Day 180 of Week 26 June 2024

Mushroom, Strawberry & Zucchini Tart

 What are y'all up to this weekend?

Last week I made the tart using phyllo dough: Saute the chopped veggies, parsley and strawberry; filled in 2 layers with slice tomato on top; and bake in a 400ºF oven until phyllo dough is brown. I like my phyllo dough crispy. Careful, it can be quite hot.

The next tart will be with Gruyere cheese and black olives. The strawberries are a nice burst of sweet flavor. (That I can actually taste.) I am keen on bringing back some of my sense of taste and smell by having spicy foods.

Applying gesso to blank canvases has been fun. Otherwise, I've done much of nothing, but putter and water plants.

I have tried to have this background more on the being side than pink. On this laptop's monitor, it leans heavily to pink no matter what code I try.

Deck Garden Update

 

The deck make-over this year is progressing slowly. The tiny ground garden space still needs to be done. I'm undecided what to put there.

 The white pole on the far left of the photo is a 2 x 4 inch stud set inside the large white planter. The stud is spray painted white, with a bracket attached for the hanging basket.

Mr Bixby, the goose had a mishap, back completely broken out. He is a planter now, painted blue for his new role.

 

P.S.

I'm not sure if it is my old laptop or glitches with Blogger. Things have been moved while some things aren't showing up anymore. I hope it is glitches that get sorted out soon.

Thought in the Last Week of June

 

Caught in a storm system Sunday that dumped a lot of rain on Upstate New York and Vermont on its way to the New Hampshire and Maine, I sat there and just watched. I did take pictures and videos.

Update on laptop search:

I was told by a sales person that the reason there are inexpensive laptops is due to the lack of features that are on the higher priced laptops. As in the S mode that will not allow you to upload unless it is from a Microsoft store.

None of the under $500.00 US dollar laptops will suit my need to upload and store photographs. If you are confused by that, then you are not alone. I am also confused because nothing I read in my research, the reviews and websites' recommendations mention S mode, that I recall. 

Thus, I will be watching for sales in July for a laptop over $500.00 US dollars. Having the old HP AIO repaired is an option that I'm not considering as yet. I like to imagine some day I will turn it on, and it will be working. Dream on is the theme of that daydream.

Meanwhile, this old laptop is fickle. Sometimes I can leave comments, and sometimes I can't. I have a lot of blog reading catch up to do.

Have a wonderful week!

 

Thunderstorms

It rained so hard (sideways even) earlier this afternoon, that it sounded and looked from my patio window, I was in a car wash.

I've heard some seriously grumbling thunder close from the storm cells that are passing over Vergennes as well as south of use towards Middlebury.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.

If you can see the sky in some areas, watching becomes real.

Stay safe folks!

Enjoy the Beautiful Weather

 

Along Route 17 in Addison, Vermont looking towards the Adirondack Mountains. The weather is beautiful. Lots of folks out and about.

Enjoy your day no matter what the weather is like.

Once Again System Glitch

 

New Haven River in June
Lincoln, Vermont

Beautiful day here in Vermont. There is a good breeze that made me add a layer when at the river.

At home…

Unfortunately, my HP AIO is experiencing technical difficulties. I was online while searching for something off line, maybe 5 minutes or so. The website I was logged into timed me out or else the computer shut down. None of the Hewlett Packard fixes work. 

Electric is going to the system via the adapter indicated by that light being on. The keyboard, mouse and monitor are not receiving any electric connection. 

HP’s solution if reset doesn't work, to call.  Anyone who has had the experience of making a tech call, knows well what a nightmare that can be. Just the thought causes an anxiety surge. 

My questions as simple as can be, result in searches with a bunch of stupid answers not addressing the keywords. 

There is a lock slot in the back of the computer. I suspect that could be the issue. I was trying to connect my iphone to the computer by using that slot because it is the size of the iphone adapter piece. 

It is too frustrating to bother hour after hour with stupid instructions. Thus, I will be turning in my smart television. Who knows? I might find a video that actually answers a question about my computer. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

P. S.

My iphone 13 settings on Safari and Chrome don’t allow me to reply to comments. Sign in with Google keeps showing even though I am signed in. 

Making a Small Dream Come True

New Thrift Store
 Mug 2024

 With specific items on my shopping list, I set out on a beautiful day determined to not give up and go home.

Concrete and a 4 inch by 4 inch post, spray paint, and clips. Simple things. I forgot to write down the aisles where the items are located. If you don't do that, then Home Depot can feel like walking through a magical forest of stuff. (I have to stay away from the power tools or else I might have a surge of compulsion to by one.) 

I found the concrete first. There were two young men loading a big dolly. I could tell from their lifting, the bags are heavy. At the concrete I want to buy, I try to lift the edge. Aloud I hear myself say, "No." I could have lifted it. The issue is that it is dead very heavy weight I was not up to dealing with. I walked away.

Second, I find the 4" x 4" post. Lifting it out of the shelf area, I learn it is also very heavy. Not concrete weight, but bulking heavy as in there's a danger of hitting myself on the side of the head awkward. Once again, I heard myself say, "No."

Down the aisle, I see an 8 foot pine stud, thick enough to hold the bracket for a hanging plant. The clerk cut 2 feet off (for it to fit my vehicle). 

I found the paint by accident.

I forgot the clips. 

The alternative to setting the stud* into concrete is adding wood to the bottom, place inside a large planter (or waste basket), and fill the planter with a bag of stone. The stud is spray painted white to match the white brackets. 

Why the bother? Well, for years every spring I dream of how I want my tiny deck to look. Every year, it doesn't happen for one reason or another. One summer of depression was so bad, I spent nearly all of it sitting on the sofa. This year's plan is very simple, and cheaply done with spray paint, plants, homemade wood patio table top, tarp sun shade, and a hanging plant pole.

