Friday, 7 September 2018

What Are You Reading?

I have gone through a long dry period where all I read is Twitter. However, I have read two really good books in the last while.

If you love mysteries I am sure you know David Baldacci's books. I love his Alex Decker series and just finished The Fallen. This is the 4th book in the series.



Amos Decker has been described as an intriguing, complex anti-hero. Following a devastating football accident he developed synaesthesia* and a photographic memory. No longer able to play football he becomes a special agent for the FBI.

Start with the Memory Man if you have not yet met Alex Decker.


*Synaesthesia is a neurological trait or condition that results in a joining or merging of senses that aren't normally connected. The stimulation of one sense causes an involuntary reaction in one or more of the other senses. For example, someone with synaesthesia may hear colour or see sound.



The last few days I have been completely engrossed in a book that Pallottine recommended.

Educated, by Tara Westover is an incredible memoir written by a young woman who describes a troubling childhood spent in a survivalist family.  Memoirs are always somewhat problematic and there is controversy about this one. However, I found the book thought-provoking and inspiring. 


Don't you just love getting so wrapped up in a book that the world disappears? You just have to keep reading but you are afraid you are getting too close to the end.

I need some new recommendations...



Wednesday, 5 September 2018

Coffee, tea or...?

Good morning, WTIOC-ers!

If you're like me, you love savoring a cup of coffee in the morning.





My best mornings are when DH makes the coffee and actually leaves me with 2-3 cups.  I love sipping coffee from a favorite mug while I check my email, surf the internets and catch up on CNN.





I imagine that some of our WTIOC friends prefer a nice cup of tea in the morning.  For a change of pace, I switched to tea for a few months earlier this year.  Darjeeling is my new favorite.   Now I tend to have my tea mid-afternoon, usually with a sweet treat.





What's your pleasure?  Coffee, tea, or...?




Tuesday, 4 September 2018

Summer bounty

This has not been the best year for my vegetable garden. The cold/hot rainy/dry weather has taken its toll. I have had an abundance of jalapeno peppers, but everything else has not met expectations. My tomatoes are extremely tasty, but the plants are almost dead already, I usually harvest well into October.




I decided to do what I can with what I have, so I put my thinking cap on. Hmmm.. let's try pickled jalapenos! The word pickled made me think of .. well, pickles. A quick google for a recipe and I was on a mission. A trip to the local farmstand and I was good to go.




The jalapeno slices are delicious. The pickles won't be ready to sample for at least a week. Anticipation is always a good thing! 😋  I saved a couple of jars of pickles for our pickle loving friends.



Have a great week everyone!

Monday, 3 September 2018

Happy Birthday!

Sending birthday wishes to our dear friend, 1SmartCanerican.

Amy sent a special cake for an amazing woman...

The Birthday Girl must have flowers, lots of beautiful flowers...




A bit of wine...


A bite to eat...





Here's to 1SC!!

Best wishes for a wonderful day and for a marvellous year ahead!  xoxo




Sunday, 2 September 2018

Cityscapes From a Bird's Eye View

I came across some aerial views of cities from around the world.  I think they are incredibly beautiful.

Bern, Switzerland

Barcelona, Spain




























Cape Town, South Africa


Chicago, Illinois

Niagara Falls

Seattle, Washington

Dubai

Viralscape: 38 Spectacular Cityscapes From a Bird's Eye View.

Saturday, 1 September 2018

Big Game Tonight

Today's post is in honor of our dear friend Pallottine. He is super excited about this game between Notre Dame's Fighting Irish and the Michigan Wolverines.





I am sure that Pallottine must be cheering for Michigan.  Guess what? We will all be cheering for them!!  
                               GO BLUE!!





Michigan taught the game to Notre Dame back in 1887. Michigan trounced Notre Dame by a combined score of 121-16 through the first 8 meetings. But finally in 1909 Notre Dame won by a score of 11-3. Michigan leads the all-time series 24–17–1.
These guys sure look a lot smaller than today's players!

 Pallottine-- I bet you remember this game!

I thought he might like to go to the game...so I got him a ticket.
If you guys wouldn't mind chipping in... it was $1595. (2074.86 CAD!!) Nothing is too good for P.



Kick-off is 7:30 tonight.  Coach Harbaugh announced that his junior quarterback Shea Patterson will be starting for the Wolverines.




GO...
Hold on a minute... We are always shouting "Go Blue" here at WTIOC, but where the heck does that come from?  Here's a bit of a history lesson:


History does not paint a clear, definite picture of how "Go Blue" became the rallying cry of University of Michigan Wolverines. U-M alum Bob Neir says the term was coined in the 1950s, when he and his friend and fellow Wolverine Paul Fromm attended a varsity hockey game. Neir recalled Fromm standing up and shouting "Go Blue!" At first, the other hockey game guests looked and laughed, but then eventually joined in chanting the now legendary two-word phrase of pride. But in another version of history, in a 1998 letter to Michigan Today, Ann Arbor native Margaret "Peg" Detlor Dungan wrote that Fromm first said "Go Blue" at the home football opener against Michigan State in the fall of 1950. In another 1998 letter to Michigan Today, Charles J. Moss of Midland claimed to have invented and introduced the "Go Blue" cheer at a U-M baseball game in the spring of 1947. He says the cheer was picked up at Michigan football games the following fall, and thus was history made.

This post is the combined effort of Q and GJ! 

Friday, 31 August 2018

Time for the weekend

What a week we had here at WTIOC. It started out stressful but improved as each day went along. We are happy to hear Mike is home and recovering nicely. 1SC can cuddle beautiful baby Todd to her heart's content, he will certainly not lack for hugs with so much love surrounding him. Overall, it turned out to be a very good week. Now we can enjoy the weekend! 😊










Thursday, 30 August 2018

Rainy Thursday!!

It is a bleak, cool, rainy morning.

I thought you might enjoy these nice shots my daughter took on her walk with Sweet Pea yesterday.



.
And a couple of nights ago...


We are all thinking of 1SC and little Todd today. She is doing what mothers and grandmothers always do... protecting their babies. We send love and strength to see them through.