Books & Blogs & Rainy Days

Still another rainy, cloudy, damp and dreary day. Cranky weather. I was going to run out to the post office today with eBay packages but I may just put it off till tomorrow. Although, my car has been in the garage on all of these cold and damp days and it would be better for it if I got the engine going. Plus, my car has heated seats. An incentive to go to the post office or anywhere else.

I've started to read Sidney Portier's "The Measure of A Man." This book is Oprah's selection for her book club. Beautiful book.... I was happy when she announced it because I had the hardcover book on my own bookshelves. I don't know exactly why, but it pleases me when she picks a book that I already own. I bought this book when it was first published, for the simple reason that I've always liked Sidney Portier and I thought that anything written by this kind and gentle man was worth reading. And it was... every word. So much so that I'm re-reading it now, being that millions of other people on the planet are reading it at the same time, thanks to Oprah's Book Club. That kind of connection is amazing.... for so many people to be reading the same book at the same time. Cheers to Oprah, for bringing books to the forefront of must-haves in this otherwise too-technological society.

My husband gave me a book for my birthday titled "Word Freak," by Stefan Fatsis. It's a book about Scrabble players and Scrabble championship games. Looks like great reading... the cover of the book is covered with "Scrabble" letters. If I had seen that in the bookstore, I would've bought it for myself, based on the cover alone. I will start that book when I finish with Mr. Portier's.

Blogs.... my husband's department has started a blog. I don't think it's on the same site that this one is on... the outline looks a bit different. The head of the department has asked anyone interested to join the blogsters (is that a word?). So far, my husband has written one blog on the site, along with other members who have also written just one blog each. Before he wrote his entry, my husband commented that it might be hard to come up with topics to write about. I have to disagree, being that I've written almost 750 blogs since I started this site. For me, all it takes is just sitting down in front of my laptop and typing out what comes to mind. Which may or not be a good thing, depending on how you're looking at it.

A colleague of my husband's has a blog-site, on this same site, and I think it's hilarious. He seems to do what I do... just sit and type. He also posts photos of his wife, family, friends and co-workers-- something I haven't done because I don't know how to do it, and I don't think I would anyway. The words coming out here are anonymous, but once you add photos to the words, then the anonymity disappears. Still, I keep up with T's blog from time to time, and I've told my husband that he could do as well as T, and probably better, should the blog-urge overtake him.

Yet another rainy day...

This has been the coldest and rainiest (is that a word?) January in all the years we've been down here. We are both so tired of wearing heavy coats and jackets. As is everyone else, because no one seems to be going outside unless they really have to. Hardly anyone is walking, and the local traffic seems to be lighter. Although, my friend A is most likely still playing tennis every blessed chance she gets. Honestly... one of these days they will find her frozen on the courts.

Young Miss C and her mom stopped by last night, after C's after-school Color Guard practice. They were going to stop here this afternoon, but C insisted that she see me on my birthday, not after my birthday. She bounced into the front door bearing two wrapped packages, telling me to open the larger one first.

They gave me a whipped cream maker... a sort of thermos-sized gadget that you pour fresh heavy cream into. Then you attach a little metal canister to it (ten of those refills were in the smaller package) and after a few shakes, you have real whipped cream. C's mom got one of those for Christmas, and I had a feeling I would be treated to one pretty soon, being that C's dad wasn't impressed with the can of Redi-Whip that we had here for Thanksgiving. He was amazed that we didn't make "real whipped cream," being that we had freshly baked homemade pies. Well, he was right, of course, but honestly, after all the cooking and baking we did for Thanksgiving, real whipped cream was just the last thing on my mind.

So now we have this gadget to make real whipped cream whenever anyone wants some, as long as there is heavy cream in the fridge. Being that Miss C loves hot chocolate with whipped cream on top, I have a feeling that both of the whipped cream makers will be getting a lot of use.

Especially if this totally stupid weather doesn't start clearing up. The cats are already past their limit and have cabin fever, and now Gracie is starting to feel the squeeze with this weather. I opened the back door for her to run out into the backyard for a few minutes this morning (while it wasn't raining) and within thirty seconds, she had taken care of everything she had to do out there, ran back inside, and curled up on her blanket and went to sleep. Which is unusual for that dog because she likes a long walk in the morning. But not on rainy mornings, I guess, and most especially when those rainy mornings seem to have to end in sight.

The weatherman keeps saying "at least it isn't snowing like up north..." He'd better quit that or someone is going to use him for target practice at the upcoming Rodeo.

We continue to get RSVPs coming in. This afternoon, our friend D called to tell us that she'll be here for the Valentine party. She's bringing her copy of a nursing magazine that she gets-- D is a nurse at one of the downtown hospitals. In this month's issue of the magazine, they have pictures and a listing of the Top 20 Nurses in the Houston area. D was happily surprised to see a photo of our friend S in there... who is also a nurse downtown, and also happens to be part of our Charades group. D was so proud to see that photo, and read the articles about S..... she told me she'll bring the magazine to the Charades party so everyone else can see it.

Personally, I think D should also have been given an award of some kind... she was part of a group of doctors and nurses who recently went to South America to take part in the "Smile" program.... the medical teams donate their time to surgically fix cleft palettes of children in South American countries. This isn't the first year that she's given her time to do that, either. D says it is most rewarding, and I would have to imagine that it would be.

Happy Birthday to me.

55. Yikes. Must be some kind of cosmic error. Some miscalculation happened along the way. But birthdays don't lie, and they are what they are. And 55 is what I am. Oh goodie.

Phone calls came today from my Aunt Dolly, and my friend G up on L.I., and young C as soon as she got out of school this afternoon. Funny story about my Aunt Dolly's call... she was telling me about her new mailman, whom she doesn't like. She called him a "shrimp," which is funny because my aunt is barely five feet tall and weighs about 95 pounds. (Who's calling who a shrimp?)

She was trying to mail me a birthday card, but the mailman never took it out of her mailbox (which her old mailman always did). She no longer drives, so she can't get to the post office, and the Postal Powers That Be have removed all of the free-standing mailboxes from her neighborhood. So, unless her mailman takes her mail, or someone goes to the post office for her, the mail just doesn't leave her house. So my birthday card is still there, waiting to be mailed, which is why she's upset with the mailman.

My sister is also upset... with me.... because I wrote about my feelings in here. She had asked me not to write about her business, which I didn't, and I never have. I've written about my own. And forgive me, but I thought what was happening with my mother, as told to me, was my business. As of today, I'm out of the loop about what's going on with my mother. Which brings me right back to where I was last week, before I heard about any of this.... which is right where I'm used to being, so it shouldn't matter much.

No matter what happens in this world, life goes on in a sensible way. I keep repeating that phrase... it's a good one.

"Shade"

My husband and I drove to The Heights section of downtown this morning, to meet friends K and B for brunch. The restaurant we went to is called "Shade..." modern in its design, with vintage-looking lamp-shades covering all the light bulbs hanging from the ceiling (one over each table). The eclectic menu changes from time to time, everything from homemade soups and breads and desserts, to vegetable-filled omelets and interesting salads.

We got there right when they opened at ten o'clock, and by the time we left at noon, just about every table was filled. There aren't all that many restaurants in the middle of The Heights, and this being Sunday, Shade may have been the only option. But it's a delicious one, and it was nice to see K and B, and K's granddaughter E (who flies up from Corpus Christi from time to time to go to the ballet or the opera with K and B).

After lunch, instead of walking around the nearby antique shops, we all drove to Arne's Discount Warehouse. Think of a "Party City" store on speed.... and then multiply it by a zillion.... and you'll have Arne's. Everything you can possibly think of for every occasion on earth, and even things for dinners and parties that you didn't know existed. By the time we looked around some, my mind was on over-load, and my mostly-non-shopping husband had seen enough stuff to last him for the next five years. Maybe ten. Quite possibly twenty.

I did buy some things for Valentine's Day, St. Patty's Day, and Easter.... gift bags and pretty napkins mostly. The prices there were more than reasonable, but some were more expensive than the local dollar stores. Still, they did have things I hadn't seen before, and had I not already bought mostly everything for the Valentine's party, I could have done some major damage in that store.

