Daily Notes- February 28th- REAL Slow Start Monday.

 I can't remember if this already was here as the Daily Picture.  This soup is a chunky lentil from Veganista's blog.  She stopped sending to me for awhile there and then came back.  I don't do the vegan thing but I do vegetarian.  Click on the picture and it might take you to the blog.  

She did have this "cream sauce" made from soaked cashews and water in the Vitamix.  Was great.  I added it to my Carrot Soup and Wow- it was great.  Which reminds me that I haven't fired up the Vitamix in YEARS.

I made pasta sauce.   But this time....I dug around in the freezer and found roasted Sungold cherry tomatoes- thawed them out and mixed it into the hot drained pasta.  The Sungold tomatoes have tons of pectin. They were from 2018 but had been roasted, cooled and packed without air and frozen (by me).  I'm still alive- so okay.  It's very creamy and delicious.  Making we wish I had continued to grow them in my back garden.

But that thought was cut short.  My Monday visit to Library and Grocery were very difficult today.  My breathing wasn't great.  I have a Pulmonary exam coming up.  After I finish this post, I am going to read or just sit and rest.  Stock up some energy.  For the next outing to get my hair cut on Thursday. My chest feels a bit like my heart didn't enjoy the difficult breathing.  But it also could have just been that I was too warm.  Too warm makes me feel "not so good" these days.  Dizzy.  Summer is couch time with AC.

Store had my Oatmeal. They didn't have my decaf teabags (Lipton) so I got the store brand.  I'll just add more sugar.  No desserts.  One bag of low fat/low salt potato chips. My cheat treat.

I did two loads of laundry yesterday.  Second one was all pants and heavy cotton sweaters.  This week- I have bedsheets etc to do.  I wasn't interested in doing three loads. Maybe Friday. That's all.

Daily Notes- Sunday February 27th- The Incredible Snow/Ice Storm was nothing. Poof.

 The snow came and went. Sidewalks and drive are clean and dry.  Husband went out late afternoon yesterday and cleaned it all up.  Much Ado About Nothing.  

My eyes are very tired.  Good thing February is almost done.  Too much reading.  I have to take a break and find other occupation.  House Cleaning has been suggested.  Some men never learn when to keep opinions to themselves.

I have only two empty squares left on my desk calendar but the open expanse of five days after the 28th..must be filled as well. I think.  I might check the other calendars.  But a wide blank in not something I can live with.

I get my haircut on Thursday.  I really need a haircut.

Husband is getting ready to take a nap. 12:25.  Wow.

I am tempted to retire to the kitchen and chop vegetables and make either soup or an easy vegetable pasta sauce.  One pot.  One knife.  One spoon. I haven't had a decent meal in what feels like weeks. Like all the way back to Thanksgiving when I made all those side dishes and no Turkey.  That's a really long time not to have made an actual meal- well, soup is an actual meal.  I was thinking of making Lentil Soup.

I noticed I had dry lentils in the rapidly emptying pantry.  I also have black beans.  I have a recipe for Black Bean Bisque.  So.........I guess I'm making soup.  Some kind of soup. Or not.  As just contemplating soup is not making me hungry.  Pasta?  What I actually want is cheese and crackers but I have no crackers. and I have never MADE crackers.  It's not good being me today.  Perhaps a nap??????

Daily Notes- Saturday, February 26th. It snowed all day yesterday. Sunshine today.

Sigh.  I seem to have touched the wrong buttons.  So we have center.  The colors up top are in Solidarity with Ukraine.  My ancestors come from land nearby.  They all look like relatives of mine. (I fixed it)

I was surprised to read that the Russian soldiers invading are shocked (and crying) to actually be invading and being shot at, killed or captured. (no communication?)  Ukraine has a strong military.  I guess that Putin didn't know that? The news report also mentioned (and had photos) burnt bodies in Russian military tanks and trucks. In large amounts. Two large transport planes coming from Russia were shot down and..no one survived.

I saw a news report of men lined up to pick up weapons and ammunition.  Old guys in overcoats. Reminding me of my grandfather.  He would have filled his coat pockets with bullets and gone right in to the fight. Possibly drunk but...still he would have gone in.

I have not watched the news- just read the morning papers.  I only saw photos of the burned vehicles while looking for the flag.  

In other news...the Pilfered White House Papers found in Trump's Florida Bathroom.

Maine has lifted the mask mandate even with over 1000 new cases of COVID each day.  Maine is 78% vaccinated.  I don't know if that is true.  We got two packages of Rapid Test Kits in the mail this week.

I watched two Hallmark Movies yesterday.  The Sports guys were debating having a Nap Room in the new building the Radio Station is moving into.  Is a nap 15 minutes or longer?  Husband had just settled himself onto the couch for a good four hour "nap" so I had an example right in front of me of "not a 15 minute nap".  Husband had gotten bored with coloring and didn't want to read.  So...a nap.

I wish I could nap.  I am not even a good night sleeper.  Always on alert.  Born that way.

Daily Notes Number 3791- Cold. Freezing Cold and it's Snowing. Yesterday we had green grass.

 The next cloth I paint will be all circles.  Like this.  this is not mine- click and image will take you back to source.  I have no way to keep the names straight.  This image is to remind me.

My pants from Goodwill are here. Along with daughter's taxes. Which means I need to get ours ready to go.  At least I'm not doing them myself anymore.

I also went into the Attic and dumped a few stragglers into another storage container and brought the empty one downstairs.  My ottoman now has only a basic container of hand sewing supplies and four drawing journals.  Drawing pencils.  I got back and forth between pencil and paper and cloth.  And at times, I draw on cloth with pencil or pen.

I actually want to just go paint on fabric right now and not even finish this post. Start painting.  I have to let the fabric absorb and dry a bit...so the painting part takes a full day or two or three.  It's not a quick thing.  Like a pencil sketch is.  Fabric- time wise- is between the two forms of expression.  Slow to fast.

