The week that was

 I am starting this weeks post hoping I can remember enough songs with mentions of Birmingham either in the song or the title of the song. It may or not work.

I’m late posting this. Sue me if you are so inclined. Sometimes family fun gets in the way!

Monday: Had a wonderful stay at home day without having to go anywhere! It was much needed with some time to read

Listened to: Down in the Valley

Kind of sad that this was the first song I thought of that mentioned Birmingham

What I learned: After a long trip and a hectic few days upon return, I needed a day with no plans.

Dinner: We had a good bit of the rotisserie chicken that needed to be used. I summoned my inner Martin Luther and reformed it.

Mexicanish chicken casserole, tortilla chips, coleslaw

Tuesday: The day started a little slow with some reading time and some organization in the MBR closet. I like my clothes arranged by type and color from lightest to darkest. I have no idea why I like it this way but I do. When I changed over my clothes from cold weather duds to summer wear, I just hung them in a mishmash way giving no thought to my preference.  I guess I could not stand it anymore. I was hanging some freshly laundered clothes and all of an sudden I HAD to fix it.*

Afterward TheHub and I ran a couple of errands.

What I learned: When changing over clothes go ahead and do it right the first time. 

What I listened to: Birmingham Blues

Dinner: While we were out TheHub suggested that we should go to a local meat and three. He was feeling a little better and had been craving veggies. No cooking? I'm in!

Mostly different veggies for both of us.

Wednesday: TheHub had some zoom meetings and I was downstairs by myself most of the day. While he was busy, I read then decided I needed to clean out the laundry room refrigerator/freezer (not to be confused with the regular upright freezer). Things had been shoved in it and I really no longer knew exactly what was in there. I took each item out, made a judgement call about whether to keep of toss it (like a jar of kimchi I don't even remember buying)

What I learned: Even though the laundry room fridge holds seldom used items (or a whole watermelon) it needs to be inventoried regularly

Listened to Tuxedo Junction (which was written in the 30's by Erskine Hawkins from Birmingham

Dinner: I forgot to thaw anything so we had a meatless meal.

Pasta alfredo, tossed salad

Thursday: I got up, got dressed and had planned to head to the grocery store early. Unfortunately we are a one car family at the moment. TheHub's car is ailing (he needs to go ahead and buy him a new car) and he had a couple of meetings. 

While I waited on him to return, I put on ski gloves and organized the bottom two shelves of the freezer. If I had not already been dressed I would have finished it, but I did not want to get any freezer gradoo on my “ going out for the day” clothes.

What I learned: I have many more proteins in the freezer than I thought I did. Yikes! I need to start cooking more often, but 2 people can only eat so much. Anyone need chicken?

By the time TheHub got home and we had eaten a very late lunch, I headed to Publix to do some cherry picking. 

Listened to: Birmingham

Sorry, seems like the Randy Newman video is not available and I can’t access another one from my phone.

Dinner: I started using some of the chicken I have. 

Marry me chicken,** caulimash, tossed salad

Friday: We ran a few errands, and while we were out TheHub suggested stopping and having an early lunch. If I am up and dressed for the day*** I will always agree. We stopped by Cracker Barrel and both had their Friday lunch special, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw. I counted it as our main meal for the day.

After we ate we had a couple of other errands before heading home for the day. I did more laundry, read and possibly fell asleep while reading.

What I learned: I was reading about life in Czechoslovakia during the Soviet occupation. I know America is not perfect, but I wonder sometimes at the continual unrest I see from some people here, when I read the stories of what so many people there lived through.

Listened to: Make me a Birmingham

Dinner: Since we had a larger lunch than is our normal we opted for a smaller dinner.

Tossed salad, cheese toast

Saturday: We woke, had coffee then headed to our favorite produce vendor, filled the tank with gas for our trip Sunday, stopped by the pharmacy to pick up some meds for TheHub  then headed home. 

Once here,  we tried to solve the mystery of where TheHub's green shirt disappeared. It took a couple of hours searching before it was found in a bag we had used for our dirty clothes when we stayed in the Nashville hotel the night before we left for our trip. 

After that it was time for lunch, washing the dirty duds we found, and some reading. I love when I am reading and want to find out what happened, but really don't want the book to end.

 What I learned: Even when it looks like things are washed and put away, there is always the possibility that something might be left behind. 

