Neigh. No Bark

In times of stress and despair, amidst the chaos and shame, there is need for humor. 

A smile.

 

Amazed

We went into Mound yesterday to pick up a few groceries and stop at the hardware store. The hardware store has a small nursery over the summer and I was going to look for a few annuals. When we pulled in the sign said 'All Plants Are Free' I read it several times, not believing my eyes. There were several people loading up carts and I joined them.  I was so surprised, I never have seen such a thing. Mark surmised they decided to give what was left away rather than dispose of it. It's a locally owned store. I'm going to write a thank you note. With mean, rude, greedy behavior being normalized, this was a real beacon of light. 

I'll attempt planting my bounty today. It's already hot and humid so we will see how long this wilting flower lasts.

We all know by now the big beautiful budget bill passed the Senate. It will sail through the house and then the reality of what this administration is all about will start to hit those in states that are solid MAGA. We will all feel it, but there are a number of states with high poverty levels who depend heavily on federal money. That's all I have to say. Except I experienced personally that there is still good among us.

Stormy

There was another overnight storm along with a tornado warning. The weather has been volatile this past week. High temperatures with very high humidity will do that. In my elder years I have become extremely heat intolerant. I use extremely because it really is. I am now, with our weather change and my age, a complete winter gal. It does keep the cats quiet, so there is that. My spirit has been willing to work outside, my limited common sense has told me nope.

Gatto does not care what I do as long as he can sleep undisturbed. He does have some grey cells up there.

Yesterday Far Side mention she made potato salad, which then made me want potato salad. This is slightly different from the standard, made with tarragon and vinegar, as well as mayonnaise. No egg. There is enough left for lunch. I have some burgers I made then froze that will accompany the potato salad. A summertime meal if ever there was one.

Eating. Not Fiddling.

It seems like every other minute I have another stupefying, demoralizing notification on my phone. So I think a topic of food and other less traumatic topics are in order.

I was rummaging through the refrigerator freezer and found an unmarked container. I really do need to get in the habit of labeling and face that I will not remember what is in there. I thawed it and found roasted eggplant soup. Yesterday was cool and rainy so why not enjoy a bowl of soup for lunch? No reason I can think of. Because we are in a stressful time I think a bowl of ice cream after the soup is just the ticket. So, we went for it. Then......

Why not indulge in a bit of excess with tortellini, artichoke hearts and Alfredo sauce? Yes, please. I will say, although good, I would like some broccoli in there next time. I have leftover so I think I will add some broccoli to it. When Rome is burning and I don't fiddle, why not indulge in good food? Why not indeed.

As an added bonus, how about a sun-loving cat enjoying her life of luxury on the screened porch? We all should be so lucky.

Rainy Days

It rained all day Wednesday and will be the same today. As I walked through the laundry room I heard drip drip. We have a leak in the roof and the drip drip was water hitting the floor. The high wind we had last week must have done something to a few shingles. We will need someone to fix it. Right now there is a large pot on the floor catching water. Lovely.

Gatto is brushing up on his tax law knowledge. He's so enterprising. The weather is working in Mark's favor. He needs to complete 80 hours of CPE (certified professional education). Gatto would rather snooze.

Rain and cool weather is perfect for baking bread and spending an afternoon finishing one book and starting another. I was also prompted by the weather to make dough for pizza. Rain, fresh bread and book and ending the day with pizza. I know it could get better than that, but not by much.

Take a Ride on the Way-Back Machine

I was scrolling through photos and came upon a couple I must have scanned at some time. This is 1990 or '91. Chloe, on the right, was a Dalmation/Lab cross and Jessie, on the left, was a retired racing Greyhound. Chloe was a ball of fire!

Nellie, also a racer, wrestling with Chloe while Jessie leaves the scene. I've had three greyhounds. The third was a puppy. I don't know her story, only that she wasn't from a racetrack breeder. Probably a show breeder who didn't think she was show quality. I got her from someone who couldn't handle the energy of a Greyhound puppy. I got Chloe the same way, our neighbor had her and she was too much for them. She was a lot of doggo.

It is strange to be without dogs. Since I was born they have been a part of my life, until July of 2023, when Keetah had a heart attack. Mark really misses them but I just don't have it in me to train a dog to living here. It was easier when I had a pack because the other dogs helped me with the newcomer. At one time I had seven large dogs. I didn't limit my overdoing to horses and cats. Really, I just gave the unwanted a home. Like the cats. So, cats have to fill the hole.

It has been miserably hot and humid. Minnesota has turned into the tropics. I had to turn on the ancient AC unit and once again it didn't let me down. Cooler, but still hot and very humid today. I'll take winter any day over this.

Hot

The first day of summer. The end of the peonies. I have somewhere around 20 peony bushes and didn't get any in a vase until yesterday. These two varieties bloom last of all the others so they survived the fierce storm from a week or so ago. The only thing I don't like about peonies is the short blooming season.

Matthew came for a visit yesterday, bringing lunch. It was a pleasant afternoon and we do enjoy the company. The company was pleasant but the heat and humidity outside was stifling. Today and tomorrow will be worse. I spent the afternoon with a fan and an audiobook. Wise choice.  I also spent time prepping a cold pasta salad for dinner. 

Today will be low-key, with the heat index in the triple digits. Equines will stay in the barn, which is an old Dutch style, high rounded roof, set down into a hillside. It stays much cooler than the outside temperature. The horses are old and the heat and humidity is hard on them. They will likely stay in tomorrow as it will be a repeat of today. They are barn babies.

I saw that the east coast is in for some storms. Stay safe east coast pals.

Snoozing in Sunshine

In the kitchen this morning I saw the reflection of Gatto looking like he was sleeping in the ferns. It was clearer than the photo, but I still had to post it. Gatto floating in a bed of ferns. Seems appropriate.

I'm sorry I have been AWOL lately. When I get something in my mind I stick with it and I have become focused on a deeper cleaning of the house. Considering the condition of my mobility it is a slow process, but one which I am actually accomplishing. The downside is I cannot focus on more than one thing at a time, so blogland gets ignored. Then I feel bad and out of the loop. It's really quite interesting how this little community of friends I've never met can mean so much to me. The truth is it does.

Too Hot

Yesterday slipped away from me. There was PT, then lots of errands. The Culligan man came out to change the filters on the reverse osmosis system, I made bread and spent time talking on the phone. Yep, I still do that. Before I knew it, there was late afternoon and I was done for the day. I never did get here to see what was up. 

Gatto and Frieda spend considerable time bird watching. Frieda is a chirper as she dreams of the hunt. Gatto just watches. We've had a lot of rain. Somewhere around six inches. The grass is long, the gardens are overtaken and everything is emerald green. Unfortunately, with the rain comes the humidity. It will be hot and the air will be thick with that punishing moisture for probably the rest of the summer. I feel the weather of the South has moved north. Ah, well.

Last evening was another quick and easy meal made from leftover pork loin roast. Right up my alley.

I've got a bunch of things I need to do before the heat ramps up. I will check in with everyone later today. Until then, stay cool. 

Caught

 

The assassin has been apprehended.

The toddler-in-chief is having a tantrum over the protests and is threatening blue states with increased ICE presence for increased raids.  His parade did not please him. 45 million well spent.

I am not going to turn this space into my angry place, but after Saturday I believe I am allowed a bit of anger mixed with sadness. As we all are, really. It happened here but it could have happened anywhere.

Adding a bit of brightness. Heirloom roses from a dozen years ago.

Some sweet and sour. Like life.