Triple digits have arrived...

It is HOT! Not unusual for Texas in July and August... but apparently the heat wave is causing problems in other places too... places that don't have AC. Can't imagine it being in the 90's and 100's withour AC. I know we lived without it growing up... and believe me New Orleans is hot... and humid! But back then we had lots of fans... attic fans and little black iron fans... but still. Triple digits can be dangerous. 

It's one of the main reasons we put in a home generator a few years ago. Didn't so much worry about the cold. One can always pile on the clothes when it's cold, but triple digit heat in a home for a few days can kill. And even though I'm one who hates the cold... and am almost always cold... even in summer, but I do know the dangers of high temps. And I do realize that having electricity does not guarantee your AC will be working, but with all the summer storms, it's a possible safe-guard.

So, if you're one of those who live in an area that's not usually this hot, please get yourself one of those small portable AC's out there... and stay safe... or else get yourself to a shopping mall or store that has AC and spend the day... or if possible, an air-conditioned hotel. 

That's my main post for the week! 

But...

I will say that we've accomplished a few things this week. We finally got a contractor out to give us an estimate on what it will cost to extend our small front porch across the front of the house. It's already covered by a 6 foot roof overhang... so it's just a matter of extending it. Actually, there's a little more involved since I would like the whole front to be either a composite board planks or concrete... so the existing small porch which is a pebbled concrete would have to go. Also there are sprinkler heads that will have to be removed... and bushes... and a fan added, etc. Anyway, at least we will have an estimate.

This is the closest picture I can find as to how I would like the porch to look:

The other thing that we accomplished is having a hole patched up in the office ceiling that was from a leak - and has been covered with a black plastic bag for years. We finally got a guy out that did a beautiful job. It was a pretty good size hole and no one was willing to sleep in that room (it has a trundle bed in it) in the fear that 'something' (raccoon? squirrel? bugs?) might come down from the attic through that hole. Luckily, nothing ever did...

And lastly we have someone coming to give us an estimate on what it will cost to mow the front and back lawn. DH has always done this, but at 81 and this heat, I think it's time for someone younger to take over this job.

Started this post yesterday, but now it's Sunday morning and I'm making a pork tenderloin for supper. Hope it comes out alright as I just learned from Google/AI that I shouldn't cook it past 145 degrees or it will be dry - and I already cooked it to 165. Guess we'll see when we eat it. Plan to serve a spinach souffle and sweet cob corn with it.  Will post a pic (if I think about it). 

(Sorry I forgot - but it was good, very tender, and not dry)

That's it for your informative (?) post for the day. Oh, we had 7 crows and 5 squirrels come by this morning for their morning feed! And in the back our box turtles are getting bold... they don't run away anymore when we go out to add food to their bowl. They just sit there and wait patiently.  

Here's a quick video of one eating...

*Remember to click on the small square on the right to enlarge pic... and then the Esc key to get back)

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

Rabbit! Rabbit! White Rabbit! July 1, 2026

 

Rabbit! Rabbit! White Rabbit!  
(having a bad hair day?)


OK, it's July 1, 2026 already!!
We will soon be celebrating America's 250th Anniversay!


(...and this month DH and I will both be 81!)

For those of you who haven't yet reached these 'golden years', it's a strange time. Yes, we're glad to still be here and to still have each other, we are very grateful, but as the saying goes, "old age is not for sissies".  Losing family and friends as time goes on although expected, isn't easy. Losing abilities that were always taken for granted as our bodies gradually wear out is a bit frustrating - to say the least. 

Knowing that time is running out... thoughts of leaving those we love, and wondering what our next great adventure will be like fill our minds. Will we make it to the next decade? Do we want to? 

With the way things are going...  political chaos and global disasters, we worry about what lies ahead for our children and grandchildren. 

  A few pics of us in our older years...

                                                                                                                     ...most recent of us together

But... this week we will celebrate America's 250 years of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We celebrate what America has always stood for... and hopefully will continue to stand for as quoted on the statue of Liberty:

This country has been good to us for our 80 plus years. Yes, it's not perfect... but what is. It offers the opportunity for a good life, no guarantees, but the possibility of creating a life filled with freedom, equality, and justice for all. America is made up of immigrants. My own father immigrated here with his family from England... like so many others. 

As an Ethiopian immigrant once told me (he was driving our Uber in New Orleans) "I love this country. Here I can work, feed my family, and not be afraid"... (this was a few years ago. I hope it's still true for him).

