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| Why? WHY?! |
Speaking of basil, our friend Butch who owns a local garden center sent over a plastic grocery bag full of basil trimmings from the greenhouse. I wasn't feeling awesome, but I immediately got out my food processor and all the ingredients to make pesto. Thank goodness Rick is amenable to helping, and the tedious job of pulling all the leaves off the basil went quickly. As a result, I have this:
The Goya jars are old; I am still boycotting them.
That, plus a few cubes that I froze, is just a little over a quart of pesto, and it was well worth the effort. A couple of the jars went to Butch today, and I'll likely give one to Jared. THE REST ARE MINE, ALL MINE!
Back when the weather was lovely, I started letting Piper out into the back yard while I was on the patio. He always goes out to the front yard with me each morning when I put out peanuts for the blue jays (and squirrels), and he behaves very nicely. After several minutes of hollering at me from the back door, I let him out for a trial run. Here he is, relaxing among the daffodil fronds, which he nibbles on.
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| I can't wait to uncover and get the pond and waterfall running; he'll really enjoy that. |
Inspired by Julie, I started thinking about going through my books, which are also double-shelved, one row in front of the other. A Little Free Library several blocks from me has had the same crummy books for years, most of them being old management textbooks and religious stuff. The door recently blew off in a terrible storm we had, and I was going to get Rick to repair it before I cleaned it out and put my donations in. Luckily, someone already replaced the door, and they also got rid of the shitful books in it. I've set aside a few books so far, but I need to do a deep dive. I've got a few cookbooks to put in there, a graphic novel (the original Creepshow by Stephen King), some little kid books, and I'll see what else I can part with. I never even read Creepshow; I bought it because I was a major Stephen King enthusiast until his writing started getting repetitive and his endings kept sucking. It's this one:
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| photo found on Ebay; mine is in mint condition |
Speaking of books, I finally finished Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Biggest Rival by Stephen Greenblatt. It was a very deep dive into the life and death of Christopher Marlowe, poet, dramatist, spy, and Shakespeare contemporary. Honestly, it was a bit of a slog, but also fascinating. People during the Renaissance had it tough. Being a Catholic got you tortured and killed; being suspected of being Catholic also got you tortured and killed. Queen Elizabeth I was constantly on guard because Mary, Queen of Scots was a threat to her throne. Liz took care of business, though, and had her executed. Both of them had myriad spies, and Christopher (Kit) Marlowe was just one of many working for Elizabeth.
I have since moved on to John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs, which is a compelling book about Lennon and McCartney, starting with the early days of their partnership, which lasted more than 20 years. I've been a Beatles fan since I was four or five years old, thanks to my older sister, who was obsessed with them and played their music all the time. This tells their story via hit songs in chronological order. It includes some photographs and so much that I never knew about the Beatles from their inception to the dissolution of the band to the death of John and more. I'll finish this one up tonight or tomorrow, but I'll be thinking about it for a long time, especially when I hear any Beatles song.
Speaking of Rock and Roll--actually just Rocks--I ordered those cute little ghostie rocks that were the header image in my last post. I decided to treat myself for my birthday (3 May). They're arriving today, but we're currently at the lake. I can't wait to tuck them around my yard.
We were at the lake last week for a couple of days, too. I wanted to try and reset my sleep, which has been lousy lately. I got a little better sleep, but I was still awake at about 6:45 AM. It was okay, though, because I saw this gorgeous sunrise right outside the sliding doors of the bedroom:
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| #NoFilter |
Finally--and thanks for sticking with me thus far--I'll be celebrating my birthday with Joy in my heart. One of the reasons is because of my wonderful family. Jared, Sam, Jordan, Theo, and Rick make me happy every day. Another reason is because of you. I am so grateful for this community of ours and how it has led me to so many, many friends. I am fortunate, and I know that. Thank you all.
Happy early birthday! That is my SIL’s bday too. She’s one of my favorite family members. We got the better end of the deal when she joined our family. I hope you are showered with love by your family!!
ReplyDeleteOur weather has been total crap, too. I’m so tired of being cold! It will be 60 this weekend so I plan to take the boys to the zoo to see the baby farm animals.
The pesto looks amazing!! I love pesto so much. I tried to grow a pot of basil on our back patio the first year we lived in this house and it kept getting eaten. Sigh. It was probably the rabbits. So now I buy it at the farmer’s market. I would love to have a garden again someday but it won’t happen in this house as our backyard is on a steep, steep hill. I’ll have one again someday! I used to have a community garden plot at a church in our neighborhood but had to give it up after Will was born as it was too hard to get over there with 2 boys. I miss that plot though!
Lisa--Thank you! I think most May Birthday People are terrific (LOL).
DeleteI'm tired of running my furnace. Open windows are my favourite, and there have been precious few of those days, thanks to rain and cold temps. I think your plan for enjoying your 60 degree day sounds wonderful. Hug a cow for me!
Basil is by far my favourite herb, and I love my pesto. Surprisingly, the local rabbits leave mine alone, but they've made it impossible for me to grow my own dill. My fake owl is only marginally helpful (a robin even built her nest not 6 feet from it). Try basil again! Put some in small pots in a sunny window area. It's worth it.
Are you able to do raised bed gardening in a big trough or wooden container? I'd try anything to have my herbs and a tomato plant. I wish I had room for a dozen tomato plants!
Happy, happy birthday! It's going to be great.
ReplyDeleteWhat does one do with pesto if pasta is not an option? When we had a CSA, I used to make pesto, freeze it, and then throw it away because I'd never use it. I don't actually like basil much and I'd be mad at myself for wasting time even making it. But it always SOUNDS promising. Anyway, give me the pesto scoop.
One thing I used to do with it was toast up a bit of bread, layer on some pesto and a slice of tomato, top with mozzarella, then back into the toaster oven until the cheese bubbled. Delicious!
DeleteI’m not sure this is a swell idea if you don’t like basil, but I sometimes spoon a bit over chicken (oh wait, you don’t eat chicken) or fish when I serve it. Just a gluten free idea for you. Or, in late summer, slice some beautiful tomatoes, slice some mozzarella cheese, and drizzle some pesto on that. Very delicious.
DeleteEngie--If you aren't a fan of basil, you can make pesto with any greens like parsley, veg tops, or any combo thereof. J and ccr have given you some good ideas, and I even like pesto on top of a baked potato in lieu of butter. If you get GF pizza crusts or flatbreads, pesto is terrific on those with mozzarella and good tomatoes. That's my fave.
DeleteThank you for the birthday wishes here and in the mail. I do think that this birthday will be a good one, thanks to all the terrific people that surround me.
Happy Birthday Month! It's mine as well. I love the month of May. And I love your lake view and those ghostie rocks. So cute! You have a pond with a waterfall feature? That sounds so lovely in the summer. Which I wish would begin because I'm with you on these lousy temps and cloudy days. We are going away for the weekend and I'm disappointed that the high is supposed to be 50 tomorrow and we'll be walking around an arboretum. Guess I'll have to wear a winter coat (insert angry face).
ReplyDeleteBijoux--Happy Birthday to you, too! And may there be many, many more.
DeleteYes, I do have a small, deep pond that has a continuously running waterfall. I love it. We used to stock it with fish--huge goldies and shubunkin--but it was raided too often by herons and raccoons. I briefly flirted with the idea of having fish again, but my son Sam reminded me of all the extra work and heartache they are. I can't stop thinking of Theo watching fish and feeding them, though. Sigh.
I hope you can still enjoy a weekend getaway despite the gloomy and unseasonably cold weather. REFUSE TO GET OUT THE WINTER COAT AT ALL COST! DO NOT SUBMIT! Wear a cami and some fleece. Show it who's boss.
I LOVE an arboretum. I find them so calming and inspiring. Have a wonderful time!
Happy birthday! What a lovely sunrise you caught. And the pesto looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteccr--Thank you so much. If the skies are clear, we get a great deal of beautiful sunrises here. I know you're no stranger to those in FL.
DeleteIsn't pesto the best? It makes tomatoes even better, and it tastes like summertime.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I am so happy you'll be able to celebrate with all your loved ones. What a lovely gift in and of itself! That SUNRISE my goodness, how beautiful! That's the perk of waking up early - sunrises!
