Banana Bread Brilliance

I am not known for my baking prowess. Nope. No way.

 

But several weeks ago I had some overripe bananas that I hated to waste. So I looked through my cookbooks (yes, I own some) and selected a banana bread recipe that looked fairly easy.

 

My first effort came out fine. I had enough batter to put in two loaf pans, but the pans were different sizes. One of them finished baking before the other one did, but I was monitoring that. And like I said, the bread came out fine.

 

I used the loaf pans for two more rounds of banana bread since that first effort. Then I decided to try a cake tin and it came out great!

 

I used the cake tin again today, and again I met with success.

 

So, five banana bread attempts and five triumphs.

 

I am a domestic goddess.

Summerfest

Our town's Summerfest event was tonight. (It's still going on as I write this.)

After not attending for the past few years, Lew decided he would like to go.

So we did.

Lew had one wish: a hot dog.

When we first arrived I made Lew pose for a picture.

Then we went in search of the hot dog.

We succumbed to the "Crisp & Cream" booth first. Lew had blueberry crisp topped with vanilla ice cream. I had plain apple crisp. (I am a purist when it comes to apple crisp.)

Finally!

Sweeties!

(We are on vacation, so brief blog posts for the next week and a half.)

I had a sweet babysitting gig last night. Here's our selfie!

Why I Danced

Yesterday my father mentioned that I was dancing in his living room. Here's why:

Over the past couple weeks I have been involved in a job interview process. I was offered the position mid-morning yesterday! The job is a full-time bookkeeper position and I start on September 8th. (That start-date works great because Lew is on vacation next week. I will be able to enjoy the week with him.)

I'm not going to say anything more about this new venture except for this....

I GOT THE JOB! (dance, dance, dance)
I GOT THE JOB! (dance, dance, dance)
I GOT THE JOB! (dance, dance, dance)

Dad 268: Checkup and In

(I was leaving to run some errands when my parents were returning from the hair salon. My father and I had a very safe game of chicken in the driveway. I lost... but please enjoy Dad's post anyway! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Enjoying a warm sunny afternoon after a real foggy morning. The last Wednesday in August.

 

Well, Spouse and I have dropped her from outpatient therapy. Reason: Anxiety! We are now attempting to do more at home and get inpatient therapy due to Spouse being mostly homebound. Hope it works out. We'll find out soon.

 

Did take Spouse to the hair salon today. She was happy to get her hair cut. Thank you, Cindy!

 

I had my checkup today after drawing my blood two day's ago. My report was much better than I thought it would be. Said I'm in good health. My blood pressure was even better than I suspected. I hope it was accurate.

 

I got home from my checkup to find Tracy dancing in our living room. I'm sure you will hear why in the near future.

 

Enough for today, sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Today Was a Blast

Earlier this month I mentioned a sleepless night due to some road work near our house.

The project has been continuing on and off since then (no more all-night work, though, thank goodness).

We recently got a notice that they would be blasting to create a trench for the water/sewer lines.

Saturday morning a young man, whom Lew dubbed the "pre-blast videographer," came to videotape the inside of our home to establish a "clear record between the property owner and the blasting contractor as to the condition of a property prior to the beginning of blasting."

Great.

Actually, I'm not all that worried, especially since today was the first day of blasting and our house is still standing. Phew!

The most fun thing about the blasting is listening for the signals, defined as follows:

BLASTING SIGNALS
3 Horn Signals ~ 5 Minutes to Blast
2 Horn Signals ~ 1 Minute to Blast
1 Horn Signal ~ All Clear

I do take issue with the blasters regarding how long a minute is and (in one instance) how to count to two.

But over all, it's been okay.... A real blast, in fact.

I FINISHED READING IT!!!!!

At approximately 5:14 pm (EDT) yesterday, August 23, 2015, I finally finished reading War and Peace.

I have mentioned this book several times on my blog, the first time being my June 8th post titled "A Long Read."

The word "long" does not begin to describe it.

The page length depends on which hardback/paperback/ebook version you read, but it's safe to say this book is over 1000 pages long.

And how did I like the book?

I enjoyed the "novel" parts, and I plodded through the parts that were theoretical and philosophical in nature.

I am glad, however, that I plodded. Tolstoy was clearly a man of faith in the Almighty God. Good stuff.

This is definitely not a book that I will read again. It is just way too long to revisit. I am happy I read it, though, and I feel more cultured. (LOL!)

One of the best things about this experience is that I don't have to write a paper about it.

I will end this post with a quote from a Seinfeld episode. Jerry says the following to Elaine (she later repeats this later in the show):

Did you know the original title for "War and Peace" was
"War--What Is It Good For?"!

Family Project

Our garbage disposal quit working over a week ago.

