Continuing

 

Joys and the Holiday Weekend

This past week was a very nice week for me. I do like one day staying at home, but additional days when I have nothing planned away from the house can get boring. I had things going on during the day, or plans for the evening just about every day, and I really do enjoy weeks like that.

I also realize, once TheHub retires I am going to have to create plans that occasionally include him. I am considering getting an AMC movie pass for each of us. We had one before Covid and enjoyed going to movies each week, but it took some effort to find a night he was not working late. Now we could go to see a film any time during the day, which might be really nice on some of the dreadfully hot summer days.

 

Monday: I had a regular day filled with laundry and a general clean up. It was not particularly exciting but was necessary. Of course it did not take all day, which left some time for reading.(Just don't ask if I attacked the bedroom upstairs that is scattered with miscellaneous holiday decorations, because that answer is a big fat NO. It is much easier to just close the door until I feel inspired to do better.)

Tuesday: I read a lot and did a modicum of housework, but had to be in my CRC's* by the time TheHub got home from work so we would be able to get to TheElectric for trivia. We have found (the hard way) if you don't get there early there are no tables left. As much as we enjoy going we are not willing to stand while we eat and play.  The trivia last week was a heavy pop music set and we did not do well at all. Oh well, there is always this Tuesday.

Wednesday: I started the day with a phone call from my appliance repairman. My oven has not worked for several months, which was fine because my microwave has a convection capability, and I really do not bake much at all. However the entire family is going to be here after the St Barths trip so I decided it would be nice to have everything in working order. 

He arrived and nearly 3 hours later was still here. It is a mystery why it is not functioning properly, but he did leave with it kind of working** . He is coming back this week with a different part that might be the reason it is behaving badly.

Once he left I had about a 10 minute window to take a quick shower and throw on some clothes before a scheduled estimate for some work we needed done. 

I was throwing on my dress when the doorbell rang (made it barely in time), got the estimate and had about 15 minutes left to get my makeup on. As it turned out I could have taken my time since TheHub was running late. The minute he finally got here, I hopped in the car and we barely made it on time for dinner with 14 others.

The food at the restaurant was good, as usual, but the socializing was even better.

Thursday: This was the best day of my entire week. I had the privilege of volunteering at Independence Place. My Beloved Sister has started going with me and she loves it as much as I do.

I love her going with me, because it make the 25 minute drive there so much more fun. We talk and laugh the entire way, then we get there and laugh with the participants while we prepare food. I love every single moment I am there!

Friday: My Beloved Sister and I went to Son2 and DIL2's house so she could see it.  Instead of Greeks bearing gifts we were a couple of geeks bearing a Taco Bell lunch. Their new place is on what I call "Lake Faraway"*** and food options near them are somewhat limited.  She loved the house and all they have done to it. I was glad we were able to go.

Saturday: We did our usual running around, including exploring a new coffee shop near us. I can see me going there this summer when I need to get away from the recently retired. I love coffee anyway. I know when Son3 and DIL3 are here I am going to take them because in addition to coffee and pastries they sell Conecuh sausage cheese biscuits and they both like those.

After our errands were done we came home in time for a quick lunch before the Alabama softball game came on. At the end of 7 innings the game was tied. After 4 1/2 hours of play and 14 innings, Alabama won. Whew! It kind of blew our plans for the late afternoon/early evening, but it was all good, and Alabama lived to play another day.

 

Sunday:  We did not make it to church Sunday. There was just one service and no Sunday School for the holiday weekend, so we skipped it. Instead TheHub went in to the office. He is being very conscientious, leaving everything in tip top shape before he retires. It is easier for him to get a few things done when no one else is there. 

He came home in time for a bite to eat before Alabama played Tennessee for the super regional softball tournament. The winner of the game would be going to the Softball World Series. 

Alabama had a lackluster season and to have made it to the super regional was quite an accomplishment. I only hoped they would have a good game. I was surprised and really happy for them when they won! 

After the game and dinner, we watched the Memorial Day Concert on PBS. What a beautiful, yet sobering, concert it is every year.

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day (for those in The States) and Happy Monday (or Tuesday, depending on your location) to the rest of you.