ReplyDeleteMmmm that pesto looks amazing. I have but one basil plant, and we have had nice weather, so it's out in the garden already. I find one is enough for our needs, but then again I've never canned pesto so....maybe next year I'll plant more than one!
Nicole--Thank you! It really IS a gift to have my family so close by. I am constantly aware of it and so very grateful. Jared and Jordan and Theo moving closer this year really gives me joy, and Sam buying a house only 5 or 6 blocks away is like a dream. I'm so lucky.
DeleteI don't can pesto, but it gets used up or frozen before it becomes a food safety problem. And I give a great deal away to grateful "subscribers" of my efforts. At one point I even sold it at a booth; that was so flattering and affirming. Every taste-tester bought some.
I'm so jealous that you already have basil out in your garden! It looks like mid-May before mine will get there. Sigh.
Happy birthday!!!! What a gorgeous sunrise. I also love your kitty among the daffodils.
ReplyDeleteThat pesto looks wonderful! Do you have a go-to recipe you are willing to share?
Suzanne--Thank you so much. I know you have adopted a cat, so you know the comfort and joy it brings. Piper is our last cat Forever, so I really love making him happy. We want to spend more and more time at the lake, and he hates it; I dislike leaving any pet at home alone for extended periods, so that's why he's the finale.
DeleteI do have a basic recipe for my pesto, although I sort of improvise with it. I'll post it soon. How lovely to be asked!
YUM, that pesto looks amazing. YUM, that sunrise looks amazing. I’m a bit sad we didn’t get a before picture for the LFL, but I am really glad to know that you have a like minded neighbor, who cleaned it out and repaired / replaced the door. The books you add will be a gift to the neighbors, for sure, and now that it isn’t full of crap, I hope more people will use it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the Beatles book. I’m thinking that might make a good gift for your birthday twin, Ted, as he loves this kind of song by song detailed stuff. I’m going to the bookstore today to get him a book Engie recommended, so I will look at this one too.
Also, Happy Birthday! Have a great weekend at the lake!
DeleteJ--I'm sorry that there's no Before/After photos of the LFL. The new door has no glass or plexiglass in it, and I really hate that. Maybe I *will* have Rick replace it after all.
DeleteTed, my birthday twin, will LOVE that book. I am shelving it on my Favourites Shelf immediately. BIRTHDAY BOOKS ARE THE BEST. He'll be thrilled with your gifts.
Thank you for the birthday wishes. We'll leave the lake later today because we are babysitting for Theo tomorrow while J&J go to a matinee performance of The Outsiders in Cleveland. Weekends (long ones!) here are for sure in the very near future. We can't wait to be able to get the boat in.
Happy Birthday! Hope you have a wonderful year filled with good health, fun adventures, and lots of love.
ReplyDeleteEllen--Thank you for such a kind and thoughtful wish. I hope the very same (and for you as well).
DeleteI was glad to see your post pop up in my sidebar. Happy birthday and thanks for the review of John and Paul: A Love Story of Songs. I put it on my Amazon Wish List.
ReplyDeleteJean--Thank you. It's so flattering to be read by so many people.
DeleteYou'll love that book if you're a Beatles fan. It's incredibly well-sourced and compassionate without being lenient on them and their foibles.
Happy birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day and year!
ReplyDeleteMG--Thank you for your enthusiastic good wishes. Let's both hope that the coming year is a good one for all of us.
DeleteI'm back again to wish you a happy birthday today, thanks to Engie's blog. I hope you're having a lovely day!
DeleteThank you, Michelle! My birthday was--and continues to be--joyful.
DeleteI had to rush to the comments after seeing your caption about Goya—you made me laugh out loud. I wish you knew how rare that is for me. I’m still boycotting them too 🤣
ReplyDeleteI’m so sick of rain. We have so many lakes around here that it’s been flooding roads and towns.
I love your ghost rocks.
That sunrise....Happy early Birthday, friend! I'm grateful for you. 😘💜
Kari--I'm so happy to have provided you a laugh! I hope that there are legions more of us boycotting Goya; I believe strongly in voting with my money.
DeleteMy ghost rocks arrive at my home sometime today, and I cannot wait to see them in person. They completely charm me.
