A BUSY MORNING...

6-16-26: Out relatively late at 10.00 a.m. I wanted to get to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get my license renewed. 

I have been noticing the sunflowers driving out of the neighborhood. Someone had planted a line of them by their letter box. The last time I saw them they weren't blooming. Today there was quite a show, and it was time to take my cell phone out. They made a very pretty sight.

When we got to the DMV, the first thing I noticed was that the parking lot was not overflowing like the times I have been there before. There were many empty spots. I was surprised how quiet it was. When we got inside and signed in, I was still filling out the form they gave me when I was called. We were in and out under 15 minutes. My Real ID license will arrive in the mail. I can't remember how long he said, hopefully under two weeks. In the meantime I was given an official sheet of paper which will act as a temporary one. We noticed a sign at the counter letting us know we could have done all this online, which is probably why it was so quiet, maybe. 

Our next stop was at Wegmans. I had a notice a few days ago to say I was due for my second shingles shot. No appointment is needed, you just walk in and wait your turn, which usually isn't very long. 

I sat myself down next to this very nice couple about our age. They were also waiting in the small sitting area. The man heard me and said, "You must be from Texas?" I looked at him and answered with a big smile, "I'm from England." He said he knew that and assured me he was joking. Ah, a comedian! He, his wife and I had a chuckle. After 50 years you can still tell where I came from originally. I'm always surprised when people acknowledge my accent. I do have a different one compared to how I used to sound. I think I have mentioned before that when I have gone back to the UK, people think I am Canadian.

The man played a guessing game as to where I was from. Not from Wales, he said, not from Scotland, he said. You did say England right? Not from the North, and then the Pharmacist opened the door, and they got up and as they went into her office I told him I grew up near Birmingham, but moved to Devonshire when I was 15. He nodded sagely as he disappeared out of sight. They saw them again a few minutes later. Gregg had joined me. We had another short conversation about the man's time in England. He had been over there working for a while. It was a very nice conversation. 

When we joined the pharmacist she had heard my chat with the couple. After I received the shot, she told me she had vacationed in the UK with an aunt who lived in Reading. This was when she was young and remembered what a great time she had at a rock concert. I should have asked her whom she saw. I told her that when I flew into Heathrow, I would go to Reading to catch the train down to Devon. She was lovely and great at doing her job. I hardly felt a thing.

Gregg told me later he noticed a sign showing an award that Wegmans received, for being the best pharmacy in America. I can believe it. We have never had anything but the best service here and every pharmacist has been very professional and friendly. Most importantly, all the inoculations received have been painless. I was glad to get home, however, and found myself dozing off for a few minutes.

And they are back!

Hello there my little darlings! Got out again did you? 

I had a chuckle. These photos were taken in seconds as they heard Gregg’s voice calling them. He exited via the garage door in the front of the house, had already told me not to open anything, even though I badly wanted to fuss them. Last time they slipped through a crack, and one followed the other before I could blink an eye. After remembering the last time, good sense prevailed. 

Gregg said they were fast as lightning. They wouldn't listen to him and made their way further down the street to the corner house. Soon after, their human turned up and said to Gregg, "They got out again?" He apologized but Gregg told him don't worry, we love them. We do, but at the same time we’re glad they are now safely back in their own garden.

I made a concoction the other day but didn't take a photo of the finished product. There is no link. I got the idea from several similar recipes I've seen over time and put this together from memory. Definitely not a lot to remember and you probably do something similar.

In the blender I added 2 bananas, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons honey and a splash of vanilla. Mixed until blended and poured into a freezer-proof container. It is supposed to take 1 to 2 hours before it is ready, but it took much longer I found. No, it's not ice cream but it satisfied a sweet tooth, and I enjoyed it very much. My dessert makes enough for 4 small portions and I ate it with blueberries on the side. I will be making it again. It will be a fun recipe to play around with, using different ingredients. If you make something similar, please share as I am always looking for good ideas.

It was a great day for weather. The high was 72 degrees F. and I didn't think it was humid. I hope the weather is treating you kindly in your part of the world. 

Have a great day!

DOGGY FIX DAY FOR WEDNESDAY, 5-19-26

It really is not like I go out searching for doggy fixes but if one presents itself, my cell phone comes out lickety-split and I'm snapping away. My thanks to the gentleman and his intrepid little traveler who made my day.

When I mentioned to Gregg that sweetie
here didn't look like he had a safety harness, he guessed that it really wouldn't be that safe if the bike toppled and the dog couldn't jump out. So, I wished them both happy and safe travels on their journey around the neighborhood. Thankfully the speed limit is only 25 mph and even lower when approaching the speed bumps. 

We also were not that close but because there were at times cars parked on each side of the road, it was difficult to pass where the road narrowed, and especially when there were other cars coming in the opposite direction.

Shortly after that, they turn right as we drove straight on. We both agreed that our sweet pooch certainly looked in his element, and was enjoying his ride.

Thanks for visiting and 

I hope your day is a great one!

"You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him."

~W. Bruce Cameron~

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

I don't have anything new for you this week. We have been eating leftovers from our Christmas Dinner. I made a batch of this soup that we could eat over a few days while getting ready for the 25th. You can find the recipe at this link. Our son gave us a box of noodles to try, Girelle pasta, which is one of his and our daughter-in-law's favorites at the moment.

Girelle refers to two distinct types of Italian pasta: a short, corkscrew-shaped dry pasta, and the type we used for this latest version of chicken noodle soup, and a stuffed, rolled fresh pasta.

Short-cut Girelle (Vesuvio) is a dried, commercial pasta shape, specifically a short, semi-hollow corkscrew, often referred to as Vesuvio. The shape is said to be inspired by the famous Mt. Vesuvius volcano in the Campania region of Italy where it originates. Its curly spring shape is excellent for catching and scooping up hearty sauces and chunky ingredients, or in a soup such as this one. It can be found in Italian food specialty retailers such as DeLallo (their website can be found here if interested) or, in our case, son bought it from a nearby Wegmans Supermarket. It may be sold in other supermarkets also, but I haven’t explored that yet.

The stuffed fresh Girella (Rolled) is a handmade fresh pasta preparation, where sheets of pasta are rolled tightly with a filling to create a spiral effect. It resembles a long, uncut roll of tortellini or a variation of rotolo. The rolled pasta is typically sliced into individual servings after cooking or baking. It is often served with a complimentary sauce, such as a rich tomato sauce, Cacio e Pepe sauce, or a simple butter emulsion. Common fillings inlcude ricotta and spinach, ricotta and parmesan, or more unique combinations like mushrooms and goat cheese, or ricotta and 'nduja', a spicy spreadable sausage. It can be boiled like a large, long ravioli spiral and then plated with sauce, or baked in the oven with ingredients like béchamel and mozzarella for a golden crust. 

We took a quick trip around the neighborhood last night on our way home. I thought I would share an 8 second video and a couple of photos to close off today’s post.

A photo of Santa about to make his way back to the North Pole. He is the biggest Santa I have seen and was almost as tall as the house. Hopefully there were no high winds expected but he looked safely tethered.

Several others were pointing him in the right direction, fortified by a glass of Eggnog perhaps.

Thanks for looking, have a great week and...

HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

We were driving home in the dark the other night and I asked my dear other half if he would take me through a couple of the neighborhoods around here. This is what we found. 

I am not one for decorating for Halloween, never have been. I made Halloween Cookies when our son was young and all his friends were visiting, but those designs were about as tame as it could get. I enjoy seeing how others decorate their front gardens. Skeletons were very popular this year! I think these would give me nightmares.

From the same front yard.

I recognize Beetlejuice.

He went 'thataway!'

At another home.

And another.

And another.

Not many people had decorated but I was happy to get these few. Some are very elaborate. I would think if there were going to be any more, they would have been done by now.  I guess it's time to think about buying that Halloween Candy.

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."

~William Shakespeare's ‘MacBeth’~

Thanks for looking everyone.

Have a great day!

I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SEE A LEPRECHAUN RIDING A UNICORN.

 "I've seen it all now", said she.

"What are you talking about?" said he.

"A leprechaun riding a unicorn!"

A look from he who just had to say...

"Are you tippling out of the wine this day?"

"Nay", said she, "Turn around and look!"

So, the next road he took a loop,

and saw a house with a basketball hoop.

And not far away but his eyes did see,

A leprechaun riding a unicorn with glee.

The man knew where leprechauns were born.

Not here! 

Have you ever seen one riding a unicorn?

No way, you may say and 

well, you have now

And it's not even St. Patrick's Day!

With apologies to all my favorite poets.

Thanks for looking and hope your day is a fun one.

(Much to my surprise, a sight seen while driving through our neighborhood on 2-24-25.)

NEIGHBORHOOD DECORATIONS 12-18-24

 When we were driving home last Wednesday, I asked if we could go the long way round to see the neighborhood lights. There were a lot of blurry ones, but I weeded out these to share with you.

I usually crop them so as not to show the whole house, but thought the sky was really pretty in this one. We were approaching the twilight hour. Below is the same photo but a closer view of the decorations.

The reindeer and sleigh were on the other side of their driveway.

Another photo and that sky. There were more pretty lights than actual figures, but I thought it was a lovely display.

And another house with pretty lights and sky.

and the same house a little closer this time.

Next here comes the snowman and toy soldier.

Another snowman with Mickey Mouse, penguins and BabyYoda, the character on one of the Star Wars shows on TV. 

A fuzzy picture of a few dinosaurs and another snowman.

Another dinosaur and a snowman.

and finally a Christmas Tree with reindeer.

People went to a lot of work to get their displays up, and I took photos of one couple in the process, not realizing they were there in the darkness until I took a good like on my laptop. I haven't shared that one. They didn't seem to notice us, and I didn't see them in the dark. There were many other decorations, but people were coming home and we didn't want to block traffic. I took these photos as we drove by. Hopefully, I will be able to get out again soon.