Some Happiness, Some Sadness

The music genre I chose this week was one I never actively choose___

Ragtime. It turned out I listened only to Scott Joplin, Joseph Lamb, and James Scott. I am sure there were other composers, but those were the "Big 3". Interestingly, ragtime lasted only a period of less then twenty years and was a bridge between classical music and jazz.

Thanks to movies like "The Sting", a completely different generation became aware of the genre. Heck, even ice cream trucks around here even got in on it, using "The Entertainer" as their siren's call instead of the traditional bell.

The Gettin Ready Rag is from the Broadway play Ragtime. I think I would really enjoy seeing the play.

Monday: One of our longtime and TheHub's closest friend passed away. We went to his Celebration of Life service Monday morning, followed by a reception afterward. He was a wonderful man,  the most loved person I have ever had the privilege of calling a friend, and will be missed terribly. 

Hats off to his family who planned the most uplifting funeral I have ever attended. At the service's end, the attendees exited the sanctuary to this song. It was perfection and echoed his attitude of life.

We were there until mid afternoon, came home and listened to the music J. loved. He was a huge fan of 60's beach shag music and loved dancing to songs like this. And he loved The Tams in particular!

Listened to : The Entertainer (along with beach shag music)

What I learned: The Tams got their name from the tams they wore when they first started singing together as a group.

Dinner: Tossed salad w/ chickpeas

Tuesday: This was a stay at home day. Though I felt fine, I could not shake the lingering cough, and did not want to be out and about. Instead I concentrated on hemming 5 pairs of summer slacks that I bought last year and never wore because I never hemmed them. Since I was getting clothes together for the trip anyway, I thought this might be a great time to actually get it done. So now I have 5 pairs of new/old pants to wear.

Listened to: Stoptime Rag

What I learned: It only took about 10 minutes to hem each pair of pants. Why did I put it off for a year instead of letting them hang un-hemmed and unworn all last summer?

Dinner: There was 3/4 of a jar of Rao's marinara in the fridge that needed to be used.

Spaghetti with veggie loaded marinara

Wednesday: I went to my Wednesday class, came home, and TheHub had arranged for us to meet Son2 near his house for lunch. I enjoyed the meal and the company.

What I learned: Learned about all the recent antics of Son2 and DIL2's four dogs. They live on a lake and  take the pups to the waterb to swim everyday. It turns out that not only can Trixie swim, but she is able to catch fish while in the water. Son2 said she looked absolutely betrayed when he put her "gift"to them back in the lake.

Listened to The Easy Winners

Dinner: Since we ate a veggie lunch at a local meat and three, dinner was not a big deal. Had leftovers from a recent lunch.

Chicken salad sandwich

Thursday: I went to a couple of grocery stores to do a little stocking up. I was out of most salad fixings and low carb bread, in addition to a few other things we needed. At least I did not buy anything to add to the freezer.

What I learned: After looking through a local art store's online products and seeing Holbein oil paints, I kind of went down a rabbit hole about Hans Holbein, the artist's, life and works. 

Listened to: Maple Leaf Rag
Dinner: I had taken a pack of ground chuck out of the freezer for  spaghetti night, but did not use it. 

Hamburger w/ all the fixings, coleslaw

Friday: I stayed at home all day with the exception of driving TheHub when we grabbed our dinner take out.

It was past time to do a huge deep cleaning of our bedroom, so I began the process, while doing laundry, and regular household things. I am not looking forward to attacking the closet!

In the late afternoon, we got a message that a friend of ours, who had surgery Thursday,  received a very good followup exam. We were both excited for their good news.

What I learned: Ragtime music originated in the African American communities of Missouri

Listened to Frog Legs Rag

Dinner: We have a 50 dollar monthly minimum purchase we either use or lose. I had rather not lose it, so we generally order take out.

Grilled chicken over steamed spinach and Cajun risotto,  or grilled snapper, asparagus, polenta cake. 

We also had 2 individual cheesecakes, but we did not eat them (I really wanted to). When I ordered I asked that dessert not be included, so we would not be tempted. Resistance was not futile but it wasn't fun either!