Thank you for your sweet message and birthday wishes. I'm so glad we found one another.
That is a glorious sunset and worth several thousand words. Um, not that we don't use those too. I am impressed with your culinary acumen. I stopped canning anything when my father died, having done a pile of it for him once my mother couldn't.
ReplyDeleteWell, I have daffs, and violets. The hummingbird turned up earlier this week, which is earlier for even a male to try to set up a territory. He arrived at the feeder I had put up that day, so he may have been around before we saw him. JG is now out putting the feeders into their summer configuration, and having trouble remembering how he did it last year. Did I have a pic? No, of course not.
More cold weather forecast. I may go and pick some daffs lest they freeze. A haze of green on the field and a haze of pink buds on the red maple. Close, now, very close.
Love, love the ghost rocks. They would certainly brighten my rock garden. Hmm.
A birthday? Cake and ignore both the calories and the number of previous celebrations. Lots of cake.
Mary--The pesto I make is not canned. The most I do to help preserve it is to add a layer of good olive oil on top of it and stick it in the fridge. I make sure to use it up within a couple of weeks or freeze it. Canning sounds way too worky for me, and I think it would turn the pesto brown.
DeleteI'm so happy for you that you're getting bird activity and signs of spring. Go pick some daffodils and put them in a vase where you can see them often. I love having flowers in the house, and it's not something I'll go and buy for myself.
The ghost rocks are handmade by artisans who are committed to sustainability and the environment. They came with a little card telling me all about it. If they weren't so pricey, I'd get another set. I'm completely charmed by them.
I agree with you about the cake. It's rare that I have any, so birthday cake is especially wonderful (especially if it's chocolate).
That IS a beautiful sunrise! Definitely one worth waking up early for.
ReplyDeleteThose ghost rocks are absolutely adorable!! I may have to cave and get some.
Happy Early Birthday, Nance!! I am so grateful that the Fates somehow led me here so I could get to know you!
Gigi--Thank you for the birthday wishes. I appreciate your participation here so much.
DeleteYou know, I've seen many sunrises at our lakehouse, but they always awe me. Such a beautiful part of nature.
My rocks arrived, and I could not be happier with them. If it ever stops raining here, I'll spend a lot of time figuring out the best place(s) to put them. Splurge and get some!
THE WEATHER
ReplyDeleteWe also had about 3 weeks of delightful, spring walk-in-the-park weather last month. Average temps of 70-75. But, alas, April came in with a vengeance and destroyed those “darling buds of March” and now we’re back to 45-65 degrees accompanied by hellacious rain storms with tornado warnings in the evening. Every freakin’ day for the last couple of weeks. An EF-3 tornado recently touched down in a small town about 60 miles from us, and wiped out a large part of that little town. We have an interior stairway down to our first floor garage, but I worry. Because that’s what I do, lol. And because the government is doing zip these days about climate change which is affecting human beings everywhere. I applaud King Charles for his mention of this in his speech to Congress a few days ago: “Our generation must decide how to address the collapse of critical natural systems." I am really upset about the mess the current administration is leaving for future generations to deal with. *sigh*
PESTO!
How utterly kind and thoughtful of your friend Butch to send over those basil trimmings! And equally kind of you to send back a couple of jars of pesto. Maybe I should try to grow some in little pots on my balcony. No, scratch that because by mid-May we’ll be in full swing for temps in the 90s. That said, there are supermarkets here that sell fresh basil plants. That’s enough to make me dig up my recipe for gnocchi. Yum!
BOOKS
I donated a bunch to Half Price Books a few years ago. I say “donated” because, while I wanted to sell them for a bit of extra cash, Half Price said the majority were not worth more than fifty cents in their store. And, yeah, I get that. Because a lot of them were books I purchased when I was studying for my M.A., e.g. From Latin to Spanish with phonetical analysis would not interest 99.9% of the population. —As for books on the reading list, I am intrigued by John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs. Makes me also want to re-watch this great “Carpool Karaoke” vid with Paul McCartney. Lovely scenes from his childhood home, etc., funny anecdotes, and surprise visits to the local pubs.
