This and That

 AKA Speed Blogging or Stream of Consciousness 

When I last visited with you, I shared that we were "babysitting" monarch butterfly chrysalises for friends while they were out of town. We watched a total of 7 emerge over the week, and it never got old. As time went on, I learned to "read" the chrysalises and know when a hatching was imminent. When that happened, I checked on them every few minutes. I was a bit obsessed. 😊

We released each on flowers, so they would have ready nectar if they wanted it. They all had their own way with interacting with the world for the first time. Some flew into the sky immediately, and others hung around on the plant for several minutes before they went exploring. 

We have a fair number of swallowtail and skipper butterflies in the yard, but no monarchs. So when I saw a monarch fly by in the yard yesterday, I thought it was one of the babies. So exciting. I've had a smile practically all week watching these velvet-winged beauties.

I'm not sure what else has been going on except that the weather went back into the 90s this week with "feels like" temperatures in the 100s. I am so happy that we have AC. But the humidity is not a friend to my hair. Can you say Brillo pad? That's what my frizz reminds me of. But that's a small price to pay for being outside. Even in the heat, I like to spend a little time out there. But once again, I will say that I am happy to have AC to retreat to.

Not a monarch, but a hummingbird moth.

We've been working on plans for the next few months, including a couple of local trips. I'm a planner and always feel better when I have a plan. The next question is whether we're going to take a trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary at the end of November. 

Now that we're retired, we have more flexibility in our schedule to do these things. My older friends strongly advise me to travel now while we still have reasonable health. However, I've never been a big traveler for various reasons, so it often takes me out of my comfort zone. But that's good for me. 

There goes my timer, so that's it for now.

Until next time...

This and That

 Otherwise known as Speed Blogging or a Check-In (with unrelated flower pictures from the yard)

Allium

Has anyone else been having this problem with Blogger? It used to be that the blogs I followed would show up in my reading list pretty much as soon as they were published. Now, they are hours or days late. Yesterday, I got notice of some posts that had been published four days earlier. And when I get notice for the late ones, they don't show up at the top of the list. They nest themselves in the list with the time they were published. All of this means that I am missing some posts and/or not commenting on them until days later. This is certainly a small problem in the grand scheme of things, but I find it annoying. You are my friends out there, and I like checking in with you. I guess I could do some research and see if there is a fix for this. But you know how it is; it's always easier to complain than to take action. 😀

The Japanese beetles have found the roses.

For the last month or so, I've been on a decluttering kick. In a few spots, it was because I was running out of room. However, in most places, it was time to open drawers and boxes and sort shelves that haven't been looked at in a couple of years or even decades. The work has been tedious, but I'm making progress. 

And so have the lantern fly nymphs.

First, I went through all of my clothes. I'm not a clothes horse by any shape, but I still found a lot to donate. Now that I don't have to worry about work clothes, I don't need as many options as before.

Next up was the family room. I went through every shelf and drawer in there and found more things to donate or recycle. I spent the most time going through old letters, emails I had printed, and notes from over the years. I guess you would call my papers a very large, unorganized journal. Much of it was recycled, especially emails that reminded me of some of the difficult times. I don't need to relive the details of them. Some of the letters and notes I saved with the idea that I would write up some of the stories about Wally and Theo's early years. They definitely exemplified the phrase, "Kids say the darndest things." But that will be a huge task for another day.

We aren't getting much action on our butterfly bush, but they seem to like the nearby coneflowers.

Next, I moved into our office. I started with a tall bookcase that is home to many more things than books. That has been sorted, including one of the important things: our gift card basket. We truly appreciate gift cards when we get them, but are not the best at using them. They go into the basket and are then out of sight and out of mind. We have inventoried them all and got balances on some of them. A few of them are old enough (no PIN) that we need to take them to the store to see their value. And unfortunately, a couple of the stores are no longer in business. I'm going to blame Ward for these because they were ones he got at the gym for winning some kind of contest. (Anyone remember Sports Authority?)

Balloon flower from Ward's grandmother. Yes, it's blooming in the middle of Lamb's Ear.

We are slowly starting to use them. We zeroed out a Domino's card and found out the store closest to us had moved several miles away. We didn't figure it out until we showed up at the old location to pick up our carryout. However, they moved in April, and I was a little surprised that we haven't ordered our pizza since then. 

Another day, we spent a Target gift card on some groceries. The card was a metal Star Wars-themed card that I think played music at one point. The young man who checked us out was totally fascinated by the card and loved it. I left the empty card with him, and he was very happy. Sometimes, it's so easy to make someone's day.