I also have a project to figure out.  Daughter bought a packaged risotto ready to eat (empty package) and wants me to construct a new one using the ingredient list and make something exactly like it.  Yep. Have any of you out there ever done something like this?????

Eaten a packaged (add water cook and eat) food and then wanted to try and recreate it??? If so...let me know what you did and what you learned and how it turned out.  The packaged rice- was it precooked or not- this is the question.  I am thinking of just making the spice dry stuff package and letting daughter cook rice and then add the seasoning.  Simpler.  Doable???

Well, I'm cold.  It's freezing here in Maine.  Everything is BLINDING WHITE outside.  Husband is taking his nap (he got up early)-  he'll sleep till 4 pm or later.  He does that when he's bored with nothing to do.  Sleeps. Must be nice.  I read.  And I am ambivalent about doing a load of laundry.  The laundry room/bathroom is freezing cold because of the drier vent being open.........

Daily Notes Number 3790. Sunshine. Was 60 yesterday. Is 20 degrees today.

 Wild buttons.  Nothing like these in my Old Grandmother Button Tin.   Small sized ones like those big red ones.  Would look super cute on the red sweater I am wearing.  I can dream. And I would need six really small ones.

Daughter called from Goodwill. I am getting a new pair of corduroy pants.  Navy. I don't have navy in my collection of Goodwill Pants. LLBean with that fantastic invention- the sliding elastic waistband. Can't wait.  Daughter thinks someone died...or moved to assisted living.....an ABUNDANCE of LLBean clothing at Goodwill.  The "good stuff" as daughter described it.  She found gardening pants. Very happy.

I had my mixed chopped vegetable salad yesterday for supper.  I bought two- one serving tubs on Tuesday.  Chopped carrot, broccoli and other vegetables-in a coleslaw type dressing.  Has seeds in it as well. And raisins.  Other than the dressing- quite healthy.  I ate it while listening to the afternoon Sports Show regale us with the 2 week "treatment"  Quarterback Rodgers endured this month.  Look it up.  I am not writing about it here.

Sports was not interesting.  They talked baseball.  I loved baseball as a child and even into my teens. Current baseball....like watching paint dry.  So so boring. So boring. As the guy on the show said- well, he screamed--just throw the damn ball!!!!!!! Get the game moving.

My book yesterday was First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel.  I had also read her first book Trouble with Hating You.  I already know who is the lead in book three.  Making a guess- will see in a year or two if I am correct.  These books aren't all fluff and romance.  They deal with serious hurtful issues. But the romance is great.  Oh, to have waited around for a man who would cook for me........next Life.

Book today is 99 Percent Mine for the second or third or tenth time- I've lost count..  Sally Thorne. Once more before I have to take it back.  February Romance Book Month is coming to an end.  Sigh.  Book begins with the guy being only one percent hers. Each time I read a book- it's different.  I'm different. Does that happen to any of you???

Daily Notes- Wednesday, February 23. Rained last night. Side yard ponds (ditches) are FULL

 Patchwork Pony.  Five Large Birds and Five Small Birds. Five Trees.  Blue Dotted Sky.  

Power flicker and then went out.  After midnight.  I was reading.  Then I was doing remedial work on the computer getting it going again.  I remembered how.....which still amazes me. Regenerated Brain Cells.

Reading a book titled Love At First.  Kate Clayborn. She also wrote Love Lettering.  Both books are favorites.  This time...the words Love at First. I seem to have forgotten that point.  

You learn to love...by who you love at first. Or who loves you at first.  Family.  Friends etc.  And that is how you see yourself loved.  Or not loved.  A heartbreaking concept.  I'll let you move around in your own circumstances and figure it out.  

In mine, I hardly felt any love.  And once we moved away from my grandparents.  None at all. So how does one learn to love with little or no love at first?

This post will be short.  I've cried enough already this morning to last a few months.  I'm not sad. I'm not depressed.  I guess I just have a backlog of tears to get rid off.  And my nose is running--- got to find a tissue.  Wow...late start to the day and husband has already gone to the couch for a long nap. I offered to do the washing of the breakfast dishes.  Which I will do now.  Have a good day- tell someone you love them.

Daily Notes- Tuesday February 2-22-2022 @ 2:22

 Chicken- check.  Polka Dots- check.   Black and white stripe legs- check.  I love the X and O also.

So.  40 degrees here and Some Weather coming our way.  Wind, Rain, Ice, Snow.  Good Times. I'm good with it all except for Wind.  We got some tall, sick trees here in Maine.  They are usually right next to power poles.  Hardly any underground power- cause- it's more fun this way. 

We did: Post office.  Library.  Bank (drive thru as it's not open to public).  Grocery.  Big Day.

No oatmeal (but I have enough). But they had everything else.  I splurged- bought Post its.  I'm worth it. Yogurt was another thing- they had so much...but nothing I buy and want to eat.

I wrote some stuff about the pants I had on--- wrong pants- I gave up on the tight ones and now have on a pair of men's cord pants that daughter got at Goodwill and waist is just fine.  I was thinking of adding some v-shaped segments to the waist of the tight pants.........lasted about 5 minutes.  Then changed my pants.  Another pair of pants is ALWAYS the best solution.  Helps to have a variety of sizes in the closet. Goodwill Shopping leads to a large selection.  Short and long pant legs also. I tend to like buying petite. Yes! And I am NOT petite at 5 foot 6 inches.  Still.  My backbones haven't caved as yet.  I don't mind showing a bit of ankle and socks.  Which is why I love stripe and dotted socks.  But don't have any.

So.....I picked up a reserved book for me.  Got husband two off the 7 days shelf.  Authors he loves. Got a bunch of the Chicken Dinners for him and ZERO desserts.  He's off dessert.  

I was cleaning out the fridge- the door shelving which gets ignored-- so I tossed expired mustard, ketchup and ranch dressing.  Every previous fridge i have owned was SUPER easy to wash and clean.  This one- take the shelves out (if you can which mostly you can't)- They don't go back in.  Drawers don't slide back in.  It makes me scream. Literally. So the fridge is really really NOT SPARKLING CLEAN.  I wipe.  I wipe and wipe. Sigh...not the same.  So... now that we know that food will eventually return to the grocery shelves.......I don't need to stock up.  The fridge can revert to half empty.  