Lew went to his favorite store - Amazon.com - and was able to order the same model.

It arrived midweek and the installation task was scheduled for this morning.

It didn't take Lew very long at all... especially since he had such great helpers!

Happy Birthday, Lew!

I sent Lew a text message while he was at work today. I asked him how his birthday was going. I received this photo in return:

 

Grampa had visitors at work on his birthday!

 

Wayne came over for dinner and brought a cake that he made! Their mom used to make a confetti angel food cake with powdered sugar frosting, and Wayne is following in her footsteps. It came out great!

 

A fine looking cake... and tasty, too.

 

Happy Birthday, Lew!

TBT: My Dinner!

I suppose posting a photo of tonight's dinner doesn't really meet Throwback Thursday's intent.

But, hey, it's my blog!

And it was my dinner! Yum....

Dad 267: It's Hot!

(War and Peace update: 81%. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another hot summer day. My hometown of Sanford is in the middle of a heat wave. (Heat wave is three days in a row of at least 90°.) We've been almost there. It is hot.

 

Busy day today. Spouse had an occupational therapist appointment at 9:45 this a.m. Then got home and cooled off apartment, had lunch, and then replaced the light on sister Deb's cottage at Old Orchard. Sister Deb and Tracy sat on the couch while I was gone.

 

Will use sister Deb again tomorrow morning to sit with Spouse as I have a haircut and Tracy has an appointment. Spouse has a physical therapist date tomorrow afternoon. Then no more outpatient therapy until next Tuesday. We have enough to work on at home if we follow through.

 

Closing out the week Friday by servicing our car and trying to see why engine light is now on. Can't wait for the weekend.

 

It's hot and I've written enough! Sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

The Remaining 27%

Sixteen books to go on my 2015 Reading Challenge!

And, yes, one of those books is still War and Peace.

I'm now 73% of the way through it.

Am I happy I decided to include this book in my challenge?

I think so.

But I certainly will be happy when I'm finished.

A new goal:  Finish reading War and Peace by next Tuesday.

To do:  Meet my goal. (It's good to have goals.)

Heat Wave

It was HOT today!

 

I got a haircut late afternoon and then met Lew at the grocery store. (Exciting news, I know.) I usually am a little cold in the store due to it's A/C, but not today! The cool air was refreshing.

 

My parents had three over-ripe bananas which I am going to transform into banana bread. But not tonight. It's too hot to bake.

 

Debbie and Glen are at the Red Sox game, so I believe I will spend the rest of the evening watching for them on TV. I will be watching in my air-conditioned bedroom.

 

Stay cool!

A Study in Cocoa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Multiply the Love

Whenever I look at Facebook I see posts about animals needing to be adopted.

 

A picture of the animal is always included.

 

May I say that I want to adopt all of them? (Especially the cats.)

 

When Lew and I got Marilyn at the Animal Refuge League, there were many other cats that I'm sure we would be able to love just as much.

 

Do I have a future as a "crazy cat lady"???

 

I actually kind of hope so.

TMT

I have a new blog theme...

Too Much Thursday!

TMT for short.

Way too much going on today.

Too much! Too much!

Smile!

Dad 266: A Royal Time at the Dentist

(I am now 67% of the way through War and Peace; I know you were wondering. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Enjoying a pretty good day after much rain yesterday.

 

Still taking Spouse to rehab two or three days a week. The process of improvement seems to go slow. Please keep up your prayers for Spouse as we work on her recovery.

 

The only other thing I did today was spend two hours in the dentist chair getting a temporary crown. I had the root canal a couple weeks ago. Will get my permanent crown in about three weeks. Another $3,000 tooth. Next time I'll have it pulled.

 

It is late in the day and I don't feel like writing any more. Sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

So Forth and Etcetera

It's raining.

It's pouring.

And I feel like

snoring.

My shirt is red.

My book is read.

And....

I can't think of a good way to end this.

And I haven't really finished reading my current book(s). I'm still working on Mark Twain's short stories and I'm 65% through War and Peace.

Ahhh.... War and Peace....

This is the book that never ends.

Yes, it goes on and on, my friend....

I better get reading.

(My apologies to Mother Goose and Lamb Chop for my adaptation of their lyrics.)

"Sorry, Aunty!"

I do hope you haven't been holding your breath while waiting for this post. I'm finally going to write about the day of Friday, August 7, 2015. (In other words, I'm going to share a recap of three days ago.)

 

Friday was Aunt Debbie's birthday. We celebrated... twice!

 

The first celebration consisted of lunch and shopping.