We said goodbye to K and B after that because they had to get E to the airport to catch her flight back to Corpus. We drove on to The Whole Foods Market to get some groceries and look around. We bought specialty cheeses and homemade soups and foods, and a carrot cake for my birthday tomorrow. We have enough cooked food in the house so I won't have to cook tomorrow. Can't cook on your own birthday, that's a rule. And I did all the laundry this afternoon, so I don't have to do that either. That's another birthday rule... no laundry.

Pretty day today... blue sky, lots of sun. Could have been a little warmer, though... but it wasn't raining. Yet. The week is still young.

Early Birthday Dinner

We went out to dinner tonight, to Babbo Bruno's, to celebrate my 55th birthday which is coming up on Monday. Fifty-five. 55. How can that possibly be? I look in the mirror and I don't see 55. I close my eyes and I don't feel 55. There must be some mistake.

Dinner was delicious... as usual. However, we thought the prices were a bit high... I think they're raising the prices a little bit at a time, thinking that no one will notice. Downtown prices in Friendswood. Now why is that? I tell everyone we know about this restaurant, because we think the food is just so good. But really, do the prices have to be downtown-high? I think we've been going there so long now that when something isn't perfectly perfect, we notice it. My husband and I can both tell when the owner hasn't cooked our meal. Not that the food isn't good, it just isn't the way Stefano cooks it, and it isn't "plated" the way he would do it.

I keep wondering what will happen to this restaurant when they move to their larger location in a few months. More tables will (hopefully for the owner) mean more customers, which will mean more orders coming into the kitchen. Stefano can't possibly cook everything if there will be so many customers in the restaurant. And I don't care what anyone says--- you can give one recipe to ten people, and you'll get ten different tastes, ten different versions of the same recipe.

But we had a nice dinner........ K was there, which is always a plus because she makes any dinner there extra-special, and we miss her when she's not working--- which is why we went tonight instead of Monday night. K told us that she and her mother will be coming to our Valentine's Charades party, so we were happy to hear that as well.

We went to Target after dinner, which is on the way home. I hadn't been there for a while, and I wanted to see if they had the blank greeting card-stock that I had been buying in Hobby Lobby. They did, and I bought different sizes and colors, plus some stick-on embellishments for the cards. I'm getting into this card-thing, and enjoying it. After that, we stopped at La Madeleine for some dessert to take home. (We didn't get dessert at the restaurant.) We were hoping for carrot cake, which is our "standard" birthday cake around here, but they only make carrot cake now around Easter-time. What? Since when did the French bakeries decide that carrot cake is a seasonal item? And why Easter? Carrots.... bunnies eat carrots. The Easter bunny. Is that why? Give unto me a blessed break.

Last night, my husband and I drove to the local high school, to see young Miss C perform with her Color Guard group. Of course, C was exceptional, and we told her that when the practice was over. We were more impressed with C than with the director's routine, but of course I wouldn't say that. Today, the group went to the competition in Spring-Cypress to perform the same routine... they came in 5th, out of 14. She called me right after the performance, to give me the news, and to tell me they'd be "home in time for the party." Party? What party? "The Valentine party!" ........ I told C that the Valentine Charades party was two weeks away.... she somehow thought it was tonight. C also has a competition on the night of the Valentine party, so now she's keeping her fingers crossed that they get home from that competition as early as they did today.

So far, we have seventeen RSVPs for the Valentine's party. I'm still waiting to hear from 13 more. Plus young C and a friend, if they get back from the competition in time, plus my husband and myself. Another big party, like the Halloween party... without costumes. Usually, though, everyone tends to wear pink or red at our Valentine's parties. And then there's SteinMart... anyone who shops there can find dozens of heart-embellished outfits.

Long day today... we were up before dawn. I had planned on going to yard sales, but it was raining this morning, so I just stayed home and listed things on eBay instead. The rain cleared up at noon-time, though... the sun came out and we had a beautiful day. Hopefully, we'll have more of the same tomorrow, minus the morning rain.

The Hallmark Store

When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. I had gone to the local Hallmark store earlier in the week, to use the "free" birthday coupon they sent me. I found lots of great things to buy (at big discounts) but I had left the coupon at home. Not a problem.... I bought what I had picked out the other day, thinking I'd just go back and find more things and use the coupon.

Which is what I did today... and the discounts were even bigger than earlier in the week. Plus I had that birthday coupon in my purse. I found more Christmas gifts, which means my holiday shopping for this coming Christmas is just about done. I also found lots of St. Patty's Day items, which I can use for our St. Patty's Day lunch this year. The store is discounting Valentine things too now, so I bought some of those as well. I filled up a hand-basket to the brim with all-things-Hallmark.

Off to the register I went... talking to the girl behind the counter about the closing of the store, talking to the lady next to me about our St. Patty's Day lunch.... and I forgot all about the birthday coupon in my purse. Didn't even think about it till I was on my way home. Talk about a pre-senior moment. The coupon expires at the end of this month. If I want to use that coupon, worth $5.00 towards any and all Hallmark items, I will have to go back to the store within the next couple of days. So let's see...... is another visit worth saving five dollars if I'm spending another hundred? Decisions, decisions.

Gorgeous day today, and yesterday as well. The cold wind and wet rain has drifted elsewhere, leaving us with typical sunny and warm "winter" days in southeast Texas. The bad weather has gone to the northeast.... my sister told me there were snow flurries yesterday, and they expected more bad weather today. She told my mother to stay in the house.... inside the house. I hope she listens. Unlike the Texas weather today, my mother's story is not going to have a pretty ending.

Look.... up in the sky.....

.... what is that big yellow thing?........ and look at all that blue?....... can that be the sky?

Believe it or not, we woke up to a bright and sunny day. Blue sky, big Texas puffy clouds, and the temperature is rising and it's feeling warmer as each hour goes by. Amazing. There is a weather god after all.

So nice not to see rain falling......

Out in the rain....

Two days in a row, out driving in the rain. Hate to do it, hate to get my car wet, but I was also getting cabin fever. Yesterday afternoon, I went to the local Hallmark store that's going out of business. Everything in the store (except for Valentine stuff) is marked down-- between 15% to 80%. I bought a bunch of Christmas things, to use for either an Open House party or a small dinner party.... and I also found New Year's Eve plates and napkins and gift bags, which I also bought (80%-off on those). I had a coupon here for that store, which of course I forgot to bring along, so I will have to get back there before the coupon expires at the end of the month.

In the same strip-center as the Hallmark store, there's a used book store, so I also stopped there. Found some good books, all just one dollar each, plus I found some beautiful Christmas books that I put away for Christmas gifts (those were half-off their already-low price, and they're new books, not used).

On the way home yesterday, I stopped at the local Greek Deli for some take-out. Hadn't been there for quite some time, and when I tasted some of the lentil soup I bought, I remembered why--- that man just puts too much salt in everything. The Greek restaurant in Kemah is much better... but also much further away, and I wasn't going to drive down there in the rain.

Raining again today... it just hasn't quit since yesterday. The grass in the backyard looks like a little pond. (Waterfront property!) I met A today at the movies, to see DreamGirls. What a great movie... wonderful music, beautiful costumes.... and now I know why Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy were nominated for Oscars. They both were very good in that movie, but so was everyone else. At the beginning of the movie, Beyonce's scenes show her with hardly a drop of make-up on. She looked as if she were a young teenager. Amazing what make-up can do. The scenery, the clothes, the make-up, the songs... all exceptional. Definitely a "chic movie," as my husband would call it. There are a lot of other chic movies out there, so A and I will see some of the others.

Hopefully, the rain will have stopped by the next movie-date. Stupid weather... totally stupid.

More rain.... more cold....

Still another rainy day here. And just when we thought the temperatures were going up and the sun was making a come-back. It's cold. It's raining. It's damp, dark, dreary.... everything that southeast Texas is not supposed to be. I can't stand it.

The cats are getting cranky... they can't spend too much time out on the screen-porch because it's too cold. Mickey Kitty is chasing AngelBoy and ShadowBaby from one end of the house to the other... that little cat actually hides in a corner, waiting for one of the older cats to walk by so he can pounce on him. I have to laugh, though, because when I say Mickey Kitty! .... he just falls to the floor, rolls over on his back and looks at me upside-down. He does that each and every time, and it just makes me laugh. The other two cats don't think he's funny, but I think he's a scream.

Speaking of scream... yesterday at the dental office, I could have screamed. But I was good... the dentist removed an old crown, did the repair work underneath that it needed, and took the impression for a new crown. I now have a temporary crown till the new one is ready. Last night, my mouth was so sore on the left side that it was hard to talk, even harder to laugh. I had soup for lunch, oatmeal for dinner. Keeping everything on the soft side till my gums feel a little better. I think the pain was from the shots of Novocaine... because today my mouth feels fine, but I can still feel a hardness on the side of my gums where the Novocaine went in. Oh well... this too shall pass. Along with the weather... we're all waiting for that to pass too.

No more Valentine cards to make... I am all Valentine-d out, unless I think of someone else to make one for. My sister called yesterday and I was telling her about those cards. She kept saying "Mmmmhmmm....." I was waiting for her to tell me that I have too much time on my hands, but she didn't. Then I thought she'd ask me if our Hallmark store was closed, but she didn't ask that either.

Speaking of the Hallmark store, the local one is indeed going out of business at the end of February, so I really have to get over there and see what kinds of sales they're having. There are two other Hallmark stores in the Bay Area here... one at the Mall, and one in a small strip-center acrosss from the Mall. Neither one is as good as the one we have here. Oh well. One more store bites the dust. Yet they still keep building new strip-centers. Slowly but surely, all the pasture lands around here are disappearing. In place of the cows on those properties, we'll have concrete parking lots. Oh goodie. I'd rather see the cows.

Oh goodie... another rainy day....

The rain clouds seem to have taken up residence over this part of the state... it's been raining on and off (mostly on) for days now. The temperatures are a little warmer (in the 50s) but it still isn't warm enough. However, being that the thermometer was reading 39 degrees a few days ago, I'll take the 50. Jeez.... will this never end?

I've been doing things in the house, trying to stay out of the rain and the cold. Still reading... now I'm up to a book I had bought on our trip to Maine last summer-- "The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife," by Connie Scovill Small. Very nicely written, it's an account of her 28 years of lighthouse-keeping with her husband. The book has photographs of their winters in Maine... lots of snow, certainly... makes me wonder how people get around in the winter up in that state. It was beautiful during the summer (we were there in July) but it isn't where I'd want to be for the winter months.

I've also been making more Valentine cards... I have a pile of finished ones next to my desk, waiting to be mailed as it gets closer to February 14th. Each one is different, keeping the recipient in mind.... I can't make them all Victorian-looking, since not everyone likes that "busy busy" style, as my sister would call it. I made one for my sister also, a bit more stream-lined than the others, given her more modern style. When my sister gets hers in the mail, she will call me up on her cell phone and tell me that I've got too much time on my hands. Not true--- just too many rainy days.

I've decided that the laundry is like the U.S. mail--- it is just never-ending. No wonder post office workers "go postal." What do women do? Go laundral? I mean honestly... just when you think it's all done (and it was this morning) you find two towels and a shirt in the laundry hamper. And so it begins once again.

Rainy days.... I made crawfish bisque soup yesterday.... I made raisin/cranberry scones this morning. "Comfort foods" for cold and rainy days. The scones came out extra-nice.... I've discovered that the trick is to use very cold butter, cut up into tiny pieces, and not mix the dough too much. This way, the butter melts into the dough in the hot oven and you get very tender scones. I don't like to use butter, but there's no substitute for it. And margarine is the pits... just one molecule away from plastic, so I don't even think about using that anymore.

Dentist tomorrow.... another "oh goodie" moment.

Another cold and rainy, dreary day.....

Okay, everyone has just about had it now with this weather...... we haven't seen the sun, we've barely seen a square inch of blue sky..... and about all we have seen is rain and more rain. Not to mention the low temperatures on the outdoor thermometers. If you'd asked us to bet on it, we would have bet the ranch that it couldn't get this cold here.

But this too shall pass...... at least that's what they tell us.

I drove into League City today, to give the Valentine's party invitations to J and to L at the antique shop. Both of them were sitting in the shop with their coats on..... seems that no one can get warm and stay warm for any length of time these days. J told me that he closed the shop on Wednesday because only two people came into the store on Tuesday--- too cold.... just plain flat-out too cold.

Of course I had to browse around the shop while I was there...... and of course I found things calling my name. I bought a set of eight vintage glasses.... King's Crown ruby glass (I believe that's what it's called). Gorgeous glassware.... just a bit smaller than sherbet sizes, but I can use them for desserts.... and right now they're looking right in the Valentine spirit as they sit on the glass shelves in the coffee bar. I took out the green glass sherbets for now, but I will put them back for St. Patty's Day. I've taken a hint from one of Carolyne Roehm's decorating books.... use pretty glassware and tableware to decorate for the holidays/seasons.

This afternoon, I rearranged two pieces of furniture in my sitting room.... not the location of the furniture, but the things that I kept in the drawers of the furniture. I was making Valentine cards last night and I kept having to walk between the desk/bookcase on one wall, the walk-in closet on the other wall, and the drawers in the curio cabinet on the third wall. Enough is enough.... I spent about two hours today just moving things around in the drawers. Now, all the "arts and crafts" stuff is in the drawers of the desk/bookcase under the window, which is where I'm usually putting together bits and pieces to make cards or collages, and wrapping up favor bags for the parties. All of the watercolor paints and art pencils are all together now in one drawer, and I have all the invitation cards all together in another drawer. Much easier..... no more walking back and forth... and finding one of the cats on top of my desk when I come back from the other side of the room.

I've been having a good time making the Valentine cards... amazing what you can put together to make a personalized card for someone. And the best part.... all the pretty pictures and cut-outs, bits of ribbons and lace, feathers and beads... all being used to make a keepsake card. Re-cycle and re-use at its best.

That's been about the day....... my husband just lit a fire in the fireplace..... he has also been cold for most of the day. So much so that he went out into the garage, opened up the overhead door, and sat in my car with the motor running so he could warm up with the heated seats. I had those seats up to full power during my drive into League City today (about ten miles)..... the warmest ten miles I've had since this cold air settled over southeast Texas. So cold here that we were going to go out to dinner tonight but neither one of us felt like going. Not even to Babbo Bruno's. My husband made himself a grilled cheese sandwich. I made oatmeal, with raisins and pineapple.... and after it was done, I blasted it in the microwave to make it even hotter.

The cats have been driving me crazy.... they can't stay out on the screen-porch for too long a time, and they're using the house as a porch.... jumping up on chairs, chasing each other from one end to the other. I raised my voice to Mickey Kitty a little while ago and he stopped dead in his little kitty-tracks and rolled over on the carpet to look at me upside-down. You yelled at me? Cute little moi?

This too shall pass.........

Cabin Fever

Still freezing here.... still raining.... the cats are getting cranky with one another, and all three of them (along with Gracie) are following me around and getting in my way most of the day. Too cold for them to go out on the screen-porch, and they all want to play. ShadowBaby and AngelBoy want to go out in the yard, but it's too wet and too cold. Gracie wants to lay out in the sun on the deck, but there hasn't been a drop of sunlight for days. (Zillions of drops of rain, however.)

On the bright side.... I'm getting a lot of reading done. My pile of books-to-be-read has dwindled from twenty-something to less than half a dozen. Some have made it to my own bookshelves, and others are on the give-away pile for friends who come to visit. Still others are stacked up and ready to be added to the Valentine party gift bags.

I went out to the post office today with eBay packages... hardly anyone out on the roads in all this wet and cold weather. Mostly everyone who can stay home is staying home, I guess. Me included. All I did was go to the post office and come right back home and add another sweater to my layers. I drove my husband's car today because I didn't want to get mine wet.... and I sure did miss those heated seats in my little car.

