MARCH ?? OMG--I can barely WALK !!

  Today is the beginning of spring cleaning month. LOL  I have great plans for this day, and it'll be interesting to see how much comes to fruition. As I know better than anyone..."[wo]Man makes plans, and God laughs."

  Generally the plan is to seriously attack the carpets and this office.  Regular old cleaning on the rest. But I do need to take down my sheers in the living room and wash those. They are full of cat and dog slobber and goo.  yuck.   We have a couple of lovely women coming for supper tomorrow night and so I have to get a certain amount of cleaning done anyway. I have an overflowing laundry basket and it's supposed to be in the 60's again, so I could hang the laundry out to dry on the line.  Yesterday would have been perfect--it was so windy all day you could have dried things in half an hour. Today --not so much. But warm and sunny, and that's good enough.  I can clean up the floors and get some general cleaning done and then tomorrow I'll only have to minimally clear up. because overnight, these dogs and this man can undo everything I have done, just by being here. That's just how it is.

  Still not sure what I'm fixing for the company.  They are not vegetarians, but would like to be. lol  So maybe I can wow'em with something that will give them the push they need.  Or not.  It's always fun to amaze people with food preparation...and it seems like the simpler it is, the more they like it. 

  I spent yesterday with my neighbor, so his wife could have a day out with friends and doing some good stuff for herself.  It was a nice, but long, day.  By the time I got home it was an hour before the Irishman got home from work and I had nothing made for supper. So--I fixed breakfast. With yummy potatoes full of onions and garlic and bell peppers, a couple of over easy eggs on top and english muffins.  It was satisfying and filling and delicious.  Problem solved.  I was going to fix omelets full of spinach and stuff....but at the last minute I just didn't have it in me to go that extra step.  And he certainly doesn't care. he is the easiest-going man I have ever met when it comes to feeding him. He will try anything once. he loves almost everything, and he never-ever-complains.  I am especially blessed.

  I think for supper tonight I'll just do an easy stir-fry. I can do all that at the last minute as I still have leftover quinoa. I have a block of tofu in there too...hmmm....Or maybe even cook some lentils.  sigh...the possibilities are endless  :)   BTW--I checked my blood pressure on my neighbors new fancy dancey bp cuff...it was 127/65.  Imagine that....

   It's shaping up to be a lovely day out there, so I'd better get going. Still chilly...37 degrees at 8 AM.  But it's sunny and clear and I am so ready to get the windows open again and let the fresh air blow through. I had them open all day yesterday--it was 50 degrees before 9 o'clock.  So, I'll get 'er opened up and clean some and enjoy this beautiful day...may even find the time to make a run into town and see my sister's new dog and pick up some things she has for me, as well as take the kennel back to the people who loaned it to us when we got Bella.  That will be a major deconstruction...and the cats are going to miss their spot to lay in front of the windows here in the office. I'll have to find them a replacement. lol  There are 3 of them up there right now...

  Alright, campers--get out there and have a good day.

  Are any of you starting your spring cleaning yet? (Your homes probably don't get like mine...8 cats and 4 dogs and a bird and a man....makes for some cleaning opportunities.)  Is it 19 days til spring??  Do I get to use all of those days to get it all done?  lol   Are there ANY rules regarding all this??   

  Glorious sunny days....hope you all have a good one.  

Namaste.

Father's Day

Bee Balm, before the blooms that showed up a couple of days ago...back when we were arguing about whether it weas mint (him) or bee balm (me)  Hah. I win. It's now full of beautiful red flowers.

  I've been cooking a vegetarian feast today...made black bean veggie burgers and a quinoa salad.  I went out and rummaged around the garden to find stuff to use, and brought in scallions, fresh basil, small cukes, tiny zucchinis,...then I went to the freezer and found my next-to-the-last bag of shelled edamame and a package of red,yellow and green bell pepper strips.  I also put some of my salsa from last year into the burgers for a little zing.  I made the salad with all of the above and dressed it with a light lemon juice and olive oil, a little cracked black pepper and freshly ground sea salt. My lord, is it ever good.  I bought a giant bulk bag of nature burger mix a while back (a long while back...but it seems to last forever), and I have been using it as a base when I make these burgers.  This time I used the black beans, so they cook up pretty dark...but I added green onions sliced thin and a bit of the bell peppers I used in the salad. A bit of extra garlic and pepper and mixed it up and cooked the burgers in a little vegetable oil. They are delicious. I'm eating this plate full right now. (NO bread, so I figured I co0uld have 2 patties and a HEAP of the quinoa! lol

The cut up watermelon was sitting in the fridge calling my name.  lol  Even the kitties are loving these burgers. Unbelievable.


  Father's Day. My dad died on August 20, 1984.  He was one of my biggest fans when it came to cooking, all my life. When I was a little girl and he would praise my cookies to the heavens or later when my lasagna was his absolute favorite dish.  The last few years of his life, when he was on special diets for his heart problems and later still, when the lung cancer was killing him and he could barely breathe enough to eat...every Father's Day I would make him a batch of peanut brittle, which had always been his favorite "candy". We would giggle like we were getting away with something, and he would relish every bite. It was one of our big "secrets". He always said that no peanut brittle he had ever eaten, in his entire life, was as good as the stuff I made for him. He will always be the man that no man can ever measure up to, for me. I miss him still. There's a picture of him today on my Facebook Badge at the side of my blog page.


  It's another beautiful hot and humid midwestern day here. Rained this morning and now it's about 85 degrees. I have to head down to MissB's in a bit, so I'd better finish up here, eat my food and get showered.

  Have a peaceful day, y'all....


Namaste.