PATIENT SURVIVED SURGERY

Update on our friend who underwent open-heart surgery yesterday.  A few minutes ago he called me on the cell phone and is back to his same self, firing his crazy wordy arrows at me.  Whew!  Cannot believe modern medicine.  24 hours ago he was being taken into the operating room.  We're going up tomorrow to see him, will take his partner up with us.  Then will go up again on Saturday to bring him home....... or dump him in the ditch somewhere along the way.  (That's the kind of humor we volley back and forth.)

Yesterday, during surgery, a silence screamed here.  Getting text updates during surgery helped.  When our friend called me this morning, I told him how upset I was.  His response?  He said the surgery didn't bother him a bit.  If he woke up, fine.  If he didn't, that was okay, too.  Just like going to bed at night.  He's right.  Every day is a miniature life and every night is a miniature death.  

Well, April is almost a memory.  Tomorrow is May Day.  I had some thought of making May baskets for our Venny family, but that fizzled along with other of my intentions.  With our friend's heart business, I just didn't feel festive.  One must go with our emotions, not fight them.  Anyway, that's what I've learned.  

The boyfriend will be going to pick up vittles at our local grocery store.  I'm on a taco salad kick, so I need lettuce.  Wonder how many heads of lettuce I've eaten in the last year.  Either taco salad or veggie salad.  Just love em.  My taco salads are topped with crushed Hot Doritos and hot Ortega taco sauce.  The boyfriend wonders about me sometimes, just shakes his head.  

Sun is shining, the rains have moved out of this area.  But, we were blessed with moisture and spared the tornadic winds that destroyed other places.  This is the time of year when tornado warnings are frequent.  We have a weather alert system in our home, plus Venny has us connected by phone to storm warnings.  What on earth did we do before the smart phone?  I'm thinking it might be a good idea to put mine with me in my burial box just in case.  

Ta-ta.

NO WORDS NECESSARY

   

SHOWERS

My posts of late must sound like a stuck record.  Always talking about our rainy days, but, after all, that's what April is all about.  Showers.  

Besides April showers, we have bridal showers, meteor showers, bathing showers, baby showers and downpours in general.  As we walk through life, we experience each type in its time.  There are sections of life where we may experience showers of joy, other times showers of sorrow.  It's that business of taking the good with the bad, stirring them all together until they form a soup we call the past.  Every moment we move forward brings new showers of goodness and beauty.  My favorite definition of "showers" is blessings, because not a day goes by that we don't receive a blessing.  Oh, some days we don't recognize them, but they do pour down upon us.  Over time, I have learned to look for these bits of goodness, that one beautiful cloud that floats above me, or a simple smile or moment of mishap.  Did you ever notice how we automatically laugh at mishaps?  I know I do.  Sometimes it may be an inappropriate giggle, but I'd rather do that than sneer or snarl.  

When I was a little girl, we didn't have running water.  Baths were taken Saturday night in a galvanized tub in the kitchen, all four of us used the same water.  I was the baby of the family, so I got scrubbed first in the clean water.  Poor daddy.  Today we have two showers, two bathrooms in our late-life home.  Talk about showers of blessings.  I'd rather start out with less and end up with more than start out with everything and end up with nothing.  Sadly, I see the children of today experiencing trips to Europe and living in luxury.  How they'll be able to maintain that lifestyle or even reach it on their own merits is beyond me.  But, we don't have kids so it's not for me to think about.  I prefer dealing with what's mine to deal with and that's always been more than sufficient.  One helping of life at a time.

Buffy kissed me this morning at 7 a.m.  I thanked her for allowing me to catch up on my snooze time.  Her parents are coming home later tonight, so we'll once again have to go through packing up her things and exchanging custody.  The boyfriend says he can see her getting very attached to me.  I know the reason why.  It's what I call my fluffy pillow lap.  My structure is not one where my bones show, and that's how I am.  Bones seem so sharp and uninviting, don't you think?  

A soft tongue licked my face at 3 a.m. this morning.  Guess who?  Yup, Buffy decided that I should be awake.  Having been through this sort of thing before with my own puppies in the past, I simply got up, made a pot of coffee, and started my day a few hours early.  

True to her nature, once I got my cheaters on and started turning pages, Buffy curled up in a ball and fell fast asleep.  She had it in her head that I should be awake and that she should sleep.  About 5 o'clock, I turned off the light and fell asleep.  Yup, the soft tongue was back licking my face.  I've now been up for 9 hours and it's only noon.  No ear buds have been eaten, but she did manage to gnaw on the bottom edge of a book.  

Received word this morning that our Venny friend will be having heart bypass surgery Monday.  He is giving my number to the staff so we'll get updates as surgery progresses.  Will be going up the day after surgery, taking his partner with us.  It's good to have the problem identified and rectified.  

Our area got another beautiful rainfall yesterday.  Some places got .5" and others .9".  Every drop is a blessing.  Our patio door is open....nothing like breathing in spring's cool fresh air.  

Am reading A History of God, in an effort to understand the fighting in the Mid-East.  Already I read that after Abraham's wife, Sara, died he bought land in Hebron, now the West Bank.  Abraham was buried there.  SO, that's gotta be one reason for the endless conflict.  I still don't understand the Palestinian business, but hopefully my questions will get answered.  

Nothing newsworthy.  

LAUGH AND CRY AT THE SAME TIME

How does one entertain sadness and laughter at the same time.  

Door bell rang yesterday afternoon.  Was one of our dear Venny friends.  Something was wrong, we could tell by the look on his face.  His partner had just been airlifted from the local hospital up to Rochester with what was first thought to be a heart attack.  (Let me insert here that this guy being airlifted and I share a crazy sense of humor, and we text back and forth daily, with ruthless/affectionate texts.)  When I heard this news, I couldn't help but break down and cry.  

It wasn't long after this that I received a text from Buffy's momma, saying that Buffy pooped out one of my earbuds.  This is why I first posed the question how does one shed tears and laugh at the same time.

We puppy people do whatever is necessary to see that our little fur babies are okay.  What is funny is picturing Buffy's daddy scrutinizing a piece of poop from a 4-pound puppy.  Think I could be half dead and would laugh about that.  BUT, that's when I broke the bad news that Buffy actually ate two earbuds.  Her momma texted back and said, oh no, guess we'll have to keep looking!  

