The Rain, The Parties, and Other Things

We had things planned for the week. Some happened, and some were cancelled because of rain. Drats!!!

Monday: We traveled to Nashville to see/hear DIL3's album release show. Naturally we loved being there to see her preform, but we also got to see a couple of guys who went to school in New York with Son3. It was good to see them and to also see some of their friends in Nashville we have been around a few times.

It was a great show and though we were invited to the after party, we opted out. It was a night for them to be celebrating with their friends and not feeling like they had to entertain us. 

If any of you ever have a chance to go to the Basement downtown, take advantage of it. It is a very cool venue.

Tuesday: We stayed at a hotel on the southern outskirts of Nashville, which made our trip home so much easier than staying in East Nashville.

We woke fairly early, had breakfast then headed home. The trip back to Birmingham was an uneventful, beautiful drive. 

It is so nice to be able to drive to Nashville, see them, then head back home, instead of doing what we formerly had to do and fly. We can actually be there almost as fast as it took us to get to the airport, park, go through security and get on the plane. There is a huge joy in the simplicity of car travel.

Wednesday: I missed my class to wait at home for the guy who takes care of our lawn. We have had some landscaping work done and I needed to be here to tell him a couple of changes to the routine. Some are temporary until the new sod has a chance to take root, but some of the changes were to the sprinkler system (new heads and such). 

I had a hard time getting in touch with him and the  yard needed some attention badly. 

It was worth missing my class to get the lawn looking better, since delaying would be iffy. The weather forecast was for high chances of rain for the rest of the week.

Thursday: This was almost a do nothing day. I had planned on going to a local garden's annual sale, but rain changed that.

I did run to the store to pick up a couple of things, but other than that it was a rainy, windy, gloomy stay at home kind of day.

Friday: I talked to 2/3 of my sons. 

Son1 told me about Pip’s Listening Party. She is a huge Taylor Swift fan and it seems TS dropped a new album. She invited 5 friends to dress in an outfit based one of each of TS’s album themes, I think she claimed the newest one for herself. They listened to songs, sang, watched videos, ate dinner, and had a heart shaped cake that oozed strawberry “blood”.  The cake was supposed to mean something but I am tragically unhip and have no clue what that might be. All I know is I got a video of one of the kids stabbing said cake while all the other Taylor wannabes cheered. I do love being included in her life even if it is from afar.

While the party was going on, TheHub and I went to a nearby community theater’s production of 'Fiddler on the Roof”. 

One of the participants of Independence Place loves theater and was cast in the ensemble. He had been asking me to come for quite a while, so of course we went. This is TheHub's all time favorite musical. It was his 3rd time seeing the play, but my 5th.

They did quite a good job with the performance, had a couple of extraordinary vocalists, and a few very talented dancers. A play about Russian Jews is not a great fit with Southern accents  but after a few minutes Tevye's long drawn out vowels just became part of the play. What did I expect? It was community theater in an Alabama town.

We did make a decision to start going to a few of the community theaters around town for some inexpensive local entertainment.

Saturday: We did our usual running around, came home to a lot of mutual reading, trip planning, and of course Alabama softball watching.

Pip Face-timed me to tell me all about the party, and talked about everything Taylor Swift. While we were talking she got her Dad's ukulele  and had him show her some cords to a song or two.

Even though I personally could not care less about Taylor, I am going to start listening to her music and learn to play some of her songs on my uke, so we can have more to share when she calls.

Sunday: I want to know what sort of sorcery this was.  I woke with every joint screaming at me, and got out of bed FREEZING.  Ok not truly freezing but the house was cold and after my shower I had to throw on long pants and a sweatshirt. We are on the other side of mid April and it is supposed to be warm. I cried foul! Didn’t do any good, but it made me feel better. Hey April! I should be wearing shorts and flip flops.  Let’s get with the program ok! 

The upside? Reading on the couch while covered in a blanket was a good way to spite Mother Nature.

April reading

How Do I Un-remember This

The Whispering Room

The Crooked Staircase

Look for your joys. They are always out there even if they are small.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

Almost A Dinner Winner Week

When I looked over the planned vs what happened list, I realized we had 5 out of the 7 nights of the week that coincided. That is almost a record for me.  I feel good!

