POUTINE

Poutine

Received a text message and photos yesterday from the couple who share joint custody of little fud bud.  They were at the Canadian Pavilion eating poutine.....french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds.  

Look yummy, but, being a ketchup connoisseur, am not sure if it would be on my list of favorites.....but, surely would give 'em a try.  It's the business of experiencing new things from different places in the world.  

Remember when we drove into Canada on our honeymoon.  Ordered fried eggs and toast for breakfast.  Our plates were garnished with a slice of tomato.  Man, we laughed and thought how weird is that.  Looking back, we were too young to appreciate the experience.  

I always loved to travel, and right out of the gate we took on some major trips.  Never waited for that proverbial 'some day.'  Now, we're content to stay home in our late-life home and appreciate the amenities necessary to the aging process.  Life has been, and continues to be, quite a gig.  

After living all the years, through the good, the bad and the ugly of being human, it's amazing how the encounters and experiences unfolded.  What's more amazing is the fact that we survived them.  Yet, we carry each one with us for the duration, at a lesser degree.  Thank heaven time heals our wounds, and, like all wounds, leaves scars.  Some visible, some not.  It's those invisible ones that hurt the most.  I call them cancer of the heart.

Have a box to open today.  The beads ordered on eBay.  The package arrived on Saturday, but saved it for today.  Kinda lazed through the weekend and wanted a surprise waiting on Monday.  

Nothing on today's calendar.  My plan is to work on the curtain of beads.  Also found the game 10 x 10 on the AARP website.  The big winners score like 13,000.......well, yesterday for the first time I scored 2,145.  Don't know how the players score so high, but will get there.  Takes a lot of lows before scoring a high.  

Gave Mabel a cup of onion skin juice a bit ago.  She's looking lovely, leaves are shiny and new growth is showing.  We now keep a cup half filled with water where we put all the onion skins.  This was quite the household hint.  Have you noticed they're now calling household hints 'hacks?'  

GREENER GRASS

Boy, the East Coast sure got blasted with heaps of snow.  A few flakes fell here this morning.  Overcast and quiet.

No news from my end.  Tis Sunday, and the three of us are lazy bones.  Cuddy is in his favorite couch spot, covered with his daddy's burgundy t-shirt, and we've got our eyes on our laptop screens.  

This morning I confess to modifying my one-meal a day plan.  Has been three weeks as of today, and now think it's time to add one day a week where a reasonable lunch is included.  Chose today for the week, had a bowl of chili.  Nothing else.  

Watched more "Trading Spouses" episodes.  Never before gave thought to how differently every household interacts behind closed doors.  Every parent has their own ways of parenting, and some children are respectful to their parents and some aren't.  Am learning a lot from this series.

One of the mothers was placed in a household where the girls talked rudely to one another.  She couldn't take it anymore, so she asked one of the girls to please get her a tube of toothpaste, which she did.  The girls were sitting around the kitchen table when their 'new' mother asked one girl to please squeeze a bit of toothpaste out into a spoon.  Then she asked the girl to put the toothpaste back in the tube.  She explained that our words are like toothpaste.  Once they come out of our mouths, we can't put them back in.  

The big question behind this series is......Is the grass really greener on the other side?  In every episode the mothers can't wait to get back to their homes, and the children can't wait for their real moms to return.  Husbands appreciate their wives after living with a stranger for a week.

Was so funny when a ten-year-old girl expressed her fear that her new mom might be one of those skinny women who eats only an almond for lunch.  

TRADING SPOUSES SERIES

Am hooked on a YouTube series called, "Trading Spouses."  Two wives from opposite styles of life switch homes for one week to be mommy to the children and wife to the husband (not romantically).  Each woman is expected to do the things the other woman does.  At the end of the week, each wife gets $50,000........BUT, the catch is each of the women decides how the other family will spend their $50,000.  In many instances, the wives struggle to live in a strange family, and they form their opinions about the parenting skills and kids' behaviors.  These shows are very entertaining, and yesterday was a marathon day.  The kicker is when the families don't like the way they have to spend their money.  

One of the episodes featured a woman who lives in the midst of the Louisiana bayou and has a business of selling alligator heads and jewelry she makes from them.  She wants to make the new family her special Gumbo, but they won't eat meat.  The other woman is a woman from California who's a full-fledged vegan and preaches her overly strong vegan opinions to everyone she meets.  She's really hard on the little boy she comes to live with, and he can't stand her being his mommy for a week.  One episode is better than the last.  

Gotta share about my UN-completed Boho bedroom curtain.  With a brilliant morning sunshine, rainbows and polka dots danced all over the room this morning.  Wondered to myself if anything could compare for bringing happy to a home.  Am in love with prism beads and the joy they bring.  Am toying with the idea of making a matching lampshade out of beads for the bedroom.  That idea is still baking in my cranial oven.

My Venny friend Sharon gave me her latest editions of Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines.  The samples of Chanel and Dior fragrances are to die for.  When a strip of the page is pulled back, the fragrance is released.  Don't subscribe to any fashion magazines, so it's nice.  Don't know if young gals wear perfume anymore, but I always enjoyed a light dab behind my ears and inside of wrists.  Little old blue-haired ladies are known for tipping the fragrance bottles a bit too much.  Do not want to be one of them.  

Gave the boyfriend a haircut yesterday.  Think he appreciated getting spiffed up even though there was no place to go.  

The weeks fly by, today is once more Saturday.  Will get myself showered, give myself a mani-pedi and be set for the day.  Am not one to pay someone else to do these pamperings for me.  Would be nice and fun, but can't wrap my head around the sense in spending money like that.  There's nothing wrong with it, except my choice would rather be to spend the money on beads and vintage jewelry.  Maybe it's me with the twisted thinking.  Guess it's whatever makes us tick and tock like a clock.  

KETCHUP RECIPE

Going through my maternal gramma's recipes, came across the one for her homemade ketchup.  Remember at home mom making ketchup, and it was delicious.  Have no idea if this is the same recipe that mom used, but think it would be fun to try making it for old time's sake.  

Love old family recipes that are handwritten.  The person's handwriting is so much a part of who they were and it's the only way to be near them.  This is a photo of gramma's recipe.......

The pages are stained, brittle and tattered, pieces break off when its pages are turned.  Has been well used and shows probably a century's wear and tear.  If my friend Ruth is reading this, please notice who's name gramma wrote in beside the ketchup recipe.  Little touches like that make the recipe even more of a treasure.

Have always been one to add condiments to my food, to my boyfriend's dismay.  He likes his food as is, other than salt and pepper.  If I had to eat French Fries without ketchup, would have to say nope, don't want 'em.  And, as for mustard, well, my choice is the ground sharp-tasting kind, not that bright yellow stuff that reminds me of little calves.  

