2022 Project 365 – Week Forty-three

For reasons you will hear all about a little further down, my brain does not want to brain. So let’s just get started, shall we?
Sunday, October 23^rd            
Temperature blanket through August – we’re getting there! Close-up of Samuel Spaniel and Carolina Cow being yarn bombed.   
 

Monday, October 24^th
I had brought a half an avocado to eat with my lunch, forgetting that we were going to have pizza at work. I’ve got to say, this was really tasty!

Tuesday, October 25^th       
The Roy came to visit Dr. M! He got plenty of scritches and a treat (or three).
 

Wednesday, October 26^th                 
Autumn scenes from around the neighborhood.
 

Thursday, October 27^th           
A moody bowl of McIntosh apples… (They are so good!)
 

Friday, October 28^th           
Even though I came home early from work (because I thought I was catching a cold), I still spent some time getting ready for some dinosaur shenanigans!
 

Saturday, October 29^th       
Our church had trunk or treat today. I was still feeling bad (had a low grade fever in the morning), but I decided to go ahead & go because that dinosaur costume is its own hazmat suit – the “windows” kept fogging up because it got so steamy in there. I stayed away from people when it was unzipped (see the photo of me on my phone – ha!). The kids really love the dinosaur and it’s a lot of fun to see how excited they are. I’m going to try to upload a couple of videos too.
 

Well reader, I finally got got by Covid. I started feeling bad on Friday, and then today I tested positive. So far it’s been mainly a snot event – charming! So I’m going to be hanging out at home for the next several days. Dr. M hasn’t tested yet, but he’s pretty sure he has it too. Here’s hoping our symptoms remain mild!

2022 Project 365 – Week Forty-two

Hoo boy – we had QUITE the week here in Bugland! Buckle up – it’s a lot!
Sunday, October 16^th             
After church I went to Dad & Sue’s for lunch & we had a special visitor. He’s just the most adorable (not biased at all here). Speaking of “biased” – that’s the correct usage, right? I’ve seen a surge of people saying, “I’m bias, but…” Wouldn’t that mean they’re calling themselves diagonal? Or am I crazy?
 

Monday, October 17^th
I did that thing where I crocheted during lunch and got 1500 steps. Woot!

Tuesday, October 18^th       
It’s been a minute since I wore this shrug because it just feels so extra. But it was cold, and I was bored with my other options.
 

Dr. M has been concerned about getting his dad’s gas fireplace serviced so that the pilot light would work. The guy who usually does it has been very sick, so Dr. M went to Google Trade School and figured it out himself. I’m pretty proud of him!
 

Wednesday, October 19^th                 
My status from FB: This is not going to turn into a fashion account, but for the second day in a row I’m wearing something weird that I made. And I’m sharing it here so I can tell you that when I went to go to bed last night I straight up walked right into the bedroom door and sloshed water all over me and my phone and laughed like a loon. I was innocently scrolling Instagram and carrying a glass of water & forgot that the door was shut (because I like to live in Hawaii and sleep in Siberia). I thought it was SO FUNNY. I don’t know why. Dr. M just shook his head at me.
 

Dr. M found a great deal on a 2017 Ford Escape! And he’s letting making me drive it at least through the winter (it’s 4WD!). Oh my goodness – I feel like I’ve dropped into the lap of luxury. This is a huge leap forward from Daisy (2012). I think the features I’m most excited about are the dual temperature controls (marriage saver!) and heated seats. (Also, I am very short.)

Thursday, October 20^th           
The only picture I took was of the magnet Dr. M snuck and put on the back of the new car. I had brought it home to put on Daisy & kept forgetting.
 

Friday, October 21^st           
My nephew’s wife threw a surprise birthday party for him. It was a lot of fun. I especially liked the double-decker cookie cake. Yum!
 

