More surprises on the memory card

More surprises awaited me on the camera card today. Those who follow this blog know that my husband has a little time on his hands, having lost his job due to health issues. He’s legally disabled from a second brain tumor surgery last October and the subsequent memory loss that accompanied it. To talk to him, you wouldn’t know it until he began searching for that word he just can’t put his finger on. I do that all the time too, because we all know that it’s the nouns that go first when we age. (You know what I mean.)

My husband keeps busy during the day doing things around the house and his garden and caring for George.

Now I don’t want this whole post to be all about my husband. He would be annoyed if I did that. Those who know him in real life know that he likes to keep in the background. He’s quiet and soft spoken and it’s probably a big reason why he was so good with horses. So let’s get to the point, shall we?

My husband has been getting into photography lately. Some days I will come home, use the camera a little, and then when I go to download my photos into my hard drive, I notice his in there as well.

And today was such a day. Only today, I found many photos of George in several different poses. Please indulge me as I post photogenic pictures of the pooch in our lives.

In show-dog stance. What a natural.

George looking like an angel.

George posing with some wood. Hmm . . . somehow that doesn’t sound quite right.

His George Washington look. Don’t ask me where that came from. There’s no explaining my thinking sometimes. I can see this face on a dollar bill, though. Can’t you?

And then there were the birds.

I added a texture from SheIsPrettyStock textures to this little chicadee shot. He/s got something edible in his mouth, I see.

A brown thrasher.

And that little elusive bluebird.

A pretty productive day, I should say. And guess what? The stitches have finally come out of my finger. This is good.

Extra points to those who know what wood was most likely used for those fenceposts.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Black locust blooms in the backyard

While I was downloading photos from the camera disk onto my external hard drive the other day, I noticed this one and wondered aloud where my husband had taken it.

He wouldn’t tell me. He likes to play games like that, making me guess.

And it wasn’t until I was dining under the circle of seven trees in the backyard over the weekend that I finally discovered what the mystery pods were.

They’re the flowers of a black locust tree. There are several black locust on the property, and three of them are positioned in the circle of seven trees, seen above, along the edge of the property. They are probably pretty old, and are some of the tallest trees here.

I took this macro shot the other evening, while I was dining under those very trees. The flowers are borne in loose drooping racemes four to five inches long and their scent is quite lovely.

Black locust is the heaviest and hardest wood in North America. It’s extremely resistant to rot and is very long-lasting, rendering it prized for fence posts and small boats. It’s also highly valued as firewood because it burns slowly, has little visible flame or smoke and has an extremely high heat content.

I wouldn’t plant it on a horse farm, though. It’s toxic to them when eaten.

And that, all you cool cats and puppy dogs, is our lesson for today.

There will be a test next week.

Remember that George loves ya!

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

And I’m kidding about the test.

Mosaic Monday: Lace, Glass & Scroll

Welcome to my first submission for a new photo theme day hosted by my blogging friend, Mary. Her blogs are beautiful and if you haven’t visited her Little Red House or In a Soft Light, you’re missing something very good. I don’t know on which site she’s going to hold the theme, but my guess is her decorating blog, Little Red House.

It was raining yesterday morning, so I amused myself by taking macro photos of things that caught my eye. From left to right are: detail from a lamp; lace curtains in the dining room; a cut-glass votive that I love; and a lace leaf I have in a frame.

You can join the fun by making your own mosaics. I did this one on the Mosaic Maker at Big Huge Labs. It’s easier to do if you have a Flickr account. And they’re fun.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . . and have fun storming the castle!

A winning meal / a winning filly

Now that I can move my finger enough to actually make something for dinner, I thought I’d make a meal that was easy enough to eat while watching the Preakness Stakes early this evening.

And I was elated to see my pick win!

Rachel Alexandra became the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness Stakes, and the first in the history of the race to win in it from the 13th starting position. The lone filly in the race, she moved to the front quickly from her number 13 spot, keeping the lead throughout. Mine that Bird, this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, was second and Musket Man finished third.

Tonight’s meal was a winner too. When my husband tells me that something’s “yummy”, it’s the ultimate compliment, so I know it’s good.

We’ve having Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette. The recipe is quite simple and the taste is sublime.

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Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

SALAD:

4 grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts *

8 cups baby spinach leaves (or spring greens with spinach)

1 red pepper, cut into thin strips

1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

2-3 hard boiled eggs, chopped or sliced

2-3 strips crisp-cooked bacon

 

DRESSING:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup raspberry jam

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

 

COOKING/ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS:

1.)  Grill your chicken, about 10 minutes on each side depending on thickness.

