Cooking, sketching, a grandma's rambling, and a funny story

guacamole

steamed cabbage

Just made a new batch of guacamole to have with chips for lunch and some steamed cabbage with just butter, salt, pepper, and garlic for a side for supper tonight. Usually I add a little bacon to my steamed cabbage, but tonight it's simple - and we haven't had cabbage in a long time. I know some people don't like it, but we do (although I don't make it often). And one whole cabbage is too big for just the 2 of us, so I saved half to make some garlic cold slaw later.

Also I'm sketching/drawing again. I had to look up the difference between sketching and drawing - and I actually knew what they said before they said it - which was "a sketch is a quick rough draft used to capture an idea  and a drawing is a detailed finished piece of art". 

Well... 😏 duh...all my drawings begin with a sketch, so I still see no real difference. 

Anyway, this is my most recent bunny sketch/drawing:

Now I have to come up with something I want to sketch next...  Sometimes it takes me a while before I see something that tweaks my desire to 'make it mine' (although it will most likely be another bunny).

Oh, and DH and I just watched "A Women of Independent Means" with Sally Field on Tubi yesterday. I really enjoyed it... think DH did too, but it's kind of a woman's story.

It's our youngest son's birthday in a few days. He will be 53. Can't quite realize that. He was/is... and always will be... 'the baby' from a mother's point of view. 

DH and I were lucky with our kids, our oldest son will always be special as he was our first born - the one that made me a mother. Then our 2nd was our daughter, the one her brothers called 'the Golden child', special because of her bright red hair and being the only girl,  and then came our youngest son (when the other two were 5 and 3) special because he will always be 'the baby'.  But of course all kids are special... each have their own kind of specialness... each different in their own way.

I originally wanted 6 children (possibly 9 - can you believe?)... but after 3, thought perhaps 3 was perfect. 

Forgive me for rambling on about this... unless you're a mother you probably can't understand how your babies aging affects you. You still see them as babies and toddlers... and hard to look at them grown and not still see the child they used to be. 

And sometimes they're replicated in your grandchildren... which is a wonderful surprise. The first time I saw my first grandson, I thought, "OMG, this is my baby!" - as he looked so much like his father did when he was born.

our 3 kids in 1974

Going to end this with a funny/wierd feral story. DH was telling me about it only this morning.

He was watching one of the box turtles looking for food in the cat dishes. So he went out and put out some dry catfood. Apparently the turtle wasn't interested in the catfood and was walking away. So DH put out some pieces of chicken. 

THIS  interested the turtle enough to stop and start eating. Well, Missy (feral cat) smelled the chicken and came over to help herself. DH said the turtle actually snapped at her and she backed away. He said she did this twice and backed away each time.

But there was only one little piece of chicken left... so she tried again. This time when the turtle raised his head, she slapped him with her paw... and this time he backed away and left. 

As I have said before, backyard feral life is fascinating - if you take the time to pay attention.

Didn't mean for this post to be so long... but some days my thoughts just keep rambling on. It's Friday, so I hope you have a fun weekend!

(and if you don't get this post, I won't be surprised as blogger hasn't been notifying me of the posts I normally read lately. I have to actually search for them...??)

Hugs (virtually),

Rian

 

An update, a belated Happy Labor Day, and a Trader Joe's visit

For those of you that know about my recent dreaded dental procedure, I will say that it went very well. Besides taking a Valium (which those who know me know that I DON'T take pills) the Endodonist also used Nitrous gas... and I have to say that although the procedure was long (about an hour and a half to 2 hours), it was basically painless. 

I was told to switch Ibuprofen and Tylenol every 3 hours after the procedure for the first 24 to 48 hours (possibly more if necessary)  and that also worked well. So now except for staying on relatively soft food until the permanent crown(s?) for my bridge is put on, we are good. 

As for Labor Day, we didn't really celebrate. We grocery shopped early in the day and had baked fish (cod) and sweet corn on the cob for supper... and later finished up a buttermilk pie I'd made the day before. But hope you all had a Happy Labor Day weekend!

Buttermilk pie on Joanne's tea towel

my slice

And today (Tuesday) DH and went to walk at the Senior Center... where I picked up two new books from their library, sat and crocheted for a bit, and had coffee in the cafeteria.

And since our daughter had sang the praises of Trader Joe's in San Antonio recently, we decided to give it another try... different store in different area... and have to admit this store was much better than the one we had visited years ago. Their produce as well as their flowers looked very healthy and well taken care of... and they had some interesting varieties of things most groceries don't offer. I did find some gluten free ravioli as well as some plantain chips... (but most of the interesting stuff was not gluten free).

Tonight we're having Chicken Ranch Lasagna. It's an old recipe, but I don't make it often. We used to call it "heart attack" lasagna as it's made with lots of butter, heavy cream, bacon, and cheese. But it is pretty good stuff... and I do use gluten free noodles.

And before I close, I'm adding a picture of this strange plant that is called the "bat face cuphea". Someone mentioned this on their blog (can't remember who)... and I thought it was interesting... and also a hummingbird attracter!

Happy Halloween - early!

and a few funnies:

and

... and you are!

