Friday, June 22, 2018

Life tidbits


Physical training this morning was just fun. Greg, my trainer, is a serious young fellow. All we have in common, for chit-chat while I follow instructions, are my understanding of his month old fatherhood stint, and his vast repertoire of everything sports. Nora Grace still holds them sleep deprived, but that’s the price to be paid, so we moved into his comfort zone, sports.

I’m always curious for his take on LeBron James. As Shacq said, James should quit chasing rings and just play it out as the greatest player ever. We all know Shacq didn’t get into or out of that Buick gracefully, but when he sat behind the wheel and said it wasn’t your daddy’s Buick any more, we know he said the truth.  
                
Apparently the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted someone, and Greg started in on should the Cavs make a trade, or have LeBron tripping over the kid. I mentioned Shacq’s opinion, and training stopped. Greg knows my knowledge of basketball can be balanced on a finger. “You know who Shacq is?” Greg, he is way too easy on the eyes, and pleasantly fluffy. Of course I know Shacquile O’Neal.

After lunch we went grocery shopping. Little Miss Cook’s had a tough week. Last Friday, home from South Carolina, her shopping basket consisted primarily of snacks for Laura. I was curious, as I put the debit card into the slot, but it’s not my budget and not my job. It’s been a week of interesting meals from the child who never says “Uncle”.  Nor do her siblings or sires, you may recall, but not with Laura’s finesse. She concocted edible meals from an empty refrigerator. Fortunately for her, the freezer and the pantry still yielded, meagerly.

I wandered off in the grocery store, and found tomatillos. It’s been twenty or more years. I put some in a bag. At $1.49 a pound, it couldn’t be that big a mistake. Laura googled her way to reducing a couple of them to a salsa that she added to alfredo and served over her old standby, noodles. Pretty good. I think there will be more in the future.


Yesterday I succeeded, after innumerable false starts, to drag Overdrive to Windows 10, and download two books. I picked Charlotte’s Web and Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride. 

As I’ve occasionally mentioned, I remember essentially nothing of every book I’ve ever read. I would have guessed with a straight face that a spider was involved in the former. Like the fifty percent chance of getting a True/False right. Rob Reiner wrote the intro to Inconceivable Tales, which I read on the library’s web page.  I think this book may be as good as the movie.


And last, my pastime of admiring my garden, and Laura’s contribution to the summertime art class she leads for library kids ("The Library Rocks"!). Oh, yes, all that rain in the west made it across to Ohio. I’ll put money on an inch in the rain gauge tomorrow.






31 comments:

  1. The meal Laura made with the noodles sounds fabulous. If she gets tired of staying with you she can come stay with me. I hope that once you start reading those books they will come back to you. Your garden is beautiful and so relaxing to look at. We have had a bit of rain too. Rivers are flooding all around us. What a mess.

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  2. Your garden is coming along very well. It looks very pretty and well cared for. As much as all this rain depresses me, it is good for the garden and keeps my water bill down.

    I like Laura’s recipe.

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  3. The garden is looking beautiful. So is the rocking library!

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  4. Loving your garden. Envying your rain. And your resident cook. On the plus side I have anenomes in bud. Photos will follow.

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  5. I enjoyed seeing the garden. Laura has the right idea. I once went on a cookery course run by an ex embassy chef and he said that the art of producing super food on a budget was knowing how to go to the fridge and use what was there. I still have a lot of his impromptu recipes...and his food was great as he knew the science of cooking as well as the art.
    I still hear his voice, dear old chap that he was...'and then you whack it through the oven...'

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    1. "whack it through the oven" - LOL! Some people are just so much fun to be around :)

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  6. That green glass ball (I know there is another name for it, but like you with books...I forget LOL)!!

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    1. Isn't it wonderful! It's a gazing ball. Though, I gaze at all of it.

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  7. I envy your ability to pay without comment! I would be worrying about what *I* was going to live on :) But she came through for you, and you were right to be silent.

    Your garden is looking wonderful. I admire your ability to discuss sports. It's a skill I don't have.

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    1. Nor do I. Except, the Cav's lost the championship this year, to some other team. The people interest me.

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  8. The garden looks great. Charlotte's Web is sure to bring a tear to my eye were I to read it again after all these years.

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  9. Your garden just keeps looking better and better!

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  10. I haven't followed basketball closely in a few years, but I would be hard pressed to call Lebron James the greatest player ever. His antics regarding the press conference lately didn't sit well with me. It is good what you are doing with Laura and having her prepare meals and budget and shop, no matter what may be served or available to eat. I'm sure it is a valuable lesson she is learning.

    betty

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  11. I am so bad with small talk, I admire your ability.And I love your garden.

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  12. Laura seems to have some serious cooking skills. That's wonderful given so many can't seem to even make a simple meal these days. That rain is going be super good for your garden which is very lovely right now.

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  13. To be able to share in your bits and pieces is a great joy for me Joanne. Thank you.

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  14. Being able to make meals from an empty refrigerator is a highly valued skill in my opinion. Laura did well.
    The garden is lovely and colourful now :)

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  15. I find it very difficult to read books off a screen. I don't know why, but it tires me. No Kindle for me.

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    1. I don't use a kindle, either. My brain is foggy enough without subjecting it to a grey screen. I download audio books to my little MP3. I enjoy listening while I'm weaving.

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  16. Hari om
    I am doing the 'no idea, but...' talks on soccer with my pal as she follows the worldcup! Well done yo the scratch cook - and gardener! YAM xx

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  17. My how your garden grows. Send some rain our way. Hot and dry here, like always.

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  18. I've been having some pretty intense lower back pain for the past week and skipped yoga one evening because I didn't think I could keep up with the class. should have gone because after the next two it improved considerably. the garden is looking quite spectacular these days. when Marc tires of going to the grocery store every other day (because two days is all he buys for) our meal can get pretty interesting. Marie Callendar's chicken pot pies from Costco come in handy.

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  19. You've got a little treasure there in that girl...she shovels, gardens, drives, cooks....I know she is probably making up for whatever angst she put you through when she was younger but the finished product is quite something lol. Good job grandma.

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  20. Pasta is always good. And best of all is a meal cooked by someone else.

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  21. I remember the first time I used Overdrive to download free audio books. It was quite a performance. I made notes for myself and, even though the software is now installed on my computer, I have to refer to them for the various complicated steps. It should be easier. I didn't realise you have forgotten books. That must be frustrating. But there are some I would be happy to read again "for the first time".

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    1. There certainly is nothing intuitive about Overdrive. At least in the end it works.
      Realizing the books were gone was such a wrench. Coming to terms was so difficult. It hasn't been that long I could say, It is what It is. Get over it.

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  22. I have not downloaded overdrive yet. I need to get on that and save myself some money. I forget most of the books I've read too. And I haven't had any brain injuries!

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  23. I also remember practically nothing of any book I've read. I'll remember that I enjoyed it, or didn't, and I might remember vaguely what it was about, and that's it - even books I've read several times. Well, I can't be expected to remember thousands and thousands of words, surely? I can barely remember the news headlines.

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  24. Sounds like everything is going swimmingly at your place.

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  25. That green gazing ball is outstanding! Your whole garden is coming together nicely this year.

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  26. The garden looks great, and the ball is beautiful, reminds me of the fishermens' floats which are popular with people with coastal gardens here. I know I've read Charlotte's Web but like you I tend to forget - not every book, but a lot of a lot of them.

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