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Meatless Monday

At the neighbors' Christmas dinner, we were served a roasted beef filet that was absolutely delicious--fork tender and melt in your mouth heavenly.  I don't pretend to be a vegetarian. However, that was the first red meat I have had in five months and I am pretty sure that it will be equally as long before I indulge again. This is more my speed, especially now that I mostly cook for one--a sweet potato and chickpea curry. I softened a cut up sweet potato and a sliced shallot in a bit hot coconut oil.  Added salt, pepper, a little minced ginger, a little curry powder, a small can of chickpeas, some chopped cauliflower, coconut milk, and just a tiny bit of red pepper flakes.  It did not take long for the potato and cauliflower to be tender.  A sprinkle of parsley, a cucumber salad--dinner!
It has been a fairly rainy Sunday, but since I planted some parsley and some rosemary the other day I am happy to have them watered.  I had thyme planted, but I think the woman I hired to weed  took it all out.  I will definitely plant more though...and leave better instructions next time.  Thyme is my favorite but I believe all herbs are very healthy additions to meals. I was glad to have a sheltered spot for reading on the lanai. Between the morning showers and the afternoon showers, I was able to get out for a bit of an exercise walk.  I stopped to enjoy some flowers. This guy has Christmas decorations all locked up.  I am going to have to take quick cruise by here at night to see this in action.  I am intrigued by the roller coaster thing. Well, I have no idea what I did to my finger.  It doesn't hurt, but it looks kind of funny: Actually, it hurts if I look at it too long.  I know that's in my head, but it does look like it should hurt.

Stray Thoughts on a Saturday Afternoon

People are starting to trickle back to Venice for the winter season, but because it is also school holidays time, there are still quite a few young people around. It is always slightly jarring to see the Christmas decorations in Florida yards during the daytime, but they do look very pretty at night. The Venice libraries have such a different collection of books than we have in little Jericho, VT.  Today I picked up a mystery by Gyles Brandreth, Oscar Wilde and the Murders at Reading Gaol.   I am hooked at twenty pages in. On a somewhat related note, or a complete non sequitur , as the case may be, I read about a gay couple in a southern Texas club being ordered to not dance to a country-western tune, "Cowboys and Angels."  I am not so much a big country music fan, but the two-step kind of looks like fun and women dance together all the time.  In some cultures men dance with men and women dance with women and that's the way it is.  I am not going to make any kind of

Sweater Weather

I have seen the pictures posted by Northern family and friends on Facebook.  It looks like ice castles everywhere.  Beautiful in its way, but in real life a big pain to be without electricity. The Florida weather prediction is for "sweater weather" for the next few days.  I won't feel bad about having to wear long sleeves and pants for a while.  The glare off my white skin was beginning to bother my eyes. My neighbors invited me to a neighborhood get together for Christmas dinner.  It was a delightful al fresco meal with good people. Tomorrow I have a haircut scheduled--badly needed since I have not had even a trim since I was down here in October.  I will also be able to pick up my bicycle.  I took it in for a tune-up/safety inspection just to be on the safe side.  I am looking forward to having it to ride. I did some investigating around some volunteer opportunities, but have not nailed anything down as yet.  I also looked into the area offerings for yoga classe

Peace

I am wishing a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it and a Happy New Year to all. May the 2014 be a year of Peace and Wellbeing for everyone.

Challenge!

Granny Annie at Fools Rush In  issued a challenge:  post a selfie of self and pet. Since I no longer have a pet, I took the second option of posting my refrigerator contents.  You will notice there is no pet food lurking there, but I did go to the grocery store yesterday and stocked up for a while. Here's the selfie: Florida hair in all its frizzy glory. Doesn't look like what I paid at the grocery. but there is more in the freezer.

Ready to Go

Busy week, getting ready for my trip. On Tuesday,  I went to pick up my son for an appointment we had a 11 a.m.  I stopped at the stop sign just before turning onto his road and what should I see? Santa? No.  I saw blue and red lights flashing.  A giant Christmas tree all lit up on the lawn?  No, again. Two fire engines and two cop cars, cones in the road, uniformed men scurrying around.  Just what one wants to see immediately in front of one's son's house. I called him on my cell phone to say, "I'm here...outside...what the hell!?!" Then I saw that there was an SUV at the far side of the lawn into the trees.  The tracks went from the road across quite a large area of snow covered lawn, barely missing a telephone pole and a culvert in the process.  The woman who was driving was not seriously hurt, but I am sure she was scared witless.  She told my son she thought the brake line had frozen.  It was twelve below zero with a wind chill of more like minus 28

December

Our community calendar's December page captures the month perfectly.  Thank goodness for red barns. I received this gift from one of my poetry writing friends and I am just in love with it. It is a journal made from parts of a rescued old book.  Isn't this an inspired gift for writers and nature lovers?  Not to mention book lovers? A peak inside:

This is my Christmas...

The snow fall was much less than predicted.  My son and I had no trouble making our way to my sisters and we had a delicious lasagna dinner, were entertained by their two cats, and much admired their ten foot tall tree.  My brother from Burlington, VT, did not make it to mountain.  I guess there was actually more snow there (somewhat unusual) and the city streets were slippery.  My brother is a wuss driver--just as well, since he is also not a very good driver. I got out to the post office this afternoon and then put in some time at the library.  Then I met my friend Ginnie for supper out and the exchange of our gifts.  I like when the Christmas shopping is all wrapped up and all that is left is the social time. Tomorrow I will host the poetry group...oh, I have some writing to finish up. I guess I better get on that now.

Ready or Not...

The wreath is on my door.  Note the absence of snow here.  A day can make a big difference.  When I woke up this morning, I thought maybe the predictions were all wrong.  There was an icy glaze on the ground, but not much else.  By the time my coffee was brewed, the snow was falling in earnest.  Honestly, I thought is was "too cold to snow" but I was wrong. It is pretty, but I hope the roads are not too treacherous.  Mike would have built a fire and settled in for the day.  I will not bother with the fire but get out my long johns and I still plan to make my way to my sister's for a family dinner.  He was the smart one, but I am intrepid. The presents are all wrapped and ready to go under various trees of family nearby.  Some will be mailed to family far away. I was inspired this morning by Betsy and her post about The Twelve Days of Christmas .  It is too late this year, but I want to add this idea to a new way of doing Christmas. Tomorrow, my plan is

Weekend Aftermath

Ha! Ha! A pun. As you know, I had a lovely weekend with my grandson.  What I did not mention is how much he engaged in talking about Mike and how I was feeling. He sure did take on some topics that most shy away from and it has left me feeling quite tender, but in a good way.  For me, the most poignant moment was when he said, "Well, Grandma, you could marry someone else."  I told him that I did not think that I ever would...to which he replied, "I guess that means that Mike was a really good husband for you."  He is so perceptively sweet and sensitive. The tenderness that is not so good is the flare up of "tennis elbow" in my left arm.  I cannot even remember the last time I played tennis and I would have used my right arm anyway, so I don't really know where it came from.  I think it started on my long drive to Florida in October.  It seems to be going away and then returns.  Someone told me that quinine was good for such body aches so I got my

Grandson's Weekend Visit

My daughter met me with the two kids on Friday night in Middlebury--a half way point between our houses.  I took them all out for pizza and then just Dane and I made the trip back to Jericho. My grand daughter, twelve now and in the seventh grade, has decided it is more important to be at the school dance in the presence of cute boys than to spend time with her old granny! Dane was happy to have my undivided attention for the weekend though. Thinking of a post that GigiHawaii  wrote a couple of weeks ago, I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up.  His answer: designer of computer games. He has not given up on teaching me how to play a game either. He is quite the little mathematician.  "Grandma, you are 30 plus 35.  My mom is 40 so you were...um...25 when she was born."  "I have $202 dollars.  That is 20,200 cents.  Do you still have 30 dollars?  How much cents is that?"  When I said 300, oh wait, that's not right, he said "No it isn'

Still Busy

It is grey and drippy outside...so very gloomy and yet I have not started packing for Florida.  My house is a mess--everything from the kitchen sitting on and around the dining table.  However!  The kitchen is painted.  The bathroom is painted.  The cabinets are stained and covered with one coat of polyurethane.  I will let that dry for a couple of days.  I think I will actually complete my ambitious plan. Then it will be turning my attention to some Christmas shopping and baking.  Yesterday was a break day, or brake day as the case may be.  I went to the annual Christmas lunch and gathering of the card making group.   It was a festive time and fun, but I did miss my friend Ginnie.  (There were a few of those moments when a good kick under the table was in order, Gin! Maybe it is just as well.  My legs are already black and blue from clutzing around with the ladder.) I am hoping that the rain does not start to freeze so I can pick the grand kids up after school today and have them

