AROUND AND ABOUT ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 22ND, 2026

Nothing too exciting today, just out running a few errands. I've numbered the photos in the collage, and below have explained what they are. 

1. This is the spot where there used to be an old derelict house we passed by for years. I can still see in my mind's eye the beauty of the place in its decline. I mentioned how disappointed I was when driving by, to see that it had been completely leveled. It wasn't long before there was a lot of activity. The big machines had moved in, rubble removed, foundations laid, and then the elevator shafts built, then the walls. Each time we passed by I took a photo and then went home and compared it to the others I've taken, to see its progress. It wasn't too long after that we saw the company sign, a new storage facility for people's personal belongings. The place is huge! There is another building down the road by the same company, maybe not quite as big but big enough. Kitty-corner from that to my right, there is a much smaller storage facility run by another company. Personal storage is definitely big business around here.

2. I have my head up in the clouds again. I am a cloud watcher. When we left the house we were socked in. The skies looked very foreboding. The night before we had a thunderstorm with lots of rain. It actually started raining when we left the house, but when we got down the road a few miles, this was the sky and a few miles later all the rain clouds disappeared. 

3. & 4. are basically the same. Lunch and a car picnic in the parking lot outside The Pure Pasty Co. There website is here. A place I have mentioned on here several times. The owner is British and we have been coming here off and on ever since we discovered it. I can't remember when that was now, but it's been years. We often took our friends to the place. It opened in October 2010. We stock up on a few things as they also sell British food. We didn't buy much today, a few packets of British Bangers (sausages) from out of their freezer, and the pasties we had for our car picnic lunch. I think it was the last time we were there, a couple of ladies in the next car were doing the same. The absolute best pasties! Here's a history of them. You can enlarge the history card if needed. Also, below this post it is written out for translation for our overseas friends.

5. & 6. On the way home we spotted the tree trimmer. There are trees here that are beautifully shaped. I don't know what kind they are. That gentleman at the top in the cherry picker, what a good head for heights he must have.

We went home and pottered for the rest of the day. 

Thanks for looking and I hope 

your week is going well.

Have a great day!

History of the Cornish Pasty

The pasty is the national symbol of Cornwall, England. In some Cornish families a pasty recipe is the only means of tracing their family history. No one can pinpoint when the pasty originated. However, it can be traced back to Henry VIII (1491-1547). There is a letter in existence from a baker to Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour, saying “Hope this pasty reaches in better condition than the last one…” We also find reference to the pasty in two of Shakespeare’s plays. It is referenced in: The Merry Wives of Windsor: Act 1, Scene 1. Page: Wife, bid these gentlemen welcome. Come, we have a hot venison pasty to dinner: come gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness.  And in “All’s Well That Ends Well: Act IV, Scene III. Parolles: I will confess to what I know without constraint: if ye pinch me like a pasty, I can say no more.

The pasty became the Cornish miners’ meal of choice for many reasons. The traditional pasty was a complete meal consisting of meat, potato, onion and seasoning all wrapped in a crust then baked. Also, a miner could leave home with a hot pasty in his pocket and reach in once in a while to warm his hands.

In Cornwall arsenic was often found in the tin mines. This is the reason for the thick pastry crimp on the pasty. The miners would hold the pasty by this crust, throwing it away after they had eaten the body of the pasty to avoid poisoning. The crust wasn’t wasted though; the miners were firm believers in “knockers” (ghosts) and left the crust for them. Pasty shops in Michigan can be found where the people of Cornwall settled. They are, however, most prevalent in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

A FEW AROUND AND ABOUT PHOTOS.

I thought I would share a few of these. As you know I am an avid taker of photos, which include those from the passenger side of our car. I love to record just about everything. Last week we had amazing skies. Below was from the week before when it was rainier. I was taking our usual photo on the progress of the building when the police officer came into view. 

We have been very interested in seeing this large building go up, having driven by the old house for many years. The land was finally sold, the old house leveled (was a bit sad about that - someone's dream way back when) and this structure slowly took shape. They always start with the elevator shafts first don't they? We knew it was going to be a big place noticing how far apart they were.  

