March Madness is Here

I have no real introduction today, because we are literally about to walk out the door and head to New Orleans. Sounds like a good week for listening to cajun/zydeco music.

Monday: I woke at my usual time, made a pot of coffee and sat at the kitchen table, which sits in a bay window. It allows me a panoramic view of the backyard, which is mostly filled with birds, chipmunks and squirrels. The temps had dropped substantially from Sunday's glorious

afternoon highs and it was raining.  I was not upset about the rain  since it would knock down some of the raging pollen.

So I was enjoying my coffee watching the rain when it turned to what I thought was a fine drizzle. Instead it was snow flurries which quickly became full blown snow.

It was beautiful, snowed hard and long enough to cover everything but the streets, then melted totally about an hour after it stopped. In my view it was the perfect, unexpected snow. Now spring has my permission to resume.

I stayed in the house most of the day doing some organizational chores. (I am trying to make the kitchen accessible for TheHub, who is evidently blind when it comes to finding anything. Hopefully the black labels with the white chalk paint lettering will help.)

I did run out in the late afternoon to pick up and deliver dinner to a friend who just moved, and is in the middle of that just moved chaos. They are combining 2 households into one new place which is still in the process of  the finishing touches for some reno construction, and it is going to take them a while.

Once home I spent the early evening reading.

What I learned: After watching episode 1 of the Dinosaurs  series on Netflix, I learned more about the pre-dinosaurs and how the changing climate paved the way for the monsters. 

Dinner: I was home alone and let my inner child decide what dinner would be.

Toast and hot chocolate.

Tuesday: The clouds were gone, but the cold weather was still hanging around. I had to punt with what I was wearing, because the green blouse I planned on would not have been warm enough. I do have a green sweater that I had already laundered to be packed away until next year, but the temp left me no choice but to wear it. 

I met my Book Club friends for lunch at The Standard. They have great burgers, but most of their business is take out. It was a perfect place to eat and talk with little to no other diners in the restaurant.

I got home in time to watch the last few innings of Bama's softball game, did a few chores and prepared a St. Patrick's meal.

Once the meal was over, the St. Pat's decor was put away until next year, and Easter decorations replaced it. 

What I learned:  I learned the reasons for pinching a non green wearing person on St. Patrick's Day. According to lore, people wearing green are invisible to Leprechauns, thus they are not pinched by those sneaky creatures. If you don't have on green you are vulnerable to a sneak attack.

Dinner: TheHub was still out of town and I had cooked a beautiful corned beef. My Beloved Sister came over and we had a very simple St. Patrick's Day celebration.

Corned beef, cabbage

Wednesday: I woke, read the last chapter of the book our class is discussing, then made my way there. I came straight home, put a load of clothes in the laundry and got ready for the rest of the day doing stuff at home. 

I had plans to be at the airport at about 9:00 pm to pick up TheHub, but the flight from D.C. was cancelled. He wound up spending the night there, but was fortunate to find a hotel room. (Lots of flights were cancelled)

So instead, I had another evening to myself. There was time for reading and some self indulgent reality TV. I love watching The Traitors and especially streaming it. I can watch an episode in about 10 minutes, because I really don't care about watching the allegiances, backstabbing, and gossip. I just like to watch the roundtable and vote.

Since I was the only one at the house, I binged the entire season.  Since I watch such an edited version, it is pretty easy to do.

What I learned: I learned that President James Buchanan had a fondness for wearing fancy hats, and was a meticulous, yet formal clothes horse.

Dinner: Cheese toast, tossed salad

Thursday: I went to the airport to get TheHub and we gave rides to 3 others who had been to the same event and were also stranded in D.C.  Since I was already there, there was no reason for them to grab an Uber.

Once home TheHub unpacked and I messed around the house.

What I learned: Not what I wanted to learn, but found that one of my young friends and her husband recently divorced. 

Dinner: Leftovers to the rescue

Corned beef and cabbage

Friday: The day was just drop dead gorgeous. All the spring flowering trees were in full bloom, the azaleas, were out and the wisteria was just being her beautiful show off purplish blue. 

I had lunch with two of my friends who had been in the same elementary classes with me since the 1st and 2nd grades. It was great seeing them, but we did make one mistake. 

We met at a sports bar that is generally pretty empty during the day and is more of a nighttime spot. Of course we forgot about March Madness. We should have realized it when we walked in, every table but one was filled and there were no females.  

We sat, ordered and talked, probably much to the chagrin of all the guys sitting around us. Vengeance was theirs when Kentucky sank a basket at the buzzer, and the whole place (minus the three of us) burst into an uproar, and all three of us (who were oblivious to the game) all jumped from being startled by the noise.

Amazingly once the game was over, we were left with an empty restaurant, and continued talking and reminiscing over old times.

When I returned home we watched Bama men's basketball, followed by a softball game.

What I learned: The small town near the coast where one of my lunch friends has a vacation home, has quadrupled its population over the last 8 years.

Dinner: TheHub went to our fish mongers shop and bought our dinner entree

Grilled grouper, tossed salad, toast 

Saturday:  There were a lot of ballgames happening and ,specifically for Alabama, both women’s basketball and softball. So We watched!

What I learned: I’m sure I learned something new but I don’t remember what it was. 

Dinner: Chicken broccoli casserole

Sunday:TheHub did our normal Sunday thing, but I was feeling icky and stayed at home.

While packing for our trip we watched Bama softball. They won the series, 2 of 3 games.

I needed to run to the store to pick up some medicine to fill my travel pack.

Once home I cooked a quick dinner because Alabama’s men’s basketball game was coming on.

What I learned: The death watch beetle gets its name from a time when people heard the clicking sound of the beetle boring into wood was the beetle clicking off seconds left in a life.

Dinner: Corned  beef hash, salad

I’m not posting any menu because we will be in one of the best food cities in the world all week!

What I read:

Danubia

 

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers. 

Anneo

Used from the freezer:

Corned beef point cut