It was warm enough last week for the fringe flower trees (2 of the 4) to think it’s spring.
It’s cold out this morning which means my blood is thick and slow moving. It will warm up later but right now my brain doesn’t want to think. I don't function well when it's cold though some people find it invigorating. Just makes me want to huddle under blankets. I slept as late this morning as I’m able to sleep, rising back to consciousness a few minutes before 8:30. Not because I naturally don’t sleep later than that, or would, on occasion but because my morning pill alarm goes off at 8:30. Usually though I’m up well before that and after I feed the cat and dog, taking my morning meds is the next thing I do so the morning pill alarm is unnecessary and only functions to wake me up if I’m sleeping late. And also usually, when Marc gets up before I do and uses the coffee bean grinder, that wakes me up. Not today though. Slept right through that loud screeching noise.
The above was yesterday morning. It turned out to be a pretty miserable day; cold, overcast and drizzly. Of course, because it was my day to grocery shop which yesterday required three different stores…Walmart, Hesed House market, and HEB. Walmart for their dishwasher detergent and while I was there I went ahead and got the cat and dog food I needed, Hesed House market for their lettuce and local honey, and HEB for general groceries. I used to buy the bag of organic mixed baby lettuce at the grocery store but it starts to deteriorate after about 3 or 4 days. One of the Mennonite families here started growing three different lettuces hydroponically and sell it through the HH market. They offer individual heads or three smaller ones in a clamshell. The difference in quality is dramatic.
Today is sunny though and rainbow prisms are being cast all over the ceiling and walls and the dog in my lap.
Despite the sun and rainbows there was a different calamity. The coffee maker died so we’ve had to heat up water and pour it through the grounds but without the heating plate under the pot by the time it drips through for a single cup, the result is barely warm and requires reheating in the microwave.
I’m taking a break from the art journal/watercolor notecards/paintings since I’ve been focused on that stuff for several months except for the week I made Paisleigh’s blanket. I haven’t done a colored pencil drawing since the woodland violet in August and I have one I want to do for a friend for his birthday which is the day after mine. Ah, but, I do have another watercolor project for which I’ll probably use the crayons and pencils. I ordered blank watercolor bookmarks. With tassels! Plus I have another little project I’m about to start.
I’ve found a new expression of disbelief courtesy of Jeff Tiedrich…What in the hallowed name of Magical-Thinking Jesus! Now I’m just waiting for a chance to use it.
A strong wind started blowing out of the north west around lunch time, sustained 14 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Not looking forward to the drive to El Campo for yoga class in a few minutes. I’d beg off but Mauri is bringing me two dozen yard eggs which we need. I imagine I’ll have more pecans to pick up this weekend.
Oh I can't wait to find a use for the hallowed name of Magical Thinking Jesus!
ReplyDeleteIt is rather long though wonderfully descriptive. I'll probably just resort to my usual 'what the fuck'.
DeleteThe prism dog is just beautiful to look at. Also looking forward to the quilt once you will display the finished product!
ReplyDeleteMy Irish family members who would never in their lives utter the name of youknowwho out loud unless in prayer usually resorted to Holy Josephine and her sisters and brothers! that basically covered it especially when driving, playing board games or watching sport. My daughter eventually asked about the brothers and sisters, but she can't remember who explained what.
Two things come to mind:
Would you consider placing the coffee filter above a flask so the coffee stays hot? That's our standard procedure, saves energy and we only had to invest in a sturdy flask with a fitting coffee filter holder. And whoever gets up late, has hot coffee.
We grow a couple of green leaves in pots on window sills and mostly in a reused gutter length in the greenhouse, the soil not too deep, good sunny spot etc. That way, and after experimenting with seed mixtures and seed spacing, we have fresh salad greens every day, I usually go at it with a pair of scissors.
Quilt? Close but no cigar. I sometimes plant spinach and different loose leaf lettuces in the fall but didn't this year. But come summer, they bolt and that's the end of fresh lettuce until fall. As for the coffee, we just bought a new coffee maker.