Planned: 

1. Sandwich meal

2. Tuna steaks, asparagus, some sort of potato, coleslaw, Italian bread

3. Salad, tuna dip, crackers

4.Veggie meal TBD

5. Huli huli chicken, tossed salad, maybe rice, maybe not

6. Steak, baked potato, tossed salad

7. Out to eat

VS 

What Happened:

Sunday: It was a perfect day to cook on the grill, so I have no idea why I chose to just sear inside. "My name is Anne and I'm . . .)

Tuna steaks, new potatoes, asparagus, sliced tomatoes

Monday. We had to be in Nashville for an evening event and wanted something to eat before hand. I packed a small cooler with a couple of drinks and sandwiches which we ate in the hotel.

Pimento cheese sandwiches

Tuesday: We drove back from Nashville and had planned a meal that required no cooking.

Tossed salad, smoked tuna dip, crackers

Wednesday: Veggie meal night. I had bought a couple of things at the produce stand Saturday that needed to be used.

Collards, squash and onions, tomato cucumber red onion salad, cornbread

Thursday: TheHub had eaten lunch at Cracker Barrel and brought home another $5 small plate for us to share

Smoked chicken, mashed potatoes, tossed salad

Friday: We had an event to go to and it lasted a little longer than we thought it would. We stopped and picked up a late late dinner on the way home.

Mushroom burger or grilled cheese

Saturday: Neither of us were particularly hungry and there was no reason to cook a real meal.

Chicken noodle soup

What's next?

1. Huli Huli chicken

2. Grilled grouper, tossed salad, dinner rolls

3. Burgers with all the fixings

4. Salad meal TBD

5. Chicken salad open face sandwich, fruit salad

6. Veggie meal

7. Out to eat or take out

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all.

Joys For The Week

This was not a week for big joys. Sometimes plans change on account of rain. This was one of those weeks the I had to roll with the punches and accept things would be changing

Monday: I did get to see a little bit of the eclipse before the cloud cover blocked viewing completely. Oh well. 

TheHub and I have decided we will look into possibly experiencing totality in Spain in a couple of years. We have the glasses and he will be retired so why not? 

Tuesday: It was rainy and cool, I had to be nowhere and there is a certain joy having a stay at home while it rains type of day. Coffee and reading was the big news for the day.

Wednesday: We had a little unexpected crisis. Is a crisis ever expected? I suppose by definition calling one unexpected is redundant. Anyway my biggest joy for the day other than the situation being resolved was when I called TheHub and told him about it and that I wa headed out of town, his only reaction was to tell me to wait.

He had pulled into the parking deck for a meeting he was headed to, called them and told them he could not make it, then drove to the house so he could go with me.  I have much gratitude and joy for choosing a supportive lifelong partner..

Thursday: It was another damp and dreary day. Instead of reading, which is what I wanted to do, I thought it might be a good day to change over my cooler weather duds for summer weight clothes. Even though we have a walk in closet, one of us is a clothes horse and the other one of us is not, and the one who has the most clothes occupies the majority of the closet space. 

Years ago I bought two  32 gallon plastic garbage bins to store off season items in. Not only do I change over my clothes, but I also change the duvet and shams from our bad, the bath mats in the master bath, along with the curtains in the den. There is a lot of washing and drying before putting things away for the season. Thursday was the perfect day to dig in and get it done.

Friday: We woke to a drop dead gorgeous day. If it took all the yucky cooler rainy days to bring it, it was well worth it. I had been putting off all shopping, both grocery and incidental until the rains stopped. I had a great day to do the things I needed to get done.

TheHub usually likes to go out to eat on Fridays, but neither of us were hungry and decided to stay in,  watch a replay of some of The Master's, then watch some episodes of a new to us Netflix series "The Night Agent".. Unbelievable, but entertaining.

