3-24-2019, I'm Getting There

Thoughts and Quotes: If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

                                                                          Meister Eckhart

My birthdays always seem to come with a "special" gift. Last year it was a computer breakdown; this year it was my printer; and one year it was termites. I get all huffy, and think the gods are picking on me. 

But then I stop to think about the blessings in my life. I didn't have to go hungry to buy a new computer or printer, and those were MY termites. How lucky I am that I can afford a nice house of my own. I'd rather those were my termites than my landlord's.

I also got a twisted knee this year, which became a blessing in disguise. My office was such a horrible mess, I couldn't concentrate. Clutter scrambles my brain. I had stacks and boxes of vinyl records all over the floor, along with a bunch of 3-ring binders I bought at the thrift store. 

In checking the internet, I found that my knee symptoms dictated resting the knee. So I did. Now the binders are organized and the excess sent to the garage. I've completely finished all the loose records except for piano music. My floor is clear except for the stack of piano music -

and sets

and the binders I'm using right now.

So while I was transferring all that music to my computer and micro memory cards, I was sitting for the most part, and my knee is much better.

I've had lots of roadblocks this year, but I get the feeling that the water has calmed. The fence section which blew down in the wind has been repaired, I have a new fence gate which hopefully won't get stuck all the time, my new printer is finally installed and bugs worked out, I can finally think in my office, and spring is here. Hooray!

My new big boy printer

I do, however, have lots of serious music records in the closet, but they're out-of-sight-out-of-mind. We usually say "classical" music, but when I took a class in music appreciation, I was taught that it's serious music and classical is one period of serious music. In order: There were only chants in the beginning and then Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern. There's also Rococo, but it's considered a sub-period of Baroque.

Now that I've soaked your shoulder with my tears, let's move on.

Teaching and Learning: My Kindle Fire wouldn't connect to the internet one day. I had a library class recently which taught me how to look at this problem. You just hold the device in the portrait position and slide your finger down the screen and it will reveal the settings portion. There were two names with ATT (I have ATT-Uverse as my provider), so I wasn't sure which was mine. I did know I'm not Panera Bread or Fletcher Subaru, and that I could find the  name of mine on the modem. That's also where you look for the password.

I was feeling pretty smug until I started putting in my password and found a % sign in it. Kindle Fire doesn't have a % sign on the keyboard. I had to call ATT to get help, and here's what I discovered. You might already know this, but if not, listen up. I was told to put in the password, up to the point of the % sign, and then hold down the "c". I did, and up popped more symbols. Who knew? Now we know. There are symbols hiding under the letters of you Kindle keyboard. 

I know this has been pretty boring so far, so let's see if I have anything fun to add.

Teaching and Learning: Alyssa, from my local library branch (she handles children's activities) did a mission trip to Ukraine, and was kind enough to give a talk. She brought in all her treasures from Ukraine and wore the native dress.

She was in a rural area where the people are really poor. She was there to teach in one of the orphanages. In Ukraine, parents who cannot care for their children can just turn them over to an orphanage, but they do not have to surrender their parental rights. There are also children who are truly orphans. There are people who want to adopt these children, but it's very difficult; especially, if the parents who handed over their children cannot be found or refuse to surrender their rights. Some of her stories brought me to tears.

I asked why Russia is so interested in Ukraine, and one reason is because this area is known as a "breadbasket"; an area where a lot of food is grown.

Tips: Did you ever order a gift online to be sent directly to the recipient, and there's an optional "gift wrapped"? I always wondered if this is a worthwhile. I suppose it varies by vendor, but my kids sent me a new knife set for my birthday, and it was "gift wrapped" in a wonderful silky fabric bag with a satin drawstring ribbon. I'll use it for storing undies or stockings in my luggage, and I'll be traveling in style!

Tips: I found more weird pricing at Walmart. The weed killer for behind my fence comes in a container with a sprayer, and also in a larger container without a sprayer, which is to refill the smaller container.

The container with the sprayer - 6.9 cents per ounce

Without the sprayer - 8 cents per ounce

We really need to check everything when we shop.

Tips: I'm just full of them today. You might want to sign up for the email option at the restaurants you frequent. I recently got a notice of $5 bacon cheeseburgers with fries at Ruby Tuesday.

And then I got a two-for-one coupon. Brother Bill and I used the coupon, and I had the chicken breast with a baked potato and the salad bar.

Their salad bar has ham, cheese, boiled eggs, and sometimes turkey or chicken, so you can make a meal of salad, which I did. I brought my chicken and potato home.

Then I made a small salad and had it with one chicken breast and half of the potato for another meal.

Then I made a larger tossed salad and cut up the other chicken breast to add. I'd made potato soup the day before, so I scooped out the other half of the baked potato and added it to the soup and had soup and salad for a third meal.

Total price - FREE! And it truly was free because we paid for Bill's meal from the $100 I got as a referral fee when Bill bought his Subaru from Fletcher in Joplin - the place where I bought mine.

And I got an email from Cheddars on Pi Day (3-16) that I could come for a chicken pot pie and then get a free frozen one to take home and bake later. Sadly, couldn't make it.

Tasting: All this talk of food made my hungry. I added some leftover taco meat to the potato soup, sprinkled on green onions and fresh tomatoes. Not bad.

Thrifting: I actually went to donate some clothes, but found the store is closing, so everything was 75 cents.

My son is a brat and loves to wear shirts with logos, especially if they have a name over the pocket. He'll be talking to a salesman who thinks he fixes cars at Acme Ford because it says so on the back of his shirt. Then he'll say, "Well, Bob, . . . . ." and my son will say, "My name is Mike". He loves the confused look he gets. A brat, right? 

Of course, I contribute to this bad behavior by buying him shirts I think he'll love. I bought four at 75 cents each which will cost me probably $20 to mail, but who cares? If it gives him pleasure, it's worth it.

This will be a favorite. I looked up SGA in Missouri, and it's Student Government Association at Missouri State University. There's no SGA in California, so people will assume it's the Missouri government cabinet. He'll love that. 

Things that Grow: This was a week ago.

And here it is now

Spring has definitely arrived.

Theme Dining: I cooked corned beef and cabbage for St. Patick's Day a week late, which might account for my fence and Kindle problems. Are there Leprechauns in the USA?

This table has a Wild Irish Rose in place of a shamrock.

For the Holiday Theme Dining book, I had all the photos I needed except the plate of corned beef and cabbage. I actually did this dinner in 2016.

Word to the wise: If you live alone and want to cook corned beef and cabbage, be sure to invite guests. The first time you eat it, "Boy, this is good." The second time, "That was okay." The third time, "Really! Again!" and the fourth time, "I can't do it. I'm putting this out for the possum."

The Pepper and Pals Report: Feral kitties Midnight and Ginger have disappeared. I have no idea what happened, but I can't dwell on it. When you have kitties who run from you, they're on their own. I can only hope that someone else made friends with them and adopted them. 

Pepper and Stormy continue to be Lazy-Head Cats. That is, when they're not under my feet driving me nuts.

LET'S PLANT SOME VEGGIES

AND SOME FLOWERS

WALK IN THE SUNSHINE

BUY A NEW BATHING SUIT

EAT YOUR APPLES

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE