Sunday, February 14, 2021

Happy Valentine's Day

Thoughts and Quotes: China tea, the scent of hyacinths, wood fires, and bowls of violets - that is my mental picture of an agreeable February afternoon.

                                                                 Constance Spry

Well dream on, Constance, 'cause it ain't happenin' here. I haven't seen this since about 2007. Nary an icicle until today. The wood fire sounds about right, but mine will be gas. I wouldn't know how to make a wood fire, even if I could get those gas logs out of the fireplace.

I haven't made much headway on my goals for this week. I ran some errands on Tuesday and picked up my pizza for National Pizza Day. Did you know that Little Caesar's has pizzas ready to go for $5.55? That's if you only want cheese or pepperoni. The others you have to order ahead or wait for them, and they cost more.


Then I couldn't go out again until Saturday. The streets, my sidewalk, my steps, my driveway - all covered with ice. I was afraid to even go out just to my mailbox. I did make a few valentines, but obviously they'll be late. 

Here are some of them.






I got only one handmade card this year (Jean).


Miraculously the sun came out Saturday afternoon and the streets completely cleared, so I went out and got some emergency things from the store and mailed my valentines.

Around 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning, it looked like this.


And now at 10:45, it looks like this, and it's still snowing, with lots more expected.


At least it's keeping Stormy entertained.


It's really cold. The kitty houses are heated, but I still put extra blankets and quilts over them for now. The bad part is that it's so cold, the janitor isn't coming to clean up. I hope he's okay. The last time I saw him he had an ow-ow.




I haven't accomplished much this week. I wonder if I'm depressed? I've already lost two friends this year (neither from the Chinese virus). I've always heard that one of the worst parts of getting old is losing your friends and family. Now I understand. In less than a year, I've lost four friends, a brother, and a neighbor and it wears on you.

I salvaged some over-the-hill apples by making applesauce. Did I tell you that I saw Susan Branch makes her applesauce with brown sugar instead of white, and it works really well. What doesn't work well, is freezing. I tried one jar, and it gets watery. Still edible, but not as good.


I've heard that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Now I know that you can give your readers links, but you can't make them open them. I've heard from several of you that you didn't bother to click on the links I supplied last week.

I had some great kitchen tips, a cooking lesson from Chef Todd Mohr, Richard and Adams great audition where they sang The Impossible Dream, K. D. Lang's rendition of Crying, to honor the passing of Christopher Plummer - the dance on the patio with Julie Andrews from The Sound of Music, a 25-minute trip with Rick Steves to a little known, but perfectly delighful, place in Italy called Cinque Terre, an interview with a young lady who escaped North Korea when she was 13 (absolutely mesmerizing), and 48 minutes of easy listening music with flowers and scenery.

I also gave you a link to Chinese New Year where you could look up your Chinese Zodiac sign and look into your aspects for 2021 in the areas of work, love, wealth, and health. You could also get information on the Chinese culture and history.

This week I had planned to give you a great cooking link (www.thekitchn.com), some more great home tips, Susan Boyle's audition where she sang I Dreamed a Dream, a performance where Raquel Welch and Cher sang I Am Woman, wearing a couple of the prettiest and sexiest gowns I've ever seen, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray's dance from Dirty Dancing, some luxurious trains and a trip on the Orient Express, all about the Liberty Bell, and some more music with flowers or scenery. But if no one is interested, I'll not bother.

And with being shut in and now snow bound, I guess I'll just put the blog back on hold since I really haven't anything to share.

I do hope you'll watch the really important information at the link I gave you last week. You need to send it to your senators and congressmen. I started sending it for everyone, but they just bounce my email back and tell me to contact the ones in my state. You need to watch it, send it, share it with your friends, and ask them to forward it to their state people. It's really important.

Here it is again: Click HERE.

And you can find your senator by clicking HERE. They're listed in alphabetical order by state.

Find your representative by clicking HERE.