And I don't need bread so much that I need to bake it myself..... We were pretty CRAZY in the beginning of Covid Year One.  Year Three?  Not so much.

Daily Notes- February 21st- George Washington's Birthday. Cherry pie

 For years, but not YEARS, I baked or purchased cherry pie on George's birthday.  One VERY memorable pie was from Whole Foods.  Expensive.  Delicious.  Never saw one for sale again.  Dreamed of that pie. I then subbed in those triangular frozen turnovers that one baked in the oven.  Cherry. But those are gone as well.  I actually liked those very much.

One visit from my son early on in the 30 or 40 years here- we baked Cherry Pie.  Together.  He and I enjoy cooking together and trading techniques and tips.  It would be great fun to do that once a month, together.  But he's in California.  And we are as far apart as family can be- one edge of America and the other edge of America.

He can see the Pacific and we can see the Atlantic.

I moved furniture and vacuumed the living section of the house.  Now I am resting.  Then I might tackle the sleeping side of the house.  Dust and cobwebs everywhere.  It's been quite a while since I did this work.  Procrastination.  Today.......I decided enough dust.....

We both had showers this morning.  Clean clothes.  The laundry basket if overflowing.  I smell nice. I keep sniffing myself.  Smelling nice.

My hair feels so silky.  Clean.  In the Summer I wash it everyday.  Changing summer clothes each day is easier- lighter loads of wash.  Winter Clothes are tedious and heavy. Winter feels Tedious.

I have written Ann Cleeves on my book card- index- that I take to the library with me.  I have read two books about a policeman- Connie recommended them to me- and I liked the way they were written.  It's not a series my library carries so must be ordered "from away".  My library gets rid of older books.  The shelving is half empty.  Not many new books are purchased.  When I want to re-read the older Louise Penny books I have to borrow them from all the other Maine Libraries.  Our Library used to have them...not anymore.  And the newest books are always from the 7 day shelving.  And when that is returned...we don't see the books anymore and need to borrow them from somewhere else.

I just finished Devon Daniels "Meet You in the Middle".  Washington DC.  Two aides to Senators. A romance of sorts: Like Pride and Prejudice.  Both stuck with prejudice regarding the politics of the other. Very much a book of the here and now on the news everyday.  A love story.  One of the best of them.

Daily Notes- February 20th- Sunshine, Cold (19) with Snow On The Way

 Daughter is going to buy me plastic bins for the cloth.  But (until that happens) the stuff in the dining room fell on the floor- tired of waiting- either to be used as additional borders  for work pinned to the wall or..........anyway, now it's on the ottoman where I read and watch tv.  That area is so loaded with cloth and works in progress that I am having flashbacks to my Father's ottomans.  Loaded down with shifting piles of books, newspaper and bags of potato chips. A Learned Behavior if there was ever one.

We won't discuss my very small cramped sewing room.  We won't.  Hard to even find the carpet on the floor.

So...Curling is finished.  Now what???? I watched all the Vera episodes I recorded off PBS (public tv) and TiVo missed the final 5 minutes of every one of them.  Which I think is actual PBS's fault.  Fund Raising.

Husband has been suffering from sudden severe headaches for the past few days. Taking Excedrin and sleeping all day and night.  I looked up side effects for his Memory Drug- after 2 weeks- "some" developed severe headaches.  I took the pills out of his pill dispenser- exactly 2 weeks into his use of them..  Two days later- very mild headaches.  Today- none.  I'd say that is pretty good info. There was no mention of the headaches going away once they began.  Can you imagine an older person taking this drug- alone or with an impaired spouse?  Suffering so much pain.  And not understanding why.  

And to use the word "some" because you are such assholes that saying a percentage might hurt your earnings????  That's like saying "some" people may die taking any number of drugs.  Which translates to "some" people DID die.  They know how many.  A trial has a specified number of people.  So you can do percentages.  Not SOME people.

So...that's my temper tantrum for the day.  Possibly the month.  We'll see how things go.

Daily Notes- Saturday, February 19th

 Now this image reminds me of the Math Department Hallway Bulletin board 1979 in Bolingbrook, Illinois .  My Supervisor- Chairwoman of the Math Dept in the High School where I was a certified Teacher's Aide...asked me to make one of these.  It was wider and taller than me with outstretched arms.  I used a small step ladder. I was wearing a skirt or dress and stockings or dress pants and heels.

First I had to use string (diameter) to make the circle with a chalk line.  String end nailed into center of the wall. Then pound in like a thousand nails- after calculating the correct number of nails for the circumference.  Yes.  I am astounded by this.  I actually did this. Math.  In a dress or skirt and heels.

While young "men" from 14 to 18 stopped by to admire the work and my rear end.  Verbally.  I think this was something that was okay at the Time.  I had certainly taken verbal abuse from adult "men" in Florida previous to the move to Illinois.  I wore my wedding ring on my middle finger. (I'd lost a lot of weight)

The circle was huge.  And then I used white yarn and assorted colored string- I don't remember what I bought at the local hardware store-- and made all these connections that you see here (needing to make more circles and pound more nails).  The design on the Math Dept Wall- that any other Department Head could see walking by- "open concept"  was stunning........that was the whole idea.  The Math Department Head was wanting that.  An image of Mathematics being "stunning".

Well, that was a lovely trip down memory lane. 

I also wrote down all the topics discussed on the Sports Show yesterday.  Stink Bugs. Lead Paint. Broken Back Injury of the photographer at the Super Bowl and video of Stafford turning his back on the accident after watching her fall (now paying her medical bills- NOT saving him from criticism), Woodpeckers.  Married at First Sight show. Also several call ins from bars with drunk dialed Sports info.  All the topics related to Scott Zolak's insect and woodpecker house siding problems. Not Stafford or Married at First Sight- that was Bertrand.  And you wondered why I watch.   There was also a Giant Sturgeon. It either washed up on shore or attacked someone.  Might have been one of the bar callers.  Men are so entertaining.-- and they had pictures of Sturgeon.  Not the same one that attacked someone. Ick.