Movie

A special treat after Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law and I went to see the movie Philomena.  You can see a trailer, if you haven't already seen it on TV, here .  We enjoyed it.  We also did a yoga class--very relaxing. Once again I was dumbfounded by the number of people hitting the stores on Black Friday and even on Black Friday Eve, formerly known as Thanksgiving.   Apparently, with turkey day being late this year there are "fewer" shopping days which justifies the stores being open on the holiday.  I guess some people are surprised that there will be another  Christmas on December 25th so that explains why they couldn't plan ahead. December all ready!  The frantic season has started.  I decorated the library for Christmas today.  The tree lighting on the Center green will be next Sunday and the library will have an open house.  I suppose I could hang a wreath on my own front door.  I am glad that I have grand children or I would skip Christmas altogether this y

Post Thanksgiving

I am hoping that everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving. I made the trip to Connecticut on Thursday morning.  The first 60 miles or so were slushy and I was glad I had those studded snow tires.  Then the rest of the way was clear and dry and I had to listen to the thunk-thunking of the studs. The table may have been diminished in terms of place settings and attempts at toasts were teary, but the room was crowded with the spirits of those we love.

That Busy TIme of Year

Really, what was I thinking?  Taking on a big kitchen cabinet project just as the holiday season shifts into gear was a moment of insanity. Sunday I made pie crust and went to a poetry workshop and then a reading. Monday I helped my son with a car loan application, went to my "Welcome to the Wonderful World of Medicare" wellness visit, did my volunteer thing at the library, and then had writing group.  Tuesday was do a load of laundry, go grocery shopping, go to the poetry group meeting, then work on finishing up the grand kid's advent baskets. I am making all the little bags and boxes and filling them with little treats.  Some of the treats are dollar bills that I folded into rings, butterflies, little elf shoes, and bow ties.  (Pinterest is a dangerous place, a slippery slope.  Why, oh why do I fritter my time playing there?)  I need this to be ready for this weekend. Tomorrow I will need to put together the pies and bake.  I had thought about heading to Co
Light oak cabinets are so the 90's. So I am staining them with Java gel. Why I start these projects is beyond me. I wish someone would save me from myself! I posted this on my Facebook page yesterday.  It was day #2 of my project.  All the cabinets are washed and lightly sanded and about a third of the them have the first coat of the new stain on.  This should take me at least two weeks to complete.  This of course means two weeks of major mess and disruption.  I am trying my hardest to pace myself because if I keep pushing, I will end up with a mess.   I am trying to "enjoy" the process.  That was the advice from my major handy-with-home-decoration neighbor. My plan is to repaint the kitchen and the bathroom when the cabinets are finished.  We shall see how long the steam lasts. I really have been wanting to update the kitchen in a minor way for some time.  And, although I have painted both the kitchen and bath fairly recently, I have never been happy with m

Vermont Reading Series

That Vermont is home to more writers per capita than any other state in the nation is a testament not only to the natural beauty of our surroundings and the possibilities for solitude and contemplation, but also to the great traditions and institutions that support our literary artists when the time comes to share their work.   from:   New England        Review, Vermont Reading Series handout, November 21, 2013   We had a literary outing, the women in the writing group I attend.  We drove to Middlebury, VT , and spent time browsing the Vermont Book Shop , one of those small, independent book shops like I remember from the old days.  (Owning a store like that has always been a part of my fantasy life.)  I did a bit of Christmas shopping.  We went out for pizza at American Flatbread  which is in the Old Marble Works district. The hostess asked if we wanted to be seated next to the large brick fired oven. Now why would anyone ask such a question of three menopausal-age women? We

Cooking

I wonder if it is just me or is it really different to cook for one? I mean, I have been cooking for two for the past twenty plus years.  How different should it be to cook for one less? I had supper with my friend Ginnie last Sunday night and she confirmed that it does seem harder to cook for one.  She said that she wastes a lot of food that she buys with good intentions but ends up leaving in the refrigerator too long.  I think that has a lot to do with the fact that she is still working.  I can remember the nights I would come home from work too tired to cook.  We would have sandwiches or Mike would suggest taking me out. We cut way, way back on the eating out in retirement.  Mike got more involved in cooking too. And people seem concerned about someone newly faced with cooking for herself alone.  I have been asked often in the past few months, "Are you eating?"  The answer to that is certainly, yes.  I do like to eat.  And I like to eat "healthy" so I es