Yesterday we hung the curtain rod in the bedroom for my Boho Bead Curtain.  Hung 23 completed strands to see how it'll look.  This morning's sunshine presented us with rainbows and polka dots scattered on all the walls.  Talk about an amazing sight.  Still have probably that many yet to make.  The boyfriend thinks I should have more space between each strand than I'd prefer.  Will go with my preference.  I say, go big or don't go at all!

Nothing newsworthy to pass on.  We're going to be dining on homemade spaghetti for supper.  Still persevering with eating only supper.  About this time of mid-day I start chewing on my sleeves.  

Fare thee well for now.

PHEASANT ALONG THE ROAD

On our way home yesterday from the eye doctor appointment, I noticed this rooster pheasant along the side of the road.  The boyfriend kindly turned the car around so we could capture this photograph.  Don't see many of these regal creatures anymore, so a sighting is a big deal for us.

Reminds me of going road hunting with daddy and mom when a little girl.  We'd pack minced ham sandwiches made with ordinary slices of Wonder Bread and a little swish of ground mustard.  Daddy was a dead eye shot, and my job was to watch out the backseat window for pheasants along the road ditches.  This was serious business, and he watched me from his rear-view mirror.  Once in awhile I'd hear him say to me, "Hey, back there, keep your eyes on the ditches."  Daddy was a lefty, and it was a joy watching him shoot what would be our supper.  The limit back then was three roosters, but we were naughty sometimes and took our limit home and went back out again.  I figured if daddy did it, then we were okay.

My Boys

All three of us slept till 10 o'clock this morning.  Cuddy snuggled right by my head at night.  Felt his love right up close and personal.  

Cuddy stayed with Bob and Sharon down the hall yesterday for a few hours while we were gone.  Sharon made him another pillow and sent it home with him.  They love him like we do.  Sharon made him both pillows in the photo.  

Gonna be a quiet day, hopefully.  Mail service is very slow.  Am tracking the beads I ordered, and one order is still in California, one in Missouri and the other in Massachusetts.  Quite the mess with lack of workers and truckers.  Am thankful for the convenience of tracking packages.  That's a real perk for buyers.

A 50 degrees difference in temperatures from yesterday to this morning.  Yesterday we had close to -20 and today it's +30.  We'll take it.

LAMPWORK BEADS

Up early.  Outdoor thermometer reads -18 degrees.  Not the best day for the boyfriend's return eye doctor appointment at 10:10 this morning.  Our little house guest is going down the hall to his auntie and uncle's unit. 

Yesterday had a fun phone visit with one of my favorite cousins.  When we talk, we laugh, and that tells me humor runs through our veins.  Some people are so serious, they actually scare me.  Unfortunately, I know some who's faces would crack like a china plate if they tried to smile.  Poor souls, life must be miserable.  

Most gorgeous sunrise.....brightest pink ever.  Peaceful and pretty.  From the inside looking out, doesn't look that cold.  

Lampwork Beads

Worked on the Boho Beaded Curtain yesterday.  Try to make three 29" bead strands each day.  Am anxious to see it hung in the east bedroom window.  Ordered some more beads on eBay.  Am looking for lampwork beads now to add pizazz.  They're beautiful beads.  One seller listed a container of assorted beads (some lampwork) for $49.99.  Ain't gonna pay that much, so I threw him a ridiculous counter-offer of $25.  Couldn't believe he countered back with $29 and free postage.  Saved $21 by throwing out a low bid.  Goes to show it pays to wheel and deal.  For me, buying the beads or finding them in thrift stores is half the fun.   

Stopped in our local thrift store the other day and found a couple of crystal bead necklaces that are now soaking in soapy water.  Will disassemble them for stringing on the fish line.  Have developed my way of tying knots to tightly secure the line.  Like with all things, practice makes kinda perfect. 

The boyfriend bought me a scratch lottery ticket the other day.  Drat to that.  Nary a number match.  Wonder what a person would do with a $50,000 prize match.  Would be happy with a $10 winning ticket.  Have the occasional $5 win, but then we turn around and use that to get another one.  That's usually where the fun ends.  

Best get ready to brave the cold.

Think I'm in love........

.........with Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Squares.  For Christmas, we got a bag of the Chocolate Peppermint Squares, and they were positively delicious.  Taken like a vitamin, one a day, is my approach to eating candy.  Figure one of anything can't hurt, 'specially if it's something that takes a person over the moon.  

Well, our last online grocery order included a bag of the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Squares.  This girl loves all things raspberry, so figured heck why not try 'em.  

Am here to scream that looking at the picture on the outside of the package is enough to make me drool.  These are the absolute best candies this girl has ever tasted.  The self-prescribed dose is to take one following the evening meal, chew slowly to allow sweetness to linger for full benefit.  This dose is guaranteed to take the edge off any day.

Actually, all sorts of berries appeal to me....strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries and cranberries.  Remember gramma and mom making gooseberry pies that were good, too.  But, a double-crust raspberry pie just can't be beat.  Oh, that's with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with Hershey's chocolate syrup.

Awhile back mentioned my attempt to eat one meal per day, rather than three plus snacks in between.  That was seventeen days ago, and since then have not eaten 34 meals and zero snacks.  Sinned twice with the gifted sweet rolls.  Am a believer in rewards, and that is where the Ghirardelli chocolates enter the deal.  For every day that I successfully adhere to the one-meal-vitamin-plan, I get the reward of one candy after that one meal.  

Don't weigh myself and have no idea if weight has dropped.  Am simply going to continue as best I can until the nurse weighs me at my next doctor appointment.  There will either be heartbreaking disappointment or cloud-high exhilaration.  If no weight is lost, am going to come home and up the ante to eating four 2-helping meals a day with six snacks in between.  I'll up the chocolate intake to five pieces after the evening meal.  You get the picture.  

Every day Nasrudin went to beg for alms in the market, and people used to make fun of him by playing the following trick:

They would show him two coins, one worth ten times more than the other, and Nasrudin would always choose the smaller coin.

The story went round the whole province.

Day after day, groups of men and women would show him the two coins, and Nasrudin would always choose the smaller one.

Then one day, a generous man, tired of seeing Nasrudin ridiculed in this fashion, beckoned him over to a corner of the square and said:

"When they offer you two coins, you should choose the larger one.  That way you would earn more money and people wouldn't consider you an idiot."

"That sounds like good advice," replied Nasrudin, "but if I chose the larger coin, people would stop offering me money, because they like to believe that I am even more stupid than they are.  You've no idea how much money I've earned using this trick." 

Moral of the story:  There's nothing wrong with looking like a fool if, in fact, you're being really clever.

BOHO CURTAIN IN PROGRESS

Beads, beads and more beads.  Worked most of yesterday on my Boho Curtain and am lovin' it.  Talk about a way to use up one's stash of beads.  Actually, more than likely will need to find more.  

One bead at a time is great therapy to instill the business of taking one day at at a time.  Am discovering that the real beauty in this curtain is variety of sizes and shapes of beads.  If they were all one size and shape, the piece would not "pop."  Some need to be bright, others not so bright.  Some need to be large and round, others need to be long and narrow.  

