Our Week that Was

Summer in the City, whew.

In the words of my favorite meteorologist:  "All of y'all that straight BEGGED for summer heat ... why did you do that?! 😢"

Whatcha say, I share a few blips from the Week That Was.

Backing up to last Saturday ...

Tom was invited to bring his horn and sit in with the Lo-Fi Loungers at Montgomery White Water (theme park).   They may not headline the Performing Arts Center anytime soon, but their blend of olde-time western swing, jazz and Americana is pretty entertaining.

On the flip side...

I never gave much thought to what musicians' wives/significant others actually do when their fellas are playing.  Since we arrived unaccompanied, I may have sat out there by myself in the crazy heat and humidity having a pity party.
I'm glad we were able to visit the park, but honestly it seemed a bit underwhelming; the 'rapids', just meh.  One and done!

Monday ...

Was our last session of Laura Story's When God Doesn't Fix It.  On some level, who amongst us can't relate?   My favorite take-away truth:  "Things don't have to get better; we have to get better."

Tuesday ...

Was my nerve conduction study.  Now I know what a marionette feels like, lol.  It wasn't painful; rather, humorous to watch my hand jump involuntarily.

Doc suggested an MRI be done on my neck, but will wait and see if wearing the wrist splint for a couple weeks doesn't make a difference.|

In what's become tradition, instead of getting a lollypop for being a good girl, Tom took me for a late lunch at Long Horn.  Their salmon and broccoli never fails to put me in a happy state of mind.

...and the beat goes on!

Yesterday Troy and Lois invited us to join them 'around the corner' at their friend's brunch.  I can't help feeling like a third-wheel, but they kept assuring we were welcome.   (All the same, I bought a bottle of Pino Grigio ... Miz Manners, don't you know.)

We had such a good time!  Even tho' we were outdoors, the breeze from the water felt amazing.   The Blackstone grill was fired up, and now I've a serious case of "want"!   (I've never grilled, but that seems easier and cleaner than charcoal.)   

There were Mimosas, fruit, cheeses, bacon, Conecuh sausage, eggs and (drum roll!) Lemon Ricotta pancakes -- that appeared more like tasty crepes.   The main event (to me) was getting to love on 6-month old Penelope ... whose parents were kayaking on the Coosa River.

All that fresh air and carbs?

Nothing to do but go home and close our eyes!

... and so begins another new week.
But first!  I need to visit Publix and return the apple pie that, when cut, turned out to be blueberry.  Tom was so disappointed, but I thought it was hilarious.  Has that sort of thing happened to anyone else?

Have a blessed kind of day!

Hugs, Myra

    

Watercooler Wednesday

 

Do you ever?

..... let the music of your life suddenly carry you away?

Dare I share an old reverie?
Possessed with a voice like Fitzgerald, I stand stage right in a smoky piano bar ...  martini in hand ...  and sing to a room full of strangers.

..... all the while thinking of someone who's life once crossed my path  -- for better or worse.

"Read about you in a Faulkner novel ... met you once in a Williams play"

"Material Girl" 

"I bet you think this song is about you, don't you?" 

The list goes on.

Not just daydreams.  Like quotes from a book, I collect lyrics.  A couple favorites --

"Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then ..."
"Why me, Lord, what have I ever done.  To deserve even one ..."
"I keep a memory bouquet"

I want to hear and hold words that don't sound like a used car lot deal.  Or rap.  Especially rap. 

What's your favorite song lyric?

Doing Life

Current status

... for the good times, lol.

So how the heck are y'all this fine Saturday morning?

This week's been a mixed bag --

everything from another diagnostic (test) ... to air conditioner woes ... to plumbing mishaps.   

On the bright side -- my (medical) techie was amazing; I experienced absolutely no discomfort and practically waltzed across the parking lot to my car. 
 

Thanking the good Lord for same day service techs who made our home comfortable again.  Sure, we could have used that $$$$ to better use, but like I told Tom, we can't take it with us.
(*heavy sigh*)

Oh!  Just the other day Macie and Grace discovered two feral felines and a litter of kittens under Tom's tractor shed.  Eeeeek!

Fortunately, our next-door neighbor works with a local rescue; last I heard she's put out food and water.
Stay tuned!

Outside the back door?

Mildew Mary, quite contrary

Rinse-and-repeat!
Like Yogi said, "It's deja vu all over again."

... but nothing a little sugar can't make nicer.
Have you seen these precious little pies?

Tom loves him some apple, but struggles to eat a whole pie before it spoils.  Thank you Publix!

Finally ...

For someone who thought she'd totally lost her passion for reading,

I've dared to hope it's comin' back round the mountain.

For the first time in a long time, last night I was asking my eyes to slow down, not wanting "Before We Were Yours" to end.   Based on a true story, there's heartbreak  ... but by the last chapter I was hiccupping happy tears! 

If you'd like, here's a synopsis.  (Click to enlarge)

Well, I'd better get up and do some yard work before it rains again.  Poor little Grace's legs are so short, she's afraid to step off the patio to piddle!

Y'all have a blessed day!

Hugs, Myra

Smatterings

 

Good morning from foggy central 'Bama!

In a post that should surprise no-one: 

"Alabama is not experiencing any drought conditions right now.  Signed, Captain Obvious"

(Who says meteorologists don't have a sense of humor?)

Off the top of my head ...

Has anyone else on social media noticed?
Or cares?

Never mind how profound or weighty ..... if a Facebook post takes more space than a few sentences, it's less likely to be acknowledged?

I call it 5-second gratification.

... or, what another blogger once called, 'touch-and-go's'.