Time

Where does the time go?  It is so elusive. I don't have that much to do and I can not fit it all into a typical day.  I am pretty sure that I did not even brush my hair today.  I did shower, brush teeth, and floss though.  It was cold so I wore a hat when I had to go out.  So even if I did brush my hair, it would not look it. It was also so cold that I don't have the outside work to do.  So why can't I get through my "to do" list? I swear that fewer day light hours means that there really is less time.  Scientist should really look into this.  Twenty-four hours is not a fixed quantity. Maybe it is because I am continually tricked into thinking it is time for bed, it's so dark, only to realize it's not even 6 p.m. yet. Maybe it is just that time of year.  Some people love the increasing darkness, the cold, and the gathering in for a time of introspection. Yeah, I can be introspective enough in the day light.

Why I Love My Sewing Machine

I was in the mood for some sewing and I had some fabric stashed away.  Go figure.  (from Pinterest: No, doctor, it is not a hoarding disorder.  It's my fabric stash. ) As the machine hummed along, I considered how much I love my NECCHI. It has a cutting and edge stitch capability that gives a nice finished edge to seams. It does buttonholes with no guessing. And it makes it so much easier to put the buttons on neatly. Of curse the cutting step generates a great deal of lint and that requires a good cleaning after its use. You can see that the dust and lint could build up quickly and cause a problem. I did not have to figure out how to do this on my own,  Mike taught me how to clean, oil, and lubricate my sewing machine.  He had a job in high school helping to maintain industrial sewing machines in a dress factory.  (Have I mentioned lately, How much I miss that man?) And the finished jacket:

Just in TIme

I had an appointment to get snow tires put on the Prius first thing this morning. That was pretty timely since we had some snow last night.  The roads were clear, but my driveway is a sheet of ice.  It is good that it is a flat driveway so I did not have trouble getting out.  I did slip and slide later, walking out to the mail box, but I did not fall down. One winter day when I was in high school, the school parking lot and side walks were terribly icy.  I had gotten by car and was walking toward the school's front door with an armload of books (Backpacks were for military hikes back then, I guess.  I only remember carrying books in my arms right through college.)   I made it from the parking lot, across the driveway, and I was just stepping up onto the walkway.  As I stepped, I slid.  Somehow in the disjointed dance I performed in trying to maintain my balance, I did a rather inelegant flip and landed on my rump with books raining down upon me.  My immediate reaction was relief

Thank-You

Thanks-you to our Veterans and their families. There may always be a need for the military and the services each branch provides, but may there not always be a need for war.

Cards for the Season

I met with the card making group for lunch and a card exchange on Thursday.  I made a dozen of these: and I came home with a variety of other cards.  We also made two cards with a lunch in between.  Fun. I think my grand son will like the underpants reference so he will get this one for his birthday in February. The 'get well' card...I hope not to have to use it. Saturday--used to always be my day to sleep in when I was working.  It is a habit that I still have.  When I was working, though, it was also a major clean the house and run all the errands that needed running once I got up.  That part has changed.  It is such a luxury not to have to run errands on the same day that every one else is.  My house was clean; my laundry was done.  I spent the day making Christmas and holiday cards.  I almost forgot to go out and get the mail. (in proces) In the evening, I went with two friends to "Poetry, Music, and Delectable Delights," whi

Tools

Mike always said that you have to have the right tool for the job.  He left behind a boat load of tools. He also left behind a wife who doesn't even know what most of the are or how they are used. I figured out this wrench system though and got the battery out of the tractor. It only took me two days to do it.  I can get so stubborn when I think I should be able to do something.  I will ask my neighbor to put it on the charger and then back in when spring comes because I am afraid of electricity.  Unhooking a battery and hooking it back up are two completely different things in my mind. The gas tank is filled and the mower is put to bed for the winter season.  I think I must have been paying more attention to the things Mike took care of over the years than I thought.