Saturday: It was another gorgeous day which included oiur usual Saturday morning runarounds. We had planned on going to Aldrich Garden's annual plant sale. We were surprised when we got there to find the parking lot less than half full since it is usually overflowing on the sale weekend.  Probably because we both had the wrong date  which is next weekend.. "My name is Anne. and I'm a dumbass"

I don't know if I have ever relayed this story here before, but when I was much younger I had seen the movie "My Name is Bill W." which is about the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.  I was at the grocery store a few days later and was checking out. Now this was a time when people actually either paid for groceries with real cash or wrote checks. I fell into the latter group and realized when I opened my checkbook I had no more blank checks. This was a smaller local grocery store and I was about to explain to the clerk about my empty checkbook, and began with the sentence "My name is Anne and I'm a dumbass" The man in line behind me, without missing a beat, said "Hi, Anne"  It cracked me up and I still get a kick out of remembering it. 

(For the record, the clerk let my leave with my groceries,, run home to get a check to bring back and pay . And this was the advantage of small  independent neighborhood grocery stores, which no longer exist anywhere around me.)

Other than being at the right place, wrong time our Saturday was spent  doing our usual running around,  watching  Alabama softball and The Masters. 

Sunday:  We went to church, picked up a few things we needed at the store, came home to get ready for the great de-pollenization. Each and every spring we get blitzed by pollen. Our decks and screened porch floors and furniture are covered with what looks like yellow sand which makes them unusable.

We have to wait until the brunt of the pollen has fallen and the day is warm enough to use the hose without being too cold. I have done it every year and am usually completely soaked by the time I finish. This time was no different. 

 It is a multi step process to get things cleaned  washing the ceilings, walls, screens, rugs, furniture and all accessories. Additionally it will have to be repeated again in a couple of weeks, but there will be a much lighter coat of pollen. The joy?  We can sit on the porch again and enjoy morning coffee and birdsongs. And that is a true joy!

April Reading

How Do I Un-remember This

Look for your joys. They are always out there.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

Curses, Foiled By Rain

I had planned on doing a lot of grilling, but obviously had not paid attention to the weather report. Instead of beautiful spring days, we had a lot of clouds and wet stuff Monday  afternoon through Thursday. I guess I could  have done it anyway but I don't like to cook while dodging raindrops.

Planned:

1. Veggie meal

2. Huli huli chicken, rice, mixed greens

3. Tuna steak, asparagus, mashed potatoes

4. Leftover spaghetti dinner, tossed salad

5. Out to eat

6. Steak, baked potato, tossed salad

7. Big salad dinner TBD

VS

Reality:

Sunday: We had gone to our local produce stand and were surprised at the variety he had. Our purchases sealed the deal on our veggie meal.

Black eyed peas, okra, tomato slices

Monday: This is the one leftover meal TheHub never says no to. I am pretty sure it is because I save the sauce only and cook fresh pasta to serve it on. As long as it work, I am not complaining.

Leftover spaghetti, tossed salad, hot dog bun garlic bread

Tuesday: TheHub went to Cracker  Barrel for lunch Monday. They have a deal with. the purchase of an entree you can buy a mini meal (one of 4 choices for the main dish and a side) for 5 bucks. It is enough (with an added veggie) for both of us at dinner. It is pretty much a no brainer .

Meatloaf, Mac and cheese, squash and onions, sliced tomatoes

Wednesday: We had a little minor issue to deal with and had to head out of town unexpectedly. Thankfully I pulled some soup from the freezer to thaw before we left.

Vegetable soup, cornbread

Thursday: It was still raining and foiled my plans for steak. Instead I punted and grabbed some smoked sausage from the freezer.

Conecuh sausage, leftover smashed potatoes, green beans, tomato slices

Friday: Neither of us were very hungry, and I had 3 different types of soup in single serving containers frozen for lunches. I dumped all three in the same pot. It was not delicious but it was fine.

Soup, crackers

Saturday: While we were out and about doing our Saturday morning thing, we rode by our local fish monger and decided to see what he had that looked good. And this is why I keep a lemon in the fridge nearly all the time.

Scallops, corn on the cob, coleslaw, Italian bread

Whats next?

1. Sandwich meal

2. Tuna steaks, asparagus, some sort of potato, coleslaw, Italian bread

3. Salad, tuna dip, crackers

4.Veggie meal TBD

5. Huli huli chicken, tossed salad, maybe rice, maybe not

6. Steak, baked potato, tossed salad

7. Out to eat

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all.