Daily Notes- February 18th. Melting Snow. Sunshine.

 Curling.  Almost the entire day.  This is my tabletop curling game.  The little "stones" have rolling balls under them.  So they roll down and "hit" the others in the circle.  I was showing husband how it works. He thought it was "stupid".  The red ones outside the circle are "guards" to hopefully block stones from getting into the scoring circle..  At this point, it looks like the aqua team might have three points.  If the lower left stone has enough of a "bite" of the inside circle.  The red might have the same "bite" so they would have to get the electronic measuring device out. If red is in more- one point for the red team. No points for aqua.  I wish the stones were red and yellow like in the real games. Trademark issue, I guess.

The real stones weigh 40 pounds.  And they sit in below freezing temps for 70 hours before the games begin.  The white surface is frozen ice with a pebbled surface so the stones slide over top.

Today is the last Curling Day I believe.  Then it's over for another 4 years.

My left eyelid itches.  Allergy.  I must have eaten too much of something yesterday and set it off.  Or rubbed my eye with something on my hand.  Which my eyelid didn't like.  Fun times, being me.

I finished the vegetable soup yesterday.  I am thinking about what to make next for today.  Another, Different Soup (black bean bisque)?  A Vegetable Pasta?  A Romaine and Swiss sandwich?  Kraft Mac and Cheese? Or Steamed Jasmine Rice with Frozen Green Peas?  I don't think any of the choices has much protein. Possibly the sandwich which has cheese?????  I could also eat a big handful of walnuts.  Or make pancakes with lots of butter and syrup.  I try NOT to make the Pancakes.  I am the Poster Child for the Unhealthy Way to Not Eat (too many) Animal Products.  With exception of Cheese, Milk and Butter- where no died. I will admit to the animals not having a "Happy Life" no matter what the packaging on the products says.

Are you bored to death yet?  I am.

My book yesterday was The Lost Letters of William Woolf by Helen Cullen.  If anyone has read this book comment- I am left wondering who William Woolf ended up with.  The author sort of left it hanging-- right on the last page of the book.

Daily Notes-- February 17th. A Cloudy Dark Morning in the 40's. Melting.

 The Ice melts and create puddles of water during the day.  At night, it freezes to shiny slippery ice again.  The Moon shines into the windows.  Keeping me awake.  One night I got up and the entire front yard was bright as day light.  The Moon shining off the snow.  The Night World.

My brain is still "sleep fogged" and the dreams of last night are still on the edges of my consciousness.  I can't remember them...but they still exist.

What will I do today?  I ask that every morning.  What will I do today.  When I worked the morning question was easier- what will I wear today?  what food will I take to work for lunchtime? Once I got to work...there were no questions.  Just work.  Life was simple.

Now Life is complicated by so many hours and too many choices.  I think it's why I read so much.  Then I do not need to make choices.  The consideration of choices takes up so much "room" in a day's thoughts. Do I mend pants? Do I sweep up dust on the wood floors?  Do I wash just a few dishes or wait till there is more?  Do I do the Washing Machine Pages and a load of husband's work clothing?  There seems to be many changes of work clothing.  What has he done???  Chopping ice on the driveway is the only work I have seen.

I have noticed the seat of the cherished and very old mossy green corduroy pants has grown smooth.  No longer the corduroy feel of ridges.  What will I do without them?  I have long hoped that the pants and I would co-exist together.  To the end.  The new Bean pants are not like these and the old pants do not show up at Goodwill anymore.  These might be over 20 years old.  Bought, by me, already old and worn.

Daily Notes- Wednesday, February 16th. Overcast, Ice

 Library books to pickup.  And two smooth skinned Navel Oranges at grocery. Beauties. Also a box of kitchen can garbage bags--husband says we're out..

I had a bad start to the day.  Yesterday I read Josie Silver's One Day in December.  About a young woman who is very sad one December and is on the top level of a London bus when it stops to let out and pick up riders and she makes eye contact with a young man sitting in the shelter waiting for a bus.  There is an instantaneous "something" that they both feel.  She wonders if she should get off the bus and he wonders if he should get on.....then the bus drives off.  Somewhere in the middle I realized this was a book I had read before and forgotten to write into my book journal.  It's incredibly good and very sad.  It actually doesn't go very well for either Busgirl or Busboy but in the very last few pages.... what was that thing Paul Harvey used to say? ...and here's the rest of the story covering ten years? Or something like that.  It's a good book.  But you will cry. I did. But that's a good thing...flushes things out of the soul. I cried this morning remembering it.

I checked out two more books about Regret.  Jane In Love and Kinsella's Twenties Girl.  Jane Austin time Travels and in Twenties Girl a ghost haunts her great granddaughter.. to find her lost necklace. After all the Romance, I need a bit of Regret.  

The USA Men's Curling team will not be playing for Gold. All it took was one stupid decision and that was it--Italy will pay for Gold..  Law and Order is starting over with Season One.  I watched for awhile. Several of the  paid cable networks are having a "One Month Free Trial"-- Prime and AMC.  Prime has all the Masterpiece Romances and AMC has Mad Men.  Tempting but so little actual Time for watching marathon tv.

We didn't have Football Pizza with the Super Bowl as it was on too late.  So we are having Pizza today. Probably.  I never really know what's going to happen at mealtime.  Husband has decided to stop eating dessert.  I suggested a smaller bowl of dessert ...as a try out while the dessert box is still  FULL.

Daily Notes- February 15th- Sunshine here is blinding- but 20 degrees so still Winter.

 Saw these chairs on a "certain website" and shocked to find they are $899 each.  Not including shipping and handling.  There's a perfect desk table as well.  And a dining table.  I didn't price those items.

