Been a little tied up...

I'd been feeling a little under the weather for a few weeks.  I'd had some considerable pain on my right side, but it let up and was feeling better.  Only I wasn't.  I felt pretty rough.  Hey, I lost 15lbs and no girl will complain about that.  Maybe the way I lost it... William had enough and off we went to get some fluids.  That's how he bribed me to go to the hospital.  Fluids always sound like a good idea to a diabetic.  Only, it didn't stop at a bag or two of ringers.  Oh no, they had to go poking around and do a CAT scan.  Something about a missing appendix.  Inflammation.  Above my pay grade.  But it apparently wasn't an ideal situation as I got to spend three days as their guest. I took in a lot of intravenous antibiotics.  Pure potassium in an IV made me do some serious consideration about the condition of my eternal soul.  It wasn't all bad.  Aren't my flowers lovely?  I have the sweetest sister-in-law in the world.  She makes my brother look really good.  I'm feeling better. Only now I have a cold.  Coughing on top of everything else.  Well, it could be worse. 

 See my feather star quilt?  I put it up for the holidays and still haven't taken it down- need me a tall guy.  John?  John?  He must be out of earshot.  Don't I have the cutest painter?  I must say, sitting in a recliner and watching some one else paint is very satisfying.  And she'll paint as long as I'm an encouraging audience.  How could I not be?
 

 She painted door frames on both sides of the living room.  I should have gotten an after picture.  Now if I could only get the drywall sanded- I bet she would paint the walls for me.  Renovations never end and then it just starts all over again. 

 Our grandson is doing some serious thinking.

I've been looking for a good recipe for banana bread for about 30 years.  Mine is just too dry.  Banana bread shouldn't be dry.  I found a recipe on the back of a bag of flour that my son, Joe, brought home.  (He actually brought home about 25 bags.  They are adorable little 2# bags and nothing I would bother with- it would take 3 bags just to make enough biscuits for this crowd.  He manages a flea market and one of the vendors had flour- you never know what you'll find.) This recipe is a winner and worth the 30 year wait.  It calls for butter and buttermilk.  Everything is better with those two things. 

Best Ever Banana Bread

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup soft butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas(3-4 bananas)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Heat oven to 350*
Grease bottom of 9x5" loaf pan

Mix sugar and butter.  Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla, mixing til smooth. Stir in flour, soda and salt until just moistened. Pour into pan

Bake 1 1/4 hours or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes.  Loosen bread from sides. Remove from pans to cooling rack.  Cool about 1 hour before slicing.