Saturday, October 22^nd       
Hart Square Village is a little over a mile from our house, and yet for some reason we had never attended the living history day that they have each year. Well, I had hip surgery, and then Dr. M had back surgery. Anyway we decided that this was the year. They have 103 structures, built between roughly 1760 and 1893, and artisans and docents spread over a pretty large area. We were pretty proud of how well we did walking up and down the trails over some rough terrain. We had a good day and both of us took a lot of pictures. I’m just going to share a “few” (ha!) here.
 

Of course I had to go into the little Episcopal church. The guy in there was actually playing the organ!
 

Dr. M had to have his photo taken at the Rhyne barn. Not sure exactly when it was built, but the name associated with it is George Pinkney Rhyne (1821-1948). He was Dr. M’s 1st cousin, 4x removed on his mom’s side, but he is also kin to Dr. M on his father’s side (Dr. M’s family tree goes straight up). George’s father, William Lawson Rhyne, was Dr. M’s 3rd great-granduncle.  William Lawson Rhyne's father, Jonas, is both Dr. M’s 4th great-granduncle (on the Rhyne side) and his 4th great-grandfather (on the Friday side)! Confused? So are we!
 

I’m sorry Nance – I did pull for Cleveland but to no avail. In fact, it sort of feels like me pulling for someone sounds the death knell on their season. Because I’m all powerful that way. What successes or lack thereof did you have this week?

2022 Project 365 – Week Forty-one

Well, baseball is over for us since the Braves were eliminated yesterday. Now I’m trying to decide who to pull for – Cleveland? Houston (because we love Dusty Baker)? San Diego? It’s kind of nice to only sort of care. Although obviously it would be nicer if our team had won.
Sunday, October 9^th             
As I mentioned last week, Dr. M & I took a little ramble and got lunch at a place by Lake Hickory. I got the black bean burger. We were both too hungry to photograph the food, but I took a photo of the menu especially for Nance. Check out that description – ha!
 

Monday, October 10^th
I made myself a tuna melt for dinner. I took a picture of the open cabinet door & texted Dr. M asking him why I had left it open. It’s not something I usually do & I was perplexed.

Tuesday, October 11^th       
The Bugly’s last ride. It started overheating on Monday & Dr. M limped it to his dad’s house today so that he could borrow the truck (Floyd the Ford). He took pictures of all the places he had to stop to let it cool down before he could continue. We could probably get it fixed, but it’s 18 years old and has over 200,000 miles on it & I think it would be like a game of whack a mole if we started putting money into it. We were (and still are) VERY SAD about this. The Bugly was Professor Rhyne’s car at school, and it was our road trip car. It’s going to be hard to let go.
 

Last week I had spent some time around someone who had COVID, so I tested myself for the first time ever.
 

Wednesday, October 12^th                 
Dr. M moved Sheepie to Floyd and we were all sad again.
 

Got my hair cut again. Look at all that gray!
 

Thursday, October 13^th           
Today was a momentous occasion! I finally reached the point in the blanket where I stopped increasing & started decreasing! According to my calculations it’s going to be 9 feet by 14 feet – definitely out-monstering the previous monster (my 2016 temperature blanket).
 

Friday, October 14^th          
I had the day off from work and spent it with my cousin attending the virtual Evolving Faith conference. It was SO GOOD! Man. But it lasted from 9:30 to after 6:00 and I was WIPED OUT. I could barely form coherent sentences when I got home. Sorry, Dr. M!
 

Saturday, October 15^th      
I went back over to my cousin’s house for the morning session. When I was getting back in the car, Audrey jumped in – twice! She apparently wanted to go home with me. So adorable.
 

Dr. M got this nifty BBQ set from his aunt’s house. It’s pretty substantial – we think it might be useful in the Zombie Apocalypse too. Now we just need to get a grill.
 

Seattle fans started wearing shoes on their heads for some reason (rally shoes!) and somewhere around the 15^th inning I decided to try it. However, they ended up losing in 18. (Note: I did not wear the shoe the whole time. No doubt that’s why they lost.)