Sticker Shock.  Would be similar to buying a new car. If one was getting 8 or 10 of these.  This ONE would look grand in my bedroom- matching the pencil post bed.  Holding my laundry. In Future years I could sit in it and try to get my feet into my shoes or slippers.  One would never be enough. 

This chair expresses my personality.  100%.  Wide seat.  No nonsense.  Classic.  Strong back.  

We celebrated the Valentine Holiday by going to the grocery to pick up my inhaler prescription. Co- pay was $120.  Three months of being able to breathe.   Good enough.  Then the Library.

People (men) watching at the grocery.  Walking in and then standing in front of the red rose bouquet display.  And selecting and then in line paying. One guy- got two.  Lead me to having "thoughts", hoping one was for his mother (but probably not).  Daughter was at work wrapping candy gifts all day and eating the not so perfect gigantic strawberries which were not going to be dipped in chocolate and drizzled with pink and red tinted white chocolate.  She is still in the Leaky Gut Protocol so no chocolate for her.  Just defective berries.  She said they were tasty.

More cards have arrived at their destinations.  I wish I had made more.  Next time I will use a larger piece of cloth to paint.  Then I'll have more.

Tampa Bay called.  Old friends from South Florida (then Ireland, then Germany, then France, then Italy, then North Carolina, then Florida).  We've know each other a long long time as husbands worked in Europe with mine.  Then a second call as an old friend from Italy was visiting her and they asked me if I was the one...and I admitted to breaking the washing machine and buying fancy sheets but nothing else in the Rome Apartment.  She remembered me as blonde-  And the phone ended quickly after that.

Good Times.

Daily Notes- February 14th- Happy Valentine's Day

 Well.  Super Bowl Sunday is in the rear view mirror.  The Bengals very very nearly got their rings but the Rams...well a throw to Cooper Kupp in the end zone ended that dream.  I was actually okay with either team winning.  And the Rams were all crying they were so happy.  Odell got a ring. No one broke any bones though I worry about the Burrow's knee and Odell's knee.

The commercials were way better than usual but some were still so weird........I noticed a real Hollywood vibe. We skipped Football Pizza as it was so late by the time the game started.  I'll make it today and it will be Valentine Pizza.

Daughter is aggravated because of the Valentine shoppers at the Candy Factory.  I hope she calms down before we get to Easter.  She counts the days before Spring Cleanup and she is back to landscaping work. And no People.  Customer People.  Her father and I always enjoyed Customer Service Work.  Not our children. 

At the Greenhouse I always had a line waiting to talk to me.  It never stressed me out.  I guess I'm weird? I know my boss was often confused by my calm attitude.  I sort of thought of all the question answering as being "not working" so there was that.

Will be a quiet day here- still lots of frozen solid snow on the ground.  Grocery store and Library and then back home.  I might buy myself some flowers. If there are any good ones left at the grocery store.  

Wishing you all a  Be Happy Day.

Daily Notes- Sunday February 13th- Super Bowl Pizza

 Scrap Cloth from the edges of the Valentine painted fabric.  And a gift that arrived in yesterday's mail- which husband carried in with the Sunday Paper.  Thank you.  It will be in EVERY book from now on.

I hate wasting anything.  So I spent time while watching Women's Curling to puzzle together the scraps I had removed from the Valentine painted cloth.  I like it. This is version 300 something. I added black pen lines around the white dots.  Now I just need to do some zigzag on it with red thread...see how it goes.  I'll remove the zig zag if it doesn't work- and I am considering a lime green thread......lots of choices in the box of "as yet" unused thread.  I was quite into glow in the dark thread......wow.

I thawed out the ball of pizza dough for the Football today.  But it seems like the game is going to go on for years instead of hours.  So.......when to eat pizza will have to be decided.........

My eyes are exhausted.  I need to rest them after applying moisturizing drops.  I get my eyes checked in March and will more than likely get a new prescription. though now I realized the close lens is actually quite clear,  It's the reading the desk top screen that isn't clear.  the light outside is incredibly bright and hurts my eyes.  Glare off the snow.  The driveway gets Sun so it's black now.  Up near the house (shade) is an ice rink.

I enjoyed my gigantic lettuce and cheese sandwich yesterday.  I always forget how much.....  I might just serve my pizza slices with a huge pile of Romaine later today.

That's all I have for today.  I slept well, but wish I was the napping sort.......a nice nap would be divine.

Daily Notes- Saturday, February 12th. Cloudy with a chance of 50 degrees.

 Art by a film illustrator.  Children's movies are so colorful and fun.  I did like Bugs Bunny and the Roadrunner in the Olden Days and the Glorious old Sleeping Beauty movie..

The Curling continues to disappoint.  I"d really like Mixed Double Doubles.  Two men and two women on a team. The Teams are just so disappointing- for me and for themselves--making so many mistakes.  And a few of the teams look like they fell out of bed minutes before the match begins- not even showering or fixing their hair.  Jet Lag- difficulty with the accommodations????  Haggard faces.  Dull eyes.  

My Sports Talk Shows- they are ragging on the Bengals.  You know I don't care for that.  

And I seem to have a rash on my eyelids.  Which is not a great start to the weekend.  Usually it's an allergy or I rubbed my eyes with something on my hands that the skin doesn't like.

I am pretty SURE it's from STRESS.

Husband asked if I had White Out to cover a mistake on his coloring book page.  I said no.  I have never used  or purchased White Out.  He kept looking...... then as I walked past like 10 minutes later he asks "Do you have any White Out?"  I inquired but he had no memory of asking me twice......so a perfect day.....

I still haven't made myself a dessert. I feel inert.  I did reheat a bowl of vegetable soup for my late lunch/early supper yesterday after the White Out Incidents..  Today- to celebrate it being 50 degrees, I am having a gigantic Swiss and Romaine Lettuce Sandwich.  Big as my Head.  Well, not really.  But lots of Romaine.  And some Benadryl.  Not a good day.

Daily Notes- Friday, February 11th. Sunshine but driveway still ice covered.

 

One can dream, can't one?  Of Sunshine and Insects?

