000 babies for women who wanted to be in charge of their childbirth experiences in hospitals or in their own homes, without drugs and without being strapped to a table. Peggy tells some of their stories with love, compassion, and humor--but she doesn't leave out the pain. And excellent book. JJJJ

A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison
With a number of hit titles and a highly anticipated movie tie-in, celebrated novelist Columbia Jones is at the top of her game. Fans around the world adore her. But on the final night of her latest book tour, she is murdered. Turns out many people had motive to kill Columbia. And with a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the trail, the secrets of Columbia's past life won’t stay buried long. JJJJ

  

 

*Note: When I was a child, I would never let my arm or leg hang off the bed after I went to bed. I was sure there was a wolf under my bed and and he would grab my leg or arm. I don't have any idea where I got this superstition, but I'm pretty sure I didn't get it from my daddy, as Marcus did.

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On 04/27/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

Oh, I didn't let any part of me hang over the edge of the bed either. I didn't think there was a wolf under the bed, but there was no use taking chances!

Thanks for the book reviews and will be looking for a few at the library. No thrillers for me.

There is a delightful woman who has some wonderful cooking videos on YouTube based on her family's 4 Memphis restaurants: "Southern Hands". Yum!

Hugs!

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On 05/02/2025, Barbara Groeschell said ...

I always look forward to your book reviews. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and recommendations.

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On 05/15/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

Back to say I read "A Baby Catcher" by Peggy Vincent and LOVED it, perhaps because I'm a retired nurse or whatever, but I was sorry to have finished it. Our library doesn't have her other books.

Hugs!

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On 06/03/2025, Barbara Anne said ...

Hope all is well there and that you're busy sewing cats in stars.
Long time, no post from you.

Hugs, my friend!
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