Easter 2019

Easter this year was a little more quiet than past years, and Bruce and I were able to take our daily walk to the lake and back before everyone arrived.

The food situation was already figured out and under control, so I really wasn't feeling much stress. I do enjoy hosting dinners ... and taking pictures of people, food, and cats with my phone, which I'm sure is probably pretty obvious to everyone reading this. 😊

I tried a new Swedish meatball recipe this year, and it was a hit. Bruce made lemon chiffon pie. And we ate off of my Grandma Elenore's china. Our beautiful table runner was hand crafted by my good friend, Terry.

We talked quite a bit about the people who were absent this year ... Grandpa Harry, Katie and Avi, and Jake. Grandma Joyce loved having her picture taken with Nick, and laughed as she watched the cats with their weirdo personalities.

It was a nice Easter even though we ate way too much!

Spring

Spring is here, and that means more energy for life!

The last of the snow is finally melted, and the weather people say it might even hit 70 degrees this weekend. I can hardy wait. We've already started taking our long walks to the lake and around the neighborhoods, usually walking a good hour or so each time. The people we see along the way seem to be feeling the same high. It's wonderful.

And with the sun and warm weather, I have more ideas ... ideas about making corsages, about cooking, about gardening, about everything. We bought an oriole feeder that I really should fill and get hanging. I've been thinking about that for at least a couple of weeks, but this last bout of snow slowed me down. It just didn't feel right to hang it and the hummingbird feeders with snow on the ground, but maybe now.

Speaking of feeling better, Punk seems to be feeling better after her recent UTI. She finished up her two weeks of antibiotics this morning, and has a follow up appointment at the Vet's this afternoon. Thank goodness for smokey bacon flavored pill pockets, too. It would have been a nightmare to fight with her to take her pills if she decided she wasn't going to cooperate. Punk is a bit oppositional, and wants to do things her way. But she's really cute these days, and she's become a favorite cat in the house. Who knew? Katie said she just needed some attention, and I think that's about right.

Mom's doing okay. Evenings are sometimes difficult for her, with anxiety and memory issues a little worse. I like to visit her in the mornings when we're both more fresh. Sometimes it's like my old mom I'm talking to, and that feels really good. I found some new chair pads for her at Aldis, something she's wanted for awhile now. I discovered that finding the right size, color, and price for chair pads is not easy, and to just see them at Aldis was such a thrill! I love that store!

Easter is this weekend, and we'll have a dinner. It won't be as big of a crowd, but Nick will be here as well as Mark and Mom. More about that later.

Little Women

I do believe that our little Book Club is turning out to be more of a social event than an academic exercise. 😉 And confidentially, not every single person actually reads the book! This time, two did and two didn't because well, life has a way of getting in the way.

It was a long book, but I got through it. And I'm glad that we're reading more of the classics. They're challenging in that the English is often times more proper, and sometimes I find myself needing to research the meaning of certain words and practices of the times. Which is a good thing and good for my brain.

We do love to eat there, and we do love to talk. Cathy's deviled eggs took a little tumble on the way to Book Club, but they were still very delicious. I brought a dip that Bruce calls Blow Chow (from old rugby days). It's cream cheese and salsa blended together, and everyone loved it, but we decided to rename it Book Club Dip as that sounds more appetizing, and is more appropriate for our fine group.

The exciting news this time had to do with Kat putting an offer in on a condo in S. Minneapolis, and the realtor kept calling her with updates. A day after bookclub, she sent notice to us that her offer was accepted, and that June Book Club would be in her new condo! Exciting times!

I decided to bring Happy Spring gifts for my people, sweet little quilted wine carriers that someone was selling at Curves, and bottles of Pinot Noir from Trader Joe's (the girl scout thin mint cookies, however, stayed home).

You might also have noticed the corn salsa sitting next to the Little Women library book. They had nothing to do with Book Club, but an old friend of Bruce's, Leroy, makes and cans the salsa, and gifted us with some. I'm thinking that I might attempt to make some in the future, too, why not?

Next Book Club will be hosted here, and our book choice is Murder on the Orient Express.