2010 Dia de los Muertos (Day of the dead)

This year I have decided to do a small altar in the studio. I just wanted to keep it small since I already have the larger one's posted from before and some of their stories as well.  If you want to see last year's and the year before , just JUST SCROLL DOWN when you are done reading this one and 2009 and 2008 links are there. Please read family pet members, Sister May and Michael's  small tributes before you leave.

Dedicated to those who have left us for now. Though they are gone, the spirit will always live within us.

2010 El Dia De Los Muertos

My son and his love Lydia, both are gone, never to be forgotten. Everyone lives on in the hearts as long as the spirit is kept alive, we are surrounded by our loved ones.

 My son who will always shine on! I write about him in the previous el dia's of 08 and 09. Everything I have to say has been said and seen, and now remains in my heart. My son hears my thoughts and visits me daily. Memories are forever.You may visit the previous El Dia Tributes to learn a little more about him.

 My dad visiting in San Jose. Taking a little trip by himself and just visiting family and friends.

The kitchen where everyone used to congregate. The table was on this side of the frig. Counter top always had a coffee pot filled with coffee for EVERYONE, the door was OPEN. My dad's home now belongs to another family and I wonder, can they hear us laughing and joking and whooping and hollering with happiness? I'm sure the voices are bouncing off the walls. I believe that.

My dad and his story on previous El Dia posts.

 A foot stool I ordered from Lisa . Received it just in time for this years El Dia. Excellent work.



So I end it here with heart full and a smile on my face for my family, and a Curves exercise friend Loretta who recently passed,  and also my bloggie buddy Renee, never to be forgotten. Life is good and must be lived to the fullest no matter what. Even when times are hard, we move on.
Viva La Vida!

 Sister May below....and also Michael our cat.

....and finally I can't leave out our family pet member's, Sister May also Michael the cat who left us this year.

This year our family pet member Sister May was added to the altar.  A short story on who Sister May was. We decided that Chorizo our dog family pet member,  should have a sister. We didn't know what breed to get but we did know it had to be a female and a baby so that she could grow with chorizo. I saw an ad in the paper on Springer Spaniels, pure bred and ready to go home. It was about 1/2 hour away so we got in the car and headed to Escalon. We had a little trouble finding the place, but it turned out to be a very nice ranch with lots of land and plants galore. Well no sooner had we gotten off my VW, (that's the kind of car I had in 1996, tee hee) that we see at least seven little wonderful creatures running to the gated fence to see who was there. I was immediately captivated. They all looked the same but there was one, the eighth one,  that stood out from the rest,  and that one didn't run to greet us, just sat there looking. I knew right away that was who I was taking home. I was hoping and praying it was a girl and it was. She turned out to be a feisty little creature who loved to romp and play and hide bones and also fetch bones. She was loyal, a kind dog, and had the most beautiful brown eyes. She was daddy's little girl, next to Chorizo of course.

Chorizo and Sister May in their prime, healthy, happy days, and as you can see,

STUCK UP, AND THEY THINK THEY ARE TOPS,  AND THEY WERE.

Sister May was born on May 11, 1996 and lived to June 19, 2010 She was named Sister May because she was Chorizo's sister and May was her month.

Her baby picture. She was number 5 from a litter of 8.

Her baby picture. She was #5 of 8, her health certificate and her pedigree. She came from a line of champs.
This of course is Sister May on her last day of life. Sadly she is gone, but resting and playing with Chorizo now. DOGS RULE!!

Ah Michael the cat is gone. Born on May 14, 1989 and passed away on October 28, 2010. She was with us for a long time, 21 years, can you believe that. The heart aches but she is with her mother and grandmother who also lived with us. She used to greet my husband at the gate by jumping up on him  and now she is meowing her way to her family. Here is a link on a post I did about Michael . May she rest in peace, seeya  again some time Michael. Love you

Here are previous year's links:

http://glorv1.blogspot.com/2009/11/november-2-dia-de-los-muertos-2009.html

http://glorv1.blogspot.com/2008/11/dia-de-bloglandia-for-my-family.html

NOVEMBER 2- DIA DE LOS MUERTOS 2009

2009 DIA de los MUERTOS

BIENVENIDOS AMIGAS Y AMIGOS

NOVEMBER 2,2009: This is my second year doing the Dia de Los Muertos, and in a way it has been a blessing and in another, not so. Why is that? I suppose because I know that there will be more that I will have to add to the DIA, and that in itself is not inviting.  This is my ALTAR for my family. I'm posting a little early due to going out of town.