Our friend who was airlifted has been in contact, and he did not have a heart attack.  The doctors are doing tests to determine exactly what might be going on.  One doctor thinks he might have plaque in the myocardial bridge, which would require a bypass surgery.  Our mutual sense of humor forced me to text him in Rochester and tell him not to mention to the doctors his mental frailties.  Gotta keep the humor going.

Buffy returns at 4:30 today and will stay until Sunday evening, but don't think we're going to be poop inspectors.  I'm not going to ask the boyfriend to do that.  There are limits, and I don't want the guy pulling stakes on me at this stage.  Oh, the craziness of it all.

EAR BUDS

Gotta share yesterday's "moment."

The moment was when we realized that Buffy was chewing on something.  That's always a red flag.  Well, the little bugger got hold of my earphones and chewed off the rubber ends and swallowed them.  OMG, first thing that went through my head was his momma taking him out to do his business tomorrow and she sees him poop out ear buds.  Dale decided that we would tell them what happened.  Truth is the best no matter the consequences.

Buffy's parents rang our door bell at about 4:30 p.m.  First thing I did was explain things to them.  Her momma nonchalantly smiled and said, "Oh, she likes to eat things."  Wasn't upset, nothing.  I felt like I should find a church and go to confession, but it was that business of allowing my mind to imagine worst case scenario.  Momma said, "that's okay.....we know she likes to chew on computer cords."  Whew!

Life just continues teaching us lessons.  I must step up to bat here and confess it was my fault for setting my laptop on the floor, earphones plugged into it.  What happened was one of the Venny gals came over for a visit, I quickly set the laptop on the floor and forgot about it.  When Buffy isn't here, that's a safe thing to do.  

My Venny friend gave me one of her sweaters.  It's absolutely gorgeous and expensive, and I'm not quite sure if it will fit me.  I'm a bit plumper than she.  Then Buffy's parents came and brought us two bottles of wine, one is my favorite, Chardonnay.  The other is a red wine.  Blessings rained down from many directions yesterday.

With the Mid-East fighting that's going on in Israel and Iran, I'm reading bits and pieces on the internet to teach myself the history of that region and why they've been fighting continuously for centuries.  I ordered "The History of God" - The 4,000 year quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  400 pages of small print, wouldn't you know it.  Thank heavens for my .300 cheater glasses that will magnify the print.  I know I've studied both testaments, but I need to know the geographical history.  The book should contain explanations of the holiest of lands and why it is the bloodiest of lands.

When I got out of bed this morning the boyfriend was already down in the workshop at 6:45 working on rings.  He left a note on the counter, along with a pot of coffee ready to pour into my cup.  Small kindnesses feel so good, don't they?  

Tomorrow Buffy returns and will stay until Sunday night.  Life's Divine Plan bestows blessings on us, and they come in all kinds of disguises.  Many things must happen in many lives to make situations turn out as they do.  When Buffy is here, we remember Cuddy and how he was sent to us.  What are the chances that there would be a Buffy to continue Cuddy's job of caring for our hearts?

Am not sure what I'll do today.  The sun shines brightly, and the deck is all stripes of shadows from the railings.  It's April at its prettiest.  

As of now, there are three of us here.  Yuppers, Miss Buffy arrived at 8:30 with her little girly flowered backpack filled with food, treats, water and a few of her toys.  Her energy makes us laugh.  

She comes to us with a fresh haircut, so she looks smaller than she did on her last visit. When we greeted them at the door, Buffy was wiggling like she was on fire, trying to get to us.  Cuter than cute.  That has to make her momma and daddy feel good about leaving her with us.  Gotta say we try to entertain her, even though she's the one doing the entertaining.  

The days of April are waning like the moon does between a full moon and a new moon.  

Today's blog is short.  Buffy Boo begs my attention.

EVERYDAY THOUGHTS

A phone text came in last evening that made my heart skip a couple beats.  The text asked if we'd puppy sit Buffy tomorrow (Wednesday) and also the weekend (Friday-Sunday).  With an open calendar, my one-finger couldn't text YES fast enough.  Her momma sent a picture of Buffy after her new haircut, bow and all.  There will be some serious fun at our house this weekend for sure.

Speaking of texting with one finger......what we fossils do.  I have absolutely no idea how the younger generations can text with their thumbs.  My fingers are keyboard race cars, but give me a phone and I'm a pecker.  (Forgive me, Father, for I have used a word with dual definitions.) 

The boyfriend is updating his grocery list.  Seems we always need something, and he wants to be home tomorrow when Buffy is here.  Let's say that he's as hooked on that little piece of fuzz as I am.  Buffy likes guys.  She's my kinda girl!

Just saw a monarch butterfly on the deck!  How awesome is that.  The Venny lawn has been mowed for the first time.  This afternoon I plan to sit out on the deck and read.  We ordered a Shirem hummingbird feeder (right) on eBay, and we're waiting for it to arrive.  

April is the month we should think more about Mother Earth, her wondrous gifts and her indescribable talents and abilities.  The tiniest of sweet beings belong to Mother Earth, no less than we humans.  After all, it is their world, too.  

NATIONAL EARTH DAY

 Up until last night at 10:30, I did not know that someone was buried on the moon.  Yuppers, his name was Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, a pioneer of planetary science and a founder of astrogeology.    Dr. Shoemaker made many groundbreaking discoveries and contributions to science.  His ashes arrived on the moon with the Lunar Prospector spacecraft on July 31, 1999.

At age 69, he died in a car accident on July 18, 1997, while exploring a meteor crater in Australia.  After his death, Shoemaker's family wanted to honor his wish to visit the moon, which he never achieved in his lifetime.  They contacted Celestis, a company that offers memorial space flights for cremated remains.  (Never knew there was such a thing)  Celestis agreed to send a small capsule containing Dr. Shoemaker's ashes to the moon as part of the Lunar Prospector mission, a NASA probe designed to map the moon's surface and look for signs of water and ice. 

The Lunar Prospector spacecraft concluded its mission on July 31, 1999, deliberately crashing it onto the moon's surface, carrying Eugene Shoemaker.  This act made him the only person to be buried on the moon.

Here is the link to an article by the Astrogeology Science Center that tells of Dr. Shoemaker's life and scientific accomplishments.  https://www.usgs.gov/centers/astrogeology-science-center/gene-shoemaker-founder-astrogeology  

........Maybe I live in a bubble, but I have never before heard about this.    

THE PALE BLUE DOT

 

On February 14, 1990, NASA's Voyager 1 snapped this photo of the Earth from 3.7 billion miles away.  This is our home planet as it really is----"a tiny, lonely outpost of life in an incomprehensibly vast cosmos."  This photo is known as The Pale Blue Dot. 