We got another handmade thank you card today from our friends C and R... they had come here for dinner and Scrabble last week, and R (who is very artistic) put together a wonderful card to thank us for the evening. I have saved all of her thank you cards-- she sends us a card after each dinner or party invitation. Her pretty cards inspired me today, so I got out my boxes of old greeting cards and ribbons and tid-bits and what-nots.... all those little things that I save because they're just too pretty to toss away.

I started by making a Valentine card..... which came out pretty good, so I will probably make some more of those. Then I got to thinking about a thank you card for C and R-- they've invited us to their house next week, for another night of dinner and Scrabble. Honestly, how can I send R a store-bought card after she has sent me so many pretty handmade ones? And the one I send to R has to be good, considering the great ones she has made for us.

Into the boxes I went.... looking for pictures and ribbons.... tiny beads and flowers.... I found everything I needed, and then some. Best thing to do--- get the blank card and lay everything out and see what really works well together, which I did. When you do it that way, you realize that you don't need as much for a collage as you originally thought you did. After much arranging and re-arranging, I got the card to look exactly as I wanted it to look. Out came the glue gun and the paste, and the card is now finished and looks quite nice. Seems funny to have the thank you card for next week's dinner already finished, but I wanted to get it all set while I had the design in my mind.

I will have to tell my Aunt Dolly about all my hat boxes filled with odds and ends, tid-bits and tiny trinkets, ribbons and pretty papers. My aunt has similar boxes stashed up in her attic... she has saved bits of pretty things for as long as I can remember, which is why I've done the same thing for as long as I can remember. Aunt Dolly was always searching in those boxes for tiny things to decorate packages and gift tags, placecards and wrapping papers. Her "treasures," as she called them.... "treasures too pretty to just throw away."

Rainy days.... they're like the holidays.... gets you to thinking, and gets you walking down memory lane. Which isn't a bad thing, I guess..... but it is indeed sad to realize just how quickly all the years have flown by.

Positively Freezing

For my friend F up in NY, and for my sister.... and to anyone else who doesn't believe me when I say It's freezing down here! -- Well, today it's really positively freezing here... the numbers on the thermometers have dropped down to 32 degrees.

The weather gods are being most unkind. We didn't get the sleet and freezing rain in this part of southeast Texas, but other parts of the state didn't escape the icy conditions. Hundreds of miles of I-10 in the San Antonio area had to be closed down due to the ice on the roads. Snow is supposed to be falling in the Dallas area today. Schools and businesses have either closed or limited their hours. Traffic on I-45 isn't as heavy as usual this morning because a lot of people are just keeping their cold little bodies in their warm homes.

Speaking of warm..... I went out in the cold yesterday after dinner, to get some things at Kroger. After listening to the weather reports, today was supposed to be colder than yesterday (which it is) and I didn't want to have to go out today or tomorrow. So off I went to the local Kroger. I was freezing as soon as I sat in the car in my garage.... and then a little light-bulb went off in my head. This car has heated seats! I turned on the little button for the seats, and within minutes I was sitting on heated leather. It was the warmest I had been in three days.

I drove to Kroger, sitting on those warm seats with Barry Manilow blasting on the CD player.... and I was sorry that the supermarket wasn't further away... and I even contemplated driving to a different Kroger that was a greater distance from our subdivision. But I didn't do that... no sense in tempting the somewhat-questionable weather last night. I swear, I could've driven from here to the northeast as long as those seats kept my body at such a toasty temperature. That's what we need for the house here... heated seats in the sofas and all the chairs.

I had a dental appointment yesterday, for a regular cleaning. When the hygienist was finished, the dentist came in for a look-see. I hate it when she says Oh my! when she's looking at my teeth. It seems that one of my crowns needs to be replaced... it was put in about fifteen years ago, and my gum-line has changed since then and it's getting a "teeny tiny bit of decay around it," to quote my dentist. She wants to fix the little problem before it becomes a big problem, which is one of the reasons why I like this dentist so much. Not to mention the fact that her office is the most efficient and the most nicely decorated that I've ever seen. Somehow, it helps to have pretty things to look at when you're sitting in a dentist's chair. (And a diagram of the inside of a mouth doesn't fall into the "pretty thing" category.... she doesn't have those pictures.)

So back I will go to the dentist on Monday, so she can remove this crown and do whatever has to be done underneath it. (My thanks to the inventor of Novocaine.) Then I'll have to go back in two weeks so she can put in the new crown.

On my way to the dental office yesterday, I was going to stop by the little bakery that opened up next door to the dentist. My plan was to get some cookies or cupcakes or something sweet for our neighbor ML.... I didn't want to return her soup container with nothing in it. The bakery, however, was all closed up, with the blinds closed down. I asked the girls in the dental office if she had closed for good, and they told me that the owner of the bakery took the month of January off. The baker has had shops before, and her business has always been very slow during the month of January--- she thinks it's because so many people start diets on the first of the year, with all good intentions of cutting down on sweets. So that's when she takes her vacation. She comes back on the first of February, when people have forgotten their New Year's resolutions and are ready to kick back and splurge on sweets and buy extra goodies for Valentine's Day.

There isn't another bakery close by that I cared to go to (and the Kroger bakeries don't count-- not when you know what real baked goods taste like). I came home and filled ML's plastic container with gourmet chocolates that I had put aside for our Valentine's party. I can always buy more... and better to have the chocolates in ML's house than in our house.

Surprise Soup

Our across-the-street neighbor ML walked over here with some of her homemade Baked Potato Soup just before dinner-time tonight. She tried a new recipe, and made as much as the recipe called for, which gave her a "truck-load of soup," as she called it. So out she came, into the frigid cold, across the street with a large Tupperware bowl of hot soup for us. Enough for two meals, except it was so good that we both had two servings and finished it.

We called ML to thank her and my husband told her that if she didn't give me the recipe for the soup, then he'd just have to marry her. ML's answer was "Been there, done that.... I'll give you the recipe."

It is still absolutely freezing outside, and the news reports tell us that the temperature will continue to drop throughout the night. Oh goodie. They also say that half a million residents in Oklahoma don't have electricity because the ice storms there sent tree branches crashing down into power lines. Oh goodie.... the same thing could happen here. Which makes me think of the lake house.... all those trees on our property.... and all that frozen turkey in the freezer up there. Oh well.... whatever happens will happen, whether we're there or not. If the turkey spoils, we can always just cook it up and use it for fish bait, which is what my husband has been doing with the leftovers anyway-- and catching big fish with it. Go figure.

I've been reading and reading.... now I'm on an Edith Wharton book. A novella, actually-- "The Old Maid: The 'Fifties." I had bought this little book in Maine during our trip there last summer... we had stopped in a small library in an out-of-the-way village and of course I had to look through their Books for Sale shelf. This Edith Wharton book was the only one that I found... I love all of her books and didn't remember reading this one before.

As I started reading it this afternoon, it seemed familiar. I checked my own shelves and sure enough... I already have this story-- in one volume containing four of her more well-known novellas. But it's a wonderful book, and so beautifully written... I'm reading the story again, not from my own volume, but from the single book from Maine... then I will put it on my give-away pile by the front door, so someone else can enjoy it. Honestly, Edith Wharton's command of the English language is exemplary. And take command she does.... she can take the most simple of phrases and embellish it until it becomes poetry. Amazing.... I just love her books.

I also love the warm weather and wish it would return. To quote our friend BC, who moved to Dallas not too long ago... "If I wanted this kind of weather, I would have moved to North Dakota." (Or, in my case... I would have stayed in New York.)

Frigid Cold Snap

I am so glad we decided to come back from Mayberry earlier than planned... the weather today has been horrid. Freezing cold, rainy, windy, and I swear that I heard sleet pounding against my sitting room windows this morning. And tomorrow is supposed to be even worse, if the winter storm continues to travel this far south.

South. South! We shouldn't even be getting this type of weather here. What are the weather gods thinking?!

I have a dental appointment tomorrow, for a cleaning. When the receptionist called a little while ago to confirm the time, she told me the appointment would be "weather permitting." If the storm rolls in with more sleet the way it's seeming to, the schools will be closed tomorrow, and the dentist will be closing her office as well. Which is fine with me, because if the weather gets that bad, I won't be out on the roads. (Unless, of course, Barry Manilow is coming to town, which he isn't.) My still-as-new little car has barely seen a handful of rainy days, and I'd like to keep it that way.

So cold outside.... and hard to keep warm inside.... and with the cloudy weather hanging in here, I can feel myself growing crankier by the hour. I'm keeping busy with laundry (heaven knows that job is never-ending), and I've posted a bunch of things on eBay, and I've been reading books that have been in my "to be read" pile for months and months. I've decided that I'm finished with all of the books by Richard Paul Evans. His first book, "The Christmas Box," was wonderful, but he's been on a downhill slide ever since, in my humble opinion. I know his books sell millions of copies, but I also know that easy-reading people don't mind cookie-cutter stories. I loathe cookie-cutter stories, so my apologies to Mr. Evans, but I am through with all of your books. But I will re-read The Christmas Box from time to time, because that was indeed a good one and my copy of it is still on my bookshelves.

The cats all seem to be recovering nicely from the car ride yesterday. The more we take them in the car, the better they do. Not one of them gets car-sick, but with the sad little meows that we've heard from time to time during the rides to and from the lake, I know that they're not 100% thrilled to be passengers in our lake adventures. Shortly before dawn this morning, little Mickey Kitty was meowing for all his tiny body was worth. By the sound of his meow, I knew he was in the living room. I didn't get out of bed when I heard him, but when I called his name, he came bouncing into our bedroom and jumped up on the bed. The way I see it, he probably woke up and didn't remember where he was. Am I home? Am I at the lake? Just where am I? He curled up next to my pillow and stayed there till we got out of bed this morning. I swear, nothing sounds as sad as a lonely meow in the dark. (Spoken like a true cat person.)

Trade Days Weekend

Just back from a few days at the lake... and we happened to catch the "Trade Days" weekend up there. Trade Days is a huge flea market that is held in the town's park, which is a considerable size. I would guess that there are enough vendor spaces there to hold over one hundred booths, if not more. Being that this weekend's weather was on the cloudy side, and rainy weather was expected, there were less than 40 dealers in the park.

The vendors there had everything from soup to nuts (literally), from old glassware to brand new sunglasses. Clothing and toys, furniture and candles, homemade birdhouses and factory-made ironware. Hot dogs and popcorn to funnel cakes and barbeque. We bought a very pretty ceramic lighthouse for the mantel. It's made to hold a candle and it lights up very nicely and looks very much at home now over the fireplace there. I also bought a food chopper, the old kind with a glass jar at the bottom end and a push-down blade at the top end. Perfect for chopping onions and celery and nuts, and I used it to chop up some hard cheese and it worked just fine for that as well. (Our lake-house version of a mini food-processor.)

I made a list of all the Trade Days weekends for the rest of this year, so hopefully, we'll be up there for a bunch more of them. Should be lots of fun during the warmer weather when the park is filled with all sorts of vendors. Nothing better than a country flea market... you never know what you'll come across.

The cats were fine for the few days that we were there... they seem to remember the cottage now, and they spend most of their days (if it's warm enough) on the screen-porch, and the nights in the laundry room. They've also explored the new living room furniture, and they all seem to approve of our choices... all three of them took extended naps on the sofas during the weekend. I guess the more we take them in the car, the more they will get used to the ride also. Once again, we heard some meowing when we first started out, but then they all settled down and went to sleep.

The temperature was very warm at the lake, except for last night when we had a major rainstorm. According to our neighbor's rain guage, three and a half inches of rain fell last night up at the lake. We were going to stay there until tomorrow, but our neighbor also told us that another storm was heading that way tonight, bringing much colder temperatures, more rain, plus sleet. That was enough for us to hear.... we started to pack up the car, put the cats into their crates, and we left right after lunch.

Amazing how much warmer it was here when we got home.... the lake is just two hours northeast of us here, but it's enough to bring colder temperatures. Every time we drive in and out of the lake community up there, we see more houses that we missed during the other drives. Now that most of the leaves are down, you can see into all the little side-roads and just about all of them have homes, whether they're on the lake or not. I like it better during the Spring and Summer, though, when everything is green and lush and jungle-like. The cloudy, gray skies make the woods look old and tired, and opposed to the lively, vibrant green of the warmer months.

We sat on the back porch on Friday and looked at the properties on the other points around the lake... we found a large red-roofed house that looked to be on its own little island. Very nice house, with a lot of property... we got into the car and drove over to that side of the lake to see if we could find it, which we did. Huge house, super-huge boathouse and garage, and the street is very small and private. Now, if we were going to retire up to the lake, that would be the way to go... in a house larger than our cottage, with enough room for all the furniture we have here, plus whatever we'd want to take from the lake cottage.

Every time we drive up to the lake, we talk about the possibility of living up there. It's so quiet there, as compared to the area here, which has been growing in leaps and bounds. This community was perfect in size when we moved here in 1996, but since then, it's been over-built with condos and subdivisions, and now they're building multi-million-dollar deluxe condos on the waterfront here. More homes, more residents, more vehicles... which will mean new roads coming in, some of which have already been started.

Give unto me a blessed break. I always thought this would be our "last" home.... I haven't thought that way in a good long time now.

Nit Noi Dinner......

We drove downtown tonight, to meet our friends K and B at the Nit Noi Thai restaurant for dinner. This is the first time we've seen them since mid-December, when they left for one of their yearly adventures.... to India and Bhutan. They surely do take exotic trips, all with a tour group (Overseas Adventures Travel Group).

K had eMailed us with just a few photos of their trip... she took over two thousand pictures while they were in India and Bhutan, but she's been too tired to get them all together for "show and tell." That will have to wait till the next time we see them. It just might take more than a couple of visits to get through all of those photos.

They both said that sanitary conditions in both India and Bhutan were horrendous. K said to think of the worst filth you can imagine, then multiply it by 7,000..... and it wouldn't come close to what they'd seen there. They both said that every piece of clothing that they wore every day was just covered in dust, dirt, and filth by the end of each day. They just put all their clothes into plastic bags at the end of the day before taking a hot bath or shower--- and sometimes there just wasn't enough hot water at all.

Most of the hotels they stayed in were American, but judging by American standards here in the states, the hotels they were taken to by the tour group over there were two-star, not five-star hotels. Still, they were clean, with clean sheets and towels, but they didn't come close to what we're used to having here at home. They both said that the bathroom facilities over there were primitive at best, filthy at worst (not counting the hotels).

Still, they both said it was the trip of a lifetime and they didn't regret going. We saw a photo of them in front of the Taj Mahal and except for not having a blue-sky behind them (it was cloudy and overcast) the photo is just wonderful.

Their next adventure? They're thinking of Egypt. That trip will be done via a ship, going along the Nile. The plus side of that is they will only have to unpack once, leaving everything in their cabins on the ship. If they're sure about doing that, they will have to "commit" to the trip pretty soon. They were going to go there two years ago, but waited too long to make the reservations and the Egypt group was all filled up-- they take just 16 people per trip. So that year, they went to VietNam and Cambodia instead.

They're still thinking, though. K said that she's seen enough filth and germs for a while, and maybe they ought to take a "clean" trip for the next one. From what they've heard, Egypt will not be clean. Personally, I don't think that will stop them. They've got adventure in their souls, and they're determined to see as much of the world as they can before they "get old."

I'd like to see as much as we can also, but there are places on this planet that just aren't on my must-see list. Like India, Bhutan, Egypt... and any other countries where western-style bathroom facilities aren't standard equipment in hotel rooms.

Pei Wei Restaurant

That's where I was at noon-time today, having lunch with a friend who used to live on our street. I hadn't been to that restaurant, which is a fairly new Asian restaurant in the area, but she had been there before and said the food was delicious, which it was. Very busy restaurant at lunch-time, being that it's right near the Gulf Freeway and there are lots of businesses and stores around that area.

We were there for over two hours, chatting and catching up with everything that's been happening over the last few years. When A lived on our street, we were in and out of each other's houses every day. She and her husband were the original owners of their home here, and they moved because they wanted to downsize to a smaller house. They moved to Pearland, which isn't that far from here, but far enough to eliminate the day-to-day contact. She got busy in Pearland with her new home and new friends, I got busy here with our "old" home and old friends.

We kept in touch at times since she moved (via eMails) but hadn't really talked at length till today. It amazed me how we just picked up right where we left off, as if no time at all had passed us by. Her sense of humor is still the same, as is her directness, which I had always been very comfortable with. As with my friend F up in NY, my friend V around the corner, and my friend A in North Carolina, being direct and up-front is a breath of fresh air, as opposed to the game-playing and tit-for-tat stuff that can go on with other relationships. All of that just wears you out, and wears down the friendship, till one day there's just nothing left to hold onto and you find yourself looking into the eyes of a stranger and wondering what you had in common in the first place. I tend to be Pollyanna-ish with people... I believe what people tell me, giving them the benefit of the doubt. Then a few weeks (or months) later, a little light-bulb goes off in my head and I sit there thinking Is that what they meant? Did they mean to be that disrespectful? Then, of course, it's easy to not only turn the other cheek, but to turn away altogether and go along my merry way.

I have to give A credit for her tenacity... she kept eMailing me "to say hello," she kept the eMails interesting and funny and before we knew it, we were into conversations just like we always had been. It was her idea to meet for lunch, and I'm glad we did. Of course, we both said we needed to keep this up, now that we've started again, which I'm sure we will.

I've learned not to look back, so what's past is past and it's history. What's important is what's happening now, and now is all that counts. Today was a very nice day. The weather was beautiful... sunny and warm this afternoon, just a glorious day. Lunch was indeed delicious, but the company was better.

Perle is at it again...

My friend A in North Carolina calls me "Perle," because I host so many parties here. Come to think of it, our friend Frankie always called me Perle as well, mostly when she called to RSVP for the parties. Perle is Perle Mesta, a well-known Washington D.C. hostess who had a passion for parties, and a guest list comprised of the rich and the famous from coast to coast. Perle was well-known for the entertainment and food at her parties, but the most important thing was her guest list. The Powers That Be (especially in the D.C. area) didn't want to be excluded from her party list.

I was so intrigued by how both A and Frankie described Perle that I found a book on the story of her life and her parties. Simply called "Perle : My story by Perle Mesta," (with Robert Cahn), the book was pubished in 1960 and was wonderful reading.

Well, we don't have the rich and the famous at our parties (heaven knows I've tried to get Barry Manilow here), and we certainly don't have the D.C.-diplomats on our guest list either (nor would I want them), but our ever-growing Charades group surely does have a lot of fun.

I spent a few hours yesterday in SteinMart and Hobby Lobby, searching for decorations and party favors for Valentine's day... found a bunch of neat gifts, and along with what I had left from last year's party, I have more than enough for everyone on the party list. I plan to fix up a little shopping bag for each couple this time, rather than giving every single person their own party bag. Of course, we have single people who come to our parties, so they'll get separate goodie-bags. I found a heart-shaped basket for one of the guessing games, and filled it with all-things-Valentine...... so that will be the biggest prize. The two other prizes are gorgeous coffee-table-sized Valentine's books, with heart-shaped candles and a pretty rhinestone heart pin. If a man wins, then he can give the prize to his Valentine...... or I can buy a box or two of chocolates, in case one of the men win. That might be better.

Gorgeous day here today.... sunny and clear... it could be warmer, but it's not exactly cold. We've already discussed how frozen I feel as soon as the temperature goes down past 75, so I won't go into that again.

Young C was here after school yesterday afternoon.... her virus and cold are all but gone now, so she's back on her normal schedule. I gave her the invitation to the Valentine's party, and also gave a separate one to her mom and dad. C squealed: "Are we having a Valentine's party?" Yes, we are. She gets so excited at the thought of a party, and walked around the house looking at all the decorations that I've put up already. I told C that she could invite just one friend to this party. Usually, I let her invite two or three, and sometimes five, but we've got so many people coming to this party that I had to limit her to one friend this time.

During my shopping yesterday, I also found some Christmas gifts, so they're up in the closet for next Christmas. I also found some pretty things for our own Christmas table, so they're packed away now as well. We have a beautiful gift shop in the area here, but their prices are so sky-high that I don't buy from them till after the holiday. They're independently owned, not part of a chain, so I guess they can charge whatever they want, but honestly... they wouldn't have so much stuff left-over after each holiday if their prices were more reasonable before the holiday.

On to the next holiday....

I spent part of this afternoon decorating the living room and dining room for Valentine's Day. We decided to go ahead and host our usual Valentine's Day Charades Party, and I wrote out all the invitations this morning. They'll be either mailed out or handed out at the end of this week... I usually mail the invitations to friends who live in neighboring towns. Most are just given out to close-by friends and neighbors as I see them.

The biggest part of the Valentine's decorations are those huge mylar-balloons in the shape of red hearts. I buy two dozen of them and put them all around the living room, breakfast room and dining room... then give them out to couples as they leave at the end of the night, along with their party favors.

Three guessing games for this Valentine's party.... I filled up a small jar with those red-hot cinnamon candies... then I filled a glass vase with the little sugar-hearts that have Valentine words on them. I have one very tall champagne glass with a red-heart base that I will fill up with Valentine-colored M&Ms....... three separate guess-the-amount games, with three separate prizes. I counted each and every candy.... but didn't do the M&Ms yet.... being that they're chocolate, I will wait till it gets closer to the party. (Chocolate is my weakness, and I know if I open that bag now, I will have to buy another bag of M&Ms before party-night.)

I spent over an hour decorating the dining room chandelier with small red hearts.... took a while because I used very thin silver thread so the hearts look as if they're suspended.... looks very pretty and festive, but it sure took some time. I will have to drive over to Hobby Lobby and see what other decorations they have, and I also need paper and/or plastic plates and Valentine napkins for the party. We had been using real china for these parties, but it just got to wearing me out afterwards, doing two or three dishwasher-loads after the party. So now we use "real" flatware, but paper and plastic plates. Much easier. (My apologies to my Aunt Dolly, who would just cringe at the thought of paper or plastic plates.... but we just won't tell her about that.)

I found out from our friend V that our local Hallmark store is going out of business at the end of February. They've already started to mark down their merchandise, so I'll have to drive over there for a look-see. Hard to believe that they'll be closing their doors... they've been in the same location for over 25 years, and the only other Hallmark stores are in the Mall and in a shopping center across the boulevard from the Mall. So why in the world is this store closing? Unless the owner is just getting to the point where she doesn't want to have the store anymore. I really don't know, but I'm sure they'll be discussing it in the store itself and I'll find out.

So that's been the day... seems like we missed out on half of the day here... we didn't wake up till nearly ten o'clock this morning. (Going to bed after one o'clock in the morning led to such a late rising.) Last night, I let AngelBoy and ShadowBaby sleep out on the screen porch, so neither of them woke me up. Mickey Kitty was inside last night, but he doesn't wake us up in the middle of the night or early in the morning. He just sleeps till we get up. When I woke up this morning and looked at the clock (9:45) he was sleeping right next to my pillow with one of his paws wrapped up in my hair. What a sweet little cat... the youngest, the smallest, and the easiest.

Dinner and "Scrabble"

As I type, it is 12:46 a.m.......... and we've had one great night. C and R came over for dinner, and between the four of us, we put together a glorious meal. I made the Chicken Kiev, my husband made oyster stuffing. C made rice with red peppers, and also bought a tomato and fresh mozzarella salad. He put a basil leaf on each tomato before topping it with a slice of the cheese, then drizzled it all with very good olive oil when they got here. They also stopped at the Whole Foods Market downtown and brought us a selection of fresh cheese, gourmet crackers, and assorted olives, so we put all of that on the table as well.

I made this a casual Saturday-night dinner...... kept all the food warm in the kitchen and everyone just helped themselves and brought their plates into the dining room. I had hot apple cider simmering on the stove just because it seemed to go with the meal, even though today was a warm day here. The fresh apple cake that I baked turned out very well, so I will definitely make that again. (Next time, with brown sugar instead of white, though.)

We played two games of Scrabble after dinner..... amazing how quickly a game goes when four people are playing instead of two. I had set up the smaller table in the living room for the game, because the dining room is too large to play on, even without the leaves set in. True to form, on my husband's first turn at Scrabble, he got a seven-letter word, giving him an extra fifty points. Needless to say, he won that game. However, in the second game, I got a seven-letter word towards the end of the game, so I won that round. When we couldn't make words, we made up new words (but didn't play them on the board, of course). We all had so much fun that we vowed to do it again, next time at C and R's house.

Dessert was after the second game of Scrabble, which gave me time to put coffee on, and make some tea...... and we sat there after having the cake and just talked for a couple of hours. The more we get to know C and R, the more we enjoy their company. They've been here for all of our Charades games, but it's hard to have a one-on-one (or two-by-two) conversation during those parties. They've also been here for both Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, but other friends have been here also for those holidays. This was the first time that it was just the four of us, so the conversations were varied and full of good energy.

Great dinner, great night, great friends. What a way to start the New Year.... and one of the best parts--- when we all got into the dining room and C and R saw the little placecards with the stick-on "Scrabble" letters spelling out the names.... R told me that she had seen those letters in an art-supply store downtown and almost bought them for tonight. I'm sure that when we go to their house for the next Scrabble game, she will do something similar for her table settings.

I think I'm finally running out of steam here... it's one o'clock in the morning and I've been up before sunrise. The kitchen is all clean, the dining room is put together... time for bed.

Saturday Stuff....

I was up before 6:30 this morning, so off I went, after I fed the cats (who woke me up). Today's yard sales were better than yesterday's... maybe because it wasn't such a dreary morning.

I found a very nice brass lamp for $15, new but antique-looking.... sort of a desk-lamp style that has two glass lampshades, one on either side of a brass center. I will bring it up to the cottage the next time we go and use it on the sideboard that's in the living room. The brass lamp that's already there is bigger, and I can use that one near the sofa.

I also bought some beautiful Christmas candles, still in their boxes, so I've put those away in the storage closet and they will make a very pretty centerpiece for next Christmas. I guess the lady giving the sale this morning got them as gifts and decided not to keep them. She also had some Pyrex bakeware and a pretty blue and white Currier & Ives platter...... I bought all of that for the cottage as well, for just a few dollars.

And last year, I was looking for one of those large mirrored globes to hang up over the dining room table for New Year's Eve... couldn't find one large enough, no matter where I looked. Well, I found one at a sale this morning, for just fifty cents. I have no idea what we'll be doing for next New Year's Eve, but if I ever need one of those mirrored globes as a decoration, it's ready and waiting in my storage closet. I swear, sooner or later, everything you're looking for turns up at a yard sale.

I've got everything ready now for tonight's dinner with C and R.... I'm making a "quick" Chicken Kiev recipe that I had cut out of a magazine about 25 years ago. I've made this chicken dish from time to time, and it always comes out great. Rather than stuffing the chicken with the "Kiev" ingredients, you dip the boneless chicken (breasts or thighs) into beaten egg, then into bread crumbs seasoned with oregano, pepper and grated cheese. Into the oven it goes for an hour. (I've got it prepared... it's in the fridge getting happy, and I'll put it into the oven to bake later on this afternoon.) After it bakes for an hour, you pour the Kiev sauce over it and bake it for another 15 - 20 minutes. That sauce consists of three tablespoons melted butter, one diced-up medium onion, crushed garlic, parsley flakes, 1/3 cup white white, and 1/3 cup water into which you've mixed a bit of powdered chicken boullion. (I usually simmer the sauce a little bit before pouring it over the chicken.) As the chicken bakes for that last 15 or 20 minutes, it's absorbing that sauce and it's really delicious.... the chicken comes out moist and tender every time. I'm not much of a chicken fan, but I'll probably take just a very small piece of the chicken tonight to taste it.

I used my new food processor to grind up the hard cheese into a finely grated consistency, and then I used it to dice the onions. So simple, so quick...... why did I wait so long to get one of these things!? My husband used the food processor last night to chop up the onions for his oyster stuffing, but he pressed that little button one or two times too many and ended up with what looked like chunky onion-sauce. Of course, it doesn't matter too much if you're mixing it into a stuffing, but he wasn't thrilled with the consistency. So I was careful this morning to resist hitting that button more than was necessary, on the advice of my friend F who has had a food processor for years.

Warm day today... the sun was out before and now it's hiding. Hopefully, we'll have a pretty day here on the first Saturday of the new year.

First Friday of 2007....

.... And it's been a great one. This afternoon, I spoke with my friend up in NY who is (finally!) able to speak again, after undergoing the radiation treatments for the tumor in her throat. So nice to pick up the phone and hear her voice... and it was her voice. I thought she sounded just the same as always. We talked for an hour, till I had to get myself ready to go out for dinner.

My husband and I went to Babbo Bruno's tonight for dinner... we hadn't been there since his birthday in mid-December. Interesting items on the menu tonight--- Lobster Risotto being one of them, and that's what I ordered. Big chunks of Australian lobster on top of the risotto, with smaller bits and pieces mixed into the cheese-risotto. Very filling, so I just ate half of it, although I probably could've just sat there and ate slowly and finished everything. The rest of it is in the fridge... I'll have it for lunch tomorrow, or better still-- for lunch on Sunday, being that we're having company tomorrow night.

As I type, my husband is in the kitchen making his oyster stuffing. We're having friends over tomorrow for dinner and Scrabble.... I'm making chicken cutlets, my husband is making the stuffing, and our friends are bringing something to go with the chicken. I told my husband that I'd clean up the kitchen when he was through... that's my standing offer-- if he cooks, I clean up. Which I'd rather do than cook, unless I get the cooking bug, which does come and go from time to time. Especially around the holidays and party-times.

I baked an apple cake today (for tomorrow night's dessert) using a recipe from our neighbor up at the lake cottage. She made it for us while we were up there last week.... delicious cake with chunks of apples throughout the cake. I asked her for the recipe and she wrote it out for me. My cake today was lighter in color than her cake was....... I checked the recipe... I think she used brown sugar in her cake, but she didn't write that down on the recipe card so I used regular sugar. Next time I make it, I'll just try the brown sugar and see what happens. She's an older lady, and this recipe has been in her family for years, so I'm sure she just didn't even think to mention the brown sugar.

This day has sped by so quickly...... I've been up since before six this morning.... went out to a few yard sales, not looking for anything special, just going out because I enjoy looking at the sales and you just never know what you can find. If I get up early tomorrow, I'll go to the sales in the morning... then I'll be getting everything ready for tomorrow night's dinner with R and C. Just a casual dinner, but I've made placecards for the dining room table... with tiny stick-on "Scrabble" letters to spell out each name. Being that they're coming over here for a Scrabble game after dinner, they'll enjoy the placecards.

The noises from the kitchen have stopped..... guess it's time for me to clean up the counters. After having such a large kitchen up at the lake, with so much counter-space, we get frustrated with our smaller kitchen in this house. But not frustrated enough to change the kitchen here.... I don't want to go through that kind of remodeling.

Good News for the New Year

Lots of happy news, and the year is only four days old. My friend in NY has completed her radiation treatments..... her voice has come back, and her doctor is talking about removing the trach that's been in her throat all these months. I haven't heard her "new" voice yet... she eMailed me to tell me that her voice isn't the same as what it was, but it's definitely there and she can definitely speak. When I read her eMail, I had tears in my eyes. Her voice was so much a part of her personality that losing it must surely have been like losing part of herself.

I told her to let me know when she's up to a telephone conversation and I will call her to have a real chat, not just an eMail back-and-forth thing. What a great way to start the year for her and her husband and her family.

My uncle in Arizona had a successful heart procedure done yesterday... they put in some stents (I think that's the correct spelling) and he's doing "just fine for a man of his age," as he says. He's in his 80s now, closer to 85 than to 80, I believe, and as a former Marine, he has always kept himself in tip-top shape. Of all my uncles, Uncle T was always the most fun, the favorite uncle to all the kids when I was growing up. He and Aunt M have two sons, and (just like my friends F and J in NY) their family unit was their number one priority. They did everything together, and made decisions based on the good of their own little family, as opposed to making-do with what the entire family wanted them to do. As a result, they've only grown closer over the years, and remain a strong family unit even though the sons now have families of their own.

My husband and I have been out to Arizona to visit them all, but it's been a while now since we've been there. Maybe it's time to get out there again. I'd rather see my uncle while he's feeling fine and fit, as opposed to waiting till the very end, if you know what I mean. I don't want to be like my older aunts, who don't travel to see people while they're alive, but will turn over every last stone to get to someone's funeral.

Old friends and new friends..... you just never know about friendships. People you think will be close to you for all of your life turn out to not be able to adjust to your life as it is now.... how do you keep a friendship going with someone who has pulled out of so many parts of your life? If there's no common ground to a friendship, then it has no basis... nothing to hold it up... nothing to keep it going. We all change from year to year, and heaven knows I've changed in the years I've been living in Texas, but in my opinion, those changes have been for the best. And, keeping the wisdom of the ages in mind, "those who don't change just wither on their own vine." I don't want to wither. I want to live.

I've worked very hard to become the person I am today, and I just can't allow anyone or anything to steam-roll over me and what I believe to be the best thing for me, for my little family, for our household and our life here. I'm sorry if that "standard" doesn't meet with the approval of some friends, but I'm not about to try and change anyone so I don't expect people to change me. Indeed, you can't change anyone but yourself anyway. People are who they are, and that's just the way it is. In the words of my husband's mom.... "No matter what happens in this world, life does go on in a sensible way."

Old friends that I thought were just a happy memory have come back.... and after a few tentative look-sees into one another's current life, there's reason and desire to try again and make new happy memories. There's a time for everyone and everything, I guess, and maybe it's just time.

Old friends that have passed away are still in our minds and in our hearts, and we think of them so often, as if they're still here. Indeed, when we have company here for a holiday, we look down our walkway and expect them (she) to be walking towards our door. She was always the first to arrive... the first to be party-ready... the first to make me really understand that I am just fine the way I am and I shouldn't ever be changing myself to please anyone but myself.

New friends that we've come to know better have surprised us.... with their willingness to include us with their long-time friends and their long-standing holiday traditions. Our decision to not give a big blast of a Christmas party this year led to three party invitations from new-found friends. Sure.... on one hand, we did miss not having our party, but on the other hand, we got to do different things and meet new people, which is never a bad thing.

My husband and I will be hosting the Valentine's Charades party again this year. How many years now? Five? Six? More? The guest list for that party started out with less than ten friends.... we are now up to 35. A large group, yes, but a happy, contented group of friends and neighbors who just plain come here expecting to have a good time for a few hours and everyone leaves with such happy smiles on their faces.

We indeed have a very blessed life. We have good health, and good friends, good pets and good times. And now that one of my most-favorite people on this planet is able to hear her voice again.... I just can't ask for anything better than that to start off this brand new year.

Happy New Year to you all..... I wish you good health, great friends, and many happy adventures for 2007.

Happy New Year

We got back last night from a few days at Mayberry.... we were up there for New Year's Eve, watching fireworks (the pretty ones) going off around the lake. Fireworks are legal up in the country towns of east Texas, and they started around 8:30 or so and went on till just after midnight. The loudest, largest, and most colorful ones went off at midnight. So pretty to see, with the colors reflecting on the lake. We had no idea we were in for such a show.

Gracie and the cats came up with us.... a bit of meowing from AngelBoy and ShadowBaby as we started driving, but once we got on the Gulf Freeway, they settled down and went to sleep. Their two crates were in the back seat with Gracie, and I held Mickey Kitty on my lap-- his crate is so small (because he's so little) so he just settled down right away and went to sleep. (He is the easiest cat of all, I swear.)

I think the cats remembered the cottage from the last time, because it didn't take them long to get comfy up there. They spent most of the days on the screen-porch, and the nights in the laundry room. It was too cold at nights up there to keep them on the porch, and I don't think I would have done that anyway... no fence around the property, and if they happened to get out of the screens, they'd be lost and I wouldn't be able to live with that.

My husband and I drove around to the little towns around the lake.... Point Blank (in and out in less than five minutes, it was so small); Onalaska (in and out in about ten minutes); and we drove up to Huntsville, about 50 miles away from Mayberry. Huntsville is known for "Old Sparky," the electric chair which had seen quite a bit of use up there. We were told by one of the ladies in an antique shop that you could have a look-see at Old Sparky, but we decided not to put that on our list of must-see attractions.

We went to a lot of antique shops up there... found a few little things for the cottage-- another vintage rattan chair (I always seem to find wonderful chairs). We also looked and looked for a sofa and/or loveseat for the living room of the cottage, but didn't find anything till the last day we were there. The furniture store was having a New Year's sale, and we were able to get a cozy, comfy sofa and loveseat for the price of just the sofa, which is why we bought both. They were able to deliver the set right away, and the cottage living room now seems finished with the addition of the new furniture. The fabrics they have now for furniture are so soft... microfibers.... the set we bought is a soft coffee color, so plush and comfy, perfect for relaxing and reading.

It was amazing to see how the lake changed each day. There were a few rough days, with whitecaps on the waves that were hitting against the boat dock and the bulkhead. The sound of the waves made us think we were on the beach at Galveston.... during the day, we left the doors open so we could hear the water. The temperatures warmed up around noon-time, but got cold at night. We had fires going in the fireplace every night, and we used our new fireplace popcorn-popper (a gift from C and her family), and my husband had bought us long metal fireplace skewers for roasting marshmallows (which we did also).

We read books and played Scrabble (I won the last game of 2006 and the first game of 2007)... my husband fished every day (caught a three or four-pound catfish and let it go, and also caught a huge white bass that was so big it broke the line). Young C and her parents were going to come up for a couple of days, but C has been sick with a stomach virus since the weekend, so they had to cancel.

While we were up there, we went into WalMart for some groceries, which we always do. My husband was walking around just looking while I was getting the things we needed, and he happened to be at the meat counter when they announced a sale on fresh turkeys... 15 cents per pound, for every turkey that was left in the case. My husband (and everyone around him) grabbed one in each hand. Next thing I know, he's walking towards my cart with two fourteen-pound turkeys, each costing just a few cents over two dollars. How could you pass up such a bargain?

We thought we'd roast one turkey when C and her parents came up, and put the other one in the freezer up there. When we found out that C was sick and they wouldn't be driving up, I cut one turkey right in half... we cooked the one half (and invited the lady next door for dinner), and I froze the other half. That half-turkey was so easy to cook..... I spread it out on a large cookie pan (the kind with an inch-high edge) and it cooked evenly and quickly. I told my husband that the next time I have to cook a turkey for a holiday, I'd get a fresh one and ask the butcher to cut it right in half (length-wise).

The funny part about the turkey.... even with the three of us for the half-turkey dinner that night, we didn't eat much of the dark meat (I took just a taste, and the older lady next door to us up there isn't a big eater either). What to do with all of that dark meat (my husband prefers the white meat)..... he started using the dark meat of the turkey for bait. Which is how he caught the big catfish and the even bigger white bass. My husband was laughing because the dark meat of the turkey was cheaper to buy than the bait he had been using for the fish. Up in the freezer at Mayberry, we now have a whole turkey (I wish I had cut that in half before freezing), the half-turkey, and a package of cooked dark meat to use for fishing bait.

The trips to Mayberry are so easy.... we have everything we need up there, so we don't have to pack clothes (not even a toothbrush). When we leave here, I just take all the perishable foods with us to use up there, and when we're ready to come back home, I take any perishable foods back here with us. Now that the pets have all been up, there are litter boxes on the porch for the cats, there's dog food and cat food up there, as well as their food dishes. Nothing extra to pack for them either... just put the cats in their crates, take Gracie's leash, and off we go.

We still have no television or radio up there, and we're using my cell phone rather than having a phone installed in the cottage. We don't miss watching television... we don't even think of it up there. We're too busy with books, and the fireplace, and the Scrabble game. And fishing, of course, for my husband... and the antique shops for me. We gave the cottage a perfect name-- Mayberry.... and it has become the perfect place.