 Books read in May

A Rip in Time

The Lost Symbol

The Forbidden Door 

The Poisoner's Ring

Look for your joys, no matter how large or small, they are always out there.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

*CRC's  (Cute Rehearsal Clothes) is what a former local theater director used to tell the cast to wear the day the press would be at rehearsals to take photos. My sister and I have used his term all the time since hearing it.

** Why can't anyone make appliances now that are made to last, and have no motor boards? I do not need digital anythings to cook.

*** Their house is not truly that far from their old house, and is not far from their work, but it does add about an additional 15 minutes from our house. The location and the view from their sunroom is incredible.

Weird Week For Dining

I planned on being more intentional sticking to the menu for this week, but life had other plans for me. When I was thinking about the week's dinners, I forgot about our new "fun with trivia" night, but I did remember plans to meet a group of friends for dinner Wednesday night. I really should have planned for 2 nights out of the kitchen. But, if you continue reading, you will notice it actually turned into 3 nights of dining out.

                                                  

We never did really go to an Italian place though.

What was planned:

Broiled triple tail, mashed potatoes, tossed salad, asparagus ✓

Veggie meal TBD

Big salad meal TBD✓

Pork chops, green beans, new potatoes, coleslaw

Out to eat

Sandwich meal TBD (but probably pimento cheese)

Grilled chicken, broccoli, saffron rice, sliced tomatoes

Vs.

What we really ate:

Sunday: We bought fresh fish the previous Saturday and the absolute longest I will keep it before cooking it is one day.

Broiled triple tail, mashed potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, tossed salad

Monday: Sometimes I like our Monday meal to be simple. I say it is because I am so tired from all the housework I did to start the week. Though I did get things neat and tidy, I would hardly call it torturous. Nonetheless, I opted for easy.

Taco salad

Tuesday: Trivia night at  The Electric meant no cooking for me.

Americana salad or pastrami sandwich w/ coleslaw

Wednesday: We had plans to meet a group at The Pita Cafe, so of course we went!(There were about 16 of us, and we always get 2 tables. The females sit at one and the guys at another, so one table talks about fun things and the other talks  about the sport of the season, or golf.)

Lamb kabob, tossed salad, rice pilaf or whatever TheHub ate. 

Thursday: I was ready to cook dinner when I found the guy who serviced the oven had neglected to hook the gas back up. Options were limited to whatever could be zapped or eaten cold. 

Leftovers__TheHub - spaghetti, garlic bread (leftovers from one of his lunches) , Me - ranch dip, crudités (leftovers from cooking day at Independence Place).

Friday: The repairman could not come Friday, so we went out to eat. This might have been the best burger I have ever eaten.

Burgers and fries from Whiskey Foxtrot Burger Dive

Saturday: When we were thinking about dinner for Saturday, it needed to be either something that could be grilled or made in the oven. I have a dual fuel stove so I still had bake or broil options. 

While doing our Saturday running around we stopped at by the fish monger's, and bought shrimp and triple tail (they rarely have it and it is so good we get it whenever it is available)

TheHub had planned on having shrimp for lunch* that afternoon but decided  he wanted a pimento cheese sandwich instead, and would have the shrimp for lunch on Sunday. That foiled my plans to cook it for dinner Sunday night, (I mean, who wants seafood for lunch and dinner the same day) so I punted. 

Broiled triple tail, tossed salad, dinner rolls

What's next?

1. Grilled steak, tossed salad, mashed potatoes

2. Grilled pork chop, coleslaw,  corn on the cob, dinner rolls

3. Veggie meal TBD

4. Big salad meal TBD

5. Out to eat

6. Stuffed bell peppers, coleslaw

7. Grilled tuna steaks, smashed potatoes, cucumber tomato onion salad.

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all.

* This lunch thing is going to be difficult once TheHub retires. He has eaten lunch out every work day he has been employed. (Decades and decades of lunches) For him, lunch is whatever sounds appealing on any given day. That is not the way it works around here. Lunch is eating the bits and pieces of whatever is left over, and is never what I want, it is just what is available. Add that to the fact that I do not/will not start making lunch, so, some adjustments are going to have to be made. I am not the one planning on adjusting.

For Those Who Don't Know

Truth!

 

This Was The Week That Was

This was not a terribly exciting week, but it was a good week nonetheless. Phone calls that needed to be made, were made. There was some business I had to do, some trips to begin planning, and another trip's plans to firm up.

Fortunately I don't need a lot of outside activities to amuse myself.

Monday: My Beloved Sister and I went to Independence place. Monday they made strawberry smoothies and they were a big hit.  It was a double win day for me. MBS and I laugh the entire time we are driving there and back, and once there I get to see some of my favorite people in the world.  I cannot even begin to tell you how much I enjoy it. Bonus? I was able to clear out 2 packs of strawberries. I had in the freezer.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, just hanging around the house and doing the bare minimum before we sat down to dinner.

After we ate TheHub and I firmed up a lot of plans for our upcoming trips. Summer is going to fly by for us.

I think this is going to be what retirement should be like.

Tuesday: The day was pretty uneventful with some phone calls I did not want to make because I knew they would require a lot of hanging on the line and waiting. There is a special joy having a super sharp pen and a pad of junk paper by the phone and computer. I was able to do some serious doodling.

TheHub and I went out for dinner and played trivia. Once again we were not in competitive trivia mode, but were surrounded by serious players. TheHub is responsible for all sports questions and the one about pool (his fault) and one about a K-Pop band were the only ones we missed. I have listened to a few K-Pop songs but have no clue who the group is.

We left before it was over because we wanted to get home in time to watch "Black Sails".  I mean, who does not like a good pirate series?

Wednesday: My kitchen has a bay window, with windows to the floor, overlooking a covered deck and the back yard. My table sits in the "nook" formed by the bay and I usually have my first cup of coffee there as I begin my day. When I was sipping away Wednesday morning I "felt" eyes on me. 

Occasionally the guy who maintains the pool will come to the door there, but we have not opened the pool yet because I still have a mound of dirt on the pool surround from the irritating landscaper who has still not finished the job. No one else just randomly goes through the gate to get into the backyard, so it felt a little unnerving. 

I looked around, and saw no one, then I noticed a chipmunk on his hind legs with his little head peering through the glass.  I have noticed him inching further and further onto the deck lately, but this is the closest I have seen him, and honestly it is close enough. No matter where he would like to go, I have no intentions of sharing my house with him.

I listen to music during the day but the genre changes from day to day based on my mood. I don't like the house to be terribly quiet and the volume can get quite loud here (also dependent on my mood). This was one of those days when I was listening, turned up to almost max. I had been feeling completely unmotivated until I heard Ike and Tina's Proud Mary. If that didn't get me going, nothing could. Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath followed which continued my need to move. Dusting while dancing is not a bad thing to do. Neither is mopping. Did I mention what a joy having many different Spotify playlists is?

I probably need to create a new one "Get your self going, Anne".

While I was getting myself going I talked with Sluggy and she did a little housecleaning with me while we talked. She also heard me not finish the formerly known as Pip's room, now known as DIL3's craft room, (but has actually become just a gigantic closet ) and just walk out and leave it for another day. 

Thursday: I had spoken with Son2 earlier in the day and they needed a little help moving a few things. They had movers coming Friday, but they would not guarantee  the TV would arrive with no damage. I understand since TVs are huge and thin now days, and Son2 did not want to pay for packing, just the moving. 

Luckily my car will hold a big ass television. We ran over and loaded the tv in the way back, and anything else we could fit into the seats. They loaded 2 cars with  small furniture and boxes and boxes of miscellaneous items.  

We got to their house and they unloaded the tv and got it set up. All the rest was unloaded, not put exactly where it was supposed to go, but was in the house. 

While they were setting up the kitchen TheHub and I ran to pick up dinner. We got to eat our first meal with them in their new house, sitting in their sunroom that overlooks the lake. Their view is just beautiful. I love their home!

Friday: I am not exactly sure what I did Friday, other than make a pact with My Beloved Sister. We decided every day we both need to do at least one thing that is specifically for us. Our plan is to tell each other whatever it will be in the morning, then check in the next morning telling each other whether we did it or not. Think of it as spa moments, rather than a spa day. For me; so far, so good.

I did some more reading (which I am counting as self improvement, rather than self indulgence) cleaning, laundry, and general boring things.

TheHub came home a tad early and we ate then watched Alabama's softball game.

Saturday: We did a little running around before heading over to Son2's house. He has my mom's old Grandfather Clock and did not want the movers to move it. Instead it loaded perfectly well in my car and we were able to transport it to the new house. We got to tour the house with furniture in it and as set up as a house you moved into the day before could be. I love it even more than I did.

We started home in the middle of high winds and torrential rain. A huge joy for me was that TheHub was driving. I could not see anything for the heavy rains and would have pulled over and waited for the monsoon to pass..

A separate joy: I do not let my gas tank get below 1/4 full before I fill it up, but I have not been driving this week. With all the running back and forth from our house to Son2 and DIL's old to new house had used more fuel than I normally use. TheHub is the one who has been doing all the driving and in my world the driver is responsible for keeping up with the gas gauge.

TheHub does not feel the same way about filling his car as I do, and will let it get down to where he is all but coasting on fumes before he fills up. In the middle of the freeway, during the downpour, my low fuel light came on, then the alarm started pinging. We did (barely) make it to Costco to fill up. 

(TheHub is lucky because if we had run out when it was him driving, he would have been the one figuring out what the remedy would be while I pulled up a book on my Kindle reading app and waited on him to solve the situation.)

Sunday: We woke, went to church, then stopped by Publix to grab something for lunch.  I also bought me a bunch of beautiful peony buds. I hope they will last for a while. 

Once we ate it was time to turn on the TV to watch, you guessed it__Alabama softball. They won easily and now move on the the super-regional against Tennessee. To be honest Tennessee has 2 outstanding pitchers and they are a slugging team. I know anything can happen but I would be hard pressed to bet against The Vols.

After the game, TheHub watched the golf tournament while I read. Then, at some point, he was watching the tournament with his eyes closed and his head limp. I seem to have been reading the same way.

We watched episode 4 of Black Sails and it left me curious about one thing. With all the available water all around them, how come they were content to walk around the pirate booty fencing "town" with blood all over their faces. I know it would be rinsing with salt water, but I had much rather have a saline sheen than blood all over my face. I know it makes for good TV but it kind of defies logic.

 Books read in May

A Rip in Time

The Lost Symbol

The Forbidden Door *

Have a great week, and look for your joys large or small. They are always out there,

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* I am tired of this series but I want to see what finally becomes of Jane Hawk.

Come And Get It!

I seem to be hitting 4 or 5 planned meals weekly. I guess that is the best I can do, because life either gets in the way, or something else sounds better. Whatever happens is fine with me as long as it does not require additional or unplanned trips to the grocery store. This week I made it without going to buy anything at all, which I really do like. I truly need to do a grocery haul this week. Rats!

What was planned:

Steak, tossed salad✓

Chicken salad sandwiches with pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and pepper rings✓

Salad meal TBD✓

Veggie meal TBD✓

Grilled fish, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, hushpuppies ( maybe)

Stuffed bell peppers, rice, tomato onion and cucumber salad

Out to eat✓

VS

What we really ate:

Sunday: It was Mother's Day here and though TheHub can't cook at all, he can flat out man a grill!

Steak, tossed salad, mashed potatoes, tossed salad, rolls

Monday: We had leftover chicken from the previous Saturday's meal and we needed to use it.

Chicken salad sandwiches, chips or crudité

Tuesday:  Trivia night at The Electric meant no cooking for me

Americana salad w/ either a martini or glass of chardonnay

Wednesday: It is just about at that time of the year when veggie meals will occur more often! Yay!

Sautéed squash, black eyed peas, coleslaw, tomato cucumber

Thursday: We drove to Son2’s house to haul a load of things to the new house. It was a little later in the day/early evening which meant we picked up dinner near their new place

Pulled Pork, coleslaw, green beans

Friday: There was some steak leftover from Mother's Day that needed to be eaten.

Black and blue salad

Saturday:  In the morning when we were out and about we stopped by our favorite fish monger's place and got enough for Saturday and Sunday night's meals.

Smoked tuna dip on crackers or lettuce leaves

What might be next?

1. Broiled triple tail, mashed potatoes, tossed salad, asparagus

2. Veggie meal TBD

3. Big salad meal TBD

4. Pork chops, green beans, new potatoes, coleslaw

5. Out to eat

6. Sandwich meal TBD (but probably pimento cheese)

7.Grilled chicken, broccoli, saffron rice, sliced tomatoes

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all.

Joys For The Past Week

The first full week of May came to an end much quicker than I ever expected. Countdown for TheHub's retirement continues and though he still has double digit work days remaining, we are now in the teens. I am looking forward to him not having all the stress this job has beaten him up with for many years.

It will be great for him to have it in his rearview mirror as he "rides off into the sunset" leaving it behind*.

Monday: TheHub had to take my car to work. Something is wrong with his and it had to be towed to the shop. Consequently it left me no option but to stay at home. It was not what I had planned, but my days are fairly fluid and it was easy to change. Thankfully it was a beautiful day and there was no reason why I should not sit on the porch, listening to birdsongs, while drinking coffee. 

Other than that the day was filed with laundry, rearranging things, and reading. Did I mention reading?

As an interesting aside, at a little after 11 Monday night I was reading and replying to some blogs. I had just made a comment about being envious of a bloggers travels and asking if it was petty of me, when out of the blue (I am sure, at least I hope,  I accidentally hit something on the computer**) Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor began playing. I guess I got my answer!

Tuesday: TheHub's car was not ready, so he had to take mine again. Normally it does not bother me to be at home, but take away my means of escape and I turn into a caged panther, walking back and forth looking for a way to go ANYWHERE. Then I have to remind myself my "cage" is pretty nice and it is not like there are not millions of things I could do/see/clean/read on a day at home.

I did have a phone call with Sluggy which makes any day better. She has interesting (unusual?) people all around her and now I need to look for some out of the ordinary folks around here. Most likely I will need to leave the suburbs to find them though.

TheHub got home a little early. We had planned on going to trivia and this time went a few minutes after 6 so we could get a table. We still did not play officially  but had fun playing along with the "serious" trivia people. The table next to us was stuck on one answer, so we told them what it was. We left before it was over so I have no idea if they won or not, but hope they did.

When we got home we had time to begin a new series "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". I read the book and thought it was good, so I had high hopes for the series. After episode one it looked  like the show might match or exceed my expectations.

Wednesday: I finished my class for the year and afterward we all went out for lunch (way to early for lunch IMO, but majority rules and I followed suit) and had a lovely time with some nice and relaxed conversations.  We decided we would meet for a bite monthly during the summer.

I also talked on the phone with my niece, who is one of the sweetest humans I have ever had the privilege to know. The bonus is being related to her. I hope we can visit her before too long.

Other than that it was just a regular day with a little washing, a little cleaning and some reading.

Friday: I read a lot, caught up on the rest of the laundry, and would like to say I did a ton of housework and had every single thing in place before the weekend, but i didn't. The beautiful day, the porch , and my book were calling me. From the look of the house in the early evening I seem to have obliged. I did make a quick sweep of the house putting up errant objects but that was about it, and amazingly life went on. (One of my joys that I don't mention often is having a partner in life who is comfortable with the way I am)

We usually go out to eat, Friday night, but TheHub had been at a golf tournament most of the day (work related__mostly) , and was hot an tired. We decided instead to have a quick meal in, and watch more of The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

(Another joy I don't mention often is having an overly stocked freezer that allows me to create a quick meal easily. I know I did all the cooking for prepared foods that I froze, but without the space to hold them, I would not have so many offerings to choose from.)

Saturday: We woke and were both ready to do our usual running around, when we got a call from Son2. I had volunteered my vehicle to load and transport things from their existing house to their new one and they were ready to take me up on it. 

When the seats are down I have a ton of cargo space and we made a couple of trips taking both some furniture and boxes over for them, then unloaded and put things where they wanted them. It is funny how some bookshelves, lamps, desks and so forth start making bare rooms look not quite so bare.

By the time we were back home it was a little later than I wanted to start cooking. We managed to snag the last rotisserie chicken Publix had, so I am counting that as another joy. Not so joyful though is that the chicken had gone up another 50 cents. It's now a buck fifty over what it was a year ago. It is still a good deal and much cheaper than picking up food to go, but jeeze, are these price increases ever going to slow down?

Sunday: It was Mother's Day here. At our house it happens without a lot of fanfare, but a house without kids at home is much different that one with it. We went to church, stopped on the way home to pick up a meal we split for lunch, then started to watch the last episode of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. About 5 minutes in, the doorbell rang and DIL2 and Son2 were at the door. 

They came over to wish me a Happy Day, sat and visited for a bit then left. I was happy to see them but did not expect them to drop by. 

Their new place is on the other side of town and they still have a few touch up things to do to the reno.  Since they both work and the weekends are their main workdays they did not need to spend that time coming here. I was glad to hear they needed to go to Costco, which is on my side of town, and were not just dropping by for Mother's Day.

Both the Portland son and the Nashville son called and we had nice conversations with them. Another joy I rarely mention is having devices with great speakers so TheHub and I can both be a part of the call. I would like to see both sons more often, but am so thankful for technology that makes being part of their lives so much easier.

Books read in May:

A Rip in Time

The Lost Symbol

Look for your joys, no matter how small, they are always out there.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* I do not think TheHub will completely stop working. Mostly likely he will do some freelance consulting work , but it will be soemthing he enjoys without the day to day stress his current job requires.

**Earlier in the day I had been playing my Spotify playlist If it's not Baroque and that was the next song up list, before I paused it. But talk about timing!

We Ate and It Was FIne

The week came and went with just a couple of day deviation from the meal plan. It ws not so much that I intentionally stayed on target for the most part. It was simply because I had everything on hand and if I don't have to go to the grocery store for us to be able to eat for the week there is no real reason to change it up (other than a delay getting home which required a small punt.) Honestly even though we did not have exciting dinners everything was fine.

Planned meals:

1. Tacos and all the fixings✓

2. Steak, mashed potatoes, tossed salad✓

3. Taco salad ( had a lot left over from taco night)✓

4. Out to eat✓

5. Grilled fish or scallops, tossed salad

6. Veggie meal TBD

7. Sandwich meal TBD✓

 

VS

What we really ate:

Sunday: Some of you might do a big Cinco de Mayo celebration. We do it on a much smaller scale.

Tacos w/everything you need added to make them delicious

Monday: The day was pretty but hot. I think summer is here which means a lot of outdoor cooking.

Steak, new potatoes, asparagus, cucumber slices, and sliced tomatoes

Tuesday: We had planned to go to trivia at The Electric. Fortunately we went early this time

Americana salad for both of us

Wednesday: Sandwich night means no cooking

Toasted cheese sandwiches

Thursday: We had taco meat left from Sunday night. Planned makeovers!

Taco salad

Friday: A quick thaw, some dressing, and a little slicing and dinner was ready

Bbq chicken, coleslaw, and cucumbers slices

Saturday: We were riding back and forth between Son2's old and new house, carrying loads to the new house. It was late when we got home and I did not want to cook. 

Rotisserie chicken, tomato slices, pepper strips, cucumber slices and radishes

What might be happening this week:

1. Steak, tossed salad

2. Chicken salad sandwiches with pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and pepper rings

3. Salad meal TBD

4. Veggie meal TBD

5. Grilled fish, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, hushpuppies ( maybe)

6. Stuffed bell peppers, rice, tomato onion and cucumber salad

7. Out to eat

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan or with no plan at all!

What a Nice Week

The past week was a lovely week, with large and small joys. 

I truly believe is you look for things that are bad or disagreeable that is what you see most often.  I love the quote that has been showing up on Pinterest boards and Facebook for quite a while 

"Look for the best in the worst rather than looking for the worst in the best" 

Now I am not Mary Sunshine nor am I immune from being upset or angry, but I  understand things happen, and some of them are things I wish did/would not. 

Even so (after a little bit of reflecting and possible not so charming words) I do prefer to look on the bright side.

Monday: This was a stay at home day for me. I had a lot of laundry to catch up on as well as removing any transitional clothes from my closet. 

It was time for a full blown summer wardrobe flip and I was ready for it. I did leave one sweatshirt and one jean jacket for any surprise chilly nights but other than that I am totally done with cool temps. Out with the darks and in with some color!

After dinner TheHub and I started watching Apple TV's Franklin. I loved it, but TheHub was not truly fond of it. I think it is because he usually watches most shows halfway paying attention, and a lot of this was in French with subtitles.

Tuesday: I slept later than I usually do, woke and started getting my last remaining sweaters washed, to dry flat before packing them away.

While I was doing that I was able to talk with my beloved sister and laugh about whatever we laugh about just about every day. (Usually we make fun of bonehead things we have done during our lifetime).

TheHub and I had planned on going to Trivia at The Electric, arriving there about 20 minutes before it was to begin. We discovered we would need to be there much earlier to get a table. I mean, who wants to eat and play trivia while standing? Not us, but it did blow our plans! 

Instead we went out to eat at a diner on the crest and at least got to see a drop dead gorgeous sunset.

Wednesday: I finally made it to class and was so happy to be there without having to stay at home for some service person doing something to or around the house. One nice thing about TheHub's retirement will be that there will be more than one person to be here when things that need someone at home are happening. 

After class two friends who are also in there asked if I would join them at a nearby restaurant. That was a quick yes on my part. 

After lunch I ran a few errands, before heading home to enjoy the rest of the gorgeous day. 

Then  I decided to call Sissie (Kim's twin) and  to tell her I was thinking about her and wish her luck with their big move. After talking with her, I am thrilled I am not moving. Joy can take a strange form, right?

Thursday: This day was almost a perfect day weather-wise. The skies were blue, clouds fluffy, warm temperatures and not a lot of humidity.  The brunt of the pollen is gone and it would be a perfect time to open the pool if there was not a huge pile of dirt on the pool deck. I am tired of dealing with this landscaper having to repair everything he has messed up. And yes I fully understand this is a first world problem, but it has been ongoing since the middle of November and we have lost patience.

Fortunately Sluggy called and I was able to have some laughs (and possibly bitch about the landscaping).

TheHub and I ate a wonderful dinner and finished in time to watch Alabama's softball team lose to Auburn.

Friday: Finally I began the deep and dark cleaning of our bedroom, beginning with just one bookshelf, cleaning out from underneath the bed (found a shoe that had been missing since fall), sorting through jewelry (put an entire bag of costume jewelry in the giveaway stash). I had a very painful realization that I am just too old of a certain age , and will never wear some of the necklaces, bracelets and earrings I have held on to for decades again. Past time to let go! 

I also realized just how many lotions and potions I own. I had always just used the cheap stuff from the drug store for my after shower lotion. I have so many that have been given to me over time that need to be used, and even though I might think I smell like I just walked out fo a French bordello, who cares?  

I am going to use the good stuff!

Saturday: TheHub and I woke, had a cup of coffee and did our usual Saturday runarounds. This week the produce guy had some beautiful plants and one gigantic hot pink flowering plant (no idea what it is) somehow or another found its way into the back of my vehicle. I put it by the front steps and I think it is loving that it outshines the blossoms on the hibiscus plants.

After we returned home we had a ball game lunch (hot dogs) while watching Alabama softball lose to Auburn. Bama's hitting coach is not doing a very good job in our opinions. They tend to swing at trash pitches and take a lot that are right down the plate. Oh well at least this was the last series of the regular season.

After the ball game we did a little around the house before watching the Kentucky Derby broadcast. I have a fascinator I intended to wear while watching but  forgot until it was almost post time then decided it was not worth the effort to get the step stool out to grab it from the top of the closet for just 2 minutes. I am sure I would have looked fetching wearing it with capris a teeshirt, and flip flops.

The race was not over until later than I felt like cooking. Instead we went out to grab a quick bite. (Ah the joy of not having to make dinner.)

Sunday: What a great day! When we woke the day was beautiful, but a tad warm.  We went to church, came home for a quick lunch, (pimento cheese sandwiches) then headed downtown to see the musical, Pretty Woman. To be honest if we did not have season tickets I never would have seen it at all.

I love it when I go into the theater with no expectations. I thought the movie was cute but figured the musical would be pretty lame. Though I do not need to ever see it again, it was a very enjoyable show. The choreography was outstanding, and three members of the supporting cast were truly magnificent. Two of those were in their first national tour, and I imagine we will be seeing them again in some future performance.

Once home we had a slight nod to Cinco de Mayo before settling in to watch "Zone of Interest". I am glad I saw it, but found it painful to watch.

Have a great week and look for your joys, large or small. They are always out there if we look for them.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

p.s. An aside for one specific joy this week: Our landscaper messed up our sprinkler system which has been difficult to find and repair all the (many) places it was injured. Normally this would not be that big of a deal except that we had a good bit of new sod put in. We have had several early morning or late afternoon showers which has made most hand watering unnecessary.  So Yay for the scattered rain with otherwise fantastic weather.

Close But No Cigars

I had a decent week with meals though I did veer off a little. We ate fairly well anyway and I am usually fine when things change. Maybe this time is as close as I will ever get

Planned 

1. Fish sandwich, chips✓

2. Steak, potatoes, salad

3. Veggie meal✓

4. Tuna steak, mashed potatoes, some green veggie, coleslaw✓

5. Out to eat✓

6. Tacos  Forgot Cinco de Mayo was Sunday, so moved this to next week's plan

7. Sandwich meal TBD✓

VS

What We Really Ate

Sunday: We took an unplanned road trip to Decatur, then on the way home Son2 called and asked us to come by their house to see the progress they had made with their reno. By the time we finally were close to home for the night it was later than we I wanted to start cooking. Definitely not our norm but McD's came to the rescue.

Fish sandwich, potato chips, handful of grapes

Monday: I bought beautiful tomatoes, cucumbers and squash at our neighboring produce stand over the weekend. That made a veggie meal very easy.

Collard greens, sautéed squash with onions, cucumber tomato red onion salad

Tuesday: We had decided to go to The Electric for dinner and trivia, but there was nowhere for us to sit. Punted and went to Bluff Park Diner. Not where I wanted to go but it was close, open, and had empty tables.

Catfish*, cabbage and green beans (me) or Baked spaghetti, okra, and black eyed peas (TheHub)

Wednesday: TheHub had lunch at Cracker Barrel again and brought home one of the $5 small meals for us to split for dinner.

Meatloaf, tossed salad, mac and cheese (TheHub) raw cauliflower (me)

Thursday: The beautiful day screamed "Fire up that grill" 

Grilled tuna steaks, mashed potatoes, coleslaw

Friday: We planned on watching the Alabama/Auburn softball game and decided it would be a perfect sandwich night.

Pimento cheese sandwiches, cucumbers and pepper slices or chips

Saturday: We did a lot of running around, then did separate projects in the house before watching The Kentucky Derby. After it was over I did not want to cook so we went out.

Jim and Nick's BBQ. Chicken plate with coleslaw and baked beans (TheHub) Carolina pork plate with coleslaw and collards (me)

What’s possible for this week?

1. Tacos and all the fixings

2. Steak, mashed potatoes, tossed salad

3. Taco salad ( had a lot left over from taco night)

4. Out to eat

5. Grilled fish or scallops, tossed salad

6. Veggie meal TBD

7. Sandwich meal TBD

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all.

p.s. Accidental new lunch favorite.

I don't know about most of you, but for me lunch is always eating  bits and bobs of what is leftover from other meals. Tuesday, I was cleaning out the fridge and found leftover sautéed squash and onions, and about 2 teaspoons of pimento cheese. I nuked the squash on a plate then put the leftover pimento cheese on the other side of said plate. 

The phone rang while I was walking to the table. When I reached to answer it, the plate tipped slightly and the hot squash slid into the pimento cheese. Oh my goodness, it was delicious and something I am going to start having anytime I have leftover squash. (I will try this with other vegetables I have leftover.) 

Luckily I make pimento cheese regularly, especially during warm weather, and always have some veggies left over.

* Catfish is one of my least favorite proteins, but the rest of their offerings looked horrible to me (probably because I had my taste buds set for the Americana salad at The Electric).

May The Fourth Be With You