As of December 13, 2023, (four months ago) Voyager 1 was the farthest spacecraft from Earth at about 15 billion miles away.  

This photo, more than anything, has had a huge impact on my thinking.  Just imagine how insignificant we are if the planet we live on is simply a tiny speck in the cosmic ocean. 

I believe that our pondering is like praying.  Pondering opens our minds like plowing snow off the road opens the roadway for travel.  When our minds are clear, we're more likely to receive fresh insight and be able to expand our understanding of life. 

#753

.....The sun shines brightly, casting rainbows on the walls as it hits the beaded sun  catchers.  The boyfriend is in need of a haircut, so I get to place dangerous objects close to his head in an effort to make him behave.  (giggle)  Other than that, our day will be one of r & r.  Yesterday I gave myself a pedicure, bringing out the summer shades of nail polish.  Opted for a pale green.  My favorite nail polish is Essie.  It dries in 1-2 minutes, and the colors are what we baby boomers call 'cool.'  Being I go barefooted 90% of the time, my toties need to be polished.  Toe rings are fun, too.  Have a couple of them and think I'll get a couple more.  Gotta incorporate a bit of silliness into my days.

Best bucket along.  Ta-ta till the morrow.     

MEMORIES OF MAY CROWNING

Let's see, what should I write about today?  It's April 20th, which means only 11 days until May.  Hmmm.  Maybe I should make something to hang on the other 49 unit doors for May Day.  The internet swarms with May basket craft ideas, 'specially Pinterest.  How on earth did we function before Pinterest?  

May was the month we Catholics crowned Mary.  It was called 'May Crowning,' and one year I was chosen to crown Mary.  This required me to wear a wedding dress and veil, no less.  I borrowed my cousin Colleen's big hoop-skirt bridal dress, and needed help getting up the ladder steps to put a wreath of flowers on Blessed Mother Mary's head.  Spring is connected to Nature's renewing itself, as Mary gave new life to the world when she had Baby Jesus.  It was in the late 1700s when the practice of crowning Mary in May was started in Rome, Italy.

Emerald, May's birthstone, carries the rich green color of Spring.  Emeralds are rare gemstones, mined in Colombia and Brazil in South America, Mid East Afghanistan and Zambia in southern Africa.  Emerald means "green" in Greek.    

Interestingly, May Day is both a distress call and a celebration of the arrival of spring.  Mayday is a call sign used by vessels, aircraft, or any carrier of people that is transmitted by a person when they are in grave danger.  It's a sign to listeners that immediate assistance is needed.  Pilots are told to repeat the word three times:  "mayday, mayday, mayday" to help radio operators distinguish the transmission from others.

The phrase SOS is another distress call.  It became known for "save our souls" and "save our ship."  Interestingly, SOS has a more modern meaning.  In today's slang, texters use SOS to say "I need you to call me with an excuse so I can leave this date." 

Sun is shining, the blinds are partially pulled down to keep me from going blind.  A definite change from yesterday's drippy day.

Spent yesterday reading a book that was sent to me.  Read the first 90 of the 218 pages.  My plan is to shower, get comfy and read the remaining pages.  A while back I ordered a pair of 3.0 cheater glasses.  They help magnify the print, and my eyes don't have to struggle.  

The boyfriend is leaving soon to help one of his Venny buddies take a bike down to the bike shop.  You know how it is when guys go do something.  Time turns into water and quickly passes by.  That's okay, because when I read it's nice to have quiet.  

Have a bit of trivia to toss in today.  Why are t-shirts called t-shirts?  Because of the shape of their body and sleeves.  Vintage t-shirts are making a comeback.  Lots of 'em on eBay.  True vintage shirts need to be at least 20 years old.

For a gal my age, I live in t-shirts, 'specially the ones with graphic designs of places or wording.  Like the one I'm wearing today.....it has a picture of several moose......and the word MEESE in large letters.  Love the play on words.  T--shirts are comfy, and the more they're worn, the comfier they get.  My absolute favorite are the long-sleeved ones with writing down the sleeves.  I think that's so cool.  

CALL ME RINGO

Another rainy overcast day.  Mother Nature has laid down a gorgeous green carpet on the Venny lawn.  April showers and mists are making way for all the sweet little underground souls that are waiting their turn to take center stage.  The natural world is a magical place.  

The boyfriend is in the workshop busy making his beautiful spoon rings.  One day soon we'll take a trolley and replenish the stores he sells them in.  At all times, five of his rings decorate my fingers, and sometimes more.  When he shows me his new creations, I'm known to say, oh, this one is mine!  

Speaking of jewelry, my jewelry box is a repurposed vintage wooden silverware chest.  It's that business of using things that no longer serve their intended purpose.  Rings, wrist bracelets and ankle bracelets are my faves.  The ankle bracelet I've worn for probably over a year, and never took off, was a silver chain that I found in a box of junk jewelry.  It was broken, I fixed it and made an ankle bracelet.  Part of it dangles in a loop from the main part.  The constant wearing has worn off the silver and now it looks like copper.  All my jewelry is handmade by one of us, or is recycled.  

Have a stack of tasks to do.  That's the nemesis of a procrastinator.  If there's a way to put off doing something, you can be sure I'll find it.  Lord knows how a Type A youthful personality transforms itself naturally over time into a Type Z.  If my mother were alive, she'd be disappointed in my 'give a crap less' attitude that assails me.  It's not that I'm lazy, it's just that I prefer doing more interesting things than what I call drudgery or donkey work.  

If any of my readers happened to get up early and read yesterday's blog, well, later in the day I deleted it in its entirety.  I've done this before, when I go overboard with my spouting.  My inner voice tells me when and when not to do this.  Yup, yesterday her voice was annoying me, so I pushed the delete button and away it went forever.  

Anyone following the Mideast unrest?  One of my latest attempts is to learn all I can about the ongoing biblical turmoil in what is supposed to be the religious center of the world.  Isn't it sad that the three major religions cannot live in peace with one another?  

The boyfriend came back a few minutes ago.  He now has 60 new rings prepped, turned and ready to polish.  

Ta-ta till the morrow.   Thank you for following my life as it unfolds each day.

BENEATH A BLUE SKY

The angels had to finish my night prayers....man, was I whipped when my head hit the pillow at 12:30 a.m.  All day long my mind was set on 'puree' speed, until I sat out on the deck to read, "The Secret Life of Sunflowers."  Evidently a good book is still the cure-all for the rambunctious brain.  While sitting outside, I took this photo of the sky.  What a fine metaphor for regaining perspective and a sense of peace.

