ONE BATCH OF COOKIES
I did something I've NEVER done before. I made cookies...well, the 'part' I've not done is make cookies from a MIX! They were good, but
nothing like homemade cookies....and if I ever do this kind again, I will NOT put the colored sugar, that comes with the mix, on them. Too sweet; does away with the light lemony taste. Just plain ol' lemon cookies. I may add a bit of lemon juice also to up the flavor!!! To be honest, I'd prefer this brand of
fat free fudge brownies above all.
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TWO BOOKS
Recently I read two books within a couple of days' time. One, an used book I found in the social study section of Half Price Books here in town. The title? Rutka's Notebook. It's a very short volume, about 60 pages long of the 'notebook' itself. Then, a few more pages of some background, history of finding the diary and the families' backgrounds...both of Rutka AND the friend who found the diary after WWII was over. Let me warn you, the diary itself is of a teenaged girl in Poland and the Holocaust. Her 'admission' to the Labor Camp and how she struggled with life as a young 14 year old and her immediate family. It's good, a quick read, some exceptional photos found and added, an incite to a teen's life in WWII torn Europe. But, nothing graphic or intense...
The 2nd book I read quickly [I couldn't put it down until it was finished!]. It's that good. Very, VERY enjoyable. And I'll let you in on a secret, I've had this book on my 'wish list' for decades!!! I started collecting books on the subject [mostly biographies] Gone With the Wind. I needed something written about Olivia de Havilland! No unauthorized biographies that I could ever find. This particular book is WRITTEN by Ms. de Havilland!!! Published in the early 1960s, finding it online to buy first editions...too expensive for my budget!! But, since "Melanie Wilkes" [Olivia] turned 100 this past month, Barnes and Nobel had it on their shelves to commemorate her being a young 100 years old. I snatched up one of the last two left.
And I hafta tell you right here and now, it's one of the most enjoyable reads to come along in a LONG time!! Witty, true to her style, filled with American AND French charm. All in all, excellent.
The book? Every Frenchman Has One. Tho a suggestive title to some, it's not what you think. And I won't tell you what every Frenchman has...you have to read for yourself. It's about a young star going from America to live in France with her two children and French husband. The twists comparing the two cultures, raising children, making movies in America, establishing herself as an American living in Paris. [By the way, she still resides in Paris!!]
I can't say enough good about this book. If you're of my generation, love movies, celebrities, you'll know who she is...you'll come to know her even better after you finish reading EVERY FRENCHMAN HAS ONE!!
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THREE FLOWERS
When I buy plants/flowers I always think of my father's words. They resonate through my mind each and every time!! When I'd plant flowers wherever we lived he'd say to me "You can't eat flowers!" ...well, I'd prefer flowers to a veggie garden any o' time! I can go to a neighborhood farmers' market for homegrown fruits and vegetables without having to deal with insect infestation, late freezing temps after setting out tomatoes, fruit/vegetable eating critters, disking the soil each season, watering, and the heat! Once I plant a flower, it's there to stay, and I can sit back and watch it bloom and grow. And if it needs trimming, I've got Bud! lol I bought two new LIGHT PINK hibiscus bushes for the patio. And, I almost lost them. So, my gardening logic posted just prior to this...well, you can scratch my thoughts for the moment! In this Texas Summer Inferno, the full sun glaring down on them from about 9 a.m. to sunset, I watered them every day. Until I looked out one morning to see if they were blooming yet, and the leaves were turning yellow and some had fallen off overnight! I went out at first light to inspect, and it was then I realized the two new pots I purchased especially for them had no drainage holes in the bottom. They were swimming in water by that time, and the malodorous skanky old sitting water was enough to sicken me as I quickly drained the stagnant water. Bud drilled holes in the pots, and the water drained..........and they are coming back to life [and blooming] albeit leaves close to the pot rim. In time, those too will come back.
pink in the middle is one of the two new plants
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FOUR FENCE VIEWS
These are of one of my favorite types of fencing...wrought iron. Seen through the lens, a gate entrance leaving a cemetery...a spray of flowers through the iron, the iron seen between tree trunks, and the close up pattern of the gate.
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FIVE FAIRYTALE ELVES
While pulling out the vinca vine invasive trailings under one of our bougainvillea bushes the other day, I found all the miniature elves strategically placed here and there, I took them out and set them on our wooden patio benches. I have promised myself to clean them up some day soon. One needs to have his 'slingshot' replaced. In the meantime, they remain on the benches and I took photos...
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NATURE'S TRIXYesterday, I spent most of the day watching the 5 hour repeat of the Republican National Convention on You Tube. So, not much got done. Early in the morning, tho, I took a break in the 'action', and drove to the beach for a short walk. As I left, I stopped just before a bridge 'cause of the bird activities in the channel. While there, I looked to the horizon, and above the homes' roof tops...in the sky, I saw a funnel cloud!! I quickly aimed to the heavens and snapped a photo. While back in my car, my smartphone alerted me a text message of a potential of tornadoes in my area!! In order to GET home...I had to drive in the direction where the funnel cloud was seen by me!! Once I got home, I read more of the alert and went out to the news, online. What I saw and photographed was a Waterspout!! These are actually a tornado over WATER! If making landfall of course, they could be dangerous and damaging. Or if one is on the water, and boats/ships are out nearby...lord have mercy on them and their crafts. But luckily, it dispersed back up into the cloud-cover before making it to the Bay's shore, and before I left the bird photo op. Here's my photo...