Monday June 22nd, 2026 - drove to Arlington to our favorite Bahn Mi go-to. We visit about once a month and have a car picnic. We try to curb our eating out to once a week and usually it's fast food. No seating inside here and that’s okay with us. We can watch the world go by. It’s fun to watch people come and go. There is a fire station across the parking lot to the left, and we have watched firefighters trek in every now and again. Nothing fancy but this is Gregg's all-time favorite sandwich, and I have to admit it is excellent. Mentioned before on here many times.

On the way out of the parking lot we spotted this. I believe it's the same vehicle I shared a few weeks ago. It is a Slingshot Grand Touring Le Fairway Green with Bronze Accents - thank you Google!

Our lunch last week took us to our Cornish Pasty shop, also mentioned many times before. We usually pick up British bangers and bacon. Made over here but a UK-style recipe that gives us a touch of nostalgia when we have them on the weekend with a full breakfast. Another place we visit, this time maybe once every three months, try to anyhow. You can just about make out the Union Jack on the left-hand side towards the end of the alleyway. 

Another car picnic. Over here Cornish Pasties are like a Michigan Meat Pie. Cornish tin and copper miners emigrated to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan when there was a massive copper and iron boom in that area in the 1840's and 1850's. That's how the Michigan meat pie came about, from the Cornish Pasty. I am repeating myself but the man who owns The Pure Pasty Co. is British and located in Vienna, Virginia. He also owns the Hawk and Griffin which opened several years later. This is where we went for Gregg's birthday earlier in the year. We like both places very much but come here more. The restaurant/pub is our special occasion place. I'm sure with the World Cup going on, the place is packed out.

On our way home we passed by the old mill building I mentioned a little while ago. I was delighted that the paddle wheel was working. We could see the water splashing on the wheel. There was also safety fences built since the last photo. I can only hope that we will see the building itself brought back to life, and I am eager to come back this way to see if there is any progress in a couple of weeks or so.

Here is also another view of the horses but in the nearby field this time. We really should bring a proper camera to get a closer photo. All these were taken with my cell phone.

Coming back into the neighborhood Gregg spotted a crow on the top of a mailbox post. He stopped, backed up without me even asking. 

I took several photos before he flew off. These were the best two.

It was a coincidence but that very morning I had found these on Pinterest. I rather like benches as you might guess, from all the ones I sit on when we go to the gardens. My imagination put these on our deck and in the back yard.

Tuesday June 23rd 2026 - I had my hair done today. I go to the Hair Cuttery at our local shopping center. The lady who has been cutting my hair for years did another great job and I always feel much better with it shorter and tidier. It was raining heavily, but the sun is out surprisingly and it looks like we will have a very pretty sunset.  

Wednesday, June 24th, 2026 - father and son got  together this morning. I stayed home and enjoyed my quiet time. I caught up on things. I did laundry, a chore that I actually enjoy. The day went fast!

That's all for now. 

Thank you for reading my ramblings, and 

I hope your day is a great one.

OUT AND ABOUT

 I thought I would do a shorter version of our around and abouts from last week. I have numbered each photo in the corners.

No. 1 & 2: Gregg fancied an ice cream. He recently found a place in Vienna, which is about a half-hour ride from home. They make theirs on the premises. This is our second time and we again ordered a couple of scoops of their coffee, one of the best coffee ice creams we have ever had. It is a fun place. In another section of the shop, they have shelves of items that you can paint, and there are get-togethers to do just that, as you can see from all the people sitting at the table. 

No. 3: As for me, I fancied a coffee on the way home, so we went through their drive-thru. I take photos of everything as you probably know by now.

No. 4: We noticed this couple riding along at a steady speed on electric bicycles. Gregg is very interested in them and said to take a photo so that we could see the make. I took several because the grass was high, but I finally got one with the make branded on the side. He is very interested in the ones that fold, so that you can put them in the trunk. Can I see myself on an electric bicycle knowing that I can easily fall out of my shoes, mentioned several times before? Not really but he has not given up yet. When I said as much, he is now looking for electric tricycles for me. Okay my Sweet, don't hold your breath. Am I being a tad naughty, yes but I honestly don't see it happening. I should add, stay tuned.