Me is a happy little girl, cuz we got about 5 inches of the pretty white stuff.  The maintenance guy has the east parking lot cleared off, as well as the sidewalk around the building.

Last night accidentally came across a You Tube t.v. series called Seven Year Switch.  Never heard of it before.  Four married couples who aren't getting along, are put into Switched Therapy.  For two weeks they switch partners to see if they married the wrong person.  They move in together, mutually decide the boundaries, and at the end of two weeks they decide if they want a divorce or to stay with their spouses.  For instance, if the guy likes to party and his wife doesn't, then he's paired with a gal who likes to party.  To someone who's been married so many years, the show seems quite radical, but marriage isn't a sacred union anymore.  The young people view it as a prison, keeping them from being happy.

It's entertainment.  Get a kick out of watching how couples interact, how they flirt with their new 2-week spouses, some aren't as truthful as they should be, the whole bit.  Will see if more episodes are on You Tube, cuz that just might be on today's to-do list besides making a batch of homemade soup.  Cuddy's parents gave us a few rutabagas they grow on the farm.  The plan is to use them, potatoes, hamburger, onion, frozen zucchini, carrots and whatever vegetables that aren't fuzzy or wilted.  Am not one who cares for soup without meat.  Gotta have some kind of meat.  Mom used hamburger in her soups sometimes, and that was good.  Will see what I can come up with.  Am going to use the crock pot so must get to it shortly.  

Beautiful day, sun shining.  Was cute how a little sparrow sat up on the porch pillar a couple minutes ago eating snow.  Must be the way they get their water in the winter months.  Such sweet little souls. 

GUEST OF HONOR

Yowza, the snow is crawling across the parking lot and the fields with each new gust of wind.  Looks like Old Man Winter inhales deeply and then blows the snow from one place to another.  Oh, the marvels of marvelous winter.

Well, it's for sure now.  I am certifiably nuts.  Yesterday my creative juices reared up and kicked me into an artistic frenzy.  With my stash of sparkly translucent beads, have decided to make what is called a Boho Beaded Curtain for the main bedroom window.  Will put a rod about halfway down behind the pleated shade so the strands of beads will hang to the window sill.  Both of our bedrooms are on the east side of the building with excellent sunshine.....and that's what makes the beads glisten and sparkle.

This morning my phone dinged with a message from a regal one living in the tundra to the north of us.  Yup, the one and only Woolford P. Woolerson took time from his busy schedule to send his best wishes.  His Royal Highness sent a photo of himself on his throne of household reign, and it behooves me not to share His Excellency's perfectly patriarchal pose....................

Woolford P. Woolerson
(permission to use photo obtained from 
Woolford's household staff)

Think it's only fair that my readers realize that we have connections with people and pets in high places.  

So our day goes forward.  The Packers play on their home turf today in expected sub-zero temperatures.  It gives me comfort knowing I'm not the only one who's certifiably nuts.  Can't imagine when football players' bodies get older how they'll hurt and how their joints will be bone on bone.  Youth doesn't entertain the thought of later life, and that's a good thing.  

Our chicken noodle soup last night was delish.  Instead of the egg noodles, we put two packets of Ramen Noodles in the broth.  Warmed the tummies and made a nice ending to a frigid Friday.

5 BY 5 RULE

Can't recall having written before about the 5 by 5 rule, but have been giving it some serious thought.

What is the 5 by 5 rule?  The five by five rule means we shouldn't spend more than five minutes worrying about something that won't matter in five years.

Okay, having said that.  Think about this.  Can you remember one little thing that sent you in a tizzy five years ago?  Chances are not. 

It's the little things, the pebble in our shoe at the moment, that drives us over the edge.  How does one take control and obliterate that little thing from one's mind?  Easier said than done, but possible.  It's the business of closing a door and locking it.  Reason?  Well, one of these days we're all going to be non-existent, so why the hell allow some other half-baked brain drive us crazy.  Makes zero sense.

The day a baby is born into this world, he or she is destined to endure drama.  What is suffering to one......may be joy to another.  Different tastes, different interests, different opinions, different passions and different cultural influences make for one brewing batch of unending drama.  Probably the one thing that drives me the craziest is when people act like their frickin' universe is positively perfect.  Especially now when our world is turned upside down.  The meanie guts inside me would just love to tell 'em to 'shut the f__ up.'  

The advice I give myself is to "think higher."  If someone pisses me off, the only thing that helps me is to smother my brain in a project that requires a lot of thinking on my part.  When something weighs on my heart, as it does from time to time, I try hard to put the 5 by 5 rule into gear.  It's easy to give oneself this good advice, but actually doing it is something else. Think it's that business of being human. 

Below zero temperatures.  It's 6 below zero and feels like 20 below.  I'm able to keep my sorry little rear inside, but the boyfriend takes our fuzzy house guest out three times a day.  Four times if we stay up past midnight.  Already the fuzzy one has taken over the household and decides what time he and I go to bed.  Guess that's what happens when a person falls head over heels in love.

Set up an online account for ordering groceries at our local Hy-Vee Store.  Want us to have shopping access to all grocery stores in town so we can pounce on the sale items, 'specially meat.  They had pork butts on sale for $1.27 a pound, so we ordered three.  The lad who's filling our order just texted to say they're out of the pork, but he'll give us a rain check.  With the meat prices high as they are, we're definitely taking advantage of that.  Ordered ten pounds of chicken thigh quarters at 79 cents a pound.  Bet we'll soon have a kettle of homemade chicken noodle soup in the crock pot.  Ordered a couple bags of egg noodles, too.  In sub-zero weather, nuthin's better than a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup with hot chicken sandwiches.  

The boyfriend chose the pick-up time slot between 11 and 11:30 this morning.  He'll run down for the groceries, and I'll stay home with Cuddy.  Had another surprise outside our door this morning......a red poinsettia still in perfect bloom that someone must've had left over from the holidays and didn't want.  Will put it in front of our patio door where it can get some sunshine.  Am not one to baby along a poinsettia so it stays alive, so the poor thing's life span will be short.  Neither of my thumbs is green, so it's best this girl sticks with fabric flowers and not bring on board any plant other than our beloved Mabel.  Ours is a weird household when a vintage plant earns equal status as the two of us.

Last night we dined on tater tot casserole, one of our favorite meals.  Easy to throw together and let the oven do the work.  This morning we have another one of those glorious sweet rolls awaiting by Mr. Coffee.  Will soon be time to cut it in half and each of us partake of its avalanche of carbs and calories.  Can already feel the spit building up in my mouth!  (giggling) 

SWEET ROLLS

 Holy Moly......minutes ago our doorbell rang.  Standing before me was one of our Venny friends, and he handed me these...............

