And this one time -- at the grocery store --


Since Hubs retirement, we have been sort of tap dancing through our days trying to sort out our roles.  He seems to be under the impression that because he is no longer working at a job outside of the home that all his time is playtime and that my job goes on without a hitch -- clearly no "retirement".   It seems that we have traded places -- he is home and I am babysitting the Bean and so I am gone and he isn't.  When I came home a couple of weeks ago I was more than a little miffed to find him sitting in the same chair watching the same television that I left him at in the morning.  We are working on this little hiccup and, in an attempt to mend his evil ways, he decided to do the grocery shopping one day.  We frequent a grocery store that is a spin off of the store that he worked at when we were teenagers.  It is different than the regular chain and has different things and a huge wine section and many organic fruits and veggies.  They also have a large bakery which, honestly, I am not all that taken with.  I tend to prefer my homemade bread machine bread.  But, I digress.  The day he went they had put out a lot of muffins that can be bought individually so he called and asked me if I wanted one.  He gets really excited about these muffins because they do have some sugar-free varieties. So, I said yes and to get me one of the white chocolate apricot  ones.  I couldn't wait for the evening to get here to sit down with my tea and my muffin and watch "Parenthood".  Well, I took a bite from the top and it was really salty but I thought I was just an odd bite and I dove into the middle.  It was all good until I got a piece of the edge -- VERY salty and a little chemical tasting.  I gave a bit to Hubs to taste and he couldn't swallow it and the next bite -- I know, why was there even a next bite -- I figured it was poisoned.  If the store hadn't already been closed I would have returned it but instead I sat there wondering if rat poison tastes salty.  I figure somebody either got the sugar and salt mixed up or put too much of some additive in it but whatever happened it was exceptionally bad and I spent the rest of the evening trying to decide if I should look for the ipecac or call a lawyer.  In the end, I did nothing and I was fine but I have pretty much decided to eat only my own food from now on.

I have finished Aunt Dimity's Good Deed  and, as with the other's I have read in this series, enjoyed it thoroughly.  In this "episode", if you will, we were introduced to the extended Willis family which builds on the previous two books.  While these books can be read alone, it is great fun reading them in order and learning how all the  people fit together without just going on a brief back story description.  I will be starting the next one, Aunt Dimity Digs In, tonight.

I have also just finished When the Light Goes by Larry McMurtry.  It is the sequel to Duane's Depressed.  It is just as funny and poignant and quite a bit shorter than the other books in the series and it was a quick read.  The book begins with Duane's return to Thalia from Egypt, only a two week span of time from the end of the previous book, but things have changed and not for the better.  He makes some major life decisions, has some major surgery, and starts his life over for the second time.  When I began the book, I figured that it would end with Duane's end but I was very wrong -- didn't see THAT one coming! Yep, not gonna tell you -- you will have to read it yourself.

I have also been working at reading a book entitled "Leaving the Saints" by Martha Beck.  I have had it on my shelf for a long, long time and I think I bought it because of a tv interview.  Well, I decided to give it a go and now I am going to give it a toss.  It is about a woman, the author, who is the daughter of a high ranking leader of the LDS church.  It chronicles her major health problems as well as her quest for some sort of spiritual understanding and peace.  The book started out a bit disturbing but when she started discussing flashbacks and describing the horrible abuse she was subjected to by her father from the age of 5 to 8, well, I was done.  The book is frank, graphic and horrific and I cannot continue to read it.  I am sorry, Martha, for what you went through and for your dysfunctional family and I really hope you regained your health and found peace but I will never know because I cannot read your book.  Had I known the contents of this book I would never have purchased it but it won't have a place in my personal library.  I am sorry.

And, on a sad note, the last remaining member of my dad's circle of friends has passed away, night before last.  I cannot remember a time when Jim Houston was not involved with our family. He was a character with a good heart and he will be missed. I was invited to his 90th birthday party but couldn't go so I sent him some chocolate covered strawberries and balloons and he put the balloons on his wheel chair! He apparently got a real kick out of them. As I told his daughter, as long as he was still around I felt like part of my dad was still around but now he is gone.  I told his grandson that I can just picture him and his wife and my folks sitting around catching up -- I am sure my dad was there to meet him on the other side -- him talking remote control airplanes while my dad doodled cartoons on a paper napkin.  Yep, that's what they are doing. Rest in peace, Big Guy.

