The Year 2020 - A Basic Review

 Right after Christmas everyone starts to write a wrap-up post of the current year. I think with it having been the year of COVID-19 everyone is even more ready to wrap-up the year. 

I would like to re-cap this year, just for posterity. 

January - Was pretty normal, nothing really exciting or notable happened that I can remember, just getting ready for a family reunion in February and trying to make sure that my mom would stay healthy enough that she would be able to make it.

February - Lisa and I took a trip in February to Oxnard, California. It's really a beautiful place and this is where we stayed. The Embassy Suites by Hilton Mandalay Beach Resort, we had a great time, even though it was a working trip for my sister. 

March - This was a BIG month for us since we had a huge family reunion with my mother's side of the family! We stayed at another gorgeous place, Blue Water Resort & Casino in Parker, Arizona.

We had a fabulous time and no one had more fun, or were happier, than my mom and her brother Tino! These are the last two remaining siblings in a family of ten siblings. My mom is the baby of the family. 

Little did we know that lurking right around the corner was something that was going to change our lives drastically and I am so glad we didn't know and were able to share in this wonderful time spent with family. 

On March 18, 2020 California's governor Gavin Newsom issued a "Shelter-In" order due to COVID-19 or Corona Virus. 

He ordered all non-essential people to stay home. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about that day because I blogged about it HERE, but suffice it to say that I was sent home lickety-split by the company I work for and as of today I am still working from home. That's nine months people! Nine months! If I could still make babies I could have made a baby by now!

I will say that I am so lucky to work for the company I work for. I've not had to worry one tiny, teeny-weenie bit about money or losing my home or my car or not having enough to eat or not being able to pay for heat, electricity, cell phone, etc. I'm so lucky that during a time when things are as bad as they are, they have not been "bad" for me. We did have a Covid scare with my son, but thankfully he tested negative. 

I have had relatives that have had the disease and even though some of them were pretty sick they have recovered or are on the road to recovery, I only have one cousin that is still in the hospital on a respirator/ventilator, not sure which and even though we're told his vital signs all look good, he still can't breath on his own. 

April - April 1st was my daughters birthday and it was sad to not be able to go out to a nice restaurant and have a meal. We're still in lock down, restaurants all closed for indoor dining, although you can pick up to take home. 

Our country rallied and it seemed for a moment that we were all on the same page. There were those that believed this was all a hoax. Is it? Is it not? No one can say for certain, but for me "better safe than sorry". Wear the mask people, you are not sheep for doing what is asked of you. 

I had and have continued to have my mom a prisoner in her own home. Unable to go out, and when we did have to venture out I was like the Secret Service, steering her away from aisles where people were not social distancing or wearing masks, or worse yet wearing them under their noses or on their chins. Even if the mask is worthless, it was worth the fact that it brought me a little peace that my mother was safe. 

May - In May we had Mothers Day. Visiting with mom was totally different because of Covid. My siblings came and still continue to come, but they have to sit outside on the patio. They have to wear their masks and they have to stay 8 feet away from my mom. 

And let me tell you for posterity that this DID NOT please my mom one little bit, it still doesn't please her, she still tries to sneak by me not wearing the mask or hugging a loved one and gets mad at me for stopping her. No matter how many times I explain to her that if she gets sick she will have to be alone at the hospital. If she dies, she will die alone, that's the harsh reality. I could not bear having my mother die alone.

Not being able to feed them has also been hard on her, she still wants to make food for them and serve it outside. It's been a difficult thing for her, not being able to mother her children and grandchildren.

June - The end of the regular school year, by now children have been home-schooling, taking classes online. Teachers trying to do their best to make life as normal as possible for their students. 

Teachers were posting on Facebook that they were doing teacher parades for their students. My first thought was that it was stupid, what was the point, it really isn't that big a deal, they are still seeing the children via ZOOM. That's what I thought until they went by my house. A caravan of decorated cars, about 25 of them. The teachers were so excited, waving at me and mom as we stood by our front door. They were so happy to be doing something positive, no matter how small. It made me cry and I will always remember that there are good people in the world.

We were finally told that on June 22nd we could return to our office. We went back, well at least two of us went back, those with small children who were home-schooling were allowed to remain and work from home. 

Three days later one of my co-workers tested positive for COVID and several in other offices tested positive, we were all sent home again, where we remain to this day. Luckily, I had taken every precaution the first day back. The second day I called in sick due to allergies, the third day I came back and we were told to go home. But it was scary. I knew that I had stayed in my office and worn my mask at all times and stayed away from my co-worker, but if I had not, then I could have gotten sick and brought it home to my mom. I made sure my employers knew I would not be going back again anytime soon since I was just as able to do my job from home, thankfully, they agreed. 

Then there were the riots because of the death of George Floyd, I'm not going to go into detail as I'm sure this time will now become part of American History, as well it should, but it divided our country and it was sad to watch and witness. 

July - Well most importantly, my birthday was in July and COVID be damned, my loved ones were gonna celebrate the day of my birth!

I was blessed with a beautiful cake from my daughter April and both my kids gave me art supplies as a gift. My dear friend and co-worker Angie gave me the coolest coloring book with my future husband Keanu Reeves on it. My mom snuck out on me and went to Taco Bell and brought me back a Strawberry Freeze since she was unable to go shopping to buy me a gift and she doesn't do Amazon. My sister Lisa gave me a beautiful Blue Orchid which I've already killed.  I got lots of birthday wishes and greetings and phone calls and it was a beautiful day. 

Nuff said about July!

August - This was a miserable month, the heat and having to be sheltered in was horrid. We couldn't even take a trip to the beach, just locked away in our home, always just locked away in our home. We couldn't even go outside and sit on the patio because the air was so horrible due to the fires in California. 

One day mom and I had to venture out because we had to hunt and gather, our cupboards were almost bare. I was so worried for her because of the bad air quality and her COPD, but she was as giddy as a schoolgirl to be venturing out into the real world. She actually did really good and it turned out to be me that got overheated halfway through our shopping trip and I had to sit down and drink some water and catch my breath. I think it was more anxiety at trying to keep people away from my mom, but either way we stocked up and hoped we would not have to venture out again any time soon. We are lucky during this time to be able to send my son out for milk and basic supplies. 

But as always, every during these trying times with the horrible fires and crimes and rioting and divisiveness, there was still hope...still kindness...still humanity.

September - In this month, I realized that I was missing a prime opportunity to have some home replairs and remodeling done. I'd been wanting for ages to have my house painted and my windows replaced with dual pane windows, but I never had the time and I was never home to monitor the workers. Well now I was home, now I did have time, so I started out with putting up a new fence and taking down some trees. You can read about it more HERE. 

Bob and Danny are the contractors on the job and I really have enjoyed having them around. They talk and laugh all day long and I swear they know EVERYBODY in this small town. People drive by and see them on a job and stop to talk to them or honk at them. Plus they know what they are doing and I feel I can trust them. 

The fires in California continue, the air is still horrid. Law Enforcement officers are being ambushed, shot at, run over by vehicles. People are still protesting and vandalizing and the COVID cases ever increasing. We are still just locked in our little house. 

October - No major changes in October, air still bad, home repairs moving along, law enforcement officers still being killed, ambushed. My brother, my nephew and several of my cousins are law endorsement officers. I know there are bad officers out there, but that doesn't make them all bad. I will always support them. 

My sister Lisa's 60th birthday came and went without any "hoopla". Her husband took her camping and they celebrated as best they could and they had a good time, but it would have been nice to have a big bash to celebrate her special day. But the important thing is she is healthy.

November - Again, same thing, different month. We celebrated Thanksgiving quietly. My siblings did come by, one at a time and spent time sitting outside with my mom, masks on. 

December - And now we are in December, Christmas has come and gone. It was a very pleasant Christmas, quiet and low-key. Not everyone has come to see my mom yet as it's been cold and dreary and foggy at times. Last night it even rained a bit.

Mom and I made our traditional Christmas Biscochos on her birthday, December 19th. She received so many phone calls and birthday greetings on Facebook, I think it made it so much more fun for her and I'm grateful for everyone that made the effort. 

We haven't make tamales yet, we've said we're going to make them for New Years, but I don't know...it seems like a lot of work for just the two of us. 

There's hope on the horizon with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which are being distributed in phases. Phase 1a is recommended for healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents. Phase 1b is recommended for frontline essential workers and people aged 75 and older. Phase 1c is for people aged 65 to 74 and people aged 16 to 64 with underlying medical conditions. 

So there is hope people, there is hope in 2021 that things will return to normal, but I hope not normal-normal. I hope that we remember how fragile life is, how easily our lives can change, how what we once thought was important took a backseat to caring for those we love and those who need us. I hope we learned kindness and courtesy and patience.

Welcome 2021...please be kind to us, we need it!

Sunday Night Football Soup again on a Monday Night - Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

 As usual during the holiday we get too busy and have a change of plans. 

That happened last week for "soup day".  For one reason or another I can't even remember now, I couldn't make soup on Sunday.

In fact I really didn't make soup on Monday either, in spite of my blog title, what I did as a remake of an old favorite that I had not made in a long time....Scalloped Potatoes and Ham!

I last blogged about this recipe on December 28, 2008 and I think I've only made it once or twice since. But I had some ham leftover in the freezer from Thanksgiving so figured it was close enough to soup to fit the bill!