Well, my time is up. I need to go get ready for a line dance class at the gym.

Until next time...

This and That

 I think it's time for a little speed blogging. 

So let's see. What's been happening around here lately? 

For the early part of the week, we had a heat wave with temperatures in the 90s. So each morning, we got up and out early to work outside before it got too hot. I have been continuing to plant flowers and veggies, and I think I have filled most of the beds and pots. Now, to keep everything watered until it becomes established. With the heat every day, that took a lot of watering.

Allium moly. This didn't need watering. It is well-established.

However, last night we had a storm and a cold front come through. I heard at exercise today that we are going to have 10 straight days of rain. I guess I don't have to worry about watering; I'll have to worry about things rotting. Once again, I'm glad that I'm not a farmer and at the mercy of the weather for my livelihood. I appreciate all the people who are.

I planted some old seeds I got at a seed swap. We'll see if any of them come up. They are all perennials, and I will move them around if I have any success.

And speaking of exercise, you may remember that one of my goals when I retired a year ago was to get more regular exercise. I reported on my progress here for a while as I was trying to establish routines. I am happy to report that I am still exercising about 4-5x/week, with a mix of aerobics, strength training, and stretching. I like the line dancing I do, but still consider the other things not fun. But I do like the social aspect of some of the classes. That makes up for some arduous exercises. 

There goes the timer. It's time to get up from the computer and move to a bigger screen--the TV and watch and old Doris Day and Cary Grant movie. A good wind-down to the evening.

Until next time...

This and That and the Weather

 I'm finding it harder to blog these days, so I thought it was time for some speed blogging. 

Here it goes. 

Protected from the outdoor weather, the cactus continues to bloom.

I was remembering a quote about the weather, so I went looking in an old blog post, and I found it.

Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while.  ~Kin Hubbard

This is so true. For me, anyway. I talk about the weather with my neighbors. I talk about the weather with Ward. I talk about the weather with Wally and Theo. I talk about the weather with my sisters. I talk about the weather at the gym. I talk about the weather on my blog and other blogs. Anyone I can get to listen, I will talk about the weather. The weather is the common denominator for all of us. Rich or poor. Big or little. Old or young. We all experience it, and it's the one thing we really don't have control over. So we talk about it as a way to connect with others, whether complaining or praising what is happening outside. And because I'm not so good at chitchat, the weather is a good conversation starter.

So guess what I'm going to talk about today? The weather. 

After the big ice snow storm finally melted and the rain stopped, I ventured into the backyard on Saturday to see if I could find any signs of spring. The birds were already feeling it. They were starting to sing and show off their bright mating colors.

Could the plants be far behind? Lo and behold, I found some green leaves poking their head above the ground. The pictures below don't look like much, but I was excited to find these green leaves among the brown.

The first thing I found was daffodil leaves. 

Next were the emerging surprise lilies. 

Then, I went around the corner and found some of the crocus bulbs I planted last fall. You may remember I did an impulse buy of 64 crocus bulbs from Costco. I didn't have a specific place to plant them, so I just placed them here and there. This spring will be like a treasure hunt as I find them all.

And look! Hiding under the fig tree were some actual blooms! That definitely got a big smile. 

Then on Sunday, the rain returned, and we had rain with occasional snowflakes mixed in all day. When we left for our 5 pm swing dance class, it was raining, and the roads were wet. When we left class an hour later, it was snowing hard and sticking. The drive home was tense. Amid heavy snow, fog, and darkness, we couldn't see much, including any road markings. But we made it home without an incident. Thank goodness. 

Monday morning snow. We were lucky that we were on the outer bands of the blizzard that hit New England, where they 2' or more of snow. We got about 7".

Two days later, the snow is still around, but the roads are clear and normal activities have resumed. However, winter fatigue is setting in with just about everyone I talk to. But we wouldn't appreciate spring if we didn't have winter. I am very happy to live in a place with four distinct seasons. I don't really like the very hot and cold weather, but I do appreciate the changes. When I lived along the Gulf Coast, the seasons were not so distinct, and I hadn't realized until then how important the changing seasons were in refreshing my mental outlook. And for that I am thankful.

Well, time's up. I had the time set for 11 minutes today, but I had to reset it.

Until next time...

Hello Again

A couple more crocuses have bloomed.