Listened to: Boulder to Birmingham

(Sorry Emmylou. I couldn’t get the video to load from my phone)

Dinner: Lettuce cups w/ chicken, empanadas

Sunday: We did our normal Sunday routine of the communion service, regular service, and Sunday School.  The only difference was our traditional service was a special Independence Day celebration with Three on a String singing both old time hymns mixed with patriotic music.

Once everything was over we headed home to pack for our trip. 

We headed to Dauphin Island for a three day visit with TheHub’s brother, sister in law and sister at his brother’s and SIL ‘s fantastic vacation home there.

It was a combo visit and birthday celebration .

Listened to: Whatever Sirius was playing on the way

Dinner: Boiled shrimp, corn, potatoes, coleslaw

Have a great week

May all your weeds be wildflowers

Anne

* It is odd that I am so weird about my closet, because I am not fussy about anything else in the house and can easily live with some clutter.

**I made a keto version but the original in the link tastes better

*** This means being up, showered, wearing some semblance of makeup, and “going out and being seen clothes”, as opposed to waking and just pulling on whatever clothes I was wearing the day before, with no makeup and hair pulled back, looking like I would scare small children and dogs.

Wednesday to Saturday Menu Plan

I have decided to plan my weeks menus based on the food ads that are from Wednesday through the following Tuesday here. This week I am only planning 4 meals because we are going to the beach for a few days to celebrate my SIL's birthday, and won't be back until the following Wednesday or possibly even Thursday. Fingers crossed we have some delicious seafood while we are there.

1. Pasta alfredo, tossed salad

2. Ranch chicken, broccoli, tossed salad

3. Marry me chicken, cauliflower mash, tomato cucumber onion salad

4. Taco salad, corn on the cob

* I have no idea why I am even looking at the food ads. I organized the bottom two shelves of the freezer, which is where all the proteins live and I have no reason to buy any, for what looks like several months.

After we return these are some options I plan on making sometime in the coming month. Posting this here to remind myself of my current main dish ideas while the freezer proteins (lots of chicken and ground beef) are fresh on my mind

Asian lettuce cups with ground chicken

White bbq chicken

Grilled steak dinner

BBQ brisket

Cheeseburger salad

Crack chicken

Eggroll in a bowl

Chicken paprikash

Algerian meatballs

Smoked trout salad on rolls

Picadillo over rice

Chicken broccoli casserole

Chicken Marsala

Spinach stuffed chicken breasts

Thai peanut chicken

Cottage pie

Grilled tuna steaks

Stuffed bell peppers

The Past Week

Since we returned home, my musical choices have all been music about Alabama, starting with the obvious.

Monday: This was a travel day. We flew home from Zurich mid morning, had a lengthly layover in Philly, then a delayed flight into Nashville. Son3 picked us up at the airport.  It was not inconvenient for him since he was already there dropping off DIL3 who was on her way to Sweden to celebrate Mid Summer with her family. Luckily for us we saw her for a couple of minutes in the airport! It was a wonderful surprise. 

After a late dinner with Son3, we headed to south of Nashville to find somewhere to spend the night. It was after 11 pm then and would have been dangerous for us to continue driving to Birmingham.  By that time we had been awake for 27 hours straight and needed to refresh a bit before continuing our journey.

What I learned: No matter how tired I am, sleep on a plane is not going to happen for me.

Listened to: Nothing. I was on a plane all day

Dinner: After Son3 picked us up, we had dinner with him at Cafe Roze in Nashville.

Charred cabbage, hamburger, fries

Tuesday: We woke early, had a quick breakfast at Cracker Barrel then began the drive back to the house. We did have one quick stop at The Dutch Oven Bakery, which was just a few miles out of the way in Faulkville Alabama. We had a little stocking up to do. They have delicious no added sugar chocolate coated nuts. I bought several (7 containers). We can't get them here and we are trying very hard to limit sugar, but, we do like a little chocolate treat sometimes.

We made it to the house, unloaded the car, then TheHub went to bed. He had not felt well for a couple of days, but by the time we got to the house he was feeling very bad. Other than getting up to have a bowl of soup, he was asleep and feeling rotten for the rest of the day.

I began the laundry, talked with my sister, then just caught up on a few things that needed tending to before I went to bed. I stayed awake until about 11, just to try and get my sleep rhythms in synch with the time of day. We were in Europe long enough to adapt to their time, and coming home and readjusting is harder for me than going the other way.

What I learned: Packing for an extended trip should require fewer clothes, and only separates with each piece coordinating with every other piece.  Black might not be the happiest color but it sure makes interchanging easier.

Also each piece should be machine washable and dry-able to take advantage of laundry services.

Listened to:  Alabama Pines

Dinner: TheHub was sound asleep and feeling rotten, so I ate a piece of pound cake we picked up from the bakery.

Wednesday: TheHub still felt rotten and headed to see his doc the first thing in the morning. While he was gone I did a little more laundry, made a grocery list after looking at the week's new ads, and got ready to go to the store.

TheHub went with me so he could get his prescriptions while I shopped. Though I have a ton of frozen foods and pantry storage, there was nothing fresh to eat, and we have some sort of salad nearly every meal.  Additionally I needed to restock essentials like milk, bread, and eggs.

We came home, had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I did more laundry while TheHub got some needed rest .

The remainder of the day was spent taking care of some business that needed tending to, talking about the trip with two of our sons, and phone calls to my cousin and my sister.

What I learned: Learned my cousins newborn grandchild was born with some medical issues. Things are better now but they are still waiting for a diagnosis. 

Listened to: Stars Fell on Alabama

Dinner: TheHub slept through the night and I was not about to cook just for me.

Coleslaw (purchased at Publix), toast

Thursday: Fortunately our estate attorney's receptionist called Wednesday to remind us of an appointment we had made for Thursday morning. We both woke early (TheHub felt much better after all the sleep and 2 rounds of medicine) got dressed and headed to his office. We are in the process of updating our will to make things easier for our sons later on. It is not really fun to have to think in terms of one's exit from this plane, but it is a necessary thing to do, and we want to make it as simple for them as possible.

That being said, neither of us are planning on checking out any time soon!

We headed home to more laundry, list making for what to pack and what to leave at home for our next trip, and planning what we want to do in July. The month filled quickly with possibilities, while the remainder of June is booked solid! How does that happen?

What I learned: TheHub likes to plan and include all the details. I like to leave room for the unexpected to happen. I have always known we plan differently, but until he really retired I did not have to plan as much with him. This is new territory for both of us.

Listened to: All in Alabama

Dinner: Rotisserie chicken, potato salad, coleslaw (All grocery store deli items)

Friday: My childhood best friend's mother passed away and her funeral was Friday. My sister and I spent most of our childhood playing with all her
kids, and spent countless hours at their house. It was only right to go to the funeral. 

It was good to see all of the remaining family, even under those circumstances.

And even better was seeing 3 other folks we grew up with. We met after the service and went out to eat lunch. It was wonderful seeing them and doing some serious catching up. We agreed we need to stay in touch more often, not just after funerals.

I got home and TheHub was still not feeling well so he went in the bedroom to take a nap.

What I learned: Long time friends are so easy to talk with! It was like we had not been apart for years.

Listened to: Alabama Rain

Dinner: TheHub was asleep until after 8. (He is having a hard time shaking this illness) and did not feel like eating much. Progresso to the rescue.

Bean and pasta soup

Saturday: TheHub and I ran to ThePig to cherry pick the store's weekly ads. It was My Beloved Sister's birthday and I also needed some ground chuck since I had invited her to come eat burgers for dinner but had nothing to make them with.

After that short trip I settled in to do some serious reading. I did not get much reading done while we were traveling*, and I had a lot of catching up to do once we were home. Several books I had on my Libby app were due soon and I needed to get them finished.

What I learned: I really miss reading when I don't get to do it regularly.

Listened to: My Home's in Alabama

Dinner: Happy Birthday meal with MBS

Burgers, chips, ice cream sandwiches (in lieu of cake)

Sunday: We were both glad to get back into our normal Sunday church routine, and went to the early communion service, followed by the 8:30 church service then Sunday School. I think our class was glad to see us because we brought some chocolates from Zurich to share with them.

We headed home for a quick bite for lunch then changed clothes and headed downtown to see Mrs. Doubtfire. This wraps up this year's Broadway series, so we have nothing else with them until it begins again in September. The play was fun to watch and I really did like the onstage costume changes.

Listened to: Where I'm From

Dinner: After the play we met Son2, DIL2, Cousin J and wife D (though I consider her a cousin also) for an early dinner at The Pita Stop.

Grouper, rice pilaf, tossed salad

And for a bit of obnoxiousness

    Read this week: Hazel Says No

                              Calculated

                              The Secret of Secrets

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

 p.s. Just as a lark, this week I am going to try and listen to songs which have Birmingham either in the title or the lyrics. It might include some songs that have particular areas in Birmingham also. Might work or might not, but I am up for the challenge___maybe

*Other than reading on the plane on the trip home. 10 hours of flight time + 3 hours layover = lots of reading.

And We're Back

We visited 6 countries over our almost 3 week trip, and there is no way I could possibly pick a favorite  place. Each had something new and different to offer including delicious recipes to try and recreate at home based on some of the foods we ate. I am attempting to add recipes from at least one of the various countries weekly.

Also because we just arrived home on Tuesday afternoon to a virtually empty refrigerator and the weekly food ads are Wednesday through Tuesday here, we warmed up a bowl of soup (Thanks to Campbells) for dinner, and decided to wait until Wednesday morning to go to the grocery store. 

I have decided instead of doing a weekly menu plan on Monday's I am going to start the meal planning Wednesday's instead and base it on what is on special, via the ads. I makes a little more sense to me.

1. Pasta arrabbiata, tossed salad

2. Grilled burgers with the fixings, coleslaw

3. Veggie meal TBD (need to see what summer veggies look best at the produce stand)

4. Grilled steak, baked potato, Hungarian cucumber salad

5. Rotisserie chicken, potato salad, coleslaw

6. Chicken, rice, broccoli, tomato cucumber onion salad

7. Grilled fish (variety TBD) baked potato, green beans, tossed salad

We had a great time, saw things we had never seen before and now we are both worn out and dealing with jet lag, so I am calling this short post enough for right now. Gotta get some much needed sleep.

And We're Off

 

Monday: Both TheHub and I spent the day doing the last minute things you need to do before leaving town. Weirdly for this trip we are traveling with 4  different currencies, excluding US dollars. We have  done currency exchanges before but never more than 1.

Because a couple of the places we will be going have pay toilets, we do want cash in hand for necessities. I told TheHub (who was trying to figure to the cent how much we would need in each country) if he was chintzy getting currency and I had to use the restroom, funds went to my needs and he would be left SOL. We are now taking what I consider enough. Sometimes it pays to be demanding.

What I learned: I have been on a deep dive watching octopus videos on Youtube. I learned about the suckers on their tentacles and all the uses they have.

Listened to: Whatever Spotify's Discover Weekly sent my way

Dinner: Gathering the fragments

Whatever we had left that could go in a salad

Tuesday: We woke, did some last minute chores changed the sheets ( I love coming home to a laundered bed) and headed to Nashville. 

Our flight was much less expensive originating from there, and we were able to have dinner with Son3 and DIL3. 

After dinner we went to our hotel and sacked out.

What I learned:   DIL3 was one of the winners at the Kerrville  Folk Festival and as a winner she had to be back in Texas for the winners concert May 30

Listened to: Sirius Radio in the car. 

Dinner: They chose a Mediterranean place for dinner

Gyro plates or chicken shawarma

Wednesday: We woke early and drove to Son3s house so he could drop us off at the airport. The bonus is keeping the car at his house saving parking fees. 

The flight from Nashville to Philly was a snap, followed by a three hour layover and a long over night flight to Prague

What I learned: If a plane has a wheelchair accessible restroom, use it. It’s still  not big, but comparatively it is gigantic 

Dinner:  Plane fodder 

Thursday: After leaving Philly at 6 pm Wednesday, we arrived in Prague at 8 am Thursday morning

What a beautiful place!

After about a 45 minute bus ride we arrived at the hotel. We planned on getting here a day early to have some time to do whatever we wanted before the planned Tauck events began. Obviously so did a lot of other folks and the lobby was filled with people waiting for a room.  We met several folks we will be in close contact with for the next several  days. 

By the time our room was ready, we had been awake for 27 hours and were very tired.  We took advantage of the hotels luxury linens, took a shower and a 2 hour nap before heading out for dinner. 

What I learned: More and more about Prague’s history. Amazingly the city was spared from major damage during WW2 and what they call Old Town is absolutely stunning.

Dinner: I wanted to eat traditional Czech food but also wanted something not terribly heavy. When we spoke with the consigliere he suggested we ease into  Czech food saying there was nothing light about it. We wound up going to a small Italian restaurant. 

Seared tuna, penne arrabiata, and tossed salad ( chef’s kiss) 

Friday: TheHub and I spent the day exploring the Jewish Quarters, which is some of the oldest parts of the city. It was fascinating and sobering all at the same time. Learning about the history of the people, and the synagogues (The oldest which was built in the 1200’s and is still an active place of worship, and a newer one with the names of all Jewish residents who were killed during the Nazi occupation.

Afterward we had a lovely al fresco lunch before going back to the hotel for a little rest before getting ready for the tours dinner plans at Lobkowicz Palace. 

What I learned: So much about the Jewish population through the centuries 

Listened to: The palace sat on a hilltop overlooking the old town part of the city. The place was gorgeous and the view spectacular,

with a  string quartet playing in the background 

Dinner: Mixed spring greens, orchard fruit and almonds salad, chicken with veggies in a potato, mousse and cake.

Saturday: We toured the Old Town with our guide Ludmilla who was not only very knowledgeable about the history of the area but also shared her experiences living under Soviet rule, comparing it to her life now.

Also as part of the tour we were able to see the astronomical clock in action.

Once the tour was over, TheHub and I wandered around the square, before settling on a lively beer garden for lunch

TheHub toured a library in a monastery on the palace grounds.while I read.

Listened to: Street musicians 

Dinner: We found a small restaurant near the hotel

Salmon, steak and salad

Sunday: We left Prague headed to the boat with a brief stop in Regensburg for a quick walk about and lunch, before boarding the bus to continue the trip to the boat 

Once on board and unpacked the ship set sail and a new adventure began.

Last Week Home For Bit

This week was filled with music from the composers in the Danube region. I have listened to a broad array of composers this week, but  admit I have heard enough Strauss waltz tunes to last me a lifetime. He was one prolific dude. I like a waltz as much as the next guy, but can only listen to so many at one time.

(Question for any of you who took piano lessons for years as a kid. How many of you recognize some of the songs I posted from your piano lesson days?)

We will be leaving Tuesday for a Danube cruise, then we will travel by land for a few days before heading home. 

We have never been gone from home this long before, but I hope it is the first of many extended travel adventures for us.

  The Blue Danube

Johann Strauss

Monday:  This was just a regular stay around the house, drop dead gorgeous day.
What I learned: Different brands of low carb bread have significantly different spikes to blood sugar levels. One brand in particular was no different than regular white bread, which was surprising.

Listened to:  New World Symphony  Antonin Dvorak (Slovakian composer)

Dinner: Leftover Chinese

Tuesday: My kitchen table sits in a bay window overlooking the backyard. Sometimes I have my coffee on the deck, but Tuesday morning I was sitting at the table when I noticed something dark moving out of the corner of my eye.

 I am quite used to seeing Gray Gregg, the neighborhood assassin prowling in my yard, but it appears he has a rival in his hunting area. 

It was the first time I had seen this black male cat (name unknown. He is wearing a crimson collar so I think I will call him "Red")  

Judging by his stealth and cunning, I think we might have hitman number 2. We have a couple of houses of new neighbors and he might well belong to one of them. Don't know, but he has obviously scouted the yard before, for he was crouched near the spot chipmunks frequent most often, and he seemed to be extraordinarily patient. 

The backyard chipmunk community is most likely going to be under attack from 2 enemy forces.

TheHub met the IP participants at the Hoover Met for the first game of the SEC baseball tournament. I stayed home, did a little housework and made sandwiches for lunch. After the game there was a picnic at Star Lake* near our house and we enjoyed being with them. It was like being at my happy place by the lake instead of their facility.

Listened to: Moonlight Sonata  Ludwig van Beethoven (originally from Germany, composed mainly in Vienna where he moved when he was 22) I am only posting the 1st movement because it is the most familiar, though the 3rd is my favorite.

What I learned : One of the IP employees showed me a photo of her deck which is being destroyed by a woodpecker. She has holes about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. I had no idea they could/would do that much damage.

Dinner: Chipotle chicken salad

Wednesday: TheHub made an appointment with my vehicle service department to fix a recall. This is not necessarily a bad idea, except that he made it for 7 a.m.  It works great for him since he goes to bed early and is an early riser.

Though I might well be awake at 7, I want to spend my time drinking coffee, not running to the dealership to pick him up while they work on the car.

We got home and I had a few hours to start making decisions about what to clothes to pack.  Other than 2 nights with planned dinners at 2 specific locations which I will need dresses for, I decided on 2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of black pants. I think I packed 6 blouses/tops and they will all go with everything else. A couple of scarves and a little jewelry should change up the looks , hopefully enough for the  days we will be gone. (17 days). I am also taking one black cardigan and a raincoat, and that is it. Unmentionables, socks and shoes go without saying. 

After the preliminary packing, we had an appointment with TheHubs nutritionist. It was an hour well spent, so he could relax a little with what he will be eating on out trip. 

I had already decided when we were in Salsburg I would be having a sacher torte with or without him. Now he knows we can share one.

What I learned: I learned if you do take your car to the dealership at 7 am you are not likely to run into anyone else getting their car serviced.

Listened to "Liebetraum #3"  Franz Liszt (Romanian dude with too many blooming 1/32nd and 1/64th notes. )

Dinner: Smoked sausage, peppers and onions, coleslaw, baked sweet potato

Thursday: We had a mostly stay at home day, which was needed to get things in the house done. And laundry. There is always laundry to do.

We are leaving Tuesday and will be back sometime on the 17th, so we want to have everything ready so there will be no surprises for those who will be keeping the house while we are gone.

Midday we had to run to the lawyers office to take care of some fiddly stuff before we left town.

Neither of us had eaten lunch (or for me anything for the day). At a little after 3 pm, we picked up a couple of cobb salads and brought them home to eat. 

What I learned: The weather in Central Europe is warming! Woo Hoo

Listened to: Eine kleine Nachtmusik naturally I had to include Mozart who is the king of composers from Vienna.

Dinner:  We had eaten a late lunch and were not hungry, so we each had a piece of cheese toast.

Friday: We did not have anywhere to go and could concentrate on packing and getting the house in a little better shape. 

Of course the Super Regionals for NCAA softball began mid day and we turned on the TV to keep up with them. Neither of us actively watched, but we did listen and would glance at the games when we walked through the den, stopping to watch a really good play. There were a couple of upsets, but the series was 2 out of 3 games, so no one was out as of Friday. 

We did actively watch the Alabama game

Listened to: Notturno for Strings and Harp by Arnold Schoenberg

What I learned: At the beginning of WW2 the Jewish composers in Austria fled to the United States if they were able. The majority of those who stayed were imprisoned and most did not survive the war.

One escapee, Eric Korngold fled to America and became a prolific film scorer (16 films) 

Dinner: Ball game nights require ball game food.

Hamburgers and all the fixings, coleslaw

Saturday: Woke early thinking I had so much to do and so little time before we would be leaving. For this trip I am taking a backpack and checking a suitcase. Because there is no guarantee the suitcase will arrive when we do, I made sure to have clothes for 2 days in the backpack, and also the dress I will need for a dinner party Thursday night.

I got the backpack situated and put things in the suitcase, but did not pack them because I needed to do one final edit. I want to have enough to wear but I do not want to have more than I need, knowing I will have to use laundry services at some point. 

I listened to a couple of videos about packing and decided to copy what one person used for her dress shoes. She packs solid black flip flops. I have those and decided they would work well for the couple of "dressy" events. (wearing maxi dresses rather than cocktail length)

We spent the day doing odds and ends, you know, all those pesky details that need to be tended before leaving. 

Then we settled in to watch the Bama softball Super Regional. What a nightmare for the women playing. Bad weather came in and caused delay after delay. The game that began at 1:30 was finally over at 10:15. I was impressed that even after the 4 plus hours of combined delays the stand were full of fans.

What I learned: Packing cubes are a game changer in a backpack or suitcase.

Listened to: Gypsy Rondo  Joesph Haydn

Dinner: This was a gathering of the fragments type of meal

Assorted leftovers

Sunday: Our church had just one service for the Memorial Day weekend and no other Sunday activities. We should have gone, but we skipped it. Instead I cooked breakfast which should not be worth mentioning, but I am not a breakfast person and seldom do it. I think if we had not had a bunch of eggs to use before leaving town I would not have. 

 TheHub worked on some trip details while I completely finished packing before getting ready to go out in a monsoon type storm.

We have season tickets to Birmingham's Broadway series and this play was & Juliet. I generally love musical theater, but this was written around existing songs like I Kissed a Girl,  I Want It That Way, Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely. The show had some clever dialogue, but in my opinion it was a lazy musical. We have seen a few that are written around already recorded songs and I have not been a fan of any of them.

Don't get me wrong, there were some fabulous singers, and I appreciate their voices, and the set and staging were great, but for me this was a one and done play. It felt more like a musical revue than a play.

What I Learned: I learned someone I am very fond of was recently diagnosed with Alzheimers, which made me very sad.

Listened to: Serenade Franz Schubert

Dinner/Lunch: After the play was over we met Son2, DIL2, and My Beloved Sister at The Pita Stop for an early dinner or late lunch. 

Grilled grouper or salmon, tossed salad, rice pilaf.

No plans for meals for the next few weeks because adventure and excitement awaits.

No plans for listening to specific music either. I'll just be floating along listening to whatever comes my way

Read: Beginner's Christmas,    The Soul of an Octopus

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

p.s. *Star Lake is actually a really big pond, but I did not name it, so I call it a lake like every one else does.

I will most likely be posting nothing, but will be reading your blogs w/o commenting because my Ipad hates me.

The Past week

Woo hoo! This week I decided to listen to mariachi music. All week every time I listened to it, all I could think was, "where are the chips and salsa?" The only time I hear this is when we are at our favorite Mexican restaurant on the night they have live music.

I am posting the first song I heard each day when I opened Spotify and entered "Mariach. I actually listened to a lot more mariachi music than this post seems to reflect.

I will admit I am glad this past week's choice is over. This week I will be listening to music by composers who lived on/near the Danube.

Monday: The week began with nothing much different than every week. The weather was beautiful, and I had the usual after the weekend things to do. I must admit since TheHub retired, there is not a lot of difference in a weekday and a weekend, and quite truthfully I do miss some of my previous alone time. 

What I Learned: I learned I was not crazy about mariachi music, but was determined to listen to it every day for the week.

Listened to: La Pistola Y El Corazon by Los Lobos

Dinner: My beloved sister came to eat with us.

Crab cakes, cauliflower mash*, tossed salad

Tuesday: I ran back to Publix to grab a couple of their BOGO's while they were still on sale. I have mentioned before I keep a well stocked  overstocked freezer and pantry, and there were a couple of items that I use regularly and even though Publix jacks up the price on most of their BOGO's, there is still a substantial savings buying things on sale.

What I learned: I accidentally stumbled across a magazine called "Go Wild" and now I think I want need to plan a trip to Ireland. 

The Libby app I use as my online library is a wonderful app, but for someone like me with a tendency to wander off any set path, the magazine choices are dangerous. Do I really need to look at food magazines written in Japanese? Evidently I do.

Listened to: Cien Anos by Los Panchos

Dinner: This is one of our favorite summer nights meals.

Grilled steak, baked potato, tossed salad

Wednesday: I have mentioned before, our church has begun an "appreciation for staff" event. Monthly those of us who volunteered are given one of the staff's names and we create a small basket with some of their favorite things.  (i.e.  a coke, Baby Ruth candy bar, pretzels etc.) There are 54 folks on staff and it takes quite a lot of volunteers to make it happen.  

I am mostly happy to do it, but I have a tendency to forget about it until the very end of the month, then I scramble to get it to the recipient with just a couple of days to spare.

We are leaving town for a few weeks, and I had to make sure I was able to get this month done earlier than my norm. 

On their bios, they not only list their favorite snacky things, but also list their interests. My name for May listed painting as his hobby. I had several new, still in their wrapping, smaller canvases in my art supplies and was able to pass one of those on to him as an extra item. I met him at the church to give him his goodies and think he liked that more then the Coke Zero, Snickers, and trail mix.

What I learned: I was reading a book about how AI is/will impact and/or intrude on our daily lives. Curiosity would not keep me from venturing into the bright and dark side of AI. You know that old saying about how there can be two truths that are at odds with each other. 

It certainly applies to AI.

Listened to: El Jarabe Tapatio, by Mariachi Vargas

Dinner: I didn't feel like cooking

Chef's Salad

Thursday: My Beloved Sister and I went to my happy place. This time we tried another experimental recipe, but I had no Independence Place participant to blame failure or credit success, this was totally my gamble. The peanut butter banana pudding went over so well the previous visit,  I thought we would give spumoni pudding a whirl.  