Quick post today, but if anyone would like to try making this, the recipe is below. I give it 5 STARS! It is that good!

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (serves 6)
½ cup butter
2 tsp. salt
3 cups milk
1 large onion chopped (or 4 tsp. onion powder)
½ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
½ cup flour
¼ tsp. pepper
3 cups cooked cubed ham
5 cups sliced potatoes

Heat butter in large sauce pan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly (I like using a whisk), for one minute. Remove from Heat and gradually stir in milk. Return to heat, cook til thickened and bubbly.

Fold in ham, onion and cheese. Pour over potatoes in a large bowl and stir gently to combine. Pour into buttered 12 x 9 x 2” baking dish and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, uncover and continue baking for 1 hour or til browned & bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Woolgrowers Cabbage Soup - Sunday Night Football Soup on Monday Night Football Night

What a long heading!

I've been trying to make a new soup every Sunday while I watch Sunday Night Football. I live in California so Sunday Night Football SNL starts at 5:30 pm. I usually start cooking during the pre-game show. I actually made the soup I'm going to post about today on December 7th.

On December 6th, I decorated my tree and living room. This year I decided to keep it simple. Thanks to COVID-19, we are not have our usual Christmas get-together with all my siblings and their spouses and their children and grandchildren. It will be just me, my son and daughter and my mom, and that's why I kept my decor simple. I kinda love it, let me share some photos. The Nutcrackers have all been gifts from my mom and daughter and some I've found here and there throughout the years in thrift stores.

This Nativity was made by my mother in 1983. She and her sister were taking ceramics classes at the local high school. She made one for each of her four children and one for each of her sisters. All her sisters are gone now and they left their Nativity to one of their daughters and we all display them at Christmas.  

Some are hand painted in detail and some like mine were done in a pearlized paint which has tiny little crystals that reflect and refract light so the color varies depending on what color light is shining on it. I love it, it's a treasure I will cherish forever, until I give it to my daughter April.

So because I was totally exhausted on Dec 6th after decorating all day long I decided to make my soup the next day while watching Monday Night Football. Oh yeah...I'm a big fan of NFL football. The Dallas Cowboys are my team, but I just love watching anyone play. Right now as I write this I'm watching the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Buffalo Bills. I'm rooting for the Steelers since that is my sons favorite team.

Anyway...on to the soup. We have a favorite restaurant called Woolgrowers. It's a Basque restaurant and you can read my post about it HERE, it explains everything. 

Woolgrowers serves a world famous cabbage soup. When you sit down at the table, you don't even have to ask for it, they automatically bring a big bowl of this soup, a bowl of beans, a bowl of hot (temperature-wise) salsa, a basket of sliced French bread and a plate full of real butter pats...again YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO ASK FOR IT!!!

Since we've been in shutdown, we have not eaten in sit-down restaurants, so I wanted to see if I could make the soup. I searched online and found a link to the recipe.

Woolgrowers Vegetable Soup

• 3 carrots
• 2 large potatoes
• 2 leeks
• 1 small cabbage
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 Tbl Chicken Base
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 Tsp thyme
• 10 cups water
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions: Bring water to a boil and add chicken base, I used Better Than Bouillon Roasted chicken base). Chop all vegetables and add to water. Fry chopped onion in a little oil, drain and add to water and vegetables. Add seasonings and tomato sauce, simmer for two hours.

And you get this deliciousness. The funny thing is that I had no idea what a leek was, or what it tasted like. I didn't even know how or what parts of the leek to use. Thank goodness for YouTube. I tasted it raw and love it, bet it would be great raw in a salad!

My mom had made a fresh pot of beans earlier that day and we spooned the beans into our bowls and then the soup and some La Victoria Salsa. We had some sliced French bread and everyone agreed the whole house smelled like Woolgrowers and the soup was spot on exactly like Woolgrowers!

It was a win! I highly recommend making this soup, it will sing to your soul and make your heart happy!

Zuppa Toscana Soup - Sunday Night Football Soup Night

 I've been trying to make a new soup every Sunday. Well I've done it one Sunday, when I made Kristen Hampton's World Famous Chicken Noodle Soup and then I skipped a Sunday because of home remodeling and the mess left behind and trying to organize and put everything away.

But my daughter made a request for Zuppa Toscana - Olive Garden Style. My cousin Stella sent me her recipe and I read all the ingredients and purchased them and didn't read the instructions on how to make it.

Yesterday, when it was time to make it, Sunday Night's Game of the Week was almost ready to start and I watch it on the TV in the kitchen while I cook, I read the instructions and realized that her soup was a crock pot soup that I should have made 6 hours ago!