No. 5: I noticed the shadows on my dog figurines, thought they looked really interesting. See the last sentence in No 3.

No. 6: About 30 years ago I bought this little fox trinket box. He looks a bit cross, but I still enjoy him. 

No. 7 & 8: over the last few months we have been watching this large structure being built. Every time we passed by, we had a guessing game as to what it was going to be. Finally, a sign appeared. Neither of us thought of dogs. Those pups are going to have plenty of room to move around but he who is wide eyed with shock, wants to know where do the cats go?

You can enlarge my collage for more details.

Nothing too exciting but a good week. I hope you had and are having a wonderful one.

AROUND AND ABOUT FROM 3-31-25 TO 4-6-25 AND AN UPCOMING BLOG BREAK

 Hello Family and Friends, as mentioned yesterday I will be taking a blog break starting tomorrow, Wednesday, the 9th. Family is arriving from overseas and I still have a lot of things to get ready. So, this is my last post for a while. I hope to be back on Monday, May 10th. 

Thank you for reading my around-and-abouts and letting me know that you are still enjoying them. I very much appreciate you doing so. I know I will miss visiting you all while I am away, but I am beyond happy to see someone I haven’t set eyes on in a long time. 

A fun photo for you!

We borrowed our son and daughter-in-law's car recently and I found this out in the open. I seem to remember the story behind it, but can’t remember the exact details, a small gift from our son to his sweet wife. Love this little tiger and another photo op. 

I can give Grumpy Bear a break now.

I noticed I had put two posts on yesterday. I was obviously, like my dear backyard birds last Saturday, suffering from brain fog. 

This is another play with the collage app. The photo inserts are mostly taken of the spring flowers so far, with the exception of one or two.

This week's weather forecast from 4-7-25 to 4-13-25.

 Monday, March 31st, 2025 at 4:34 p.m: our son and daughter-in-law arrived home this afternoon from their trip to Los Angeles. They left last Wednesday. I am eager to talk to them to find out how it all went.  

I didn’t go anywhere today. Gregg visited Home Depot as he is fixing a couple of things this week. He also went to Costco. He bought a rotisserie chicken which we will be having for dinner.

For breakfast I had my usual Weetabix with blueberries, pecan halves and warmed almond milk. 

For lunch I fixed myself a couple of deviled eggs which I mixed with a tablespoon of mayonnaise and a tablespoon of sweet pickle relish. Gregg is not a hard-boiled egg fan and while he was out he went to McDonald’s. The eggs were a very nice change, and I will make them again soon. I got the idea from Debbie at It’s All About Purple, and the rotisserie chicken from Costco was her idea also. We have bought them before but not for a while, so thanks Debbie! 

Dinner: a real lazy meal, rotisserie chicken with rice and four leftover dates! I enjoy dates usually as a snack and never added them to steamed rice before but they were really good. Got to be kidding me you might say. The dates were staring at me in a small container on the kitchen table saying eat me. Should have been greens but there is always tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 1st., 2025 (actually it's Wednesday as it is 11 minutes past midnight. I am up late. I watched a movie on the downstairs TV. My dear other half has been upstairs for a couple of hours. I have seen better movies, but I enjoyed this one called "Lost and Found." A familiar premise when two brothers are sent to an island to stay with their uncle. Family dynamics, treasure hunting and a story of good and evil. A family movie and it was entertaining. Felt myself pulling for those boys. It had a satisfactory ending but will give no more info in case anyone wants to check it out.

We went out for breakfast/lunch to the place we were at for Gregg’s birthday meal, deciding it is our new favorite place. The collage above also shows a jeep that was parked outside. Someone is big into putting duckies on the dashboard tradition. Link here to read the story. 