Hugs (virtually),

Rian

Rabbit! Rabbit! White Rabbit! September 1, 2026

Rabbit! Rabbit! White Rabbit!


It's September 1, 2026.... and my dental procedure is this morning. Rabbit looks a bit anxious, yes?


Not much else to say...
Happy September!


Hugs (virtually),

Rian

 

Actually I have no idea... so, here goes

Wanted to get a post in this weekend... but no idea as to what to write about. 

We've watched a few interesting series on TV lately. One was "The Heart Guy" on Tubi and one we just started, "Anna Pigeon" on USA Network. This last one is taken from the series of Navada Barr's books where Anna is a park ranger for various national parks. It was one of my favorite reads, so I'm looking forward to the TV series.

It's Sunday and I was drinking my 2nd tiny cup of coffee in the front room. I sit in there among my plants and drawings when I first get up in the morning. DH sits in the den listening to football talk.  

Anyway, DH came in and said that the big box turtle was out back eating from the cat dish. He tells me this so I can go out and give him some of my liverwurst (which except for the turtle no one else will eat)

So I did... but for some reason I must have scared him, as he started to run away (which he doesn't usually do). So I threw some liverwurst in front of him as he departed. He stopped, sniffed it, and started eating. I will be more careful next time not to startle him... as I hate for him to miss his treat.

Now I know this isn't terribly interesting to some. Who wants to hear about a turtle and his liverwurst? Well, too bad... as that's all I've got.

There is another story that I could bore you with... it's about Missy (feral cat) and Georgie (baby raccoon). Missy hangs around the back patio most of the day... and sleeps on the chairs at night. Georgie (who is George Clooney - his daddy's child) has learned to come by in the evening, sometimes several times. He looks in the back French door and wants treats. Being young, he isn't afraid of anything... would probably come inside given the chance. So he walks right up to the door even if Missy is laying there. He is a little thing, but she leaves and keeps her distance. 

Problem is... DH wants to feed Missy - and Georgie won't leave. He asked me to chase Georgie away with a broom so he can feed the cat. I said no!... I'm not going to traumatize the baby when Missy can eat anytime... to just leave them be.  We did and eventually Georgie left and Missy ate. 

Again, not a terribly interesting story... but what life is like around here.

Years ago when we were having the kitchen redone (2005), the contractors and workers asked me what was that they were seeing in the back yard. I said "oh, that's just a rabbit and a tree rat that apparently became friends as they laid together in the back every afternoon". The men thought this was weird. But to be honest, we'd seen things like this in the back for the past 40 years... not unusual.

Guess I'll stay with this theme and post some pictures and videos of critters in our yard: Remember to click the arrow and then the small square on bottom right to enlarge. Also click Esc on your keyboard to get back to blog.

raccoons - usually mama and babies

possums come alone - even tiny ones

feral that only stopped by once

first batch of babies abandoned in our yard

ferals

feral

Robin

young kitten playing on cat tree

woodpecker

Mama cat taking kittens here to eat and play

young bobcats visiting our yard

When we let the grass grow long in the back in the spring, the ferals love it. They play and hide in it... and I take pictures.

OK, closing now... and if you're not interested in wildlife, I'm sorry to bore you. But we love it and enjoy watching and sharing with all of them.

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

(*my dreaded dental procedure is this week. I tried one of the Valium's they gave me to take before.. I don't take pills so this alone is traumatic for me... but it wasn't too bad... just made me a little unsteady and sleepy.)

memories from the past...

You can probably tell that I've been going through boxes and albums of old pictures... trying to organize. Of course doing this brings back memories and I end up spending too much time reminiscing and not organizing. 

I graduated in January of 1968 (2 days after our wedding) with a B.S. in Animal Science. 

my parents and I after graduation 1968

The plan was for me to get a 4 year degree from L.S.U.B.R. and then apply to Veterinary school. DH was in a 5 year program for Engineering, so he didn't graduated till May. We lived in the married student apartments his last semester. 

But of course by the time he graduated, I was pregnant with our first child... and Veterinary School was no longer an option.

We moved to Sattellite Beach Florida that spring for his first job after college and had our first 2 children there.  Living on the beach sounds idealistic, but with 2 redheaded babies with very fair skin... it wasn't the best idea.

I found this pic of us on the beach (taken when first born son was about a year old - and not a very clear pic due to age).

3 of us on Florida beach in 1969

But we stayed in Florida for a little over 2 years while the space program was in full swing. Left when 2nd child was 10 months old and moved to Texas. 

That's probably enough memory from one pic. But be fore-warned, as I go through boxes, there may be more... 

Going to close this with a these 2 pics:

baby raccoon

This is one of George Cooney's (our regular nightly visitor) kids. He now comes every night with or without his dad. He is a cutie. We call him Georgie. But he does not yet know how to back away from the door when it's opened... as he tends to want to come inside (...but he will learn).

And this next pic is a dark chocolate espresso trail mix that our grandson brought to me yesterday. It's so-oo good if you are a lover of dark chocolate and espresso... 

dark chocolate espresso trail mix

Our grandson has lived with us since he was 18 or 19 when his family moved to Hawaii. We've loved having him here. But recently his good friend bought a house and invited him to come rent from him... and so he has.  

We miss him, but know it's good for him to be out on his own, and he seems to be happy. When he came by yesterday, I loaded him up with 2 home-made dinners, a carrot souffle he likes, home-made rolls, and some peanut butter brownies. I know the boys can cook on their own, but a few grandma cooked meals never hurt.

That's my post for today. Hope you are all staying safe and out of the heat. We keep getting "Extreme Heat Warnings"... supposedly could go up to 110 today (ugh!). 

pinterest pic... but accurate

This reminded me that we also put ice-cubes in the outside water bowls and bird bath... and just added a large square plastic tub filled with water to the back patio - when we found the raccoons sitting in the water bowl.

 

Hugs (virtually),

Rian

an old story... one I may have told before

me in my office in Veterinary Hospital

Recently I came across this old picture of me when I was the Office Manager and Animal Medical Tech at a Veterinary Hospital years ago. It reminded me of an incident that happened during those years.

It was lunchtime and the Vet had gone off to lunch while I remained in my office (which was an office in front but separate and behind the Receptionist area) and the other Tech and Computer guy were in the back office (behind the two waiting rooms and the surgery).  

Well, I heard the front bell ring as someone entered the front door of the clinic. I walked out and said, "Can I help you?" Standing there was a very tall rough looking man with a very large gun in his hand... and he said, "Give me your money and your drugs..." 

I almost laughed as it sounded so 'unreal'. But before I could do anything, he was up next to me with his hand on my arm and the gun pressed against my head. 

I said that we didn't have any drugs... (well, maybe we had some euthanasia solution and a few minor narcotics for use on small animals - as it was a cat and small dog hospital)... but I took him into the back where all the drugs were on the shelves (except the low dose narcotics which were locked up in a safe). 

But just as we walked into the back, the computer guy stuck his head around the corner of his office and saw what was going on. The man with the gun quickly pointed the gun towards him and told him to "get out here!" 

After that, things happened very fast. For whatever reason (??) I wasn't terribly concerned when the gun was on me, but the minute he pointed the gun at Roy, I thought, 'oh my god, he's going to shoot Roy'. 

At the same time as Roy stepped out into the room, the other Tech (who, by the way, was 8 months pregnant and  had been sitting in Roy's office) took off running down the hall and out the back door. The man with the gun took off running after her, Roy started running after him,... and I took off out the front door. 

As it turned out, there was a 'getaway car' waiting for the gunman, and as the Tech had run out and hid behind a dumpster, the gunman jumped in the waiting car and left. 

Nothing was taken and as far as I know, the man was never caught. But the Vet was sure surprised when he returned to find the police there taking our statements.

So... as stories go, it's kind of an interesting one. And once, during a jury duty interrogation, we were asked if any of us had ever been involved in a crime and I had to tell the story.

OK, that's my post for the day. I'm sure there are other stories that may come forth eventually. But for the moment, that's it. I will however, post a picture of DH and I's breakfast this morning at Frogg's Coffee Bar and Creperie.  

The Coffee and Lemon Blueberry crepe is DH's. Mine is the Plain Jane (has only butter and cinnamon sugar) and the hot chocolate. Both were good!

Hugs (virtually),

Rian

Weekend is here again...

Just getting back to sketching again. Decided to work on bunnies for a while. It's been over a year since I've put my pencil to paper (due to eye problem)... so, I really need to work on it. But for a first attempt after so long, it's not too bad. And since I've got very little to post, I thought I'd better add what I could. 

We did have company this weekend. Our son-in-law spent Friday night with us. He was returning back home to the Hill country from a visit with his mother (who is in hospice in Kansas). It was good to see him, even though circumstances were not good. His family farms in Kansas and he brought us some cucumbers and peppers as well as a loaf of zucchini pecan bread... which we are enjoying.

Nothing else much going on. I have to have an old root canal redone (ugh!) as it has too much bone loss under it. And also I have been having a bit of TMJ pain in my right jaw. This is new. It has 'popped' on me before, but has never caused me pain (not unusual I'm told as the right side gets more use than the left due to missing back teeth on the left). Anyway, I'm eating soft foods, using warm compresses, and taking Motrin.

My good friend also texted me to say that she was in the ER yesterday afternoon... and apparently most of the evening before they transferred her to another hospital (due to lack of beds). She has congestive heart failure which has, up to now, been controlled with meds. But luckily, she says that she should be going home tomorrow.

OK, I started this yesterday and now it's Sunday... and as I've mentioned before, I like Sundays. 

and just a blast from the past...

my cousins I grew up with... (me on left)

My cousins (my mom's sisters' kids) were like brothers and sisters to me. My own sister was 10 years older and brother 4 years older... so I spent a lot of time with my cousins. Luckily, they are still around and we stay in touch. 

OK, that's about it. Hope you're having a good weekend and a fun week ahead. Stay out of the heat if possible... and hang in there, we'll be complaining about the cold before you know it. 

Hugs (virtually),

Rian