BooksRule

Just out of curiosity, do any of you have pickers or junkers who drive around your neighborhood and pick up stuff that's been left at the curb? Trash is picked up on Mondays, and the company also picks up bulk trash most Mondays (limbs, bagged leaves, and items that can range from broken lamp shades to mattresses. Pretty much anything except hazardous waste and tires). We have a couple of people with pickup trucks and trailers who drive around a day or so before trash day who will pick up almost anything that's been left out. Over the years, I've left small appliances, a love seat, a rusted through baker's rack that was on my back patio, and a computer desk chair (although in that particular instance, I happened to look out just in time to see my across-the-street neighbor wheeling it back over to his house). The other day I left a microwave that wouldn't heat up any more out and it was gone within a couple of hours (I had even taken the glass revolving plate out before I took it to the curb, because I can always use an extra big plate). I was surprised that the only item I ever put out there that was still there when the commercial trash trucks came by was a 20 gallon aquarium (no leaks, perfectly good). The junkers must have missed coming around that week. I guess another person's trash, is definitely someone else's treasure.

I had grits for breakfast with a sprinkle of salt and some real butter (not that plant-based 'light' spread I usually buy) and it was tasty. I'm probably going to have a fairly heavy supper, so I'm having a bowl of fresh pineapple for lunch. One of my local grocery stores had whole pineapples .99 each a few days ago and I bought two. I figured that whatever I couldn't eat fresh I could freeze for later. I also found some fresh strawberries that weren't too expensive, so I've enjoyed fruit salad for several days this past week (adding sliced banana for a trio of fruit flavors). I added some plain Greek yogurt as a 'side dish' a couple of times. Not sure what I'm going to fix for supper, but probably either some corned beef hash (made with canned corned beef--nothing fancy) or my version of General Tso's chicken (basically a mishmash of chicken tenders cooked and cut into chunks and sauteed onion and sweet peppers over rice with some General Tso sauce drizzled over all.

Eddie: "I've just got a reservoir of Catholic guilt just lying dormant. Just waiting to be activated." Buck: "Like sea monkeys." Eddie: "No." Ha ha!

Watched 'Bambi' for probably the first time since I was very small. I always hear about the scene where Bambi's mother gets shot as being so traumatic. Well, it's actually very low-key and younger children probably wouldn't even know what's going on. We see them running, we hear a shot, but that's all. No gore, no body (Yes, I'm looking at you 'Lion King'! ). Actually, the scenes that would probably scare children are the ones where Bambi fights the other buck, when the animals are chased by the unseen hunters and are shot at, the hunting dogs attacking Faline and Bambi, and -- most of all (at least to me) -- the huge forest fire that wipes out the entire forest. (on the other hand, Thumper and Flower are still adorable.)

I watched 'The Broadway Melody' (1929) for the first time this past weekend. I can't say I liked it, but I'm glad I watched it (just for the 'historical' value). It was kind of sad that the two female leads were supposed to be this super-great sister act but their singing was...not good and their dancing was very rudimentary. It was kind of clunky and everyone was kind of awkward, but there were a few good moments. It's funny that various characters sang parts of 'Broadway Melody' several times during the movie, but the tune that has stuck in my head is the 'Wedding of the Painted Doll' number. I can't get the dratted song to go away!

He looked familiar to me, too, and when I looked him up I have seen some shows that he's guest-starred in but I still couldn't place him. I think I first thought he was Wallace Langham (from the original 'C.S.I.').

One of the main characters on 'S.W.A.T.' (CBS network) was part of a throuple for a while, so it could happen.

It's not a new product, but it's new to me-- I recently discovered the yumminess of Noosa yoghurt. The lemon one and the raspberry one are so good! Of course, I know that they are good because they have real fruit puree, cane sugar, and wildflower honey in them. So they will have to be an occasional treat (mainly because of the calories and sugar), but they are tasty.