So I checked YouTube real quick and found a recipe that is almost exactly like hers. Here is the video in case you want to watch it. It's by Judyfoody! This video is much shorter than Kristen's only 5.53 minutes long and she explains everything perfectly!

And, she even has a blog where she lists all the ingredients with written instructions. It's call Judy Foody. 

Here's the photo of my soup! Looks just like Olive Garden's Soup!

I'm going to list everything here in my blog because this is my way of keeping track of tried and true recipes that I love and want to eat again and again. This was delicious and exactly like the soup at Olive Garden!

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian pork sausage (I used the spicy type)

4 strips of bacon

1 medium size onion

3 cloves of Garlic (she used 5 to 8 but that's too much for me!)

6 Russet potatoes (she says 2 to 3, but my people demanded more potatoes next time!)

2 - 32 ounce boxes of low sodium chicken stock (she says chicken broth, but tomatoes/tomato, it's all the same to me and chicken stock is what I always use for soups)

1 - 2 cups Heavy Cream (I used 2 cups, yes it's a very rich soup but so worth it!)

1 bundle of Kale (next time use only half the bundle)

Optional Ingredient - Red Pepper Flakes. The spicy Italian sausage was not near as spicy as I would have like, so I may try this next time.

Prep:

Prep Potatoes by scrubbing them very well, you can peel them but I like the skin on, my son did not. Slice potato in half then slice half moon slices, the thinner the quicker they will cook, but I think next time I will slice them a bit thicker as they got lost somewhat in the soup. Place potatoes in a bowl and fill with cold water to keep them from getting brown.

Prep Onions - this is pretty self-explanatory, we all know how to slice onion right? I did mine very fine so my people would not see it, hahaha! 

Prep Garlic - I placed the garlic on a cutting board as she says and put a knife on top of the garlic, lay it flat then with your fist hit the knife and the skin pops right off. Then I used my garlic press to mince it as I don't like biting into pieces of it.

Prep Kale - Easy to do, just take the leafy part off the stems after you wash it thoroughly! As she says, Use one hand to hold the stem of the Kale and the other hand to strip the leaves off the stem, then I gave it a rough chop.

Prep Bacon - Took the 4 slices and chopped it into half inch pieces, it almost disappears into the soup and you don't really taste it, but I bet if you left it out you would miss it. 

Instructions: 

Place olive oil in a deep pot, I probably used 2 tablespoons, once heated add your Italian Sausage and break it into chunks and cook it thoroughly then remove it from the pot and set it aside, make sure you drain it with a spoon so you leave some fat in the pot.

Add your bacon to the pot since it's still hot and leave the fat from the sausage. Don't let your bacon get crispy, you just want it to start releasing bacon juice, then add your onion and garlic to the pot and cook until onion is translucent, then drain the water from the potatoes and place them in the pot and give it a stir, the aroma!!! Oh my goodness!

Add the broth until it covers all the ingredients and bring the soup up to a boil. Once it's boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer the soup for 20 to 45 minutes until the potatoes are soft and tender. I did 20 minutes but I had sliced them very thinly. 

Once potatoes are perfect, add the sausage back tot he pot and again bring it to a boil. Turn the heat to low and allow the soup to simmer for a couple of minutes, then taste the soup for seasoning. At this point I added salt and pepper.

While the heat is low, add and mix the heavy cream to the soup, making sure not to scorch the cream.

At this point Judy Foody says to take the soup off the heat and add the kale, but I added it while on the heat and let it sit a minute while the kale wilted because I like hot soup and I felt that the kale probably cooled it off too much. I would add less kale next time.

And that was it, easy and delicious, the prep time was harder than the cooking time and we all loved it and it was gone in a minute!

Another keeper that I will be making again and again.

Kristen Hampton's World Famous Chicken Noodle Soup!

 

I know everyone in the world probably already has a chicken noodle soup recipe that they love, and most are probably pretty much the same, but believe it or not...I had NEVER in my life made Chicken Noodle soup!

I grew up eating Campbells canned chicken noodle soup and I loved it, it was good enough for me as I didn't get the craving for chicken noodle soup that often...but that was cause I had NEVER in my life had Kristen Hampton's World Famous Chicken Noodle Soup!

Who is Kristen Hampton? Kristen is a gift to this world! She's this quirky character who works for WBTV in Charlotte NC doing a segment called Good News and she goes out and about and looks for the good in the world, the good in people and she reports on those things. Her fame has exploded and she's a Facebook and YouTube sensation, just google Kristen Hampton and you will find lots of information about her.