Well, the time of baseball is nearly at an end, and the time of hockey has begun. The Carolina Hurricanes have won their first two games of the season. Maybe someday I’ll actually watch a game (their next four games start after 9:00). No worry – the season lasts about four years so I’ll have plenty of chances to watch. I know that all four of my readers are just fascinated – ha! What’s keeping you going this fall? Candy corn? Pumpkin (pie) spice? Guy Fawkes night? Do tell!

Book Reviews – the September Edition

Remember how I only read two books in August? I think I know what happened – I had about five going at the same time, reading a bit in each every day, and then I finally finished them in September. I finished 8 books in September! There are two that I won’t list here (another enneagram book, and a book about purity culture in the evangelical church and the global oppression and mistreatment of women – let me know if you’re interested in either one). That still leaves five to review.

 

Borderlines (Joe Gunther #2) ★★★★, by Archer Mayor. In the second book of the series, Joe heads to his uncle’s home in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. He’s supposed to just be staying with him while he helps out a neighboring county with an embezzling case. However, almost right away there is an altercation with a local cult, a fire, a murder, and some of his old friends are involved up to their necks. I enjoyed this book as much as the first one. I have the third one on hold at the library – I’ll (of course) let you know how it goes.
 

Desperation in Death (In Death #55) ★★★, by J. D. Robb. Eve Dallas is searching for a young girl’s killer. She suspects that the girl was being groomed for sex trafficking, and is having trouble getting a handle on the case until another young girl comes forward. Another excellent In Death book!
 

Down the Rabbit Hole (In Death #41.5) ★★★, by J. D. Robb et al. This is a compilation of four short stories, only one of which is about Eve Dallas. I loved the Dallas one, but the others were just not up to the same J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) standards. They weren’t terrible, but they weren’t fabulous. And I had actually read it way back in the day so I probably shouldn’t even count it here. I kept thinking, this all sounds vaguely familiar… Ha!

The Power ★★★★, by Naomi Alderman. Sometime in the far distant future, a man sends a manuscript of a book he has written to a woman to get her thoughts. It’s about the origins of Mother Eve, and how at one point in time men had the upper hand in society. Which seems laughable to the woman reader, but she’s game for a new tale. In the fictional novel, the male author describes how teenage girls suddenly wake up one day with electricity in their palms; they can zap anyone they want to & that changes the face of the earth. On the one hand, this book was very well written. On the other hand I spent about 80% of it being horrified at how women weren’t any better than men once they were in power. I’m still not sure what I think about it, but it helped a lot when I decided to take it as satire (which was probably not the actual intent).

Lily and the Octopus ★★★★★, by Steven Rowley. Oh what a lovely tender, hilarious, heartbreaking, fabulous book this was! Ted has a dachshund named Lily, and this is his story of his fierce love for her. It was very satisfactory (but sad, for sure – be forewarned). And in case you are interested, the audio narrator was very good.
 
I’ve finished two books in October, and I’m hoping to finish another one in the next day or two (we shall see). BUT I’ve started rereading the Eve Dallas books. I’m on the third one (and as you can see up there, there are 55 of them). I might get tired of this, but I wouldn’t count on it. So my next book review post will probably be pretty short, and the last one for a while. What are you reading?

2022 Project 365 – Week Forty

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m feeling nappish. Dr. M & I took a little road trip & ate lunch out and I am still so full that I’m afraid that when I go to the grocery store later I won’t even want to buy anything. Maybe I should take that nap instead. But first, here are our pictures for the week.
Sunday, October 2^nd            
On my way to church I was contemplating my faith, or the lack thereof. Fortunately, that day’s message was about how whatever size it is, my faith is enough. And that little act of goodness you did last week? Good enough (and maybe add an extra one this week).
 

Went by my dad’s house. They had left me a few puzzle pieces to put in – then after the “photo shoot” I had the joy of ripping it back up again.
 

Monday, October 3^rd
Family Mexican night. I got my favorite quesadilla – chicken, black beans, zucchini, etc. I had half of it & the rest for dinner the next night. Yum!

Tuesday, October 4^th       
I was meeting with someone in my office & left to make some copies. While I was gone the employee apparently decided to create a little art installation with my magnets. Ha!