 

Kim and I took Aunt Debbie to lunch at Applebee's. We had a delightful waitress who gabbed with us a bit, and I let it slip that "today's her birthday," indicating Aunt Debbie. Several minutes later, the entire wait staff came out singing Applebee's version of a birthday song. As they were walking toward our table, our waitress said, "Sorry, Aunty" (the inspiration for this post title). Kim and I decided right then and there to call Aunt Debbie "Aunty" from now on.

 

We then went shopping at A.C.Moore and the Christmas Tree Shop. I'm not much of a shopper (I'm an Amazon.com gal), but I did enjoy going with Kim and Aunty.

 

The second celebration was an entertaining evening at the ballet.

 

Batgirl Ellen's daughter and nephew are in the Maine State Ballet's performance of Coppélia (final performances are this coming weekend). I asked Aunty if she wanted to go with me, and she said "Sure!" So Friday night we rode to Falmouth and got some culture. It was an excellent show and I'm glad we went. It was especially fun to go with Aunty.

So that was Friday. It was a full day of festivities!

And, in case you're wondering, Kim and I have not been using the new "Aunty" moniker. I just kept it up in this post to tease my aunt.... Sorry, Aunty!

Running On

I wanted to write about yesterday today, but today was so busy and it's getting late and I'm so tired that I don't think I can do justice to yesterday today, so I will write about yesterday on Monday (not tomorrow because tomorrow is Sabbath Sunday).

Got it?

We Get Around

Blog theme: Five-second Friday.

After an already busy day, I am off to the ballet with Aunt Debbie. We will be in the audience, not on stage. (LOL!)

More details tomorrow....

TBT: Eli and Adam

I believe this photo was taken on August 10, 2013.

 

Big brother is holding his newborn baby brother.

 

Love!

 

 

Dad 265: Busy Visitors!

(Lew just got home and said, "I hit some good shots." Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Enjoying another summer day here in the Northeast. The last few days have ended with thunder showers. Some of the storms have been severe. Luckily we've missed the bad ones. With the humidity down now this will help us not have to put up with storms.

 

Our Illinois family arrived on schedule and one day later Kelsey's friend Zach arrived for a short week visit. He has been busy. They attended Joe's family reunion in Randolph on Sunday and had a great day for it. All said they enjoyed their day.

 

They spent Monday at Glen's family cottage on Little Sebago. It is my understanding the day was thoroughly enjoyable as they participated in many water-related activities.

 

Lew is on vacation this week and is out setting a record on the golf course today. The Illinois family is visiting Portland Head Light and various other sites of interest today. The week has been busy for them. And we (Spouse and I) have enjoyed their visit, along with Cocoa.

 

Just heard that niece Heather has entered the hospital and will probably give birth to their third child today! A lot of things going on. Not to mention sister Deb and her activities caring for Cocoa and lunching today with Bob and Wilma (Glen's parents) at DiMillo's Restaurant on the waterfront.

 

I could go on and on and on, but I choose to stop now. Sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

A Cool Pool Visit

Yesterday we went swimming!

Our friends have a lovely pool, of which we took advantage (of both our friends and the pool, ha ha!).

Emily, Eli, and Adam came over and joined us.

It was a hot day, so the water provided great relief.  Ahhhh....

Eli, the Snorkeler.

Adam, the Turtle Rider.

Sunday, Fun Day!

Lew and I had a nice day yesterday.

 

The weather was beautiful, so we took a morning walk on the beach. The sun was glistening off of the water. It was an inspiring sight.

 

There are some things that can't be captured in photos, but Lew tried anyway:

 

 

We had tickets to yesterday afternoon's Sea Dogs game. We took nephew Zack, who always makes everything more fun!

 

The game was a wild one. We left after the 10th inning; the score was still tied at 12-12! The Sea Dogs lost by the time we got home. They gave up four runs in the top of the 11th, so we were glad that we left. It was a HOT day at the ballpark! And we ran into this guy:

 

Slugger, the Sea Dog!

 

I thought I would sleep well after such a busy day. But (yes, there's a "but") some road work was being done all night right near our house. The beeping of trucks backing up, loud thumps, grating sounds... I did NOT sleep well. But all of the commotion did make for some excitement. (The cats thought so, anyway!)

 

Kitty Water Torture

Yesterday I made a big decision.... It's time to train Marilyn to stay OFF the kitchen counters.

I found a little squirt bottle and filled it with water. The first time she jumped up on the counter, I sprayed her with it. She looked alarmed and finally jumped down.

The next time she jumped up, the spray piece didn't work. But she saw me holding it and that was all it took. She jumped down!

I wish I could say the problem is completely taken care of. What she does now: She quickly jumps from one surface to another until she is on top of the kitchen cupboards. She then makes her way around so that she is peering down at me from right above the sink.

As long as this is all she does, I guess I would be okay with that. And at least the paper towels would be safe.  ;)

We love our kitties!