Blogworthy

I think it's safe to say I cover about every subject on this blog. I love to share things that I think are Blogworthy. Looking back over the year I've yapped about Martians and Limo Rides... 

Motorcycles and Dirty Cars, 

even Wrinkle Cures and a Surefire Way to make you feel 6 again! 

I can't go a week without telling you about a Fun Place to visit or even a Great Place to eat! 

I love to share recipes, I'm always searching for something new to eat so we've visited 

Flavor Town, Super-Town and I keep my eyes open for the Good Stuff... 

things like Turtleman and Hedgeapples and Party Lines! 

Finally, I have a Facebook friend that says she loves to come to my blog and CRY... is that a compliment? She swears it is... I certainly don't intend for you to feel sad but there are posts that just tug at the old heartstrings like HOME and FAMILY and MEMORIES. 

I was thinking the other day I don't have anything to blog about... but I can see that didn't stop me this past year and it probably won't stop me in 2013 either! 

Washing away troubles...

We stood at the sink at Aunt Nadine's house, washing up the dinner dishes. I was washing, Nadine drying and Mom T set at the kitchen table. We were laughing and talking, enjoying each other's company. I can remember a time when dishwashers were not a part of our lives, washing dishes three times a day or more was just a given. Not a bad thing, there were many problems that were solved right there at the kitchen sink. I can remember my Mom and her Mother taking forever washing the dishes, I would help a little with clearing the table so I was there for part of the conversation. Their voices would go up and down, from audible to barely heard- discussing everything from politics to who wore summer white after Labor Day... 

it's a southern thing. 

Clotheslines too, they are gone from yards, even Grandmas have dryers. Once a Mother/daughter chore that gave the chance for serious talks as Mom gathered and folded the clothes and  I helped with the clothespin bag. Sad really, gone forever are those bonding times when hot sudsy water or fresh folded laundry meant you were loved. 

Hedgeapples

I nearly peed my pants when I saw the big green balls laying everywhere in Ensley Park last week when we were in Topeka! I don't even remember the last time I saw a Bodark tree, they are kind of hard to find. My Grandpa had them as fence row trees, to mark the boundaries of his pastures. Scrubby and gnarled, he attached barbed wire to them and for decades they did the job of holding the cattle in. By the 1960's he began to replace all of those fences with posts and new barbed wire, and in time the trees simply died. 

Osage Orange, hedge apples, horse apple, Bodark, I've heard all of these names to describe them, they are a favorite of squirrels but poison to humans. Folklore tells us that hedge apples deter spiders, crickets, bugs and cockroaches from getting in your garage or basement. If you Google for info, you see that it's true, one university study showed that a natural chemical in the hedge apple deters cock roaches. People put them in dark corners, by doorways and porch steps to prevent insects from entering the house. Everyone that uses them swears that they work!

I don't remember a can of bug spray being a staple at my house as a kid, but the hedge apples were placed in the basement and in the garage and I don't recall ever seeing bugs. Maybe not as well as a commercial pesticide, but they are a green choice for those of us who like that.

We had to dodge the falling bombs, they are heavy, but Aunt Nadine and I gathered up enough for her garage, her sister's and mine in a couple of minutes. We'll let you know if they work!

BoBo's was a "Capitol" Idea!

Aunt Nadine gave us a guided tour of Topeka that would have rivaled any state visit by dignitaries, probably because she once worked at the Capitol! A major reconstruction project is currently underway, so access was a little complicated and we foregoed a visit inside. We took advantage of the many photo ops on the Capitol grounds and then continued our tour of the downtown area. Nadine has called Topeka home for over 35 years now, so she knew the town like the back of her hand. We began to talk about lunch and what sounded good, getting three people to agree on one single place in a Herculean task so we drove aimlessly for a little while. Then it happened... the planets all aligned, the sun shined on us and we magically drove by BoBo's! 

In an instant, Aunt Nadine made the executive decision and turned into the busy noontime parking lot full of Cadillacs, Lincolns and Volvo's. Near the Capitol, it's downtown location makes it a favorite of many of the state legislature and office workers.

If you weren't a native, you'd pass right by. But if you are a faithful viewer of Food Network's Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, it may have been a destination. Guy Fieri's visit to BoBo's in 2008 made the little Mom and Pop establishment famous. In reality, it has been famous for a long time before that!

Like a step back in time, Bobo's  is a classic old fashioned drive-in that has been operating in Topeka since 1948, at this location in the 2300 block of 10th since 1953. Inside is a handful of pink Naugahyde booths and horseshoe shaped bar, but half of their customers just pull up to the curb out back and the car-hops bring their meal. The current owners, Richard and Tricia Marsh, bought Bobo's in 2007, but some of the staff have been there many years.

The menu was bigger than the restaurant, with so many great sounding diner delights that we had trouble deciding. Aunt Nadine recommended the Steakburgers and handmade onion rings, we couldn't pass up the homemade root beer either! I spent the short time while we were waiting on our food glancing at what other people ordered... coneys, malts and bowls of steaming chili. Next time I'll try the chili for sure!

Like stepping back in time, the place just "feels good" from the moment you step inside. The aroma of burgers searing on a flat top grill and waitresses that call you honey... it's the kind of place that makes you want to come back over and over. 

The noonday crowd streamed through the front door, from young to old, a table of nurses and a group of  legislators from the Capitol... all here for one reason, great food!

If you come to BoBo's and don't have a slice of the homemade apple pie still warm from the oven, topped with Satin Dream softserve... well, don't blame me! By the slice or they even sell a whole pie, isn't that nice of them to share the good stuff?

If you find yourself anywhere near Topeka, Kansas... BoBo's Drive In needs to be on your must visit list!

On the road again...

via

My mother in law and I took a little road trip up to Kansas last week to visit her sister and brother-in-law. It had a been awhile since Mom T had been there and I don't think I've ever been to Kansas. If you could have been a little mouse along for the ride, you'd have had to listen to a million family stories and stop at every place that looked remotely like it might have fall decorations for sale! We kept our eyes peeled for diners too, pie and coffee was on the to-do list! 

Mom and her sisters are peas in a pod; alike in looks, mannerisms and general outlooks on life. Model thin with a spring in their step, from a distance you'd never guess their true ages. 

Like children they delight in every new experience and adventure that life offers, never passing up a trip to someplace new or a shopping trip! 

But if you look a little closer and listen, you see that the roles have changed. No longer the older sister watching over the younger one, now an arm slips gently under my mother in law's to safeguard her steps.

Sisters, who have walked many steps together and apart. Years living in different states... even different countries, they are still bound by blood and heartstrings. They linger with each laugh and each memory, too delicious remembering that house in Rea Valley where they ran barefoot down to the creek!

"A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost."