Mid-point Monday

[Ramblinrose]

Harriet...I've never seen two herons together either, When I first saw them this morning, one of them, I can't tell who is the mama or who is the daddy, stumped and trampled some of the reeds along the lake, while leaving some standing. This group of reeds is probably 3 feet long. It was definitely intentional, but I couldn't figure out why.

I just went back outside and they are still there with the chicks sitting within the clumps. They are very well hidden. One parent is standing guard while the other one ventured down the lake side a bit. I watched stick its beak into the lake side and it was obvious he/she was hunting/fishing for something. They came up with something that looked like a clam and walked it down to where the chicks and and fed them.

In the meantime, the mama Moorhen ventured sort of close to where they are and the adult chased her away. Now all of them are on our lakeside property but keeping a fair distance from each other. These baby chicks are the cutest things I've ever seen, but I can only use my binoculars to safely see them.

The Moorhens usually run up and down each side of the lake so it will be interesting to see what happens when they try to do this on our side. The Moorhen chicks are now big enough that they can swim across the lake and every day more and more of them are becoming more adventurous and independent.

[Lady Maverick]

I walked through the garden and picked up green tomatoes and peppers that were laying on the ground. It has continued to rain off/on so everything is too wet to see the damage unless it is laying on the ground. When the sun comes out and things dry a bit then I'll be able to tell how extensive the broken branches are. Plants are tough and will usually recover & come back stronger after a storm. I am so thankful to not have broken windows.

I have announced to DH and DS14 that I am on vacation this week. I explained that if I were traveling & vacationing somewhere else, I would not be cooking or cleaning. They should not expect me to do those activities this week. They were both supportive of this plan.
However....wouldn't ya know it. The next thing I realized I found myself in the kitchen cooking. So much for my plan to not cook!
It felt different though. I was doing something that I wanted to do, not because I needed to do it. BIG DIFFERENCE.
I wanted to try cooking a couple of ribeyes using with a method that I saw online. They came out amazing and is my new favorite way to cook steaks.
While cooking those ribeyes I had another cast iron skillet going sauteing some sliced onions, peppers, tomatoes from the garden.
If I'm going to be in the kitchen, I might as well have all the stove burners in use, so I browned some hamburger meat and boiled some spaghetti noodles. Now there is a big pot of spaghetti & meat sauce available for the guys to have.

[CathyS]

When I got home from knitting dh wanted to go pick up a chicken for supper. He had already priced one at a store to the east of us. Although it wasn't as inexpensive as Costco, sometimes it just isn't worth the 20 minute drive each way or dealing with going almost all the way to the back of the store, and dealing with the crowds and pushing the buggy, etc... We went and got the chicken and came home and ate some of it for lunch while it was still piping hot.

Dh mentioned that he was going to stretch out. I'm going to join him.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

LadyM: I'm close to recommending that we take a cooking holiday for a week or so. I'm not keen on eating out (it is so hard on both body and budget) but there are lots of ready made or ready to heat up foods in our grocery stores, so I suggested one or two nights out at restaurants we don't usually go to and then filling in the other nights with the other food. Of course, we could just do once a month cooking and eat from our freezer all month long. I might do that in the winter, it is too risky to do that through the summer and end up losing all that effort in a power failure. In the winter, things can be saved on the balcony.

I've stripped and remade the bed, put out fresh towels, dusted the bedroom wing, folded and put away laundry load 1, put #2 in the washer (it is on final spin now), and vacuumed the office and kitchen (my vacuuming is out of order right now so different parts of the apartment are each progressing instead of doing one section completely, at a time.

I'm enjoying the air conditioning. The apartment hasn't cooled any but obviously it is holding back the sun from heating up the apartment more and it seems fresher.

I'm going to do a one hour push and see if I can finish up the rest of the house blessing stuff, then pivot after that to paperwork.

[Ramblinrose]

LadyM… how did you cook your steaks?

I am getting little done around my house as I watch my little friends. But I figure this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and my home is still going to be here tomorrow

I have to watch with my binoculars cause the mama won’t let anything near her. Just a little while ago I watched her feed her little chicks and then she gathered them all up in a bunch and sat on them while the daddy stood guard. I mesmerize by all this new to me animal behavior and I’m lovin it

[Nancy]

CI - luv hearing of the water fowl!
I have gotten a pen pal letter off in the mail before ihe mail carrier came yea!
I fixed my lunch with a meatball and scrambled egg I'd made most I'd made before it was yummy.
It is too stuffy to mow outside now. Was not going to do that today anyway.
------
Time for my after lunch break.
One of the cats left a "gift" not alive mouse I had to pick up & toss in the trash ewe! Gratefut for poo bags.

[lucylee]

Rose -- that sounds like a very interesting "show" you're watching there!

I am having another super slow day... I know y'all are not surprised.
So far, I have
* s/s the master bath
* s2s
* done brief devotional reading
* gone to post office
* paid electric bill
* listened to dmom's preacher's Wednesday night message -- his first since his dwife passed away

My excuse today has been that dh was sleeping. He has taken Tramadol but he still feels so miserable. I'll sum up our weekend drama in MO.
Fortunately, there was NO drama with the dgrands... they played together pretty well, and keeping them occupied with the play Friday night and the swimming pool Saturday was an excellent strategy. They better not expect some fun outing every time they are here, but with the two of them for two nights, it was very successful.

I need to
[ ] fill in my planner for the week...
[ ] start laundry
[ ] finish s/s of bathrooms
[ ] start WHB vacuuming
[ ] pick up all the * many * footprints from 48 hours of dgrands underfoot

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

In just under 2 hours I finished the weekly house blessing including mopping the floors, folding load 2 of laundry and putting it away, and hanging up load 3 to dry. Also watered the plants, refilled the balcony watering cans (using the water in the bucket from the drip in the tub), cut the hair off the beater bar of the vacuum before putting it away.

So the house is done (both Monday and Tuesday chores since I did the weekly kitchen chores last night, having not done them on Tuesday last week as expected!)

Now to start in on paperwork responsibilities.

First up, prep for my meeting tonight, then tomorrow's meeting at 10 a.m.

[Twins' Mom]

We’re in airport in Manchester NH but we’re very early. We couldn’t find anything that we really wanted to do today - museums are closed Mondays. Flight home is late, not looking forward to late night. “See“ you in the morning!

[CathyS]

I went to nap, and I just woke up. I guess I was tired.

Woke up to read an email from the local fire and rescue, stating that the burn ban for our area has been lifted.

Dh states that he isn't hungry. I'm not hungry either. He said he actually slept this afternoon.

Jacques Pepin has said in interviews that our grocery stores make "a good sous chef" and that things are so easy for today's cooks because there are so many things pre-chopped and ready to put on the stove and in the oven. I didn't even have to turn the stove or oven on today and there is a full meal awaiting us in the fridge.

Now dh is prowling around the kitchen.

See you when you get home Twins.