Batteries

Watching the news just makes me worry. The whole battery situation is my current dilemma. Did you see the guy's pants pocket explode and ignite on the news footage recently? It was a rechargeable battery in his E-Cig.

I have a rechargeable battery in this monitor unit that is attached to my chest. I was offered the option of wearing it on a lanyard around my neck, or just tucking it in my bra. I tired it around my neck. The lanyard irritated my neck and because the wires were hanging out I kept accidentally yanking them off the patches and then having to reattach them. Could be why she said most women just tucked them in the bra .....

But I don't want to suddenly ignite inside my bra, well, outside either. Just another thing to ponder in my insomniac mind.

Hot Water

Today was my day to change the electrode patches from the heart monitor. I was told to change them every third day ...... if necessary. I find it necessary. They itch and leave a circle of bumpy irritation that looks like a giant ringworm. I am having a blah day. Gray skies and cold floors have me staying inside and not all that content.

So, it was in that frame of mind that I instructed HeWho to keep an eye out for a reservation we have coming in, that I headed to the comforts of a nice hot shower. I was really looking forward to the hot water hitting my back and soothing my sore muscles ( from painting the ceiling of the porch). I adjusted the spigots to my liking and turned the shower on before I entered.

Just like I always do. My routine settings. Imagine my utmost irritation when the cold water hit me. My hair was already wet, so I was committed. I turned off the cold water and rushed my shower of just warm water. I am not happy.

The problem is not my water heater. The problem is one of my tenants. This particular tenant uses the shower in the mens' room. This is not the first time this has happened and I am amazed that anyone could use that much hot water. The water heater is gas and has a quick recovery. This is the first time we have encountered this. Even when the park is full of tent campers and people washing clothes in the laundry we don't run out of hot water.

This guy is in his early 20's and has some  vague "disability" that has him on the public draw. In addition to his disability check, he gets food stamps. You wonder how I am privy to all this personal information? His family told me so. His mother pays his lot rent, while his grandfather provided the camper he lives in. Brought it out here and set him up ...... and that is the one and only time the LP tank was filled.

He has skated so far with mild mannered HeWho. But, despite my pseudo ringworm rash, I am back up to snuff. I am patiently waiting for him to return to the park and we shall have a nice little conversation and either come to an understanding or he will be escorted from my property.

Yep, I'm back!!

You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks!

The part came for the Wi-Fi and I can read again .... and even comment. I am so happy!

Or, maybe it is the cake I just ate. I thought I knew everything there was to know about the process of baking a cake. I used to bake cakes at least 3 times a week when the kids were growing up. Never, ever did a cake dry out in my house. I was lucky if I got the crumbs from the plate after my first piece.

Since it is just the two of us, I don't bake as much. I try to cut recipes in half, but it is just a pain and never turns out as good as the whole recipe. It was our lucky day when DJ and Andrea moved in! I can bake a whole cake and give half to them. Andrea doesn't eat much, but DJ loves sweets as much as HeWho. He never brings a dish back empty, either. He is an accomplished griller and his offerings are usually of the meat variety.

So, I saw this recipe on one of those food sites. I had three really ripe bananas and I didn't want banana bread. I like banana bread, but I wasn't in the mood. I saw the picture of the banana cake and it looked good, so why not. I learned something new with this recipe. It said to take the cake directly from the oven to the freezer! For 45 minutes. Said this would make the cake stay moist longer. I don't think it will be an issue.

The cake is wonderful! The banana flavor is very pronounced, but the cake is moist and light. I was afraid it would be dense and doughy after the freezer thing. It worked, though. Who would have thought I had never learned this trick?

Just Like Her Dad

I don't know if it is my weak Wi-Fi or Blogger, but I have been denied the pleasure of reading my blog roll. When I click on the one I choose to read ..... I get a "Blank Page". It is, indeed, blank and is labeled as such. Weird.

I have been left to the company of the TV and HeWho listens selectively. Maybe that's why I decided to tackle the sewing room. Although I must confess that since finding my box of pictures, I have not ventured back in there. The turn of weather leaves my toes cold in there. We seem to be on a see-saw weather pattern. In the 70's one day, then plunging back to freezing.

My baby girl. Just look at that sweet face. This is one of the pictures found. She was about 2 in this picture and that sweet countenance is deceiving. She had the entire family at her beck and call. This is the child that at age 4 gathered all the mail of an entire street and presented it to me. She thought it would be a good way to get to know our neighbors.

She did not get this courage from me, but from her dad. They never meet a stranger, can talk with anyone. I may be that way now, but I developed it over the years of living with HeWho speaks to everyone.

That's not all she got from him. You will recall that I have NEVER bought a vehicle, never really had any say in the purchase of one (not that I really care). I was having a nice chat with this sweet child of mine today when she casually mentioned that she had a new car. "But, you just bought a new car not that long ago and I thought you liked it. Why did you get a new car?" asked her mother. To which she replied, "I don't know, I went to get my oil changed and left with a new car."

Don't be thinking she is a pushover for some eager sales person, I am sure she argued herself into a good deal, just like her dad.

I Need A Nap

This is my old guy, Oscar .... in his prime. Most of those teeth are gone now and his muzzle is gray. I still think he is a fine specimen and have been told that he looks good .... for his age.

As you can see, he is not too happy about the hat and doggles. No, I did not buy these. HeWho is a sucker for such things. The dog wore them once, long enough to capture the moment.

This was Oscar's dog-wife, Emmy. She was as sweet as she looks. I still miss her every day. She was my constant companion whenever I sat in my chair. Oscar would join us. If there was no room, he would lay nestled next to my leg and Emmy would curl up on his back. She only weighed 6 lbs. Six pounds of pure love.

I was cleaning out my sewing room and found a bunch of pictures I thought I had lost. The sewing room is a mess, but I sat down with the pictures and here I am. Cujo has taken the coveted spot right next to my leg and Oscar is on his bed on the floor, all cleaned up after Toni Louise had her vomit spree last week.

Think I might just have a little nap. My results from my stress test came in today. Normal. I am still wearing the monitor until March, then I will be scheduled for a sleep study in our quest to find out what is irritating my heart. I don't really need a test to know that my sleep patterns are not good. I just really need opportunity and some inner peace to sleep.

I worry. About things, not really important things. I just worry and my mind gnaws at little things until I come up with a solution. I always have an ear open to hear the whimper of Oscar in the night, lest he wet the bed. He would never set out to pee in his sleeping place, but he is old and accidents happen.

Then here is that boy cat named Martha. Martha prefers to sleep all day and wander all night. He hides at bedtime and avoids being put out if he can help it. He has chosen the hours of 2 and 3am as his time to go out. Like clockwork, that cat will wake me. First he moves the shade at the window (on my side of the bed), then he meows. If that doesn't wake me he will claw and scratch the wall under the window until I get up. This annoys me, since I recently painted the wall and the window sill. He is very aware that it annoys me. I told him so. Oh, and I sort of flung him out the door one night after a particularly long session of cat scratching my wall.

Yes, I deserve a nap.

Still Not Hungry

Today was my big day. I woke up bright and early, very cognizant of the fact that I could not eat or take my medications. Not that I ever eat breakfast, but today I wanted to .... just because I couldn't. My appointment was not until 1:20, so I wanted to lounge in bed and doze until it was time for a shower.

I was up at 7:30, the sun was bright and the weather wonderful, downright balmy. Oh, the things I could accomplish in this t-shirt weather. Not only that, I felt marvelous! Full of energy, like my old self. Or my younger self? Cause the self I am now is certainly older, but I digress.

The dogs would not allow this lingering in bed, they also saw the sun and were jumping at the chance to run circles in the back yard and bark at things. All of them except my only girl, Toni Louise. She snuggled close to me and after sniffing my eyeballs and trying to take my breath away. She was not herself. She is usually the first one out the door, but she refused to go out at all. She tucked her head into my neck and would not move. I instructed HeWho is her person to take her out and he did. She made a bee-line for me as soon as she came back in.

I am so glad I did not insist on lingering beneath my almost fresh sheets. I got up and had a nice cold glass of water and settled down to read e-mail. Next thing I know, Toni is vomiting everywhere. She vomited in the kitchen, on Oscar's dog bed, beside Oscar's dog bed and in about 5 other places (including on HeWho's chair!). The aroma was such that I was no longer interested in eating. I promise you, this poor dog had nothing left in her poor belly. I pondered the task in front of me and finally settled on a drywall scraper and a plastic bag to most efficiently scrape it all up, then mop.

After that I showered and readied myself for my big adventure, still not hungry at all. We were gone for about 5 hours and upon returning, I could still smell it. She had crawled behind and half under my chair and vomited there. Poor girl. I know exactly what happened to make her so very sick. I had some dog treats left that are very crunchy. They look like cheese puffs. I wanted to refill their jar with some softer treats that Oscar would be able to eat with the few teeth he has left. I tossed what was left in the back yard yesterday.

