New Year's Eve & Beyond

Here's what happens when you don't take Riley with you when you go out for an early New Year's Eve dinner.  Our daughter stopped in to drop off something on her way home from work and found this.  What WAS a paperback book.  As usual, Riley did an excellent job of it.  Thank goodness the hardback library books were safely tucked into the couch cushions.  We learn from our mistakes.

New Year's Day I was at the retail job (I am hoping this is holiday pay).  Riley and G did get a short walk in after driving me to work and we gave Riley the second "new bone" to chew on during the afternoon.  So he was sufficiently "exercised" and not interested in chewing more books.   It is COLD here in Maine.  Like 2 degrees with wind.  Not dog walking weather.  It was amazing how many people are still shopping.  Still buying.  Makes me tired just remembering it. Mostly from out of state.  NY, MA, NJ, CN, NH.  But there are plenty of Mainers who are shopping as well.  I am wondering if there is anything I actually "need" as my employment and discount come to an end.

Today I found some more letters in the newspaper for the collection of cut out letters growing under my placemat  (keeps them from blowing off the table).  I use them to add captions to the pages of my journal.  All the letters are really large--the smallest are an inch tall.  And I scored some 2.5 inch ones this morning.  And some that were printed in colored inks.

I try and keep myself "engaged" with these little exercises.  I am really easily entertained.  Now, as soon as I find my glue stick (which is missing) I can start adding captions to pages.  Hey! just found a glue stick.  Not the "one" I am missing but another.  Good enough.

I was going through my overstuffed recipe box ( 4 by 6 index cards) and found five or six interesting recipes.  G and I agreed to take one card to the store next time we need food and buy the ingredients and make the recipe on the card.   The recipe I was looking for was Texas Caviar.  For the black-eyed peas.   I think I can make two dishes (or three) with the pound of peas I cooked.  Caviar, peas in bacon and Rotel sauce and pea patties.

I even looked through the new Johnny's Seed catalog (day off! ) and found starts for sweet potatoes and pelleted carrot seeds.  For the garden.  In a few months.  They even had seeds for black eyed peas.  Cowpeas. I wonder if that's because they had black and white cows??  The peas are white with black eyes.

Tonight we are having Italian sausages, fried potatoes and if G goes to the store, cucumbers in sour cream.  I just mentioned it--so he and Riley are going.  I like cucumbers in sour cream.

That's today's post.  Not exciting news, but it will take me a bit to get back up to speed.  I loved getting all your comments on the last post.  Made my day to find emails in my box.  Thanks!!!