 

Good morning, everyone. Are you a morning person? Do you wake up ready to go? If you are, then you and I are opposite, just like my husband and I are. I have sleep inertia where I wake up slowly, and over the last several years, I usually wake up with a headache. A migraine-like headache because it's always on the left side of my head. Fortunately, it usually dissipates after a couple of hours. 

So that's probably more than you wanted to know, but if you haven't guessed, this is another speed-blogging/stream-of-consciousness session. I've been intending to visit with you here for several days now. But you know what they say about good intentions. (The road to hell is paved with good intentions.)

We finally have all of the holiday things stowed away for another year, and everything is back in its normal place. Without the lights and other decorations, the place seems bare, but it is good to be back to some order. 

And it's especially good that we have order back in our kitchen. We've had mice in there, and the pantry and a couple of drawers have been emptied for a few days while we caught the culprits. All seems quiet on that front for now, so after a thorough cleaning, the kitchen has some order again.

We've had a few days recently with temperatures in the 50s, so we took advantage of the warm weather and visited the boats on Carroll Creek. Carroll Creek Park is a river walk with walkways, sculptures, and landscaping. For a couple of months around Christmas, they feature lighted boat sculptures in the water. It's a charity event for local organizations. Wally and Theo went with us, and we had a nice dinner at a local pub afterwards. Below are some pictures.

There goes my timer, so I wrap this up before I go another week without posting. 

Until next time...

This and That

 I think it's time for some speed blogging. The timer today is set at 14 minutes.  

We won't be putting up any Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving.

Anne at Cooking and All That Jazz has been doing a countdown 'til Christmas for weeks (months?) now.  Reading her posts about what she has done toward the holidays makes me anxious every time I read them. But it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, I tell myself. However, I have several gifts ordered and am working on ideas for others. We don't have elaborate decorations, so I don't need to start too far ahead of time. The weekend after Thanksgiving, the fall wreath will come down, and the holiday one will go up. The outdoor lights go up then, too, if the weather cooperates. A weekend or two after that, the tree will go up. 

Recently, we had a tree taken down, but before that happened, we had to remove the rock pile we had around it. We have very rocky soil, so when we dig up rocks in our various flower beds, we add them to the pile. We have accumulated quite a few since we started doing this. As we were moving the rocks, I felt like I was working on a prison chain gang. But I like rocks, and I like my pile. Just because.

As we moved the rocks, we sorted them into small, medium, and large sizes. This helps when we go to the pile for a rock for a particular use.

And speaking of maintenance projects, we figured out this week that we have a leak around the bow window in our living room. The window is only a few years old and didn't appear to be compromised, so we surmised the likely culprit was cracked caulking in several places around the outside of the window. After some major bush trimming to be able to get ladders in place, Ward did the tedious job of recaulking. While he did that, I cleared the debris that had been cut. I hope this fixes things because leaks are so hard to figure out sometimes. At least we know it hasn't been going on for long, so there shouldn't be much damage to the wood around the window. Fingers crossed. 

Installing the bow window a few years ago. Ward recaulked the outside of it.

While I enjoy the company of others, I am an introvert, and new social situations are not easy for me. However, when I was asked to join a bowling league, I said, "Sure." Not because I was dying to go bowling, but because I thought it would be good for me to get out of my comfort zone. I have only bowled occasionally throughout my life, with years and years between games. I'm usually happy if fewer than half of my balls end up in the gutter. But this is a fun league, not competitive, so it was a good fit in that way. 

Last week, I went for my first time. Our local bowling alley does duckpin bowling, which uses smaller balls and pins, and you get three balls/frame. On the surface, that sounds easier than 10-pin bowling, but it has a set of challenges of its own. So, what did I think? The people were friendly and not too serious, but I'm not sure I like bowling. However, I'm going again this week. We'll see how I do.

My 14-minute timer is going off, so that's it for today. I'll set it again one more time to find some pictures to insert.

Until next ... 

Speed Blogging Grumble

 Time for another addition of speed blogging, where I just write and see where my mind takes me. Hold on. Here we go. 😀

The older I get, the less willing I am to be uncomfortable. Aging brings with it everyday aches and pains, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about being uncomfortable when there is an easy way to fix it. I don't like being too hot (or too cold, for that matter). For example, I was helping Miss Landers move a woodpile yesterday, and I was hot and sweaty, and annoyed by clouds of gnats. I didn't like it, and all I could think about was getting home to my cool house. And it wasn't that hot out, not like the 90s-100°F we had most of the summer.