I'm so glad there's an arena here in Blogland to share our "meat-and-three" thoughts. 

💫

At the grocery store.

When was the last time you made a goof at the supermarket?

Maybe (like me), it was buying an 'off brand' to save 20-cents.  Or, the time I mistook plantains for bananas.

Then, there's Tom.  Standing in the kitchen with a puzzled look on his face, holding his just opened bakery container, "Didn't we just buy these (chocolates) yesterday?  Here, touch."

What he thought were brownies?  Biscotti.
(Nope, he'd never heard of it.)

Oh, that belly laugh felt good!

💫

Finally, my thoughts on The Women.

Like one reviewer shared, this may be one of the most powerful books I've ever read.

Historical fiction isn't something I'm drawn to.  In fact, I was expecting to lob it back to the library at the first horrific detail.
(Not that they don't exist ... just keeping it real.)

So much more than what I presumed!  It's the story of Frankie, Ethel, Barb -- US Army Corp nurses in Viet Nam.  The debutant good girl, the farm girl, the radical.

"Back in the world they might have never met, might never have become friends.  This war had made them sisters."

Not only wartime, it was the book's second half -- the coming home -- that gutted me.

I agree with one reviewer who said,
I've never had a book make me ugly cry on one page and then laugh immediately after."

I can't recall the last time I gave a book "5 stars" ... but  ya.  I just did.

I hope y'all enjoy a blessed day!

Hugs, Myra

Of dogs ..... and differences

 

Hey there!

From the sun room ...

a nod to the season

I fastened a couple of Dollar Tree scrunchies around the neck of a mason jar with little flags inside.  Easy peasy!

On the bright side, all this rain we've been having is keeping the room cool enough I can enjoy sitting out there with my coffee most mornings.

❤️

So, we just got back from the girls' monthly 'squeeze (vet visit). Macie Ann update:

My best girl's hanging in there, taking her meds like a champ.  I keep my phone's song alarm set for twice a day, and darn if the girls aren't turning into Pavlov's pooch.  They know these things!  (Grace doesn't need any meds but she gets a placebo, aka training treat.)   M's breathing respirations are duly recorded, and for the time being she seems to be enjoying her best life.    

Okay, I've a question for some of y'all of "generous years."

I've come to the conclusion that Tom's and I've Irreconcilable Differences when it comes to eating.  In short, I've turned into my father -- who believed breakfast the Most Important meal of the day.   Tom, on the other hand, doesn't enjoy eating anything until late afternoon.

The older we get, the more set in our ways, less willing to compromise.  (Anyone else?)

That's all well and good while at home.  Yesterday morning, however, Tom had an eye doctor's appointment -- practically next door to an eatery I'd been dying to check out -- First Watch.

Check out the water bottle!

It reminds me of the way we used to get our milk with a white paper thingie atop.  (Remember?)

To put it mildly, poor Tom's breakfast was, less than stellar.  But mine?  Love at first bite!  Because I wasn't raised in a barn, I didn't lick the plate ... but the thought crossed my mind.

I walked in, fully intending to order the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict.  Then my eye caught "Blueberry Lemon Cornbread" on the chalkboard ... things that make you go, hmmmm!

In the end I settled for a Chickichanga.

(From the website)
"Whipped cage-free eggs with spicy, all-natural chicken breast, chorizo, green chiles, Cheddar and Monterey Jack, onion and avocado rolled in a flour tortilla.  Topped with Vera Cruz sauce and all-natural sour cream."

Would we go back?

Due to their price points this isn't a spot we'll frequent on a regular basis.

Nevertheless, I'm keeping it close to my heart for a gal-pals luncheon ... to be determined!

Thought for the day ...

❤️

Y'all be good!

Hugs, Myra

A Day in the Life

 

... sort of like Currently, only different!

Status?

I was just revising our June calendar to accommodate a pop-up appointment.
In a way I'm grateful for a full dance card, but there are days it's plain wearying.

After Tom's lab work we'd plans to visit Lowe's garden center.
Given the threat of more rain, however I detoured to Fat Boy's Ranch.  Seriously, the best smoked meat I've enjoyed in all my years.

My pulled pork salad.

Somehow a slab of ribs and 2 lbs. of brisket also made it home.
Can't help ourselves!

Love how they decorate their not-just-for-Christmas tree to accommodate everything from the SLE Rodeo to patriotic holidays.

Trying something new

I remember asparagus growing wild on the side of the road in the little valley just off the Hill.  My dad would pull the Fairlane off to the side and park while mother filled a brown paper bag with that goodness.
Most likely, I was scrunched down in the back seat, hoping no-one I knew spotted me. (lol)

I'm not holding my breath ours will flourish, but the idea makes me smile. 

(about to start) Reading

I've been hearing good things about Kristen Hannah's The Women.
I hope they're right ..... but must admit, I'm not anxious to reawaken memories of the Viet Nam years. 

Makes me smile

Did you hear?
I saw an interview with Pope Leo's brother who shared that (prior to the papal conclave) he and his brother played Wordle every morning.

Like my first sip of coffee, I so look forward to doing that.

Anyone else?
Do you suppose Pope Leo still makes time to do that?

... and belly laugh, too!

Any Fluffy fans out there?
At first I wasn't so sure Gabriel Iglasias' special was going to be very entertaining ... after all, there are so many nasty, lewd comics out there.  Many of them female!  I'm not so easily offended, but ya.

Nasty.  (Did I say that already?)

Anyway.  I love how his delivery is full of life lessons, cloaked in humor.

An excerpt:  "I'm here to entertain, not to offend."

What's made you laugh recently?
I'd love to hear about it!

Hugs, Myra