The new coffee shop in town bakes them fresh every day, and, honest to high heaven, they're to die for.  The frosting is a silky sweetness.  There goes my resolve of eating one meal a day....but, with delights like this, one would be fairly demented not to enjoy 'em when they're fresh.  We did share one and will leave the other for tomorrow, so we can repeat the experience.  

So it is that our day starts out with a bang.  Can't imagine anything else happening that will trump this.  

TOLD OUTTIDE

Really cold out.  Watched a guy across the way from us back his car out of the driveway, drive up to their mailbox, remove the contents, and then drive his car back in the garage.  Wind chill advisory remains in effect from midnight tonight until noon tomorrow.  Very cold wind chills, as low as 20 below to 30 below zero. 

About all one can do on winter days like this is cozy in and stay warm.  Time to count blessings, one of which is the heating systems that keep us toasty.  It's tough on the fur children who potty outdoors, but they manage.  

Not much going on around the neighborhood.  The Fed-Ex truck and the mailman drove by earlier and that's been it.  Most everyone is squirreled inside.  The boyfriend's making us bbq pork with baked potatoes for supper.  Haven't had bbq for awhile, so that'll be a treat.  Used to make our own sauce, but mutually decided Cookie's BBQ Sauce suits our taste buds to a T.  Why mess around with all the ingredients, when a store-bought one is as good as it gets.  It's that business of simplifying life.

Nothing earth-shaking going on, just a nice peaceful day........oops, guess I spoke too soon........a guy, all bundled up, walked by on the street.  Funny how life changes us with the years.....remember well going out for walks in the blistery cold and loving it.  Now that perhaps my brain has matured, that'd be the last thing I'd choose to do.  

Am still experiencing the number sequencing I wrote about several times before.  Just looked up at our digital clock and it read 5:55.  Happens every single day, several times a day.  More than coincidence.  The funny thing about that particular clock is that something's wrong with it and we aren't able to program it when the time changes.  Actually, it's only 4:55 when it reads 5:55.  

This February holds an interesting string of numbers..........there are conspiracy theorists predicting 'something' will happen at 2:22 on 2-2-2022.  Don't know if that's a.m. or p.m.  Time will tell what time will tell. 

TIRED BRAIN

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!!   Yuppers, just finished reading Russka, the historic fictional book of 760 pages of difficult reading.  Not the ordinary entertaining read.  Boy, do I know a lot about the history of Russia.  My brain is exhausted.

Sounds like we're in for some frigid temperatures the next few days.  Right now the sun's shining, the earth covered in white.  Just as I like it for this time of year.  One thing learned from Russka, is the business of Russia adopting the Gregorian calendar in the 1918.  Until then, they went by the Julian calendar.  The difference in the two calendars is 13 days.

This morning our internet was down.  Sent a text message to our maintenance guy, and he wrote me back that the outage was caused by a storm in Indiana.  Right now it's back up, but may go on and off today, he said.  Want to get my writing done now in case it goes down again.

A few minutes ago, I asked the boyfriend to pretty please make chili for supper.  Went to bed last night thinking about a big bowl of chili, and tonight my wish will be granted.  This is day #10 of eating only the evening meal.  Am clinging to the hope that my resolve lasts.

Don't know what's wrong with me.  My fingers itch like crazy.  Can't be because it's dry in here, cuz we run our humidifier all the time.  Just put on some of my grapefruit and lemongrass lotion.  Now I smell like a grapefruit.

QUIET, DISMAL SUNDAY

Once again tis Sunday.  Where we live, it's 18 degrees, quite nippy.  Overcast and quiet.  

Absolutely nothing newsworthy that I know of.  An elf left three packets of pretty beads by my door.  The elf does sweet things like that, and now my creative juices are bubbling.  

Gotta share how caring our Venny friends are.  The boyfriend took the smooch pooch out for his morning business.  One of the gals who lives on the first floor had watched them walk in front of her unit.  Evidently she didn't notice them come back in the building, so she came to our door checking to see if they got in the building okay and that the boyfriend didn't fall or something.  

Have to share something I started a week ago, but didn't know if I could actually carry on with it.  For seven days now I've eaten only one meal a day (supper), no snacks in between, and one helping of the one meal I do eat.  For me, that's saying something.  At 5 o'clock I do partake of happy hour and have a vodka gimlet with olives.  Don't know how it can't help bring me down a bit.  One day I did splurge and had two small donuts, but then that evening I didn't have my gimlet.  Sort of traded this for that, now for then.  In the legal world, that's known as nunc pro tunc. The reason I share my latest effort is so I commit myself to the universe. 

Watched a live stream last night until midnight.  The usual gang gathered on screen, making jokes.  Three of them are over-the-road truckers, and it's fun listening to what their lives are like on the road.  During the live stream, one of 'em cooked his evening meal in his rig.  It's furnished with a fridge, freezer and an oven.  He put together a casserole with pasta, hamburger, taco mix, five kinds of cheese, black beans and tomatoes with chiles.  When a person sees trucks on the interstates, we don't have any idea what their lives are like and what they do to live away from home.  These guys go cross country all the time.  Find it really interesting.

Time for a coffee refill.  This week my goal is to finish the book Russka, so I can courteously return it to its owner.  Sharing books is fun, 'specially when we readers live under the same roof.   

DALE'S CHIP CARVING DISPLAY

Must've been windy during the night, cuz there's a small drift of snow on the deck.  The parking lot out front is nicely cleared, as are the sidewalks.  Sun is shining, so all's good this Saturday.

There's a display case in the Venny Fireplace Room.  Yesterday the boyfriend set up a display of some of his woodcarving art work.  He's a medal-winning chip-carver.  I'm very proud of him, and his accomplishments, and want to share a photo that he took after setting up his display......

Dale's Chipcarving

Thought it was sweet how he incorporated two German beer steins in his display.....cuz we live in a Norwegian community.  He has a similar display down in the main workshop.  Note the two boxes on the lower shelf.  Those are our burial boxes that he specially made with dovetail joints, carvings of leaves and our names.  The finish has not been applied to them.  We both want our burials to be next to the ground, so in time the boxes will erode and we will become part of the earth.  

Submitted my article to the newsletter editor yesterday.  Chose to write about kindness.  If there's one thing that can keep us humans forging forward on the right path, it's kindness toward one another and those creatures who live beside us.  Think the next time I'm in the hospital (hopefully never) and they ask me my religion, I'm going to respond with one word.....KINDNESS.  

May you feel an angel's wings lightly touch you today.   

FIREWORKS AND SNOW

Cuddy's parents are winter vacationing in Florida and sent us this photo of the Disney fireworks.  Thought it's too beautiful not to share with my followers.....

Disney Fireworks

Thought fireworks might add sparkle to the day.  It's fun looking at a fireworks photo and then looking out the window and watching it snow.  When Dale took the puppy out this morning, he realized a light layer of mist must've fallen before the snow.....making the sidewalks very slippery.  It's a perfect day to stay home and do whatever it is we enjoy doing.  

