SUNDAY-3/22/26 TO SATURDAY-4/28/26

Weather forecast for this week, from Tuesday, 3-31/26 to Saturday, 4/4/26.

Sunday, March 22nd, 2026: I have written a blog post about Gregg's second birthday celebration with our son and daughter-in-law, so don't have much to add on that. I will share a couple of photos of those beautifully frosted window partitions and the old-fashioned wall lamps.  I loved those!

On each side of the photo below you can see the horse brasses which seem to be a standard fixture in the old pubs. I was curious so looked them up online. I remembered some of it but not all. Originally, they were used to decorate the harnesses of heavy working horses, such as Shire and Clydesdale horses, during the 19th and early 20th centuries. I believe they may still do that for special events. Earlier than that, when these were introduced in the 18th century, they were believed to be amulets that protected horses from "evil spirits" and the "evil eye". Designs like stars, suns and crescents were common "lucky" symbols". Going back to the Romans, they also used similar amulets on their horses, but I don't think the two stories are related. A great read of their history can be seen at this link if curious.

This week has been one of those weeks for me and I didn't write anything down so all this is off the cuff.  

Monday, March 23rd, 2026: it sprinkled. I woke up shivering. It went down to 32 ° F. - 0 °C that night. We didn't have the heat on because the house had felt relatively warm that day. We didn't go out.

Tuesday, March 24th, 2026: we went over to Wegmans for a shingles shot for me and a tetanus shot for Gregg. Nice pharmacist again, we've had him before. No problem with the shingles shot except for a sore arm for a few days. Gregg had no problem. I didn't feel any flu-like symptoms we were told about, and he didn't either when he had his. He is all sorted out now as his was done last month, the last one being a couple of months ago. I still need a shingles booster in two months, and also need a tetanus shot which I will get next week sometime. These were recommended by my doctor on the last visit. After we were finished in the pharmacy, we walked around the store and bought a few items. 

We did go to Walney for a quick visit to see if the daffodils were blooming. I didn't want to miss them. There are little pink flags blooming also. They must be getting ready to replant or dig up old ones.

Wednesday, March 25th, 2026: Gregg and son went over to Annapolis today. I elected to stay home. They sent me photos and this is one of them. It depicts Alex Haley, a life-size bronze statue and a prominent landmark in Annapolis. The memorial honors the arrival of Alex Haley's ancestor Kunte Kinte at the Annapolis City Dock in the 1760s. The sculpture, designed by Ed Dwight, shows author Alex Haley reading to three children, symbolizing the passing of history to future generations. You can see it at the head of Annapolis Harbor if ever you are in the area and would like to take a look. I remember watching the miniseries Roots back in 1977.

Thursday, March 26th, 2026: today was a get up and go day when we took son to Baltimore/Washington International Thursgood Marshal Airport (BWI). We had a couple of hours sleep and set the alarm for 1.00 a.m. We picked son up and thankfully they don't live too far away. I took 4 soft pillows and two throw-rugs and settled down in the back for the one hour plus road trip. It would have taken a lot longer if it weren't for the time, hardly any traffic and thankfully it was easy going.

 

Son drove there. They were both bright and perky chatting away in the front, me not so much. I slept for 20 minutes. It was an enjoyable drive, and we always welcome something that gets us out of our routine.  

By-bye to son and off back home we went. We were almost home when Gregg said, I think our local McDonalds is 24 hours, I'm hungry, let's go have a breakfast. I looked at him and said something like you've got to be kidding right? No, he wasn't. Fortunately, not that far from home by this time. He said, take a picture. I took a picture. What can I say? I absolutely could not focus!

We rolled into the drivethru. Their main building was closed. I was still trying to offer him pancakes that I could make when we got home. No, the only place he wanted to go to when he walked through the door, was straight to bed. Okay, so there we were at 4.30 to 4.45 a.m., in the parking lot having a car picnic a little earlier than we normally do. There was a van in the other lane (in the drivethru) giving us a mildly curious look and I gave him an equally mildly curious look back. Didn't even offer my usual cheery smile as he looked away. He was tired too no doubt. And yes, when we got home, we went straight to bed and slept in a lot later than usual. Son called five hours later letting us know he had arrived and that he had had a good flight. 

Towards the end of the day we drove over to Walney Pond. This is where we saw that vehicle with the lovely southwestern art. I didn't take too many photos, but we spotted these two very large fish swimming nearby. There was a young man fishing on the other side and he was after these. 

Canny fish knew where he was though and kept well away and hidden under the wooden walkway that goes over one end of the pond. We watched this mini drama unfold, and as soon as the young man moved to the other end of the pond, these two came out and started swimming in plain view.  Fishing is allowed here, though I had no idea there were fish this big. They were at least three feet long.

It was a very pretty sky and we enjoyed our visit, even though it was shorter than normal.

Very quiet, there was the young man and a couple sitting on a bench on the other side. They yelled across to the young man, pointing to location of the fish, but no sooner he moved their way, they went where he had been a few minutes earlier. It certainly was interesting to watch. 

The turtles were sunning themselves on a new man-made island. We looked at them for a few minutes but decided it was time to leave.

Friday, March 27th, 2026: it was a grey day, we didn't do much and stayed home.

Saturday, March 28th, 2026: cauliflower and cabbage stir-fry. The only reason I remembered this is I asked Gregg what he had written in his end-of-the-day log, to give me a memory jog. This was all he wrote and my memory apparently is still asleep on its way to Baltimore.  

I hope to do a better job next week.

Thanks for looking and

have a great day. 

I hope your sun is shining.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE DAILY JOURNAL SUNDAY - 3/15/26 TO SATURDAY 3-21-26

Weather forecast for this coming week, from 3/22 to 3/28 2026.

Sunday, March 15th, 2026: the day always starts off with our son’s visit early morning unless he is elsewhere, out-of-town sometimes. He drops our daughter-in-law off at work. He lets himself in at around 8.30 a.m. and I hear his voice announcing his arrival. I am often upstairs finishing getting ready. We sit around and chatted an hour before his dad started breakfast. Bacon and eggs with toast usually, sometimes British bangers if we have been to the shop in Vienna, sourdough toast as Gregg found out it is one of the breads he should eat health-wise. I had a banana with my cup of black coffee. 

The morning always goes fast and it was soon time for our traditional selfies before son left at 12.30 p.m. He didn't want to be late picking his sweetie up. 

Half-an-hour later the phone rang and it was son again, this time with our dear daughter-in-law. She wanted a quick chat and that’s always lovely when we get a chance to do that. They were on their way to Winchester for the afternoon. The four of us are going to get together for dinner as soon as soon as schedules align. We sometimes forget how busy they are and they do have different working hours.

Dinner: a late one of soup and sandwich at home. We wanted something simple so heated up a cream of mushroom which was delicious, with ham, thinly sliced cheese, alfalfa sprouts and lettuce on wheat bread. 

There are always dates and nuts and fruit to nibble on if we get hungry before bedtime.

I have had no sugary treats as such, and that seems to be going well. I am supposed to have a chat with my doctor soon and will have to set that up in the next couple of days. She is a busy lady and I don't rush into these things. It will be when it will be.

I will be looking at some recipes saves for this week to make, something we both like. The shopping list is being put together.

Monday, March 16th, 2026: the weather was an issue today. We had a tornado watch and 80 mile per hour winds expected. At 6.02 p.m. we have had a lot of rain but it's gone very quiet, not raining, not windy. We look out all day off and on. We would hear the wind pick up if something was coming I'm sure. We also have a basement to get down to if necessary and filled the bathtubs up with water. Yes, I wasn't in the Girl Scouts ten weeks for nothing. Camping? My sister regaled me with all the creepy crawlies inside her tent when she went. That was enough for me to resign from the Girl Scouts!

Gregg moved what he could into the garage, heavy pots are in a corner, outside chairs are tied to the rail and the bench table. Gregg thinks the worst of it has passed and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Breakfast: a bagel with scrambled eggs and a teaspoon of chili crisp spread over the top, also banana a little later.

