Quintessentially American Part Deux

This is a side view of this Tudor style cottage. I just adore this home!

This home is for sale now and yes I do love it so. I could so see me here but I could never leave my dear neighbors nor could Grace leave her beloved school and friends there!

Another lovely gem for sale...

This is a house we actually looked at to buy a few years ago. Sadly it had some huge issues that could not be easily conquered and with Bill away (at the time, working in Virginia), it did not seem feasible. The new owners had their work cut out for them but it seems they have been tending so well to this sweet place.

Not long ago I posted about some of my favorite homes in the Dayton area...quintessentially American places that just ooze charm and a warm welcome. You might remember (If anyone actually reads this blog anymore! *laugh*) that post

found by clicking here! I so enjoy taking little drives each week...you know. The ones in which you can think and perhaps clear your head?

And driving down the tree lined streets of the older neighborhoods is such a joy for me.

I hope you too enjoy seeing these bungalows & cottages, the smaller homes that call to my heart, along with me.

I still have to share some of my High School reunion highlights & our Dayton's Bi~Annual Restaurant Week fun with you but may I ask a little favor? For those of you who pray, for those of you who can offer a good thought, please think about some members of my extended family that need your help. Prayers for help in a marriage and for a new job would be much appreciated.

It has been a worrisome and tearful time for me of late but I DO believe in the power of prayer and of positive thinking, especially when many are on the same page!

Thank you all so much....

Have a sweet and safe weekend dear friends!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

Oooh...So Good

so pretty...and perfect for a warm, humid evening.

1 12 ounce package of Pasta Rotini, tri colored, cooked and drained

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 can black olives sliced

1/4 cups red onion finely diced

3/4 cups Parmesan cheese

6 fresh basil leaves, cut into strips

4 tablespoons basil pesto

2/3 cup creamy Caesar (But I often use LaRosa's Creamy Garlic Ranch that we get at our Kroger)

2 teaspoons saute spice (equal parts black pepper, salt (I use sea salt) and garlic powder)

1/2 to one cup toasted pine nuts

Cook pasta and coat with the dressing while it is still warm. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the pine nuts) and toss. Top with toasted pine nuts. The pine nuts give it that wonderful crunch!

You can make the basil pesto in your food processor. Pulse 2 cups fresh basil leaves until coarsely chopped, add 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil until the mixture is smooth. Season with salt and pepper and add some freshly grated Pecorino cheese. We also take halved cherry tomatoes and skewer them with balls of mozzarella (I have also had it with goat cheese) and dip the in the pesto. Yummy!

Goes well with any grilled meat too. We are grilling chicken tonight...I better get busy!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

Whoo Hoo! She's Listing Again...

...no silly. Not to one side, although I may well be...making lists! This one came from my dear friend Sue. If you have not yet met Sue, WHY NOT? She is charming, smart, purty, funny and knows a lot 'bout lots including decoratin'. Run on over and say howdy. In fact, Sue

is SO nice that when she was here at Rabbit Run yesterday she didn't even make fun of the vacuum in the middle of the floor, the messy garage, the cat fur flying around or my sweat soaked clothes. (I had been working in the yard. Honest sweat don'tcha know!) In fact, she said all sorts of nice things...that's 'cause she is NICE. And funny and smart and purty. Oh. I already did that huh? So just go see Sue...now! Um...wait...read MY post and then go see her. Sheesh! *smile*

I am to tell you 5 things about myself...5 things you may not yet know.... Hmmm...this is gonna be hard because I have been blogging for almost 3 years and you all know just about everything...let me think...okay.

1. I was the co student director (With Cathy Gantner) of "Our Town" my senior year in High School. I wonder if Brian knows this...if so, why has he NOT asked me to direct one of HIS stage plays? Why I ask you...why! Oh...really? Okay.

2. Prior to this last vacation, I had not worn a bathing suit in 20 years. I did not care to inflict me

in a swim suit on the rest of the world. But I wore one, I swam and the world did not come to a crashing end as I had predicted it would.

3. The first dog I had was named Pete. Pete was a little terrier mix that showed up at the fire station where dad worked. He was not a young dog when I was born and he died when I was about 5. I did not understand this at all. I spent most of the next day looking for him everywhere...it broke my heart. I was convinced he ran away so I enlisted every kid in the neighborhood to search with me...