Toni growled and spit at the other dogs and ate them all to make sure she was the only one to have them. Serves her right! I still feel bad for her. But more for me, since I had to clean it up.

Blood Tests and Bubblegum

Despite the fact that the phlebotomist drew the tiniest amount of blood before blowing the vein (I fully expected to be called back to provide more blood), it must have sufficed. They called today with the results. Normal. Everything was normal.

The cardiologist was thinking that my thyroid might be the culprit. It would be a simple solution to my problem and easily fixed. No such luck. Everything else was good, even great. My liver is functioning as it should. My blood sugar was excellent and my cholesterol is good, too. More tests this Friday.

Felt pretty chipper today and since I was low on dog food, I ventured out into the big wide world. Well, my small piece of it. Took my time and gathered all my necessities and some things that could never be called needs. Like the peeps from the Easter candy aisle. Bubblegum Peeps!!!!! I love bubblegum and I love peeps, so, of course I had to get some. My blood sugar being so good, I deserved a little reward! 

Post The Payment!!

It is 2:53 and I have just now returned from my 11:40 appointment with the cardiologist. It was only about 20 miles from here, so drive time doesn't really account for much of the time. It was only a consultation. He ordered more diagnostic tests to be done next week. So, you may be wondering why it all took so long?

I will tell you. Insurance. We are currently enrolled in a market place plan through United Health Care (aka Obama Care). Every year, you have to reapply and renew or change your plan. We stayed with pretty much the exact same plan. Same numbers, etc. on the new card. We paid the premium on February 1, 2016. Our account shows that the money went to them on Feb. 1st. Today is the 12th. So, imagine my profound irritation to be told that my insurance rejected my visit.

When she tried to confirm coverage, it came back, "rejected" with a code. Instead of just sending me home or giving me the option of paying out of pocket and fighting with the insurance company later, the office manager called them. She was told that payment had not been made and she relayed that the patient (me) insisted that it had been made and that the money had been drawn from her account. "Well, maybe it hasn't been posted yet."

By now, my appointment time has come and gone, been given to the next patient. The office manager is my new best friend! She goes the extra mile and asks to speak to someone who has the ability to fix the problem. She dutifully writes the number down, then asks what extension and how many different people she will be referred to before she will actually reach the right person. This gets her an offer to transfer. And she starts talking to Mike.

Mike is a little snarky and you can tell from her side of the conversation that he is indicating that we really didn't pay the premium. She insists that we did and then he tells her that it might be just waiting to be posted. She questions why it would take 12 days, nearly 2 weeks to post a payment. He wants to talk to me. The connection is not good. Sounds like he is on his cell outside. He asks me if I have filed a claim this year and I say no. He says that he asked me if I had made a payment. Maybe I misunderstood, but I don't think I did. He says, "Well that's your problem." I ask why I am paying premiums, and this is when he tells me I told him I have not paid. HeWho took the phone from me at this point.

I am proud to say that HeWho kept his cool and did not ask Mike when he would be pulling his head out of his a$$. Mike kept insisting that we had not made any payments since December when the policy was renewed. HeWho offers to make a payment right then in order for me to be seen, saying they could apply the balance (when they found it) to the next month. Lo and behold, Mike suddenly finds the payment(s) for the past two months just hanging out there in computer land!!

Mike gets to talk to the office manager again. In a very calm and friendly tone she tells him that he needs to resolve these issues and let the people in charge of posting payments know that this is a very real problem that had a domino effect on everyone involved. She goes on to explain that the wait to post payments is not exceptible  and that someone is not doing their job. She was very nice and I could hear his voice on the other end. He was not happy. He then asks her to wait to file the claim and she refuses, telling him that they comply to all standards set forth by the insurance companies and the policy is to file the claim electronically at the time of service and that she expected him to handle it on his end ... "this claim better not be rejected."

Did I say that I love this woman?  I have more tests ahead of me. I have a stress test scheduled at the hospital next Friday, then I will get the halter monitor to wear for two weeks. He says my heart is irritated about something (so am I). After the results of the stress test he said he might order a sleep study to see if I am getting enough rest when I sleep. He says that the PVC's could be the culprit of the bad sleep .... or the bad sleep could be causing the PVC's. After having some blood drawn, we headed home. I am so tired. I see a nap in my near future.