I will post photos when it is all finished.

* None of the wood screws or nails I have (dozens) are long enough to go through 2 stud thicknesses. One side of the stud needs to be sanded. I ran out of white spray paint. Good part, the screw eye bokts fit. 

Good Grief! Shopping Can Be So Tiring

Lesson of the day: A gift certificate may not be for the store where it is purchased.

Talk about Duh on me. 

A whole trip to a store that's not for the gift cerficate makes me chuckle. Pushing the anxiety level envelope, making it there without a major freak out surge, is wonderful. And, I bought some nice stuff. I finally found a scrub brush that doesn't have hard and sharp bristols.

Nautical is my decor theme this summer. So far I'm doing well with not going overboard (hehe pun) with changing things aka buying must-have things I don't really need.

As for sandals this year, I want a blue pair. Painting an old pair with acrylic didn't work. The next color is blue spray paint. It is perfect. A messy project, but a rewarding one. I used the same color to spray paint planters.

Tip of the day: Soak potting soil in the bag before filling the container. Some potting soils are so light, it can be a mess getting it moist.

Half the day I spent shopping. I was so tired after the second store, I decided to go home. Why I get so tired shopping is a mystery. What's worse is that I have to go back out because I didn't finish getting the things I need.

Plus, the milk is expired. So I need fresh milk for my coffee.

Is shopping a drag for you?

Stretching & Checking

Red Yarrow Buds

Cooler ambient temperatures today make for decent napping on a sunny afternoon. Alas, I glued together  24 inch by 30 inch stretchers last night.  Up I go from the recliner from what could have been a nice snooze to stretch the canvas on that frame.

 

The new staple gun works better than the old one. I gave up looking for the old staple gun after looking everywhere but my little tackle boxes used as storage that I just remembered as I was typing. 

Nope, not in there either, but there are 2 tackle boxes. Where the other one is will be another search.

The search for where I put the homemade gesso didn't go well. I suspect what was left from the last application, dried out. Thus, I have to make more. All I have to do is find the interior white paint. The other ingredients, plaster of Paris and white glue, I know where they are, (for sure). 

Checking on bloggers who haven't posted in a while, I found a blog that's infected with a virus. Voice comes on telling you don't shut off your computer. I type the old standby, Ctl, Alt & Del to get out of there. I left a comment on another of that blogger's blogs to let them know. I didn't find an email access.

The problem I see with blogs is that on Blogger, blogs are attached to the gmail address.If you don't update (log in) your Gmail address in 2 years, then Google will delete it. Guessing here, if the blog's email address is deleted, then logging into the old blog to manage it, might not be possible. Blogs may be connected for access, but I don't think they are attached as content. Saved emails aka content will be deleted when the old email address is deleted. The blog, I think, stays.

It is a good idea to now and then give your email address a sweep to check on all of them. Write down what they are connected to. I delete dormant email address that are not connected to a blog or an online website.

Have a Wonderful Evening

What's Been Going On?

The Summer Hat

Notmuch

A recent slump has left me out of blogging this last week.

Caving in to installing an air conditioner was rough. I just did not want to bother with it. The heat and humidity kept pushing and pushing me to stop with the 80ºFahrenheit indoor temperatures. With the air conditioner cranking out cool air, I sleep and feel better.

Puttering and gardening has kept me busy when I am up to moving around. I discovered during one particularly hot and humid day, that wearing a sundress is much better than shorts and a tee shirt. After a couple of trips to the thrifts, I've added 4 dresses in my closet of one.  

During the A/C installation, despite having a tool box, I had to look for a screw driver! In the hunt for, I found a folder of art supplies for sketching outdoors. I open the sketchbook...2016! Where have I been!? More art excursions this summer are a must. The plan is plein air downtown, walking distance, picnic lunch or at a local restaurant.

Impatiens & Lobelia

The container gardening is almost finished. Slugs are a real problem chewing up plants, even those in planters. They don't like geraniums. Thus, the in ground tiny garden will be for geraniums. This year, I'm putting up a pole for hanging planters.

Another discovery, when the cole slaw from the grocery store deli is dry, adding a couple tablespoons or so of milk helps.

Also, when planning root beer floats with coffee ice cream, pace the soda aka pop aka tonic, and ice cream so you don't run out of root beer for that last float.

Stretching continues. I feel better for it. Only one arm is a bit sore from lifting the air conditioner. That's weird. But, thinking back, I pulled the dolly the A/C was on with that arm. Mystery solved.

Have a Wonderful Week!

 

Day 152 of Week 22 May 2024

 Selecting core ideas to expand on can take time. This is what brainstorming blog ideas looks like:

Questions you don’t need the answers to

•          Why does my big toe look like a boulder sticking out of an outcrop?
•          When will outdoor rain shower stalls in every home catch on?
•          Why is the age of my mind voice a decade plus, younger than my real age?
•          What does my brain think of my dancing?
•          What will wearing a color I dislike for a week do to my attitude?
•          Could I be reincarnated as a tree instead of an animal?
•          If I’m thinner and toned, then would I wear a butt revealing bikini?
•          How did the World get into a common sense drought?

Lady's Mantle

Scribbling out the days on the calendar is an exercise that instills a feeling of a brighter future.

Hand washing clothes has a smooth sunny day laundry vibe. Machine washing clothes has a burning the germs out vibe.

Sleeping and being awake is not a stop and go process for our bodies. Our bodies are on 24/7/365. Physics tells us that we will erode in some ways, but not in others. Our ears will grow our entire lives. Hair and nails continue to grow for a time after death.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Read about the history of lamps

Explore local breweries

Tell a plant a funny story

Sing to your sandals

Draw a pinwheel

Browse hiking shorts online

Photograph a bowl of plums