DeleteI love “what in the hallowed name of magical thinking jesus,) but I think it’s too lofty for me. I have a difficult time giving up my 4-letter reactions.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is wonderfully descriptive but profanity comes too naturally to me.
DeleteI think we’ll all be trying to work “What in the hallowed name of magical-thinking Jesus” into our daily exclamations!
ReplyDeleteMy exclamations are usually much shorter, about 3 words. I'm sure you can guess.
DeleteThat is an excellent expression of disbelief! I know I won't remember it in the moment, but I'll try. I feel you on the cold - it's 27 degrees here right now and I am NOT amused.
ReplyDeleteActually a little too lofty for me, I'm usually closer to the gutter.
DeleteThe weather gurus said that wind was supposed to hit here in the afternoon, but it clearly was moving much faster. It started here about noon, too, and by mid-afternoon it really was cranking. It was so strong that I finally quit work early. There was no way to varnish with that going on. As for interesting expressions, my dad used "Jesus H. Christ" in extreme situations. I always asked what the H stood for, but no one had a good explanation. So, I decided it meant Henry. After all, I had a middle name!
ReplyDeleteHenry sounds good - better than Herod!
DeleteI had read before what the H stands for but couldn't remember so I looked it up.
DeleteThe "H" in "Jesus H. Christ" is a linguistic misunderstanding of an ancient Christian monogram (IHS or IHC) from the first three letters of Jesus's name in Greek (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ), which was Latinized and later English speakers mistakenly interpreted as a middle initial, though some theories suggest it also meant "Holy" or was a playful addition to a curse, says Wikipedia. It has no biblical meaning but comes from religious symbols becoming confused in translation across languages.
We were supposed to be in a wind advisory yesterday but it wasn't particularly windy.
I imagine you'll find a reason to use that expression of disbelief any second now. These days, it's one disbelief followed by another.
ReplyDeleteYou've reminded me- I dreamed of finding a bunch of pecans and then feeling guilty because i wasn't collecting and shelling them like you do. So, thanks for that, Ellen!
It's going to be cold here for the next week or so. Temps down in the 20's. I do not like cold weather. I don't really like hot weather either. I'm just becoming a grouchy old woman.
Time to get a new coffee pot.
Probably not. I'm usually more direct and to the point as in 'what the fuck', sometimes 'what the actual fuck'.
DeleteI shelled the last pecan I'm shelling last night this season. Thank the gods. Don't feel guilty. Lots of people let that free food lay on the ground. Too many years of living hand to mouth for me I guess.
I can't believe you're getting much colder weather than we are. Which, believe me, I don't miss. And a new coffee maker was bought forthwith.
Two dozen eggs! I wouldn't know what to do with that many eggs. We buy six eggs at a time and they last weeks at minimum.
ReplyDeleteI envy you the ability to sleep until 8:30! I wish I could do that. (Soon enough!)
I took a very similar picture of Olga once with rainbows on her fur from our prisms. Your photo warmed my heart!
They keep. We only eat eggs on Sundays or use them in cooking. I'm glad my picture brought up a warm memory for you.
DeleteWe have had cold and snow here and I'm too tired to deal with it. I must go to the store today so maybe I will have the energy by this afternoon. 2026 has been a rough year for me so far.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are feeling better. I've read that this year's flu is a really bad one.
DeleteCodex: Now you tell me that there are bookmark with tassels? Where? I actually retaught myself how to make them for my mom who kept donating them to the library.
ReplyDeleteGot them from Amazon.
DeleteThat’s a very fine expression of disbelief. I suspect many of us here will be adopting it.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully descriptive but I'll probably just resort to my usual WTF.
DeleteCodex: About my recent post. I was talking about dip dyed eggs.
ReplyDeleteYes, I understood that. I was just describing the yard eggs which come in white, pink, green, blue, shades of brown, and speckled.
Delete