Good morning!

I can't believe it is already the middle of October! Where has this month gone to?  Just an update -- part of the papers for the house sale have been signed -- an amended contract which has made the Hubs even growlier (is that a word?) and we will close somewhere around the 19th.   I am having a lot of mixed emotions with this house sale.  We moved into our current house about six years ago and I love the house.  It is a garden home although we have a huge yard -- go figure-- and it is as much house as I want to vacuum.  I wouldn't mind another bedroom for a sewing room but I don't do that much sewing so it is ok.  We have been very happy here but it doesn't feel like home because there is no history.  In each of my previous houses I have memories of my children and in this home all I have is memory of a husband with heart surgery and a blind/deaf/diabetic/senile cairn terrier that I had to put down.  Oh, and Rollie the cat that I had to give up because everybody is allergic to cats.  So, I need to figure out how to make this house "home" and I am not doing a very good job of it -- maybe I need to adopt a child -- I don't think anybody is allergic to children. Hmmm..on further review,  maybe I could just borrow one.  House plants, maybe?

In any event, I am, on the whole, glad to be rid of the house even though I think we have been "taken" or scammed or something -- can't put my finger on it but I definitely think that something is a bit askew here. That isn't how you spell "askew" -- is it? I digress -- be patient, it is only 5:30 a.m.

 Anyway, babysitting again today.  It is great fun but I have to get up so early and I am not an early riser.  Well, I am, but not THIS early -- you would think I would be getting used to it but I don't think so.

Haven't had any time to participate in any of  the meme's I usually do but I will say that I have read "Aunt Dimity's Good Deed" and am working on the latest sequel to "The Last Picture Show" and a book called "Leaving the Saints".  I will get back to you with reviews of all of them.  I am getting a lot of reading in because I read during the baby's nap which can be as long as three hours.  Of course, I pretty much read myself to sleep but that is ok too.

Well, I must go pack a lunch and get on the road -- I have an hour drive.  I lost a follower and that makes me sad -- I guess I didn't comment enough or blog often enough or about the right things and I am sorry but maybe she will be back.

See you later, folks! Have a wonderful day.

Dear Followers and Readers,

I realize that it has been a week since I have posted anything although I have a draft started but it has been crazy busy around here.  I have been babysitting a LOT and we are in the final stages of selling the "old" house.  Hopefully that will be done by Monday and we can breathe a sigh of relief over THAT.  Note to anybody who is curious -- selling to an investor is NOT that easy -- and it seems a little shady, actually.  So, between sitting on the baby, selling the house and trying to cheer up the grumpy hubs who is getting more and more upset about retirement, it has been a bit hectic.  I will be back with a couple of book reviews, some photos and hopefully a lot calmer. 

See you soon!

4 October 2011

It is time for another Teaser Tuesdays.  My teaser is from Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton.

They say that three wishes are never enough, and maybe what they say is true.  There'd  been a time when, given a genie and a lamp, I'd have wished for nothing more than a job I didn't hate and a rent-controlled apartment in the part of Boston that reminded me of England, a country I'd loved since childhood.  My third wish -- the result, no doubt, of a dreary first marriage and an even drearier divorce -- would have been for a more or less stable relationship with a guy who wasn't a total creep, who would tell me the truth at least as often as he picked up his socks.

Musing Mondays  3 October 2011


The question of the day is -- What are you most excited about reading, right now?

I would have to say that I am most excited about reading the book I am currently working on.  It would be Aunt Dimity's Good Deed, the third in the Aunt Dimity series.  I have only just started this book but it had me hooked right away.  The first two books develop the back story of Lori and Emma and this book blends those two books to create the current environment.  It is just as charming, so far, as the first two and am sure it is going to be a completely engaging read.

Duane's Depressed by Larry McMurtry


I just finished reading Duane's Depressed by Larry McMurty and I have to say that I couldn't have enjoyed a book more.  In the first place, I love McMurtry and have read several of his works.  This book is the third in the series of The Last Picture Show.  In this book, Duane Moore is now sixty one years old and at a crossroads of his life.  He makes one monumental decision involving his pick-up truck and that decision leads to a chain of events that changes his, and others, lives forever.


Had I read this book ten years ago, or even five for that matter, I don't think I  would have identified with it quite like I have now.  So many things that Duane worked through are things that I have thought about myself.  McMurtry seems to have a great working knowledge of human nature so I suppose the situations that the main character had to work through are sort of universal but I still thought it to be very timely for me.  Also, it is amazing to see how one simple, personal decision by one individual can impact so many people in so many different ways.  The range of emotion expressed in this book is broad -- it is funny, it is poignant, it is straight up sad, hopeless yet hopeful and, in the end, peaceful.

It is a great book and I would recommend it, mostly to people of a similar age.

Meal Planning 101


I have been doing some considerable thinking about how we handle things here at Brinkley's Place and I am really up for some changes.  In the last two weeks I have heard several news stories about people returning to using cash instead of debit cards, checks, or just good ol' plastic.  Of course, Dave Ramsey is all for this and I have a feeling with Bank of America now charging folks for using their debit card a lot of people  are going to be rethinking  the virtures of cash -- I mean, think about it, what could be more convenient with less chance of identity theft!

I realize that, in order to operate primarily with cash, I need to know how much I spend on certain things.  The first thing that comes to mind is groceries.  I am ashamed to say but I really have no idea how much money I spend on groceries because we are always running to the store for this and that -- example, I went to Target today  to pick up a prescription and a few other things but got home and realized I needed milk as well which will require another stop and I can guarantee  I won't buy just milk.  So...you see the problem.  Clearly there needs to be a list and a plan.  Last night I considered all the options to creating the plan and this is what I came up with.

Growing up, my mother -- a most excellent cook -- had a plan.  We didn't have a car so she went shopping with my grandfather, her sister, my cousin and me, in his Studebaker Champion -- I am not sure how we all fit in there with three families groceries as well.

My father got paid every two weeks so she shopped for two weeks.  If we ran out of basics, like milk, she walked to one of two convenience stores a block from the house --  Zim's to the north or Thompson's to the south.

I liked the way my mother planned our meals.  The first of the week -- usually on Sunday, we had a big meal.  Then we had leftovers.  The rest of the week went the same way with a meat, a starch, two sides and a salad -- sometimes vegetable sometimes fruit.  We didn't have desserts often but she would buy cookies and make pudding and once in a while a cake with Swell frosting.  As she worked closer to payday the meals got less fancy and finally, the day before she shopped again we had what she called a "poor" meal -- usually a pot of beans with cornbread, salad and....always....a pie! That made it less "poor".  I actually thought that, much of the time, it was the best day of the two weeks.  She was always particular about presentation and worked to make our meals attractive and, believe it or not, she used some of the recipes she had learned in her jr. high school cooking class at the same school I went to (see yesterdays post) and....here it comes ... with the same teacher that I had.  Odd little woman named Birdie but I digress.

So, going on that same premise and with the knowledge that my husband has certain likes and dislikes I have devised the plan.  I am assigning a meat to each day of the week -- ex:  Monday -- beef.  This will allow me some room to serve stuffed peppers or steak -- flexible, I believe.  Growing up in San Antonio, Wednesday was Mexican food day in school -- all schools -- and we still think in those terms.  So, Wednesday is going to be Mexican food for us. The other days will be either chicken or fish, one a meatless meal that could be soup and sandwiches, the aforementioned pot of beans or breakfast-for-supper food.  I think that will at least take the chaos out of the planning.

One of my blog friends suggested that I blog my menu so I would have a permanent record of it rather than keep a notebook and I think that is a stellar idea and I will probably do it.  However, I need a visual for me to see on a daily basis to keep me focused.  While at Target today, I was searching for a dry  erase board and came across this.

Hmm..the photo is sort of small but you get the idea.  I wish Thrifty Thursday was going on, even though it isn't Thursday, because this would be a great thing to mention -- I got it for 50% off which came to $2.50.  I also bought a magnetized grocery list tablet at the dollar section -- it has Snoopy on it -- who can turn their back on Snoopy? So, that is my springboard for getting control of my groceries.  I will start tomorrow since we will probably hit the grocery store in the evening.  I am going to try to be very exacting so I will know how much I need so possibly the NEXT week I can go with cash.

I read an interesting post from a woman who went with only cash for two weeks and I was surprised at her comment that she felt "poor" while digging through her wallet counting out ones and change.  I don't feel that way, I feel empowered.  It feels good to use real money and not be frightened that by swiping the card I am possibly jeopardizing our entire financial security.  I don't know if it is the wave of the future but I think it might be the wave of MY future.

Does anybody here use cash primarily?


BTW -- the clip art at the top of this post came from http://americanwomendidntgetfat.blogspot.com.  The young woman who hosts that blog also has a great blog about how American women of the 40's and 50's didn't gain weight and why.  She also posts an old MetLife weight chart which I final fascinating -- it is what I grew up with being the standard for weight concerns.  It is an interesting read -- give it a look!

It is Friday, It is Texas, It is Autumn Which Would Explain -- Cough, cough, sniffle--

Yep, seems some determined allergen has blown up my nose.  I can't imagine how since I really haven't been out and yet, here I am, at the beginning of a gorgeous weekend taking Mucinex and anticipating a dose of Benadryl later on -- closer to nap time.  The nose is stopped up, the chest is a tad tight and the ears are all muffley and popping -- yes, it is autumn in Texas.

I don't really have much to post today -- the recent rant has left me wordless -- probably a good thing.  I am still reading "Duane's Depressed" and it is so enlightening -- expresses a lot of what I am feeling/thinking about right now.  Larry McMurtry is such a fantastic writer with such understanding of the human condition.  It is amazing and I haven't really been able to put this book down for long.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about meal planning this morning.  I recognize that we have a new, national, meal planning model in the form of a plate replacing the old food planning model in the form of a pyramid which replaced the even older meal planning formula that I learned in cooking class at this school.  I am not sure if it had a shape or not.

However, my husband is a diabetic that is a very picky eater.  By picky, I mean no soup, no stew, no casserole, no food mixed together at all unless it is Mexican food, no sauces .....you get the picture.  So, it makes it really difficult to feed the meat-and-potatoes guy when all he wants is what he shouldn't have.  I still plan my meals according to the above mentioned junior high school cooking class plan -- a meat, a starch, two sides and, of course being from the south, iced tea.  Doesn't sound like it should be too hard, does it? Ha! The Hubs cooked last night and it was delightful -- a fantastic t-bone that he grilled right here on our patio during a burn ban -- loves living dangerously -- roasted fresh corn and a baked potato.  Too many carbs for the diabetic and a whole lot of red meat for the bypass survivor (him, not me) but it was scrumptious for sure.  He was even lauding himself for only dirtying two plates and a platter.  That was good for me!  Anyway, I digress ... I went online this morning looking for a meal planner to print out and threw that idea right out the door.  I mean, why use printer paper and ink when I can either print one and have it laminated to use like a dry erase board, buy a dry erase board, or use some of the notebook paper I buy in huge quantities during school supply sales.  Why?  I have no idea, force of habit, I guess.  Anyway, I found some lovely calendars to be printed here many of which would be useful if you are designing your own planner.  I might give it some thought but for now, notebook paper it is.  A spiral notebook might be a good idea as well and then you have a permanent record of your menus.  That might be preferable to the notebook paper.  This will definitely take more thought as I don't want to be wasteful.

The summer's heat has taken a huge toll on our garden and it isn't looking so good.  We had considerable landscaping done about three years ago and even some of those established plants are suffering.  However the cannas are thriving and actually flourishing.

 We also have a couple of interesting little creatures living under the kamado.

As best we can tell, they are male and female -- don't ask how I know that - one is just smaller -- so I won't be surprised if we have a bunch of tiny ones running around.

Last year I decided to plant a mint plant in a pot and true to my gardening form, it died a swift death.  However, this year it came up -- in the flower bed! I told the Hubs that unless he wanted it to take over everything he needed to move it to a spot on its on and he did and this is what it has done --

It has again surfaced in the flower bed and we will be making another mint bed on the other side of the patio soon.  I always heard that mint was hearty and difficult and I guess what I heard was right.


We made some silly bird feeders to try to lure the birds back after the building mess behind us was finished -- they are coming back and hopefully the bunnies will too.  I have heard via the neighborhood grapevine that the coyotes are alive and well -- and have gotten into the neighborhood.

We planted some verbena to complement the lantana and invite the butterflies into the yard.

And, thanks to Bean, we successfully installed our attack cat -- doesn't seem to be working too well as we now have a rather large, fuzzy, orange cat semi-living on our patio which I don't particularly mind except that he/she/it decided to try to get one of our cardinals and that just won't do.  I haven't been able to catch a snap yet -- maybe in the morning. 

So, that is life in our garden.  After the year-long building project behind us and the hellish heat, I think it might be coming back to life -- if the allergies don't kill me today I think I might just enjoy it outside tonight and see what sort of photos I can capture. 

Good News and a Whole Lot of Randomness -- Warning, this is sort of a Rant



As reported here, in previous posts, a few months ago I began a campaign to help all mankind by keeping more of my money from the utility company and reduce my carbon footprint at the same time.  I started slowly with line drying clothes and washing dishes by hand more often.  The clothes drying has been absolutely theraputic and I don't know why, I just know I don't feel like a slave to the dryer anymore.  The hand dishwashing was a bit more difficult because I really don't like it but I persevered until I had company one day and had more dishes than usual and just couldn't help myself.  However, I did have the good sense about me to reconfigure my settings and use only a normal wash and air dry.  I mean, nobody was sick so I didn't feel the need to "sanitize" the dishes.  I have used the d/w twice that way and, again, felt like I was more efficient with hand washing.  So, the first bill after I started this little experiement came up $20 less! I was thrilled.  Well.....the latest bill came and it was -- drumroll, please -- $100 less! Of course, the Hubs reminded me that our weather has cooled down a bit and so the a/c isn't running as much but I refuse to think that my efforts aren't contributing to that savings.  I just had to share.


I have been doing a lot of thinking about things lately and I really don't know why.  I am not sure what set me on the path to save energy and money -- I have never been particularly ecologically concerned.  I have never been a wasteful person but I have never been so intrigued by the subject until now and I don't know why.  I am not sure whether the "simple living" concept really has anything to do with ecology or rather more to do with me being overwhelmed with stuff -- materially and conceptually.  I am pretty sure it has something to do with my age and feeling like all the rules of what I have to do and what I should be don't really apply to me anymore.

My recent haircut, for instance, is testament to the fact that I no longer feel the need to subscribe to any edict about what a woman of my age -- or any age for that matter -- is supposed to look like.  I just got tired of all the money going for product, all the time put into something that I didn't really enjoy anymore, and all the expectation of what I should look like when it didn't work for me anymore.  I am happier not having to mess with The Hair.  I think my hair is healthier for it, too, because I have really become conscious of all the chemicals in the products we all take for granted and I am not sure I really want all that stuff on my head! So, here is a photo of The Hair, taken in my bathroom by me so that is why you are only getting part of it -- sorry -- but the other side looks pretty much the same.

That brings us to the subject of cosmetics.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE cosmetics.  I love looking at them and I love buying them.  What's the problem you say?  Well, I don't love using them!  I have a drawer in my vanity chock full of all sorts of makeup -- and I don't really use it.  I have narrowed it down to a few products --

Origins Tinted Moisturizer in the lightest color available 

Origins eyeliner in mushroom

EccoBella lipstick in Cafe Au Lait

Plantscriptions

I also have been using Jane Iredale mascara but they won't let me upload a photo.  I will not use it again after I finish what I have -- it is WAY too expensive to not be any different than any other mascara.

Now, the question is, what do I do with the pounds and pounds of other stuff?  I have purged this drawer before only to go out and fill it back up again -- that isn't very fiscally responsible nor environmentally responsible -- all those plastic packages have to go someplace!  My bad!  Maybe I need an intervention! The truth is, though, that I want to throw it away.  I am beginning to feel smothered by possessions.  I like the feeling of freedom that having less affords me.  I also like the feeling of freedom that I get now that I have learned that I am ok just as I am and I don't have to try to create a new me with tons of cosmetics.  It doesn't work anyway, I am still me!

Another thing that has crossed my mind is how I spend my time -- when not hanging laundry or washing dishes, that is.  I have been a quilter for years.  I have a really nice sewing machine that the Hubs decided I needed to have a few years back and I really like it.  For some reason, however, I have the unbridled desire to hand piece a quilt.  I mean, what is THAT?  Torture?  I don't think so.  I love magazines to a fault and most of my mag purchases are quilting or cross stitch in nature.  I look at the photos and the quilts are getting more and more sophisticated requiring more and more equipment to produce them.  If you want really professional results, you need a long arm quilting machine to do your quilting.  Well, I would have to add on to the house for that but what if you don't want a "professional looking" quilt, you just really, really want to sit down with little pieces of fabric, a needle and thread, and mindlessly sew?  I used to be a purist and want everything to be hand done and then I got the fancy sewing machine and have been more and more frustrated as time has gone on.  I was fishing through some fabric a couple of weeks ago and I found a little piece that I had done by hand -- it isn't finished, of course, and I think I was just doing it to try my hand at it but it is so nice.  It is accurate and the back doesn't look like a tangled web of thread.  I have been working on a top for a few weeks -- a Disappearing Nine Patch pattern.  It is the second I have made from this pattern and I am pretty sure the Disappearing Nine Patch is going to disappear from my go-to list of patterns.  NOT HAPPY!  So, I have decided that from now on, I am going to only employ my favorite technique for piecing -- paper piecing or I am going to hand piece.  I am not going to clutter my mind with what the magazines say I SHOULD be doing.  I am going to be my own quilter.

Well, it seems I have been on quite a rant, now, doesn't it.  I don't know what has come over me.  I just know that the more I get rid of in my life -- stuff or ideas or opinions -- the happier I am becoming.  I have always tried to please other people and never myself first and for some reason I am now looking at how I want to live and think and be and the only word I can think of that would describe it is uncomplicated.  Yes, uncomplicated.

So, on that note, I think I will go grab up my book and sit and read for a while -- the dishes are done and the laundry is drying so I think I can devote the time to it.  I will leave you with a photo of  a recipe I made the other day on quite the spur of the moment.  I have been testing brownie recipes to try to find a scratch recipe that tastes like boxed. So, I was looking through the Pillsbury cookbook and decided to try their brownie recipe but I also decided to try the Pumpkin Bars that were on the same page.  They were listed in the bar cookie section but they were much more cake-like and they turned our completely scrumptious! So did the brownies, by the way! Pillsbury -- who knew!  Sorry Mark Bittman -- they beat you out!

Teaser Tuesdays -- 27 September 2011



Since the Hubs retirement, we have been having a bit of a time remembering what day it is since we are perpetually on "flex" time -- I had to look at the calendar to see if it really was Tuesday! Heaven help me when Daylight Savings Time rolls around -- somebody really should do something about that, BTW!

 Ok, well, here is today's Teaser, again, from "Duane's Depressed" by Larry McMurtry.

"He walked straight over to Tenth Street, where he knew there was a good bike shop; within an hour he had spent five thousand dollars on a top-of-the-line bicycle, complete with helmet, biking shoes, goggles, night lights, water bottles, side packs and a dog seat.  He bought shorts, gloves, a windbreaker, and various little trail packs of high-energy foods. He bought a tool kit to repair his bike, and an excellent pump for the tires.  He bought an odometer and even a little device that would measure his pulse and his heartbeat as he rode.  The young couple who ran the store had been looking lonely when Duane came in, but were looking extremely happy as they totaled up his  purchases."

Ok, maybe that wasn't the most compelling teaser but it was a turning point in Duane's depression -- I will say no more except that at this point in time, this book was tailor made for me.  It is funny, even though I am not sure if it is supposed to be, it is addressing a number of things that I am feeling at this time -- coincidence that Duane and I are the same age?  At any rate, the book is zipping along nicely -- yesterday I had a hard time putting it down but if you are going to follow suit and read it I would suggest you start with "The Last Picture Show" and "Texasville" for the complete backstory -- it will make more sense even though the book is standing alone nicely.

t

Musing Mondays -- 26 September 2011

What does it take for you to give up on a book you're reading?

It takes a lot, actually, and while I don't usually give up on a book, I will give it a time out and come back to it later.  I don't like to give up on books or feel as if I need to give up on a book.  Having been the sort that did lots of creative writing in school, has taken creative writing courses and such, I know what goes into writing and I appreciate all authors efforts.  However, since people's reading/writing tastes differ, I try to choose books that I know I will finish because not finishing a book, to me, is an insult to the author.