2.)  To make dressing, heat olive oil in small saucepan.  Add jam, mustard and vinegar, heat thoroughly until bubbly.

3.)  In large salad bowl, toss spinach or greens and sliced red peppers with some of the warm dressing.

4.)  Divide spinach mixture among 4 plates. On one side of the plate, arrange mushrooms, onions, egg and bacon on top of the greens. Place grilled chicken next to it and drizzle everything with the remaining dressing.

* Before grilling, marinate chicken for several hours. I used Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix made with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For dessert, we had a slice of pound cake, a scoop of Breyer’s vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries in a light syrup on top. I cut up my strawberries, set them in a bowl and sprinkled a couple tablespoons of sugar on them, stirring every now and then.

Excellent.

I rarely do a recipe post, and when I do it’s something easy. Look for other simple recipes on my sidebar.

Thanks for stopping by! Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Dinner alfresco with my favorite guy

Today, after an appointment for my husband, we stopped at one of my favorite sushi places in Middletown to get a meal to go. For me. My husband does not like sushi. At all.

When we got home, I thought it might be nice to dine alfresco under the trees that are in a circle in the backyard. I call them The Seven Sisters because there’s seven of them. Some are still whole and two are almost gone, but the circle is still there.

 

It was a nice place to dine. And my best buddy George came outside with me.

I ordered roll sushi: An order of spicy tuna and one called Maryland. And I’m serving it with a light pinot grigio from Italy.

 

For the life of me, I cannot use chopsticks. I have tried. And tried. I have been patient. I am adept at many things, but the chopsticks . . . no. And it saddens me immensely.

And then I remember the scene in Kill Bill where Pai Mei tells the Bride (Uma Thurman):

“If you want to eat like a dog, you can live and sleep outside like a dog. If you want to live and sleep like a human, pick up those sticks!”

And then I get scared because I can’t pick up the sticks.

 

Thankfully, I don’t live in a movie and I can use a friggen fork.

But I really do want to learn. I do.

 

And now, I’d like to present a guest photo. 

This was taken by my friend, Tracey [she’s the one on the left]. She sent it to me in an e-mail last night, telling me that she climbed a tree to get this shot! She had to be very careful and was worried that the momma bird would come swooping down at any moment and try to peck out her eyes like in The Birds.

I think we both watch too many movies, don’t you?

Anyway, it’s a beautiful shot. Thanks, my friend!

Tracey’s son, Nick, is graduating this year from our school. Her daughter, Lauren, is my son’s best friend. I love her kids.

I loved reading your comments on the fill in the blanks from yesterday. It’s always fun getting to know you all! And Blackie thanks you. She says that she knows she is beautiful, but thanks for noticing.

George, on the other hand, is my best boy ever. He’s sitting at my feet as I write this and I am so glad he’s mine. Ours. You know what I mean.

I’m planning on watching Farrah tonight. Are you? I know it’s going to be sad but I’ve always liked her. Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Not enough Blackie

I feel in my heart that my cat is somehow hurt that I only post photos of George. She read some of your comments yesterday and was quite chagrined to find that George is FAMOUS. Famous! Why, it seems to have upset her immensely.

She’s been sulking in her despair all day. Perhaps if she caught a frisbee or two in mid-air she would be as popular as George.

She could care less, really. But I thought I’d try to make her feel like she’s a contributing member of our family by posting some photogenic pictures of her. She really is quite the beauty.

And now, before I go, I leave you with these burning questions:

What was your first word as a child?

What are you allergic to?

What tastes best covered in chocolate?

What was the last name of the person you first kissed?

Have you ever REALLY cried from happiness? What was the situation?

I anxiously await your answers. So until then, my friends . . .

Have you had enough of George?

Quite often, when I open up the camera disk, I find photos that my husband has taken. And today, I found a plethora of George shots which I’m posting  because I can never get too many George photos.

 

Mind you, I can get too much George.

Sometimes he doesn’t stop. He keeps bringing toys. And sitting and waiting. Waiting and watching and giving me that eye that border collies do because they want you to throw something for them. He stares me down, he does, until I throw that toy.

 

And when I finally do throw it, he’s off ~ like a rocket. And then it all begins again. Sometimes I get tired from throwing the toy all the time. And thankfully, George eventually gets tired. So, you see, I can get a little too much of George sometimes.

However, he does enjoy posing for the camera.

 

Or gazing thoughtfully, and looking serene.

I can really get going here, can’t I?

I want to thank you for your thoughtful and heartfelt comments that sometimes just surprise me. It’s wonderful to know that this place is a daily spot for some, and gives a feeling of peace for so many.

I’m glad that you visit.

I’m also glad that Lost is on tonight. And it’s the season finale, at that.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Back in the saddle

I really haven’t been myself lately. I haven’t been my usual happy self at all, although spring is lightening everything up out there in the world around me.

But today, I finally began to feel a little better.

I left work briefly to get the giant bandage off my right index finger. The stitches will come out in another week but for now, I’m doing bending exercises for the finger unless I want it to “stick straight out for the rest of my life” as my surgeon so bluntly put it. He said I should do them five times. “A day?” I asked. “No,” he said, “an hour”. 

Silly me thought I could type right away but when the finger doesn't bend correctly, well there’s no typing for that finger yet. My husband gave me a compliment which surprised me. He said that I could type better with nine fingers than most people could who use all ten.

That was nice of him.

When I came home from work today, I noticed that the house was cleaner. And that never fails to make me happy. The wood floors had even been swiffered. And while my tea was brewing, I took these photos you see here.

My two sons sent me a beautiful bouquet of tulips for Mother’s Day. And although they didn’t get here until Monday, it was really a nice surprise! I used SheIsPretty Stock textures for the top two and a Ghostbones texture for the yellow one below.

My husband and I sat outside on the porch while I had my tea and he told me about his dream to buy a very small RV with a Mercedes diesel engine. He wants to do this while he’s still alive and feeling ok, he said.

 

He has mentioned this before, but today he sounded very serious about it. I’d love it if he could have his wish. It would be so wonderful for him. Something new and fun. And I’ve always enjoyed camping in luxury.

Deep sigh.

I’m just glad I’m feeling better. It’s so good to get that damn bandage off!

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Movie Trivia Winner Announced

Unfortunately, I had trouble with my internet provider this evening. It seems that there was a service outage in my area, so I couldn’t post this until now.

Five people got all ten answers correct in today’s Movie Trivia Challenge. They are Charlane, Terry, Erin H., American Way Farm and The Drowdys. So I ran the numbers through Random.org and the winner is #3 ~ ERIN H. from VA. Congratulations, Erin! I’ll be contacting you for your mailing address and your choice of photo from my shop.

Yeah, that number 3 was a bugger, wasn’t it? Thank you to those who so wanted to cheat and didn’t. And isn’t it difficult remembering the movie titles sometimes? I particularly loved this one from Flea:

7.  “You can’t handle the truth!” Dang it! I know that Jack Nicholson was in a courtroom and in the military, but I can't remember the name of this movie! This line came right near the end, too!

Here’s the answers for those who wanted to know.

1.  “Dear God, please make me a bird so I can fly far far away from here.” [repeat over and over]  FORREST GUMP. Young Jenny and young Forrest are in the cornfield behind Jenny’s house as her abusive father searches for her, yelling her name.

2.  “Have fun storming the castle!”  PRINCESS BRIDE. Miracle Max has just brought our hero back to life with his giant magic pill and he and his wife wave goodbye at the door.

3.  “Damn. I hate being a foregone conclusion.”  THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR. Renee Russo utters this to Pearce Brosnan after she is served her rather unique breakfast concoction after their first night together.

4.  "I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."  MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. John Cleese at his best.

5.  “Excuse me while I whip this out.”  BLAZING SADDLES. The new black sheriff reaches for something in his jacket pocket. I hope it was his pocket.

6.  “It's K-K-K-Ken, c-c-c-coming to k-k-k-kill me! How are you going to c-c-c-catch me, K-K-K-Ken?”  A FISH CALLED WANDA. Ken has a severe stutter and Otto shows him no mercy.

7.  “You can’t handle the truth!”  A FEW GOOD MEN. Jack Nicholson. ‘Nuff said.

8. “Can I borrow your underpants for ten minutes?”  SIXTEEN CANDLES. Samantha (Molly Ringwald) helps out a cute geek.

9.  “Generally you don’t see that kind of behavior in a major appliance.”  GHOSTBUSTERS. Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) sees a terror dog in Dana’s (Sigourney Weaver’s) refrigerator.

10. “This is the one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.”  GROUND HOG DAY. Bill Murray as newscaster sent to cover the days’ events in Punxsutawney, PA.

I love movie trivia. Thanks to all who played!

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Movie Trivia Giveaway Contest

Just a fun little movie line trivia contest to brighten up your Monday. It’s fairly easy, too. So strap on your seatbelts baby, and let’s go:

1.  “Dear God, please make me a bird so I can fly far far away from here.” [repeat]

2.  “Have fun storming the castle!”

3.  “Damn. I hate being a foregone conclusion.”

4.  "I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."

5.  “Excuse me while I whip this out.”

6.  “It's K-K-K-Ken, c-c-c-coming to k-k-k-kill me! How are you going to c-c-c-catch me, K-K-K-Ken?”

7.  “You can’t handle the truth!”

8.  “Can I borrow your underpants for ten minutes?”

9.  “Generally you don’t see that kind of behavior in a major appliance.”

10. “This is the one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.”

Do NOT comment here for the contest. If you do, others will see your answers. E-mail me directly at katydid56@gmail.com with “movie trivia” in the subject line.

Of course, if you want to comment and say something, then that’s fine too!

The people who guess all ten correctly will have their names put into a pool to be drawn by random.org and one will win an 8x10 print of their choice from my etsy shop. I think that’s fair, considering I’m posting this Sunday night and many will not see it until tomorrow.

Contest begins around 9 pm Sunday and ends 5 pm (EST) Monday.

Have fun with it! And please, no cheating, k?

Dear Mother

Wishing all the mothers out there a wonderful day. Enjoy it. Treasure it.

Love,

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around . . .

I haven't been able to write for the past couple of days. I think someone maybe hit the nail on the head when they suggested it may be my thyroid medication. The dosage was lessened last week, so that’s true. Combined with the near week-straight of rain that we’ve had, my bandaged finger, and my life in general, it took a tree to make it all come crashing down. Literally.

I live in an old house on 20 acres. There are many trees on this acreage, and I see the surrounding woods reaching out and taking so many of them with the vines they send forth. It’s sad, actually. One such tree had died years ago. Many years ago. It’s close to the house, too and should have been removed immediately but it stayed here, gathering honeysuckle, wild grapevines and the dreaded of all vines, poison ivy.

After the deluge we’ve had the past week, a big part of that dead tree came down in a storm Wednesday night. And when that section came down, it split the lilac bush that was growing next to it right in half. I’d venture to guess that the lilac is at least 40-50 years old.

My husband told me that he could take care of the section that had come down. He said it would give him something to do. So I went to work and hoped that he’d be careful with his chainsaw. And when I came home, the tree was still there, untouched and still lying over the pack patio as well. He said that it had so much poison ivy on it that he couldn’t even think of touching it and I don’t blame him. I think a professional needs to come and haul it away and take the rest of the dead tree with it. It looks terrible and is my view now when I sit at the breakfast nook table to eat meals.

And surprisingly, it made me so sad. I couldn’t believe how much a simple tree falling could affect me! But it took the lilac bush with it and I’m just afraid that it will lie there for a long time before anyone comes to do something with it because of all the poison ivy growing on it. It’s an eyesore and I won’t even take a photo of it because it bothers me so much.

I mean, it’s not just the tree. There’s more but I don’t want to get into it. I don’t think my husband would appreciate it.

So today I went to the mall. It was not a very fruitful mission, although it was a long mission. I must have tried on 18 pairs of khaki capri slacks and not a one suited. The power went out while I was at the bra store, they didn't have the camera lens I was looking for at the camera shop and a host of other little things that were bound and determined to get me down but I persevered. And in the end, I got something for my mother-in-law for tomorrow and I got myself a pedicure. It was heaven, even though the gentleman who did my tootsies had a shirt that proclaimed that he was The Man from Nantucket. No lie. Lawsie mercy.

Then I came home and poured a vodka and grapefruit and went online and bought this after receiving an e-mail announcing it. It’s Sephora’s Sun Safety Kit. It’s a collection of trial-size SPF 13’s from brands like Philosophy, Bare Escentuals, Murad, Korres and Smashbox in a little backpack. It’s a $110 value on sale now for $22.50. And it delivers a 100% net profit donation to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

And I also splurged and got my favorite shampoo in the world, Ojon. And I can’t wait to wash my hair using both hands. I mean, I can’t wait to everything using two hands. Typing hasn’t been too awful but everything else from making a bed to searching for keys to trying on khaki slacks has been slow. And annoying.

So that’s why I haven’t been able to post, or much of anything lately. I know there are those that have it much worse than these little things and my heart goes out to you.

And that’s all I have to say about that. (Name that movie line).

Love, and until tomorrow my friends,

Doris, I hear you. I think of you often and wish you well. Alisa, I don’t know how you do it sometimes. All the time.

I wish I could fly away

Far, far away. Into another life.

I wish I could be George. He doesn’t have much to worry about and life is always happy.

Except when there’s a thunderstorm. George is not happy when there’s a thunderstorm.

Sometimes I really want to fly away, though. Do you ever feel like this?

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

My husband took these Thursday with the macro lens.