Recently she did a live video run simultaneously on Facebook and YouTube in which she shows us how to make her World Famous Chicken Noodle Soup while she urged people to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans to help the people that have been devastated by Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Delta, two hurricanes in the same vicinity just six weeks apart, they had not even cleaned up from the first hurricane when the second one hit. To date she has raised $9,418.00. 

Here's the video, it's rather long but she's so entertaining that you don't even notice. And you can still donate to the cause. 

So I just wanted to get down on my blog the ingredients on how to make this soup because it was as Kristen would say "Dadgum-delicious!" Kristen doesn't give you measurements, you just gotta wing it.

Ingredients:

1/2 Onion

Garlic - I used two cloves minced in my garlic press, but I think three would have been ok. 

6 Carrots 

5 Stalks Celery

2 boxes Chicken Broth (low sodium) She says Chicken Stock but I couldn't find any and the broth worked just fine

Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base (to taste) - this stuff is amazing!!

Cooked Chicken - I baked 4 big boneless chicken breasts and only used two for the soup. Baked them with nothing but salt and pepper as seasoning.

Salt - Pepper - Thyme (used dried, couldn't find fresh)

I started out by seasoning the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and placing them inside a foil envelope, (two sheets of foil, one on top one on bottom and then you fold all four sides so the chicken is in a little foil envelope. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, set aside to cool, don't open the envelope so the juices go back into the meat.

During the time the chicken is baking, you can be chopping your veggies. Once chicken is cooked, add olive oil to your  soup pot, then added the onions and cook them for about 3 to 5 minutes, just until they soften, then I added the celery and carrots which I cut pretty thinly added salt and pepper, but not a lot because the Better Than Bouillon has lots of salt in it. Now cook, stirring frequently for probably another 5 to 6 minutes. 

Once the veggies are to your satisfaction, add the chicken broth, both boxes and then what I think was the secret ingredient, I add a big spoonful of Better than Bouillon! I don't know how long this product has been around but I just recently started hearing about it and I can't wait to try all the other flavors, check the other flavors out here. 

Then you wait for everything to come to a boil again and then taste it and see if you need to add more BTB, I know that next time I will probably add another box of chicken broth or water. Also at this time I added a sprinkle of dried thyme.

While waiting for the soup to come to a boil, chop your chicken, I've seen other people shred the chicken but I like smaller bite-size pieces best. 

Once it comes to a boil, add egg noodles and sprinkle with dried thyme, I used wide egg noodles. I put in the whole package and like Kristen says "that's too many noods", it was too many noodles, next time half a bag instead. Let that boil for 5 minutes or so and then add your chicken, let it boil a bit and taste to see if you need more BTB, which I did and next time way more pepper. 

And that it is it. Very good chicken noodle soup, easy to make and so hearty and comforting. Definitely going to be something I made again and again. If you have a great soup recipe, please share in comments or send me a link to the recipe.

Inktober 2020 Challenge - Week Two

      Surprise! Made it to week two of the Inktober challenge! It was a bit tougher this week as work was super busy. For some reason we always get busier during the end of the year when everyone is taking vacations for Thanksgiving and Christmas and we're short-handed...but I stuck it out and did my seven inked drawings. So without further ado...here's what I did.

     Day 8 - Prompt was "Teeth" - Had a little fun with this one. I had an idea to do a pumpkin with braces on it's teeth, which I did and I think it's most excellent! 

     Both my children suggested since a lot of rap stars call their teeth their "grill" that I do something with that. So I came up with this little guy that I think is just adorable! I love the way the headlights are his little eyes. I thought about doing gold teeth, but he's fine as he is.

     Day 9 - Prompt "Throw" - This was a head-scratcher. I had not a clue what I should do. I could have drawn someone throwing a ball, but drawing people is not one of my favorite thing. Luckily a little saying my brother Fred would always say to his kids popped into my head "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" She reminds me a lot of me when I was a kid, and a teenager and me yesterday!

Day 10 - Prompt "Hope" - This one I knew what I wanted to do, but I did not do the picture in my head justice. But they can't all be works of art and the point of this project is to get better and to practice. What is more hopeful that a little flower soldiering through and growing in a crack in the street?

     I'm doing all these drawings on the back of a 3" x 5" index card, so they are not very big and there's not a lot of room.  In retrospect, I could have drawn this one smaller with some buildings in the background...live and learn.

     Day 11 - Prompt - "Disgusting" - Thinking I may ruffle a few feathers with this one, especially is you are a lover of mushrooms...I am not. I think they are gross and disgusting, have an awful texture and smell. But if you love them, then my apologies. They are beautiful to draw though, this one may be my favorite so far.

     Day 12 - Prompt "Slippery" - If I were a better artist I would have drawn a snail or an eel, but I just did my best and soldiered on with something super simple, but it fits the prompt. Hey...they can't all be winners. Poor guy driving, it's so slippery on that road that he seems to be heading off the sign itself!

     Day 13 - Prompt "Dune" - Oh I had fun with this one! Now normally I have a lot of problems with perspective and although the tires are not perfect, they aren't bad at all. A cute little Dune Buggy racing along on sand dunes!

     Day 14 - Prompt "Armor" - Oh wait! This one may be my favorite. I just think he's adorable! Isn't he perfection? 

     So that's it for week two. 

     I actually started this post more than a week ago, but I'm having some home remodeling done and the workers are here putting in a new closet in my bedroom and everything is in disarray and I can't find any of my art supplies and I'm going to have to put this on hold for now. 

     But it has been fun up to now.

Inktober 2020 Challenge - Week One

      This year will be my first time joining the Inktober challenge. Inktober was created by Jake Parker in 2009 as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits, now thousands of artists take the challenge each year, you can learn more about it here. 

     Here's a list of the prompts for the month:

Prompts from Inktober website

     The rules are simple:

1. Make a drawing in ink (you can do a pencil under-drawing if you want).

2. Post it - post on any social media account you want or just post it on your refrigerator, the point is to share your art with someone.

3. Hashtag it with #inktober and #inktober2020

4. Repeat the process

     So that's the gist of it. I'm on day 7 which would be one week, so let me show you what I have done so far.

Day 1 - Prompt was "Fish" - I've mentioned that I'm learning the Zentangle process and I had just learned a new tangle called "Harp" and it reminded me of the fins of the Betta Fish or Siamese Fighting Fish, just love those beautiful fish! So here he is, a little fish with attitude!

Day 2 - Prompt was Wisp - This was a tough one for me. I could think of lots of things to draw but didn't trust my drawing skills enough. So this is what I ended up with "wisps of steam" rising out of a coffee cup. 

Day 3 - Prompt was Bulky - As luck would have it, this day I woke up with horrible allergies and my daughter suggested I take a Zyrtec, I did so right about 2pm that afternoon and I didn't wake up until around 11pm, needless to say I did not get one done that day, so I posted this.

Day 4 - Prompt was Radio - The vision of Ralphie and Randy from the movie A Christmas Story instantly came to mind and was the inspiration for this one. I especially love the way the little girls hair turned out.

Day 5 - Prompt was Blade - Again a tough one because I really wanted to draw a sword or a big knife, but I knew everyone would be doing that and I wanted to be unique and different. So I did end up drawing a sword but in the form of the emblem of a local high school. I loved the way the handles on the swords turned out!

Day 6 - Prompt was Rodent - Drawing a rodent was not at all appealing. I could have drawn a dead one in a trap, but that's just sad and wrong, so I decided I wanted to draw a mouse dressed up like a Mariachi, but what I found instead was a a Mariachi with a sugar skull face and that inspired me to draw my little Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Rodent with a Sugar Skull (Calavera) design!

It's not the best rodent ever drawn, but I think it's the most unique!

Day 7 - Prompt was Fancy - So many things came to mind, but utmost in my mind was the song Fancy by Reba McEntire. I love that song and any time I hear it I sing at the top of my lungs, not worried who is listening! 

In the lyrics she sings "We didn't have money for food or rent to say the least, we were hard pressed. Then Mama spent every last penny we had, to buy me a dancin' dress. Mama washed and combed and curled my hair and then she painted my eyes and lips, then I stepped into a satin Dancin' dress that had a split on the side clean up to my hip.

So I drew a Fancy dress! So far this has been fun and I'm looking forward to the next week. 

Here's the link to Reba singing Fancy, it will bring tears to your eyes.

Death of a Tree, Actually Two Trees

 Trees

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast.

A tree that looks at God all day

And lifts her leafy arms to pray.

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair.

Upon whose bosom snow has Lain; 

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me, 

But only God can make a tree.

by Joyce Kilmer

     Love this poem! But I have to beg God's forgiveness in that he is not the only one that can make a tree; my mom and dad were also able to make trees, not only one but four...and this weekend unfortunately I had to witness the death of two of them.

     It's with great sadness that I tell this story, but it had to be done. You see, I'm making several home repairs, maintenance and remodeling. One of the things I am doing is having a new fence installed.

     The old fence had seen better days. It had been built by my mom and dad and the years were showing up on the old gal. Windstorms, weather, rusting hinges and the fact that a car drove through the fence a few years ago were causing it to sag and I was fearful that the next good windstorm would carry it away.

     My fence guys, Bob and Danny showed me how the roots were exposed and had already cracked the existing cement slab the fence rested on and the roots were heading towards the sewer system. The decision was made before they could build the fence for me to contact a tree removal company. 

