by jphilo | Dec 2, 2013 | Family
Welcome to the latest Camp Dorothy session, which began on Thanksgiving and ends tomorrow afternoon. This report gives an overview of nine items essential for a stellar Camp Dorothy experience. Please refer to the above to see a picture of each item.
- A comfy couch where no one but the camp namesake can sit.
- Comfy pillows to make the couch conform to the stature of the camp namesake who would be more comfortable sitting in a different, smaller comfy chair, but refuses because she already claimed the couch and change is hard.
- A box of tissues at the ready.
- A crossword puzzle book at hand with more waiting patiently in a suitcase in case they’re needed.
- The TV remote for tuning into weather reports, The Price Is Right, Jeopardy, Judge Judy, Wheel of Fortune, and Antiques Roadshow with a minimum of effort.
- A wastebasket so used tissues, pencil lead, and eraser crumbs can be disposed of without leaving the comfy couch.
- An snuggly afghan, needed partly because the hot flash-prone camp director keeps the house too darn cold for the camp’s namesake and partly because the afghan was crocheted by the camp namesake’s mother and brings back sweet memories.
- The ottoman normally used by the camp director, who graciously sacrificed her comfort for the happiness of her sainted mum.
- The Harding County History book, which offers hours of entertaining reading about hardy immigrant pioneers who homesteaded in the remote regions of northwest South Dakota from the 1880s through the Great Depression. The photographs of grim-faced Scandinavians standing in front of tiny sod hovels also makes the camp’s namesake grateful for her present camp conditions.
For more information about how to obtain these nine essential items for yourself or your loved ones, inquire in the comment box below.
by jphilo | Oct 11, 2013 | Family
The Oktoberfest version of Camp Dorothy is underway. Hopefully, the autumn weather means these two hot babes won’t sweat quite as much as they did in August. Besides, with so many onsite activities on the docket, we won’t need to go out on the town.
So what activities are planned…other than The Price is Right, Judge Judy, and Wheel of Fortune? I’m so glad you asked! Here’s a quick run down:
- Uno and Skippo tournies.
- Plenty of naps for the camps namesake, all taken under an afghan made by her mother.
- A drive through the Ledges to enjoy the fall colors.
- The last BLTs made with the last summer tomato.
- A bean soup eat-athon, followed shortly by a musical tootfest.
- A Harding County History, Volume 2* book read-athon.**
A few obvious things are missing from the Camp Dorothy version of Oktoberfest, namely beer, beer steins, and lederhosen. The first two because Dorothy’s deep German roots have always prospered best in a dry climate, and we don’t want to upset that applecart at this late date. The final item because lederhosen look pretty silly on grown-ups and we don’t want to give PETA a reason to picket on our gravel road.
So, what’s the camp director’s contingency plan if we run out of things to do before Oktoberfest ends on Saturday evening? I’m glad you asked. Since this is Homecoming weekend in our fair city, we just might join the younger crowd and tee-pee a few houses. Now if you’ll excuse the camp director, she needs to run to the grocery store to stock up on paper products.
Auf wiedersehen!
*The camp namesake had to begin with Volume 2 because the camp director is hogging Volume 1. But since the volumes are arranged alphabetically rather than chronologically, collateral damage is minimal.
**This began the minute Dorothy sat down in the living room. She’s loving the homesteading stories and read right through The Price Is Right.
by jphilo | Aug 27, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
10. Dorothy: I don’t want to go on this trip, Jolene.
9. Dorothy: That’s a dirty bean field.
8. Dorothy: Look Jolene, another barn quilt.
7. Dorothy: That corn field doesn’t look very good. Too dry, don’t you think?
6. Dorothy: My, my the river’s low.
5. Dorothy: Can you believe all the windmills? On both sides or the road. There’s another batch.
4. Dorothy: Oh, I’m so tired I can hardly stay awake.
3. Jolene: Mom, why don’t you lean recline your seat and take a nap. There’s a pillow in the back seat.
2. Dorothy: Don’t tell me what to do, Jolene. I’m enjoying seeing the countryside.
1. Jolene: Sigh.
Photo Source
by jphilo | Jul 19, 2013 | Family
On late Tuesday morning, I was still at Family Camp in the Idaho mountains, enjoying cool nights, sunny days, and naps in the hammocks on cabin porches and strung from trees in hammock heaven.
Less that 48 hours later, Camp Dorothy began with typical July weather in Iowa: 90+ temps and high humidity which meant the camp director needed iced coffee and the camp’s namesake needed ice cream immediately.
Less than 36 hours after it began, Camp Dorothy will be over. A short stay to be sure, but the schedule has been packed with the following action for the camp’s namesake:
11:00AM–12:00 Noon Iced coffee and ice cream run
12:00–2:00 PM Nap time for campers
2:00–3:30 Crossword puzzles and reading
3:30–4:00 Jeopardy*
4:00–5:00 Puzzles and reading, continued
5:00–6:00 Watched the news
6:00–6:30 Supper and clean up by the camp director and her husband
6:30–7:00 Hot game of Skippo**
7:00–7:30 Big Bang Theory with Bob Newhart as Professor Proton***
7:30–8:30 Watched an episode of Call the Midwife****
8:30 PM–8:15 AM Bedtime
8:30–9:30 Bakery run
9:30–10:30 Naptime*****
10:30–12:00 PM Price is Right and news
12:00–12:30 Lunch
12:30–3:00 Naptime
3:00 Return camp’s namesake to Ankeny for a much needed nap
*Someone chose Jeopardy over Judge Judy. Gasp!
**Someone chose Skippo over Wheel of Fortune. Double gasp!
***Someone kept saying, “You can’t beat Bob Newhart for comedy.” That someone is absolutely correct.
****The camp director thought someone would like since that someone birthed all her babies in the 1950s. Judging from someone’s frequent query, “How much longer do we have to watch?” the camp director was wrong.
*****Only the camp’s namesake used naptime for its appointed purpose. The camp director used that time to blog, balance someone’s checkbook, answer emails, write a little, cook meals, exercise, pack for a weekend with the kids, and make a birthday cake…not necessarily in that order.
by jphilo | May 22, 2013 | Recipes
Yes, you read that right. Today’s post features an asparagus recipe, even though I do not like asparagus. Wait. That’s an understatement. I despise asparagus.
But last week a friend gave us a bag full of the despicable stuff. So the man of steel and Camp Dorothy namesake rustled up one of their favorite springtime meals. One of them had a wonderful time oohing and ahhing, smacking her lips and and saying, “Jo, you don’t know what you’re missing.” Then she bailed and left the other one on dishwasher duty while she watched Wheel of Fortune. Don’t ask me to name names because I’m not that kind of person.
This recipe is mostly guesswork (Translation: Mom didn’t use a recipe years ago when she taught us to make it.), but here’s my best guestimate at ingredient amounts and cooking times.
Creamed Asparagus on Toast
2 cups washed, fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch lengths
2 tablespoons butter
2–3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup ham, diced (optional)
Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Add asparagus and ham. Saute for 2 minutes. Add flour and stir until the flour/butter mixture bubbles.
Add milk, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring well after each addition so the mixture doesn’t become lumpy. Stir constantly until mixture comes to slow boil. Turn down heat and boil for a minute or two. Serve over toast.