The Week That Was

Returning home from a trip and getting the house ready for guests was a little hard on me. There is clean enough for us to live and a little cleaner than normal for guests. I have not begun the great purge in the upstairs rooms so they had not been cleaned other than a cursory cleaning since Christmas. It needed a lot of spiffing up.

Monday: I needed TheHub to go back to work so I could do a few things I wanted/needed to do. My Beloved Sister came over and we visited for a little bit before doing a little joint business we have to do monthly.

I talked with Sluggy for just a minute before I was interrupted. I will not be able to speak with her until she gets back from the cruise. Bummer for me,  but good for her!

Tuesday: I spent most of the day doing laundry.  I needed sheets on the beds in 3 bedrooms, along with towels and washcloths needed for four nights. The joy was not doing the laundry, but having it done.

Wednesday: I spent the morning cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming upstairs, moping floors that can be mopped, dusting (again), fluffing all throw pillows, rearranging the table scape in the dining room, (It still looked a little too Easter-ish.) and doing all those little things you do before houseguests arrive. I had time to shower, put on fresh clothes and makeup, and have a little unwind time before they got here.

Thursday: I was up early and ready for the day when they wandered downstairs. While we were waiting for the 13 year old to get moving we saw 2 gorgeous goldfinches in the apple tree. I always have beautiful birds in the backyard, but this pair was brilliant .

After breakfast I took them to my happy place, to meet the participants of The Independence Place. We walked into a dark room, said hello and were pelted by foam "snowballs". Evidently once I called to say we were coming they decided a snowball assault was the best way to greet us. I am not sure you could have a better ice breaker than that. 

My company really did enjoy meeting them, and all joined right in the "snowball" fight.

We went out for a late lunch, then they decided they wanted to go to a local garden.  While they were at the garden I ran to the grocery store. I do not shop for kids anymore and we don't have things kids want  like milk  (or Little Debbies) at our house. A few years ago we started using almond milk in cereal and that is truly the only thing we use milk in.  If I am baking I use reconstituted powdered milk or evaporated milk, neither sounded appetizing to 13 and 9 year olds. I guess Fruit Loops do call for the real thing.

When they came back we had dinner, some conversations, then they headed for bed.

Friday: They had planned a quick trip to the Space Center in Huntsville. I probably should have gone with them, but I needed to do a few other things at the house, including going back to the store to pick up a couple of things for dinner. I made sure the meal would hold since I had no idea when they would be back. I am glad I cooked early because they came home much sooner than we expected they would.

Saturday: We had a slow morning while the 13 year old watched Rainman. Several of the participants at Independence Place are on the spectrum and she was interested in learning more about it. 

After she watched it we met Son2, Dil2 and TheHub's cousin B at a restaurant near the zoo.

The youngest sent a message to his middle sister  who was in L.A. having a solo vacation with their parents, saying "Call me. I'm bored'. * Bored until the talked turned into a male kid friendly subject and then he came alive. Nothing like mild toilet humor to crank up a 9 year old guy. 

They visited the zoo while TheHub and I ran a few errands. While they were in the area they took a side trip to Vulcan. It was not a great trip for my SIL because she is afraid of heights.

Son2 and DIL2 came and joined us for dinner, before we watched Alabama's game in the Final Four. Even though they did not win it was still great they made it that far. The 13 year old was a very gracious Georgia fan and actually rooted for Bama.

Son1 and Pip went to Phoenix and were at the game. They sent pictures during the game, and afterward where Pip got to meet a few players and got her Alabama sweatshirt autographed. In the photos she was grinning from ear to ear. So we have created a PNW native Alabama fan! They are coming for Thanksgiving because Pip wants to go to the Alabama/ Auburn game. Guess who will make sure she has tickets?

Sunday:  They woke had a leisurely breakfast then got ready to head back to Georgia, after stopping to go to church where a friends Son in Law is the minister. TheHub and I had a slow day watching the final game of the NCAA women's basketball tournament, and watching Alabama Softball. We both dozed off at some point then woke in time to see the end of both games. TheHub was pulling for Iowa, but I wanted South Carolina to win. And of course we both wanted Alabama to win the softball game. I lucked out with both teams winning.  I wish we had bet something like the loser had to cook dinner! I am always too late with my brilliant ideas!