So until next time, if there is a next time -

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

STAY WELL

STAY HAPPY

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE







Sunday, February 7, 2021

Never Bored

Thoughts and Quotes: People who love pink are fairytale people.
                                                                 Susan Branch

So this month's word is Pink. Grab all the pink you can. This week is Chinese New Year AND Valentine's Day. A perfect time for pink.

Cherry Blossoms


My smoothie this week


Last year's Valentines



Last year's first peony


Ms Gilmore's Tea Room


Where I eat strawberry soup


The set Brother Sonny found for me


Flowers from Niece Gina


Beau Rivage Hotel, Biloxi, MS



Time to Celebrate: Friday the 12th is the Chinese New Year - the year of the Ox. Maybe I'll go to a Chinese restaurant and eat beef and broccoli.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Chinese New Year is HERE.

Or invite your BFFs for a Valentine's Day lunch. 


FEBRUARY'S BUCKET LIST

Work on your handiwork project: Quilt, sew, embroider, needlepoint, crochet, knit, tat, cross stitch, etc.

Make or buy something pink.

Buy flower seeds.

Polish your toenails pink.

Burn pink candles.

Wear pink to lunch.

Eat strawberry soup.

Send Valentines.

Eat Chinese food.

Eat gumbo for Mardi Gras.

Make a cherry pie on Washington's birthday

Celebrate the national days:
9 - pizza
11 - peppermint patty
17 - random act of kindness
20 - muffin
24 - tortilla chip
25 - chili
27 - strawberry

TV Anyone?: Stormy loves watching TV; Pepper sometimes.



Tasting: I made wholewheat bread in my breadmaker this week, and it was 100% wholewheat flour. I found it to be too dense, but not too bad toasted. 


I decided to make croutons instead.

CROUTONS 

30 Slices day-old bread, cubed
1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
1-1/2 Tbs onion powder
3 Tbs dried parsley
1 tsp garlic salt
3/4 tsp sage
1/2 tsp pepper 

Heat oven to 300°. 

Spread bread cubes on a large baking sheet. 

Combine all ingredients and sprinkle over bread cubes. 

Bake 40-45 minutes to dry. 

Cool and store in a covered jar.

 


Travel: No, not yet, but later this year for sure. If you have Auto Club and didn't notice in the magazine, they're doing away with the tour books. They will still have maps, but the tour books will be digital. Like Margaret always said, "Everything changes, and never for the better." I went to Auto Club and got one of each and one of each map. At least I'm set for awhile. The info about the history, timeline, state laws, each city, attractions won't change, but the hotel and restaurant listings will over time. Some of the restaurants may be out of business already.


Taking Care of Your Health: Aids to help prevent the Chinese virus HERE. I decided to follow their advice, but it's a lot to swallow, literally. 

Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Zinc, Quercitin, Selenium, NAC. They also recommended getting an oximeter to test your blood oxygen levels. It also shows your pulse.

Another doctor recommends green tea (no sugar), dark chocolate, and purple grapes. 

Things to Keep You Busy This Week:

Chef Todd on Simple Cooking HERE.

33 Kitchen Hacks HERE.

One of my Favorite Auditions HERE

One of my Favorite Performances HERE. 

Easy Listening - 48 minutes (listen while you work or watch the beautiful flowers and scenery) HERE.

Dancing HERE.

Travel (would love to go) HERE.

Learning HERE.

Some Interesting Facts: No, I can't prove any of them, but they're fun.

In the 1400’s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb; hence, we have “the rule of thumb.” 

Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled ‘Gentlemen Only – Ladies Forbidden,’ and the word GOLF entered the English language. 

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone. 

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than for the U.S. Treasury. 

Men can read smaller print than women can, but women can hear better. 

Coca-Cola was originally green.

REMEMBER TO SEND THIS LINK TO YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN

TAKE TIME TO ENJOY LIFE

PLAN FOR SPRING

DRINK YOUR COFFEE AND TEA (SOME GREEN)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE