maison rustique

I'm drooling over that galette. And craving pizza!

I'm just glad someone besides me remembered her. RIP

Not quite the thing for hot weather, but I made a mock posole verde to use up some stuff that was lingering.

That is infuriating! If it does happen again, put up a camera so you'll have them on video and can file a police report.

Happy Anniversary!!

Incredibly hot and humid yesterday. My sis brought me some pulled pork so I topped a salad with some pork, almonds, parm and brioche croutons. Lemon vinaigrette.

I'm so sorry. I hope it ends up being an easy fix and doesn't cause too much damage.

I'm laughing because since I feed the birds and all the wildlife that comes out of our woods, there is always mating or a rumble going on on our patio or deck during the night. Someone could film critter porn here if they were so inclined. I usually open the window and tell them to take it out in the yard. Not that they ever listen to me.

The Celtics won. Aetna Advantage covered 100% of the dental work the husband had done a few weeks ago. My electric bill went down for the second time in about 6 months (on the level pay plan). I was hoping this was a good trend, but by the looks of the mail that is arriving today, I've got a couple of big bills (life insurance) arriving and got a notice from the assisted living facility that the rates are already going up after just 3 months. Sigh.

No photo because I was starving, but I had a meatloaf sandwich with s/p, plenty of mayo and sharp cheddar. Potato chips. Pinot grigio because that's what was open in the fridge. Delicious. Meatloaf sandwiches might be my very favorite food.

I'm a happy camper, but I'm not banking on anything. What if JT gets injured in next game? What if, what if... Too much can go wrong.

Much to be cheerful about today... First of all, NBA play-offs begin tonight. I hope the Celtics haven't gotten rusty while waiting! Secondly, while Kansas City was one of the first Google Fiber installation cities, our little Liberty (about 2 miles from KC) was one of the last. It is finally ready. I ordered it up yesterday and they will install on the 18th--it will cut my monthly costs by about $60. Since they do not offer TV now, I also ordered a free trial of YouTube TV, which I am watching local news on at the moment. Took me a minute to figure it out, but I think I've got it now. As of right now with the little TV I watch, I have not seen any channel I can't get that I would miss. And I was greeted this morning by House Sparrows, Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmice, Northern Cardinals, Mourning Doves and Northern Mockingbirds.

Warm weather means light suppers. Simple salad with crispy pepperoni on top (I added shredded parm after the photo) and a sage-thyme croissant from my neighbors' baker daughter.

Having been married to an electronics engineer way back when, even when he was in school, he was still fascinated with the radar range. So much so that he bought me one for Christmas. Let me tell you, that thing was enormous!! I kept it for years because it still worked, was nostalgic and if I had 25 cups of coffee to re-heat, I could fit all of them into it at the same time. 😂 I have many cookbooks for microwave cooking, but still only use it for re-heating for the most part. Once in a while, I'll nuke some veggies or bake a potato. But if I'd been inclined, I could have cooked a whole turkey dinner in that old one!

There is a local group of food-minded folks here that is an informal group--some are just people who like to eat, some love to cook, some own restaurants, etc. I've made a number of friends via the group and one of my friends hosted a brunch yesterday. I didn't take any photos, but am stealing a few from a friend's FB page. I was delighted to see that the host made and served a rice salad that I concocted that is loosely based on a dish that was served at a restaurant in Costa Mesa many years ago. I'd forgotten that I shared the recipe with her a few years ago.

Fascinating! Thank you.

Do we need to know how to prevent them?

Certainly isn't heavy-duty literature, but I am reading "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers" by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Set in SF's Chinatown, it is engaging and humorous. A good distraction for me. I find the younger Asian generations' attitudes toward their elders/parents to be both fascinating and funny. I hope it isn't offensive to Asians because I truly don't believe the author intended it to be so. And just to keep this at least partially about food, Vera Wong of title fame runs a tea shop and cooks traditional Chinese food like crazy, so tea and food are featured prominently. Makes me hungry when I'm reading it.

Good to know! I have in-laws in Rochester. I was planning to ship the family mantel clock to them, but maybe I need to plan a driving trip in the fall. I could take the clock, visit Ithaca and try to relax a bit. I love driving trips and I already know that area is gorgeous in autumn.

I use the wonderful and free Merlin ID app from Cornell, so if they are fictional, blame them. 😆 I do often wonder where they come up with the names for some birds. There are some crazy ones out there. I also think that all the storm activity/climate change has brought many new birds to our area either temporarily or permanently--time will tell.

Was greeted this morning by House Sparrows, Cooper's Hawk!!, Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmice, Northern Mockingbirds, Downy Woodpeckers, Great Crested Flycatchers and Northern Cardinals.

What a great video! What a great guy he was! RIP.

I'm working to downsize and get this place listed soon. I will certainly miss my Wildlife Diner patrons when I move. I don't think I posted here about the other day. I was driving down the highway. An Indigo Bunting flew down just to the right of me on the center line and sat there briefly. First time I have actually seen one, though I have picked up their songs at home a few times lately. Their electric blue color is just stunning. Then, on the way back on the same highway, either a crane or heron flew down low to look at me, dip a wing, then take off. When those things happen, I feel like I'm being sent a message of some sort by the PTB. Yesterday we visited cemeteries to decorate family graves. We did an abbreviated version this year since so many of us have health issues right now and stamina is low. At any rate, while at one of the Independence cemeteries, we pulled up to our family plot and there was a beautiful fox running across the way toward a wooded area. I didn't have my phone out yet to get a photo. Then a bit later I observed a cardinal flying around from one gravestone to another. As many believe that viewing cardinals are loved ones visiting from the other side, it was a sweet thing to see in a cemetery.

It will be beautiful weather today until evening when more severe storms head into the area. My sisters and BIL are coming and we will go decorate family graves since the rest of the weekend is supposed to be wet. My morning songsters included some newbies again. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Great-crested Flycatcher, who need to get busy because it is really buggy out there, are new to my immediate area. Singing along were Northern Cardinals, ?House Sparrows, American Crows, Brown-headed Cowbirds and Carolina Wrens.

Yes, I hope so, too. He actually had lost 2 fillings in front teeth and the dentist said when he was replacing one, another fell out. So, he replaced 3 fillings and smoothed out a crown on a back tooth that had broken. Our dentist is wonderful. He cared for my Mom when she had dementia and he is aware of Don's condition and sensitive to my financial situation with having to pay for memory care. There was a lot he could have done--made me aware--but said he doesn't think those things are critical and can wait. And, I am meeting friends this afternoon for Happy Hour wine and pizza at a new-ish place here that I've been wanting to visit. It is rare for our little city to get an independent restaurant. We are in the land of crappy chains here.