The Trunk

When Barb was in town back in July we had the opportunity to go through Mom’s trunk and discovered some pretty good stuff on which we based our Zimmermann competition. A month or so afterwards when I was at Mom’s one evening, she asked me to help her clean the rest of her paperwork out of the trunk. As we were working, she mentioned that the trunk had belonged to Grandpa Preli and that he had brought it with him when he came over from Italy. You would’ve never guessed it was that old the way mom had painted it bright orange and lined it with orange-flowered shelf paper. But when she asked me if I wanted it I jumped at the chance (you got the punch bowl Barb!) to have something over 100 years old that had belonged to my Grandfather and held up not only on the voyage all the way from Italy but for years and years afterward. I was very excited and told mom I would cherish it.

I brought it home and my mind was reeling at how I would get rid of the orange. I thought about sanding it but knew it would be a huge job and I’m not that motivated. I decided to paint it and I knew I wanted it to look old so I went to Home Depot and bought some spray paint that had a finish that wasn’t shiny. Well, I placed the trunk on top of one of Jim’s infamous rugs in the garage, pulled it out onto the driveway and proceeded to spray and within about 4-1/2 minutes, the can was empty, my finger hurt really bad and the trunk wasn’t nearly covered. So, needless to say, I was very discouraged and pulled it back into the garage where it sat for a few weeks while I racked my brain on a new strategy. I didn’t want to spray it anymore because not only would it take 20 cans but I didn’t think my finger could take the pressure!

In the meantime, I asked Jim to line it with cedar, we bought some planks, he did a good job and there it sat just waiting for me to ‘git er done’. I finally figured out what I wanted to do so Jim & I made another trip to Home Depot. As we were standing there looking at the paint selection, I told Jim that I also wanted to get some new handles for the sides of the trunk as I wanted some that were bigger & more antique looking than the ones Mom had put on it. Jim proceeded to tell me that I couldn’t switch the handles as he’d glued the cedar into the trunk and it would be impossible to get to them. I couldn’t believe it; I was very upset and pretty pissed off. I told him that I had tried to get the handles off but couldn’t and that was the only reason they were still on there. Blah, blah blah – didn’t do me any good so I steamed. I ended up buying a quart of Ralph Lauren’s suede paint along with some supplies.

This past weekend I got all set up & ready to paint but when I opened the can, the paint was white. I read the label and it said base for tinting so I went back to Home Depot and had the guy tint it tan for me. I came back home and painted the trunk, trying to follow the instructions on the can. When Jim came home a little later, he exclaimed how great the trunk looked. Now, I’m not sure if he was over-doing it because he knew I was upset about the handles but whatever his motive, he made me feel good about it. I told him that I needed to get some paint for the latches, locks & hinges and, of course, he disagreed. He said I shouldn’t mess with it anymore and it looked great the way it was. Needless to say, we went to Michael’s later on and I bought a little tube of metallic paint and painted the latches, locks, hinges & the metal things on the corners.

I finished up Sunday evening and it is now in my hearth room for all to see. I think it looks pretty good but I’m anxious to get other opinions.

The Mushroom Caper

Last Sunday me, Jim, Debbie & Mike were supposed to go boating but the weather didn't cooperate so we went 4-wheeling instead. We decided to go to the Steelville area where Mike owns some property with a small cabin. When we pulled up to the cabin there was a truck with a trailer and a Jeep parked in the yard. Mike said they were probably owned by his step-sister's husband who lives in Cuba, MO (a real country boy). While we were waiting for Jim to get the 4-wheelers started, Debbie & I did some target practice with her little 22 revolver. As we were wasting time, Mike's step-brother-in-law, Rick pulled up on a four wheeler and we did introductions. He said he had come back for a bag because they had found a huge patch of elk horn mushrooms. Debbie & I asked a few questions before he took off again. Jim got the 4-wheelers going and we proceeded to go up & down logging roads & paths through the woods. We got pretty muddy and only got stuck once or twice. It was fun but getting late so we went back to the cabin to barbecue some dinner before driving 2 hours back home.