Speaking of the sky......

• There's an average of 9,728 planes carrying 1,270,406 passengers in the sky at any given time.  Yup, over a million.
• Planes have headlights, but they're only effective during takeoffs and landings.  Only darkness is visible when looking out the front window of a cockpit.
• The world's longest flight:  New York JFK to Singapore Changi is currently the longest flight it is possible to book.  Takes an average of 18 hours and 40 minutes to complete the 9,532-mile flight.
• 
  The shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world is between Westray (pronounced Westree) and Papa Westray located off the far north coast of Scotland.  Distance 1.7 miles and takes about 57 seconds to complete. 
• Westray is Old Norse for "West Island."   Papa was the word used by Norsemen to identify the early Christian monks who arrived in about 800 AD. 
• The Knap of Howar on Papa Westray is a Neolithic farmstead which may be the oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe.  Radiocarbon dating shows it was occupied from 3700 BC to 2800 BC.  The Neolithic, or new Stone Age, included the introduction of farming, domestication of animals and change from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one of settlement.   

  

  Knap of Howar
  The front of the structures facing the sea.

  Having myself lived the first eight years of my childhood in a 3-story old stone house, my fascination for stone structures is rooted to my core.  When on our trolleys, if we come across old stone skeletons, the boyfriend knows to either stop the car or turn the car around.  Just two weeks ago we were out and about, when I noticed these stone remains.....

These stone remains make a perfect playground for my excitable imagination.  One can only let the mind explore the possibilities of what went on within these walls of stone.  Do these leftovers from a past existence survive so we take notice?  Maybe that's how we are, too, as we grow older and less needed.  We don't just want to disappear and not leave a hint of ourselves behind.

SAINT LUCIA

One completely sleepless night.  The mind felt like an egg beater...stirring up things from the past,  mixing them with stuff of the present, with sprinkles of stuff that might happen in the future.  Talk about a recipe for a mental collapse!  

This is the day the underground garage gets cleaned.  All fifty units have their cars parked out in the parking lots so the project can get started at 8 a.m..  The sun is rising, and I'm yawning.   

Okay, let's pretend we're contestants on Jeopardy.  The answer is Saint Lucia.  What's the question?????  What is the only country in the world named after a woman.  

• It's an island nation in the Caribbean, geographically included in Central America.  
• Saint Lucia is home to the world's only drive-in volcano, the Sulfur Springs.
• Legend says that French sailors were shipwrecked on the island on December 13, the feast day of St. Lucy, and the island was named after her.
• St. Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and vision impaired.

Saint Lucia
Light in the Darkness

Often pictured with her eyes on a platter, she is the patron saint of the blind.  Her name means 'light.'  Legend says that her eyes were removed through torture, but they were miraculously restored when her body was buried.

Another tradition on St. Lucia's Day is the baking of St. Lucia rolls, known in Sweden as Lussekatter.  These saffron-flavored buns are shaped into an S or an 8 to represent the saint's eyes.   (Recipes can be found online.)

Lastly, let us not forget one of the most beautiful songs, Santa Lucia.  

U.S. food prices have risen 25% since 2019.  In January, the Labor Department reported the price of eating out skyrocketed 30% since January 2019.  A gratuity of 20 to 25% on top of the bill is expected.  Some restaurants take the liberty of including the tip with the bill.  We have to be ready to tip bellhops, tour guides, bus drivers, bartenders, taxi drivers and anyone who works in the service arena.  

Over the years, eating out was our joy.  We ate at places with prices within our monetary means.  It's how we celebrated special happenings.  That's now in the rear-view mirror.  Without winning the lottery, it makes zero sense for us to part with $100 simply to go out for dinner.  Do that five times, and that's $500.  Our frugality overpowers any desire to eat at a swanky restaurant.  Even the fast-food places have gotten to be outlandish.  Just the other day, we ordered a chicken sandwich, a hamburger, two orders of fries and one coffee, and our bill was $19+.  The servings have gotten smaller as the prices have gone higher.  

What baffles me is that people don't seem to mind spending that kind of money.  It's a joke at our house, as we wonder where the money forest is located.  Cuz, there's gotta be someplace this money is coming from.  Along with food prices, all other aspects of average living have risen, as well.  An old saying rings in my ears, "A fool and his money are soon parted."

We were with friends one day, and I was chirping about this.  The gal looked at me like I was nuts, and she said, well, it's not that bad.  I'm not sure, but there might be a difference of opinion here cuz one of us is using food-stamp plastic to pay for groceries.  That might make the difference in a lot of instances.  The work ethic and personal human pride have silently made their way out of the room.  

Where is all of this going?  Nowhere.  It's just me seeing things as I see them.  Our parents taught us life skills, and we are grateful for that gift.  I'm more than okay eating supper at home with my boyfriend, or maybe inviting guests over to join us.  Actually, when people open up with honesty, they enjoy eating at home more and being with friends.  I think the "herd mentality" is present and accounted for.  Peer pressure is a powerful disciplinarian.  Many are willing to put themselves in debt in order to "keep up with the Joneses."  

And, how about the cost of vehicles?  Can you imagine spending over $100,000 on a vehicle?  The cost of homes in our area is nearing $400,00 to half a million.  Holy Mother Mary, that's a lot of chips, and that's not counting insurance, upkeep, furniture, and most of all property taxes.  And the accumulating interest??????  Yup, there's a money forest out there somewhere, but I'll be darned if I know where it is.  

That's my jabbering for today.  Tis Sunday, and my intent is to get busy and do nothing, except read, trolley the internet, snack and kick back.  The boyfriend walked out to our garden plot to plan his planting.  It's an absolutely gorgeous day here, temps in the 70s and might get to the 80s by afternoon.  The Masters Tournament is still going, and the boyfriend wants to watch that.  I'll wear my earphones.  We're together in the same room, but each somewhere else.  What a gig!

KIWI

Kiwifruit-shaped welcome sign

The town of Te Puke is the heart beat of New Zealand's kiwifruit industry.  The town's name comes from the Maori language.  Pronounced teh-pook-ee, te (the) and puke (hill).  Hundreds of local growers produce millions of kiwifruit, which are exported worldwide.