Lunch/Dinner: the same as yesterday. It's cold and I needed soup again. I'm drawn to it when I feel chilled. I dress like I am living at the North Pole.

Tuesday, March 17th, 2026: For those who were celebrating, I hope you had a great Saint Patrick’s Day. As for us it was another day spent quietly. 

On the weather front, the tornado watch and high winds we were told about, didn’t materialize. We were glad for the anti-climax. We had heavy rain and that was it. I showed Gregg a photo from our local neighborhood app. Someone had taken it on their way home from Washington DC. It showed very dark clouds and what suspiciously looked like a funnel cloud forming in the distance. It was enough to send him outside to make sure he had secured what he could with the deck furniture. However, no tornadoes touched down in our area. There are downed trees in places and not sure of flooding. Hopefully everyone is okay. We didn't lose our electricity. 

Wednesday, March 18th, 2026: a special day, it is my Love’s 79th birthday. He was very touched with all your greetings and thanks you very much, as do I. Here is another collage from the restaurant. He often tells me what a very nice group of people I know online. True!

We almost forgot our selfies. Son took a few on our way out.

The meal was great, we all said it was a 10 out of 10. No denying we had a feast and there is no need to eat again today. We had a nice young lady who took care of us. I complimented her on her polished nails, they were really something and beautiful! My nails remain short and buffed and that's as far as I go, but it doesn't stop me from admiring beautifully decorated nails. Anyhow, I need to check out these menus before we go. I find them a bit overwhelmed trying to decide what to choose, but this young lady was a big help. I have already shared photos in the collage but here are a few larger versions.

A mushroom appetizer was ordered that we all shared. It had a cheese sauce over it all and was very good. In the next photo below, the cowboy boots were over the door as we walked in. The old horseshoes are saying, "Welcome", which you can just about make out. Which ones would you pick to wear? I'm going for the pink ones but would probably sprinkle glitter all over them.

We all had steak. Gregg had polished off his Caesar salad before his arrived. Brad ordered Caesar also and I had a regular mixed salad. The Birthday Boy doesn’t drink anything alcoholic normally and enjoyed his coca-cola. Son ordered a Southern Comfort and I had a cocktail, a strawberry lemonade with what I am not sure, mostly a strawberry-lemonade concoction, I wanted to try something new. It didn’t taste like it had alcohol in it and was very refreshing and probably a little dangerous. One was enough for me, I was getting a bit too chatty the boys said and yes, they were joking, at least I think they were joking. You can see the drinks in the photo with mushrooms above.

I ordered a smaller steak than the boys as a lobster tail came with mine, along with the loaded baked potato. No one wanted a dessert after this meal but the cheesecake looked good. 

Over the weekend we will be doing it all over again with our dear daughter-in-law, but at a different restaurant, another favorite of our Birthday Boy. We always consider the whole week a special birthday week. 

It is 7:01 pm. and not now but we will be going to bed early!

Thursday March 19th, 2026: (57 °F. - 13.9 °C. - Sunny as of 1.09 p.m.) 

Just had breakfast at lunchtime. Oatmeal with apples and dried cranberries (these were originally homemade put into 3/4 cup pots and popped in the freezer for whenever I wanted one. The link to the recipe is here. It was made in the crockpot). I added a 1/4 cup probiotic yogurt, a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds and 1/2 ounce of chopped walnuts. One of my favorite breakfasts.

Gregg just gave this to me from one of our selfies. He had it turned into a painting. We both said the boys' likenesses are more accurate than mine. 

We went to Trader Joe’s. Another place that has been a long time between visits. I bought small boxes with chocolate Easter eggs, tiny ones six to a packet. I wanted to treat our darlings and give them a special treat but not over the top. I am thinking about the sugar thing for everyone, not just myself.

I had it in mind to buy a few greeting cards. You can get prettily designed ones for 99 cents. While we were in there, we bought a few food supplies as it was time to stock up and we love their pineapple juice for a change of pace. Things seem to sell out fast here. TJ’s is fun to walk around. 

Friday, March 20th, 2026: just finished another iPad jigsaw puzzle. I think you will guess what’s on my mind. 