Went for a drive yesterday after taking smooch face to the puppy salon for a bath.  Little boy is very frightened of riding in a car, but yesterday after his bath, he settled on my lap.  He looks quite spiffy, got a pedicure in the deal, and came home with a print fabric bandana around his neck.  After supper, we took the bandana off, cuz don't think he was too impressed with it.  He's a guy all the way....could just hear his thoughts.....get this girlie thing off me!!!!!

Last night for supper we ordered take-out GT Burgers and fries from a local restaurant.  They come with cheese, a special burger sauce, lettuce, tomato and slice of onion.  Very very yummy.  One of these nights we're gonna get a sitter for Cuddy and eat down at the Dragon.  I'm the one who craves Chinese, and that's the best Chinese place around.  Naturally, will eat too much, but, hey, who really cares.  Why go if one doesn't splurge and enjoy to the hilt.  Am not one of the finicky ones who goes out to eat and gets full on a glass of water and a toothpick!

Ta-ta.

PUPPY SALON

Called Cuddy's groomer, and we're treating the little boy to a bath today.  We were going to give him a bath ourselves, but no puppy shampoo, nor do we know if he would tolerate a random over-the-counter shampoo.  The fur around his eyes needs trimmed, and his groomer can take care of that.  Nothing but the best for Sir Cuddy.

While we're going to be out and about, entered an order for meat that's on sale at Fareway.  Ground beef and Iowa Chops.  With the sale, we're saving $60.  

Sounds like parts of our state may be getting snow tomorrow, but our section not so much.  Drat.  The fields are white, but the sun has melted all the snow off our deck.  The sun is shining.....a pretty day.

Sounds like military medical personnel are being deployed to help our hospitals.  According to the latest statistics, our state had 30,000 new cases of Covid this week.  The reason this information is included in my blog is to preserve the information in the printed book of my blogs.  Like a diary, this preserves history as it happens.  People are still getting the flu and the regular cold, but Covid is an enemy of its own kind.  That's why there's Covid tests.....to differentiate between the common cold/flu and Covid.   

A new little kitty has moved in the unit across the hall from us.  Her name is Tinkerbell.  Yesterday I made a small sun catcher to give to her owners, with a little gold fairy on the bottom.  Used mostly clear, pink and lavender beads, and even if I say so myself, turned out quite sweetly.  Made one for them when their Pom died this past year.    

Seven more Agatha Christie books arrived by our door yesterday.  Ordered 'em used on eBay.  These books are beginning to pile up and be in the way.  Will have to find someone who likes mysteries and pass them on.  The world can't have too many acts of random kindness these days.

LIVER AND ONIONS

Clouds covering the sun, making for a dismal January day where we live.  That's okay, cuz it makes for the perfect atmosphere to turn on a lamp and read.  All our married life, never have we used ceiling lights.  Both of us prefer table or floor lamps.  Except in the kitchen.  In our new home now, there isn't even a ceiling light in the living area.  That suits us perfectly.

Last night the boyfriend fixed fried liver and onions for supper.  When I was a little girl, fried liver made me gag.  Mom would fry me a couple eggs instead.  Well, that's all changed.  Chef Dale has a way of making it that makes me drool.  He fries a whole bunch of onions first, then coats the liver in flour, then fries it.  When done, he puts the liver and onions in the oven for about a half hour.  OMG, it's truly a wonderful meal, along with real mashed potatoes and creamed corn.  We put the creamed corn over the potatoes, like gravy. 

We have an outlet for free liver.  We know someone who works in a meat processing shop, and the livers are thrown away cuz it's no longer a thing to be eaten, I guess.   We don't have it often, but maybe once every couple of months.  The nutritional value alone is reason to incorporate it in our diets.  Read where it helps the brain, and god knows we need all the help we can get!

Tonight's supper will be leftovers from the last couple of nights.  Kinda like a buffet of this and that, throw a pickle or two in, and call it a meal.  Growing up, both of our families used every bit of leftover food, so both of us enjoy eating em.  There are some who refuse to eat anything that's not freshly cooked.  Actually, food tastes better the second time around....according to the two of us.

Am forging ahead with my do one little task each day.  Surprisingly, this approach works and gives a sense of accomplishment.  Am no longer the person who tackles big jobs....everything is done in small increments.  Migod, you'd think I was old or something!  

Am going to watch a live stream on You Tube.  The usual gang is together, and this will provide me with a sense of being with friends without actually being with friends.  It's the craziest thing, but what isn't crazy these days.  All we can do is float down the river of life and hope we don't get caught up on a log.

SAME THEN AS NOW

Our 2021 Christmas tree is neatly tucked in our storage space.....three strings of multi-colored lights, star, ornaments and evergreen garland in a plastic bag next to the tree.  Yesterday was dedicated to that one task.  Put away presents, replaced the Christmas decorations outside our door with more seasonal ones, so we're good to go now until Easter.  We got a wooden red heart with a quotation on it, and that is on the door itself.  Looks sweet and appropriate now before Valentine's Day.

One of our Venny friends fell and was taken to the hospital by ambulance last night.  According to what came over the scanner, plus the garb the EMTs wore when they came in the building, he'd tested positive for Covid.  Sounds like he must've known he had Covid, but we weren't aware.  

About half-way thru.

Gotta share something I think is quite interesting.  Awhile back I wrote about reading 'Russka,' a book of 760 pages.  Gave myself a break from it to read mystery books.  Russka is loaned to me by a Venny friend, so had best finish and return.  Well, the author writes what it was like in Russia in the late 1600s and early 1700s.  that's over 300 years ago.  The author writes:

It is probably a sign that the world is becoming too wicked for children to live in.

The Apocalypse has begun.  The Anti Christ is here.

He knew the Book of Revelation thoroughly, and he quoted passage after passage explaining how each referred to a current event.

Sound familiar?  We're hearing these exact words today.  For myself, reading these words makes me realize that we're going to be okay.  This too shall pass.  If we could eliminate the dark media, our world would be a whole lot more bearable.....that's according to my infinitesimal and positively worthless opinion.

The boyfriend just read where bed bugs are getting to be a huge problem.  Guess some of the problem is staying in motels.  The shortage of cleaning staff plus the bedbugs being carried in suitcases is part of the problem.  Makes me cringe, and home is where I want to be.

Must be windy outside.  Snow is blowing across the parking lot.  It's 10 degrees this morning.  Yesterday an idea hit my head to put a little gnome garden where the Christmas tree stood.  Have collected a few darling gnomes, and the boyfriend made an adorable scroll-saw stand that would look cute.  It's fun to use what we have and use it in a different way.  Since moving to Venny, have become a nut for gnomes.  The little buggers add a touch of whimsy.  

Am going to read Russka again today.  The guy who loaned the book to me is gone for a couple of weeks.  Want to have it by his door when he returns.  Cuddy loves to lay by me when I read, and that adds an extra layer of joy to a book.

Had old-fashioned goulash for supper last night.  Yumm-O.  We make ours with hamburger, elbow macaroni, onions, canned chopped tomatoes, and tomato soup.  Of course, my serving requires pepper and ketchup, and sometimes hot pepper flakes.  

By the way, have been watering Mabel (our family Christmas Cactus) with onion skin water like I wrote about awhile back.  Mabel's leaves are shiny, and she's never looked healthier.  We peel the crispy onion skin, place it in a cup of water by the kitchen sink, let it soak until Mabel needs sustenance.  Then we throw the onion skin away.

Oh, dear.  My coffee cup is empty.

ONE HELPING OF HUMOR

A team of archaeologists were working in Jerusalem when they found a slab of rock with five figures carved on it. 

In order, the figures were:

A Woman.  A Donkey.  A Shovel.  A Fish.  A Star of David.

After months of studying the rock and figures on it, the leader took the rock and went on a lecture tour.  He said the carvings were several thousands of years old, but, even so, they revealed a lot about the people of that time.

The woman being placed first in line of figures indicated that women were held in very high esteem.  It was most likely a family oriented culture.

The donkey indicated they had domesticated animals.  They probably used the donkey to till the fields.

The shovel shows they were highly intelligent, as they knew how to make tools.

The fish shows they knew how to augment the crops they raised by also reaping from the sea.

The Star of David, of course, indicates they were a very religious group of people.

A little old man in the front row finally got the attention of the speaker.

When acknowledged, he said:  "I'm sorry to harm your conclusions, but you were reading it left to right.  In Hebrew, we read from right to left.  That way it reads:

"Holy mackerel dig the ass on that woman!"

SOOTHING SUNDAY

Up early to accommodate our house guest's wishes.  Now both my boys are taking a cat nap.  Hmmmmm.  Do our canine cuties take cat naps?

Another sunny day, although the temperature is cold outside. Must be windy, according to the movement of the tree branches.  Makes for another cozy Sunday with sports on the telly for the boyfriend and books/movies for me. We were going to take our tree down yesterday, but agreed to enjoy the pretty lights through the weekend.  

No earth-shattering happenings in my world.  Had a disturbing dream last night that woke me up, but Cuddy was cuddled close to me for solace.  He has a way of comforting me when stressed.  

Can't help but wonder if people in a person's past dream about us, like we dream about them.  Don't think anyone gets through life without bumping into personalities that clash.  It's inevitable and only we ourselves can save ourselves from them.  Sure do wish there was a switch one could turn off and would never have to think about those people ever again.  But, somehow the memory of them seeps through the cracks and infects one's peace of mind.

Spent last evening watching a You Tube live stream.  It's how I spend time with people across the U.S. and in Canada.  Sometimes I inadvertently bust out laughing cuz they are so real and say the funniest things.  How amazing is it that we have such amenities and methods of entertainment, 'specially during another round of Covid variants and social distancing.  

DOS RIOS HEAT AND EAT TACO MEAT

It was Taco Friday at our house last night.  Gotta share a new discovery at our local Kwik Star.  We saved the wrapper......

Dos Rios
Heat and Eat
 Taco Meat with Sauce

The fully cooked  and seasoned taco meat comes in a 1-lb. frozen tube.  Simply thaw, heat and serve.  For less than $3, hey, it's a go from now on when we want to treat ourselves to tacos.

Beside the taco meat and hard shells, our toppings included lettuce, chopped onions, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapeno peppers and Ortega's hot taco sauce.  We didn't have tomatos.

Even though hard shell tacos are a bit messy to hold and eat, we still prefer them over the soft shell.  We don't dislike soft shell.  Sometimes we make taco salads and put lettuce, taco meat and the rest of the toppings on a plate and top with crushed spicy taco chips.  Anyway you slice it, tacos make a fun meal.

This taco meat would be good mixed with melted cheese for a dip, could even add Rotel.  Lots of ideas come to mind for ways to use it.  Chalk it up to another perk in the wonderful world of convenience.  

Oh, by the way, Dos Rios translates to Two Rivers.  They're on Facebook, for more serving ideas.

Thank you, Kwik Star!

FAREWAY APP

Friday morning, and together we entered our grocery order on the Fareway app.  It's the coolest thing since sliced bread, so the worn-out saying goes.  We've not had the slightest glitch, orders are filled to a T, and we make sure to pass along our favorable comments.  We choose an available time slot for pickup, and our orders are always ready on time.  Eliminating in-store grocery store shopping not only keeps us away from Covid carriers, but we don't have to drive around the Fareway parking lot four times to find a parking space and risk another driver backing into our new Subaru.  Right in front of the store are two reserved parking spaces for online shoppers.

Shopping the old-fashioned way pushing a shopping cart up and down and sideways down the aisles is not my cup of tea.  Finding items is tricky, and I find myself driving from one end of the store to the other, several times. It's almost impossible to find a store employee to ask.  Fellow shoppers drive me nuts.  Always have to wait in line at the meat counter, and bumping into chatterboxes is also not my cuppa. My idea is to get in and out of the store in as little time as possible.  It's definitely not a place for socializing.

Not only that, but it's also the business of the shopping cart that's layered with germs from child spit to filthy hands that have just been who knows where.  The thought of my hands gripping the shopping cart handle gives me the willies.  It's to the point where OSHA will need to mandate cart washers.  Oh, lest we forget the wobbly carts with wads of gum stuck to the wheel.

Fareway's app gives the shopper every choice in the store.  There's no way a person can see every item, check prices, and compare prices in a crowded store.  Heck, when we order online, we use a calculator to outsmart the pricing gimmics the retailers use to confuse their shoppers.  Prices are odd numbers, like $2.12 each or 5 for $10, as one example.  Sometimes the store brand (which is supposed to be less expensive) is actually more expensive.  It doesn't matter if one dilly dallies on one app department, cuz there's no one else in the virtual store.  

Have you noticed how people are overly emotional with all this Covid craziness?  Hopefully, masks are covering the frowns, cuz few are smiling.  Society has us to where we must be careful not to look at others, cuz they might misconstrue the mere look for an accusatory sneer.  Truth be known, shopping rage is a thing.

I like the Smart Ones lunches, especially spaghetti and lasagna, in the frozen section.  They've been $2.00 each for a long time.  As of this week, they are $2.69 each.  That's quite a jump.  Grocery prices are on the rise, especially meat.  Thank heavens the boyfriend has a Master's Degree in Meat Merchandising.  He saves us big bucks by grinding sale-priced pork and buying bulk hamburger when it's on sale by the big tube.  We bring it home, and he packages it in one-pound bags for the freezer.  Armchair grocery shopping is one mighty big perk, one that we can't tout enough.

SUN DOGS

This morning the sun was magically book-ended by a pair of bite-sized rainbows, known as 'sun dogs.'