 Gregg ordered a cold cut and me, my breakfast sandwich with all the greens, the same as last time. I had coffee (a delicious latte with a pretty design on the top of the foam) and we took two slices of cake home for later that evening. The portions were the right size we thought. Hard to tell but smaller than the normal size you get at restaurants, which is why we splurged, a tasty treat. They were a bit bashed up in transport but their taste was excellent.

The phone rang when we were in the car on the way home. It was our son asking if we would like to get together as he had finished his work earlier than he thought, and wouldn't be seeing our dear daughter-in-law for a couple of hours as she was still working. I asked to be dropped off at home - knee was once again pitching a fit and I knew I would definitely slow them down. 

Once home I put my feet up for an hour, looked at and listened to the birds, got my Merlin app out and found that the one I had been hearing lately was a Tufted Titmouse. Then I did a load of laundry and tackled some chores upstairs.  

Our mailman is retiring after 30 years.  I put a retirement card on our shopping list. He is one of our unsung heroes, and I look forward to wishing him a very happy retirement. I will thank him as we have never had a problem with our mail in all the time we have lived here. He has been on our route for a good part of that time. Once he even stopped our mail when he realized we were away. We had forgotten to stop it ourselves in all the rush, the first and the last time. We thanked him profusely on our return. We will be giving him a gift also.

He delivered my new Real ID license today. I was curious what it would look like. The photo was actually a decent one, which leads me to our other unsung hero, the man at the DMV. When he was taking my photo, after the first one he said, “Hmmm…let’s take another photo.” He took another and said, “Let’s try one more time. Maybe you could lift your chin.” A diplomatic guy I thought at the time and yes, I am smiling. Third time’s a charm and he appeared satisfied that I would be satisfied with that one. And I am as I will be staring at that photo for who knows how long. Thank you Mr. Nice Man from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025: are you getting a lot of scam mails in your text messages? They keep on coming here. I keep deleting and reporting but it is like the onrushing tide. This one was supposedly from American Express (we don’t have that card). Nope, not going to type in those numbers. I am slowly getting around the world with these things and not even leaving home.

Enough of that! 

Breakfast: good old Weetabix with warmed almond milk, but this time I had no fresh fruit, but did have some frozen blueberries in the freezer.  I did a deep dive and found them right at the bottom.

Late lunch/dinner: sliced chicken breast with stuffing, mashed potatoes and Brussels Sprouts. 

Thursday, April 3rd, 2025: For breakfast Gregg fixed scrambled eggs, sautéed cherry tomatoes, a slice of sourdough toast and a small glass of orange juice.

Dinner: Similar to yesterday, minus stuffing and potatoes.

I spent a good part of my day cleaning and tidying bedrooms. I have been into closets and now am seeing space, while sorting out old but still decent to look at clothes to take down to the church. We will also be taking a bag of non-perishable food items for their blessing pantry. 

And talking about the pantry, Gregg fixed the door on ours and a big hurray for Mr. Fix-it!

 

Friday, April 4th, 2025: the two Adirondack chairs and table arrived yesterday. Gregg has put them all together and they are outside now. We are both pleased with how they look. These are a darker blue. I loved the yellow ones I saw at our local garden center a while ago - see here in case you missed them - but like this blue color very much. There was also a choice of white and black. I thought the white would have been washed out with the background we have. Blue is one of my favorite colors, so it was an easy choice to make. 

Now, once I sit down, can I get out of them? I haven't tried yet, but these will be for our company to enjoy when they are here. I am hoping to get cushions which will make them even more comfortable, and more elevated. There are also a couple of decent camping chairs that we use to throw in the trunk of our car for sitting by any peaceful river we came across when road-tripping. That was the idea anyway. They are still in good shape, and I can get out of those, no problem, just need to dust everything off. (Since I started writing this I had a trial run sitting and getting out of the new ones, and I had a good laugh with the process. Gregg gave me helpful hints. No problem but I am still planting my flag on one of the camping chairs.)