No breakfast but lunch was a ready-made salad from Trader Joe’s; chickpea, kale and crispy red rice with avocado herb vinaigrette. There was enough for two so I had the rest for dinner. Gregg preferred his coleslaw and he won't mind my saying so, but his eyebrows rose at my kale. If it was fresh spinach or cabbage he would have no problem. It was all excellent and I will definitely look for it again next time we visit. Also had half of a roast potato. I had the other half for dinner also.

The day has flown by again. We were going for a walk, but it started raining. 

Saturday, March 21st, 2026: Happy First Day of Spring and what a gorgeous day it is today. A sunny 68°F. - 20°C.  Ah well now, we've tried to be good all week but today we went to McDonalds for lunch. We usually get a coffee and a doughnut today but didn't, so that's a step in the right direction, I guess. However, a step in the wrong direction took us to the coffee shop after our burger and fries. I gave Gregg my cheeseburger - another justification - and got a coffee and a brownie, no no, oh yes, yes. They picked up on the fact that the dear man had just had his birthday, and he got everything at half price. 

Here are a few photos we took around and about. These were taken when we stopped at traffic lights. Such a jolly fellow, he waved and waved and waved.

We have been watching this building go up over the last few months. The land used to have a private home, but it had been abandoned for years, and we slowly saw it collapse in on itself, always saying what a shame, someone's dream home once. It surprised us when the land was finally cleared, the old house was bull-dozed and we watched this much larger building being built floor by floor, starting with the elevator shaft. "I can see three people up there." "What are they doing?" "I can see sparks, looks like some welding is going on." And this is the riveting and scintillating conversation we have when stopped at the traffic light. We counted three people on sight today and yes we count people too.

Our son and daughter-in-law sent photos earlier. Our sweet d-in-l organized her yearly voice and piano recital for her students today. She is an amazing teacher and the love and care she shows her young charges is very heartwarming. Way to go to our daughter-in-law whom we love dearly. Congratulations on another successful recital. 

My new book that I ordered last week, two weeks ago(?) has arrived. I have Kay to thank for this. She is host of Georgia Girl With An English Heart. Thank you for recommending this lovely book in one of your blog posts Kay. I can't wait to read it. It is set in a different time but Gregg and I can relate, and I daresay I will be reading snippets to him as I read through the pages. We often read to each other snippets from books we both enjoy reading.

            

With this I am going to end my weekly journal.

Thanks so much for reading it with me

and I wish you a great week!

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - DAILY JOURNAL SUNDAY TO SATURDAY - STARTING SUNDAY 3/8, ENDING ON SATURDAY 3-14-2026

 Next week's weather forecast starting 3-15-26

Sunday, March 8th, 2026: (Once again I didn't write anything down today and this was written on Monday, the 9th). Our son didn't come over this morning as he and our daughter-in-law were out of town near Knoxville, Tennessee. They had a good time, enjoying the journey there and back and also going to local restaurants where they are visiting, that their friends recommend. The photos below are what they sent us, of one of these eateries. It used to be a church turned into a restaurant. You can click here to take a look, menu at this link. It is called '71 South'. We both appreciate them sending their photos.

Monday, March 9th, 2026: Gregg was on a zoom call with a group of people around the world who get together to talk about various interesting topics. It's called Ness Labs. He gets a lot of good ideas and he enjoys these chats very much. He goes to the website several times a week and this is his third zoom call. He gave me this information to tell you, in case anyone out there is interested. The lady who organizes it is called Anne-Laure Le Cunff. She is a neuroscientist from France working in London and has a book out called Tiny Experiments, which he downloaded onto his hard drive. It cost him $9 on Kindle. Gregg says, "They make up the cognitive tests you just took." I might have said something that I won't repeat. If you missed it, you can check last Sunday's journal to the doctor, and you'll understand that one.

Today's lunch was a trip to McDonalds for a burger and fries. I gave him my burger and we spun by the drive-thru coffee shop for my venti-latte and a brownie to eat on the way home. I don't always eat healthy on Monday (that's changing as you'll read further down) but I make up for it the rest of the week, 90 percent anyhow. No breakfast, I was too busy hiding from the zoom call and stayed upstairs. I had visions of forgetting and walking into the room in my night clothes. That alone was enough to keep me from coming down earlier.

