§ To Blog or Not to Blog...

Let me begin with a bit of humor!
I need it!!!

I haven't been blogging for a while. Nor much of anything. A bit of winter depression has set in over the last week, and being outdoors seeing all the winter kill of our 'tropical' plants just sets me in a foul mood! And I have been trying to avoid the Chinese Spy Balloon news...wondering if this was really legit...so many questions arose while reading news online from several sources. Why on earth, if it was a spy balloon, did it take so long for the USA to shoot it down?!! Another thougt came across my mind was that China owns a lot of land in Montana...did they actually launch it from THERE or was it really a weather balloon. Waiting forever to blow it out of the sky while all along China is collecting info through the onboard computer?!!? I just can't get myself to trust our OWN government any more.

I've actually taken my word of not doing any interior painting for the past week or so. I am still recouping from back pain and kinks in my neck. LOL That's my excuse and I'm sticking by it!

This past week, little, disruptive of a day, tasks were in order:

pulling weeds

getting my driver's license renewed since it expires on my birthday, the 9th of February, it's good until 2031!

making a pot of baked beans from scratch [a day's job]

grocery shopping for the month

reading

a little decorating around the house for Valentine's Day

catching up on laundry

walking in the park

online jigsaw puzzles

dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing, etc.

watching the series 1883

...things like that!

I have gone, and did a small limited time of, walking. It finally warmed up on Sunday, near 80 degrees [F] as it should be here...but another wintry cold snap is predicted. Went around the flower beds and even in the lawn and pulled thistle Sunday enjoying the sunshine. Tried to watch the Pro Bowl Flag Football...what a waste of time money and effort televising THAT!

Went to the bookstore and picked up my ordered book [cheaper going through the bookstore than ordering from amazon!] This book I've been searching the shelves at the store for some time now, and not finding it...finally ordered it....the book? Well, a memoir of a Holocaust survivor and her CAT!!! I've only read about 6 chapters, but it will, I think, become a page turner. What can go wrong with an added guardian angel feline?!!!

The incredible true story of a young girl who navigated dangerous forests, outwitted Nazi soldiers, and survived against all odds with the companionship of a stray cat. Growing up in the Polish village of Tarnogrod on the fringes of a deep pine forest, Mala Szorer had the happiest childhood she could have hoped for. But at the age of twelve, as the German invasion begins...
read more of the synopsis HERE

PS...at the park, looking for birds, I spied the very first Texas Bluebonnet for the season!!!

Be like a flower waiting to bloom despite winds and storms.
~Anne Nolette Andre

§ What's on YOUR Menu?

I was craving Mexican food. I didn't feel like cooking. In all honesty I was craving restaurant-stlye frijoles [refried beans]. I convinced Bud to get out of his chair and drop the cellphone, go shave, change clothes, and be ready for me to take "him" out to lunch! What convinced him to move was the promise of a margarita and a shaker of salt! We got there, ordered, and I was soon satisfied with my craving and then some! We both ordered the chille relleno *pronounced ree EN oh* [deep fried pablona pepper stuffed with cheese], a pork enchilada, served with refried beans and Mexican rice! While waiting for the meal to be served we snacked on warm corn chips and their famous [bottled at stores too] salsa as we sipped on our margaritas. I was full when our plates were licked clean, and waddled out of the diner to slowly make it to the book store behind the establishment. Just to walk off some of the food. We purposely parked the car some distance from where the bookstore is and the restaurant [a shady spot] to also get some fat burning steps in before we made our way home! Delicious!!

I'm in the process of making my family favorite salad. Potato salad. I plan on making enough to have it last the two of us for three days. Tonight, the menu will be just two courses, with dessert being the 3rd course. lol We'll have HLTs [ham, lettuce and tomato] sandwiches with the salad and then, strawberry short cake with angel food cake. And sugar free cool whip. Both of us actually like the no sugar best and we've tried them all!! So that works for the day.

I am gonna take out pork loin for tomorrow. Have BBQ pork and potato salad again. Little work involved for the weekend. Hope it will last a couple of days to finish off the leftovers with BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and tossed salad.

Since this post starts off with food, I want to share these pictures also. For it being 'out of season' for freshly grown strawberries, when I went to the Farmer's market Friday morning, they had 2 quarts of these lucious looking berries for $4! That's like buying one quart and getting the 2nd one free comparing the price of the supermarket!! Couldn't resist 'em, and got 'em home, cleaned and ready to serve! Did I mention how sweet they were?

I found a newly published book that I bought...BOOTH {the Booth family associated with Lincoln's assassination}. A favorite subject of mine.

§ This and That....

I had a session with a chiropractor on Tuesday. As you know I try to do a lot of walking per suggestion of my cardiologist years ago. Lately, I have experienced a LOT of pain around my right hip!! At times, after walking, I couldn't even reach to close the car door without nearly screaming in agony. And I don't consider myself a whimp. I normally can deal with what I experience. I'm sure I will be returning for several appointments [and doing the exercises she showed me to do 3 times a day] to alleviate my misaligned pelvic bone on my right side!! Ugh.  But when the alternative is drugs and/or surgery, and this routine works, I definitely will opt for it instead.

I will finish out my yard flowers that I started in previous post...
These are my cactus blossoms on the patio


I mentioned one of my favorite flowers for South Texas is the Duranta bush. Reason? It's purple and the winter berries attract birds. This far south the cool colored flowers [blue and purple] don't thrive. Maybe that is why bluebonnets are such a favored flower with the Texans...


Lastly today, my amaryllis. Yes, they are planted in the ground, and thankfully didn't freeze!




- - - -

This is the book I'm reading at the moment...

The Elephant of Belfast tells the tender and harrowing story of a young female zookeeper and the elephant, and what they endure together during the German blitz of Belfast. The novel speaks the tragedy of the times, but also to the ongoing sectarian tensions that still exist in Northern Ireland today. In October 1940, the reader meets twenty-year-old zookeeper Hettie Quin when Violet, a three-year-old elephant, arrives at the Belfast docks from Ceylon. Soon, she becomes Violet’s dedicated zookeeper at the Bellevue Zoo. After the recent loss of her beloved older sister and the abandonment of her father, Hettie finds contentment in her care of Violet and work with her fellow zookeepers. Six months later, in April 1941, Belfast is attacked. One evening, over five hours, 674 bombs are dropped and almost a thousand civilians were killed. During the bombings, Hettie Quin fights to save her elephant and survive the destruction and escalating sectarian unrest of the city. Inspired by the true story of Denise Austin

A few asked in my recent comment section to share a photo of the new kitchen faucet. Why? I dunno. But since inquiring minds wanna know, here it is...

The brand is a Mohen [is that how it's spelled?]

I took a short drive to Packery Channel to see what the traffic was like. Not bad. Saw a very pretty sunrise over the causeway. But, I didn't stay away from home long as I had a promise to keep at home...

Then, I was out helping Bud trim all the crepe myrtle bushes in our front yard to get rid of the seed pods from last Fall. So, I took my cellphone and snapped a couple of photos of some bushes that are blooming now in our yard. So many [mainly the hibiscus] got frozen again this winter...two years in a row. And they were just coming out of the shock this past autumn, froze again, and I don't know if they'll come back. My hybrid hibiscus [the mini blossom, varigated leaves] has a lot of new spring growth. For which I am very happy. And the Tombstone Rose [Lady Banks] is beginning to bloom profusely...I'll get a photo of that too in a bit. For now, two I share...the gardenia's first blossom for the season, and the plant called "Mexican Fire Bush"...

My newest book to read is a twist on the assassination of the Lincoln conspiracy; a subject that has held my interest for decades. The author claims to be a distant relative of JWB, and he is proposing that perhaps John Wilkes Booth was NOT the one captured outside of Washington D C, but an accomplice. And that Booth lived under an assumed name. I am interested in how this comes about, the author's facts, the perhaps new evidence that could possibly be feasible. I doubt it, but I guess anything is possible. Especially if you consider today's times and how our government "covers up" many events to appease the American people. I will tell you want I think when I finish the book. Truth or "Fake News"?

To make a long story, short, for weeks I've been looking for Isaiah's favorite toy. The "tail" has long been chewed off and thrown away, but the ears still remain. He has played with this from day one when we brought him home after adopting him. But it disappeared. For good, I thought. Then, dusting the venitian blinds behind the entertainment center...there it was!! Trust me it's as small as it looks! Perhaps an inch and a half...two inches tops. I was pleased to find it, but not as much as El Diablo [aka Isaiah].

After quite a bit of yard work and picking up around the house, indoors, I was ready for a nice hot shower and a quiet evening with TV on and watching a new FBI on CBS. But first, hot BBQ pork sandwiches, home made potato salad, tossed salad and carrot cake for desert. By now, all clean and spiffy and ready for an hour or two of reading after watching TV, I will don my sleep shirt...

I don't give a rat's A$$
It's just how I feel these days.

§ Busy...Kinda Sorta

I've been keeping busy. Birding, finishing up the Halloween packing, putting out the little bits of Autumn/Thanksgiving, weeding the back yard, taking short trips in search of shatterproof BROWN tree ornaments [I saw them last year, but couldn't remember where. I found 'em! At Hobby Lobby], a small amount of birding and even smaller amount of walking. I also ordered a Halloween themed metal sign that had MY NAME on it so to speak. You see, I saw it on The Cranky Crow's blog and went out on Amazon. Found it. Ordered it. According to the seller's tracker, it will be arriving on Friday. I also received a book [I ordered it from Barnes and Noble...cheaper by about $10. Amazon charges an arm and a leg for shipping and handling these days plus tax as Barnes and Noble doesn't charge but tax.] It was delivered, and I read a few chapters already. Can't wait to get deep into the first of the promised trilogy. It's by the author who wrote the best seller WICKED which is now a Broadway musical. Wicked series of his books, I have them all. This one, "The Brides of Maracoor" is about the girl with green skin...Elphaba's granddaughter. Elphaba, for those who don't know, is the wicked witch of the west in Wicked [wizard of oz]. Also, I was glued to FOX Sports this past week for the World Series. Of course, I was rootin' for Houston for the pennant, but wasn't all that disappointed that the Braves won. At least it was a Southern team instead of the east and west coast this year. Let's see, what else? Oh ya, Bud and I set up our jig saw puzzle table for a few weeks. We will tear it down again just before the company comes for Christmas. Cold weather has set in for a while...cold for US. Today as I type this up the wind is strong, had a few raindrops fall and the temp is not supposed to get above 50°. That's downright bone chilling cold for here. If you don't live here, I could compare our temp to the northern side of USA to about 30-35°. Seriously. I know, I grew up in Colorado where the winters are below freezing for days/weeks. This cold is a whole lot different. Anyway, since I'm typing this up on Thursday afternoon to publish tomorrow morning, I best get back to doing chores. I think I'll make some hot steamy potato soup with crusty bread, salad, and for dessert warm apple crisp sounds good.

One more thing, I'll share what little I have for Thanksgiving decor in my next post.

 

Gregory Maguire Wizard of Oz books for adults:
The Wicked Years
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995)

This is the book that started it all! The basis for the smash hit Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Gregory Maguire's breathtaking New York Times bestseller Wicked views the land of Oz, its inhabitants, its Wizard, and the Emerald City, through a darker and greener (not rosier) lens. Brilliantly inventive, Wicked offers us a radical new evaluation of one of the most feared and hated characters in all of literature: the much maligned Wicked Witch of the West who, as Maguire tells us, wasn’t nearly as Wicked as we imagined.

Son of a Witch (2005)
A Lion Among Men (2008)
Out of Oz (2011)

Bestselling author Gregory Maguire’s remarkable series, The Wicked Years, comes full circle with this, his fourth and final excursion across a darker, richer, more complex landscape of “the magical land of Oz.” Out of Oz brilliantly reimagines L. Frank Baum’s world over the rainbow as wracked with social unrest—placing Glinda the good witch under house arrest and having the cowardly Lion on the lam from the law as the Emerald City prepares to make war on Munchkinland. Even Dorothy makes a triumphant return in Maguire’s magnificent Oz finale—tying up every loose green end of the series he began with his classic Wicked