Well, I didn't really mean to go into all of this... but my fingers sometimes just relate what my mind is thinking. That's what I like about blogging... getting things out of my head.  Hope I didn't say too much. But... Happy 4th!

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

and so it goes...

my tea- time - reading 

DH and I have 'tea-time' every day around 3.  He has coffee and a snack and I have tea. I like to bake, so sometimes we have pie. Generally he watches sports on TV in the den and I read in the front room. It's just a time to stop whatever we've been doing... and take a break. 

 

We are over our Strep and antibiotics... finally. I think the steroid tablets I took really helped with my cough. Now that I'm off them, we'll see if it eventually comes back. 

I also took prednisoline eye drops to help my eye. I'm off them too now. Scheduled to see the new Ophthamologist in about 10 days. 

I imagine everyone heard about the giraffe that was missing around the San Antonio area. My daughter lives there in the hill country and she was keeping a look out for it. We laughed over the possiblility of the tall critter hiding... imagined it keeping it's head low... (made us laugh thinking about it). But luckily it has been found and is in good condition.

Our Geoge Cooney (raccoon that comes by in the late evening) has brought his family by again. Apparently he has a wife and 4 little ones, but doesn't bring them by every night. Oh, and we discovered that possums like apples! Didn't know that. I don't like the apple skin, so when I eat an apple I cut off the skin and throw it outside for the birds and squirrels. Well, I threw a large piece of apple out yesterday and a possum grabbed it and ran off. The box turtles like apple pieces also... and will even eat strawberry tops and tomatoes. The 2 feral cats that hang about stay pretty close by these days. The grey one (Shadow) and the black one (Missy) come by both morning and evening... and occasionally hang around on the patio chairs during the day.

Shadow and turtle

DH and I went walking at the Mall Friday morning. We try to get our steps in each week, but have been a bit lax about it. We stopped at Eataly's for coffee and hot chocolate... and took this pic of the lovely pink rose that was on our table in the coffee shop.

I love pale pink flowers. They look so delicate...

This is so 'not important'...  but thought I'd mention it as it is important to me. We have square brick tiles in our entry as well as down the hall to the bedrooms. They have been mopped over the years, but never really scrubbed. We've been in this house 41 years this December. I decided that they needed to be 'scrubbed'. So I got a hard bristled scrub brush and a bucket of soapy water and have been scrubbing those bricks 2-3 rows at a time each day. (Can't do more at my age... 81 next month... it wears me out, but love having them clean!)

Here's a pic of the entry tiles:

If you look closely (and no one will), but the 6 rows on the right have been scrubbed. I can see the difference... not sure anyone else can... but I love knowing they're clean.

Actually all the slate in the rest of the house could use a good scrubbing too... but not about to tackle that. (Possibly I could hire a company that does that... may look into it). But mopping may be all it gets.

OK, that's it for my post for the week. Sorry it's just mundane details, nothing exciting or terribly interesting... 

It is Saturday... so have a good weekend! 

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

 

Happy Father's Day Dad!

 

Happy Father's Day Dad!

My dad was born in 1907 in London, England. 

Came to America with his parents through Ellis Isle  in 1920.

Met my mom in New Orleans and raised a family there.

Miss you Dad!

and the beat goes on...

Life goes on... at least it does until it doesn't. DH and I are still coughing, but not as much. Here's the thing...

As I mentioned in the previous post, we had company from June 4 (Thurs) through June 7 (Sun). On Tuesday both DH and I were tested positive for Strep and negative for covid...and put on antibiotics.

As it turns out, our company (DH's brother and wife) started coughing the next weekend (about 5-6 days after leaving our house). I was sure we'd given them Strep. BUT... as it turns out, they tested negative for Strep and positive for covid ??? Huh???

They were told that since Covid was viral, they didn't need antibiotics, so they are on cough meds and nasal sprays.  We are finishing up our antibiotics and doing better, but just wonder at the  strangeness of all this???

(wouldn't that be nice??)

Update on critters:

Can't remember if I told you that the box turtles are now joining the cats and raccoons at coming right up to the French door window and stretching their little necks to look in. It's so funny... 

And... George Cooney (our night raccoon that comes by every night around 9 or 10pm) brought his family with him last night! If we're correct in this, he brought either a wife and 4 babies.  They climbed down the tree by the back porch and were enjoying the treats (which last night was left over steak fries and a part of a peach coffee cake). I would have taken a pic, but they were all over the place and it was dark.

Shadow (feral) climbing same tree

On the home front:

We're watching The Big C... on Netflix. It should be depressing, but it's not... kind of funny. Getting a little sad towards the end of Season 4. 

