downloading monday

My eyes opened this morning and the dream I had been dreaming faded into oblivion despite my best efforts to recapture it. The house was quiet. Smudgie was stretched out on the bed alongside but not touching my right leg. My phone told me that it was 8:45. I had slept in, something that I did not know I was even capable of doing.

I walked out the door into a perfectly beautiful Buffalo summer morning. I thought that Buffalo might actually have some of the best summer weather in the nation. Too bad we are infamous for our winter weather. It is 73 degrees now with 43% humidity and a high of 80 degrees today. The skies are blue. I sat on my patio surrounded by lush greenery and brilliant blooms. The birds were singing the melody.....the cicadas the harmony.

Before me was a plate with two cheese blintzes covered with plump dark cherries. A few chunks of reddish-pink watermelon sprinkled with cracked pepper, extra virgin olive oil and brine-soaked feta.

I planned my day. I planned pleasures to bring me joy and tasks to give me a feeling of accomplishment.

I am as far away in my weekend from my cares and burdens as I can be. I am on the far left side of the bar. If I was downloading Monday, I am at 5% completion.

their story

I love the poems of Emily Dickinson. I found this book of her poems at a garage sale a couple summers ago. Today I picked it up to reread a few of my favorites.



But even more intriguing than her poems is this inscription written on the front cover of the book. I should like to know their story.


Peg,

The miles are nothing. Memories will keep us together, may we be separated by counties or states or even countries. I am now confident that our friendship will never die - regardless of time or space.

Merry Christmas, 1987
Kurt

i would like to visit falun

I like to try to find little moments of happiness in my day especially on days when I'm not feeling especially happy. I always think of Pollyanna playing the glad game. I found a number of those little pleasurable moments today.



You must know I like shoes. I especially love metallic shoes. My new ruffly silver slippers made me smile every time I looked down at my feet today.



We had a fundraiser bake sale today. I was not in a happy way last night and almost didn't bake for it. But I had this delightful Bundt pan and a white cake mix. I found a recipe that added eggs, milk and cream cheese to the cake mix. It came out perfect and golden from the pan. I glazed it with a glaze made from champagne and powdered sugar and lightly sprinkled it with pale pink sanding sugar. A sign on the table pompously named it Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Champagne Glaze. It was elegant in it's simplicity and I heard it was a big hit and sold out quickly.



B knew that I was not feeling very happy and suggested using a Chili's gift card for dinner tonight. He even went to pick it up. I had a grilled shrimp Caribbean salad with extra cilantro. While he was gone I made myself a Margarita in my favorite happy glass.



I started this book of short stories by Julian Barnes. Sometimes I read a book or story that I love so much that I have to keep the book forever so I can go back and read certain phrases or lines. The Madness of a Seduced Woman is one of these books. Attachments by Judith Rossner is another. Little Altars Everywhere another still. The Glass Castle. Now I can add The Story of Mats Israelson to these.

She said, "I would like to visit Falun."

the 4th

I forgot to mention what a pleasant day the 4th was. B and I tried a restaurant called Zoe for breakfast. I'd heard good things about this little unassuming establishment and wanted to try it out. I was pleasantly surprised. It was decorated so cute in olive green and black. Lots of wrought iron swirly decorations including hand-painted scrolls on the walls. Nice and clean with a very Greek menu. I had saganaki scrambled eggs with peppers. B had a gyros omelet.
When we got home this guy was asleep on our family room couch. What a pleasant surprise!! Then B went out for a bike ride and Jay and I took a nice long walk and had a very pleasant chat.



When we got home I got busy cooking. I marinated veggies for kabobs and baked wholewheat sugar cookie stars. I mixed up ice cream, poured it in the freezer container, clipped the container in the tub, added water, ice, salt and flipped the switch. Nothing happened. I ended up throwing out the ice cream freezer and settling for putting the container in the freezer and getting it out periodically to give it a good stir.
Kabobs are ready....red pepper, purple onion, zucchini, purple potatoes, mushrooms, swordfish, chicken, scallops and salmon.




After dinner we sat outside for a bit. The weather was spectacular. I suddenly remembered some fireworks that I bought on a trip to Illinois years ago. B helped me locate them. They had always scared me before. I thought they were bottle rockets. I found out that they were really all smoke bombs. I lit the first one. I love that firework sulfur smell.



There were some little pop guns that shot out streamers.



B lit off the thing that I had thought was a bottle rocket



Just a green smoke bomb



Jay came out to see what all the commotion was about



and decided to join in the fun



woo hoo!!!



then things got funky



my intense vanilla ice cream....I halved all the ingredients in the recipe but forgot to half the vanilla



served with honey lemon fruit and stars



cookies that I boxed up to send with Jay to give to his friend who is girl

aldi's

A Facebook friend posted that she found out that Aldi's and Trader Joe's are owned by the same company. I didn't know that either but I can kind of see it. We don't have Trader Joe's here but I love to go there when I visit Arizona. We do have Aldi's but I rarely go. I went yesterday because I needed a few items and it was close to Home Depot and Jo-Ann. They have some pretty neat items there like these tortilla strips and cornbread croutons both of which would be great in a salad. I only spent $19 and came away with those and three hearts of romaine lettuce, a jar of mayo, dark chocolate, fake Mentos, a good-sized jar of dry roasted peanuts, a bag of whole cashews, another of sweet and salty nut mix and several more little bags of nuts.



The little bags of nuts are the perfect size for adding to this bag of rainbow mix. Add apples or pineapple tidbits and a homemade dressing of mayo, sugar and rice vinegar for a yummy salad.

they're such pansies

they're so sweet



but can't take the heat



the impatients get impatient with them



man up you pansies they say



so I cut them cut at the knees and replaced them with hardy dahlias



we will see how they fare



I hope like these



black-eyed susan wanted to come home with me today

poo

We have been having issues with Smudgie not remembering that poo belongs in the litter box and not on the treadmill, the fireplace hearth or the middle of the workroom floor. Today was not a good day. At least he keeps it confined to the basement.