When we got back to the cabin I noticed some mushrooms on Rick's trailer and stopped to take a look. They didn't look like any mushroom I'd ever seen. I remembered the morels we used to eat when I was a kid and I expected the same but these weren't even close. As the barbecue was cooking I went over to inspect the mushrooms again and noticed a big trash bag next to them and when I looked in I couldn't believe it was cram-packed with more mushrooms! Some of them were huge! They looked like coral you'd find on the bottom of the sea.
When Rick & his gang got back to the cabin, I proceeded to quiz him on the mushrooms; how he cooked them, what they tasted like, etc. He told us there were some growing close to the cabin so Debbie & I went mushroom hunting. We didn't get nearly as many as them but we got a gallon ziplock bag of them to bring home and try. We agreed we'd get together Tuesday night to make dinner & try our elk horn mushrooms.

I checked the internet for elk horn mushrooms and couldn't find anything. When I got to Debbie's last night she had the mushroom pulled up on the screen of her computer. Come to find out they're called CORAL FUNGI. Talk about gross! I didn't have my camera but took pictures with my cell phone. I don't know how to get them on the blog and I've tried to post a picture off the internet but it won't paste onto the page. This is the link if you'd like to take a look http://www.backyardnature.net/f/coralfng.htm. We made sure to soak them in water overnight because they grow through all kinds of leaves & stuff & Jim was afraid of what animal might've peed on them! We cleaned them up real good & cut the stems off just as Rick told us. We egged & floured them and pan fried them. I am a huge mushroom lover but I didn't know if I could eat the coral fungi mushrooms, not only because of the way they looked but also because of their name. Fungi! Yuck! And I had read they could have a laxative effect on some people. I certainly don't need that!

Well, we ate them and they weren't too bad. Not a whole lot of taste but pretty good. We didn't get diarrhea and they didn't have any effect on our minds.
Too bad....

The Party Crashers

A week ago last Sunday I went to a 50th birthday party for Lester and was talking to Laura when she told me she had run into Steve Hoffmeyer, an old Laker. She said he was going to be having a party the following Saturday, the 13th. I called Matt over and told her to tell him. His immediate reaction was that we were going to crash Steve’s party. You see, there was an article in the newspaper (maybe the Journal) last year about Steve and the house he built on a barge that floats on the Mississippi River. Matt called to tell me to read the article and he sent it to a few family members. He started to harass Jim – trying to talk him into taking the boat on the river to Steve’s house because he wanted to see it. Well, needless to say, his harassment didn’t work and the issue was forgotten. Until, that is, Laura told him about the party.

So Matt and I agreed that we’d crash the party and that I would call Ron & Janet to see if they wanted to be crashers, too. Jim wasn’t too thrilled with the idea as he doesn’t know the Hoffmeyers and he felt kinda funny crashing a party where he didn’t know anyone. Well, Jim ended up going & Ron and Janet ended up wimping out.

Matt & Sharon came over to pick us up and we went out to dinner at a place on the way to the river. We were kind of winging it with the directions Laura gave us but when we drove down a farm road towards the river and I saw a huge bonfire, I knew we were at the right place. Anybody who knows the Hoffmeyer boys, knows that they don’t have a little campfire – it’s always huge tree trunks burning at least 10 feet into the sky. As soon as we parked I saw Steve so I went up to him and told him I hoped he didn’t mind us Zimmermanns crashing his party. Well, he didn’t mind at all and while I was talking to him, Joe Hoffmeyer, Danny Schultz and Mel Clore walked up. It was good seeing all of the old friends

We asked Steve to give us the grand tour so we walked on a bridge/gangplank over the water and onto the deck walkway that went around the whole house. The river was brown. The bugs were massive. The house was cool.

Steve told us he had a friend that floated the barge down from somewhere by Hall Street and it took him 4 years to build. It’s a 2-story with 4 bedrooms and Steve did a great job. The woodwork is beautiful and even though the water was brown, it was pretty neat standing out on the deck with the river flowing all around. He said he had to power wash the house at least once a month or there’d be bugs plastered all over it and if he left a light on outside, there’d be a huge pile of dead bugs on the deck the next morning. There was a tall post that Steve had marked when the St. Louis/St. Charles area was flooded earlier in the summer. His mark was about 10 feet above where we stood and he said that was where his deck floor was at the time. He said he’d take his john boat to get to his car that he had parked on higher ground when he went out. When we asked about taxes he said he’s battling the State and/or? the City of St. Charles now because they want to charge him but he says he’s on a national waterway so they have no right.
Matt asked about fishing and Steve said he caught big ones & he ate them. Matt was grossed out and Steve said he just cuts the brown/black? stuff off!

