A Smattering of Everything

This summer my garden is really getting off to a fast start. Generally on Memorial Day my flower garden is just starting to awaken. Not this year. My irises are already blooming big and gorgeous. Makes me wonder if this will be a good year or a bad year for my garden. Maybe everything will be bloomed out by mid-summer!

My lupines below are almost completely done blooming. They were spectacular. The picture just doesn't do them justice.

We were up at our camper near Athelstane this weekend. Our family really enjoys 4-wheeling. Just as we were getting started on our ride a rider coming from the opposite direction came full blast on purpose into a huge puddle and splashed the muddy water all over me. Instead of getting upset,I decided it gave me license to go through the middle of every puddle for our entire ride. Alyssa wouldn't be outdone, though. Once she saw I was the wettest and dirtiest, she took it as a personal dare to outdo me. She did a great job!

Yesterday it was our annual planting of the pumpkins. My sister and nephews came and we planted the back garden in record time. The boys really wanted to plant corn for some reason, so we did that first. Hope it comes up!

Don has a buddy. They ran around on 4-wheelers while the real workers planted.

Last week Alyssa had her last chorus concert at Wilson. She really enjoyed the two years she was in chorus and loved her teacher, Mrs. H. Alyssa will miss her when she's up at Lincoln High School.

Looking forward to summer. So far so good! Jill

Chili Cook-off

First chili cook-off Don and I have ever hosted and I think it went really well. We invited four couples to come on over and bring their favorite chili. Our friends Dave and Jody played a little joke on me by first pulling out some Hormel chili in a can before pulling out their crock pot. I thought they were kidding at first, but they were being so serious.

After introductions we got right down to business and starting dishing out the chili to be tested. I made up some ballots with five different characteristcs to judge.

If we host another cook-off, I am going to weight the different criteria. What's the most important thing about food? The taste!! I'm going to weight that one heavy. Why? Because my chili got the fewest points, but was the only one that was totally gone by the time I got the ballots counted! Funny! Our winners were Dave and Jody. Their chili was really good, too.

My empty crock pot - I didn't get any other than the taste I took prior to the party.

Don did an awesome job with the trophy. I got a hourse shoe and he did the rest. Dave's brother and sister-in-law won a chili cook-off my brother had several years ago. We decided we would consider that the firt competition and that they were passing the torch.

Eric also came up with the awesome game "The Old Married Folks Game", not to be confused with "The Newlywed Game". However, I think it was more fun. Eric did a great job with the game and MCing the event. Dave and Jody took home honors on this, as well.

Don and I have decided we are definitely doing this again! Jill