(Thank you for stopping by.)

                                  

My son, Val: Five years and it's still like yesterday. Everything in life reminds me of you.Val was tall, handsome, and so kind hearted. He worked in sheet metal in precision cutting and was the best at his job. He also was a wonderful artist and we would sit at the kitchen table and draw a still life to see who would finish first. He always did, and his was better, need I say more. Mama’s little baby loves shortening bread, my song to you, MY SON. The world will never be the same with your loss. Your life became even more exciting when you met Lydia, who was a joy and became a part of our family. They were a great couple, they are both missed so much.

The dearly departed Professor Jiggs or
Mr. Jiggs as he was known. The professor was the best friend of  Steve . This precious family pet member passed on in September of this year. Although I never met Mr. Jiggs in person, I knew him on blogland and grew to love this family pet member. Posted with Steve's okay.

GRANDPA LOUIE and GRANDMA MARIA, YOU STOOD AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE AS YOU DO NOW. GRANDPA WAS IN REAL ESTATE AND BOUGHT MANY HOMES, HE REALLY HAD A KNACK FOR GETTING A DEAL. HE BAKED BREAD, MADE THE BEST CHORIZO IN TOWN AND LOVED MY GRANDMA MARIA. GRANDMA MARIA WAS A MAKER OF QUILTS, DRESSES, WONDERFUL COOK AND MADE THE BEST CALDO (SOUP) . THEY WERE BOTH CHURCH GOING PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED AND PRAISED GOD. THEY WERE MARRIED OVER 65 YEARS AND LIVED TO BE A RIPE OLD AGE.

Chorizito was with us for 14 years and always gave us love and happiness. She was a treasure in our world. She loved to go bye bye with her daddy in the truck. Thank you my Chorizo for all the happiness you gave us.

My step-dad Ron and that's one of his silly hats. He was just so much fun. Always joking, always wanting us to sit and eat and enjoy life. He was a carpenter by trade and always had a joke to tell. Each year he made a ham dinner and everyone gathered around the table to eat and of course tell jokes.

Grandpa Clemente and that's his worn gardening hat at the end of this text. He was a jockey, worked the fields, worked for the Sante Fe rail sytem and grew a variety of vegetables. He lived to be 105 years old. Wow! My Great Grandmother Isabella, and aunt Mary on my mother's side. I know very little about them, except that my mom says that Great Grandmother Isabella was also a joke teller.How funny is that?

Grandpa Clemente's everyday hat.

 

My dad and step-mom, Joseph and Celia: That's my dad's church hat and it actually looks bigger than my dear dad. I also have that cap that he is wearing in the picture. My dad was a small man who carried a big stick.  I remember his guidance very well,  and I will always hear the laughter when my dad and step- mom, uncle Ralph and aunt Josie, uncle Louie and aunt Peregrina,  played the board games they always played. A lot of laughter and happy screaming of "you cheated" in the kitchen. My Dad worked at FMC for as long as I can remember, he retired from there. He was also a bread maker, cook in the Merchant Marines, and a gardener of vegetables. My step-mom Celia was quiet, a little shy and chewed gum all the time. Wrigleys Spearmint Gum. :D I remember it well. She worked the canneries and was always late making the potato salad for picnics. :)

So to my family and the family pet members,  the night is ours to share once again. Lets be together, eat, be merry and remember the good, the fun, the laughter, and even the tears.
TONIGHT THERE WILL BE NO TEARS!

This year I did add another death to the family tree and that was of my aunt Josie. I didn't know her very well, in fact very little,  and I don't have any pictures of her. I just remember her laughter. It was a hearty laugh.  May she rest in peace.