Little Miss Independence

I got the gardens cleaned up for the winter yesterday. Today it was windy, but it was warm for November.  I decided to mow the lawn for the last time as the warm is not likely to last through the weekend.  I fired it up but when I lowered the mowing deck, I discovered that the blades were not cutting.  Just another thing going wrong, getting broken.  Oh so annoying! I remembered that when Mike's son was here this summer and went to mow the lawn for me, he said the belt had slipped.  Well, I turned off the motor and looked underneath.  Sure enough the belt was flopping loose.  Here's the good part--I fixed it myself!  I got the lawn mowed. And it doesn't stop there.  When I put the tractor back in the garage, I changed the oil and the oil filter.  That is a first.  I was quite proud of myself even though it is a messy job. My roll ended when I tried to disconnect the battery so I could take that out for the winter.  I could not budge the bolts on that.  I will have t

Weekend

I have had no further revelations from my bath towel.  Please bear with me as I travel the path of my new reality. I would like to assure you all that I will not be sharing anymore startling discoveries brought to be courtesy of inanimate objects, but of course you probably know me better than that. I was in Bed, Bath and Beyond last week and there were some really lux towels there whispering, "Buy ME!  Buy me!" but I resisted their siren song. We see what we want to see; we hear what we want to hear. I had a lovely weekend.  Mike's sister came for a visit.  We talked, ate, and drank some wine.  We went to downtown Burlington and cruised some shops, went out for lunch and took in a movie.  We saw Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks--really enjoyed it. Now it is back to the "work" week.  I have bills to pay.  I have to call the chimney company again because the caps keep getting blown off the chimneys.  I have to arrange for the garage door to get fixed.

Secret Message?

Does any one see anything written on my bath towel? Or Am just flying off the deep end?  Seriously, does anyone else see it?

BOO!

My grand son loves Halloween.  He does up his room, turning it into a haunted house, each year more elaborate as he adds to his stash of ghoulish decorations. I was visiting them yesterday and we made a trip to the party store so his sister could get a costume for her school dance.  He's had his Darth Vadir costume ready since early September.  Not everyone is so well prepared.  The place was jam packed.  His mother had warned him that this trip was for his sister; he would NOT be getting anything.  Torture!  He was good about it, but, oh, the desire that filled his little eyes. The young girl that waited on my daughter and grand daughter was very sweet.  My grand daughter thought her hair was really cool.  It was long brown hair tossed to the right and shaved off the left side.  My daughter's comment, "Yeah, well you are not doing that."  If I were a really kind of mother I would drag out Amy's high school picture the next time they are at my house.  As my fa

Weekend Report

  My front window is in dire need of a cleaning.  Birds smash into it leaving smudges and feathers.  It collects road dust from the truck traffic that goes by.  It looks as though a cat with muddy paws walked across it???  I have a window washing arsenal.  BUT there was no window washing this past weekend.  There was no lawn mowing either.  It was seriously cold. I bundled up and went for a long walk on Sunday.  There are white caps on the mountains.  My son did a bike ride at the Trapp Family Lodge on Saturday.  He told me they were riding through six inches of snow.  I hope it all stays right up there on the mountains. My sister-in-law loaned me a copy of Proof of Heaven  by Eban Alexander, M.D.  I read that this past weekend.  I liked it so much that I went to the bookstore and bought myself my own copy with a new Afterword. I wish that he had not used "Proof" in the title, but "an anecdotal record of my own near death experience" wouldn't be nearly as

Winner!

A big thanks to Wendy at Domestic Sweetheart !  She had a give away and I was the winner of the Invisible Glass Ultimate Glass Cleaning Kit.  It arrived yesterday. Look at all this stuff: It even includes wipes for my glasses.  No more excuses for the dirty, streaky windows!?!  If this makes window washing even a smidge less of a thankless job, I will be very happy.  So far I have just tried it on my bathroom mirror, but it did leave it spotless and shiny.