• 
  The kiwifruit was named after its uncanny resemblance to the 'fuzzy brown kiwi' - New Zealand's National Bird.
• The NZ kiwi industry has 2,385 growers and 3,240 registered orchards.
• The first seeds were brought from China in the early 1900s.   Originally, it was known as the Chinese Gooseberry.
• During First World War, New Zealand soldiers were referred to as "kiwis," and the nickname stuck.  Eventually, the term Kiwi was attributed to all New Zealanders.  The nickname is affectionate and being called a Kiwi is a point of pride for most NZers.

.......I love kiwifruit.  Slices of kiwi are another example of Mother Nature's artistic flair.  Found recipes online for kiwi salsa and kiwi and pineapple salads that will be fun to try this summer.  Fruit has gotten outlandishly expensive in the markets, but I'll give up something else to balance the prices.  I inherited this from my Daddy, who was an organic nut before his time, insisting that my Mom preserve fruit sauces for desserts.  When fruit would be for sale by the crate or bushel, our home canning factory went full-speed.  Shelves of sauces lined our basement wall.  Back in those days, sauce dishes were used a lot.  Nowadays, one rarely sees a sauce dish, or berry dish, as they were sometimes called.  

One fun part of summer, for me, is trying new recipes.  The boyfriend just left for the grocery store to take advantage of a pork rib sale.  OMG, his BBQ ribs are to die for.  For a long time, he made his own BBQ sauce, but we eventually settled on what's now our absolute favorite Cookie's Original.  Homemade just couldn't beat it.  

Well, I've once again succeeded in making my tummy growl.  Think it best I steer my mind in another direction.  The Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta is televised today again.  Can one imagine vying for an $18 million purse?  That's gotta take great skill and great nerve control.  The boyfriend enjoys watching, and so do I, kinda.  Until the morrow, ta-ta.

SAVE OUR SEAS

What can one person do to help conserve our beautiful planet Earth?  I sit here and ponder that, feeling my only option is to worry.  Today's snippet of awareness is my attempt to at least make others aware of what's happening to Earth's oceans.....

• According to National Geographic, 5.25 trillion plastic items already reside in our oceans.  To put this in perspective, there are just over 8 billion humans on Planet Earth now.  It takes 1,000 billion to equal 1 trillion.  I have to stop and wrap my brain about the gravity of these numbers.
• By 2050, the plastic in the ocean will outweigh the fish.  Pollution is rapidly changing our world's oceans.  Conservation International reports that humanity dumps 8 million metric tons (metric ton: 2,205 lbs) of plastic into them every year.  In less than 30 years, there will be more tons of plastic in the ocean than there are fish.
• Plastic alone is estimated to kill 100,000 marine animals every year.  This is due to entanglement in fishing nets and even plastic bags.  This includes less thought-about items, such as straws and plastic wrap.
• Ocean dead zones are places in which oxygen levels are so low that life forms cannot survive.  Although dead zones can occur naturally, human activity (mostly nutrient pollution) has resulted in more areas suffering from these conditions.  What is nutrient pollution?  It's when too many nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, are added to bodies of water and act like fertilizer.  Nutrients can run off of  land where agriculture, lawn and garden fertilizers are used.
• Our Earth, with a radius of 3,925 miles, could be covered as many as 400 times with the plastic found within the ocean.
• No country is exempt from ocean pollution.  To make things worse, many are offloading their trash to others, meaning the amount of garbage is not only increasing but being transported across the globe.
• The U.S. allows cruise ships to dump their treated sewage waste into the ocean if they are within 3-1/2 miles from shore.  Beyond that point, there are no restrictions for dumping untreated, raw sewage in U.S. ocean waters.  More than a billion gallons of sewage are dumped into the ocean annually.  This sewage is not only full of human waste, but also chemicals, pharmaceuticals, bacteria, viruses, heavy metals and hazardous waste.  Many cruise ships lack the sewage treatment facilities to adequately filter out toxins.  
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers an area twice the size of Texas.  To formulate the area, a team of scientists conducted the most elaborate sampling method ever coordinated.
• Here is a link to a short YT video on this massive problem facing  humanity.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=w7jTcao-Jw0

TIMBUKTU - UNESCO World Heritage Center

 A poetry contest student wrote this short rhyme,

Slowly across the desert sand

Trekked a lonely caravan.

Men on camels, two by two

Destination--Timbuktu.

That's our destination today.  We've all heard jokes about Timbuktu, as being a place far away, Lord knows where.  

• The desert city of Timbuktu dates back to the 11th century when Tuareg nomads settled there and began using the site as a trading post for gold, ivory and salt.  By the 1300s, it had become a hub of trading and the commercial city of the Mali empire.
• The Tuareg founders gave it a Berber (descendants of the pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa) name, a word composed of two parts:  tin, the feminine form of place of, and bouctou, a small dune.  Timbuktu means place covered by small dunes.
• It is home to three of Western Africa's oldest mud and timber mosques.  The Sankore` mosque, known as the University of Sankore`, was one of the first universities ever built in the world, in the early 14th century.  The University taught much more than Islamic studies including history, language, law, science and most notably, medicine.  By 1450, its population reached about 100,000, and it was home to some 25,000 Islamic scholars.
• Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a center for the spread of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries.  
• It is known as the City of 333 Saints, because 333 saints were laid to rest in the city.  These saints were celebrated Muslim scholars and teachers, highly revered for their wisdom, generosity and scholarship.
• In 1591, the sultan of Morocco captured the city of Timbuktu, which then began to decline.  The Moroccans, who did not approve of the scholars, had them arrested and sent into exile.  The city was repeatedly attacked by neighboring peoples.  By the end of the 18th century, Timbuktu was reduced to desolation and poverty.  Today it is a shadow of its former self.  
• Timbuktu is in Mali, a land-locked nation in West Africa.  Shaped like Texas, but twice as big, today Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. 

Condensing a country to a couple of paragraphs is much like the human obituary that condenses the life of someone to a couple of paragraphs.  That has been something that has bugged me for a long time.  Some poor souls who struggle to make it from birth to death aren't important enough to be remembered with an obit.  Some people spend great amounts of time polishing their own obituary to "glaze their donut."  I'm seriously thinking of writing my own, as well.  It will read something like this......"I was born, I lived, I learned, I loved, I lost, and now it's time for me to leave."  I'm completely serious.

Every person, homeless or castle dweller, is a human with feelings, opinions, burdens, and internal fears.  There are narcissists who focus on themselves to the point where one wonders what is missing in their life to cause them to work so hard at braggadocio.  I am unable to figure out if they have an inferiority complex or a superiority complex.