Visual Aids

As you can plainly see, even though the painting is done, I still have lots to do. You will also see that the snow is on the ground and the wind is gusting.

This side is not so bad, I have cleaned it up a bit, still have signs to hang. I am ready for my gardens to bring in some green. Or, at the very least, enough snow to cover up the ugly grounds!

See, it is the same color as the gravel. I think it has a touch of blue in it. I still think HeWho switched up the color on me. I am itching to get out there and finish.

In the mean time, I am stuck inside. Every day I set a small goal for myself. I am cleaning out storage boxes and drawers that have been stuffed with whatever is in the hand of HeWho. I tackled his side table today. I put everything I found and did not know what to do with in a basket. I stole some letter trays from the office and set it up for him to be able to sort all the papers I encountered. HeWho empties his pockets there every night. Loose change, receipts, business cards, and pocket lint. He saves it all. I knew what to do with the change ..... I just put it in the cash register. I put all the drill bits and screw and washers and bolts in the appropriate place and all he had left was the papers in the basket. I am happy to report that he stayed on task and finished sorting and filing!!

I have more energy in the morning, so I have been cooking our meals then. HeWho loves me will go get take-out, but our selections are limited. Easier to just get it ready to heat up at dinner time. I have switched to half caff and limit myself to 2 cups a day. I even bout a smaller mug to drink from. I was hoping that the dip in caffeine might prove help with my irregular heart beat. Don't know why I thought that, I was denied caffeine during my hospital stay and other than making me crabby and giving me a headache, it did not help.

Mt blood pressure continues to bottom out daily. 80/50 when I am feeling the weakest. Today was particularly bad. I monitored my heart beat for two hours and I was skipping every third beat. Makes me want to hyper-ventilate to get more oxygen to my brain. To add injury to insult ...... I did something to my right shoulder. I reached into a cabinet and pain stopped me cold. I heard a little crunchy sound. Could it have something to do with sleeping with a dachshund tucked in my armpit? I will see the cardiologist this Friday.

So, in my cleaning, I ran across some old pictures. I found some snapshots my Dad took while he was on shore leave in the Europe. I also found one of his sailor hats stenciled with his name and SS number. All of his clothes he wore while on the ship were stenciled with that information. When I was a little girl I wondered why my underwear was not stenciled with my name. I plan to make a shadow box with his hat and the pictures. I have more picture albums and boxes to go through first.

This is a picture of my sweet husband. HeWho at about 9 or 10 years old. He is still cute! I can clearly see my Jill in this face, as well as my grandson, Gavin. I love old pictures!

Little Elves Do Not Come In The Night ......

Finally! We finished painting the front of the building. I would post a picture, but I was too tired to get one.

Yesterday was windy, but not too cold. Snow was falling when I let the dogs out for their morning necessities. There is still more painting to be done. I have the west side of the building to do. The back of the building is fenced in and can wait to be done ....... until it makes me a little crazy. We are out of paint right now. Time for another 5 gallon bucket. If the weather was nicer I would go get it.

You will recall my annoyance at the painting method of He Who should not paint. There is a pony wall dividing the porch. I wanted it put up when we still used the front door on the residence side.

A child opened my door and let all my dogs out on a memorable Memorial Day weekend. Oscar bit the child because she tried to come in. Hey, he was doing his job! My precious grandson was in there, he was protecting his family from a strange screaming little girl. And that is exactly what I told the child and her parents. They looked at me like I had horns on  my head. I explained that I had a sign posted, well two signs on the door. One said "Private Residence" and the other one "Beware of Dogs". Legally, I was covered. He bit her while she was in my house and I was tending the wound as we spoke. I told the little girl that I was so sorry as I bandaged her knee. I offered to provide my dog's vet records. The Dad was incensed and said "She doesn't know how to read!" I had  my grandson loud crying throughout the incident, because he was tired and thought he was responsible for the incident. I just gave the man my 'don't mess with me' look and asked him why such a young child was left on her own, she should have been supervised. That was the end of it. Those folks never came back.

Okay, I got off track there. When He Who started painting, he started in the middle. I would have started on the end where it met the new siding that had just been painted. Either end, but not the middle. We are keeping the same trim color and it was recently repainted, so I had no intentions to do any trim painting other than some touch-up. Did I mention that he is a sloppy painter?

So, when I went out to help, I insisted that he move the Pepsi cooler and let me paint behind it and above it, then move it back in place and proceed from there to paint the entire side before going to the other side. Crazy, huh? I still had energy left after the Pepsi cooler was back in place and he employed the roller and I did the brush parts in the nooks and crannies. The ceiling is low and He Who can just reach up with the paint brush. I can't, but I only needed the kitchen step stool.

I needed to rest a couple of days and the weather smiled upon us this past weekend. I planned to finish the other side. He Who started before I got out there ....... in the middle. Why? Because both ends would involve moving something out of the way. Did he think little elves would come in the night and clear a path?

That is exactly what I did. Except for the pew. It is heavy and requires two people working in unison and paying attention to each other. NOT pulling on one end with all your might and pulling that end completely OFF. Yes, he did. My fault, I have successfully moved it on my own by carefully sliding one end inches forward, then the other end. Takes a while and some patience, but in the end the pew is still intact. I guess I am a one elf crew of little elves.

Opposites Attract

I made a list of things I wanted to be done in the next few days. Every item on the list is to complete a project. The list is long and I won't even show it to He Who seems to be incapable of finishing anything .... other than mowing.

We purchased a Mr. Heater recently and I had to move things to find a spot to hang it on the wall. It came with optional feet, but I knew that Oscar would want to mark it. He likes for any nose to know what belongs to him. Being the alpha, you know. I didn't relish the thought of cleaning it daily .... or the fact that heated up Oscar smell would be a bit much.

We read the directions and noted that there needed to be 8" on either side and directly in front of the heat source. We managed a spot the met the requirements. There was a skinny floor cabinet on the wall with the monitor for the security cabinets mounted above it. I took care of the cabinet and the contents and He Who is in charge of all things electrical removed the monitor and all the different feeds from the cameras. He laid the components willy-nilly throughout the living area.

I grabbed a box and had him put all the gadgets with wires in it. I gave him a look when he placed the monitor on MY chair and he picked it up and took it to the extra bedroom. The control box, that is about the size of a DVD player was left on the table, covered in dust. The table upon which we partake of food. I cleaned it off and stuck it in a cabinet in the hall.

This all happened a couple of weeks ago. The heater is a dream. It uses very little propane and the spot I chose was close enough to hook up to the same line the central unit uses. We don't like to use the central unit because it heats the entire building. We only want to heat the living quarters. The old unit sucks up the propane like crazy.

He Who loves to build a fire was going to mount it on an outside wall so that he could drill a hole through the wall to the outside, where he intended to put a small propane tank. The spot he chose would have pretty much eliminated the small dining table and chairs. I like my plan better. Just so you know, he still builds a fire every day. Still gets the temperature too high every evening.

Today, with the weather being mild, I mentioned moving the Wi-Fi modem and hooking it up to the antennae he bough 18 months ago. He planned to move the modem inside to make it a lot easier to re-boot it when necessary. So, with my suggestion (along with my reasoning), fresh in his mind, he decided to re-mount the monitor and controller for the security system. This particular chore requires no reason to be outside. It is supposed to be colder tomorrow and he could have done it then .......

Okay, I am just happy he is tackling any of the chores on my secret list. When he removed the big bracket that held the monitor I was painting the broom closet and re-arranging all my cleaning supplies. There was a big toggle bolt that went through the wall and I distinctly remember handing the back part of the assembly to him, since it was on my side of the wall he was working on. Today he asked me where I put the toggle thingies. "In your hand." I said. He says he can't find them.

I have played this game before and knew that he was getting ready to go buy more. I insisted that he stop for a minute and think about where he might have put them. He found something else that he said "would work" and located a stud in the wall. Then we had the "where did you put" all the rest of the components conversation. I located all of the items. "I need a power source to plug all of these in." He looks at me as if I might just have that in my pocket as I am washing the dishes.

Once again, I stop what I am doing to run down all the surge protectors we own (and it is a lot of them). None of them met his requirements. The four things he has to plug in are long, so that one would cover the space of two outlets. He showed me the problem and said he needed one with the outlets that are "sideways". He is on a shopping spree as I write this. I did not argue, or point out that he had made it work before without a shopping trip. Instead I just handed him a list of things I needed from the grocery and the drug store and sent him on his way.

See, I told you he does not shop like I do. I make a list and try to anticipate what I need and get it all in one trip. He would rather get one item a trip and run back and forth. I guess opposites do attract.

He Who Is In The Dog House

The current weather has been so nice. Hasn't been so cold at night. I could have slept with the window open last night.

At midnightish, as usual, 3 sneezes and a whimper had me stumbling out of bed, cradling Oscar in my arms. I had not been covered, I was a little too warm. When I entered the sitting room that houses the infamous wood stove, it was stifling hot! I took the dog out and returned to check the thermostat. 90 DEGREES!!! I grabbed my phone to get a picture for proof. Took only 7 tries to get one, as I had not bothered to turn the light on.

He Who stuffs the wood into the stove every night always accuses me of exaggerating. So I wanted proof. I was trying to fiddle with the damper and such, but the stove was so hot I was burning my fingers. I looked at the thermostat again as I went to wake the man who stuffed the stove full of wood. 91 degrees!! The temperature was rising!!

I cannot sleep when it is that hot. I wanted to open the windows, but He Who tends to whine about being cold had a small fit. I did not have a restful sleep. It did cool down eventually, but I felt like I had just dozed off when the cellphone of He Who plays with ring tones went off. Just guess what the ring tone was? Barking dogs.

He Who is in the dog house.

Turnips ... It's What's For Supper

Being a true southern girl, I plant "greens" every year, and I ain't talkin' 'bout no salad greens. I speak of turnip greens and collard greens. No mustard greens, since they are not my favorite.

I always have an abundance and have tried to offer them to my friends and those I only know in passing. Not a one of those I have offered to share my garden bounty with have had any clue what my greens are. How can this be? I know about foods that are not from the deep south. I am not above trying new foods.

I grew up eating these greens. Always cooked the same way. Ham of some sort boiled in water, add the greens and cook it endlessly. The turnip roots are put in last and boiling continues. Some like a good sprinkling of pepper sauce, and you have to have cornbread (a southern law) on the side. In the event of not having any ham product on hand, a big dollop of "seasoning", aka bacon fat, is added to the water. The water left in the pot after the greens have been removed is referred to as "pot liquor". This is sopped up and eaten with the aforementioned cornbread.

I don't cook mine the same way, I like to leave the fat out. I add my greens to salted water and cook just until they are tender. They can be a little bitter, so I taste mine early in the cooking and will sometimes add a tablespoon of brown sugar. As much as I might prefer my cooking method, I am not at all opposed to eating them at my Mama's, should I be pulling my chair up to her table.

These greens can be frozen, but I prefer mine fresh. Today I strolled the garden and noted that I had quite a few turnips peeking out of the ground. Greens are cool weather plants. The green tops were beyond edible, the snow and freezing temps rendering them yellowed and withered. The turnips were nice and firm, though. So, why not have a big pan of roasted turnips?

I like to roast all kinds of veggies and root veggies lend themselves nicely to this method. So, I cleaned them and cut them into bite-sized chunks, and decided they would pair well with some carrots. I sprinkled them with fresh ground pepper and kosher salt and tossed them in olive oil. Into the oven for about 30 minutes.

I have a favorite new dinner vegetable. They were so good. I am still confused, though. The grocery stores sell them here. How is it that nobody knows what they are? I eat Mexican food, but I am not from Mexico. Love middle eastern food, never been there, though.

More Paint

Exhausted from my day of painting (yesterday), I am staying inside today. The temperature has dropped, too. I set a very small goal yesterday. I asked He Who moves stuff to get the Pepsi machine moved so that I could paint behind it and above it. I am happy to report that I exceeded my less than lofty goal! With He Who painting the ceiling, we managed to complete the entire side!

The gray paint seems very light, almost white. I am pretty sure that I picked one a shade darker. I sent He Who runs many errands to have the paint mixed. He usually thinks my paint choices to be "too dark", so I think he switched things up on me. He won't admit it, and I don't want to re-do any of it, so .........

 Today I sit here, computer in my lap. I did manage to wash the dishes and then start dinner. I plundered through the freezer and landed on a package of beef short ribs. I put them in water to thaw and sat down to peruse Pinterest for a new recipe to try.

I know how to cook them, but I just wanted to try something different. As we "speak", they are cooking slowly in a 300 degree oven wrapped tightly in foil. The most amazing aroma is sneaking out and filling the air. It was a little more labor intensive than I was looking for, but appears to be so worth it.

It called for a cup of "Bacon Barbeque Sauce". I had to make the sauce. It is cooling down and ready to be put in jars. I am not a big fan of BBQ sauce, but this stuff is like a little heaven on your tongue. I chopped the onions and the garlic and the tomatoes and from there went to whiskey and honey and real maple syrup. So good!!

I see a family on the TV enjoying some Banquet TV dinners. Ack.