Saturday: I stayed home the entire day, working in the bedroom, the dressing room, and the laundry room. I still managed to avoid the closet. As I have said before, TheHub occupies 2/3 of our shared walk-in closet and I am not going to clean his stuff. (Can you tell which one of us is a clothes horse)

In the evening we watched Bama softball, while I did a little mending.

What I learned: I learned everything I could possibly ever want to know about 

Listened to: Prosperity Rag

Dinner: TheHub had to go to an event during the afternoon and stopped by our fish monger on his way home.

Steamed shrimp, tossed salad, crackers

Sunday: We had our usual Sunday morning, communication service, 8:30 traditional sermon, followed by Sunday School. On our way home we had a quick stop at Publix to pick up a couple of items.

TheHub and I had decided we would get a jigsaw table (not really a table but that is what Amazon called it) and start working on a puzzle at night. 

What that really meant was I would sort all 1500 pieces, then work the edge before lunch.

After we ate I went back to my task and puzzled over more puzzle pieces until it was time for the softball game. (It is not finished but I have made decent headway on it)

We watched the game, then it was time to begin dinner prep, but I went back to the puzzle. Oops!

What I learned: The Book of Luke and Acts were most likely written as one epistle, but separated into 2 distinct books sometime in the 2nd century A.D.

Listened to: Whatever rags Spotify wanted me to hear. I was working in the kitchen and heard about a dozen songs, none of which were familiar to me.

Dinner: Taco salad

Possibilities for this week:

1. Veggie meal TBD

2. Salmon croquettes, coleslaw, dinner rolls

3. White bbq chicken, caulitato salad, coleslaw, tomato slices

4. Grilled steak, baked potato, brussels sprouts, tomato cucumber onion salad

5. BLT salad, dinner rolls

6. Out to eat

7. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, cornbread

Read this week:  Christmas with Southern Living 2025 edition. This was one of those weeks when none of the books that were on hold with my Libby app were available. (Fortunately late last night night at least one title appeared.)

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

. 

Week I am Glad Is Over

First off, let me apologize for my lack of responses to your blogs. I have been reading them, but I only read them intermittently when my eyes cooperated with me and read them on my I-pad which fights with me when I try to comment. 

I use Spotify regularly. I listen to music all the time and there is one feature of Spotify I really do enjoy. Every week their Discover Weekly sends me suggestions mostly reflecting what I had been listening to the previous week. This week it was filled with broadway tunes from last week's listening. It will be fun to see what it suggests next week.

Bossanova music was my selected genre for the week. I have no idea why I chose it, but it is certainly a genre I do not normally choose. 

Monday: Still felt pretty rotten but the Covid test was negative and I was glad for that. One advantage of having some congestion issues was not really being able to taste or smell much and the Buckley's cough syrup was just bad, instead of repulsive. A win is a win no matter how small.

In order to let TheHub sleep, and me being able to continue breathing, I slept (as much as I was able to sleep) in the recliner.

Listened to: The Girl from Ipanema

Dinner: Stuffed bell pepper, green beans, coleslaw

Tuesday: I was hopeful this would be the last day of feeling so bad. At the very least the cough was not as horrid as it had been, and I could breathe through my nose somewhat. Again I would take whatever win I could get.

The downside was that I had not been able to sleep for coughing my head off. I wound up sitting in the recliner again, dozing between coughing fits. I have plenty of other beds I could have used so I would not keep TheHub awake too, but being prone was my enemy.

There was one upside. I talked with Sluggy and she is making some improvements. Not as much or as quickly as she would like, but she is doing better.

Listened to: Corcovado

Dinner: I did not feel like cooking

Sandwich

Wednesday: I actually felt worse Wednesday. Another Covid test was negative, and I really thought this crap must have been flu. I pretty much did little during the day except wander around with my head in a fog. I tried to read but my watery, itchy eyes were not agreeing with that decision. I needed sleep, but the only way I could even catch a few winks was to doze off and on in the recliner, and I really cant sleep well sitting up. I am a dedicated side sleeper and being sunny side up just does not work for me.

Listened to: Manha de Carnaval

Dinner: I did not feel like cooking again, but cooked the absolute minimum for a meal. (If you noticed a slight martyrdom sound to my words you might or might not be correct)

Baked salmon, dill sauce, asparagus

Thursday: This was just another day in Paradise. By Thursday, I had just finished a 4th box of Kleenex. If I had realized I would be coughing and sneezing like a maniac, I would have invested heavily in Kimberly Clark stock.  This was a repeat of the other days: sleep sitting up, no sense of smell or taste, watery eyes.  Instead of being a couch potato I was a recliner potato.

Listened to Desafinado (This is the final bossanova tune I knew to listen to)

Dinner: I did not care about anything, much less food.

Tossed salad

Friday: I woke and I believe the clouds started to part a little. I was able to drive to Walmart and use their car pickup to grab a few things we needed (more Kleenex for one thing) I am so glad I found the wonders of this store feature before I really needed it. I still did not feel well, but I had turned the corner and was able to actually do a few things around the house and also get some laundry done.

Alabama softball played Kentucky and I was able to stay awake through the entire game.

And the bonus of the week was being able to sleep in the bed and still breathe!

Listened to: Whatever Spotify played when I typed in bossanova

Dinner: I rode with TheHub and sat in the car while he got a haircut. I had been freezing all week and sitting in the hot car with the windows down felt great.  once he was done (10 minutes total maybe) we rode to St. Elias and bought take out from their Lebanese Food Festival.

Grilled Lebanese chicken (incredibly delicious), green beans, rice pilaf

Saturday: I felt much much better, and my body was rested due to getting a full nights sleep while prone.

 TheHub ran a few errands, while I did a little sprucing up the house that had been neglected for most of the week. 

We watched Bama softball in a tight game. They went into the last inning behind by 2 runs, but managed to win with bases loaded and 2 outs.

After the game I headed upstairs to change over some more seasonal clothes, and to begin getting my duds ready for our upcoming trip.

Listened to: Spotify's bossanova choice

Dinner: Hamburger patty, broccoli, toast

Sunday: And just like that I was back among the living. We went to our communion service, early church and Sunday School. 

We stopped by the grocery store on our way home to grab a few of Publix's Bogo items, then rushed home to grab a bite to eat before watching Bama softball.

Listened to: Spotify chose several bossanova tunes I had never heard before. 

Dinner: Assorted leftovers

Read this week: Nothing

Learned this week: I hate feeling bad and kind of resent not being able to do whatever I want to do.

I am not doing a meal plan this week, mainly because I did not feel like looking through the freezer and pantry to put together a plan. Whatever happens, happens.

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

Life Isn't A Musical

I am continuing my plan to listen to music I do not normally choose for my listening entertainment. This week was Broadway musicals I have never  heard of before*. I have to admit I really did enjoy them.

I have seen Spamalot a couple of times but thought this was the perfect introduction for this week's post.

Monday: I hung around the house all day. I would like to say I was a cleaning whiz, but that would be a bold faced lie. I did plan our meals for the week including whatever I needed to buy to make said meals (nothing really) and did just enough housework to keep from being a health hazard, but did absolutely nothing that I should have done. I am blaming it on being tired from Easter, but that also would be a bold faced lie. I just took a day to do whatever I wanted.

Listened to: Anyone Can Whistle. The only song I think I have ever heard before from this play was Everybody Says Don't

What I learned: My cousin's son is remarrying after losing his first wife to cancer at a very young age. 

They want a small intimate wedding but have invited people to watch it online as it happens. 

Dinner: Oven baked chicken with bbq sauce, great northern beans, coleslaw, toast

Tuesday: I had a couple of errands to run and a bookcase to buy. I can't stand going into a Walmart SuperCenter anymore. There is a Walmart Everyday Market near me, but it is only good for traditional grocery store items and pharmaceuticals. No bookcases would be found there, so I ordered it for pickup. I also added a couple of groceries to bring the total over 35 bucks to avoid the pick up fee.We grabbed the items then headed home just in time to see Bama softball beat South Alabama. 

After the game TheHub put the new bookcase together and took it into the laundry room for me. I could have done both, but I am not stupid and if it was something he wanted to do it was fine by me.

 Our food storage was out of control and needed better organization and containment, and the bookcase was quickly filled with canned foods.

And, as we all know. once you start organizing, one thing leads to another and before I knew it I had jars of colored pencils organized by type and color family. What? You mean some of you don't have hundreds of colored pencils of every type and shade possible?

Next up is to tackle all my paints.

After spending a couple of hours in the laundry room things looked so much better, and now I can find some things much easier.

Listened to: Philemon  I listened to it once, and I never have to again. I am just glad I was listening to it while working in the laundry room, so it was not a compete waste of my time. Perhaps if I saw the play while listening I might feel differently because I do love musical theater. Who knows?

What I learned: Walmart pick up is the bomb!

Dinner: Pizza in a bowl, broccoli/kale coleslaw

Wednesday: My Wednesday class was meeting again after a break for a couple of weeks. I came home, ate lunch with TheHub, then headed out to run a few errands. It was a regular run of the mill day.

Listened to: Death Becomes Her Loved it!

What I learned: About the Habsburg empire

Dinner:  Ham steak, squash, green beans, coleslaw

Thursday: I cleaned and reorganized the butler's pantry. Though I do store crystal and barware in it, we actually use it as a storage for snacks, crackers, nuts and the like. With TheHub's change in diet I wanted to get rid of things he no longer needs to eat, as well as making space for things he can have.

After getting it cleaned out, I moved to getting the house company ready. Our neighbors who moved a couple of weeks ago were back in town for the second part of their move, so we had a little impromptu dinner for them, including another couple in the neighborhood we are all friends with. 

We told them whoever bought their house has a high water mark for being good neighbors. We will miss them but wish them every good thing.

Listened to: Shout! The Mod Musical  This was really easy to listen to since I was familiar with most of the songs, which were mostly female  hits in the 60's. I think based on the music it might be fun to see.

What I learned: Our neighbor who is moving is a pilot for Delta, but at one time he worked for a private charter company and transported all kinds of folks who had the cash to spend for a private plane. If a client was late for his appointed time, the flight crew just had to wait. The longest delay he said they ever had was 4 days. I can't imagine having so much money that I would ever pay a flight crew four days salaries just so I could continue having a good time. (OK in reality I can't imagine I would ever hire a charter flight, even if money were no object)

Dinner: Pulled pork, smoked chicken, turnip greens, potato salad, baked beans, buns

Friday: I woke with a very sore throat and cough**. A few years ago maebemylife mentioned Buckley's*** Cough and Congestion magic elixir (the magic elixir is just what we call it, not part of the products name) and it's wonderful properties for a cough and cold. 

I can't find it here, but through the magic of Amazon I could purchase it and have it delivered to my door. I bought it and have reordered it a couple of times over the last few years. 

Imagine my horror when I was looking through the medicine cabinet and found only enough for one dose. After taking it, my first stop of the morning was to the computer to order 2 additional bottles (delivery between 4 and 8 am Saturday)

It is pricy, but works so much better than anything I can find locally.

By noon I felt much better. Continuous cups of hot tea helped the throat, and Buckley's calmed the cough and made breathing easier.

Unfortunately looking for the Buckley's made a mess on the counter and forced me to clean out the medicine cabinet, which then made me clean out the spice cabinet, (beside the medicine cabinet) and next made me start searching for recipes using some of the odd herbs and spices I have. ADD at its finest!

We asked My Beloved Sister , Dil2 and Son2 to come eat the bbq leftovers, so one meal turned into 2.

We enjoyed eating, and talking with them.

After dinner we watched Bama softball. They beat Auburn with is always good, though it was a very close game.

Unfortunately for me, the later the night went on the worse I felt.

Listened to: The Band's Visit. I had never heard of this musical but after listening to the cast recording and reading a synopsis of the play, I think I would like to see it.

What I learned: The employees of High End Moving Company wear tee shirts that look like tuxedos

Dinner: Repeats of Thursday's meal with the addition of coleslaw.

Saturday: I did not sleep much at all Friday night because of a persistent cough and runny nose. I got up well before dawn and started drinking coffee, which felt great on my throat, and just as promised, Amazon delivered the Buckley's cough syrup a little before 7.  Perfect, because I had no more and really needed it.

I did very little other than cough, drink hot tea and doze off, until it was time for the Alabama softball game, and even watching it, I would doze off between innings. I guess you would say I had a very unproductive day other than the couple of loads of laundry I did early in the day.

What I learned: Nothing because I felt like learning nothing at all.

Listened to: Nothing because I felt bad and would just have slept through it anyway.

Dinner: I also did not feel like cooking

Tossed salad

Sunday: I got up in the middle of the night and finished sleeping in the recliner. Being prone did nothing to help the cough and sneezing. I skipped church to avoid sharing whatever this is with others, took a long steamy shower took medicine and began day two of nothing but reading and watching both Bama softball and The Master's. 

As is our tradition, we had a pimento cheese sandwich for our Master's Sunday lunch. Even if we can't be there in person we can eat what the crowds there eat.

Bama won, as did Rory Mcillroy.

What I learned: I was thinking about one of my great aunts and could not remember which of my grandfather's brothers she married. I texted one of my cousins, who knows everything about the family to find out. Not only did she tell me who WM was married to, but she also told me about a different set of relatives (great aunt and uncle also) who had a shotgun wedding. I had never heard that before!

Listened to: It Shoulda Been You. Judging by the songs this is a comedy about a wedding, overbearing mother of the bride, and an ex-boyfriend. The songs are funny on their own. I think I might like seeing this.

Dinner: Planned and reformatted leftovers

Lamb stew, cucumber tomato salad

What we might eat this week:

1. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, coleslaw

2. Grilled salmon, asparagus, rice pilaf, tossed salad

3. Meal from St.Elias Lebanese festival (we do this every year)

4. Sausage dogs, coleslaw

5. Thai chicken salad

6. Veggie meal TBD

7. Chicken, Moroccan roasted cauliflower, dinner rolls

Read this week: Theo of Golden

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* I have had this site bookmarked for quite a while so it is very easy for me to find musicals I have never seen or known about before   https://www.mtishows.com/shows/all 

It provides a little synopsis of each show, then all I have to do is find the broadway cast recording on Spotify and listen to it. 

** I thought this was just a pollen and allergy issue but it turned out to be a little more.

***The magic of Buckley's comes at a cost. It is very pricy so you take a financial hit for the incredible benefits. But there is also an price to be paid when taking it. I swear it tastes like a combination of turpentine, skunk and licking an pine tree.

last week

 I guess this would have been considered a recovery week after being in New Orleans last week.

Monday: I stayed at home most of the day, did some house work, and did a little low carb baking for TheHub. Even though his diet has altered, he still has a sweet tooth. I figure I might as well make a few things for him to enjoy occasionally.

What I learned: TheHub actually appreciates the effort I am making to accommodate his dietary needs.

Dinner: I had not been to the store to restock our produce since we got back from New Orleans. Though my freezers are full, the produce was almostbare.

 Black beans and hamburger skillet meal (with bits of whatever vegetables were still in the crisper), tossed salad (one romaine heart, a few carrots and some cherry tomatoes were left)

Tuesday: I needed to run an appreciation basket to one of the members of our church staff. We do these once a month and I accidentally forgot it was the end of the month pushed it to the last possible moment. 

TheHub had a couple of quick errands and went with me to drop off the basket. We have been trying to conserve gas by combining errands that are in the same area. 

After we completed our errands we stopped by Mark's Market to check out the new store. I bought a chicken swirl, greek style pork chop and some speciality mushrooms. It was a little pricy, but I will be going back.

After that we hit Publix. It was the last day of their ad and there were a few things I wanted to get from the BOGO sale. Ham and salami might have jumped in my buggy while we were there.

What I learned: Evidently I have the reputation as being a good basket giver. Honestly, I just look at their favorite things list and fill it accordingly,

Dinner: An Alabama variation of a Muffuletta

Wednesday: I had put chickpeas and great northern beans in water to soak overnight, and began the morning (even before coffee) putting them in pots for some seriously slow cooking. I don't do anything before coffee but starting the beans did not tax my limited pre coffee daze too much.

I was really looking forward to the day, for I had planned nothing and could hang out all day in shorts, flip flops. and zero makeup. Simple pleasures are sometimes the best.

I thought about working upstairs, but came to my senses and realized I had rather read, so I did.

What I learned: I investigated canning dried beans and realized since I have an electric canner, that is what I need to do with my excessive stock of dried beans.

Dinner: The stop at Mark's Market Tuesday turned into something delicious

Chicken spiral, brown rice, roasted vegetables

Thursday: This was just a normal day around the house, with nothing new to look forward to until the early evening. Alabama softball was playing Texas. They were creamed! Oh well.

What I learned: More about trains from Budapest to Zurich than I wanted to know. One of us is a trip planner and loves to cover every detail and possibility.

Dinner: I had a pack of hot dogs in the fridge but no buns. The dinner was a pretty easy way to use what was on hand.

Hot dog "coins", sauerkraut kale and onions, great northern beans

Friday: This was another stay at home most of the day kind of day. I had nothing really important to do and opted to do little other than the usual housework/laundry until I crossed a kink in the proverbial road. My dryer, that I had for decades decided it did not want to start. which I only realized after I had transferred a load of jeans to the dryer and begun washing a second load. 

One advantage to using the same repairman for at least 3 decades is that when I call he answers, and sends one of his repair people out right away.

Before he started working on it, we decided the dryer was too old to put a lot of money in it to repair the blooming thing. It turned out to be two internal fuses, so while he was there anyway, he vacuumed the exhaust. I am not sure how much longer the dryer will last, but at least it is working right now. So a big thank you to Sam.

What I learned: TheHub's reluctance to cleaning out the lint trap when he does laundry probably led to the dryer overheating and blowing the fuses. (I clean it every time I do laundry. TheHub likes to do his own clothes and never cleans it, even if there is a load of towels in the dryer to be emptied before he uses it.)

Later after drying a few loads of laundry, we watched Bama play Texas again. This game was not like the first one. Bama won decisively , which for us was much better.                                      Dinner: We wanted a simple dinner to eat before the game came on.

Sautéed chicken tenders w/ blue oyster mushrooms, coleslaw,  

(Sorry, I could not resist putting in a Blue Oyster Cult video)

Saturday: TheHub and I made the rounds, going first to Walmart, next Aldi, (I was in a produce dearth)  then to get gas for my car. Costco is on the way home and it makes sense to combine errands that are near each other.

We got home in just enough time to grab a quick bite of lunch before settling in to watch the Bama/Texas softball game. Whoo Hoo! Bama won the series 2 out of 3 games. As soon as the softball game was over TheHub turned the tv to the Bama/ Oklahoma baseball game. I only watched it while I was folding clothes.

Later that night we watched to Final 4 basketball games. I am not a Duke fan, but you could not have had a more exciting ending. Again I watched while reading, but did watch the final 3 minutes of the Duke game intently.

What I learned: This was the first time I have ever used Walmart's pick up. I think this might be a game changer.

Dinner: It was a ball game meal kind of night.

Hamburger and all the fixings

Sunday: We are regular church attendees and the fact that it was Easter did not make any difference in whether we were going or not. However, it did make a big difference in the early church crowd. Though the pews are open to any and everyone, people like us tend to sit on the exact same row each week. We did sit on the same pew, but we were at the opposite end which just felt funny. And precious little AK who sits behind us with her parents was not happy we were not sitting directly in front of her.