Library

I spent a long time at the library yesterday.  A new book order came in so I was putting on the spine labels, covering them with plastic, and affixing the bar codes so the librarian could get them in the catalog.  I was there from a little after 2 p.m. until 7. I had walked to the library so I could get some exercise in, but the librarian gave me a ride home because I stayed late and it was quite dark by that time. Also quite cold. I put in library hours again today, even though I was home.  I made birds for the flannel board for an upcoming story time.  I made sample craft projects--sandpaper gingerbread boys and a Christmas tree ornament.  The librarian plans story hour with books on a specific topic and then has related music and crafts for the kids to complete.  She pretty much has the year planned.  What did we do before Pinterest??  It is a great source for craft ideas. I am not sure quite how I got to be the official craft lady of the library, but it is a job I am qu

Home Again

Home again, jiggety jog. The flight back to Vermont was without a hitch...except for the rude shock of the 40 degree temperature difference.  I amused myself at the gate this morning by sorting the crowd into those who were getting off at JFK and those who would be heading on to Burlington, VT.  It wasn't all that challenging.  I am pretty sure I scored at least 99%. My 83 year old neighbor in Florida treated me to a Saturday night fish fry supper--fish she caught, cleaned and fried up herself.  It was really good too.  Snow birds are just starting to filter back, but things were pretty quiet.  Of course, I don't think that you are ever going to see spring-break type, snow birds gone wild reality shows on your televisions even during the peak season. I went to the Venice Sunshine Fiesta.  It featured a long parade of local school bands, antique cars, and a few businesses that had put together floats.  I bought a couple of craft items and had my palms read.  I will enjoy a

Some Comfort

This has been a very hard week, as I knew that it would be. Not the long drive alone. Not the decisions about some needed maintenance and how much money to spend on it--made alone. One of the last things that Mike said to me was, "You are an intelligent and capable person.  You will be okay." Maybe so.  I have done some hard stuff and I did not fall apart. Or maybe not.  Simple things.  I could not walk on the beach...would not have been able to see where I was walking through the tears.  I had to leave the Italian market where we so enjoyed shopping for special dinners.  I barely managed to pay for a loaf of bread and get out of there.  I won't even consider going to the North Jetty to admire the sunset or sit at Pop's and watch boats and dolphin go by or to go for an ice cream cone. I wonder if I ever will. There was a great horned owl perched at the very top of a very tall Norfolk pine outside the bedroom window and a few doors done.  I knew Mike's

Why is the World so Wacky?

Okay, the debt ceiling has been lifted and the government is open again.  Time to celebrate?  It's a temporary fix.   How is it different than the last time?  How will it be different in a few months? Ted Cruz? Seriously?  I believe he is a Disney animatron escaped from Orlando.  Michele Bachmann?  Prove to me that she is not one of the original Stepford wives. Affordable health care??  When I was poor and struggling, I didn't have health insurance.  Why should I pay taxes for someone else to have it now?  Progress?  That's a part of progressive...so it surely must be bad.  (Sheldon: "Sarcasm?") Facebook has opened itself to public sharing by teens...so they can have a voice in the causes important to them.  I do hope Malala Yousafzai has an account. And speaking of teens, a Massachusetts school stripped a girl of her position as a sports team captain because she went to pick up a friend who had been drinking and needed a ride home.  Let no good deed go un

Long Drive

I have made the 1500+ mile trip from Vermont to Florida.  There was heavy traffic on the first two days, but Sunday (the longest drive) was clear sailing.  I stopped in Georgia and had a brief visit with Mike's daughter and her family. Thank God for Garmin. I found out that there has been a lot of rain here in Florida this past summer.  I spent some time today hacking back the shrubs gone wild.  I took care of the house insurance and FL Comcast (which was way, way easier than what I went through in Vermont).  I had the air conditioner serviced.  Tomorrow I will look into having the tree guy come out and I need to find someone to take out a bunch of concrete blocks in the back yard that were meant to be a patio, but just serves to irritate me when I see it.  Maybe that job will wait until winter. Maybe the day after that, I will just relax.  I don't think I am ready to handle going to the beach though.  Mike LOVED the beach and I know it will be hard to go there without hi

A Fine Day for a Walk in the Woods

I went to the Mills Riverside Park for my walk today. I parked the car and went across the covered bridge. It is a lovely area. The sky was brilliant. The trail was covered with leaves.  I love the smell of autumn.  Damp leaves and apples. We had heavy winds and rain the day before, but there were still pops of bright color. Mount Mansfield looked kind of bare, though. I can't believe how green the grass is still. No alligators here: I have taken this walk a number of times.  A couple of times with Mike, but usually just on my own.  Did I always wish that he was with me on those walks? Yes, I really did.  Today was no different...except that it was. I did go out for supper with my friend Ginnie.  I am grateful for my friends.