We had a good day yesterday.  Nothing much happening.  Which is fine.  Some good laughs on the Sports Shows...which is why I watch.  I enjoy a good laugh.  G did excellent work on his coloring book Mandela. It even had added worms along the outside edges. Hand drawn by him. I was impressed.

I am noticing and thinking about some green spotted cloth I have and that little sort of Patchworky bottom section of image up top.  I adore dotted fabric.  I like the wonky look.  And I, of course, like the big circle.  Ideas are rolling around inside my head. I could also try and paint this stripe and dot combo.  I have another piece of cloth in the restaurant sized baking sheet.  Waiting.

I may bake today.  Dee sent me the recipe for the GORGEOUS Irish Soda Bread on her blog.  It's easy enough to get together and into the oven. No yeast involved.  I used to make a more intensive (work wise) Irish Soda Bread with whiskey soaked raisins.  It took "planning" and that isn't my "wheel house" these days.  I sort of drift into things.  And if I drift into a stoppage- I tend to stop and drift over to something else.  No plan in place. But I do have to work on making a substitute buttermilk for the recipe.  I am thinking there is some sort of dairy in the fridge that has gone "past" it's use by date and is nicely sour.

I did a  washload of white and light colors.  It's still drying.  Then I will fold and put away.  The Washing Machine Pages got a bit dark towards the end so I decided not to do a second load of wash.  We'll have clean underwear.  Clean pillow cases.  Clean shirts.  Clean pajamas.  Clean socks.  Clean dishtowels. I call that a "good result" and will go down soon and fold everything before it wrinkles.  That's it for today.

Daily Notes- February 10th- 40 degrees but that means water on top of packed snow.

 Hellebore.  Winter Rose.  I have some growing in my south facing beds.  They bloom in May here in Maine. Ground is frozen solid now.  But not this color.  Which is divine.  Ancient looking.

Well....three chicken dinners in the fridge makes husband very nervous- so out we went to grocery and library (I had a book to pick up); five more chicken dinners, a few more yogurts and lo and behold- Quaker Oats.  The big box.  Which is great.  BUT.....I mixed the store brand oats and the Quaker this morning- half and half- and it was actually okay.  Edible.  Which is in the oatmeal ballpark.

I tried to watch Men's Curling yesterday starting at 5pm.  Four men on each side.  I liked mixed doubles way way better.  So much talking and yelling with the men and two guys brushing one stone......much ado about nothing.  And...none of them were good to look at.  Mostly older, fatter, with way terrible hair on their heads and faces.  Give me that 6-6 Italian.  Please!!!  He wasn't that great looking but so much better than these old guys.  And he was quiet.  I am seriously GOOD with no yelling. 

ROC is the Russian Olympic Committee (white shirts).  It is also the Republic Of China (red shirts).

Book Reading..  This is going exceptionally well.  I'm glad I saved up all my favorites for February.  And I have time with due dates to go through them all a second time before they get returned. Short Month.

I delivered the last of my Valentines today.  And got one in the mail yesterday.  And I discovered I have Easter Cards. Super. (I have a dresser drawer filled with cards but most are not holiday cards). I did NOT go to post office to buy Valentine Stamps- I used up some other stamps.  I am putting Christmas Stamps on bills.  The walking areas and steps of the post office put me off of going there in person.  Snowy and icy spots.  Traffic. Busy Street.  I'll wait.

Year Three of COVID.  Who would have thought it, huh????  The Gift That Keeps On Giving.

Daily Notes- Wednesday, February 9th. Sunshine.

 I took this picture yesterday.  It's the very first change I made to the new house in December of 1991. I added a door between the kitchen and what was once the dining room- now where I write to you and sit on the couch and read and watch tv.  I took the picture while sitting on the couch.

Yesterday, the Gold/Silver medal Doubles Curling Game between Sweden and Italy.  I had tears in my eyes (why???) when the last Italian stone slid quietly, smoothly and perfectly-into a just barely there pocket for the win.  The Italians- in their first Doubles event ever- had won all ten of their matches.  And Gold.

And another thing.  In the Curling matches there is always screaming while one team member brushes the stone down the course to the circles.  That never happened with the Italians.  The 22  year old woman never did any sweeping.  Her 6 foot 6 male partner did- while listening to her quiet voice murmuring- "bella...bella...bella" and other encouraging words in Italian as the stone slides and then turns and then stops gently into the center of the center.  Again. And Again.  And Again.

The American curler doing commentary- was often speechless.  But when that last gently thrown stone slid into a pocket just the size of the stone itself....he said "perfection".  And. it was.

I am ever so thankful I got to watch.  Husband is safely home from his doctor's appointment and is now going to the back of the house to take a nap.  He was up early.  I have Men's Doubles to watch today. Too many of today's games with ROC and I am wanting to find out what country that is.

Daily Notes- This year I will hit 3800 posts. Not as cold. no Sun, melting slush.

 I'm not much for vegetables and dips.  I liked this image because all the vegetables look so darned delicious.  I have missed radishes.  I always have carrot sticks around. I am looking forward to pea pods.

Husband left early to drive to the hospital to have a "breathing test".  Tomorrow he sees the Lung Doctor. He sees a lot of doctors. He went by himself.  We'll see how that worked out. I may or may not go with him tomorrow. It's a long drive.

Curling was great yesterday - The Italian Team won..  Today they have the finals to see if they can win GOLD..  Don't want to miss that. And I read my book.  99 Percent Mine.  Sally Thorne.  She wrote the Hating Game.  And another book on my pile- Second First Impressions.  I love them all.  But Second First Impressions --I would have to choose it if given only one book of hers.  Teddy.  

So, yesterday...during Curling (TiVo has playback so I can rewind) I chopped vegetables. Potatoes, carrots, onion and cabbage.  Added canned rinsed beans and canned diced tomato.  Chicken bouillon cubes. (I can't find vegetable ones), salt and pepper.  A handful of elbow macaroni.  Water.  It's delicious.  I have three full quarts in the fridge with enough left in the pot to fill a bowl to eat while watching tv.  I also had bread and butter.  I hope they have escarole next shopping day- I actually want Bean and Escarole Soup.

