I Can't Follow Anyone!!

Raise your hand if...you can't follow any of your favorite blogs!!  Me either!

I'm so frustrated and bummed out.  Every time I find a blog I love (and I've found quite a few), I'm unable to "follow" them!  When I click on the follow button, I get a very very annoying message with an error message!

I've written for help in the Help Forum, tried what the expert said to try, to no avail.  I'm so annoyed by this!  Waaaaah!!  

(Dear God, may my problems always be this small.  Amen.)

Seriously, Hobby Lobby? Really?

Sooo...I went into Hobby Lobby today and saw the autumn decorations.  Being that we haven't had rain in over two weeks, and that the humidity level has been at "oppressive" in all that time, being reminded that fall was coming was a welcome relief.  Plus, it's my most favorite season.

Wouldja look at what I found two aisles further...

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!!!   

Are you serious?? 

In JULY!!

Before we've even hit August??

REALLY??

News Flash...not everyone on earth wants to be reminded of Christmas in the middle of summer.  Some of us want to take things slower, to savor the lazy days of summer, to forget about lists and presents and decorations and meals and desserts and missing family.  Some of us would like you to simmer down, Hobby Lobby.  

Heart Eye!

Raise your hand if...you have a heart on your eye!

Yeah, me either.  Bummer.  But my youngest daughter does...check this out.

If you look very closely, you'll see a perfect little heart on the lower left of her (lovely green) iris. How cool is that?!  

Her brows are also perfect, not that I'm too jealous.  

And she has curly hair and freckles, too, not that I'm too jealous of that EITHER.  

New Favorite Author, Gretchen Archer!

I've just discovered two authors, and they are my new favorites!  First, there's Gretchen Archer. I LOVE her main character, Davis Way, and I LOVE how whenever I read her books, I LOL!! Really!

It doesn't matter where I am or who's nearby, I laugh right out loud!!  Excellent reads if you like a little excitement, seriousness, adventure, love, craziness and laughter!  I easily got to know her characters, fell in love with them, appreciated their quirks, and looked forward to reading each and every page.  I wish there were more of these books!

I'd read them in order; it keeps everything making sense.  Here are the five Davis Way books by Gretchen Archer -

Serious and funny reads!  It's one of the first times I've ever purchased books from Amazon because I couldn't wait to read them all!  (Please write more!!)

My next post is about my other new favorite author, Susan M. Boyer...read on!

Another Favorite Author, Susan M. Boyer

For more of my porch-sittin' relaxing, I'm loving my second new favorite author, Susan M. Boyer, and her Liz Talbot mysteries.  I've just started reading this series, but already I'm loving the characters, the setting, and the "guardian spirit", Colleen, who makes her appearance throughout the books.  (I do love me some spirits!)

So far I've finished Lowcountry Boil, and started Lowcountry Bombshell...

...again, I love the characters and I really love the descriptions of Stella Maris and its architecture.  I can't wait to read every single one of these books!  (Could you write some more please??)

Did It!!

Raise your hand if...you managed to stay in a (lovely) cottage on the lake SOLO! Me too!!

Earlier I posted that I was headed on vacation up north, and that for the first time ever, I would be spending a few nights alone.  It's no big deal for a lot of people, but being that I'm ever-so-slightly afraid of the dark, and of what goes bump in the night, I was a little anxious.  But...I did it!

I did have my girls, et al come visit for a couple of days, but once they left, it was just me and my flashlight, roughing it (not really).  There are other cottages in the area, but the ones closest to me were empty, so I really did feel alone.

This is where I spent most of my time, reading, thinking, being.... It's one of my most peaceful spots.  

Our VT friend, Neal, offered to share his lovely flowers with me for the week...

...and then there are the loons.  Their call stirs up something primordial, doesn't it?  I love them.

  

NEK, Here I Come!

It's here, my one week each year that I get to spend "at the lake".

Look at that sky! Do you blame me?  It's heaven to me...it used to be heaven to my husband as well, until his greedy, narcissistic, dishonest siblings took over and ruined it for him.  It's too ugly a story to share, but trust that it is ugly and I hope I live long enough to see Karma have her way with them.

Falling asleep listening to loons is, well, there are no words to adequately explain the deep emotion their call evokes.  I'm willing to bet there's nothing else like it.  

The nighttime darkness there is all-encompassing, almost a physical thing.  Without moonlight, you can't see your own hand in front of  your face.  I'm afraid of the dark, so this will be an adventure for me...I can do it, though.  I'm a little excited to do it alone, to prove that I can.  

"I am woman, hear me roar...."  Any Helen Reddy fans remember that song?!

Pokemon Go!

Raise your hand if you like this Pokemon Go thing...

cuh-razee!!  But I like it, I do.  It's got the phone-addicted kids:

1) outside; 

2) absorbing sunshine, aka vitamin D; 

3) breathing fresh air; 

4) walking; 

5) and talking to actual human beings, NOT to a phone!!     

Right?!  

Today I sat in a frozen yogurt shop where I had topped my healthy frozen yogurt with fresh fruit.  (No I didn't.  I topped it with crushed Butterfingers and some peanut butter filled chocolates).  

Anyway, outside the shop was a lovely town common with flowers, American flags, and a gazebo.   At any given time, there were 3 to 4 young teens inside the gazebo, sometimes even chatting with the other kids.  Not so unusual, until you throw in the fact that the gazebo is actually a "PokeStop"...it's where you fuel up, so to speak.  Lots of cool stuff at the PokeStops, sort of like a Cumberland Farms Store for Pokemon Go lovers.   Cool!

Then, I came upon three middle school aged boys sitting on a bench outside of the shop, and three other boys were walking by.  They didn't know each other, but one of the seated teens said, "Hey, what team are you on?"  See?  Interaction!!  

For future reference, there are three teams...red (Team Valor), yellow (Team Instinct), or blue (Team Mystic).  Now you know.  

G'ahead...give it a Go!  (get it??)  Just be sure to look up from your phone before you cross the street.  

A Memento and A Meal

Wouldja' look at this...I'm posting twice in one day!

Look at what I found while gathering ingredients from the cupboard for supper...

...my mom's "Savory Leaves" seasoning from way-back-when!  I don't even know if you can still buy Savory Leaves seasoning, but I do know I love seeing this.  Mostly I love seeing the note that my mom added, especially because I love seeing her printing.  She had great printing, didn't she?  Neat, clear, and precise.  

I lost my mom in 2012; well, I didn't actually lose her, I know where she is.  She died at the age of 91 after her second bout with the damn "C" word.  But since she left us behind so she could spend eternity with my dad, I'm okay with it.  They're together and that's what matters.  (Hi Mom, Hi Dad, I love you both.)

I love "old" things that carry with them the essence of someone you loved, proof that they were here that is found in the everyday and the ordinary.

Raise your hand if you love finding reminders of your loved ones. Yeah, me too.

So, here's the "A  Meal" piece.  

I don't love cooking, but sometimes I like it.  Tonight, for instance, I made one of my favorite meals...I think I made it up.  It's best eaten during the winter, mostly because it has a rich gravy and takes an hour in the oven.  Whatever.  I'm almost 60, I can do what I want, right?

Anyway... I present to you "A Meal".

This is the recipe I made up a long time ago.  It's boneless/skinless chicken breast, cheese placed on top of each piece, two cans of cream of mushroom soup mixed with about 1 3/4 cans of milk whisked together and poured over the top.  Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and bake at 350 degrees for an hour, (or, if you're like my husband, you cook it an hour and 5 minutes to be sure you don't die from food poisoning contracted by eating under-cooked chicken, which he's never done.  Ever.)

I also improvise this potato side dish.  I use whatever cooked potatoes we've got in the fridge (and since my husband is Irish, we always have cooked potatoes in the fridge).  I slice them up and cook them for about 30 minutes or so in butter, Mrs. Dash seasoning, pepper and garlic salt, salt and pepper. I may or may not have added a tablespoon of bacon fat this time, too. Deeeeelicious.  

Hi...

It's been awhile, to say the least.  I've been wanting to write, to share, to blog, but have had no idea what to write about.  Oh, lots has happened since I last visited here,  including the marriage of my oldest daughter on May 1, 2015, followed by the joyous birth of my grandson, Robert Christopher, in February of this year!  He's my second grandchild, first grandson...my granddaughter Mackenzie is now 13 years old...13!!  How did this happen?!  How has everyone gotten so much older and I haven't?!  Yeah. Right. About That.

I'm thinking that I'm not aging too gracefully...the laundry list of complaints annoys even me, and it's MY LIST.

I know, get over it.  In the scheme of things, I'm blessed and logically, I know it, my heart knows it, my brain knows it, but my ego...is that right?  Is the ego what takes over?  If so, that's what allows me to wallow in self-complaints and mental crankiness.

Just this afternoon I dragged my sorry ass out to the hammock in our backyard.  Believe it or not, that was a huge step for me!  I rarely venture too far off of the porch (except to head to my cottage which is where I craft til the cows come home).  I've been thinking of doing a crafting blog.  Being that I'm a craft-hopper (aptly named by one of my daughters), there wouldn't be too much repetition, so maybe I'll cipher on that.  

See how that happened just now?  I totally digressed without a backward glance.  Sheesh.

Anyway, what was I saying? Hammock. Right.  So I dragged my sorry self out to the hammock in my lovely backyard; I maneuvered it under the canopy of a huge maple tree, where the breeze and the grass beneath my feet were both so cool and calming.  I managed to lie down without falling off, and without much ado, I drifted off into a quiet, peaceful nap.  

When I came to a little while later, I sat up, again careful not to fall off as that would be either devastatingly humorous or devastatingly painful.  Either way, I wasn't in the mood.  I was cranky because, well, never mind why.  I just was.  

I thought about letting the crankiness take over, but instead, I got up, walked further out back, picked up an antique metal table (yes, there really was an antique metal table in the yard covering up a sweet little rabbit's nest...gotta protect the sweet little rabbits), and created a "gas can vignette" in front of the barn.  A wha...??  Strange but true; we have a collection of vintage gas cans (as well as vintage sleds, farm equipment, tools, tea kettles, and that's just outside!)  

What I'm taking the long road to saying is that instead of letting myself go too far down the road of unhappiness, I put one foot in front of the other, walked across my yard, did something a tiny bit creative, and it started to help.  That's a big deal for me...I'm not usually a do-it kinda gal, I'm a thinking-about-doing-it kinda gal.  

I quite literally took a step toward climbing out of anger and into not-so-angry, all by myself.  Which really isn't like me; I tend to wallow.  So...yay me!