Once home I began cooking. We invited Son2, DIL2, and My Beloved Sister for a late Easter lunch. which I am counting as our dinner for the day. 

What I learned: Due to limited cemetery space the Hallstat graveyard in Austria left the "inhabitants" in place for 15 years, at which time their remains were disinterred, the skulls bleached, decoratively painted and placed in the lower level of St. Michael's church.

Late lunch/Dinner: Herb stuffed boneless leg of lamb, asparagus, scalloped potatoes, biscuits, tossed salad, pecan praline cheesecake, chocolate cake

Meals possibilities for this week:

1. BBQ chicken, great northern beans, coleslaw, toast

2. Lamb stew, tossed salad

3. Salmon, rice pilaf, green beans, dinner rolls

4. Ham, turnip or collard greens, great northern beans, tomato onion cucumber salad.

5. Pizza bowl, tossed salad

6. Hot dog w/ kraut and onions, coleslaw

7. Egg roll in a bowl.

Used from the freezer

1 sm. pack ground chuck

2 hamburger patties

2 TJ's salmon patties (lunch)

1 chicken breast (chicken salad for lunch)

3 chicken tenders (I thought I was defrosting thighs)

boneless leg of lamb

pecan praline cheesecake

8 Pillsbury biscuits

Read:

The Correspondent

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

 

                          Happy Easter!!!!

            Also Happy Chocolate Bunny Day

Early Spring Aims and How I Did

I did not have a great March for maintaining my spring aims. What can I say?

1. Light a candle or use fragrance melts everyday, but change from winter to more spring like scents. 

This is the easiest thing to do, especially since I now have my wax warmer on a smart plug and can turn it on from anywhere in the house. With the beautiful days I've given up on using the candles much at all.

2. Bake something delicious every week. 

I am doing this, mainly to help TheHub with his new way of eating.

Yesterday was a low carb variation of Starbucks maple pecan scones

 

3. Continue hand copying my recipes into the new book. I am still behind and still need to do some catching up

4. Plan a joint activity with TheHub during the work week. Longer days make this a little easier.

We took a class together, took a trip together, had a few lunches out while running errands, and went shopping a few times.

5. Self pampering. Working on sandal feet!

6. Learn something new every day.

Just living life it is almost impossible to not learn something new, but I have not been diligent posting it on my weekly recap

7. I did not start germinating seeds in time, so I need to shop for some plants to  transplant.* 

Bought a couple of plants and as luck would have it a pot or two of marigolds sprang up as volunteer plants. They are happy little flowers that I have in the yard every year and was glad to see them self propagate.

8. Clean and replant all the various pots in the yard. 

Nope. Looks like that is an April chore.

9. Rearrange things in the house. This is the time to change over curtains, bedspreads, etc.

Some things were changed, but the curtains and bedspreads are still not done. 

10. Go through spring/summer wardrobe and give away any clothes I  am not likely to wear. The same goes for shoes.

Not yet

11. Organize remaining bathroom and linen closets.   

This is a partial success.

12. Schedule a documentary to watch with TheHub weekly. 

This is so easy because we like watching them.

13. Volunteer. 

Independence place is my happy place!

14. Play the piano for at least 15 minutes 4 times a week.

I don't think I have touched the piano more than a few times this month

15. Read a minimum of one book a week.

Done

16. Have lunch with friends at least 4 times during the spring season.

March week 2  Had friends over for lunch at my house

March week 3. Met bookclub for lunch at a restaurant

March week 3  Met childhood friends for lunch at a sports bar

March week 4  Ate multi meals with Son1's family

17. Contact someone I have not spoken with in a long time. Out of sight, out of mind should not happen with people who have had meaning in my life.

March was a busy month and I did not take the time to reach out to anyone I have not spoken with in a long time. My bad!

18. Go to church regularly, both to services and some of the other offerings our church has. 

Church and Angel class

19. Laugh as much as possible. Laughter is a gift I need to use everyday.

As long as I get to talk with My Beloved Sister laughing is bound to happen. We laugh with each other about ourselves.

20. Maintain contact with my sons, DILs, and granddaughter.

This is easy because I love them all very much

21. Try to not be petty. I can be, and it is an unattractive trait.

I try and am somewhat successful, but not totally

22. Have a road trip or day trip a couple of times a month.

This month was just a regular trip rather than a day trip

23. Go to an actual movie theater once a month just to get out of the house and be among the living.

Nope

24. Have coffee at a coffee shop once a month.

I am counting having cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde. Beignets may or may not have been included.

 

 25. Enjoy every day, even if it is difficult.

I honestly do enjoy at least something every day.

26. Be more approachable, and willing to talk with people I have only spoken to before. 

Met and struck up conversations with a couple who sat at our table at a church dinner. We realized we had much in common.

27. Do something toward Christmas '26 each month

I managed to buy a couple of presents but that was pretty much it.

28. Use existing products before buying more. This is continual, and I have not yet replaced the makeup that makes me look like a vampire.

I still am walking around looking like I am auditioning for the Bride of Dracula. No replacements have been bought. 

29.Get rid of books

Nope!

30. Inventory the pantry and laundry room stash

Done

31. Defrost the freezer.

Did not do this yet

32. Go to bed earlier. I am serious this time.

By earlier I guess I mean go to bed by 2 because that is when I have been going.

33. Try to find a new hobby.  .

I thought I might give crochet a try but I have not tried yet.

34. Maintain a close relationship with My Beloved Sister and invite her to our house for dinner once a week.

I did ask and she has eaten with us a couple of times, but not every week

35. Go to some of the spring festivals around town.

Not yet!

36. Visit a new to us restaurant each month. There are too many out there and available for us to get stuck in a rut.

We did try a new to us restaurant, but there are a lot more to try.

37. Use some of the restaurant gift cards and certificates we have accumulated.

Not yet

38. Have neighbors over for a meal. 

I still have to do this and was too late with one family who moved. 

39. Entertain some of TheHub's cousins who live near us now.

I have asked a couple of times, but they have been out of town.

40. Meet some of our couple friends for dinner out, or burgers here.

Not yet

41. Get all my clothes for our spring "big trip" ready.

I am partially through with this.

42. Try something new every week. This can be a food, a craft, a lesson, etc. Just something I have not done before**. 

So far it has been trying new foods, but that works for me.

43. It is time to get started using self tanning lotion to get rid of my ghastly (or ghostly) winter pale look. 

I am still a dead ringer for Casper

45. Send cards to a few folks I have been thinking about, but have not actually mailed them anything.

This is such a simple thing to do, so why haven't I done it?

47. Plant some fall blooming bulbs.

Plant them!?! I have not even bought them

48. Be grateful every day.

I truly am!

44. Listen weekly to at least one music genre that I don't listen to regularly. I am also including listening to musicals I am completely unfamiliar with.

Week 1: Listened to Ska music everyday

Week 2: Klezmer Music is good to have on while doing housecleaning.Its very fast tempo makes you move a little faster. The heavy clarinet use and quick beat reminds me of circus music.            Week 3: Irish music, in celebration of St. Pat's

Week 4: We were in New Orleans, so it was jazz and zydeco

46. Find someone in need and give them a little help.

      Took a meal to a friend who is having a hard time right now

Oh no just 9 months till Christmas

My double secret spy section of my Christmas notebook came in handy on our recent trip to New Orleans. My Beloved Sister had mentioned something she needed and I had written it down immediately in my spy notes. 

Before I left town, I took photos of all those pages just in case I found something that I had overheard and jotted down, while we were away. Luck was with me, because what I found for her is not only functional but it is also beautiful. 

I also found another gift for one of my sons. It is a little bit funny, but so appropriate. I will not mention what either of the gifts are because you never know who might be reading this.🕵

And that is the grand total of what I have done toward Christmas this past month. The room of horrors is untouched from the last time I mentioned it. Oh well, there is always April. Another month and more procrastination?