4. I began college as an art major and was required to take figure drawing my Freshman year. I was a *young Freshman*, just 17 and not the most worldly girl. Figure drawing at the University level meant NUDE models. I assumed that they would ne female models but I was wrong. They were more often than not, young men, scruffy and not particuarly clean looking (or smelling) who walked around sans robe to lean over your shoulder and gaze at your work. It was an enlightening experience. *smile*

5. I talk to animals, inanimate objects, bugs, plants, cars...you name it. As of yet they are not speaking back to me (well, my pets do but I don't always understand them). When they do i will let you know.

I am supposed to chose 5 of you to continue this list but I will leave that up to you! Surely some of you could do this MUCH better than I did! Come on...I dare ya. I double dog dare ya...

Now, go see SUE!!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

Fun Foto Friday

My brother Jim and little ole me, circa 1967. His first Christmas. I had just turned 11. I was a pretty proud big sis. Still am.

My cousin Miriam (Yes, she was named for my Mother!) and me. Look how very lady like I am sitting! What happened to that Susie Q? Oh well...this was taken in Tennessee, circa 1962. My father Frank, with my cousin Miriam, in Tennessee, circa 1959. Miriam is 2 years older than me and was born the year that Mom and dad were married. Thank you to her for these pictures! I had not seen them in a long time and oh how they made me smile and cry all at the same time! I have been an awful correspondent and will be working on that this coming week! It has been such a busy week and this weekend is our 35th High School reunion. Just how in the world did that happen? Gosh the years go by quickly... I hope your weekend is a sweet one...love and hugs to you all. Susie Q

The Sweetness of Summer

Summer treats are so good...

One Small Step...One Giant Leap

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."

~John F. Kennedy

July 20th, 1969

Men walked on the moon for the first time and our world, our universe as we knew it, was forever changed....

Thank you Neil, Buzz and Michael.

A Few Photos...

I just wanted to post a few pictures to share with you...we had such a wonderful week at the Gulf Shores. We shared our week with 5 other families from our China adoption group...people we love and care for so much. It was such a treat to see them all again (We try to have a reunion each year with as many of the thirteen familes as can come) and watch the girls (and one boy!) grow and change. Mom went along with us and enjoyed herself too. I am so glad she was able to be with us. It made the trip extra special. Here is Mom kicking back in our condo!

Our Grace digging into some tasty crab legs!

Grace and Emma riding the waves...

Mark & Susan watching their Mia ride a wave all by herself!

Mark being buried in sand by his wife (Susan), his daughter (Mia) and

another of our special girls, Olivia!

Bill and Grace having fun...

More to come...I didn't want to make you TOO sick of vacation shots all at once! *laugh*

Love & Hugs,

Susie Q

Coastin'...

We just returned from the Gulf Coast...Orange Beach, Alabama to be exact!

It was a week filled with warm sand, cool, blue water, lookin' for sea shells, laughin' with good friends,

watchin' our girls play in the waves, eatin' delicious sea food and just enjoyin' bein' alive.

Now it's back to the real world, a mountain of dirty laundry, a dusty house, clingy pets (we WERE away a whole week ya know!) and a list of errands to run!

I hope to catch up with you all soon...I hope you didn't forget me while I was away! I sure did miss you!

Have a sweet weekend...

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

May I Interrupt This Blog For An Important Announcement?

Please excuse this intrusion but I have something important to say. Good old Susie Q, this crazy rabbit lady who purports to be my biggest fan (It is right there in black and white on the sidebar for the whole world to see) blogged absolutely NOTHING about my birthday yesterday. N.O.T.H.I.N.G. No "Happy Birthday big guy", no "May you live another 71 years", no Feliz Cumplianos, not even a kiss my birthday foot.

Yeah, I turned 71 yesterday and this broad says nothing. Oh yeah. She's my biggest fan. Right.

I hear she is headed off for the white sands of Alabama. So, so busy. Whew.

Too busy to wish me a how do you birthday do. But I'll get over it. I'm a big guy after all.

Just give me a moment...*sigh* Okay.

Thank you for your kind attention.