     Last Saturday, my gardener Ernesto had his crew come out and take down the two trees in question. The other two were a different species that did not grow the same way as the two coming down. They told me the separate names but I didn't write it down, all I know is that all four are non-fruit bearing pistachio trees.

     My dad was a farmer and my mom tells the story of one year at Easter, my dad took us and some friends to a beautiful spot he had found out on the ranch where we could spend the day playing underneath the Pistachio and Almond trees and the adults could hide the eggs. Mom and Dad saw the little trees growing wild near the fields so they brought them home and planted them. That was between 22 to 25 years ago, so you can imagine how big they are now. Last year I had them trimmed so this year they just blossomed. Here's a photo of the trees.

     One tree was growing inside the fence, that's the one at the far right next to the blue shed (which my mom and dad also built themselves and I'm hoping to give it a face-lift as well, stay tuned), the other is growing outside of the fence. You can see how full and lush they are, and that fence is at least 6 feet tall so they had to be at least 36 feet tall!

     This photo is a little grainy, but you can see the concrete underneath already in pieces. This was causing the inside chain link fence to bend and loosen which then loosened the wooded slats, some of the are even missing, as you can see.

     Those trees held so many memories of my dad barbequing for us all and the shade they provided year round, I could feel my dad frowning at me from Heaven, but I'm sure he would have done the same thing. I thought about digging out the parts of the root that were causing the damage but several tree removal services that came out to give me quotes assured me the trees would die. There was no other choice. 

     So my gardener Oscar gave me the lowest quote and he showed up on Saturday and I was shocked to learn that he had not brought a cherry picker or a bucket truck which is how I assumed they would take the trees down, start from the top and cut down. 

     Nope, what they did was to use a chain saw starting at the bottom, letting the trees just crash down onto the street! I don't know how they estimated which way the trees would fall or how they knew they would not hit my neighbors fence across the street, but they brought the trees down successfully. 

     Once the tree was down they quickly cut all the branches off, hurrying as it was blocking the street, then they cut the trunk into pieces that were just barely small enough for them to physically lift! Once all that was done, they use a stump grinder like the one shown below, to remove the the stump and grind the roots. And bing-bang in about 3 hours those trees were gone!

   Here's a picture my sister Lisa took from her car parked across the street. You can see the remaining two trees on the right of the picture and you can see how badly the fence looks from this angle and how badly the house needs to be painted but never fear, that's next on the list!

     Voila! Trees are gone! As sad as I am that the trees had to go it looks so much nicer now! Now I'm just waiting for my fence guys to put up the new fence and I'll share a nice new picture!

     Slowly but sure we are giving this old house a facelift. The house was actually built in 1957 and while it's had some fixes here and there, it's not had any actual major remodeling. Cross your fingers I like the end result.

Dancing Shopper, Health Club Owner, Healthy Eating and Me

Monday I took a vacation day in order to take my mom to a doctors appointment. After her appointment, we had planned to stop by her favorite fabric store, unfortunately they were closed on Mondays! Who does that? Who closes on a Monday?? So instead we went to JoAnns Fabrics and Michaels. 

I also made a stop at WinCo, my favorite grocery store. They make the best chicken strips. I meant to buy only chicken strips, but you know how it is, you end up picking up all kinds of stuff along the way. So my chicken strips cost me $178.43 because that was my total bill! Crazy the way things add up!

I was waiting in line to pay, taking care to stand on the pre-marked  social distancing markers and I was getting a bit irritated because the older gentleman in back of me was breathing down my neck. No matter how much I moved forward, he was right behind me. I know elderly people sometimes forget that we are supposed to socially distance, I know my mom does...so I was trying to be patient but in my head I was super angry and frustrated.

Ahead of me in the line was a young couple and the young man was dancing the sort of dance I remember doing in my youth called The Robot...only he made it look good! So I focused my attention on him and he was awesome and entertaining and the female was so embarrassed and trying to stop him, it was so amusing!

Then I hear the old guy behind me say "I think you almost got that dance move down!" And the young man just burst into laughter and his girlfriend/wife turned red. They then started a  fun conversation and both were so entertaining. The old guy told him to keep moving as it's good for your health and the young guy told him to keep drinking water and remember to stay hydrated and the old guy said "Oh, I know. I've been a health instructor my whole life and in fact I own a health gym and health food store downtown." The young guy said "My bad, I don't need to tell you how to stay healthy then do I?" At the end when the young couple had to leave the young man turned back to the old man and said "Much respect to you sir, it was a pleasure to speak to you." 