Thanks to Stephanie and her friend Susanna for hosting this wonderful remembrance day for our loved ones. If you get a chance, click on Stephanie's link to get a list of other Altars/Ofrendas.

2008 DIA de BLOGLANDIA for my family

2008 DIA de los MUERTOS

So this is my first time doing a Dia de Los Muerto's altar. I want you to know that each step I took toward completion, brought me closer to my family that is no longer here on earth. I'll try to give a short paragraph on my family.

First MY DAD, since he was the "altar" of home when I was growing up. I will be brief, if I can be brief about a man whose caring ways and open door policy existed throughout his life. He loved telling jokes, worked hard all his life, planted our vegetables, raised the chickens for our eggs, and the chickens as well. Dad was a welder by trade and never missed a day of work. He was kind and always explained things to us children. He talked loud because of a hearing problem and laughed the same, but it filled the walls of home with laughter. We miss you dad and will always love you. MY STEP-MOM in the picture with dad, was from Guadalajara, Mexico and she filled the house with the smell of tortillas, beans cooking, albondigas, (my dad's favorite) and her singing. She loved to sing. My dad passed in August of 2007, and my step-mom in February of 2003. They both lived to be a ripe old age.


MY SON passed in March of 2004. He was a wonderful son, full of promises, and really loved life. He served his country, loved his GIRLFRIEND who passed in August of 1994. She is in the picture with my son and they are all smiles. He loved tacos, menudo, the color maroon, homemade tortillas chips, music, jazz especially and lit up a room when he entered. He respected people and wanted the same in return. We just didn't have enough time with him, but GOD needed him more. He was very intelligent as well. We miss you dearly and will always and forever love you.

I included my dad's parents and his dads parents. I also included my husband's DAD who passed in April of 2005. His dad came from the Phillipines and worked his way to providing a home for his family. Hard work paid off and he was able to buy a home for the ever-growing family. My grandparents were church going people who came from Mexico and were hard workers and loved GOD. We love you all.

Of course my dog CHORIZO, who changed my life forever. She always brought out the best in me and I will always be grateful for the love she gave us. She lived to be 14 years of age and she passed in October of 2007. Rest in peace my doggie, we love you.

So without further adieu, here is my families ALTAR.

We will have food today and tomorrow and celebrate the FAMILY and have food and drink for them as well.

The boogie man clown has arrived

I WISH YOU A HAPPY AND SCARY HALLOWEEN!!!!HEHEHEHEEH

ButterNut Squash, Mmmmm.

Since esposo had to work after all, the day was spent doing home stuff. I went to the post office first and then to WinCo, one of my favorite food stores. There weren't any Cinnamon sticks for the atole that I'm making and also picked up some carne asada.

Any way my El Dia de los Muertos post is completed and will be posted on October 31st at 11:58 pm which is just about November 1. It'll stay posted for the 1st and the 2nd.  It's a smaller version and you can click on the links to the 2009 and the 2008 if you wish to view those years.. 

Before I start my day, I've got to have my freshly grinded beans going, and the house filling with the aroma.



....and of course I'm dancing to African music when I smell this coffee brewing. Well in my mind.

This cup and saucer belonged to Alice who once lived across the street. I have many of her dishes that were given to me after she passed. I'm  happy that I have her treasures.

I cut up some ButterNut squash early this morning and baked it. We have so much of this squash that I will be making bread with it and give the atole drink a try with this type of squash and see how it comes out. There are about 20 b/n squash sitting on a table outside and there are still some on the vines. These are so good with just a dab of butter and brown sugar. These here are not cooked yet.

 The seeds are the best because they will provide next years Butter Nut squash. The pith is removed, they are dried with paper towels, and placed on paper plates to dry naturally. Once dry they get bagged, named and are ready to go in storage with other seeds,  for next years plantings.

The squash are cooked and the pulp will be scraped off and refrigerated for use with  soups, breads, cubes sauteed, the way they are now with butter and brown sugar will all be made. Awesome.

Today we are having homemade hamburgers with red onion and lettuce on top and on a sesame seed bun and french fries. Have a great evening and Halloween Sunday. Take care.