Yay! Reading list is back!

Well, I don't know about everyone, but my reading list is back... however, it doesn't just come back easily. It makes a long pause (like it's thinking about it - or looking for it) and then it either tells me there are no posts or it pulls them up. Sometimes I have to do it twice... weird??

And someone (a blogger, but can't remember who) said that they had a message saying that some of the past posts from years ago will be deleted. I can see the possible need for that... but hope they give us notice so we can maybe save them elsewhere.

Now for today. It's Sunday morning and although it's been a busy week and looks like an even busier week to come, in general it's all been good. 

I had my permanent crown put on from my recent dental procedures, so I can go off 'soft' foods. And I had my very late annual eye checkup (due to the 5 eye surgeries in '26) this week. Good news! I don't have to change my glasses as I thought sure I would... as my eyesight in both eyes remains the same (mostly). Still gets a bit blurry in bad eye with tearing, but otherwise ok... and have some large floaters in both eyes that when they cross in front make the words I'm reading disappear for a few seconds (annoying, but acceptable).

Also celebrated our youngest son's birthday at a new restaurant not far from the house. It's called Wildwood. Food was good, atmosphere good, and in general, we will go back (a bit priacey - but where isn't these days). Didn't think to take pics - sorry. We did come home to cheesecake and bourbon whipping cream!

Ended the week with our dryer acting up. Clothes so hot on delicate setting that I couldn't touch them to take them out. Called vent service man and he cleaned out a ton of lint, but said even after, the dryer heated up way too hot - best to call an appliance service man - coming Monday. 

Didn't get to walk all week... too hot outside (100 plus) and too busy to get to Senior Center until Saturday. We did walk there Saturday, but no coffee in cafeteria due to Saturday bingo.

Only 10 days left in September and October will be here. From there it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! Can't think about that now... but looking forward to triple digits being gone.

Update on Critters: Noticed that the 2 feral cats (we call them Missy and Shadow) that hang around our back actually wait for each other to eat in the morning and evening. The food may be out... but if only one is there, he or she 'waits' for the other before going to it (something we hadn't noticed until recently). 

They seem to like each other - it's obvious that Missy likes Shadow (though she is spayed and has her ear clipped), but Shadow is a bit standoffish and doesn't show his caring in obvious ways. But he does wait for her if she's not around before eating and puts up with her wanting to be near him (on occasion). He is kind of a loner.

Shadow

Missy under fern

That's my week in a nutshell... nothing really exciting, but busy. Today I'm resting (very tired?), but all in all, it's been good. Hope yours was too. 

(I know politically things are not good, and am willing to do what I can about that... but day to day life goes on and we have to deal with that too.) 

Hugs (virtually),

Rian

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