It was a pleasure for me to be in the middle of this conversation and I turned and smiled at the old guy and noticed he only had 2 items and my cart was full, so I asked him if he wanted to go ahead of me and he said, "No, that's ok, I got all the time in the world, I just came from a doctors appointment and I live up in the mountains and have a long drive ahead of me and then when I get home all I'm going to do is sit down in front of the TV and rot." I told him that I could hardly wait until the day arrived when I could just sit and rot instead of doing all this grocery shopping. He assured me that I didn't want that day to come and started telling me about his wife that had passed away last year and how much he missed her and how he recently had a hip replacement and he was doing physical therapy and that's why he was in town today.  

I had started to unload my shopping cart and was mortified because it was filled with frozen pizza, chicken strips, ice cream, potato chips, cookies, Little Debbie Snack Cakes, diet Pepsi and beer! The healthiest thing I pulled out of the cart was milk and eggs, at least my milk was 2%! I just felt the old man staring at all my garbage food and looking at those 10-Coronavirus pounds I'd put on and judging me. But honestly I don't think he even noticed, he was so busy telling me the story of his life and I realized that's why he didn't go ahead of me in line, he was looking forward to getting into a conversation with anyone, he was lonely. 

He told me that in 17 years he would be 100, that was a weird way to tell me he was 83. I told him my mom was 82. By then I was done paying for my groceries and he told me, "When you get home young lady, you take one of those beers and you sit down and enjoy it, you've earned it!" I told him I sure would and bagged my groceries and headed out to my car. I could hear him as I left talking to the person behind him, making sure he got in all the conversation he could before he went home to sit and rot. 

There's no moral of the story here, just a reminder to enjoy life even when you're lonely and only have 17 years left before you get to 100. Talk to strangers, make people laugh, make a tired mom feel good by calling her a "young lady" and remember to not become a grumpy old person but continue enjoying life and those around you...ok, maybe there was a moral to this story after all. 

"Life is about moments. Don't wait for them, Create them."

 -Anonymous

Taking Advantage of our New Normal and Money Savings and Home Repair

      Yep, that is a long title. But I'm inspired this morning to write a post about some of the positives of the "new normal" that we are all a part of due to COVID-19.

     Yesterday mom and I were invited along on a 6-foot clearance shopping trip with my sister Lisa, my sister-in-law Connie and my niece Clarissa. Pre-COVID, we would often meet up at one store or another to see each other, shop together and usually have lunch. We had not done that since COVID-19 and we missed it. It's funny how you take things for granted until you can't do them anymore and then you realize how lucky you were to have been able to do those things. 

     So we met up at Hobby Lobby. Mom and Clarissa had one slip up, when Clarissa saw her grandmother she ran up and gave her a hug. I had just enough time to say "Wait, you can't do that" and they let go right away. Sad, sad, sad...when a granddaughter can't hug her beloved grandmother. And sad that I had to be the bad guy in this situation.

     But we had a good time shopping, I left mom alone with Connie & Clarissa knowing they would keep an eye on her. I really didn't need anything from Hobby Lobby so I instead treated myself to something totally unnecessary that I had wanted forever! A Spirograph Cyclex. Do you remember Spirograph? I had the original one that came with a thick piece of cardboard and little pins that you would use to pin down the paper and the round discs to make your design. You can see a little round container with the pins in this photo, pins are red.

     But the one I bought is not your grandmothers Spirograph, check this out. This is all self-contained, you just put that red tool with the 4 large circles and the 1 small circle on your paper and draw away. No fuss, no muss. The only problem is that I got one that had a defective small circle and I had to take it back and there were no more available so I had to get a refund, but at least I had a chance to play with it and create some artwork which I hope to finish today. 

     From there we went to Burlington and Ross and since I don't have to go to the office anymore, at least until the first of the year, I really don't need to buy anything, I mentioned that in a previous post. I'm finding that I have really saved a lot of money. Between not needing to fuel my car, go out to lunch, Starbucks coffee at least 2 or 3 times per week and not needing special clothing I have been able to build a tidy little nest egg so I decided since I'm home and have the money, it's time to start doing some small repairs around the house. 

     I started with the backyard patio. We still have the original one that my mom and dad put up on October 2, 1984. I know the exact date because mom and dad carved their names into the wet cement. I'm glad they did that so I now know that it has been standing for 35 years! Wow!

     Once the patio is finished they will start on a new fence next, can't wait for that as our old one is raggedy and falling apart, especially after the car that ran through it on Halloween in 2013, post here. Once the fence is done I'm going to have all the windows replaced with new double pane windows and then have the house painted. I'm thinking shades of grey and the finally I'm having them install a sprinkler system as right now we're just old schooling it with a water house and single sprinkler and we have a corner lot with a lot of grass, it's exhausting and hard to keep up with getting every single bit of it. We have to find our silver linings where and when we can!

     What silver linings have come your way?