Primary rainbows are red on the outside, while sun dogs are red on the side closest to the sun, grading to blue, away from the sun.  They develop as light is refracted through ice crystals.  How visible the sun dog's colors are, depends on how much the ice crystals wobble as they float in the air.  The more wobble, the brighter the colors.

Why are they called sun dogs?  Some say it's because they sit beside the sun like a loyal dog stays by its loving master.  The term dates back to the early 1600s, so who's to say for sure.

What's interesting is that today is the Epiphany, which celebrates the Magi, or the Three Wise Men, who followed the Christmas Star to Bethlehem.  Some believe the Magi wer astronomers, who paid close attention to the stars and planets in the sky.  Isn't it interesting that today, of all days, we are presented with another phenomenon in the sky?

PARADE AND PANGOLINS

 We weren't in Pasadena on January 1st, but we watched the Rose Bowl Parade on a big screen t.v.  Am pretty sure we had far better close-ups of the colorful event than those standing on the sidelines.  Our friends tuned in to RFD, which eliminated the commercial interruptions.  Cuddy snugged close to me in a comfy recliner as we joined its virtual audience.

Because of Covid, last year's parade was canceled, first time since World War II.  LeAnn Rimes opened this year's parade with a wish, as she sang....."If I could throw my arms around the world, Maybe I could love it back to life....."  After Rime's song, a B-2 flew over the crowd, giving rise to millions of goose bumps around the world.

One by one, the floats passed by portraying metaphors and analogies for a better 2022.  The parade embraced the themes of education, literacy, the importance of science, determination and perseverance.  The equine entries were magnificent, as always, as they pranced the parade route, decorated with flowers in their manes and silver saddles that glistened in the sun. 

Pangolin

The Embodiment of Nature float featured colorful representations of the African elephant, black-footed ferrets, pangolins and the Lear's Macow, all of which are in danger of dying out because of habitat destruction, pollution, and the destruction of rain forests.

Pangolin
rolled up

Before the parade, I was unfamiliar with the pangolin.  Research tells me that the pangolin is also known as the scaly anteater, covered in hard, plate-like scales.  Their name 'pangolin' is derived from the Malay word 'pengguling,' which means 'something that rolls up,' like the picture shows. Some believe they are related to anteaters and armadillos.  

There are eight species of pangolin on planet Earth that live in Asia, Africa and India.  These animals are secretive, solitary and nocturnal. Their scales are made of the same protein that makes up our own hair and nails, whale teeth, bear claws and rhino horns.  These scales cover their entire body from head to tip of tail, except for their undersides, which are covered with a few hairs.  The scales make up 20% of their body weight.  When they feel threatened, they curl up into a ball to protect their tender undersides.  

Pengolins don't have teeth and are unable to chew.  They instead have long sticky tongues they use to catch insects.  When the tongue is fully extended, it can be 16 inches long.  One pangolin consumes more than 70 million insects a year.  They eat mainly ants and termites.

This makes it glaringly obvious how much we do not know.  Think of the gazillions of insects, bugs, animals, plants and people that cohabit alongside us.  We get bogged down with the drama of the day, that we fail to reach out and learn all we can while we're here.  Always amazes me how animals have their individual ways of protecting themselves.  All a person has to do is see a skunk, and what's the first thing that comes to mind?  Get as far away from it as possible.  Just imagine what it must be like to be avoided by everyone.  Skunkies must be so unloved.  Yet, if they were de-scented, skunks are adorable black and white creatures that are born into the world just like the rest of us.  No one, no animal, no insect asks to be what they are.  We humans think we're superior, but the way the world is right now.......that's up for serious debate.

Got a bit of snow overnight, enough to cover the deck in white.  High wind advisory for today.  The boyfriend has a re-check with his eye doctor this morning.  I'm staying home with our house guest.  He's cuddled now under his daddy's t-shirt, taking a long winter's nap. It's that kinda day.  

STRUT YOUR STUFF

58 YEARS AGO

 Goodness, we're three days into the new year.  Our silly human minds make a big deal out of new beginnings and starting new paths, yet when the new date arrives, nothing's different  It takes a lot of determination for us to make changes to our daily routines.

Football games were on the telly most of yesterday.  I snuggled in with my laptop and let my mind be swept away with another movie marathon.  

Today is the 58th anniversary of our first date.  Yup, the boyfriend picked me up and took me to a teen hop.  The Trashmen were there and sang "The Bird's the Word."  Remember Dale wore a pair of black pants, neatly pressed white long-sleeved shirt, narrow black tie, and a cardigan striped black, white and gray sweater, black polished shoes and white socks.  Drove a 1954 Chevy that he kept spit-shined clean, just like the cars we drive to this day.  Seems like a century ago and feels like last night.  

Remember well our slow dances that night.  Really wouldn't be classed as a dance, more like a moving hug.  I wore a black straight skirt with a kick pleat in the back and a red nylon sweater that I wore backward.  Circle pin was the only jewelry.

Yup, a lifetime has passed, and here we are a little old couple still dating.  Only thing is now we live together.  Boy, times have changed in that regard.  My mother would have tarred and feathered me, killed and buried me under the back porch if I'd have spent one hour behind closed doors alone with the boyfriend.  If I had my life to live over again, I'd have taken more chances, but was just too afraid of the repercussions.  Life is way backward.  We make our biggest life decisions when we have the least brains.  

Guess all worked out, despite the rigid parental restrictions.  Maybe that's what's lacking today.  Discipline and consequences have been taken out of the picture.  Now, the family circle is more like a Rubik's Cube. 

Looking back to 1964, that year the Beatles had their first #1 hit in the U.S. with "I Want to Hold Your Hand."  Their first appearance here was on The Ed Sullivan Show.  The first Ford Mustang was introduced to the U.S.   By July of 1964, the total number of U.S. forces in Vietnam raised to 21,000.  Eighteen-year-old boys faced the draft and a strong possibility of being sent to Vietnam.  That was our generation's war, and a boondoggle to boot.  

Now that it's January, the Christmas tree suddenly looks out of place.  Now is when I'm thankful we didn't put up the village and unpack the hundred Santas.  If I had to take down the displays, pack 'em back up, think I'd rather jump off the deck head first.  

3 L's.....LIVE, LEARN, LOVE

Temperature this morning is -8, wind chill -25 degrees below zero.  Brrrrrrr.  I'd have stayed under the sheets longer this morning, but fuzzy one thought otherwise.  

Don't know what got me thinking about things that come in threes.  Maybe the Wise Men are lurking in the back of my mind.  Perhaps in the past 15 years I've written about this before, but, if so, it was in another blog title, and it definitely is new to Prisms and Polka Dots.

Is there a reason for the significance of the number 3?  Don't know, but it sure is an intriguing phenomenon.  For starters........