In Susie Q's Absence,

Mr. D

Hey Hey What D'Ya Say...

...We're the Elks and we came to play!

Yup. The kid is now a cheerleader. Pom Poms, a 5 inch thick rules & regulations manual to learn and a zillion dollars worth of outfits and equipment later and it is official! But doesn't she look adorable in the camp outfit? Camp begins the first week of August and she is so excited!

On the 4th of July she and the other girls walked in the Americana Parade here and what fun she had! The expected rain held off until the parade ended so it was

a huge success!

Me? Not so much! *sniff* Mom here was home, in bed, with a virus. Uh huh. All our 4th plans went up in a cloud of fire crackers.

But I am not whining...really! My Mom and Bill enjoyed the parade and Bill taped the entire thing for me so we all watched together. The cookout I planned was postponed but heck. Burgers and hot dogs taste good any time right?

The rest of the family watched fireworks at the high school but Kip, Lucy and Henry and I cuddled under a quilt and watched them on TV. The Fur Three are always good at cheering me up!

I am still not 100% better but well enough to have worked in the yard today! Grace and I spent 3 hours weeding the beds and trimming. This kid loves to pitch in with yard work! I never even have to ask! Me? I have to BEG myself to do it! Truly! Sad isn't it? Puuuuullllleeeezzzeeee Sue? I will let you watch a Brian Dennehy movie if you go out and weed for 1 hour! And so I go, grumbling at myself but I go. *grin*

We are getting ready to head off on vacation this coming weekend...I hope to have oodles of photos to share with you all upon our return. Going to Orange Beach, Gulf Shores Alabama for the week. Poor Dan has to work so he is tending to the house, yard watering and caring for the Fur Three. They are just grateful NOT to be in a kennel! Whoo Hoo!

We are meeting a few of the families that were in China with us. We love these people so much and are so grateful that all of us have stayed close and meet once a year for a reunion. We all can't be at each one but as many come as is possible and those that are not with us are there in spirit and in our hearts. We do share photos and call with one another but seeing the children in person is always such a joy. Grace, the honorary big sis of the group, delights in the little ones, all of which turn 6 this year! That does not seem possible! It was 5 years ago September that found all of us in China...

I hope your week is going well and that your 4th holiday was a sweet one!

Yesterday was Ritter's Dog night and Kip is hard at work on his post to share!

I have promised him to add it to the blog before we head South...

Stay cool, smile a lot and enjoy each day! They are such precious gifts!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

Happy 4th!

Go out and celebrate!

We, as proud Americans, have much for which to be grateful!

Happy 4th of July to you all!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

Quintessentially American

The sweet, cozy American bungalow. A cottage of sorts...how quintessentially American! How perfect for this, our own national holiday, to celebrate this style of home! Yes, it is my favorite type of residence and nothing delights me more, well, unless Brian Dennehy would drop by, than finding a new one with which to fall in love. I wanted to share with you two examples of bungalows...2 of my very favorite homes in the Dayton area.

In the weeks to come I plan to share even more with you...

I hope your weekend will be one filled with happy laughter, good food, loved ones and the warmth of hearth and home.

Happy 4th of July to one and all!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

Play Strong!

Recently, pet loving bloggers were asked to help in a very special project! Kelee Katillac herself asked 150 bloggers to step forward and decorate a "Play Strong"scarf for their pet! We were then to photograph our pet proudly wearing his or her scarf and send it on to Kelee to be posted on her blog. Easy as pie! Oh but I forgot to tell you the best part! Each photo earns a $10 donation to help abandoned dogs and cats! Uh huh! Kelee's Katillac Shack

has a sponsor who will donate $2,000 is 150 photos of pets in scarfs are turned in by July 6th!

Kip and I wanted to do our part and believe me. I am no seamstress. But I can draw a little (There is a fire hydrant on his scarf you can just barely see!) and sew on a button or two so with just two pricked fingers and a little of my time, we have helped some precious dogs and cats.

Kip's Grandpa was a fire fighter so his reaction to sirens comes naturally! He wanted to salute fire dogs and all the good work they do because they do, indeed, "Play Strong!"

Kipper and I also salute Kelee and her dog Oliver for all the good works they do!

Thank you Katillac Shack!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q