Tuesday, March 10th, 2026: Gregg had his yearly check-up today. He has a male doctor at the same building I go to. They didn’t give him a cognitive test, probably because he asks a lot of questions and my mouth doesn't open much - amazingly - but what the heck (white coat syndrome)? I was a little put out and chided him. He always tells me my memory is better than his, usually when we have been talking about something from years ago and I fit that into our conversation. He also tells me my mind is like a laser - that may or may not be a compliment depending on the situation - and he is always surprised I can remember specific events as far back as 50 years ago, all during the time we have been married, even further back in my own childhood. We chatted about certain childhood events with my brother-in-law last Friday, which b-in-l remembered. I told husband, ask for the flipping test next time!”  “Yeah, right!” he said. Anyhow, the good news is he is doing well.

On the way to our favorite walk-around garden, we passed by Twinbrooke Shopping Center and I noticed these flowers painted on one end of the line of shops, its canvas being the red brick wall. They were duplicated on the other end of the building. I asked Gregg could he pull in as they looked lovely from the road and I have missed a lot of murals. I have often said we should come back to take photos. We never do so I asked if we could stop for a few minutes before we drove past the entrance road. 

We reached Green Spring Gardens a half-hour later. The temperature got up to 83 degrees F. (28 degrees C.). We could not waste the day and were eager to get out. There were several dogs and you may have seen a few in my previous post. Not too many blooms showing but we saw crocus, snowdrops, pussy willows, and paper bush. I could see signs of tulip shoots, and I am looking forward to seeing them next time. The flower beds were looking a little tired from the winter season, but I know the time is coming when everywhere will look gorgeous. People, staff and volunteers, work very hard here. I also read this notice.

Gregg suggested we go to Noodles and Company for lunch. He enjoys their buttered noodles and I get buttered noodles with the addition of seasoned tofu and broccoli. However, when we arrived the restaurant was boarded up and permanently closed. How sad for the owners and all their staff.

Though we had not planned to go, Chateau de Chantilly Cafe is just up the road. It was later in the day, nearer three in the afternoon. A good time as there were several parking spaces available. No problem getting a seat either. We both got a drink and my choice was a frappe of some kind, Gregg likes his coca-cola. This was our first meal of the day and I ordered the Egg, Basil, Pesto Toast, Gregg the Onion Bun. 

We had decided to eat relatively light and for dinner we finished the noodle dish we had made the day before which you can see below. I am sharing it in tomorrow’s recipe post. 

We were both tired after our day and went to bed early. 

Wednesday, March 11th, 2026: out early this morning as I had to get my blood work done. I gave myself a few days to go back. We were lucky with another parking space even closer to the entrance. A car was pulling out. As it was quiet, no cars coming or going at that point, I stopped to look at the back of this car. One sign caught my attention in particular, and I added the white arrow to point it out.

It read: "Her courage was her crown and she wore it like a queen." I found it very profound and much admired the person for putting it on her car. A patient perhaps, a gift from a family member or a friend? Whatever the story I loved this quote about courage.

We walked straight in (don’t have to have an appointment) and only waited a few minutes. It gave me just enough time to enjoy these on the reception desk. It was part of the small Origami Art Exhibit. I would like to have asked more about it but it was all business and in and out kind of a day, no chit-chat which was just fine with me, as I wanted out of there too.

 The nurse took me in the back and she was fast. In and out of the cubicle in less than five minutes. The results were sent to us in the afternoon. They send you results immediately, before the doctor has a chance to look at them. We were told this when we started going to the practice. The doctor got in touch a few hours later and everything was good but to cut down on the sugar, which I had seen on the graph in the results, and I was rolling my eyes a bit when Gregg showed it to me, the writing was on the wall. Blast! There go my lattes with the five pumps of vanilla syrup with donut on a Saturday, no more Peanut Butter Cups that Gregg likes to surprise me with when he comes back from a shopping trip, every now and again, popping into Chateau Chantilly Cafe. We're going to have to talk about Monday trips to Mickey D's as well. Cutting way back on everything, at least that's the intention. I'll get back to you in another month. In the meantime, Gregg gets together with son occasionally, and they go and have a meal, so he won't be missing out entirely.

