Another Boring Post - Sorry

Princess Sassy Pants advice of the week:

If you want to see more of Princess Sassy Pants and Prince Pucci, Click Here. 

Monday was clean-up day after company. I always have things to store back in the garage, and now I have dishes to pack up for disposal each time.

Then it was off to Mt. Vernon and lunch with Brothers Bill and Jim, and SIL Becky at El Maya. We've seen photos from here before, so I didn't take more. I always have my favorite carnitas (photo from prior.) Corn tortillas in the foil. I think they gave me even more meat this time. This will make three meals for me.

El Maya is on the square in Mt. Vernon. The courthouse in the middle of the square looks great from any side. I hurriedly took photos while stopped in the parking spaces or holding up traffic at a stop sign, so excuse the angles. The building is not tilting.

I found an article about the courthouse Click Here. Don't you love the internet? You can find almost anything.

Tuesday: 

I was dragging around like an old woman. Oh, yeah! I am an old woman. I felt it. I just wanted a day off, so I did what I pleased. I stayed in bed and finished the silly book I was reading. Three stars. You don't want to know. The cats were giving me a break - no scratching at the door to get me to the kitchen.

After my daily chores, I had leftovers from Sunday for lunch, then looked at an old Victoria magazine to see if I could get inspired. Nope!

I checked the National Days for inspiration. June 10 is Iced Tea Day. Brewed a pitcher to sip while I reviewed my goals. Decided to make a coffee cake instead.

I made a promise to myself to be a better planner about food so I don't waste it. I had a 1/2 gallon of milk, a quart of whipping cream, and a pint of sour cream, never opened, which I needed to start using. I also had a can of apple pie filling I bought by mistake (thought it was cherry for the Cherry-Chocolate Cake.) This recipe is from the Lucky Leaf Pie Filling website, revised somewhat.

EASY APPLE COFFEE CAKE

1 15.25-oz white cake mix

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2 tsps apple pie spice

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 21-oz can apple pie filling

 

Optional glaze:

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

2 Tbs whipping cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

 

Heat oven to 350°F.

 

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray – bottom only.

 

Combine the eggs, sour cream, spice, and vanilla, mixing lightly.

 

Add cake mix and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Batter is thick, but can be mixed with a hand mixer if you wish. Stand mixer is easier.

 

Spread in the baking dish.

 

Cut through the pie filling several times while it’s in the can. Spread evenly over cake batter.

 

Bake 40 minutes. If top is browning too quickly, move to a lower oven rack.

 

When cake has cooled, mix glaze and drizzle the top.

I remembered that I hadn't taken an allergy relief pill for over a week, and even when I don't have allergy symptoms, when I feel fatigued, a pill does the trick. Runny nose off and on constantly, so I don't count it as a symptom. I took a pill, checked some things on the computer, then felt better, so I worked in the front yard.

I'm embarassed to show you how far behind I am with weeds.

Why is this lily blooming now?

I haven't seen any of Jeremy's honeybees around the balloon plants, but the bumblebee would hit each blossom, fly away, and come back to repeat.

I only got this far - will finish tomorrow.

This guy is one of those supermarket plants which aren't supposed to survive if you put them in the yard. It's been around several years, but this is the first year that it's bloomed.

Ate El Maya leftovers for dinner and to bed early.

Wednesday:

I made chicken-rice soup with the broth I froze last week, extra chicken and rice from Sunday's casserole. I should have made it Monday and saved the freezing and thawing. I ate some, saved a quart, and will take the container to Joey and Robert with some of the Apple Coffeecake. 

There's a story behind the container. Lean Cuisine used to sell ice cream. Joey liked it, and I liked the containers. She saved them for me. I have only two left, and the only one I trust with them is Joey. I brought these with me from California in 2005, and I'd already had them at least ten years - maybe longer.

My mosquito bucket is all set up now. Let's hope it works. I'd never heard of them, but my neighbor Jeremy, who is very smart, got one for me. The board of our Homeowners' Association is handling them. 

I worked three hours in the yard. The back behind the house wasn't too bad, as I've been policing it; cleaned up the iris.

I worked on the front some more, but it was last, and I was getting weary, so did't finish. The tall plant in the back is marjoram gone wild. I planned to take it out, but when it blooms, Jeremy's little bees love it.

The north side is long and was full of these little trees. The tree in my neighbor's yard puts out those little helicopters which spin to the ground. They're seeds, and little trees spring up wherever they fall. They're easily pulled up by the roots, but LOTS of them. 

All clear now, except for the hostas I left when I had the bushes removed.

A teapot I missed when clearing out rabbits and carrots. Will go to Terri.

Thursday:

Raining off and on during the morning. I did a little work on my computer. I MUST delete some files as my C drive is filling up rapidly.

Then Classic Lawns came and put chemicals on my lawn. Not looking good for yard work today.

Rained off and on all afternoon.

I took yesterday's yard waste to dump at recycle; went to the bank, Harter House, and Aldi. I actually saw reduced prices today. Not sale prices, but real reductions.

Came home and put the groceries away, made late lunch-early dinner, and called it a day. Really sore from yesterday.

I've been going through some of my old Tea Time magazines. They really do a beautiful job with teas, especially the flowers.

Friday:

Another rainy day. No yard work today.

I made bacon and eggs for breakfast, and then I grazed all day: baby carrots dipped in ranch dressing, a lettuce salad, a baked sweet potato with butter and salt and pepper, a piece of the Apple Coffeecake, strawberries and cream, a hot dog with potato chips. YouTube University told me to stop eating: cokes, chips, sweets, white bread, process meats. Today I ate everything but the cokes.

What do you think of this? Click Here I always said there was more here than we'd heard. Way to go Kash!

Well, well, well. YouTube is still cancelling things about Obama. This video was about his Indonesian passport and his background. 

I did laundry and odds and ends; spent the rest of the day doing something I've been promising myself I'd finally begin - I started studying the Civil War.

PBS Passport has a long Ken Burns series (9 episodes) and each is a little less than two hours. When I watch I take notes to help me remember. And I can go back and pick out names and places to study further. Hourly History and Captivating History on Kindle are free if you sign up (selections each week), and they take about an hour to read. I think all selections are on Kindle Unlimited. 

I just saw that the House already passed a bill to defund PBS, so I'd better get busy. Right now the Passport is only $60 a year. Who knows what the future brings?

I'm already hooked and now I just want to study. 

Saturday:

Wet yard. Will this rainy season ever end? Tomorrow will be the 15th - half of June gone. And then June 30 - half the year gone. What about my 2025 goals? Time to get serious. 

I've goofed off half of the year. Time to focus. Goals and health. RFKJR is having an effect on me. After hearing about our food compared to other countries, I can see why we are becoming a nation to be scorned, not admired. 

After watching a vlog on fast food, my stomach does a little flip-flop when I think about eating it. The thing which really got me nauseous was about Taco Bell, one of my favorites. The dried beans are cooked, then dried, then ground into powder to ship to the restaurants where they mix it with hot water and have the audacity to call it "refried beans." Yuck!

I'm so disappinted in myself, and it's spilling over into "us." I see how people dress (myself included when I'm at home.) I see the trash along our roads. I see our scores on education, health, crime, birth rates, debt (government and individuals), not to mention the divide in our political views. How can anyone be against deporting criminals and support putting illegals ahead of our own citizens?

Than I see all my shortcomings and wonder, "Have I lost my spunk?"

Well, this day didn't go over well. I just complained and made myself depressed, took to the couch and watched movies. 

Oh, well. As the fictional Mexican detective (can't remember his name) says, "Tomorrow is also a day." 

Time to rely on Elon Musk's remedy for getting started: "Whatever you're avoiding, just do it for five minutes." 

And my remedy for all problems: GET BUSY!!!

Sunday:

Another gloomy and drippy day, with sprinkles and showers off and on, followed by a downpour at 5:00 p.m.

I gathered trash and cleaned out the refrigerators, resolving to only buy what I need for what I planned to make.

Better late than never, I finally "made" a June wreath. I "made" it by wiring a small daisy wreath I bought at a thrift store to a larger wreath ring, and adding leaves all around to make it larger.

Then I changed the pillow tops.

And before you know it, time to change to red, white, and blue for 4th of July.

The rest of the day just frittered away, though I did do some planning, grocery list, cleaning up my desk. 

Two weeks until a new reset on July 1. I plan to make the second half of 2025 worthwhile. The first half had highlights, but overall a disappointment. Perhaps you'll join me. 

Hang with me - I promise to make my blog posts more fun in the future. Some ideas -

MAYBE SOME DAY TRIPS

SPEND MORE TIME IN THE YARD

(RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY)

MAKE CARDS

MORE DECLUTTERING

GET SERIOUS ABOUT 2025 GOALS

STOP MAKING EXCUSES

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO MY MELTDOWN