The 3 primary colors (red, blue, yellow) used to make other colors,  Three Stooges, Three Little Pigs, Three Men in a Tub, 3-ring binder, The Holy Trinity, The Three Amigos, the triangle (strongest geometric shape), Emus have three toes, 3-ring circus, three French hens, three bones in human ear (hammer, anvil, stirrup), three sheets to the wind (too much to drink), 3-piece suits, Columbus had 3 ships (Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria), Three Blind Mice, three feet in a yard,  3-dimensions, Three Coins in a Fountain, 3 strikes and you're out, 3 bears in Goldilocks, The Three Musketeers, 3-R's (reading-'riting, 'rithmetic),  three cheers, three branches of our federal government (executive, judicial, legislative), 3-bean salad, 3 colors in U.S. flag, 3 holes in a bowling ball, 3 flavors (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla) in Neapolitan ice cream, 3 traffic lights (red, green, amber), 3 leaves on a shamrock, 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon.

Then there's The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth.  Of the People, By the People, For the People.  Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil. Faith Hope and Charity. Snap, Crackle and Pop.  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.  Small, Medium, Large.  The Three Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon and Theodore).  CBS, NBC, ABC.  Ready-Aim-Fire.   On your mark, get set, go. 

Newton's 3 Laws of Motion=how objects behave when standing still, when moving, and when forces act upon them.  Knife, fork and spoon.  Sun, moon, stars.  Man, woman, child.  Day, month, year.  Hot, warm, cold.  Rain, sleet, snow.

Interesting how an egg has 3 parts....the shell, the white, and the yolk.  Birth-Life-Death, 3-M Company (Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing).  B-L-T sandwich.  Three Olympic Medals (bronze, silver, gold).  Three minutes in a boxing round.

In art and photography, the rule of thirds, which was first talked about way back in the 1700s.  Initially, it was thought one-third of a picture should be land and water, and two-thirds should be for air and sky. 

Space, time and matter make up the Universe.  Space has height, width and depth.    Time has Past, Present and Future.  Speed-Distance-Time.  Land-Sea-Sky.   There are 3 states of matter:  solid, liquid, gas.  Earth is divided into 3 parts:  core, mantle, crust.  There are three types of rock formations:  igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.  In music, the 3-note chord.

The USA area codes consist of 3 digits.  Three meals a day.  SOS shows 3 dots, 3 dashes and another 3 dots.  Language is based on a sender, the message and the receiver.  Garden flowers can be divided into 3 groups.....annual, biennial and perennial.  3-course meals:  appetizer, main course, dessert.  3 acts in a play.  The planting cycle of our food is threefold:  plant, harvest, dormant.

In religious ceremonies, incantations are repeated three times to be effective, i.e.:  Holy, holy, holy.

One thing for sure, now I'll be looking for things in threes.  Once an idea clicks in the mind, it's like planting a seed in the ground.  Of the things that come in three, my absolute favorite is....... 3 versions to every story.......my version, your version, and the truth.

P.S.  Tomorrow is the 3rd of January........anniversary of our very first date.

GOOD MORNING, 2022

Last minute change in plans had the two of us sipping hot cocoa with Peppermint Schnapps, a traditional holiday drink at our house.  Drank mine from a special Leech Lake mug that reminds me of our best-ever vacations.  Our sips were followed by a sup of steak, shrimp and baked potatoes basted with olive oil and sea salt.  Our celebration was simple, just as we like.  Watched the fireworks in Miami and the falling of confetti and conscientious wearing of masks and social distancing at Time Square.  At our midnight, a few pretzel crackers and a triangle of soft cheese put us to sleep.  

Saved my bottle of Balatore for today.  Will take it with me to our friends' unit for the parade and lunch.  Will put it out on the deck to get cold, cuz the temperature here is 5 degrees with a wind chill advisory.  Some places south of us got 10-11 inches of snow.  

With our world being off-kilter, just wonder how many bother making resolutions to lose weight.  Think I may have crossed the finish line in that regard.  Remember years past when I dieted, lost weight, and then the hard part started.....keeping the weight off.  Losing was difficult, putting the weight back on was easy-peasy.  SO, my late-life theory on the subject is simply to try to maybe eat a titch less at every meal.  Most of the time I drive the boyfriend nuts cuz I leave a bite or two on my plate.  Figure at the end of one year, if I piled all that food up, it would equal at least five pounds I might have gained.  Sometimes a person has to think outside the frickin' box.  Anyway, that's how I am.  Realistically, at my age, I seek to enjoy everything that makes me happy.  Eating yummy foods makes me happy.  Like I tell myself, there ain't nobody out there who gives a flick about how I look.  Everybody else is too absorbed in worrying how they themselves look.

Want to go through my clothes and toss things that I wore when I was two.  This social distancing has given way to wearing comfy clothes at home.  Last night on the main stream that I watched on You Tube, one of the gals was on screen wearing a onesie.  Best part is she was happy to be herself.  

Looking forward to watching the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena.  People have been camping overnight, staking out spots along the sidewalks starting at noon yesterday.  In a couple of weeks, the Covid numbers will perhaps climb by 1 or 2 cases, dontcha think?

Watched the celebrating on the telly last night.  Yes, I've crossed over to being an old-fashioned bubba.  The way performers dress nowadays about makes me want to go in the bathroom and upchuck.  Lord deliver me.  Won't be long and clothes will be a thing of the past.  That's when I'm taking the early train out.

Kokopelli
Hump-backed
flute player.
Native American
Trickster god.

Don't know what to wear today, but will wear the pair of socks the hosts brought me from their trip out west this last year.  The socks are purple with kokopelli designs.  Love 'em.  Anything Native American always appeals.  Will wear black leggings but not sure what else.  Can remember the days when we girls would get new outfits for new occasions.  Boy, those days are in the rear-view mirror for me.  Give me an over-sized sweatshirt or t-shirt, and that's how I like to roll.

Whatever our individual goals are for the upcoming twelve months, let's all try to stay as happy as we can.  Some days that's a whole lot easier said than done with the pandemic and the chaos it has caused.  We've learned to enjoy being at home away from the crazies.  Tis darned near impossible to extricate oneself completely from those with 'low batteries,' if you get my drift.  Me, personally, can't stand to watch t.v. anymore.  With my laptop, at least I can travel the world and read and study the things that will exercise my cranial contents.  The news media has become a monster crushing our country.  Growing up we were told that other countries used propaganda to hoodwink their citizens.  Today, in America, they call it fake news.  

One thing I've discovered.  Writing a blog is harder today than it was a couple of years ago.  No matter how hard I try to stay away from the bad and the ugly, it seems it still somehow seeps into my posts.  If one wish could be granted this new year, it would be for us humanoids to not be so abrasive to one another.  If we'd weigh our words like we weigh our bodies, this world would change in a heartbeat.  Then I reason with myself and think, well, nobody enjoys reading about a make-believe perfect life.  Let's face it, life is a challenge and it takes moxie to maintain our morals.  Let's all just try to be happy with who we are and make the best of the time we have left.  That's my resolve from here on out.