The rest of the day nothing of note, just longing for a doughnut and it's not even Saturday! Would I be hooked on sugar? Maybe - definitely - you be the judge. All I can say is I am my father's child. True Gregg says.

Thursday, March 12th, 2026: after spending the day in short sleeves being bathed in warmth and sunshine at 84 degrees F. (29 degrees C), the weather has gone a tad bonkers! The temperature will be a high of 43 (7 deg C) and the low 27 (-3 deg. C) tonight 

So, from doggy weather to this in one short day, and as I am looking out of the window, big fluffy flakes are falling.

We have just finished a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and toasted Sourdough (that's good for you isn't it?), curtesy of Chef Gregg. His scrambled eggs are better than mine and he disagrees but it's true. I'm heading to the coffee pot for my one cup for the day. I never had black coffee until a couple of years back. At this point in time, I am doing a good job of convincing myself I really don't need my venti latte with the five pumps of vanilla syrup. Hopefully I will stop thinking about it soon.

Just in case anyone is wondering, my coffee mug is empty and won't be knocked over to splash the dickens all over my keyboard. It's just a fun photo for my blog piece.

Isn’t this a beautiful bird? It was today’s screen shot on the laptop. I did a Google search and its ID is a Sunbittern Eurypygidae. Click here to find out more. Its wings remind me of a beautiful butterfly. 

At 1.32 p.m. it is still snowing and the flakes are getting bigger, though I haven't heard how many inches we are going to have. Hopefully it won't be too deep. The house retains the heat from the day before, so I am very comfortable watching the snow fall. Tomorrow will be a different story. Woolly socks up to my knees, and back to sweaters up to my chin, with a throw rug over my lap. It's all in the details and oh my word, roll on Spring!

4.28 p.m. the snow stopped about an hour ago and the sun is shining. The driveway and path to the door is thankfully clear. The ground must be warm from yesterday and it was a relatively wet snow. Maybe this will all be gone soon.

We had an early dinner. Cooked pork chops with a cucumber salad. It is on the list to share on a Monday morning recipe post. It was very good, one we both enjoyed and will happily make again (to prove my point on 3-14-26, my dear other half liked it so much he made it again for lunch). The pork chops came out of the freezer and that recipe is already on the blog here.

I watched the last episode of The Young Sherlock Holmes today. It was a big thumb’s up. I hope they make another season

Friday, March 13th, 2026: we seem to be having our breakfast for lunch these days. Egg and bacon sandwich for me and toast, eggs and bacon for hubs. We both enjoy the sourdough.

Dinner was at 5.00 p.m. and we made baked cod with green beans, mushrooms and mashed potatoes. I forgot to put the chopped parsley over the top.

This will be in one of my Monday morning recipe posts.

I didn't do a lot today other than the usual pottering around. Son called up a couple of times to see what we were up to. He had the snuffles and a bit of a sore throat this week. Gregg's been sneezing a lot too - we're hoping it's allergies!

I've been watching the doves on the back deck. The sun is going down so they have gone back to wherever they roost during the night. The birdlife is down again and hopefully the warmer weather will eventually bring them back.

That's about it for today.

Saturday, March 14th, 2026: a slow start to the day and it is 57 degrees F. (14 degrees C). The sun is shining but we haven't got anything planned. Not sure what we are doing at 1.54 p.m. Gregg went up to the bagel shop and brought me one home. He also popped into the supermarket next door but I told him to skip the donut and coffee today. Trying! I suppose I should have ordered the wheat bagel instead of the sesame one but slow and steady wins the race. 

Will I add any more today? Who knows! Maybe not the way things are going. A very slow but pleasant day.

Thanks for following me along in my journal. It is always appreciated. You all take good care of yourselves out there and 

enjoy the week.