Look for your joys no matter how small. They are always out there.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* If I am being perfectly honest I was getting bored too. The mark of someone who acts old is someone who talks about their ills and the medical conditions of everyone around them. When she was alive my mom used to say no one wants to have conversations about the sick, afflicted and dying. I agree! 

Meals, Meh

As is often happens in my life, things do not go according to plans. So, what's new?

 And who cares anyway? It's just food!

What was planned: 

1. Hamburger with all the fixings, fries

2. Baked chicken, rice, asparagus, cooked carrots, tomato slices

3. Large salad meal TBD

4. Ruben sandwiches, coleslaw

5. Grilled tuna steaks, mashed potatoes, green beans, tossed salad

6. Grilled Huli Huli chicken, seasoned rice, mixed greens

7. Chicken stuffed peppers, tossed salad

What happened:

Sunday: This meal was so lackluster it is really not even worth mentioning.

Bowl of tomato soup

Monday: I had not even begun to think about dinner but always keep a few hamburger patties individually frozen in a gallon freezer bag, I grabbed two of those to cook quickly. I also keep instant potato flakes on hand all the time. I usually use them in recipes, but hey sometimes you have to grab what is available and run with it.

Hamburger patty smothered in onions, mashed potatoes, tomato slices

Tuesday: I was getting the house ready for company and did not want to have anything but the basics. Chicken and green beans were in the freezer and cooked quickly. I always have the makings of coleslaw on hand so it was a no brainer.

Chicken, green beans, coleslaw

Wednesday: Company came in, I was tired from getting everything ready for them and I was tired.

 Take out meal

Thursday:  The day was gorgeous and perfect for doing a little grilling.

Grilled tuna steaks, garlic smashed potatoes ( the real thing) , tossed salad, dinner rolls

Friday: Our guests went to Huntsville for the day to explore the Space Center. I had no idea when they would return and wanted to have something that would keep easily in the crockpot.

Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad, dinner rolls

Saturday: Son2 and DIL2 came over for a ball game meal pre-final four viewing. 

Hot dogs, baked beans, chips

What may or may not happen this week:

1. Veggie meal

2. Huli huli chicken, rice, mixed greens

3. Tuna steak, asparagus, mashed potatoes

4. Leftover spaghetti dinner, tossed salad

5. Out to eat

6. Steak, baked potato, tossed salad

7. Big salad dinner TBD

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all.

The Week That Was

This week did not start with a bang, got better (much better for me at least) followed by the sadness of leaving Portland, a couple of ho-hum days and ending with more happiness. I guess you could say it was a mixed bag of nuts.

Monday: Sometime in the wee hours of Monday morning I heard weird noises. It urned out to be TheHub who had contracted a severe stomach virus. He was sick as a dog hugging the porcelain throne while the contents of his stomach made a repeat appearance. He finally settled enough to sleep a little. Once he was down, I got ready for the day and met Pip in the restaurant downstairs for breakfast. She was feeling a little under the weather too, so Son1 picked her up after breakfast and his meeting. 

By about 1 I realized TheHub needed to see a doctor. I am very thankful, because of his job, he had a working relationship/friendship with a doc in Portland. We called him and he arranged for TheHub to be seen immediately. (Especially thankful for Son1 who drove to the office in an area of Portland I was unfamiliar with.) 

A  couple of prescriptions and a ton of Gatorade along with some rest at least allowed him to sleep through the night. (Fitful sleep but at least it was sleep and not another night of hurling)

Tuesday:  We had planned and already bought tickets for a tour of a bean to bar chocolatier, Creo. TheHub thought he would feel like going but I made a judgement call to nix that idea. Instead Pip invited her friend to go with Son1 and me.  The tour was interesting and I learned a lot about the growing, shipping, winnowing, pulverizing and finally preparing chocolate for bars and candies. 

Each person on the tour was able to create a bar of their own. I chose red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and candied ginger flakes for mine. (It was fabulous) 

I am not sure what Son1 did with his, but Pip and friend went full kid on theirs with tiny m&m's sprinkles, nuts, more sprinkles, more nuts, and more m&m's. You were encouraged to name your bar and they both named theirs Unicorn poop. They were unimpressed with the name I gave mine__Annie's.