Spring is always a lovely time to sit outside before the humid weather and mosquitoes arrive, 'so sayeth an English woman'. That's Gregg's sentence not mine and he told me to put that in my journal as it gave him a chuckle. He has seen me turn into all shades of red, purple and blue in humid weather over these many years, plus looking like a pin cushion after being outside with those pesky flying things. 

(Our American Elm is coming back to life. I saw these pods and said I had to get a photo or two.)

I never sit around in one place long enough to be made a meal of, but on our walks in various places, it has been unavoidable and quite a trial. I don't think it's only people like me that has this problem, what say you? The man on the other hand can stand these hot, summery and humid days. He is a Virginia boy, the hotter the better! If you have any natural mosquito repellent ideas, I would be very happy to know them.

Saturday, April 5th, 2025: I did another puzzle. This is for all the kitty lovers out there. Such a cutie and this was fun to put together!

The azaleas are starting to show, as are the first sights growing out of the ground like the coneflowers and lilies. The hellebores are looking very healthy too. Always happy when the flowers and plants survive for another season. 

Still sorting out and tidying upstairs, more drawers and closets being cleared and getting ready for family.  It’s a real spring cleaning.  

Sunday, April 6th, 2025: Son was over this morning.  We spent a good part of the time asking him where he thought we could take our company as they are nearer the same age. He said “I would take them to…” and offered a lot of suggestions. He and our daughter-in-law will be over while they are here.

The new chairs and table we showed him outside, were covered with a thick layer of pollen. Never gave that a thought. We will have to take a water hose to them. A dove has taken a liking to one of the arm rests! We will buy proper covers eventually. 

While out there son asked if the gunshots he was hearing were from the firing range. We have one a couple of miles away and if the wind is in the right direction, they can be heard quite clearly, or so I am told. I read comments on our neighborhood app, from worried people hearing gunfire and wondering if there is anything serious going on. These are usually from people who have recently moved into the neighborhood. Depending on the day, I don't hear the sounds because my hearing isn't that good anyway. 

This afternoon we made a chicken pot pie for dinner using a couple of shortcuts, the rotisserie chicken and store bought sheets of puff pastry.  I didn’t feel like breakfast and as we were test-tasting, snitching a few carrot and celery sticks before dicing them, we will be able to wait and have a good appetite at dinner time.  I think next time this is made, making individual pies would be a good idea, putting any spares into the freezer. My Domestic Science teacher from my school days, who gave me the nickname of Flour Queen because I used to get said flour everywhere possible, would probably now call me the Freezer Queen.

It is now 9.13 p.m. and the pie was seriously good. Gregg did most of the standing up at the stove top, stirring and adding things. I sat at the kitchen table and joined in the chopping of vegetables. I will add it to the list of Monday Morning Recipe posts and it will be on here sometime after I get back. Thanks again Debbie for the idea. We all seem to have our favorite recipes for Chicken Pot Pie.

That's the end of my around-and-about and last post until I get back after May 5th. My hope is I will be able to catch up on comments during any down-times. Have a wonderful rest of the month.

AROUND AND ABOUT FROM 3-24-25 TO 3-30-25

  Hello Family and Friends, thank you for reading my around-and-abouts and letting me know by emails, texts and comments, that you enjoy them. It is enjoyable for me keeping in touch with you all, letting you know what we have been up to and in return, what has been going on in your world. Again, thank you!

Weather forecast from 3-31-25 to 4-7-25

A lot of food talk with pictures this week, so maybe you had better not look at this while you are hungry.

Monday, March 24th, 2025: I have just returned from the DMV, in a different area that our son told us about. He said it was a little quieter than where we were before, with shorter lines of people. Very true! We had an appointment and arrived early but were seen way before our set time. The process was smooth and we were out the door in no time. One thing I was surprised at, that although we got this Real ID well before the May 9th deadline, I still have to get it renewed again before my birthday in July of next year. This is when my ordinary driver's license would have expired. The process won't be as long though as I had to fill out extra forms today. Apparently the rules have changed.

No breakfast today but when we got back and for lunch, I told my dear other half that I fancied the same chicken sandwich that he fixed yesterday, plus the addition of a mug of tomato soup. Very nice! No photos of that one though.

Tuesday, March 25th, 2025: Again, no breakfast as we were discussing where to go for our weekly lunch and I was tired of MickeyD's. 

I suggested driving to Gregg's favorite, the Bahn Mi place, which I have shared before. They do the best Bahn Mi Sandwich on a French Roll that we have ever had, and it is consistently excellent. We always order the meatball sandwich which is nothing like the Italian-style meatball. They are made of ground pork and seasoned differently with Vietnamese flavorings. You can look at a recipe here to give you an idea of what is inside the bun. Not exactly the same as ours as we have more slightly and delicately pickled vegetables.

He had a longer wait for the first time ever and we arrived later nearer the lunch hour rush.  I was outside sitting in the car reading the news on my phone. 

The delay in the store was because they were waiting for a new batch of bread to be baked, which is all done on the premises.

 

He was in line for 20-plus minutes but once they had the bread, he was out of there in a few minutes, and we had our car picnic. That fresh-from-the-oven French roll was the best ever! (As you can see, he likes to send photos while he is waiting. Do we go together or what? The photo below is a cropped version of above, so that you can see a few of the different foods they have on sale. Looks like they had a recent delivery and were still putting boxes away.)

On the way home the man said something to me which I didn't hear. This had happened earlier at home and the second time I said perhaps he was mumbling. He then said no, it's your hearing, you need to go get your ears checked." I turned to him and said, "Well, someone may think me as deaf as a doorpost, but that someone needs to be reminded that the eye doctor said I've got better eyesight than he has and who knows, maybe even better hearing. Stop mumbling!" You'll have to read last week's account to get that one. He had a good laugh, which was my intent, always enjoys the banter and as he is practicing his French, "Touché" he said. And to add, Gregg has a pretty loud/clear speaking voice and so does our son. And yes, my hearing check is on the list because he may be right on this one.

Word of the Day? 

Touché (pronounced ‘tooshay’)

Example: when you pull a rare fast one on your husband, he just might say "Touché". 

The word Touché means, "You hit me with the tip of your foil" in fencing, or "Wow, that was a perfect retort, or “You made a really good point." or "Touché Denise, and stop looking like a cat who has just finished the cream!"

The foil is one of three fencing blades used in Olympic fencing. Who knew? Not me apparently.

Interesting information online, and I got all this from a website I found on my curiosity journey, all thanks to Gregg and his improbable mumbling and my probable unhearing, and his "Touché".

Gregg actually took fencing which was a compulsory class in his first year at the naval academy in 1965. 

Well, I made my 'point' that day, doesn't happen very often and yes, I am smiling.

(There is no rhyme nor reason to my posts. Jumping from one topic to the other is how I roll.)

Anyhow, he and our son met up in the afternoon. I was happy they got together, and I enjoyed pottering at home for a few hours. 

Later, Gregg had just gone upstairs for the night when I thought I heard some yowling not too far away. I was listening when Gregg came downstairs to tell me, and we heard it again. I opened the front door and peeked out just in time to see a fox on the opposite side of the road in my neighbor's front yard. It was trotting along, clearly visible in their door lights and only seconds in sight, but it was a lovely one. I wondered if it was the same fox our son saw on his way into the neighborhood the other day. There are several around. There is a creek and a wooded area not too far away, where we think there are dens. A nice ending to our day. 

Wednesday, March 26th, 2025: the sun is shining. Lovely! My breakfast was a late lunch of Weetabix with a cup of strawberries, 4 dates and pecan halves. 

Dinner: we made a new shrimp dish and were going to add scallops, but it would have been too much. The shrimp dish was outstanding. The seafood was purchased at Costco, frozen in large packets and I will share that dish next Monday. 

Snack: This you will have seen in yesterday's Monday Morning Recipe post. I had bananas and strawberries that needed to be used and found a recipe for Strawberry Banana Cake. That was another ten out of ten. I am still looking for nice meals to serve up when family arrives in the middle of next month.