Gotta go and get ready for tonight's dinner guests.  My intent was to prepare food yesterday, but you know me.  Why not put it off until tomorrow.  Come to think of it, that might make a cool sketching on my gravestone!  (giggles)

ANTARCTICA

Yesterday's post riled up the waters, bringing to the surface the coldest, windiest and most remote continent on Earth....Antarctica.  It's a place that I've not heard many people talk about. 

• There are no polar bears in Antarctica.  Polar bears are only found in the Arctic.
• Antarctica is one of the best places in the world to see penguins.  The penguin is Antarctica's national animal.  Of the 17 species of penguins on the planet, 8 of them live there.
• The Antarctic waters are home to 6 different species of seal.
• It is the only continent without reptiles.    
• 25 countries operate more than 70 year-round scientific research stations on the continent and the surrounding islands.  As many as 10,000 scientists and support staff work there, but only about 1,000 in winter.  It is a continent for science.
• In global terms, 90% of the world's ice is located in the Antarctic.
• It is the 5th largest of the 7 continents, bigger than all of Europe and nearly twice the size of Australia.
• 
  Part of the remote Taylor Glacier in East Antarctica has a blood-red waterfall.  Scientists discovered that the water originates from a sub-glacial lake that is high in salt and oxidized iron.  When the water comes into contact with air, the iron rusts giving it an amazing crimson color.
• Lowest recorded temperature of minus 135.76 degrees at Vostok station in 2010.  
• 
  The Southern Pole of Inaccessibility is considered the most remote point in the entire world. (photo right)
• The real wonder of this frigid world is McMurdo Dry Valley, one of the most extreme deserts in the world.  These valleys have intrigued researchers as the landscape on Earth that's as close to Mars as we can currently get.

.........These few facts are but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this intriguing continent.  I have actually seen a photograph taken on Antarctica of two penguins.  My former doctor took the photograph on one of his mammoth adventures.  It's that business of seeing the world through someone else's eyes.  

Gonna bake a cake today and put together a chicken bake for tomorrow night's supper guests.  Otherwise, will be a low-key day.  Just the way I like it.

FARTHEST PLACE FROM US

Just for the heck of it, I asked Google what the farthest place on earth was from where I live.  The answer is Perth Australia, approx. 17,199 miles away.   

Perth is the most isolated city on the globe, completely surrounded by the Australian outback on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other.

In 1962, Perth received global media attention when city residents lit their house lights, business lights and streetlights as American astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the Earth on Friendship 7.  That's when Perth became known as The City of Light.

Perth was originally called Boorloo by the indigenous Noongar people living in the area.  The Noongar are Aboriginal Australians who live in the southwest corner of Western Australia.  

It's interesting that after Dutch navigators charted the northern, Western and southern coasts of Australia during the 1600s, this newly found continent became known as New Holland.  Here's the interesting part.  The name Australia derives from Latin "australis" meaning "southern."  What we know today as Antarctica was known as Terra Australis "South Land."  In 1824, today's Australia took the name.  The term Antarctic refers to the opposite of the Arctic Circle.  The name Arctic comes from the Greek word arktos, meaning "bear."  Anta is synonymous with anti, translating Antarctica as "Opposite Bear."

This raises my interest in the Antarctic.  We'll save that for another day.  

...........The boyfriend is out shopping at WM.  We're having supper guests on Thursday.  In planning our menu, we realized we needed groceries.  Both of us enjoy choosing what foods to make for our guests.  Entertaining is something we have always really enjoyed.  This afternoon we're taking a trolley to tend to business out of town.  My left knee has decided to make itself known by constant aching.  Double drat.  Guess we'll suck it up and call it the pain of the day.  

HANGING COFFINS

 One of my goals is to learn something new every day.  Now that we have the whole world in our hands by way of the world wide web, hey, it's attainable.  Before writing this morning, I thought it would be fun to search for unique cultural traditions.  The one I settled on comes to us from Sagada, Mountain Province, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, south of Taiwan. 

One of the disappearing funeral practices of the Igorot tribe (people of the mountains) on that island are the Hanging Coffins.  In a ritual that dates back 2,000 years, the  Igorot bury their dead in a coffin, nailed to the sides of cliffs high above the ground.  They believe that by moving the bodies of the dead higher up brings them closer to their ancestral spirits.  Plus, they wanted a place where the body would be safe from animals and head hunters.  Years ago, enemies from other provinces hunted for heads and took them home as trophies.

Nowadays, fewer elders want to be buried in this way, as they are Christian.  They want to be able to visit the grave sites of their relatives.  Therefore, the tradition is disappearing.

.......There's a whole lot more to this practice, but a glimpse is really all I need.  It's the idea that was new to me.  We all get wrapped up in our own small space on the planet, we forget that other cultures are looking at life in ways we don't even dream of.  That's the business of every person on the planet having a right to their own opinions, their viewpoints, all coming from a unique perspective and place.  I'll probably never visit what we call a traditional cemetery again without thinking of the coffins hanging on the sides of cliffs on islands far far away.  That's the power one bit of knowledge can have on us.

We had beautiful rain most of yesterday.  Ideal rain that soaked into the ground.  Won't be long the grass will be turning green.  58 degrees predicted for today.  Cloudy again.

WHERE IS TUVALU?

Am up at 5, which is unusually early for me.  Sometimes the deck of life deals out lousy cards, and we just have to do the best we can.  The nice part of restless nights is not having to go to work the next day.  Now, it matters not when I get rest.  But, I am one who believes that good sleep is as necessary as fresh air.

Am thinking that it's time for me to take on another project.  It's that business of keeping the brain so busy that it doesn't have time to worry and fret.  There are unknown (to me) places in the world that I'd like to research, and so my readers will simply have to fasten their seat belts and go along for the ride with me.  I have not personally traveled to far away places, other than the virtual global travel I do on the internet.  

What is the least-visited country?  According to the United Nations Tourism Organization, the remote Pacific island country Tuvalu (formerly known as Ellice Islands) is the least-visited country globally.  

This map gives us an idea where Tuvalu is located midway between Hawaii and Australia in the Pacific Ocean.  It consists of nine small coral islands scattered in a chain over some 420 miles.  Eight of the nine islands of Tuvalu were inhabited.  This explains its name Tuvalu, which means eight standing together in Tuvuluan.  Tuvalu is on the list of islands most likely to disappear into the ocean in the near future due to rising sea levels.  Per reports, two of the nine islands are already on the verge of getting swallowed up by sea-rise.