 

Wednesday, October 5^th                 
You know, not everyone can pull off this very fashionable look! (Otherwise known as “I’d better clip this skirt before it gets caught in the #%*$ wheels of my chair one more time.”)
 

Thursday, October 6^th           
Dr. M says that whatever your seasonal needs, Walmart is ready for you.
 

Apparently he was inspired because he decorated the house once he got home.
 

Friday, October 7^th          
It was a lovely day, so Dr. M did some deck sitting.
 

Saturday, October 8^th      
I had my Braves headband on while I was doing my chores, and this is what greeted me when I took it off. Now that’s attractive! I hadn’t washed my hair since Wednesday & it had so much product in it that I could basically just pose it in any shape I wanted.
 

You know, yesterday was a lovely day. I did some chores, did a lot of reading, watched some baseball games where I didn’t care about the outcome (Braves don’t play until Tuesday). And today has been lovely too. And now I’m feeling kind of greedy. Do I really have to go back to work tomorrow? I reckon so. Darn it. How was your weekend?

2022 Project 365 – Week Thirty-nine

Is it just me, or did September last about 5 minutes? August was three years long, September was 5 minutes long. Make it make sense!
Sunday, September 25^th            
I was out & about in the world with this mascara situation. Fortunately I mostly wear glasses. Of course, for all I know, people thought I meant to do it that way.
 

Monday, September 26^th  
It’s bean field season! Dr. M knows how much I love them.

Tuesday, September 27^th       
Just watching baseball and crocheting and craving candy corn for some reason.
 

Wednesday, September 28^th                 
We found out this morning that Dr. M’s aunt Judy passed away. Here she is at Dr. M’s doctoral hooding ceremony in 2007.
 

Dr. M was heading to his dad’s house to let him know and locked himself out of the house. He was understandably a little frazzled. However, he put his time waiting on me to come rescue him to good use.
 

Thursday, September 29^th           
Before the storm…
 

Friday, September 30^th          
We had Judy’s funeral today – hoping to get it in before the effects of Ian hit our area. Pictured here are Dr. M & two of his cousins.
 

Saturday, October 1^st        
Ian definitely didn’t hit our area as hard as had been predicted. My dad says he measured three inches of rain at his house. We were lucky! And to celebrate I made the fruit cocktail cake (although let’s be honest – I was going to make it regardless). It is VERY SWEET. I will probably cut the sugar in half if I make it again. And I was too impatient to let it set up, so my first piece is a bit of a mess.
 

We ended up not taking the road trip we’d planned. We’d already canceled due to the potential for heavy rain due to Ian, and then we ended up having a funeral to attend. I’m glad I already had the day off. How was your week?
 

Vaniall

I was at my dad's the other week looking through my mom's recipe books. I wanted to find her recipe for a weird dip she used to make back in the 1970s that she called veggie dip, but that she used exclusively to dip sesame sticks. It looked like Thousand Island dressing, but had cream cheese and... and I can't remember. Salsa? No idea. 

Anyway, I never found that (and it probably wasn't an actual recipe anyway - it probably was on a package of cream cheese or a bottle of whatever sauce went into it (cocktail sauce?). What I did find was a binder with a bunch of random recipes and this recipe card for Fruit Cocktail Cake. I loved that cake and you'd better bet I'm going to try to make it (but do they still make cans of fruit cocktail?). As I recall, it was ooey gooey deliciousness. We shall see. 

Looking at the recipe gave me all the feels because my mother never could spell vanilla. It made my heart do little backflips to see it misspelled in her usual way, in her handwriting. A little taste of Momcat. 

P.S. I'm intrigued that she wrote mine, my dad's, and my brother's names on the binder. Was she doodling her most important people? Was she saying - look here, family, I'm collecting recipes for you! As with many things mom related, I'll never know. 

P.P.S. We just found out this morning that Dr. M's Aunt Judy passed away last night. Sad times in the Bug Household today...