June 15, 1990: I had Pinochle Club.
June 16, 1990: We had 1 1/2 inches of rain last night - also a real old-fashioned rumbling thunderstorm."
Grandpa was a gardener extraordinaire. He grew all kinds of things and grew most very well. I say that because I believe there was some occasional experimenting that went on with new vegetables. If they didn't turn out satisfactorily, they simply weren't planted again. So, for the most part, he stuck with what he knew that would grow for him.
He was inordinately proud of his potatoes and that was probably deserved. Some vegetables and fruits are upfront about telling you when they are ripe and ready to harvest; strawberries, peas, green beans. Even carrots will pop up a little bit from the ground to let you know they are of a decent size. Potatoes do a little of that, but most of the productivity is being done well under the dirt where you can't see. And there's no turning back -- once you dig up a hill of potatoes, you can't put it all back in to grow some more if you don't like what you find. Over time Grandpa became a Potato Whisperer. He could detect a good hill of potatoes like crazy. And there are plenty of potato lovers in the family, myself included, so Grandpa's efforts were always much appreciated.
I could go on, but I have a recipe and a photo to deal with. The picture is from the end of a Nebraska vacation that Nancy, Mitch, Anna and I took in 1997 or 1998. You can see that Nancy put out some petunias that year, too. I wanted a picture of Grandpa in the garden, but have settled for this one that was taken a stone's throw from the garden. I also like it because it was at a time when the kids weren't shy about showing they liked each other.
Tuna-Rice Casserole
This is a very basic, stick-to-your-ribs tuna casserole recipe. Chefs would gasp, but it's good, filling food. It can be added to I imagine, but I never change it. It wouldn't remind me of Grandma if I did that.
1/2 c. uncooked rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 t. dehydrated onion, optional
2 cans tuna (undrained)
1 soup can milk
Celery or celery salt, optional
Combine all ingredients and place in a greased casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Daddy always planted at least a few potatoes on Good Friday. I know of one time it was really muddy so he stood in the grass at the edge of the garden and planted some in the mud. One of his goals was to make sure there were some new potatoes for my brithday, June 29. Some years they were pretty small - but he dug up a few anyway and proudly delivered them.
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