§ Hold Your Horses EveryBuddy!!...

In my previous post I mentioned the Botanical Gardens and their gift shop...

..."I did good! Found a cute little trinket, was sorely tempted to buy it but didn't. I walked out, and called it a day.

....the saga continues another day tho. Stay tuned."

And most responded with comments such as a few I share here:

1. Good for you for not buying anything!! :)

2. Wow, good for you to make it out of the place with money in your pocket.

3. Good for you resisting a little trinket!

4. Good for you that you were able to hold off the temptation to buy. My resistance doesn't always prevail. :-)

And one actually is a kindred spirit!!----

5. Am I the only one who is sorry you didn't buy the pretty little trinket? It would have been a reminder of your lovely day.

As I said...the saga continues...

A few days after I attended the Plant Sale, I took a leisurely drive in the morning around the Ranch land outside the outskirts of the city. It was nice to get away from traffic and noise of city life! Peaceful, quiet. Now, to be honest here, for those previous days before the drive, I was kicking myself in the rear end for NOT buying the trinket!!! Seriously!!! When I told Bud about the cute item, he said to me: "Why didn't you buy it? It's probably gone now!" So, on the way back home, the gardens are NOT out of the way. I drive right past it to get home. When the car got close to the entrance, I swear the car veered off to the left turn lane all on its own, and I ended up at the shop's front door! After all, they don't call a vehicle "automatic" for nothing! Yippee...

It was still there. Of course, ol' Anni, the sucker that she is, purchased it with a membership discount [my pocket change magically jumped onto the sales counter]. My car winked at me as I exited! We were both delighted. Now, granted, it's NOT HUGE [fits in the palm of my hand!]. So no clutter, right? That's what it whispered to me when I got home, placed it on the table, and smiled to each other!!  It's cut crystal.

_ _ _ _

Thursday evening into Friday all day and early Saturday morning we had some heavy rain, and misty intervals with our weather. I stayed home and during the times of boredom, I got out my cellphone and opened my app for jigsaw puzzles. I did a couple over the two days of wet outside, dry inside...

Jigsawscapes Phone App
It's a free app
Hundreds to choose from and many categories!!

§ Here, There, This and That...

Some years ago, I attempted to paint some rocks [called kindness rocks] to hide along some of the pathways [hide in plain sight] for others to find. There is usually a picture depiction on the top side with a kind word or passage on the back side. Well, the one time I did, I did three stones and that was the end of that. I also painted another rock to make it look like an alligator [or some thought a dinosaur] head. I shared it here a couple years ago, but looking through my post labels I can't seem to find it. [addendum: Found it! Photo of rock HERE, and the others in post HERE] Well, a few weeks back when it was still too hot to be outdoors, I started another stone to paint. I finished it finally...

I have a couple other ones in mind, but I have to find the "just right" stone.

I mentioned ordering a metal sign that is "me" through and through. It arrived on Friday as promised. It was hung on the kitchen wall for permanent display before the day was out...

For Sunday dessert I finally used up all the apples that we bought at a roadside stand. We had a peck of tart cooking apples. I made apple crisp the other day [I froze some of it]. And then while watching football games we dined on warm apple pie a la mode! Thing is the pie played a nasty trick on me. I would guess what apples were left totaled about 3 pounds. I used them all! Yep, you guessed it. The filling over-flowed in the oven while baking. Now I have an oven to clean. Oh, goodie. [self cleaning it is, but when it's done the cycle, I still have to scrap out the ash. I'm retired. That shouldn't have to be. Ohh-h-h-h Bud? Hmmmm, he seems to have disappeared!! Guess it's up to me to clean the ash...even if I did find him, I wouldn't be able to convince him the pie was baked for HIM.

With my heart health issues, I don't wanna be unprotected if I happen to have to make a trip to the ER. So, this weekend I also got a booster shot for Covid. What harm can it do? I know there are breakthrough cases reported, and the mandates are unconstitutional; but for me personally, it's playing it safe. Bud, the aged one has yet to make an appointment. He says he will, but that remains to be seen. Anywho....we went out to dinner afterward just 'cause I thought I deserved it being punched in the arm and all. The pain in the arm? Guaranteed I'll milk it all it's worth to get out of cooking! We went Mexican. A yummy LARGE margarita and Chili Rellenos!

It was delicious. And yes, my margarita has no salt on the rim....ordered that way by me. Again, with heart disease, I don't need MORE salt.

One more thing, then I'll let you go [if you're still here with me]...we finished the jigsaw puzzle Monday. And tore that one up to take to the senior center and started another one. This time instead of 750 pieces, it's 1000.

§ 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

§ I have no title to describe this eclectic piece....

 This is just photos of our last few days with a small explanation to go with it all...

One of my patio potted pink hibiscus.


My car has to have a bit of bling too!  Even rhinestones [I haven't found a good bird decal yet, so I settled for a transparent butterfly].

This puzzle, Texas Bluebonnet Sunrise, was very easy!  Tho, when I opened the box to dump the pieces on the puzzle table, I was shocked to see each piece cut exactly the same as ALL.  I've never seen anything like it before, and I was sure it'd take a long time.  But, honestly, this was one of the easiest puzzles to work that we've had.  We  have three more jigsaws waiting to be put together...one, Cleopatra [art], T-Rex, and the Colorado Maroon Belles [mountains].

After making a huge pot of Chili Verde  [green chili] for dinner last night, I had to make me something special...a banana split with -sugar free frozen yogurt, sugar free caramel sauce and pecans.

Caughtcha!!!  He is up on the counter and looks guilty doesn't he?  He knows he's not supposed to be up there, breaking things....but hey, he's a cat.  Their nature!!

I've now finished 28 pansies for the afghan.  TONS more to go.

 * * *

To end this post I feel I must explain myself from yesterday. Most were okay with what I posted, yet...I was NOT trying to infuriate anyone with my rant as was posted in a comment.  None of my words were directed to ANYONE  in particular, and I would never call anyone on it. Let me explain further...Long ago, I was a tutor for Spanish I in Colorado; helping students learn to speak Spanish [and read it] properly. So, in turn, when I hear someone mispronouncing so many of Texas' cities [mostly with Mexican/Spanish names], etc. I am always gritting my teeth. Especially since this state is historically Mexico, and population for the majority shows it. I was not intentionally trying to compare NORTH to SOUTH pronunciations in the English Language...only the Spanish [and pointing out one German surname] speaking instances I hear so very often. And I realize there is more than one dialect in all states, and my words/names used yesterday were TEXAS Americanizing the Spanish Language...it's was just me voicing my opinion. As with peCON and peCAN, the same is, for instance, ColoRADo and ColoRAHdo... Sorry to step on anyone's toes. That was NOT my intention, just blogging about my thoughts on the subject.

§ Artwork Puzzle...

Bud, I [and Ella] finished one of the three jigsaw puzzles we have on hand. It took us about a week's time, off and on during the days. Did I mention that jigsaw puzzles are very scarce these days in stores? I know I can do them online, but I am still 'old school' enough to enjoy the hands-on type. This one is a pretty one, and there is something I found in it when I was checking the poster [what I call an idiot's cheat sheet]. I will share the 'find' in a bit.

Here is our helper, but she got bored quickly and left to take a long nap...

...and the finished puzzle still left on the puzzle table [top image in the series below is the 'idiot's cheat sheet'], before we tore it apart and packed it away to begin a new one for next week.

Then, as mentioned above, while making use of where a certain piece would fit, I really searched close and with a detective's eye. I spotted something that neither Bud nor I saw the whole time we worked on it. There seems [at least to me] a hidden object in the picture. Like a Bev Doolittle painting!! [she's one of my favorite artists!] Do you see it? Look closely. I notice another donkey [or perhaps a mule?]  Look above the horse's eye and harness...one of its ears is also another ear of the mule.  See the eye of the mule and the nose and other ear to the right?  Or is it my imagination gone amok?

§ A Little Elfen Magic....

LOL...how many times, when the temps were soaring into the triple digits, did I mumble "I can't wait for cooler weather"? Well, two days of dark, damp, and hovering near the freezing mark in chill factor...I'm ready for some sunshine. The gray blanket that has been overhead makes for very boring days. Long days!! I got both computers cleaned out, updated. Read. Cleaned the kitchen cupboards out. Vacuumed. Finished our last puzzle for the month [shown above] and tore down the puzzle table to prepare for Erik's long weekend visit on Thanksgiving in the extra room for his daybed. Which I have yet to set up. Listened to CDs of my favorite soprano, Barbara Bonney.  I played her rendition of Ave Maria [linked by her name] so many times, Bud was ready to move out ... Watched a couple of movies. Made two new headers for my blogs' Christmas theme. Listened to it rain. Hearing the wind blow outdoors. If I wanted to bundle up and put on layers, I could've ventured outdoors and walked. I just wasn't up to getting chilled to the bone with that wind stinging my face and reaching my innards where it'd take a couple of shots of tequila to warm up after I got back inside. So, I stayed indoors. Bored. I even tried to think about putting up Christmas decorations. Nope. Not yet. I talked myself out of that too. There's still plenty of time....AFTER Turkey Day.

I found some photos to share here for this post. An eclectic grouping again. But, share them I will before I delete them for good....

Around here, especially during the spring and autumn months, when you see cattle, what is following them? Well, usually...

....cattle egrets, of course!

Question for you...is there a chain fast food restaurant, Popeye's, in your area? And with the media, all the hoopla of their now famous and highly sought after Classic Chicken Sandwich? Have you tried them? Did your Popeye's run out of them...has there been rumbles and chaos like the news tells us? Long lines that block traffic in and out nearby? Or is that "fake" news. A come-on gimmick to have the human nature take over and people WANTING them at all costs? I personally think it's an advertising ploy. But that's my opinion. Guess what? Bud and I had to try them after Google news was kind enough to let us know the sandwich was back on the menu after a long awaited absence! Wasn't that nice of Google? My opinion? They're certainly delicious. HEAVY on the fat and cholesterol for sure...quite lethal in fact. One we'll not have again even tho they are mighty tasty, Southern, deep fat fried to perfection, and colossal in size. Trust me, there isn't enough exercising in the universe to work that off. I tried!!!

One more thing before I let you go.  I spoke of Christmas a few minutes ago.  Y'all know I have collected Santa Clauses for nearly 50 years.  I have now hundreds.  But, anymore, it's getting harder and harder to find any that are 'different' from those I have.  Walking around Hobby Lobby the other day, I saw a very CUTE porcelain faced Elf.  All decked out in gold Lame and Red velvet.  Some in satin.  Cute as the Dicken's they were.  I bought one.  In fact, I bought two.  On my cellphone I have a permanent 40% coupon for Hobby Lobby.  I used that.  Then, I thought "Oh my goodness!  I have no room to store these in the house!"  What was I thinking?   I went to Home Goods [T J Maxx outlet] and bought a 3rd one....

....Wait for decorating? Bah Humbug. They're sitting pretty on the couch and entertainment center proudly. But, where am I gonna store them after the holidays? Maybe staying home and inclement weather IS GOOD after all. No shopping.

§ Tomorrow is Yesterday's Today

As Scarlet in Gone With the Wind stated, I'll think about that tomorrow!  And the song lyrics, Oh Let's Forget About Tomorrow, for Tomorrow Never Comes....

It's been a stress filled week for me and Bud...

First, my nephew of 53 had a heart attack at work.  He's okay now, had a stent placed in one clogged artery.  That's way too young.  Then, I had an appointment with my cardiologist.  The staff always reminds me to get there 15 minutes early to check in, pay the co-pay and WAIT.  I got in the examining room and waited for the doctor, and waited and waited.  OVER two hours!!!  By the time I got home I had been gone for nearly 3 hours.  To ease my stress, I demanded my check at the cashier/reception desk, and told them "I may not work outside the home any more, but MY time is just as valuable as the doctor's time."  I left without seeing him, and I'm glad I did.  Thing is I am now debating whether to seek a new cardiologist?  More stress!!!!!

A Tension breaker?  Kinda Sorta.  Read on:


Remember the jigsaw puzzle of Alice in Wonderland's Tea Party we started working on a few weeks ago? Well, we had the outer pieces collected and finished the outline to begin working on the center pieces to complete it. Before the 2nd day was over, we threw it out!!! It was a mess. First off, the puzzle pieces were cut identically! Second, the puzzle cutter musta had the saw that was too big for the cardboard 'cause the pieces would NOT stay together...loose as a goose comes to mind. Each time we'd add a piece the puzzle frame would fall apart. We considered taping the outer rim, but just gave up.  Axing it was the best move. Then, while at the HEB super center [Texas-owned store], I bought another! A 21 inch by 21 inch Sugar Skull.  It helped release some heavy feelings during the time we worked on it.  It took us a week to finish and it's so artsy, I want to frame it and use it for our mantle during Halloween/Day of the Dead!

The artist, Theeanya McCardle, has many works plus some great whimsical [animals, birds, abstract, and more] adult coloring books. Check it out sometime with the link I provided.

_ _ _

More Stress!

Our fence contractor and his hired help finally put the finishing 'touches' on our new 7 foot privacy fence...meaning the gate and hardware! This was a huge stress magnate! You see, we signed the work order in early September...knowing that nearly half of the city's residents lost their fences due to the hurricane in August, we'd be on a waiting list and we knew about the lumber shortage to boot. We were willing to wait our turn. By mid October, the men showed up and removed the old fencing and hauled only a PARTIAL load...leaving all the other debris sitting on our lawn [killing the grass by the day], and it was way too heavy for us to lift it up and get it all off the ground.  It was strewn everywhere.. Then, they came back, leaving the rest of the debris lying around, but put in all the fence posts. Of course, then there is a waiting time for the cement and posts to cure and dry. About a week later, they started putting on the wooden slats and surprisingly, quit after about an hour.

Three weeks later, still no more work was done until I called [after both Bud and I called and left dozens of messages].  My last call on Friday of last week, I voiced my intentions...with a threat of filing a formal complaint with the BBB, the Troubleshooters [a community consumer advocate] AND the state of Texas Attorney General. We gave them an ultimatum!! Either have the fence, gate, debris picked up and hauled away, and neighbors' fencing tie-ins complete by November 22nd, or the papers will be filed. They had it done within two days, and the entire job to finish took less than two hours!! But why, I ask?!!  Why not finish ONE job before moving and starting a new one?  They have incomplete work all over town.

On our set deadline for completion without getting written up and complaint filed...it took only two guys, but it's now DONE! Three days short of three months after hurricane Harvey! Now, OUR work is just beginning...we have to re-landscape a LOT!!! From turf, to plants and timbers and more bark mulch. Maybe by NEXT hurricane season, Bud and I will be done. For now, I'm glad it's done, and we once again have our back yard to ourselves; private!!  No neighborhood dogs pooping and digging in our flower beds and on the lawn; peace of mind with more security...etc.

Or, ironically, Anni[e] singing:
 "The sun'll come out tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow there'll be sun!

When you say to yourself, it can't get worse....hmmmm, think again..