After the chocolate tour we walked back to the hotel. We have stayed at the same place the last four or five visits to Portland because it has a large indoor pool where Pip and friend swam for a couple of hours. TheHub roused and sat on the pool deck with Son1 and me for a bit, but then he needed to go stretch out for some healing rest. 

After the girls had enough of the pool and accompanying hot tub, they dressed and we went to the hotel restaurant for a light dinner before they went home for the night.

Wednesday. The day was cold and rainy but it was a much better day. TheHub felt somewhat well, and ate a little oatmeal before we headed out to pick up Pip. We had a shopping day planned and headed to Ulta to look at everything she "needed". I told her she was lucky she is the only grandkid as she walked out of the store with a bag of things to make her feel, smell, and look more beautiful.  

Our next stop was Crumbl cookies because she "needed" those too. 

Finally we made our way downtown to the Nike store. It seems she also wanted a pair of white and blue Nike high tops.  

It might seem like we were excessive, but we see her twice a year on a good year. I don’t have the advantage to have her spend the night with us and go grab a burger or see a movie.  When we are there we have to make up for lost time. And we love doing it.

We drove back to their house and watched a movie before eating dinner. DIL1 had made a pot of chicken noodle soup with TheHub's stomach in mind. It was delicious soup and such a good thing for him to have to eat. I am very lucky to have her as a DIL. (I am actually lucky to have all three, and could not love them more.)

We visited with them a bit more before returning to the hotel.

Thursday: Son1 and Pip came over to the hotel, ate breakfast with us then stayed until it was time for us to head to the airport. We do try to be at any airport about and hour and a half ahead of our flight, just in case there are any snafus. We had an uneventful boarding but sat on the tarmac for a while. There was a slight mechanical issue with the latch on one of the toilet doors. It delayed us about 45 minutes, but thanks to the tail winds we arrived in Dallas close to our scheduled time.

Alabama was playing basketball and there was a bar next to our gate with a TV tuned to the game.  TheHub stood and watched until halftime when we boarded our connecting flight. We had planned on watching it on Live TV offered by the airline, but it was not operational. We had no idea what had happened until we landed close to midnight  and discovered Alabama had won by 2 points. I was surprised, but glad for them.

I was even happier to be able to sleep in my own bed.

Friday: I slept in then washed all of our dirty laundry and got things in some semblance of order.  TheHub came home from work early, we ate mac and cheese (what TheHub thought he could stomach) then settled in to watch Alabama softball, and Tennessee and whoever they played. I was having trouble getting to sleep so I read___until about 3:30.

Saturday: We got up and did our usual Saturday running around. We were especially happy to see our favorite produce stand has opened again for the season. They will there Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until November, and now we have gorgeous tomatoes. They had sold out of cucumbers before we got there, so I will be sure to be there Tuesday morning to snag some.

We came home, ate lunch and watched Alabama softball lose to Kentucky. 

I read a little more then it was time to start watching basketball. I am not sure how it has happened but Alabama advanced to the Final Four for the first time ever___Amazing!

Sunday: It was a drop dead gorgeous Easter here.  We went to church and got to see all the families with children (and some without kids) standing in front of a flower bedecked cross for their annual church Easter photo. The children were precious and the weather was perfect for all the Easter frocks they were wearing. 🐣

We had no plans for a big Easter dinner after church,. Instead we came home, ate a sandwich, and watched basketball games.

In the early evening Son2 and DIL2 came over for supper. We loved seeing and visiting with them, even working in a FaceTime visit with Pip,. 
While we were in Portland, I bought Son2 a ghost pepper white chocolate truffle and she wanted to watch him eat it. I think she was kind of happy to see him do it, but would have liked it even more if she could have seen steam come out of his ears.

Look for your joys, they are always out there, no matter how small.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

March Reading List:

The Girl Who Lived Twice

Remote Sympathy (I have been reading this between library books and it took a while to finish)

North Woods 

The Things We Keep

The Silent Corner

The Librarianist

We All Want Impossible Things

Child Finder