9 Islands of Tuvalu

Tuvalu is a peaceful and free place...a constitutional parliamentary democracy with no formal political parties.  Approximately 11,000 people live in Tuvalu.  It's the 4th smallest country in the world.  Its economy relies heavily on fishing income, with 42% of its population in various levels of the fishing industry.  Primarily Skipjack Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna and Bigeye Tuna.  The government makes money by exporting dried coconut meat and selling fishing licenses to offshore trawlers.  

The weather in Tuvalu is warm all year around.  The temperature there today is 86 degrees F.  The islands are in the Tropical rain forest climate zone.  Rising sea, king tides and frequent and intense cyclones make it difficult to grow crops.  Rainfall and rainwater harvesting is the primary source of water supply.  

During World War II, several thousand U.S. troops were stationed in Tuvalu.  Beginning in 1942, U.S. forces built airbases on the islands of Funafuti, Nanumea and Nukufetau.

Atoll of Funafuti, Tuvalu with Pacific Ocean to the right,
lagoon to the left.

As one can imagine, rubbish is not easily disposed of here.  All imported non-biodegradable items end up as litter, adding to the massive piles of rubbish at both ends of the island.  There are limited recycling opportunities.

Rubbish Piles

When one thinks of a tropical island, our minds are quick to picture the aquamarine waters, Palm trees waving with the sea breezes, bronzed colored skin and beautiful orchids.  The reality is that everything has an opposite.  Maybe we choose not to see the litter, the refuse, the garbage that is being added to our oceans every single minute.  Nor do we think about water levels rising, leaving countries drowning. 

............Now it's time to keep moving forward with my day.  The boyfriend is up, and we'll be taking a trolley northward to be with the G-clan.  Will take my crocheting along and work on comfort crosses along the way.  I've gotten the nod that the rest home needs more crosses.  

SEVEN-LAYER SALAD

First things first.  I'm a bit late in posting today, cuz other things needed my time.  Important things.

The sun is shining.  The boyfriend went out for some groceries.  We're heading to the G-clan tomorrow, one of our nephew's homes.  I'll be taking a 7-layer lettuce salad.  When I make it, there ends up being more than 7 layers.  First, I break up lettuce in a bowl, chopped green onions, celery, a layer of mayonnaise, then frozen peas, topped with chopped hard boiled eggs, pieces of real bacon, grated cheese.  My secret ingredient is about a Tablespoon of sugar, along with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate overnight.  Then stir right before serving.  Best salad ever to hit the human kingdom!

How 'bout those Iowa basketball players?  They're scheduled to play tomorrow at 3 and we're invited out for noon dinner.  We just might be making a flying trip to be with our biological family and hurrying back to watch the game at Venny.  Sometimes a person just has to spread oneself a bit thin to make things work.  Our nephew is making a deep-fried turkey, and there's no way we aren't going to be present for such a heart-warming invitation.  Our two nephews are two adorable guys, and I'm their mushy auntie.  

Am waiting for the boyfriend to return home before eating lunch.  Asked him to buy a loaf of whole grain bread and olive loaf from the deli.  Slap a slice of cheese with the olive loaf, and that makes a mighty fine sammi.  I offered to make a pizza for supper, but the boyfriend sez he's making fried chicken finished in the oven.  It's a recipe his Gramma used to make where she put evaporated milk on top of the fried chicken and then baked in the oven.  It's way too good.  Chicken thighs are on sale, and we take the bones out.  I'm making myself very hungry.

Ta-ta for today.

ROCKS ALONG THE WAY

Probably the highlight of yesterday's trolley was driving under the canopy of the Barrel Drive-In for lunch.  My favorite is their BBQ sandwich and greasy yummy onion rings.  Trying to eat in the car is a task in itself, but we managed very well.  The boyfriend ordered french fries with his BBQ.  Yup, it felt like there were no years between the 1960s and yesterday, just the two of us going out on a date.....and eating at a drive-in.  As Andy Griffith used to say, "Them's good eats!"

Roads less traveled are the ones we choose to drive on our day trolleys.  We always find something that piques our interest.  Yesterday was no different.  Actually, several times we changed directions so I could take a pic.  Writing a daily post requires fresh ideas, and that's how we go out and find 'em.  

This intriguing rock formation was close to the side of the road.  Sadly, pictures never do Mother Nature justice as to Her beauty and uniqueness.  

By simply noticing that things exist, one stretches the mind's curiosity.  It wants to know how old the rock is, what stages of time it has been through, how the layers formed, how the unusual holes got into the rocks.  If rocks had a voice, what could they tell us?  Our questioning minds would have so much we'd want to ask the structures who have been around for millions of years.  When we think of the human life span being at most 100 years, we are simply drop-ins.  

Then I wonder how many people have driven by this same rock and never saw it.  There's that in life, too.  Growing up, my daddy taught me to be observant of things, and I'm thankful for his insight to life.  When we would drive to gramma's house as kids, we'd look for pheasants along the road, take note of how tall the corn had grown, we'd watch for wildlife, hawks sitting on fence posts, things happening at the moment.  I learned early on that Nature was an open book, with always something new to teach me.  It was a chance for me to see things others didn't.  

When we get to our last day, all we can ask ourselves is:  Did I make the most of my life?  Did I try to see and do that which was within my means?  Was I helpful?  kind?  Did I respect the little animals?  the big animals?  the birds?  the trees?  the flower?  the weeds?  You see, I do not believe in weeds.  Weeds is a label, and I don't like labels.  It's their world, too.   It takes an exercise in silence when others condemn the little yellow dandelion.  Poor little things are miniature suns, but they've been labeled as nuisances.  We cut down the dandelion, then plant yellow flowers in our beds.  Someone explain the sense of that to me.  Maybe I'm a fan of the less-loved, but I'd never apologize for that.  Given the chance to adopt a blend-of-breed dog or a $3,000 pure-bred?  Hands down, I'd choose the blend any day.  I'll choose the one with the sad eyes, the one who needs good old-fashioned love.  The pretty ones will have no problem finding fancy homes.

Today is filled with sunshine.  Snow accumulations in New England have reached up to 24 inches of snow in less than three days.  Power outages make for difficult living following these storms.  We are so very dependent on electricity, and we take it for granted.  Anyway, I know I do.  We fail to realize how blessed we are to only flip a switch for light.  Even candles have been replaced with battery candles, which look like the real deal.  That's the kind we have, mainly because of safety 'specially when we live in a 50-unit complex.  There's no reason for us at our age to have an open flame, simply for the sake of ambiance.  

The stores are selling fresh asparagus.  We used our air fryer to make asparagus bundles wrapped in bacon.  Worked perfectly, took 6 minutes at 375 degrees.  Tasty spring treat.

THE SECRET LIFE OF SUNFLOWERS

We're soon off for a trolley, with errands along the way.  The day is overcast, and would fall under the gloomy category.  33 degrees now, according to my weather app.  Patches of snow out in the field.  The snow that covered our deck has melted.  Every day is like the vintage magic slate.

On eBay I ordered the book 'The Secret Life of Sunflowers' by Marta Molnar.  The author writes, "Johanna Bonger was a real person.  She was married to Theo Van Gogh, Vincent's brother.  In the novel, I tried to stay as close to Johnna's real story as possible.  I pieced together her life from her diary and from letters between Vincent and Theo."   

This book is an ideal way to follow up the study of Van Gogh's works.  The print is easy to read, and I'm chomping at the bit to start reading it.  It's that business of making sure one has something fun to look forward to.  

Thinking about books brings back memories of shopping at Barnes & Noble.  I remember picking out a few books and paying for them with plastic.  That way it didn't hurt as much as if I'd have taken cash out of my billfold.  Ouch!  After parting with most of my beloved books when we moved to Venny, I've changed gears and now buy pre-read books at a far lower cost.  Of course, the covers get cleaned with Clorox wipes.  The Kindle is a wonderful new-age option for reading, but I prefer the book itself.  Books are part of my DNA.

The boyfriend wants to be on the road by 9:30, so best close.   Ta-ta.

APRIL SNOW...I LOVE IT SO

 This a wintry white day where I live, and I'm luvin' it..............

The winds have the tree branches bending and snowflakes swirling through the air.  So so pretty.  

Has anyone been following the YT trial of Chad Daybell, the Doomsday Prophet?  His wife, Lori Daybell Vallow, was found guilty of murdering her two children and sentenced to life in prison without parole.  Now Chad Daybell's trial is on its third day of jury selection.  The judge anticipates the trial to last eight to ten weeks, and will be aired.  Chad is charged with the murders of the two children plus the murder of his wife, Tammy.  Their cult-like religious beliefs (involving zombies) allegedly led to the three murders.  There go eight to ten weeks of my life.......

This morning I gave my olive plant a sip of coffee.  A little coffee bean juice never hurt anyone....that I know of.  A little old lady who lived next to my Mom used to give her blue ribbon African Violets a sip of coffee every day.  She said her girls just loved it!  Funny how a person remembers little things like that and carries them forward.  

It's getting time for me to decide on a topic for our April newsletter.  I'm thinking about putting something together about the two tiny Japanese yarn dolls that were gifted to me.  They were found this March hanging on a cherry tree branch in Tokyo, Japan.  A quick look into Japan's history of dolls has given me a couple ideas.

A total sense of peace shrouds us this beautiful day.  I wish there was a way for me to share the feeling with all parts of the world.  

Till the morrow, ta-ta.

COMFORT CROSS

A phone call this morning took me off course.  One of the nicest gals out here at Venny is dealing with aggressive blood cancer.  Our next-door neighbor called to see if I had a comfort cross, as the other gal is entering hospice.  I had a few crosses crocheted and quickly put one together.  It's heart-wrenching knowing that a friend will hold the cross as she passes away from this world.  

It's snowing, people!  First light rain, then turned to snow.  Wonderful wonderful moisture.  The field across the way is white, as are the boulevards and lawn.  Makes for a perfect stay-at-home day.  

A kettle of homemade turkey soup simmers on the stove.  Incredible how many different meals one can make out of a 15-pound turkey.  That's the benefit of being raised by those who lived through the Great Depression.  The lessons we learned as kids still benefit us today.  The idea of spending less than one earns doesn't resonate with the younger generations.  Paying with plastic takes away the idea of spending wisely.  Back when we took dollar bills out of our billfold to pay for stuff, that's when we realized how much we were spending.  That was back when the dinosaurs roamed around with us, right?

IT'S APRIL

IT happened at 12:15 a.m. this morning.  

Both of us were engaged in our individual laptop interests.  The boyfriend got up from his couch recliner, and I asked if he was going to bed.  He thought so, and walked the few steps to our sliding glass deck doors.  The parking lot is lit by two lights, and that's when he said he noticed something outside.  I didn't pay much attention until he said that it kinda looked like a little bear.  Holy Moses, I love little bears, and I flew out of my couch recliner to see it.  Nothing.  I could see no movement, nothing.  I asked where he saw it exactly, and that's when he said, "Maybe it was an April Fool's joke!"  

Our marriage has lasted over fifty years now, and every frickin' year he gets me.  He waited for midnight when March passed the torch to April, and at 12:15 he nailed me cuz he knew my brain was over in an Iranian bakery making barbari bread.  Caught me totally off guard.  Yup, I uttered an expletive that I won't repeat and gave him a new name, as well.  

You know what he said to me when we were both back in our recliners????  "I just absolutely love doing that to you!"  So, there you have it.  

......Welcome April.  True to form, the sky is sprinkling down raindrops.  It's the day after entertaining dinner guests, so the fridge is rich with leftovers.  Neither of us needs to worry about what to make for supper.  Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sauerkraut, bacon wrapped asparagus, cranberries and the old-fashioned sunshine salad with fruit cocktail, mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits, bananas all mixed with a box of dry instant vanilla pudding. 

Our Easter guests were the perfect pair for a good time.  We invited another Venny gal over, but she had other plans.  However, she did pop over in the afternoon for a beer.  Oh, I forgot, we served both red and white wine, too.

Now that I got whacked with an April Fool's prank, I can think about the next day to celebrate......Mother's Day in May and then Memorial Day.  Unless, of course, we want to celebrate English Muffin Day on April 23rd. 

Looks like there's negative weather forecasts from Texas to Virginia.  The news media scares the bejeezus out of us with their 50% chance of sunshine or 50% mass destruction.  Isn't it ironic that we have fact-finder websites while we're fed daily doses of fake news?  Honestly, when it comes to the news, I personally am quite skeptical and don't know what to believe anymore.  Maybe that's why my turtle-mode is so inviting.

Best go do my three daily word puzzles.  My brain is restless thinking about all the food in the fridge.  Think this will be a high-calorie day, and that's just fine by me.  If we're fortunate enough to have food on our table, then we'd best enjoy it and stop attaching guilt to something as critical as eating.

Ta-ta till the morrow.