Thursday, March 27th, 2025: another quiet day so far at 1:39 p.m: breakfast was the same as yesterday beginning with the letter 'W'. 

Lunch/Dinner: We have just eaten the scallop dish I mentioned yesterday. Another winner on our never-ending mission to eat more seafood - sautéed in a mixture of olive oil and a sauce of lemon juice and butter added. I will share it on here eventually. So easy, simple and fast! I served both shrimp and scallops with steamed broccoli.

Snack that evening: a slice of the Strawberry Banana Cake.

The sun is shining! The current temperature is 55 degrees F.

In the evening our son and daughter-in-law called.  They are in Los Angeles for a few days and wanted to let us know they had arrived. It is a semi business trip. 

Friday, March 28th, 2025 at 11.23 p.m: Gregg went off to meet his old friend for lunch. I spent my time doing a few chores, blogging and watched a show on Netflix called Tracker. I quite liked it but only watched one episode. It is about a man who finds missing people and I thought was very well done with good acting.

Breakfast/Lunch: I didn’t feel like breakfast until noon, and had a small slice of the banana and strawberry cake, with blueberries on the side. I froze the rest of the cake for another day.

Dinner: I had a single portion of a stir fry I found in the freezer. Neither of us were that enamored when originally made a few weeks ago, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. I liked it more this time round. It had ground cooked pork, shredded cabbage and carrots (a coleslaw mix), and baby corn you usually find in a can that also had beansprouts and sliced water chestnuts. Not bad and ate something fairly light and nutritious while not having to cook anything, but did not like the addition of the can. There was a brine taste that even after rinsing did not completely disappear. I won’t add that again. Normally we like stir fry a lot.

Gregg came home and told me about his day. 

Saturday, March 29th, 2025 at 8.40p.m: for breakfast Gregg picked up our weekly doughnut and my coffee which carried us through to dinner which was cheese on toast and a commercial beef and barley soup with veggies. It was another no-fuss-in-the-kitchen day today.

We drove over to Lowe’s, our home and hardware store. We are interested in getting a couple of chairs and a small table to go on the deck in the far corner.

My knee was acting up and I didn't get too far walking around, but I had a great time looking at all those open blooms. However, I didn’t see anything I liked enough to purchase in the way of outdoor furniture. 

A big truck was outside and the gentleman delivering said he was dropping off flowers and plants from North Carolina. Inside, the cash register was busy with over 20 people in line, but we were basically reconnoitering. I took photos of flowers with prices and loved looking at the different ones. I want to go through the photos quietly and decide which to get. Gregg is leaving it up to me to choose. I'll point to the spot and he will dig the hole.

Spending a quiet evening. We find ourselves with our head in a book more often than not. I completed the jigsaw puzzle below…

and sometimes play a game of scrabble. If there is anything I want to watch, my dear other half goes upstairs early and I may either watch an episode of something, or a movie. I enjoy ‘Dark Winds’ which is a series that takes place in the 1970’s. It is about the Navaho Tribal Police in the southwest and the acting is very good. I started the third series a couple of weeks ago. 

An early night is in order, we are both getting tired.

Sunday, March 30th, 2025: Very nice weather and sunny. It was 80 degrees F. according to our car thermometer. It didn't feel that warm but there was no humidity. No breakfast and nothing until we went out for a late lunch at Santini's, a submarine sandwich shop. Gregg ordered a cold cut, and mine was a steak and cheese. We shared a packet of fries. I take half of mine home with me and reheat for dinner. Gregg fixed himself spaghetti that night. This week has turned into something like a food fest, and I keep saying next week we should do better at not eating out quite as much. 

We had another lovely chat with my brother-in-law in Germany. Always lots to talk about and we enjoyed at least an hour on FaceTime. Such a fun guy to talk to, especially when we all get going and always a brother, not just a brother-in-law.

With our fox sighting this week, I started thinking of them and did a scribble sketch of a fox today. You can see the original that I chose to copy. 

Scribble, scribble, scribble, never perfect but fun to do.

And on that scribble note, thanks for following along on last week's daily journal…

and a very happy first day of the month!