I have one more load of laundry to do today- mostly husband's clothing he wore while snow blowing. And I might untangle the vacuum hose and vacuum a room- maybe two. (but I say that all the time and never actually do it).

Daily Notes- Monday. Washing Machine Pages/Grocery/Reading No Sunshine.

 Permission was given for this image to be here today.  Deb Lacativa's Artful Thread.  She dyes it on the Hot Deck in Georgia. I use it in Maine. What she said okay to was the Golden Bird Scissors.  We both love the ones we own and use. We should start a Golden Bird Scissor's Club.  Deb can be President and I'll be Recording Secretary.

I mailed the Valentines.  I am now considering something green for St Patrick's Day.  I enjoyed painting the fabric.  A lot.  I forget, most days....years...that painting is my first love.  Not drawing or sewing or cloth.  Painting.  Well, I do enjoy Conte Crayon work as well.  But Paint. Brush. Paper.  Love that.

And now I paint Cloth.  And I love cutting the painted cloth up and using it for patchwork or just sewing it down- sort of like a painting.  I have one that I did long ago.  It's very nice. I REALLY love ironing painted cloth when its dried.  So..so wonderful

I sewed the painted fabric hearts to card stock with a zigzag stitch on the Bernina.  I liked doing that as well. Miss Bernina, not so much.....

Today was deja vu at the grocery.  Right back to those first 60 days of COVID.  No oatmeal.  Yogurt and Dairy shelves almost empty.  No zero alcohol mouthwash.  Zero. And zero regular mouthwash- just like two years ago.....  

Plenty of vegetables and meat.  And I think bread was okay as well.  Washing Clothes Detergent shelves mostly bare. I didn't go down the flour and sugar aisle so no clue as to how that is........I got an extra jar of instant coffee--I know how how this story goes..  

Husband sent me into the storage box part of the Attic- he wanted turtleneck pullovers.  He forgot he "hated" them and we got rid of them.  But I did my due diligence and looked in all the tubs. .... which was a good thing.  I found a too small red cashmere sweater- as a donor for mending and a grey one and a black one.  In perfect condition but too small for me to wear.  I am thinking......how to cut them up to assemble a new sweater.  Larger.  We just need to find the ski neck gators and he can wear those.

Daily Notes- February 6th. Sunshine isn't Melting Anything Here In Maine

 Seriously thinking about painting my socks and shoes.

I painted fabric two days ago.  Cut it up.  Made Valentine cards.  Some of you (with addresses I know) will be getting one of them if the Postal Service decides to deliver them.  I also have bills to pay. Other wise one will be here on screen on the Day.

And I have soup vegetables to chop.  

Watched Mixed Doubles Curling yesterday.  Three matches.  The Czech team beat the Americans at the end.  Damn.  But it was good.  More Curling today.  Can't get enough of it.  Like playing Checkers or Chess with Rocks on Ice.

Husband thought that enough snow on surface had melted so he's out with the snowblower shaving off a few inches and then the under stuff can see the Sun and melt???? That's his plan at least.  Husband investigated his dessert storage tub yesterday and found all sorts of new to him dessert items- he was very very happy.  Most of it Pink and Red frosted Valentine stuff.  But- Frosting!!!!!

Maine seems to have a shortage of Quaker Oats. My walking buddy dropped off a box to tide me over. Thank you Janet.  I also might have to try the store brand but I think I did try it at the beginning of Pandemic years ago, it seems.  Was a bit too sludgy.  I do have Cream of Wheat.  I like that. So it's all good.  Well, the snow blower stopped so I need to investigate.  Hope I don't need to become Nurse Joanne.

Daily Notes- Saturday, February 5th- Posting Late I forgot!!!!!

 I painted cloth yesterday.  For a Special Project.  Which I got done this afternoon.  Will go into the mail on Monday.  And I had a second cloth under this one- so I might make something else tomorrow.  Not today.  Watching Curling today.  Love Curling.  China v USA.

Delightful long phone chat with my sister-in-law in Wisconsin. We compared weather stories.  Whatever was on the ground early yesterday is now solid on the driveway and walks.  No hope of getting any of it up. Kathy also mentioned our Mother-in Law's Chicken Soup.  I had to laugh.  She refused to do what MIL did and throw away all the vegetables except for carrot.  I let my husband do whatever he wanted with his chicken soup as I don't eat it.  He eats "strained" broth,  carrots and chicken picked off the bones with noodles cooked separately.. No onion. No celery. No "things" floating in broth.  We laughed.

I had a problem with the pencil sharpener.  Husband had dropped pencils on the floor and they all needed to be re-sharpened.  Took awhile.  But I finally got it going.  I think some lead got stuck in the mechanics. Took much maneuvering to get it working.  I was tempted to say, out loud, "we need to buy an electric sharpener".  Husband would have had his coat on in less that 5 seconds.

It feels really chilly in here today.  And I am cold.  I am also hungry so as soon as husband has his Chicken Parm heated up I am going to heat up my last bowl of vegetable bean soup.  And I am going to think about what soup to make next.  I was going to make Bean & Escarole last week but no escarole.  I might make Lentil & Potato next.  Get a hunk of baked ham at the grocery on Monday to cook with the lentils.  I don't consider ham as meat.....I am such a weirdo.  Or just make the same Bean & Vegetable, again.  Which sounds okay to me.

Daily Notes- Thursday February 3rd. Cloudy with a chance of everything.

 Mending.  For some reason my left elbow on the red sweater was several large holes with slim connecting threads holding them together.  I had no red donor sweater so I cut a piece from the donor black sweater. I had no red yarn so I used a variegated blue and white.  You can see some evidence of another red patch. And center top- some of the black peeking out.  I am looking at this and wondering why no black is showing...............makes no sense.  I have the sweater on and the left sleeve feels very stabile.  Good to go.  What usually happens- is the adjoining areas- either from fatigue or jealousy- gives out-- and needs their own patch/mending. Another Mending Mystery. Possibly the sweater had stretched at the holes and the patching brought them together again???? that's how it looks.  Didn't really matter that the patch was black. Much ado about nothing.