At one point when Sharon & I looked into the bathroom, the toilet water was brown and we thought someone had done a job and forgot to flush. As we were trying to skat outta there, Steve came in to show us the bathroom and the toilet didn't phase him. I realized a little later when I had to use it that it was river water. I just prayed the sink was clear & it was. After much thought, I'm pretty sure his " jobs" are going into the river. When I talked to Matt about this later, he said it's "the circle of life" Jeanne! All's I can say is "Steve is one rugged guy"! And all's Jim can say is "River Rats"!

We didn’t stay long because the mosquitoes were horrendous. It was fun popping in unexpectedly and knowing that being old “Lakers” made us welcome anytime.

Baby Shower for Jessica

The "Old" Aunts hosted a baby shower for Jessica yesterday and although they weren't all here, me, Janet & Jennifer did an excellent job and managed to come out looking pretty good. So what if we almost forgot to serve the cake and hand out the attendance prizes as everyone was leaving! We worked together as a team and helped each other remember what we were supposed to be doing. It's been quite a long time since we hosted a shower (probably Jessica's wedding) so don't laugh! It helped that we had a pre-shower meeting at Houlihan's to assign duties.

As you can see from the picture above, we had quite a spread of delectibles! Once again, Janet went over the top and brought some really good stuff. Jennifer also brought an awesome edible fruit arrangement that everyone raved over.

We played a a few games---match the celebrity to the baby names, guess the baby food and guess the chocolate bar in the diapers. Another good competition! Jessica looked as cute as ever and is filling out very well. We're all looking forward to the big day on October 31!

It's the Principle

In early spring I bought a double knock-out rose bush that I’ve been wanting since last year and my big sister Barb said were so great. Jim & I visited a few nurseries until I finally bought one from Koenig’s Nursery because it looked the healthiest and it would have red flowers. I very seldom buy anything but annuals each year because I always split my perennials or get free stuff from other sources so I really splurged and spent almost $40 on this one bush. I was told that it would flower continuously ALL summer. I picked the perfect spot where it would get a lot of sun and would be up-front & center so I could show it off. Six weeks after it was planted it had loads of flowers on it and I was very happy.

When those flowers faded, nothing happened. I did some research to see if I was supposed to deadhead and found out I could but didn’t have to. Thinking it might help, I did. I fertilized it. I watered it. Nothing happened. It was over a month and nothing. The more I tried the more I got pissed off. I finally convinced myself that the nursery sold me a regular rose bush and I got ripped off. Then I was really mad.

So one Saturday morning I dug the bush up, put it in the original pot that I bought it in, searched around to find my receipt and took it back to the nursery. I went inside to voice my complaint to a young guy and he immediately got the manager. She asked if I had it with me and I led her out to my car. I pulled it out of the back seat and plopped it on the ground where she started to inspect it. First, she told me they go through a dormant period. When I protested, she looked closer and said there was new growth on it. When I told her that there were no buds and it had been almost 2 months, she inspected closer until she found a teeny tiny spider web and pointed it out to me. She said it had bugs. She also said it was diseased. I argued that it did not have bugs and was not diseased. She asked if I had the yellow paper that was given to me upon purchase which stated their return policy. We argued a little more and she again asked about the yellow paper with the return policy. When I told her no I didn’t have the yellow paper and what was their return policy she said “WE DON’T TAKE THEM BACK!”

Needless to say, by this time, I was really worked up and very angry. She turned on her heal and was walking back into the nursery when I yelled that I would never come back and I’d tell all my family & friends never to come there. She said fine and walked into the store. I plopped the rose bush back into my car & spun my tires which threw gravel in the parking lot. I was fuming as I called Jim and told him what happened. He said that his brother told him before that Koenig’s were jerks about taking things back but he hadn’t believed him. I went back home, took the damn rose bush and replanted it in the same spot. After I calmed down, I told Jim that it would probably do good now since it had caused me so much grief.

It’s got blooms on it again, but regardless, I will NEVER go back to Koenig’s Nursery again and if you’re my family or friend, you won’t either!