Confessions of a Grandma

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 doe...

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 m...

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 ...

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.

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.

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 ...