One of the grey sweaters is now mostly mending.  Two layers with heavy mending stitching.  A double layer sweater.  Still my favorite.  Always my favorite.  Same with one very very thin pair of corduroy pants.  85% patch.  Just a waistband and zipper holding the patches together. Oh, the pockets are in good shape as well.  All is well in the World when I wear those pants- I wore them to almost see through thinness. Now the inside is new-the outside old.  Like me?????  My skin is very thin and old.

The neighbor down the street who helped with the snow removal on the weekend- received his thank you candy yesterday.  And he reported in to say it was the All Time Best Candy Gift of his Life.  Daughter and I remembered him mentioning-- off hand, years ago- what his favorite was.  We got that. Lots of that.

That's how we roll.

I had soup yesterday.  It was even better than the last bowl a few days ago.  Soup seems to get better in the fridge.

Most of the desserts are done.  We ate them all.  It's time for me to bake something.  Cookies? Or the Boozie Christmas Bundt?  I never made it for Christmas.  Don't know.  Let you know tomorrow if any baking happens today. Husband is probably getting worried as his box of treats is pretty empty.

No sunshine and we have alerts on the iPhones.  Something.   Always Something.

Daily Notes- February 2nd. Cold here with clouds. I miss the cold Sun.

 Pictorial Cooking Instructions.

My two children- well, perhaps only the boy- would have loved this.  When they were small, before reading.  Yes, the boy.  Three or Four years old.  While he was learning to read- by calling out letters and then asking what the word meant  (he wanted a definition suitable to 3 or 4 years of Life experience- OMG was that difficult for me) and then asked me to use it.  Make a sentence.  Then he would stare at me...then say- "okay".  He'd downloaded it.

We might have started this game earlier- at 3.  Because he was reading actual books by 5.

I didn't have Soup yesterday.  I had yogurt, Bran Buds and Red Grapefruit.  Even though it was ice cold food being eaten with snow and ice outside the windows.  I needed to finish it.  Just a small portion left for today.  Then I move back to Soup.

Brady has retired.  How will that feel going forward????  Who steps up to take his place?  Will anyone, ever?  The Sports Talking Heads are having a week.  First backtracking on the Bengals Trash Talk prior to the game.  Then the excuses for Mahomes failure on Sunday (going swiftly to blaming him for everything and linking him to Rodgers as another "failure" to get to the Super Bowl.)- And then...they had a rather tedious Jimmy G back and forth and then the Rams quarterback got worked over.  They even wondered if the Patriots will take him back--Jimmy G.--thought I'd much prefer the Rams quarterback in Boston if he brings Cooper with him.

I switched to a Hallmark Movie.  And then I turned that off and read my book- same book I read all the time as I love it (Summer and the Mayor).  I finished it right before bed and now I get to read the next one.  I need to order my own copies from the bookstore here in Town.  

I also used the Croatian photo copier to copy Mandala coloring book pages for husband.  He's using ink now and it bleeds thru and ruins the backside blank mandala.  He was sort of surprised at the quality of paper I had used for the copies.  Lovely.  Thick paper and ultra smooth surface. Because I do do nice things for him. I also sent him off to have his hearing aids checked with a note from me.  Service people and Doctors he sees frequently-- always ask if he has a note... if he's traveling alone. They prefer I come with him but.....I try to always go to doctor appointments but not the hearing aid place.  Though I have gone often enough that they miss seeing me.

We'd just inserted a new $80 black ink cartridge (before the machine went Croatian) so I am happy to use it up in a machine that can only make copies but cannot communicate with the computer.  Or it could be the computer that can't...won't....just doesn't want to......I'll save up enough ink to make IRS copies.  Because that Time....is near. But I'll use the ordinary paper for that.  I think I could look up and translate the other commands on the printer........I did translate "copy".   Or not.

Daily Notes- Tuesday, February First. Sunshine & Snow.

 For those of you wondering what I am reading.  The first of the Sonali Dev books has Persuasian in the title.  Read them in order as the characters each have stories and out of order ruins them.  My favorite is the last of the Dev books.  Incense. There should be one more coming soon as there are four adult children in the Raje family.  The Trouble with Hating You was different.  Not your usual funny book about the family.  This one had hard subjects but strong characters.  Another has been written and I am going online to find a library that has it. Eventually, all the "girlfriends" will get their own love story. Fabulously weird "meet cute" at the beginning.

My Library is carrying many new "brown" authors in this very very non-brown State. Possibly the "whitest" State in the Union.  And we are also being offered books on relationships between same sex couples. I am enjoying ALL of it.  And I am thankful to our Librarians. Very much so. We all might be different in many ways...but inside...we are all part of the same humanity..

In the mail yesterday, a postal package with leftover sock yarn.  I used the pale pink and aqua yarn to mend 6 different holes in my favorite grey sweater.  I was going to take a picture for today- but you'll have to wait for tomorrow.  And todays' red sweater has three enormous holes.  So that is on my schedule for the next mending day.  I have to decide on grey or black for the patches as I do NOT have a donor in red.

Thank You Paula!!!  I used your yarn leftovers to mend socks the first time and now sweaters.

I had SOUP for supper last night and this particular pot of Pantry Soup (Dee!!) was more delicious than all the ones that went before.  How can that always be the case?  I am having Soup again today. I watched a PBS cooking show I had recorded with Chicken Paprikash (which my grandmother made often).  And I learned that a massive influx of immigrants came to America in the late 1800's and settled in Cleveland, Ohio.  My grandparents and their brothers and sisters included in that massive amount..  Some of the brothers and sisters later moved to Pennsylvania or  New York State. My grandparents and my grandmother's sister and her family stayed in Cleveland. I saw their names on a census record living in the same two family house.