some of my 'joyful' clutter...

February and March are fairly busy... with Doctor appointments, a birthday or two, Valentine, Mardi Gras, a surgery, and Spring Break.

You'd think there would be material for a post there... but alas, nothing - at least nothing that inspires me. So, I will fall back on memories. Dusting my shelves made me think of sharing some of the little things that give me joy. So, here are some pics of one of our 3 bookshelves where some of my 'clutter' is stored.

Most of this bookshelf is pottery... little things I've made that for some reason I enjoy more than all the pottery mugs and plates I've made over the years. Silly stuff, but fun.

I have a poem published in that Roomfull of Starlight book (nothing spectacular, just something I wrote while on a silent retreat). And the 'Where's the Dragon' book on the 2nd shelf is a favorite children's book of mine (I actually have several of these... some where I absolutely adore the watercolor illustrations).

My Cheeky Chickens are everywhere (in different stages of firing). And of course there are grandkids pics scattered about.

There used to be books filling all 3 bookcases, but we decided to empty them (or almost) a while back. And to be truthful, no one will probably want these silly things when I'm gone. But for whatever reason, they give me joy. 

Do you have things like that? If so, please share.

Hugs (still virtual),

Rian

Happy Valentine's Day 2023!

Just a quick Happy Valentines' Day to Everyone!

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

 

Muse on vacation... and a chocolate pie for comfort

Well, this week my writing Muse has disappeared. I have 24 chapters written on the next "Annie's Story", (stream of consciousness writing, no proofing - just getting the story down)... and then nothing.

I look at a blank page, know where the story should be going... but for some reason, can't get it down. So, I'm taking a break... perhaps it just needs time (took me 2 years to get out the 2nd book so I shouldn't be surprised).

Anyway, on to other things. I did make a dark chocolate pie yesterday. I love a good dark chocolate pie. This one is made with unsweetened chocolate and topped with whipped cream (with a little added sugar, vanilla, and a touch of bourbon).... so-oo good! It's OK for me as there is no flour in the recipe (gluten free). Of course there is flour in the pie crust as I used a frozen Pet Ritz one - but blind baked it and basted the pie shell first with some butter mixed with vanilla and a tiny bit of bourbon... (flaky and delicious). 

Reading DJan's post today got me to thinking. I've really had a pretty easy life... I mean for the most part. DH and I married right out of college, had 3 kids, worked, retired, and are getting to grow old together. How lucky is that?  We aren't rich by any means, but we're comfortable. Our kids and grandkids are great. Life is good. 

Of course there's been some bad things  along the way... losing both my siblings and Dad to Cancer and my mom to Alzheimer's wasn't easy. Even though you're not a child anymore, you feel like an orphan when your immediate family is all gone. And it makes you feel a bit guilty that you're still here... and wonder why. Both DH and I have been diagnosed with Cancer - but both of us are survivors (so far). Old age (77) brings other inconveniences, but nothing we haven't been able to handle.

I wasn't able to go to Vet School as planned since we got married right out of college and we had 3 kids within the first 5 years. But I never regretted that... I did end up with a BS in Animal Science (LSUBR had no Vet School back then) and later (when the kids were school age) went back and got an Animal Technician degree (Associate degree in AMT) so I could at least work in the field... and did work at a Veterinary Hospital (that specialized in feline care) for years.

DH had a degree in Electrical Engineering and his first job out of college was in Florida. We lived there on Satellite Beach watching the rockets go up from Kennedy Space Center from the summer of 68 until 1971 when we moved to Texas... and stayed. I love Florida for visiting, but never liked living there. The salt air from the ocean rusted cars and as much as I love the water, our first 2 babies were red heads who couldn't take much sun... so time at the beach had to be severely limited.

But this post has taken a turn I hadn't planned, so I will stop here. Wish you all a wonderful Valentine's week, ask you to forgive my ramblings as sometimes my mind goes off on a tangent all it's own.

And before I forget, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)  is almost here. I believe it's the 21st. That was always fun growing up (the parades and King Cake parties).  Then of course the day after is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Then Easter, my favorite holiday! Looking forward to Easter and Spring!

Hugs (still virtual),

Rian

(I know I didn't mention the earthquakes - so horrific that I don't want to go there, but they are in my thoughts and prayers and we hope to help in other ways if possible.)

Finally the ice is melting...

It's Saturday and finally the ice has melted... at least most of it. This week was weird. We've had cold weather before as well as snow. But even the Arctic Freeze in 2021 was different. This was no snow, just freezing rain and sleet - so our sidewalks and driveway and roads were solid ice. You couldn't venture out without sliding all over the place - dangerous for us old folks. And since the weather never got over 28 F for most of the week, nothing melted.  It looked like snow as everything was white... but it was solid!

And it was pretty to see all the trees and bushes iced (like a fairyland), but unfortunately the heavy ice accumulation caused many trees to fall. We lost one in the backyard  -  just fell over and cracked in half. DH just cut it down this morning. And our daughter lost quite a few on their acreage - one fell on their fence and one on their well.

Here is a pic of Moose, daughter's dog trying to keep warm by the wood burning stove. They lost power overnight, but it returned by morning.

Granddaughter thought it was great as schools were closed (most businesses too). We just aren't equipped to handle this type of weather, although possibly with Climate Change, we may need to get better prepared.

But thank goodness, it's over... hopefully for the year. We just have to get through February now. I'm looking forward to April and Easter! Easter is my favorite holiday...

And of course Valentine's Day is coming. We don't do much for that.  I send cards to the grandkids (and sometimes goodies), but that's about it. Here's a pic of one of the funny cards I'm sending.

Love that pic of the middle cat!

OK... that's the week that was! Really makes you appreciate the sunshine - and even though it's only 54 F now, I'll take it! We intend to bundle up and get out of the house this afternoon. Maybe go somewhere for coffee??

Wishing you a beautiful wonderful warm Saturday... Enjoy!

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

Feb 1, 2023 "Rabbit! Rabbit! White Rabbit!"

 

Rabbit!  Rabbit! White Rabbit!

So-oo cute!

Rain, sleet, and possible snow...

Hello..oo!

 

Well, it's COLD here! (Rain, sleet, and 27F) Cold for me, anyway. I know many of you are used to cold weather, but I don't work well in it... tend to want to hibernate (by the fireplace). 

Or stay in the kitchen (where it's warm) and cook. I made several things lately. Here's our breakfast Monday morning:

This is the way I fry eggs, no butter or oil, just spray with a Crisco Butter spray. I also use the little round metal thing (don't know if it has a name):

Think it's really for pancakes as I have several in different shapes - but it works great with eggs!

DH likes his egg sunny side up (like first 2 pics) and I like mine over easy, so:

mine

and then my over easy plated with toast soldiers:

If you'll notice, I can only have a small amount of coffee due to the acid... so I use an expresso cup and put in a tiny pat of butter. If you've never heard of butter coffee, google it. It's interesting and I find the butter doesn't change the taste at all... and if you're not worried about cholesterol, it's a great way to drink your coffee.

Then because it was cold and nasty out, I thought we could use a warm sweet treat. So I made the boys a peach dump cake. 

warm, crispy, and full of peaches!

Of course this is made with a cake mix - so I can't eat it because it's not gluten-free. But I did sneak a tiny bite of the peaches and pecans.

That's my cooking for the week. I did make the sour cream chicken enchiladas Sunday using corn tortillas instead of the flour ones - and we all liked them just as well as the flour ones!

Some cooking memes:

and last:

Have a great day! And stay warm!

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

a Saturday mishmash...

First, I have to say that I got my 2nd Shingles (Shingrix) vaccine Monday. I don't know if you remember, but when I got the first one back in September...  my arm was sore, red, and swollen for about a week. Well, this one only caused me to be sore for a day or so... and not nearly as bad as the first. Thank goodness.

Second, I saw my Family Physician (PCP) Tuesday as Tuesday afternoon, I had some strange pains in my chest. I don't get heartburn and all I had had about 2 hours before was some crackers and cheese... so I couldn't imagine what this pain was. 

And it wasn't a burning, nor a sharp pain, but rather a dull pain that came and went for over an hour. It also moved to my left side at one point and radiated to my back. DH gave me a baby aspirin... just in case... and the doctor told me to buy some Pepsid,  and if it came back, to go to the ER. Going to the ER for something that might be heartburn seemed a bit excessive, but I understand that women's heart attacks are sometimes different. Anyway, I never took the Pepsid,  and so far, it hasn't come back. 

Now I have to share this video of daughter's bunnies. It's so cute as you can see all the colors of the baby bunnies (white, gray, tan, and black). They are so-oo cute.

(I would suggest you click several times and enlarge it by clicking on the tiny square on the right)

And then...

beautiful kitty

This is the kitten (except in my story his eyes were blue) I had in mind in my second book. His name is Eragon and he belongs to Lizzy, Shamus the Bookstore owner's sister. He was a little monster and was called such until someone came up with the name, Eragon. My daughter saw this pic and sent it to me. I thought, "That's Eragon!"

And then I saw this...

reader's sanctuary

... and thought, "Wow! I love that!" 

 a person could spend their days reading and napping by that beautiful window! 

And before I close all this mishmash of unrelated ramblings,

 I had to share these:

I believe this

and this!

It's Saturday, I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Today I'm planning to make some sour cream chicken enchiladas... and use corn tortillas instead of my usual flour ones (the corn ones are GF). Will let you know how they turn out.

Hugs (virtual), 

Rian