What are you reading?

My book choices lately have been mostly dry reading.  I want to read them but they don't hold my interest for long.  So I move on to magazines.  Currently I'm reading Stupid History and Wellness on a Shoestring.  The healthy cookbooks are a constant and when I finish with one I go on to another.

Have you checked the Library page to see what I've been reading?  I have a stack of magazines to go through all the time.  Some I subscribe to and some I get from Sonsearae.  Well, I'm finally reading this year's magazines!

What is your favorite type of book to read?  We both like spy thrillers and mysteries.  I like historical novels and every now and then a romance.

All is right in our world

Staying Busy

How busy is your day?  Do you look for things to keep you busy or are you content with sitting and reading a book or magazine.  Do you have days of the week for your chores?  My mom did...with six children laundry was done at least three days a week.  Tuesday was the day to iron and Monday night she spent time sprinkling those clothes with water.  Does anyone still do that?

Is your calendar full of places to go?  People to see?

For working folks everyday chores must keep them busy.   Get up, perhaps have breakfast...women may throw a load of laundry in the washer, dishes in the sink, get dressed.  Men....what do men do?  Shave and get dressed.   Parents have a whole list of chores before leaving for an outside job.

Me?  I have daily chores to do, but once they're done, I can choose to do whatever I want, I am retired from the work force.  Getting dressed,  making meals, having meals, doing dishes and laundry. Making and unmaking the bed. Nothing to difficult, anyone can do it.  I have several hobbies and lately I've been paper crafting.  I do that early in the day with my coffee.  Jim and Boo are asleep and I can make a mess.

Some days it seems like I'm doing something from one minute to the next and other days all I do is sit....and think about 'chores' I should be doing.

All is right in our world

do you suppose there is only one?

Good News, Bad News

A few days ago Jim finally got a hold of an RV tech who has agreed to come out and help him with the cooling unit install.  YAY!  We've been living out of ice chests since Easter and while we are getting exercise (good!) from going outside to retrieve items, it's getting tiresome.   

Bad news.....said technician is busy for the next two or three weeks!  He said if someone cancels he'll give us a call.....

Our days are heating up...upper 80's I'm guessing.  Sometimes it feels hotter because of the humidity.  There are lot of beautiful flowers and trees blooming

"The monkey wrench was invented by London blacksmith Charles Moncke.  When his wrench was brought to the United States, people pronounced it's name as a possessive, 'Moncke's wrench' which over time became Monkey Wrench." *

Aren't you glad to know this?


*Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages, Leland Gregory

Happy Mother's Day

Still doing the same old thing...day to day life isn't exciting.  The cooling unit for the refrigerator arrived but alas it's still on the porch.  We've been using ice chests and Sonsearae's refrigerator since Easter.  Our son-in-law Chris has been my hero in supplying us with two humongous ice chests and keeping them filled with ice.  He and his staff have saved us money and probably daily trips into town for ice (thirty minutes to the nearest store).

Magnolias are looking good!

Not sure what the name of this tree is, if you do, let me know!

We had a lovely dinner with Sonsearae and Chris today.  Strange thing happened...We went to the restaurant only to find it closed due to a gas leak.  So we switched to plan B...as we drove around we began to notice a lot of eateries had empty parking lots.  ???  The second restaurant was closed also!  This place had an employee outside and he explained why.  There had been an accident and I'll bet there was a lot of lost revenue this Mothers Day!

We drove to another area (probably across a river) where we enjoyed some seafood instead of Japanese Hibachi.  No matter, it was tasty and we shared a meal as a family.

On the way home we stopped at Dunkin Doughnuts for dessert and at the front door was this family of Sandhill Cranes.  Unfortunately there was a lady tossing doughnut bits and the cranes were gobbling them down

I've never been this close to one and when we left I was close enough to pet one (and I would have if I thought I could!).  Magnificent birds!

Back home I noticed this in bloom.  Not the best picture with my phone (all of the pictures in this blog were taken with my phone) but it's taller than the house!

Make your own Coffee Creamers

Do you like flavored coffees?  There are many brands of coffee creams out there and many flavors to choose from.  Have you ever thought of making your own?  I offer two recipes that I found online and since they're easy I'm sure you could expand upon the flavors 

Give it a try!  You won't be getting all the 'ingredients' found in commercial brands...that's a good thing!

Homemade French Vanilla Coffee Creamer

If you prefer a sweeter creamer, than simply add extra maple syrup. Prefer it a bit more creamy? Substitute some of the milk with heavy cream. The creamers keep for about 10 days in the refrigerator.
  Makes about 2 cups.

1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 vanilla bean

Whisk together milk, cream and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cut vanilla bean in half, and scrape out seeds. Add seeds and vanilla bean to milk mixture. Turn off heat, cover the pot and steep for 30 minutes. After mixture has steeped, strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. (If you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand, simply replace it with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract)



Homemade Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer

If you prefer a sweeter creamer, than simply add extra maple syrup. Prefer it a bit more creamy? Substitute some of the milk with heavy cream. The creamers keep for about 10 days in the refrigerator.

1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon peppermint extract


Whisk together milk, cream, maple syrup, and cocoa in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam, remove from the heat and stir in the peppermint extract. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator.

Let me know if you try either of these recipes...

Lazy I Guess

I have time to write, I just don't have much to write about.  

Our daily life is pretty much boring.  Like today, I stripped the bed, Jim checked ice levels in the coolers (still no refrigerator), then we drove into Stuart to walk the boardwalk.  We drove through a gazillion love bugs and it was getting difficult to see out the windshield.  Jim stopped at a gas station to clean it.

We picked up a Subway sandwich and along with the beer we brought we had a picnic overlooking the river.  Surprising enough it was quite brisk!  The wind off the water and a temperature in the mid 70's made me wish I had a bowl of soup.

Quick stop at Publix and we were on the way home.

Once home Jim napped and I still have to make the bed...

Not exactly life in the fast lane!

All is right in our world....