And speaking of annoying gnats, that brings me to annoying mosquitoes. We are having more problems with mosquitoes than ever before. They aren't the big mosquitoes that only come out at dusk, like the ones of my youth. They are tiny ones that are out all day. Just about every time I go into the backyard, I get bitten. A little while ago, I was outside for about 10 minutes, and I got four bites. 

I am starting to suit up from head to toe to help against the mosquitoes, with long sleeves and pants, but they become hot quickly. One day, I was out with long sleeves, jeans, garden gloves, and a hat. Those pesky little mosquitoes found the slit in one of the knees of my jeans and bit me there. Ward is also getting bitten a lot, although the bites don't bother him as much as they do me.

We have had mosquito dunks out for over a month, and they don't seem to be helping. :(  I guess I could start using insect repellent, but I really don't want to do that. Especially if I just want to go out for a short time. I'd rather just complain. 

The timer is beeping, so let me finish with thanks for listening to me grumble. 

Until next time... 

Note: I have started using Afterbite as soon as I feel the itch from a bite, and if I have gotten a lot of bites, I also add an antihistamine. Those treatments seem to be helping to reduce the itching and swelling.

--After the timer beeped, I went back and added pictures of pollinators, which just go about doing good without bothering me.

I've run out of material

I am pleased that these petunias I started from seed are thriving. Once I set them out and let nature take over, they have been doing well.

 Now that I've finished my travelogue, I don't have much to say. But when has that stopped me from posting? Well, actually, many times. In my mind, I need to have a purpose for a post — ideally with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Guess what? Every day life usually doesn't play out that way. And since my byline is "Observations of Everyday Life", I'm not going to worry about it. (But you know, there will be a little voice in the back of my mind saying, "This is a boring post and no one cares.") And those of you who have been around for a while know where this is leading me once again. SPEED BLOGGING. The timer is set. Hold on. Here I go.

My friend sent me some bare-root roses that we planted a couple of months ago. We were surprised to see a bloom so soon. We got to enjoy it a couple of days before a deer ate the whole flower.

The summer weather has been hot and humid, making a lot of bugs happy. They have ruined the beans and the zucchini, and the yellow squash is not far behind. But with all of that being said, I saw the coolest thing the other day. I saw a stink bug laying eggs. I had seen little, tiny orange eggs under the leaves the day before, but I didn't know what they were. The next day, I saw a stink bug's bottom moving slowly up and down, depositing the eggs. I don't like stink bugs or the damage they cause, but I found seeing nature at work fascinating. It reminded me of the time that Sarah held a cricket in her hand, and I watched its jaws move as it munched on a leaf she was holding. 

You can see the orange eggs that the stink bug was laying. Eggs were usually in clusters of about 2 dozen and the size of a pencil lead.

Although I found the egg-laying interesting, I have been annoyed by the bugs that are biting me. Three nights in a row, I have come in from working in the yard with bug bites. One day it was ants, and the next two days were mosquitoes, I think. I didn't see any around. I had on long sleeves, pants, socks, and a hat. And I got bites in several of those covered places. 

A bug I do like: the bumblebee on allium.
It wouldn't stop moving enough for me to get a clear picture of it.

Along the back of the yard, where Ward's shop is, there are mosquitoes sometimes. He has put out mosquito dunks for them. We're still waiting to see how they work. My niece said they tried everything in the world to get a handle on the mosquitoes in their yard, and the mosquito bombs were the only thing that worked. BTW, I was working far away from Ward's shop when I was bitten.

So, time's up. I guess I could have started out with an insect-focused post in mind, since that's where my speed blogging took me. And I didn't even have time to discuss the hummingbird moth that has been visiting recently.

Until next time...

Speed Blogging, This and That, and Exercise Update

 I've set my timer, so let's see where my random thoughts check in goes. :)

I've been spending a fair amount of time on the computer recently, reformatting and editing my Storyworth stories. You may remember I worked intensely on it a couple of years ago when I answered questions about my childhood and life. Storyworth (a gift from my SIL) then binds them into a book. While the book was nicely bound, I didn't like the quality of the pictures or the lack of formatting that was allowed. For example, you couldn't use italics or bold anything. Not to mention my typos.

Anyway, one of my retirement goals is to redo the book and print it myself. It is a very tedious job and frustrating at times. I have completed the initial transfer and am now looking for whatever new mistakes I may have introduced. I ended up with 138 pages, including pictures. So, it's long enough that I am really tired of it now. But I will persist because I really want to cross this off my list.

We recently heard the NIH orchestra play Rite of Spring by Stravinsky.

Encouraged by Mandy at Read, Write, Mom, I have installed the Merlin app (bird ID from Cornell) and have become a little obsessed with it. I sit on the porch or yard while it records birds and identifies them. It's really fun to see the variety of birds close by. I see a few of the birds, but many of them are hidden in the trees and bushes, singing away. 

Theo came over for another bulk cooking day, and we made 6 lbs of meat loaf, 2 lbs of green bean almondine, and 5 lbs of mashed potatoes.

There goes my timer (12 minutes this time*), so it's time to stop. But not before I do my weekly exercise update. :)

___________________________

  Since retirement, I have focused on getting more exercise. I post weekly updates here to hold myself accountable and see my progress.

I'm getting into a routine of sorts with my exercise activities. There are still many things to explore at the gym and other places, but I have found classes that are a fit for me at this time. 

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Line Dancing: This is a beginning class, and the instructor is good. I stayed for a bit and watched the advanced class afterwards, and they were doing a very complicated dance. That's what I aspire to. In the meantime, I got a decent workout in my beginning class.

Friday, May 16, 2025

Strong and Balanced: This class has two different instructors, and both have been out. Today, we were back to one of our regulars, who brings a fun atmosphere to the class. It wasn't too strenuous, but I got an all-body workout using weights.

Ballroom Dance: We had a practice party for our class tonight. We brought snacks and spent two hours dancing and chatting. It was much more relaxed than the class and was fun. I didn't dance the whole two hours, but I certainly got some good aerobic work in.

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Line Dance: We attended a line dance fundraising event for St. Jude. We were supposed to meet friends there, but the event sold out before they got there. However, the music was so loud that we wouldn't have been able to talk anyway. The local radio station was hosting, and they brought big speakers that they felt compelled to use to full capacity. I got in some good dancing for a decent aerobic workout.

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Free Day: We went to a festival during the afternoon and walked about a mile. Most of it was gentle, except at the end when we were walking back to our car. Then I worked up a good sweat, especially on the hills. Back home, I spent time in the yard doing various chores and getting more exercise. 

Monday, May 19, 2025

Strong and Balanced:  This was a standard class that focused on strength training. I went up on weights today, so it was also a little more aerobic than it has been. 

Ballroom Dance: Tonight we did the Quickstep, ChaCha, and Samba. We worked on some complicated routines that the whole class was struggling with. Those are all fast dances, and I definitely had my heart rate up during class, not to mention sweating like a pig. :)

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Line Dancing: This was our standard class, and I did well on most of the dances. However, there was one new one that I just couldn't concentrate on, but I kept moving, even if it wasn't always the right way. As always, the class joked with each other, which made it fun. It was a good hour of aerobic work, but I wasn't as tired at the end as I was the last two times. Afterwards, we did errands and I got a fair amount of walking in as we visited several big box stores.

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Sculpt Express: This was a 30-minute version of Power Sculpt that focused on strengthening legs, arms, back, and abdomen. I thought I needed more ab work than I was getting in my Strong and Balanced class, so I tried this one. It was only 30 minutes, so I thought it was a good place to start. Well, that was an intense 30 minutes, and I got a good workout. I was definitely sore after this class.

Well, that's it for now. After several days of rain, today is supposed to be a dry day, so it's time to do some yard work.

Until next time...

* For full disclosure, I spent another 12 minutes adding links and pictures. I try to update my exercise daily, so that was just a cut and paste.

Speed Blogging This and That

 Hi everyone, it's time for a check-in with a bit of speed blogging. In other words, get ready for some stream-of-consciousness. 

Early morning spider web.

My mind is full of dancing right now. Last night we went to our ballroom dance class. The instructor, Olive, took a special interest in me and worked with me personally much of the time. Or just let me say, too much of the time. While Olive was with me, Ward practiced with Stephanie, whose partner stopped coming weeks ago. Stephanie is a natural, so it was good for him to learn from her. In the meantime, Olive was trying to get me to lean into my partner instead of dancing by myself, as she described it. I understood what she was saying, but shouldn't she make sure I have the steps right first? Anyway, my brain shut down, and I just wanted it to be over.

Meanwhile, while I was getting all the attention, other couples wanted Olive's help. We leave class every week frustrated one way or another with Olive, so this may be our last session for a while after we finish this one. We wouldn't have stayed this long, but we've made friends in the class. And to be fair, Olive is a likeable person, but she and the class are just not the right fit for us.

Last night's episode reminded me of when Wally was little, playing baseball. He had just graduated from T-ball to coach pitch. At the first practice, the coach was pitching to each of the kids until they got a hit. Well, Wally didn't get a hit for a very long time. I was dying on the side, embarrassed for him as he took longer than any of the other kids, wondering why the coach didn't stop and say he could try again later. I thought that if Wally wanted to quit, it would be okay, even though we tried to get our kids to stick things out. 

When we got in the car after practice, I asked Wally what he thought about practice. He said, "It was fun, but I think I need a little more practice." And that was it. He stuck out the whole season and did improve, although he was never a standout. And I kept quiet, trying to follow his lead of a positive attitude.

This morning, we went to our regular line dance class. I woke up with a migraine, but I took medicine, so by the time I got to class, my head was better, but my brain was in a fog. I call it a migraine hangover. I wasn't really learning the new dances, but I was following them okay. We are not learning formal dancing in here, like we are with the ballroom, so mistakes are called variations. A much lighter atmosphere.

I took down all of my seed-starting things today. And let me just say, the whole exercise was a failure. Some of it was because I used old seeds, and many didn't sprout. Some of the ones that sprouted promptly died, and the ones that lived didn't thrive, not getting much taller than 1/2 inch. I'm not sure why things were so bad. I think some of it had to do with watering, too much or too little, but I'm not sure that is the whole answer. There was good soil, temperatures, and light. I will try again next year. It's got to be better. 

Mother's Day was low-key and just right. Ward made me French toast for breakfast, and then Wally and Theo came over later when Theo got off work. They brought pizza, an ice cream cake, and a hanging basket. The weather was perfect, and we just sat outside on the porch and chatted about nothing important. A good time was had by all.

Ward and Theo searching recipes.

For Ward's birthday, Theo said he would teach him how to cook any dish he wanted. Ward has a few things he can cook, but not many. They chose a chicken pasta dish. Together they searched for recipes, did the shopping, and prepared the dish. It turned out well. I especially liked the tomato sauce. Ward said he was a little overwhelmed because Theo had so much knowledge to impart, but was happy with the results. Tomorrow, Theo is coming over for the batch cooking we've been doing together. We plan to make meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  

They added chicken, spinach, and penne pasta to the tomato sauce.

Well, the timer is going off, so that's it for now.

Until next time...

Hello, again

 Time has been flying since we got home from our trip to WV. I haven't posted since then, so I think it's time for some speed blogging, otherwise known as stream-of-conscious blogging. Also scattered throughout are pictures of what's blooming in the yard. 

If I've been doing anything with blogging, I have been working on a private blog about our trip. That way, I can add pictures where you can actually see people's faces. I'm also adding a few more photos than I did here where I was trying to summarize and not show you too many pictures. Adding pictures has been tedious because I collected them from three different places. And, of course, Blogger wasn't always cooperating. I finished with this chore yesterday. The posts are not necessarily pretty, but they will be good for recalling our trip.

Today, I went to the movies, and I think I must have broken some kind of personal record. Ward and I went to one in the summer, so that's 2 movies for me in just a few months. It was Miss Landers' birthday, so Aunt Martha and I took her to see Death Becomes Her. It's a cult classic from 1992 and stars Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Bruce Willis. It's a dark comedy among the other Halloween-type movies the theater was playing. This is the same theater that I went to in the summer, where I was freezing the entire film. Today, I found out that you can turn on heat for the seats as well as recline them. Live and Learn. The tickets were only $5, so we may actually go again. Maybe the third time will be the charm, and I will fully understand how my seat works. 

This weekend, I've been working on cleaning up our garden. I harvested the last of the lettuce and tomatoes and have been cleaning up the dead plants and weeds. I plan to cover it with black plastic this year, as the Farmer's Almanac recommended. Hopefully, that will cut back on some of the weeds in the spring.

Speaking of plants, we had our first frost this past week. Most things survived, but some did not. We're having a warm-up now, so I think we will have to keep mowing the grass. It's so happy this time of year with the lower temperatures and more rain.

I just finished reading The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. The non-fiction book came out in 2013, and I'm a little late to the party to read it. In case you aren't familiar with the story, the book chronicles the rowing team from the University of Washington and their quest for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The book is intense but excellent. They later made a movie about it, but I haven't seen it. From what I read, the book is a richer experience with more background about the people. But, rarely can a movie include everything a book does.

Well, there goes my timer reminding me that it's time to fix dinner. We're having shepherd's pie from the freezer and a salad. 

Until next time...