With the exception of one participant who does not care for cherries, it was a success. 

Once home, My Beloved Sister and I sorted through my clothes to pack for my trip. I have no idea why I assumed our destination would be warm, and all those summer duds I bought might not  aren't going to work well. High temps in the 50's is what I think of as winter. What a bummer!

Afterward, TheHub and I ran out to grab him take out  for lunch. He still has trouble not having whatever he is in the mood for when it is lunchtime. 

One day he might learn lunch when you are not working in an office and eating out every day means just gathering up the fragments that are in the fridge. I doubt it, but maybe.

I spent more time reading and doing laundry, when I should have been doing something more productive, but it was what I did anyway.

Listened to: Zacatecas March by Marachi Vargas

What I learned: DIL2 took a quick photo of My Beloved Sister and me as we were leaving IP. Later that night she sent the picture to us. MBS and I look a lot older and worse than we both thought. Yea! 

Dinner: It was veggie dinner night

Squash casserole, coleslaw

Friday: I did more laundry, tidied the house a little, read a lot, and ran to Walmart's free standing grocery store near me to pick up a few essentials. 

Then it was time for Bama's softball game. They were hosting a regional tournament and the crowds were huge. The day was a perfect ball game day and I would have enjoyed being there, but was content to just see it on the TV.

Actually we had the television on various softball games all day, though we were not actively watching them. We would just keep up with them when we walked through the den, stopping to watch if it seemed like something exciting was happening or about to happen.

Listened to: Los Gaviotis by Los Caminantes

What I learned: After reading Remarkably Bright Creatures, I was compelled to go down an internet rabbit hole investigating octopus shenanigans.  I just couldn't help myself.

Dinner: TheHub wanted to try something to see if it impacted his new eating regime. It didn't

Taco Bell regular tacos (not anything I would have chosen to eat, but I ate it anyway)

Saturday: We ran by our favorite produce stand and grabbed tomatoes and cucumbers. "B's" fields are not producing tomatoes right now, but he has an arrangement with a farm in Perry, Florida who is harvesting perfect tomatoes. I had rather pay a little more to get these delicious tomatoes than buy any at the grocery store. 

We had a couple of other quick errands before heading home to watch Bama softball again. Yes we are a little obsessive about watching them play. 

We do keep up with Bama baseball too, but it is about like watching paint dry compared with the speed and action of softball.

The rest of the day was spent doing things around the house, and, of course, some reading.

Listened to: Chiapanecas by Mariachi Azetca

Dinner: Sometimes our meals are good, and sometimes they are simply using what is available. I had thawed a small package of ground chuck, had it in the fridge and decided we needed to use it right away.

Sloppy Joe's, coleslaw

Sunday: We woke early and began our usual Sunday morning church routine. I enjoy starting my week this way. For me, it helps to "sets my sails" in the direction I need to go each week to hopefully be my best self. 

The Bama softball game was going to begin shortly after we got home, so we called in an order and stopped by our favorite take out Chinese restaurant. No matter what you order they always give the same wait time, "ten minutes".

We were able to pick it up, get home, scarf down the meal  and then settle in to watch the game. It was the final of the Regionals and Bama won. Next they move on to the Super Regional, which will also be in Tuscaloosa against LSU. Yikes!

We spent the rest of the day doing odds and ends around the house, talked to all 3 sons and DIL2 before watching a new (to us) series, Memory of a Killer, which airs on Fox but is replayed on HULU. Enjoyed the first episode and the series looks promising.

Listened to: La Chuparrosa by Mariachi Cobre

                       

What I learned: I learned the exchange rates of Euros, Korunas, Forints, and Swiss Francs to the U.S. dollar.

Dinner: When we ordered lunch, we also ordered something for dinner.

Hot and sour soup, maple pecan scone*

What's possibly up for dinner:

1. Leftover Chinese

2. Peppers onions and tomatoes, with smoked sausage, cauli mash

3. Grilled chicken, brussels sprouts, sliced tomatoes

4. Frittata of some sort, coleslaw 

5. Grilled tuna, baked sweet potato, tossed salad

6. Hamburgers with all the fixings, coleslaw

7. Big salad meal TBD

What I read: Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* Did not go with the meal at all, but it was in the freezer and we wanted something sweet but also sugarless.