How does time fly!

A while back I wrote of my zinnias, and how a cute little guy sat down right in the middle of the flower bed. I can't look at zinnias without thinking of my buddy Andrew. Time has flown!

How did we go from this cute little guy winning the Peanut King crown...

To this?

I'm not old enough for this to have happened! Learner's permit will become a driver's license. Oh my!

He's one smart kid. He was skipped a grade and is now a sophomore at 15. I found out today he was accepted into dual enrollment at a local college. He plays guitar at weddings, and is the most humble polite kid I know. His Mom and Dad did a great job. Congratulations to all of you!

I started this one a week ago!

Whew! Yep, I've been gone 2 weeks - ish. Sorry about that.

Ok, so I've had homework, mid terms and now final exams. I've discovered in one of my classes that my type-A, perfectionist tendencies don't mean a thing. Spelling and the fact that some people use words they can't read, nor do they know the meaning of, gets the same grade. Grrr As for math, I'm finally re-grasping all that stuff we learned in middle and high school. There have been moments where the light bulb has flashed on because I recognized a problem, but just as quickly the light was extinguished as I had no clue what I was doing to solve it. I took half of that final last week and have the 2nd half tomorrow. Whew!

Come, sit a spell

I spent much of Sunday curled up right here, with a book and a glass of tea. Not much reading happened as I was zoned out watching the mountain and looking at all the new growth in the yard. Welcome spring!

The crocus are blooming in the side yard. A previous owner just randomly dropped a handfull of bulbs in a hole, and we get to enjoy them for a while.

Daffodils, of course.

More stuff will be blooming soon, too. The treehouse isn't ready for it's close up, but will be soon. It's too early for the hammock and the deck really needs a pressure wash and restain. I'll post before and afters when we finally get it done. Hubby is building a bench for me in the side yard, under an old oak tree. We have plans for the hill in front of our house, for a small raised bed, sitting area and the fire pit. Plenty of areas for you to come and sit a spell.

Tea at 3

Chris and I had tea today, at 3. Lemon Zinger for me and something licorice for her. A nice bowl of trail mix was shared, along with great conversation. I didn't know how much I needed all of it. Thanks, Chris!
 

Squirrels

Ok, let me put it right out there. They are nothing but rats with long tails. I really can't understand how something that cute can be so annoying!

They terrorize the birds at the feeders, fight with the cat at the screen door and chew through plastic paint buckets to get to the bird seed. We are thinking about getting a paintball gun and..... you know.

Hubby just ran through the house, and out the back door. He grabbed the mop on the way out and commenced wailing away at the little so-and-so on the bird feeder. He actually made contact! But....... squirrel idiot looked at him, shook his tail and went right back to the feeder! It's gonna be a looonnng spring!

Food

I need to stop watching the Food Network. No, really. It's got me craving things I haven't had in forever and the show The Best Thing I Ever Ate is bringing back food memories like mad!

I grew up in a neighborhood that would now be called "ethnically diverse". There were Polish families, Hispanic families, Italian families, Russian families, Jewish families and of course Melting Pot families. Everyone had a veggie garden, so zucchini and tomatoes were prevelant. Some of us had fruit trees and grape arbors as well.

If you were invited to dinner you never knew what you might be eating. There was true peasant Italian food, kielbasa and pierogies, beans and rice, fish done many different ways and cuts of meat that you loved until you found out what it was. There were small bakeries, the Chinese place, the pizza place and the greasy spoon. Fast food was such a treat that it almost didn't exist!

Oh, don't get me started on the Church potluck suppers. Jello salads, potato salad, fried chicken, the current popular casserole and the dessert table! Oh my!

You couldn't be a picky eater. If you were invited to dinner, you ate what was served. It was rude to leave something on your plate, and word would get back to your mom, and you know what that would mean! Yes, I have a few foods that I do not like, but if one was on the table, you ate it.

I don't want to cook these memories, I just want to eat those foods again. Living where we do, there isn't a lot of food diversity. When we go out of area I pick up things that we love that we can't get here. Scrapple, true Virginia ham, Lebanon bologna, potato rolls and real Penn Dutch pretzels. Fresh mozzarella and antipasto from Paesano's, salt bagels from that place in Fort Myers, and all the fresh produce from the Farmers Market.

Food diversity. I'm so lucky to have tried so many things. Yep, food is love and it's shared. Experiences, great conversation, the simple act of breaking bread together. I don't think you can get anything better.

Blah

It's been a blah weekend. I've read a few books, soaked up some sun in the treehouse and generally just lazed around. I did nothing of any consequence all weekend, and I'm tired from it. Why is it when you do nothing to exert yourself that you feel more tired than you do when you've spent the day working in the yard?

Mentally, I've done a lot. Homework is caught up, worked some crossword puzzles on line and we did the taxes. Physically, I worked in the house, and did the personal stairmaster, but little else. I'm still "off my feed" from this crud so meals are just food. I'm feeling better, the exercise is doing me some good, but I still feel blah. Hopefully this will change soon.

Things to look forward to this week: visiting with Justin on Tuesday, tea with Chris sometime this week and library time on Thursday.