And I'm re-reading one of my favorite books, Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine - a story of a modern woman who seems to be a re-incarnation of Matilda, Lady of Hay, during the time of King John (12th Century). Jo's a journalist researching the possibility of  past lives, but through hypnosis and regression becomes hopelessly emeshed in Matilda's life... and death. 

And that's it for this week. Being handed off to other specialists... Eye surgeon wants me to go see an Ophthamologist to watch my eye. My immediate doctor is an Opthamology surgeon and if I don't want another surgery (I don't), he recommended someone to keep an eye on my eye. And my PCP sent me to a Pulmonologist to check on my chronic coughing. They ran all kinds of breathing tests (which weren't easy since I have bronchitis at the moment). But she is sending me to have a swallowing test with barium. I have to say that I liked her a lot. She listened and asked a million questions. Since I have a chronic cough, aspirate, and can't swallow pills well... she thinks this test will help diagnose my problem. We'll see.

a few pics:

and an idea for creating my small front porch out front:

something like this...

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

 

an overdue update and a few pics...

red pepper from our yard

DH brought in this new red pepper from our yard yesterday. It's so pretty I had to post it. Usually our peppers get eated by something before they get to this size... 

And before I continue this post, I need to say that I had written a post earlier in the week and was getting ready to publish it yesterday... when it just 'disappeared'. I was shocked... and tried to get it back, but no luck. 

So, I'm starting again today. As you know (if you read my posts) we had company (DH's brother and SIL) visiting last weekend. It was a great visit... with time spent eating out at favorite restaurants, visiting the Peach Orchard, and reminising and talking for hours at home. DH made his red beans and rice one night and I made stuffed artichokes as well as both a Dark Chocolate pie with bourbon whipped cream and a buttermilk pie (DH's brother's favorite).

However... during their visit, I started coughing (I have a chronic cough supposedly due to radiation years ago) a lot... more of a loose wheezing cough. This was different. Anyway, I went to my PCP on Monday to have it checked out. She gave me  a steroid injection and a Rx steroids and said it was probably bronchitis. Since I didn't have a fever nor a sore throat, she put off the Rx antibiotics for now.

Then by Tuesday DH was coughing also... so he went in the doctor's. They tested him for Covid and Strep. He was negative for Covid and positive for Strep! So... they asked me to come in and be tested. I did. Same result... negative for Covid, but positive for Strep...???

Neither of us has a sore throat, nor a fever. Doctor says sometimes that happens...?? Now both of us are on Rx antibiotics and had to call our weekend company and inform them. Sure hope they don't get sick.

So far, so good, talked to them yesterday (7 days since they arrived here lastThursday) and no one is sick. Fingers crossed!!

Now... enough of that. Here's a video of one of our larger box turtles that visit our yard and eat the dry cat food. DH brought him inside for a minute to show me. We have many smaller ones, but this is a big guy.

(always remember to click on small box to get video to enlarge)

... and a few pictures that I like:

and...

Have a great weekend!  (Two of my favorite bloggers were in hospital recently. Sure hope you are both home and doing well...)

feral resting under fern out back

Hugs (virtual),

Rian 

Rabbit! Rabbit! White Rabbit! June 1, 2026

 

Rabbit! Rabbit! White Rabbit!

We have company coming in this week. DH's brother and wife come in every summer for a few days and we eat out at their favorite places... as well as visit Ham's Peach Orchard in Terrell, TX. 

So this past weekend we're getting things ready for company. This involves some de-cluttering and general clean-up (mainly floors and dusting). Actually, I've gotten a bit lazy about it all... things are pretty much ok as they are... but I use to do a major overhaul in the past... too old to do all that now. 

But we do always cook their favorites on the night we don't go out... DH's red beans and rice and my stuffed artichokes. The dessert varies - sometimes buttermilk pie and sometimes my favorite dark chocolate pie with bourbon whipped cream. 

Since we go to Ham's one morning and have their home-made peach ice-cream while sitting in their old-fashion rockers outside, we take home their fresh peach pulled pork sandwiches for lunch that day. These are really delicious! (I'm not supposed to have them as they are not gluten free, but I usually take a bite or two).

We also hit our favorite Italian restaurant... as well as a great crepe breakfast place.

So, yes, the days are spent mostly eating and talking. But it's a fun get-together that we all look forward to.

*BTW, I think I've figured out how to Zoom! Scheduled a zoom meeting with my cousin. Will let you know if it works out. 

(It didn't)  :(

Some memes I like:

I know there are...

Hugs (virtually),

Rian