I tried to insert a link in the title, but if it doesn’t publish, here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjvzCTqkBDQ
Loving the ghostie rocks and the spectacular sunrise! Have a wonderful birthday, dearest Nance! As it falls on Sunday, I hope you enjoy a lovely celebration with the whole family. Maybe at the lake? Regardless, I know that your family will make it special.
Ortizzle, my dear friend--Thank you for the thoughtful birthday wishes. We won't be at the lake, but I'll be with family nonetheless.
DeleteI hear you about trying to sell books. They never seem to have much value on the secondhand market, so I'd rather give them to my nephew for his bookstore/cafe. I was offered a grand total of 11 cents for one of my hardbacks in very good condition, so I laughed and refused.
Thanks for the link to Paul's Carpool Karaoke. I never saw it! So much fun.
Basil does nicely in pots indoors if you have the room and a sunny spot, preferably with eastern exposure. I know your space is at a premium, so grocery stores may be the answer for you. Butch is a great person and a dear friend, yet I am always so touched when he thinks of me in this way. True, he gets something out of it, but the fact that he arranges for his staff to save the cuttings just for me always warms my heart.
I was wondering about your proximity to all that tornadic activity. I'm glad you were not in the path. Still, your weather sounds extremely disappointing! It's a common theme, I guess, as much of the country is having shitful weather. Of course, too, we'll go right into hot summer temps once the rain lets up. Sigh. Like you, I loved King Charles's speech--so ironic, right?
Happy early birthday, Nance!! I hope you enjoy this one and that you are surrounded by those who adore you and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing Piper outside. He doesn't run off? He doesn't chase the squirrels? He isn't eating the birds? Did you remove all his Cat Instincts? Maybe he ingested a batch of that delicious pesto? 🤣
I can almost smell the pesto from here!!
LOVE the ghostie rocks as well as that view of the lake. Sigh....wouldn't you love to wake up to that every day? (I think you should make that a goal---unless it's too far away from your kids and Theo)
Sending you good birthday vibes and hoping that you are feeling well and happy!
BB Suz--Thank you for the birthday wishes. I shall enjoy this birthday without a doubt! Yours will always be more special now, too, with your dear grandchildren.
DeletePiper knows he has it good here, so he doesn't go anywhere when outdoors. He's also 16 and chubby, so his days of running, period, are well behind him. He's retired, just like Rick and me.
We're determined to spend more time at the lake now that Rick is no longer working. I'm sure you well know how relaxing it is to be close to water. The house is about an hour from each son, so it's not prohibitive. And we love when they all join us there, of course.
Have a wonderful birthday and enjoy that basil. (I thought I was the only one with double book shelves...insert fist bump here).
ReplyDeleteDB--Thank you! Basil is my favourite herb; I think it smells like summertime.
Delete(And why buy more shelves when you can double up? We book people know what we have, even when we can't readily see each title.)
A QUART of pesto! Let the pesto pasta party begin!
ReplyDeleteAgree about the weather. Here in SWPA there were a few nice-ish days in April, but could we please stop with the rain and chill? I am so glad you got yourself the Garden Ghosts. I am thinking of doing the same. It amuses me that it says they are dishwasher safe.
I appreciate that you were able to read books about topics that interest you. Sometimes I find that the non-fiction book that was a slog to get through is the material that sticks in my brain. So great to read about musicians one loves! I read a biography of Beethoven which was a slog, but I still remember that for one of his symphonies the cantankerous Beethoven hired every trombonist in town.
And I am glad for you that your too-early morning rise was reward with that sunrise view, and doubly glad that you shared it with us. I feel the need to see every bit of beautiful nature that I can.
Happy birthday!
CHM--Thank you for the birthday wish. Now if we both could get some good weather, it would be a gift.
DeleteI was struck by the Dishwasher Safe selling point as well. I'm trying so hard to think of why anyone would want/need to put rocks in the dishwasher. But, hey! good to know.
Nonfiction books are so great because you can follow up and read more and more on the topic. It's like those books don't really end, you know? Love the tidbit about Beethoven. I always thought he was cranky.
Agree, agree about needing nature these days. Being out among trees and fresh air is always a tonic, and it reminds me that there is a bigger world out there doing pretty well.
What a beautiful sunrise. I share your thoughts on the weather. What is happening. Curly has prom today and it is a high of 55. After the aquarium they go on a boat. Basically they hold them captives which I appreciate, but it’s a long night to wear a prom dress and not a turtle neck in this weather. I hope your sleep improves. Hooray for time at the lake- sounds relaxing. Your appreciation - well, sending it back to you. I so enjoy reading whatever you post. It always makes my day to see a post pop up written by you. Glad you have a wonderful family. I feel similarly- they make all the difference.
ReplyDeleteHappiest of birthdays to you tomorrow! Enjoy your day.
Ernie--Thank you for the birthday wishes and kind words about my writing here. I will add Day Maker to my resume now!
DeleteOh, poor girl with the lousy weather for prom--and a chilly boat ride to boot. Who could have guessed that we'd be locked in a crummy weather pattern in May? I hope she has a good time anyway. Prom is such a milestone experience.
I'm currently at the office, supposedly doing work to get ready for open enrollment, but as you can see, I'm reading your blog instead.
ReplyDeleteHappy happy birthday!!! I adore your gift to yourself. Please post a photo of them in their new home.
As for weather, ugh. We've been in a drought situation, and now on top of that, it's cold. I'm over it.
Bug--Thank you for the birthday wishes. I'll be sure to post a photo whenever I place my little ghosties. It's such inhospitable weather right now that it may be some time before I can.
DeleteHow I wish we could send ALL THIS RAIN your way. Or some of it. And it's just not fair that you are in NC and having cold weather! You might as well be back up here.
Trying again. Got an error message.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday eve, Nance! I hope you're having a glorious weekend with all your loved ones! I love all your musings per usual. Those ghostie rocks will bring you so much joy.
I'm happy that you're getting to the lake house so often. A magical retreat for sure.
That sunrise photo is very special. I can imagine how lovely it was to see it. I had a terrible job one time for about a month (maybe six weeks, I don't remember for sure) but one of the unexpected joys of it (and pretty much the only joy) was arriving to work as the sun was coming up over the Rappahannock River. Almost every day, it would take my breath away.
Our weather continues to be just as up and down and we're also under a drought.
It's pretty phenomenal that you have a greenhouse connection for basil trimmings. I know how fantastic your pesto is! Glad you and Rick were able to team it so you'll have fresh pesto to enjoy for a while before you're enjoying some from your own basil plants.
Piper looks especially happy. I bet that is as much about being able to see what you're up to as it is enjoying being outside.
I'm happy you're helping the little free library out. Sounds like it's in desperate need. Kind of think religious material should be banned from such spaces but that may just be me.
I'm happy to read about your current reading. Often you share books I've never heard of and that is the case this time. I know I'd enjoy the Paul and John examination. I happened to see the replay of Ringo on Kimmel recently and found what he had to share fascinating. They always shared rooms when on the road up until the end. But the funniest part was that they stayed in the room where their luggage was placed. I can't see any rock and roll gods or other stars doing that now. I'm listening to two books when I'm in the car, one of them for book club, which hasn't been often lately.
My Dutch irises are blooming and they make me very happy. And my family. The biggest source of happiness by far. We are so lucky regarding that fact.
Oh, no Goya here either.
Hope we can talk soon. I've missed you.
Love and hugs,
Shirley
Shirley--So good to see you here, my dear friend. I hope you're enjoying springtime despite the drought. If I could, I'd send our relentless rain down to you; I've had quite enough!
DeleteI've seen several of Ringo's appearances (and he has a YouTube channel), and I'm always struck by how much of a 60s guy he still is, very into the Peace And Love ethos of those days. I know that each of the Beatles was proud of the fact that their music was all about Love and didn't tread into any ugly subjects. The book I referenced is very evenhanded about the positives and negatives for each man, and it really makes me more in awe of how they coped so well with their oppressive fame and wrote so so many songs, often on the spot and in collaboration.
We do need another chat, and soon. April got very busy, and I am still trying to balance my energy. We sat for Theo yesterday, and wow! am I ever exhausted today. Always worth it, though, as you know from your time with your family.
XOXO
A post full of verbal and visual goodness, friend. That sunrise, Piper, and that pesto get top marks! The weather could certainly improve. I hope your birthday was very happy and full.
ReplyDelete(I had to look up the Goya boycott. It's not usually a product in our rotation, so I'd forgotten that thing in 2020!)
maya--Thank you for the kind wishes and the compliments. My birthday was wonderful, full of my family and great food.
Delete(You know I'm all about the boycott--I was raised on them!)
Hi Nance! I'm hopping over from Engie's blog to wish you a Happy (belated) Birthday! I'm not sure why I don't read your blog- I always see your name in comment sections of other blogs. I went back and read a couple posts and I'm still laughing over the inflatable Jesus (and tomb!) Anyway I hope you had a nice birthday!
ReplyDeleteJenny--Thank you so much. Having a new reader and commenter is a terrific gift, as is your compliment. It will be terrific to see you here.
DeletePiper. Sigh. What a glorious creature. He's absolutely beautiful, a most handsome boy. I could have written that first paragraph -- the angst at all the rain and bloody cold temperatures and the dilemma of basil plants that I'd love to get planted -- and don't dare. That's Michigan for you! Butch sounds like a great guy -- all that pesto looks to die for! And what a glorious view of your lake and that sunrise. I won't get to the cottage till late May or early June (we see sunsets from our beach). Three cheers on your book purge and have a lovely week. HAPPIEST of birthdays!
ReplyDeleteJeanie--Thank you for such kind words and the birthday wishes. I *am* having a lovely week thus far.
DeleteI will pass along your compliments to Piper, but truth be told, he already knows it. He's fussed over and made much of every single day, many times over. Luckily, he is a pretty humble cat except when he's hollering at me.
Michigan is such a beautiful state, but you residents really do get the brunt of Canada's weather gifts. Did you have sn*w in late April? I am always alarmed when I look at the swaths of low temps and freezing precip up there, praying that it doesn't arrive here! Hang in there, Jeanie--your beautiful weather is on its way!
Yes, ma'am, we DID have snow in late April. And right now it can't decide what season it is -- cold one day (or two or three) and the next sunny and 75. Then cold again! Well, it can't last forever. (But alas --- it will return!)
DeleteJeanie--We had a frost warning last night! Our weather is the same as yours right now, and I AM SICK OF IT. Let's get Real Spring underway before it's summertime.
DeleteHappy happy belated birthday my dearest Nance! I hope it was absolutely lovely!
ReplyDeleteThe weather over here is all over the place as well. It doesn't know what it wants to be. We keep hearing about a horrible El Nino coming up and I have a new backyard that is prone to flooding that I need to try and do some mitigating. Ayyy!
I give a lot of my books to my sister, who uses them in her classroom. Well, at least my kids' books that they no longer want. Her classroom has gotten the benefit of at least a couple hundred books, and the ones she doesn't use she gives to their school library. They do keep quite a few of them too, I just tend to buy them a lot of books.
And yum, pesto! Glorious! Pasta is a weakness of mine. And bread. And lots of carb-based things, really. I blame my Italian heritage.
Gina--Thank you so much, friend. It was a perfect birthday in every way.
DeleteI've seen all the horrific forecasts for another El Nino, and all I can think of is maybe we'll get a lot less sn*w this winter! YAY! I don't mean to be selfish, but I hate that stuff with a passion. The county I live in is the floodiest one in Ohio, according to a new report just out. And yes, FLOODIEST is a word because I needed to make one up.
What a wonderful thing, giving books to your sister for her classroom! I remember a couple of my elementary school teachers who had class libraries, and I reveled in them. You're helping so much with that donation.
Isn't pasta the best? It's so easy to create new entrees with. Virtually any sandwich can become a pasta dish, and you can really clean out the fridge by tossing those leftovers with pasta, hot or cold. I'm not Italian--although I am often mistaken for being that nationality--but like you, I LOVE good bread. I can make a meal of just excellent bread and olive oil or butter. SO GOOD.
And way down here irritated because I do not recognise Spring Beauties as a type of flower that blooms in the spring, tra la.
ReplyDeleteIt was washday; I am more than usually nutty on washday.