Refinement...

Back in the day I was a hot head, well sorta.
Today I don't get into much of a hullabaloo over anything.
Am I passionless these days? Or...am I finally, at pushin' 60,
becoming somewhat "refined?" Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket!

Don't get me wrong...Jim can trip my trigger, and the fire-breathing
dragon comes out for about thirty seconds, then I'm over it. I'll say
words that would make my mother clutch her chest, and sigh in despair.
I flare, then I'm done. He, will carry it around for days.....like most
men, I think. Sheesh, life's short I tell him, "get over yourself!"

He says I'm hard to live with. How, I wonder. I'm clean, neat, and tidy.
I like to cook, and am VERY undemanding of his time. When he's home, I back up
and give him space so that he can destress. ( Gee, wouldn't you like to live
with somebody like this?) HA!

However....if there are many chores that need to be caught up on, and he's the
only one to able to do them, and he's home for more than two nights...it ain't
pretty. I do believe that we "radiate" emotion sometimes. That, or else Jim
is very sensitive to my radioactivity! He gets the creeps being around me at
times like this. ( I seem so normal....but, in his eyes, I become the demon wife.)
Hmrph, go figure!

We're all odd somewhat, don't you think? We all have certain quirks, that only our
spouse sees,that most undoubtedly drive them NuTs. I'm not alone here, am I?
Peck, peck....uh....hello??? Anyone out there?

Anyhooo...

Have you tried McDonald's new oatmeal yet? Well, I did today, only because it was free. First of all...it must "sit" for at least 15 minutes to somewhat thicken.
It's a rather watery mess that looks extremely disappointing initially. Trust me.
Back away slowly, and leave it alone for fifteen minutes.
It's rather bland. I didn't get the brown sugar, thinking that the apple chunks/raisins/cranberries would sweeten and flavor it up. Wrong.
It would have been worth it to spend those extra thirty calories for the boost in wow factor. Trust me here. It cost six WW points to eat this. I will not waste six perfectly good WW points again on this wall papery paste mess.
Actually, wallpaper paste isn't too shabby.

Any differing opinions or personality confessions you want to share?
Don't leave me hangin' here girls....

Snowy, but not sleepy here.

This is a tiny town, but it always seems to be a bustle. Josh and I got up early to go Squirrel Creek, an Amish-type bulk food shop, way out in the country where one can stock up. We always get our spices there, salad fixin's, cheeses, etc. It's a cool place and we love to go. When folks visit, we always make a trip out there. It's fifteen minutes from our door.
Today we saw four, young white-tailed deer hop across the ditches and head across an open field, tails up. A beautiful sight on a blowy morning. The country roads were drifting, so I shifted to four wheel drive.

I dropped Josh off at the library upon our return to town, and drove past the town park across the street from it. Parents and young children all dressed in snow gear were sliding down the hills to the gazebo; making the most of our "local slopes."

Just down a half block from that happy place, I noticed that the old pool building built in 1962, has been completely demolished, making room for the new six million dollar complex soon to be built. We're still $500K short, but this community works wonders, and I have no doubt that the money will come from somewhere.
The town library was a gift to the town from several generous benefactors. It's a fantastic building, and a real community asset.
Things happen here. I don't know if it's the combination of it being home to a small liberal arts college, the educated retirement communities, but the people here are civic minded, caring, and things get done. We have a community owned coffee house which bakes rustic bread daily, and during summer/fall months, hosts live bands on Friday nights on the front porch of the restored l880's brick home.

We have our problems. Not everyone is nice. We have a drug problem. Troubles get swept under the rug sometimes. For the most part, I'm extremely satisfied with living in small town USA. If we had a local hospital, I'd be thrilled.

We stopped at the high school before going home,so the corgis could do their sniffs and bunny hops in the snow. Corgi people never tire of that silly sight. Corgis and snow are a natural combination.

What's new??

So....on someone's blog I read that every state in America currently has snow, except Florida. What...is everybody doing, while home, surrounded by snow, is what inquiring minds want to know! Want to share?

I've planted some paperwhite bulbs, and they're up to almost four inches. You can see daily growth, and the green is a sight for sore eyes!
I'm currently listening to Patricia Cornwell's newest book on audio. Port Mortuary. I miss her earlier work. (Scarpetta, the main character, has become very guarded and jaded, and I miss the team thinking and amity of the characters in earlier stories.) Life is complex enough, and these days, getting along appeals to me, even in books!

I ordered Red Rose Tea online, and got a sampler box. A nice mix of decaf/Irish/Earl Grey/and the regular (which one can find at Walmart, but not the other types.) The corgis highly approve, as we share a mug of decaf in the evenings. They ARE Welsh, afterall! Even a corgi likes their cuppa!

There's a pile of books...fiction/yoga/what not to eat/and Land's End Sale catalog beside my bed. I've shoveled EIGHT times since Monday. Once at the library! And, readily counted that as exercise on my WW tracker!

The excitement just never stops around here as you can see! SnOrT! Comment, and let me see what you're doing during this silly winter of 2011 to fill these snowy evenings. Until the weather pattern changes, hang in, and hang on!

Cabin Fever Anyone?

In many areas, the U.S. is fighting ice and snow. This is the time of year, to just give up, sit back, grab an afghan, that is if you don't have a nice, warm corgi, and begin looking through seed catalogs and recipe books!


From the Farmer's Almanac:

Healthy Pork Chop Casserole This is a "wonderful" comfort dish! Children LOVE it, and do NOT even know they are eating their veggies, unless you tell them. You will have very tender chops, that can be cut with a fork! Also, a great dish for any type of large function.

Yield: Can serve 4 to 12

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Start to Finish Time: 2 to 2-1/2 hours

•4-8 bone-in or boneless pork chops
•6-10 Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
•1 large head cabbage, sliced
•1-2 large onions, peeled and sliced
•1 can cream of mushroom soup
•1 can cream of chicken soup
•Foil
•Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and pat dry chops with paper towels. Season each with a little Kosher/sea-salt/no-salt, and fresh ground pepper to taste.

In a non-stick frying pan, drizzle a little olive oil. On high heat when oil is rippling, lay each chop in pan, only browning each side! When browned on both sides, take out of pan and lay on paper towels to drain any fat or oil off.

In a large deep casserole dish, lightly spray with olive oil/Pam/or using butter, oil dish lightly for non-stick.
1. Lay your medium-thin sliced potatoes, 1-2 layers making sure to cover the bottom of the dish.
2. Cover with a layer or two of sliced cabbage.
3. Next layer add sliced onions.
4. On top of onions, lay "browned only" chops.
In a medium bowl, mix together cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups, then spread evenly on top of your casserole. Making sure everything is covered.
Tightly cover the dish with the shiny side of the foil down. Place in preheated oven and cook 1-1/2-2 hours. When finished, let rest for at least 20 minutes before removing foil.

Flurries look as if they are out there for the entire day. I will be loading up my trusty broom to sweep off the car at quitting time tonight! The tracker is already in the four-wheel drive position. If you're out there, be careful will ya? Wintry hugs to all my bloggie sista's!