2-24-2019 Clothes, plants, and food of course

Thoughts and Quotes: Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.     Seneca

Time to Celebrate: Bev and I went to Relics for lunch to celebrate her birthday, and we stayed half the afternoon. The people there are so gracious, and if you watch to make sure there are still empty tables, they don't mind if you stay and visit.

Bev had soup and salad.

And I had soup and quiche.

She had cookies with dip.

And I had apple pie with caramel sauce.

Her suprise birthday party was on Saturday, but I didn't attend. You know how I am with lots of people around. Besides, I wanted plenty of time to hear all about their recent cruise to Hawaii. Bill is such a dear and sent me a piece of her yummy raspberry birthday cake.

He even made sure I got a flower.

Topsy-Turvy Weather: Even the janitor is confused. He came to eat in the middle of the afternoon. I frightened him so badly, he upset the food and then ran under a chair to hide. I just let him be. After a bit, he came back out and ate some more. 

Then he went into one of the kitty houses and took a little nap.

Then he came back out and ate a little more and went on his way.

Tales: Now I've read A is for Alibi to Y is for Yesterday. There won't be a Z book. Sadly, Sue Grafton died before she completed the alphabet. She died in December of 2017 at the age of 77 after fighting cancer for two years. RIP Sue - we miss you.

The Pepper and Pals Report: The outdoor kitties are surviving the weather with no noticeable effects. Sometimes they use the heated houses and sometimes they disappear. They must all have watches, however, because they know when to show up for meals. The last few days they've been really scarce. Maybe the mice in the hay field are starting to stir, so they want to hunt.

Stormy napping with Bunny, her favorite toy from The Girls Up North.

Definitely a contortionist.

Togs: I got a call from Bon Worth that they were having a sale, so Joey and I made our annual trek to Branson for some retail therapy.

Will be nice to have black pants without kitty snags.

And some jewlery on sale - less expensive than the thrift store.

Couldn't resist this navy wrap.

Thrifting: And then a stop at Goodwill on the way home. No will power.

Three kitty plates for $1 each.

Four salad plates for 50 cents each.

Seven tumblers for 50 cents each. Stormy inspects everything to be sure I got a bargain.

A sweet little Spode tea bag rest for 50 cents (yellow tag day).

$1

$1 just right for lemon slices, nuts, or mints.

A bunny egg holder for $1.

Eiffel Tower for $3; yes, I know how I'll use it.

Tasting: By this time, we'd worked up an appetite, so we pigged out at Canton Buffet. 

I ate so many finger foods and soup,

I only wanted a little dinner.

Things: Yes, I know that I said I wouldn't buy things this year, but I had a credit at Amazon, so how could I resist?

Do you have one of these? I'd never heard of it until two weeks ago. Now to learn how to use it.

And I had to add something to get free shipping.

Tasting: Bill and I went to Panera Bread for lunch, and I wasn't truly happy. Bill liked his lunch, but my salad was a disappointment. Bill had Turkey Chili and a half Turkey sandwich.

I also had a Pick 2 which is a half salad and a small soup. I chose Broccoli-Cheddar Soup because I've heard good reviews. I chose the Southwest Salad expecting what I've ordered in the past, but with lime juice and chili powder added. The prior salad was lettuce, chicken, corn, black beans, green onions, and fresh tomatoes with a barbecue salad dressing. 

The new Southwest Salad says with Chile and Lime, and they meant arugala, some Romaine, chicken, tortilla strips, red chiles, a little corn, some avocado slices on top. I guess the lime was in the dressing which was tasteless. Oh, well. You can't win them all. The soup was good.

Bill's chili reminded me that I had some in the freezer and a baked potato in the refrigerator, so for brunch on Sunday I made a chili-cheese omelet with cottage fries. It's not really an omelet, but scrambled eggs, topped with chili then cheese, garnished with green onions and cut up fresh tomatoes (sadly, no tomatoes but good anyway). I know. I thought it sounded yucky the first time I saw it on the menu at a Marie Callendar's restaurant, but I tried it and was hooked.

Things that Grow: We were on our way to the Lawn and Garden Show. There were more booths this year, and it was a joy to see flowers. Amazing that they can start from bare concrete floors and put this together in three days.

Had never seen a plant like this. It seemed confused, not knowing which way to grow.

Loved this color combination.

Things to jazz up your yard.

An eye-catcher made of individual balloons.

Plants for sale.

Free goodies: Gardening gloves, pens, toothpicks in a case, wildflower seeds, and vegetable seeds.

And lots of information.

Thank You to Brother Bill: Who paid for my admission, bought me flowers, and brought me a new thermos.

Time certainly changes things. Growing up, little brothers were a complete nuisance; now they're a total joy.

Teaching and Learning: The library had a presentation by a lady who stages your home to prepare it for sale. Martha had her home staged professionally, and I was curious about the new trends. Or maybe things are done differently by areas. When I sold real estate in California, we wanted things to look like someone lived there. New homes tracts furnished the models right down to the cocktail napkins on the wet bar. Now the trend is to be minimal and non-personalized; rather like being in a furniture store. A few toss pillows, some wall art, and a few decorative items only.

Whether it's the result of time or the area, the trend is toward staging in SW Missouri, because she said that 50-60% of homes for sale have been professionally staged. Hey - inquiring minds want to know.

Tid-bits: Did you know that most libraries have an ongoing book sale right in the library? Best prices around. Though I knew better, I picked up eleven magazines for 10 cents each. And Mim, can you believe? The one Midwest Living is the one with the recipe for stuffed peppers you made and described to me. Now all I want to do is sit and look at them instead of finishing my bullet journal. I want to be ready to start using it on March 1, so that maybe I'll be motivated to accomplish something instead of goofing off.

THINK SPRING

AND FLOWERS

AND ROBINS

AND BUTTERFLIES

AND SPRING CLEANING - YUCK!

READ A GOOD BOOK

START SOME SEEDS INDOORS

MAKE SOME COOKIES

TO HAVE WITH TEA

OR LEMONADE

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE