§ 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.

§ Ola Amigos! I Had Mexican Food...the Spanish Speaking Comes Naturally After Beans and Rice!!! ----

---and not only speaking the language, a bit of Gas!!! :::wink:::


Spanish to English:  Ola Amigos = Hello Frends [Amiga is feminine]

A cold front moved in with a 20-25 degree drop in temperature from mid week last week...with rain! For the most part of two days I stayed home. Before the rains came, I did a bit of work outdoors. Mainly on the patio and the bird feeding station. Three times now, one feeder kept breaking [probably with the weight of a half dozen or more heavy white winged doves on the perches at one time]...that called for a replacement instead of repairing it for the fourth time...

Now, we have a colorful BIRD HOUSE, with windows and chimney. It's kinda comical, the doves have a difficult time of steadying themselves on plastic instead of wood like the old one. It won't take long for them to get accustomed to the newer surface; they're not dumb!

I did some re-potting with some of the patio plants. I need to get more potting soil also! Next trip I take to the store. My Christmas Cactus is blooming again, and the geranium is getting new growth and blossoms [I love geranium scent]...

After pulling a few broad leafed weeds from the lawn, I just perused the yard a bit....the pomegranate tree is blooming, and is in need of trimming to get the 'weeping branches' off the privacy fence. Some amaryllis are budding. The tombstone rose [lady banks] is blooming. The purple bougainvillea is heavy with blooming. One of my favorite sub-tropical plants, the hibiscus, are beginning to get heavy with blossoms and buds....

When I figured I was done with the amount of yard work I was going to do for the day, I went indoors to see Isaiah in his basket....

"You can't see me, but I see you!!"

"boo!"

"Scare ya? Did I?"

After showering, Bud and I decided to go out for lunch, and then visit the book store. We went to a new Mexican restaurant...Something Del Sol of Mexico. Good food, but I was most impressed with the tables and chairs...very authentic style! Leather, upholstery tacks galore and beautiful rich laminated table tops. Each chair backing there was a painted scene. That part, I really liked. Plus the chair legs. Bud took a photo of it on his cell phone for me...

We watched movies, and finished a 2nd jigsaw puzzle to complete our days indoors. Home sweet home. Now, I'm ready for the weather patterns to get back to partly sunny to clear skies to get back birding.

§ Five on Friday

one:  Y'all know by now if you read my blog much, that both Bud and I really like NCIS [and NCIS New Orleans]. Well, we've collected, over the years, the DVDs for both; having ALL seasons for them in sets. We watch them off and on, and a few weeks ago, we watched a couple of programs from the 11th season of NCIS. It's been a while and I had completely forgotten one episode entitled "Homesick". The short synopsis: several children are sick and hospitalized throughout the Navy and NCIS is there with their forensic scientist, Abby, to find a cure for those youngsters. And in the hospital lies a very sick, young, little girl*. She is the main child in question of the mysterious illness...anyway, long ago, when we first watched it, I told Bud "That looks just like me!" "When I was her age." The past week or so, I've been sorting through old photographs; some of which I shared here recently. I came upon my photo to show Bud how closely the two of us [the girl in the hospital on NCIS and me] resemble each other. You take a gander and see if you don't agree with me, Bud, and now that I sent it off to my sister, she too was flabbergasted at the closeness in looks and some features!

two:   Do We Look Alike?

Do We Look Alike?

Yes

No

survey maker

* photo of young girl from NCIS found with Google Search

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three:  I kept telling Erik that the Burgers at FIVE GUYS are the best! And this proves it. His favorite is Smashburger...well, I tellya now....Five Guys' burgers beat out Smashburger 'by a mile'!!!

photo source: Google Search



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four:  Once again, Colorado [my 'home' state] got bomb-blasted with a Spring Snow and Ice storm this week!! Power outages and other weather related traumas like broken trees and downed power lines. Here's a texted image of my sister's yard on May 18th...



...I am thankful Bud and I don't have to contend with this. I'll take the humidity and gripe all I want...I know it was our choice to get away from stuff like the above.

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five:  I am definitely NOT naval jargon savvy! So, there is a supertanker supposedly coming into the Corpus Christi Ship Channel [at Port Aransas] to dock for the first time in its history at Ingleside, Texas. I wanna be there at the channel to watch it come in. Now, thing is, it's supposed to be here for a test run along the channel to see how everything goes on the 22nd of May....Monday. I was informed by the chamber of commerce in Ingleside that there is NO specific time frame ... it depends on tide and weather! Good grief. They're telling this novice in a round-about way that I need to read charts? Out to google I go! LOL What a riot...

Bud, being a Navy seaman long ago, told me that the ship will use 'high tide' to be able to make the run along the channel...the chart depicts high tide around NOON...that means I should be there anywhere from 7 am to infinity in my estimation! It's gonna be a long day. Just hope the weather is good on Monday

If this is successful testing, and all works well, Ingleside Texas will be the FIRST IN USA to have a supertanker dock area. Exciting.

Wish me luck...and hopefully if all goes according to plan, I just may get pictures.

photo source: Google Search

§ What Did I Hear? Is That RAIN on the Rooftop?!?!!

WEATHER

Altho, it's been hot and miserable most of the summer....as I type this [on Tuesday]...it finally RAINED!!! Last night and into early morning. The clouds remain heavy and dark, promising more rain perhaps. I can only hope!! Yesterday, on Monday, it was cloudy with a threat of rain, but no go. At least where I was. I actually left early in the morning, as the sun was rising among the darkened clouds, to return to Pollywog Ponds since there was a report of an Anhinga, and a Green Kingfisher spotted in the area. Around our neck of the woods, at one time, Anhingas were abundant along the river bank and near the lakes if there happened to be a heavily wooded area. Lately, the last three years, Anhingas seen are a very few! I was anxious to see one again. But, no such luck. I walked through the woods and tall grasses on the path again only to find a HUGE garden spider in the bird blind on the smaller pond! Yuk!! Creepy looking boogers.

Advancing toward the pond's shore I spied three tri-colored herons and a few kiskadees. The larger pond had least grebes, snowy egrets, common egrets, the ever-present stilts, green herons, kingbirds and sandpipers. Plus a few American Avocets.

At the Nueces River, nothing noteworthy. Until I rounded the corner to traipse the other side of the large pond...there I spotted a Green Kingisher. I was thrilled!  Walking back to the car, I sighted in on a Vagrant [meaning not supposed to be in our area of Texas] Hawk. I almost walked right on by it. It was posing in a tree across the feeder ditch, about thirty feet from me!! A beautiful specimen and it didn't fly off as I raised my lens! In fact it still may be there! LOL I am saving those photos for my bird photography blog. Then....walking further, I heard what I thought may have been an owl...but crossing the bridge of the feeder ditch, I followed the song....nope, no owl. It was actually a dove with a sore throat! But!!!!!!!---while there with my binoculars aimed at the dove, my peripheral vision caught sight of a black bird flying from the same tree to another tree. I thought it was a grackle...nope! Not a grackle...but a Groove Billed Ani!!! There were four Anis!! I was excited about those too. They're not all that scarce around here, but they're only here a very short time in a particular month!! Got a few pictures of them also, and saving them for my bird photography blog!

Instead, happy to see rain drops on the yard flowers....


Yellow flower is our Esperanza bush and the purple is King's Mantel


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Fences and Sky Shots


Early Morning -fence line at Packery Channel Park on the Island
and
2nd story observation tower at Port Aransas

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MOVIES

Sunday afternoon, Bud and I had a late lunch at Texas Roadhouse. Of all the restaurants we've patronized [and that is many!], we think this one has the BEST char-grilled steaks in town! We used to go to a chain restaurant in Colorado of the same name...same atmosphere and food quality. And they have some wonderful, always fresh and warm from the oven, dinner rolls. Laden with cholesterol to be sure. I had a sirloin, with house salad and a baked sweet potato with cinnamon butter. And a delicious frozen margarita! Bud had the same steak with steak fries and a salad. His margarita was on the rocks. I like mine frozen...I know it's odd, but I think I'm getting more for the money. LOL After finishing our meal, it was time to head to the nearby theater where we sat down in our reclining chairs to enjoy the movie, "Hell or High Water". The movie was slow to begin with, but the momentum went into high gear midway through...all the way to the end!  No spoilers here, but this:  Bank Robberies, West Texas....modern day 'western' with Jeff Bridges and the cute guy....Chris Pine, was better than I expected.  One of my favorite parts is The T-Bone Waitress!!!!!  We both enjoyed it a lot. And not to leave you hanging...the "coming soons" before the flick started...some have promise. Keeping Up With the Joneses, Magnificent Seven, and coming in November for Veteran's Day - Hacksaw Ridge [based on a true story]. I'm thinking this latter movie mentioned, being that it's directed by Mel Gibson, it will be graphic and bloody...but we both like the three genres depicted here...comedy, westerns, and war movies.

§ Come on in...Sit a Spell....Anni's Talkin'

So, I've been trying to think of something I can do while being idle on the days I'm not outdoors. Of course I'm reading...the book I've been reading now is The Spy Mistress; a Civil War Epic Novel which is supposedly based on a true story. I am barely into it tho, so I can't critique it yet. Then, I did a craft project with the GOP earrings, and now need something else to occupy my indoor time! The light bulb went on above my head! "Anni, it's been YEARS since you've done any embroidery work!" "But, where are my hoops?" I spent a few minutes pondering just where I have them stored. I searched through all my hard plastic storage bins with needlework items....nope, nada. Not there! I know they've not been thrown out! One is an antique hoop!! My mother's!! Then, I got down on my hands and knees to take out junk in the closet....pulled out my carpetbag that holds all my crochet yarn leftovers. I paused a while contemplating using the scrap yarn to crochet granny squares and then piece 'em together for an afghan. "No...forget that idea Anni" "I have enough afghans to warm a platoon in New Zealand!!" I grabbed the carpetbag, and went in another room, sitting in a comfortable chair. Aha!!

I found 'em!!

Scary, huh?

But, I decided there is something much more demanding. And desperate times call for desperate measures. Yep, I ended up using my time cleaning this mess out. Now for an embroidery project? I hafta make a trip to the craft shops in town to check out some of the printed patterns for sewing; what lies in store. For now, the yarn is neatly rolled into balls, the hoops have been returned into the bag, and the bag is back in storage. Maybe I'll have some embroidery motivation again soon . On second thought, my sketch pad is sitting by waiting for one of my brilliant ideas, the brain is filled with cobwebs at the moment, [I haven't had an idea, brilliant or otherwise, in weeks since I last penciled a sister's memory & a caricature of The Donald].  OR then again, my pink stationary bike is collecting dust, I could wipe that off and pedal my arce around town...but that'll get me nowhere fast!

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Winnie the Poo

Speaking of getting 'nowhere fast'...today is the last day of a whole 14 days, twice a day, of administering antibiotics for Winston's abscess.  He's gotten our routine down, and I can see in his eyes that the ritual is really getting 'old'!
"Winston?"
"It's time for your meds!" 
...he looks so down and out as I pick him up
First, the large hole in what was once draining abscess, is now nearly healed.   We have had to clean the wound with medicated wash, then, recover it with a non-stick band-aid that has been taped to an ace bandage to wrap around the shaved neck, pin it on.  When that is done, then it's measuring the liquid antibiotics to 5ml and struggle to get him to open his mouth...
"I'm not gonna do it, nope, nope.  You can't get me to open wide...there is nothing on this earth that'll make me open my-y-y-y-y...oops!  How did you trick me again?"
:::Winston gagging silently as he swallows:::

Today, dear little man, we're done.  All looks well and on its way to 100% healed. "If it makes you feel better, I'd have MY hair shaved for support, but I don't think Bud would go for that notion!"

Poor thing!!

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By the way, as I mentioned in my previous post, here's a photo of the Blackberry Crisp I made; topped with frozen yogurt, dessert. It was good and tasty. Got Milk?


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We had to be out and about the other day, and it came up on lunch time. Of course, neither one of felt like going back home to fix lunch, so we ended up going out for a burger. Well, I had a burger and Bud had a BLT. We picked a 'new' restaurant that has been open for just a short time here in town. The Texas chain of restaurants has a reputation. Oh well...food is food. We were hungry enough to eat a horse. When I first stepped inside, it was dark. Oh oh...red light flashing in my head. Dark...what are they hiding? I asked for a menu. Okay, the prices were reasonable, the entrees were okay. We asked to be seated. Now wait just a gol' darned minute here. Let me back up. The hostess was not your typical Walmart greeter!! Let me describe the employees....ALL girls....short shorts leaving not much to the imagination...tied, short sleeve bandana-type tops, and wide-open, showing more cleavage and curves... all hanging out [like Hooters if you've ever been there]. The clientele is blood thirsty-type bikers ogling at the sights. The decor is like you stepped into the set of the past TV seasonal hit, Northern Exposure. Why, they even have a special, one of a kind, exclusive, ketchup. Yep, With boobs and giggly young nit wit waitresses, it's bound to be a man's realm.

Oh, by the way, the name of the Texas establishment is TWIN PEAKS.  Their logo:  "Eats Drinks and Scenic Views".  ha!!   With so much flesh showing, I can see why it's named this...they're peaks alright. Very much unlike what Bud sees at home with my body that has lost any gravitational uplift!! Here are examples:



Sorry to disappoint....no twin peaks on my blog. After all, this IS a family safe blog.

Anni after dining and walking out to the car: "Well, what do you think of that place?"
Bud: "The food was good, I'd go back again sometime!"
Anni rolling her eyes: "Ya, I bet you would."
:::thinking: "In your dreams!!!"