Monday, 25 February 2019

Something Isn't Right...

Our dear friends P & A are getting some wicked weather in Arizona.  I hope that the last snowstorm is their final one of the season, and that it gets back to nice sunny, warm weather.

Here are some photos of the snow in AZ.








Friday, 22 February 2019

What's different?

Food is always a good topic. Last night I prepared Creole pork chops, wild rice and veggies. It was very tasty.



Have a great day everyone!

Wednesday, 20 February 2019

Winter Beauty


Most of us have had some real winter weather lately.  I was reminded of a favorite poem.  I'm sure many of you know it.

Winter Scene (1901 or after)
Abbott Handerson Thayer 
(American, 1849–1921)

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Sunday, 17 February 2019

Friday, 15 February 2019

Superstitions


Is it only me, or do some of us here seem to be going through a period of bad luck?  I was thinking about superstitions last night, wondering what I could have possibly done to provoke whatever is causing my bad streak.  If anyone knows how to break the curse, please chime in!

Here are some superstitions from around the world.  I saved the one to bring good luck for the last!

Whistling Indoors Invites Evil


Whistling while you work may be an issue in Lithuania where it's forbidden to whistle whistle indoors because the noise is believed to summon demons.  

Avoid Sleeping With Your Head to the North


According to Japanese superstition, sleeping with your head in this direction is bad luck because that's how the deceased are laid to rest.  Before you move your bed...

Avoid Sleeping With Your Head to the West


Conversely, the same superstition exists in Africa if you sleep with your head to the west.

Itchy Hands Have Financial Repercussions


In Turkey, an itchy right hand means you'll come into some money but an itch on your left means you'll lose money.

Don't Play With Scissors


Idly playing with scissors will bring bad luck according to Egyptian lure. 

Stepping in Dog Poop Isn't Necessarily Bad


This one seems unlucky all around but just go with it. Stepping in dog poop is actually considered good luck in France if you do it with your left foot. It's only bad luck if you step with your right foot.

Bird Poop Brings Good Fortune


According to a Russian superstition, bird poop that lands on you or something that belongs to you will bring you wealth — something to keep in mind the next time you're reading under a tree.

Knitting Outside Can Prolong Winter


If you're in Iceland, keep the knitting inside the house. There's a local superstition that doing your needlework on on your doorstep will keep those temps frigid.

Spilling Water Behind Someone Is a Nice Gesture


In Serbia, it's believed to bring good luck if you drip water behind a person.

Who wants to come to Boston to spill water behind me?

Thursday, 14 February 2019

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day, dear friends.

Will you be my Valentine?





Have a great day!!




Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Monday, 11 February 2019

Time for dinner!

My blogging creativity has waned in recent weeks as you all know. New ideas are few, so when I had a tiny bit of inspiration last night I had to go with it. It was a relatively good weekend, and I was inspired to cook something decent last night. Shrimp was on sale, so I decided to make Cajun Shrimp and Rice with roasted asparagus.


It smelled fantastic while it was cooking. The only problem was that I was impatient waiting for the spices to blend so I kept adding additional Cajun seasonings. Well..... It turned out really hot!




It was so tasty but the rice was incredibly hot, so I basically just picked out the shrimp to eat, which is the best part anyway. The asparagus was very good also. The red wine was just for staging, it took me three glasses of water to eat this meal. Live and learn. Have a great week everyone 😊

Saturday, 9 February 2019

We all need this...

And now, a moment of Zen...



Wishing everyone a relaxing, healthy, enjoyable weekend.

Wednesday, 6 February 2019

What do you think?


Mother Nature or a little help from Photoshop? 


http://batona.net/uploads/posts/2018-05/1527791526_008.jpg


http://batona.net/uploads/posts/2018-05/1527791542_026.jpg


http://batona.net/uploads/posts/2018-05/1527791541_027.jpg


http://batona.net/uploads/posts/2018-05/1527791530_040.jpg

Thanks to Amy as always for her contribution. We get by with help from our friends! 😊

Sunday, 3 February 2019

Time for Football!

Time to lighten things up my dear friends. I know that we have some die-hard Super Bowl fans here at WTIOC. I forgot that this was the big day.

So who is playing again? Oh yes, those New England Patriots. Seems like everyone around here is cheering them on. I think I will head west and cheer for LA. Of course I do not really care who wins- and I probably won't even watch- but I love listening to your banter. So 1SC, TW, Pallottine- are you with me? Anyone else?





Amy and I will sit over here by the fire and just chat. Maybe Lucy will join us... ; ))

Thursday, 31 January 2019

Turkey Jerky

As noted in the last post, my part of the country has been hit with Arctic weather. It has not been fun, and keeping the house warm has been a challenge. I decided to take advantage of a Christmas gift from my son to warm things up. It was a good decision.








He was waiting with anticipation for the first bite.


It was worth the wait.

Everyone stay safe and warm no matter where you are located. 
Thank you all for your concern for my family the past few weeks. I appreciate it so much! 

Monday, 28 January 2019

Marie Kondo

As you all know, I have been up to my neck going through my parents' house.  Because of months spent organizing, divvying up things, donating carloads of the good, and purging 2 dumpsters and a full dump truck of the bad, I've lost my desire to keep almost everything.  With my folks' house empty. my house is now bursting at the seams.  I share my parents' tendency to keep things, though not quite as bad.  They grew up during the Depression, so their reasons for holding on to things were more valid than mine. 

Last week, DH and I watched a few episodes of Marie Kondo's show on Netflix.  She's the author of the book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up."


When her book first came out, I remember commenting here about it, and we all got a laugh at her KonMari Method which had us ask ourselves "does this item bring me joy?" to decide whether to keep it.  While her new show isn't too exciting, it was enough to inspire me to start going through my stuff around our house.  I started with the storage bins under our bed.  I found my copy of Marie's book in one of the bins!!  I filled a contractor bag with the things I no long needed or wanted, and I still have more to go through!  I kept a few items and filled the "To Donate" box.  This process actually feels great.  The "stuff" was really weighing me down, and DH hated the clutter.  He's so happy that I'm dealing with the mess, and is being very supportive.

Let's share how we deal with clutter.  Is it easy for you to let go of things?  Do you have a strategy for dealing with the stuff that makes its way into your house?



Saturday, 26 January 2019

Happy Weekend!

I came across this picture and got a laugh.


I then went down the rabbit hole of cats on the internet and found more of these big kitties. I hope they make you smile.





Happy Weekend, friends.

Thursday, 24 January 2019

Small Pockets of Joy

Yesterday, one of our dear What Time friends told me, 

"I am trying to find small pockets of joy to counteract all the nastiness in this country. "



I started thinking about that... and little by little that sense of panic and fear and despair began to lessen. 


Some Pockets of Joy...

  • The warm feel of Little Mo snuggling on my chest this morning...(He hasn't been Luci-fur since he returned from his stay with my friend!) 
  • Going to yoga
  • The lovely sweater a lady made for me to give to Barbie's granddaughter
  • The texts from my girls telling me they were both home from work safe and sound after yesterday's freezing rain
  • A nice hot bath
  • Nancy Pelosi's Kick Ass Attitude
  • Duncan's beautiful face
  • Knowing Mike can still get out and shovel the snow in the freezing cold -without pain

  • A kitty in the window



All little things...but so very important to recognize their value. 

I hope all of us can find some little pockets of joy these days...


Monday, 21 January 2019

Super Blood Wolf Moon

Wow, that is quite a name! The eclipse was beautiful here near Chicago. It was a clear, starry night so the visibility was very good. Unfortunately the temperature was below zero, so I froze a bit while trying to capture some photos. My camera isn't the best but I did manage to get a few decent pictures.









Moon doggy 😃

Have a wonderful Week!