It's hard to believe that it's been almost 7 months since I lost my Alice and almost 3 months since Maggie. I still miss my two kitty girls, but It's gotten much better over time (although I still tell them 'good night' when I go to bed most nights :) ). My daily routine has gotten a little easier (although I would trade the ease for my furbabies, of course). I'm now used to being able to put grocery bags right on the countertop when I get home from the store (instead of having to unpack immediately or put them in the laundry room due to plastic-eating Maggie), I can leave the outside door open if I need to without worry of a cat running outside. I have a little more money to my name (I still feel odd if I leave Walmart without any cat food or litter and I think about them when I pass by my vet's office or the emergency hospital--where I spent a lot of hours during the last year or two of their lives). I can also travel if I want without worrying about them or having someone come by to scoop boxes and to feed them. I have a good friend who was happy to do it for me, but I didn't travel much over the last couple of years due to the babies' being elderly and having health problems. I didn't want to put a burden on my friend to maybe have to deal with a health crisis while I was out of town. Another thing I thought of recently is that for the first time in 20 years I can have live plants in the house. I used to have live plants all over my house, but from the time I brought the sisters home they destroyed any plant I brought inside. So no plants at all (since I don't like artificial plants). It will be bittersweet, but I want to fill my house with plants this spring. I do still have some reminders of them around. I haven't gotten rid of their cat dishes yet and have some canned food around. I'm going to see if the local shelter would like to have them. I'm hoping to find a home for the big cat tree (although it needs a little repair in a couple of places). It's still in the corner of my living room. As a matter of fact, both of my baby girls' ashes are sitting in one of the risers of it right now because i still haven't decided where to put them. Today's chore is to sort through their huge basket of cat toys (I mean really huge--not that they were spoiled or anything, LOL). I will toss most of them, but will probably choose several that I know were their favorites and put those away. Sorry for the long post, but I'm doing some early spring cleaning and I keep coming across things that belonged to them or things that remind me of my Alice and Maggie May.

I've already deleted the episode from my DVR, but can anyone post the text of the exchange between the new vet and Francois about the poor dog's continuing flatulence? Something about how the dog was doing and Francois said something about the odor making him want to go back to France. 'But France has been invaded'. 'Exactly' (but in French).

Thanks! I'll look for the Astoria book. As for fiction, I like mysteries (cozy mysteries or those with some humor ('Cat who...' mysteries, Janet Evanovich). or those where the main characters has an interesting job (and gets mixed up in murder and mystery) such as the Anna Pigeon mysteries by Nevada Barr. And 'medical fiction' (Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Palmer, etc.). Adult situations are fine, but I'm not a huge fan of most detective, police fiction or courtroom books (with the exception of Tess Gerritsen). I also like historical fiction if it's the 'epic' type such as 'Lonesome Dove'. I like the ones that span generations.

I made a New Year's resolution to read at least two books that each have a setting in each U.S. state plus Washington, D.C. (so 102 books minimum). I want to read one fiction and one non-fiction book for each. I know I can find some recommendations online at various sites, but I wanted to check with all of you fellow readers for your recommendations. I know it will narrow the choices a little, but I'm partial to mysteries for fiction and true crime or biographies/autobiographies for the non-fiction.

I decided not to wait for Jan. 1st to begin my healthy eating regimen for the new year. I started on Saturday. So far, so good. I'm tracking my food and am trying to become more active as I'm able.

I love collards and turnip greens (but not the roots), but cabbage has gotten to be a go-to for New Year's because it's so easy to get at the store. Sometimes the other greens look a little wilted and sad at the store and I don't always have access to a local farmer's market (where you can get the good ones). Our Christmas ham was almost too salty to eat (I've never gotten one that was that salty), but the leftovers are perfect for seasoning pots of things (I plan to cut up the last bits and pieces later today and freeze them for future use). I had the flu the week before Christmas and still wasn't quite myself for the actual holiday. Luckily, it was just me and immediate family and we kept it low-key (we didn't even exchange gifts this year). I mainly took it easy.

I had a banana and some peanut butter for breakfast. Since it's New Year's Day, I'm going to cook up a big pot of black-eyed peas (seasoned with some Christmas ham bits) for lunch and some cabbage (again seasoned with ham) for dinner. This should take care of my luck and prosperity for the New Year.

It turned out that I have the flu. Today is the first day since Friday evening that I feel more like myself (although I still look like death warmed over). My fever is gone too. The idea of coffee sounds good, too, which is a good sign. When I'm sick, coffee becomes unappealing to me.

I used Betty Crocker brand, but mainly because that was the only one I saw (although the store might have had Krusteaz brand). The recipe I found online didn't specify.

Well, Friday evening I realized that I had developed a cough and a scratchy throat. It turned into a real barking cough and I had fever last night (just over 100), that seemed to come and go. Today I feel better (I got a little sleep), but the cough continues and the fever just came back (once again, 100). I made an appointment at a local drugstore to get a Covid and Flu test this afternoon.

Here it is. (Please excuse the condition of the card. I've used it for many years and it's gotten grimy. :) )

It's a few years old now, but every now and then I have to pull up this Cartier commercial to watch. It's so beautiful!

I just took a Sour Cream Pound cake out of the oven. And then put an Eggnog Pound cake and a pan of brownies in to bake. The Sour Cream cake was the hardest because it was totally from scratch. The Eggnog one and the brownies both start with a box mix, so they were easy to mix up. The scratch cake is for a luncheon tomorrow and the other two are for an open house at my local museum tomorrow evening. After these two events, the only other holiday-related party I have to get ready for until Christmas is a lunch on Friday (and I'm making deviled eggs, so I need to remember to boil the eggs tomorrow morning so I can 'devil' them tomorrow night). Here is the Eggnog Pound Cake recipe: 1 box pound cake mix 1 1/4 C. eggnog (I use bottled or the kind in the carton) 2 eggs 1/2 t. vanilla 1/2 t. fresh grated nutmeg (I throw in a little bit more for good measure) Mix until fully combined, about 2 minutes. Pour into a greased large loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. (you might have to bake a little bit longer. Check after one hour). Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out on a rack to finish cooling.

I'm not sure about where I got Maggie May's name from. Maybe 'wake up Maggie...', but I'm not positive. She was actually named Olivia for about a day until I realized that she didn't look like an Olivia. She was a Maggie. As for Alice, there was a commercial for something running on TV at the time (probably cat food) and there were cats named Ralph and Norton. A tiny new kitten was added to the family and they named it Alice. When I got Alice she looked just like the kitten in the commercial, so I named her after that cat.

Here are two more pictures of my babies. I still miss them so much! Alice was lounging on one of the dining room chairs showing me her bunny paws, and Maggie May was stretched out on my computer desk (she loved napping there when I was at the computer). I just noticed what site I was logged into when I took the picture! LOL!

The back of the pound cake mix does have directions for baking it in a bundt pan, so you would probably be okay. You might just want to watch the time, since it is a revised version and not the one that's on the box (substituting eggnog for the butter). I'm not sure about the glaze, but a little cream cheese never hurt anyone, in my opinion (I think that's why my deviled eggs are reasonably popular. I put about 1/4 block of softened cream cheese in every batch I make).

Yes, that's a lot of eggs. They'll get used up by Christmas, what with extra baking and cooking that I don't usually do. I used 18 of them for deviled eggs for a party today and plan to use 2 more for the eggnog pound cake tonight. I will use 6 more for a sour cream pound cake for a Thursday party and another 18 for more deviled eggs for Friday. Eggs that are left will get used up in another cake or two for family Christmas stuff and I plan to make more deviled eggs and potato salad as well. I got one of my eggs this morning, but the rest were gone soon so I didn't have any leftover to bring back for myself (which is a good thing, I guess. I guess I make a decent deviled egg). The Eggnog Pound Cake is easy because although I like to bake pound cakes from scratch, this one uses a box mix as the base: 1 pkg. Pound Cake Mix 1 1/4 C. prepared eggnog (I just used name brand in bottle or carton) 2 large eggs 1/2 t. fresh grated nutmeg (if you use powdered, you might have adjust the taste and check online for how much to use) 1/2 t. vanilla Beat all ingredients together until combined. Then mix a medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased loaf pan (I use a fairly large one), and bake for 1 hour (or maybe a little more) in a 350 degree oven. Check after one hour and bake a little longer if necessary. Cool for 10 minutes in pan and the turn out of pan to fully cool. (I also found one that had an eggnog glaze on it, but I haven't made that part yet. It was just confectioners sugar and eggnog. And probably some more nutmeg. Just enough to make a pourable glaze.)