Category Archives: Home & Garden

Rude Surprise

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Saturday always means errands and today was full of them. I headed out the door around10:00 this morning to take a dog to the vet. But when we got out in the street to get into my car, I noticed a lot of yellowey stuff on the side of my car. Evidently, sometime during the night some punks came by and threw raw eggs at my car. The eggs had broken on the windows of the driver’s side and the whites and yolks had run down the glass and onto the doors and side panels of my car.

that was really annoying and if I catch the punks there will be drama. As it was, nothing was broken – except their eggs – and no real damage done. I took my dog to the vet and once we were finished there I drove through an automatic car wash and got the egg off of my car. At least this was the old beater car and not my nice truck. And like I said, there was no damage. But it is disturbing that this neighborhood is experiencing even these minor acts of vandalism. We have enjoyed a nice, quiet, respectful neighborhood until recently when a few houses down the other end of the street have been rented out to tenants with kids. If it wasn’t those kids I suspect it was some of their friends. If it happens again I’m calling the police and setting up a trap for the punks. As long as they keep getting away with it they have no reason to stop.

Have Cooler – Will Travel

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Most days I shop for groceries at the little neighborhood shopping centers near my house. The closest grocery store is actually walking distance, If I was willing to take a little cart on wheel to help carry them back. It’s probably a quarter mile walk, which is doable, but not so great when lugging groceries back home with you up and down the hills. There is one particular hill so steep that even riding a bicycle back would be a hard go for me. I’d probably have to dismount and walk the bike up to avoid congestive heart failure, considering how out of shape I am.

The closest full service grocery store is a Food Lion. This store is good for basics and a quick trip when I run out of something mid-preparation. They have a limited selection of produce and all I usually buy there is maybe bananas, onions or potatoes. Their meat section is not much variety and too high prices, so unless it is on sale I might pick up a pound of hamburger meat or a ham steak. Their freezer and cooler sections are good and when they put things on sale I stock up.

But today I’m heading out for a long day down in the “Land of Excess.” Their grocery store is a marvelous wonderland of all kinds of treasures shipped here from all over the world. If they have some good prices on meats and vegetables, I’m prepared to take advantage because I’m taking my cooler in the back of the truck to keep them cold while I finish my errands down there. The temps will be in the 90’s today, so leaving groceries in the truck without benefit of a cooler is not practical. But I’m prepared – let the adventure begin!

Mixed Nuts

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I love nuts. Good thing, considering where I work. Ha!

Nuts were always a Thanksgiving and Christmas treat. Something you put out in a big crystal bowl with a couple pairs of hinged nutcrackers. You would site out on the front porch or in the kitchen and crack the nuts and chit chat. It was a great way to keep your hands busy while your tongues wagged.

Now I buy them already out of their shells and vacuum sealed in a can with the Planter’s Peanut guy winking at you. I like the mixed assortment with less peanuts, but I do like peanuts, so it doesn’t really matter. I don’t think I can pick a favorite, it’s a 3 way tie for first place between cashews, almonds and pistachios.

Finding Time

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Yesterday I was in a rush all day and it seemed like everywhere I went I was stuck in long lines or the clerk had tons of interruptions that left me standing idle. I often wanted to check the time and possibly re-arrange my planned stops, but it was incredible to me to have such a hard time finding a clock.

It seems that when I was growing up having nice clocks scattered about the house was important. There were different clocks for every room in the house, and the most revered clock was the grandfather clock that was either in the entryway or living room of most people’s homes. Businesses had clocks everywhere too, often with logos of their own business or logos of their suppliers and vendors.

I still love the grandfather clock and the old fashioned mantle clock like my grandmother brought over to America with her on the Queen Elizabeth in the 1920’s. Her clock was one of the few treasures she brought over from England and we all loved the way it chimed the Westminster chimes every fifteen minutes, with different chimes on the quarter hour, the half hour, and the hour and reminded her of London.

When we move to the new house we have already planned to buy a grandfather clock and place it in the entryway so that everyone who comes to our home will see it and have the chance to experience the chimes of a treasured timepiece.

Grilling Tonight

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We bought a Coleman portable propane camp stove/grill at the beginning of the season with the intention of taking it camping with us on weekends. Well, my work schedule has spilled over into the weekends every single chance we’ve had to get away for a couple nights and we’ve not been camping yet. How’s that for a poke in the eye?

But the grill has not been left idle. I bought an adaptor valve for the propane and hooked it up to a large propane tank and set up the grill right by the porch door. So we’ve been enjoying grilled steaks, chops and burgers several nights each week. And we aren’t having to sleep on dirt to enjoy it.