Once Again

Last week, I mentioned that I'd bought some mini pie pans to make home made pot pies.  I'd intended to start making them the day after I got the pans, but one thing led to another and there was stuff and shenanigans. 

Beautiful word, shenanigans. 

Be that as it may, I didn't get around to starting on them until today.  Proving once again that I can't seem to do anything halfway, I made enough filling to feed an army.

I didn't use a recipe.  I just winged it.  I put carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and of course, chicken in there.  I'd intended to put green peas in instead of the celery, but I forgot to buy some.  Being that I had celery on hand, and didn't want to go back to the store, that is what got used.  The good news is, if I get tired of doing pies, I can just add some more broth and make soup. 

Not that I don't already have enough soup in my freezer to feed an army...Hey, it's hard to cook for just one.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Anybody want a pot pie?  Or some soup?  Or pulled pork?  Yeah, I made one of those on Saturday.  I won't be going hungry for a while, that's for sure.  I reckon if I keep on cooking, I'm going to have to break down and find me a feller to cook for. 

By the time I got done with that, it was too late to actually make pies out of it, so that will have to wait until tomorrow. 

Yesterday we had a cookout at Beverly and James' house.  While we were eating, I found this little fellow on their feeder.

The pictures turned out pretty good considering I took them with my phone.  So intent was I on taking the pictures that I didn't even notice that I'd run Cody out of his chair.  Ah, well, he didn't complain.  He knows how his mama gets when she has a camera in her hand.  Even if it is on a phone. 

Speaking of hummingbirds, my little hummingbird vines are really coming on.

They're actually bigger than this now, but it's raining outside, so you get a three day old picture of them.  My lantanas are really starting to bloom now, too.

And look, I'm going to have a yellow one!

My Gerbera daisies  aren't doing so well, though.  You'd think a plant originating in Africa would be more heat tolerant, but these don't seem to be.  By the time I get home from work, they're drooping and wilted looking.  They perk back up after the sun goes down, and look good in the mornings.

My plain ones are hanging in there, but the fancy ones are dying.  The one at the top right is dead already, and the one on the bottom right is on its way.  I'm not sure I'm going to plant these again next year.  We'll have to see how these make it through the summer.

My celosias are struggling, too.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong.  Maybe it's just too hot for them.   Well, that's the beauty of annuals.  I don't feel too badly about killing them, since they only live for a year anyway. 

Maybe this good rain we're getting tonight will give them a boost.

One Of Those Days

This is one of those days when I actually had a thoughtful and inspiring post mentally composed, but now I find I'm too tired to type it all out.  I think I'll save it for another day. 

What I will give you, though, are some old photos.  Not quite old enough to be a Throw Back Thursday, but old enough.  For some reason, when I tried to download some recent photos from my DSLR, it copied the entire memory card to my computer.  So, we'll start with the oldest photo still on my memory card. 

Taken in March 2008, at the Memphis Zoo.  I have no idea who the person is filming on his phone.  I was just snapping photos, and this one came out just right.

Here is one from 2011, the last year we had any snow worth mentioning.  

As cold as it has been this winter, we haven't had any snow.  Well, just a trace.  That year, though, we had so much snow I thought I'd moved up North.  We actually had two snow days at work.  And by "snow days" I mean we went in at 10:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM. 

Finally, a couple of artsy-fartsy photos I took when trying to be all artsy-fartsy.

And that's about all I've got for you today.

Wednesday Debate

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the comments on yesterday's post. Yes, I do blog for me (mostly) but it's always nice to have some reassurance that people are reading.  As my pastor would say, I just had a case of the mully grubs. 

I say I blog mostly for me, because the truth is, I blog for readers.  For you.  If I were blogging just for me, well, I have an almost frightening collection of journals that need to be used up.

Sue on FB likened blogging to those long letters we used to write before the internet came along.  We wrote what was interesting, and hoped the reader didn't get too bored.  Back when I first started blogging, I imagined myself sitting down with a couple of friends over a cup of coffee (which I didn't even drink back then) and asking each other how our days went.  What I wrote was what I'd chat about, if I were conversing with a friend in person.  Maybe if I got back to that imagery, it would help me blog.

Now, before I get to my debate of the day, I want to tell you what happened at work.  Vanessa had gone to the bathroom, when The Other Rod (not to be confused with Former Group Leader Rod) came over to my stand and said that she wanted me in the front break room.

"Are you serious?" I asked.  He assured me that he was serious, so I went up to the front break room, thinking something was wrong.  Vanessa wasn't up there, so I came on back to my stand.  When I got back, I discovered that he'd taken a tie wrap and tied our brazing tips together.

Vanessa seemed genuinely angry about it, and I was trying to act angry, but secretly, I thought it was funny.  I was trying to look mad whilst stifling my laughter at the same time.  I didn't completely succeed.

Just between you and me, The Other Rod has some of the sexiest lips I've ever seen in my entire life.  One of these days, I really need to get a picture of him and post it for you.  Which segues nicely into today's debate...

As you may know, my trusty point and shoot camera gave up the ghost a few weeks ago.  What you may not know is that I'm going to be able to upgrade my phone on August 7.  Now, the question is, do I want to get myself a new P&S, or just get a phone with a really good camera?  What is the best camera phone out there?  What would be the advantages of having a P&S camera as opposed to a phone camera?  What have been your experiences with phone cameras?  I mean for quality photos, rather than just snapshots. 

Keep in mind that I still have my DSLR, so this would not be my only camera.  I just want something smaller for times when I don't want to lug that big ol' thing around. 

And now for a bit of good news.  It has been raining for nearly 4 hours now!  Woo hoo! 

I Heard A Scarf Call My Name

I was sitting there in my chair, wanting to knit, but not knowing what to knit. None of my projects were calling out to me. I sat there, frustrated and restless. 

Somewhere, in the dark recesses of my mind, I heard a small voice whisper, "Fruit of the Vine".

Fruit Of The Vine. 

Oh, yeah.  That scarf I'd loved so much up at Hank's.  The one I tried to knit pink, but it insisted on being blue.  That one.

The only problem was, where had that darn thing gotten to?  I remembered it had gotten put away in a flurry of cleaning sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but where?  Well, there was nothing to do but go look for it.  So I did.

Long story short, the craft closet is now a mess, but the scarf has been found!

As an added bonus, I also found the Orkney Pi, which is barely begun.

And last year's anniversary mystery shawl, which I really ought to finish, since the next one starts in just over a week.  Naturally, I signed up for it. 

I was on the last section before the border when the mojo deserted me.  Maybe if I sit and look at it long enough, my mojo will come home.

And your parting shot for the day:  Storm clouds, just arriving. 

It's gonna be a rough night, folks. Or as my ol' Dad would have said, "Batten down the hatches, she's gonna blow!"

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Have You Ever

Have you ever sat down to blog, and the words just won't come? Yep, that's where I am today. So, you just get to look at some pictures.

This is my Second Breakfast.  See, no matter how much I eat, I always end up getting hungry during church.  This morning, I tried to stave off such hunger by eating a second breakfast shortly before leaving the house.  These are my home made biscuits with my sister's home made blueberry jam.  They were good, but I still got hungry in church. 

The Cherry Chip hat.  I wet the ribbing down and bunched it in some, so it's not as loose.  I've got plenty of yarn left, and will probably do another hat with it.  I want to figure out a slouchy hat, since those seem to be in fashion these days.  Next hat, I will do the ribbing on size 3 needles. 

We went from snow on the ground two weeks ago, to plum blossoms today. 

I first noticed them this afternoon, but they probably have been blooming a couple of days now.

Right now only two trees are blooming.

But the rest have buds on them.  So do the pear trees. 

Rylea loves pears. 

 

And I love daffodils.  Except that daffodils mean spring is coming. And spring means summer will soon be here.  I hate summer.  To me, summer means endless, crippling, unrelenting heat, an acid that you can't wipe away.

Sheesh, I'm ready for fall already! 

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When We Complained About The Heat

I've always considered myself a winter person. I loved the cold weather, the possibility of snow. Even the dreary, rainy days. But this winter, even I am getting tired of the cold and the rain.

In a pathetic, and somewhat vain attempt to brighten your day, I bring you memories of that far and distant time known as summer, when we complained about the heat.















I hope I've managed to take just a bit of the chill off of your winter day. Thank you for walking along with me.

This Time It Really Is Wednesday

All day yesterday, it felt like a Wednesday to me.  I woke up this morning feeling like I'd gotten a do-over.  I actually felt pretty good today.  I finally broke down and threw another blanket on the bed last night, and what do you know?  I slept almost all night.  I only woke up once, at 4:30, because my internal clock still thinks it is 5:30.

It's amazing what a difference a good night's sleep makes.  I hardly ever get those any more.  It's gotten so bad, I've seriously thought about going to my doctor and getting a prescription.  The only thing is, most of them say that they cause next day drowsiness.  Well, what good are they then?

If I'm not groggy all day from lack of sleep, I'll be groggy from drugs, so what's the point? 

I really wanted to post a gorgeous photo of our fall colors today, but well, we haven't had any this year.  It's been so dry that the leaves have pretty much just gone straight to brown.  I was looking through old photos to see if I had one to post, and came across this one:

I took this one a couple of years ago out at the lake.  I don't know what it is, but this photo just appeals to me.  Maybe it's the splash of blue in all the greens and browns.  But whatever, I like it.

After watching Jason Garrett's first two interviews as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, I'm starting to feel a little more hope.  He was no-nonsense and to the point.  And in giving his interviews, there was an authority to his voice and manner that wasn't there before.  I don't know how he'll coach (and face it, none of US really do know what goes on behind the scenes), but I do know that, unlike Wade, at least he's not going to let the media buffalo him.

One more thing, Happy Birthday to the Mad Hatter, Les Miles. 

Geaux Tigers!

Happy Spring

To celebrate, I cast on the Vernal Equinox shawl. The pattern is in the left sidebar, and is in English:

The yarn is Knit Picks Shadow Kettle Dyed in the discontinued colorway Begonia.

When I cast it on, I knew what it would mean, but I cast it on anyway. But what does it mean? you may ask. It means I have three lace shawls on the needles at the same time!

Orkney Pi is progressing, and I'm at the end of Chart 3.


And the Anniversary '09 Mystery Shawl is still trudging along.

If you'll remember, I had to rip it back to the lifeline last week. Well, today I finally got it back onto the needles and knit back to the end of chart 4. One more chart and it will be done!

And we mustn't for get about the blankie, which has had several new squares added to it, as well.



Then there are the two pairs of socks...

And the scarf...

And the new hat I want to cast on...

And it goes on and on my friend...

No Snow Here

They keep predicting snow, but so far, we haven't gotten any. I think we must be the only place left that hasn't seen snow this winter. So, in lieu of real snow, here are some photos from 2 years ago, the last bit of snow we got.

The Year In Pictures

January:


February:


March:


April:

May:


June:


July:


August:


September:

October:


November:

December: