The Morning Count

Posted on August 23, 2019 by

I know that some of you are thinking of the number of times I hit the snooze button in the morning, but no. I am a morning person and getting up, even though I’m exhausted is something my body is geared to do (staying awake is another matter).

I’m talking about the head count of our cats.

We lost one at Christmas and nearly lost 2 others in the months since. And the first sign that something was wrong–the cats stopped eating.

So, I am a bit paranoid about making sure the cats are visible in the morning when they are fed.

Lately, our one mini-panther has taken to hiding in the morning. Which leaves me calling his name while searching. Eventually, I give up because I know that after walking the dog, he’ll be out looking for treats.

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I’m not sure who has who trained, but as long as he shows up, we’re good.

Until next time.

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Broken Crown

Posted on August 21, 2019 by

Recently, I purchase a bag of cheddar popcorn at the store. I don’t usually do this as I prefer to pop my own at home, because I love the half popped ones and home-popped popcorn yeilds more of these delicious nuggets.

Anyway about 70% into the bag, I bit down on something hard. I tried to stop but it was too late.

Then I felt it. That jagged bit of shell from an unpopped kernel.

Naturally, I tucked the popcorn away and sought out some floss to get that shell out of there. Only, it wasn’t a shell.

That hard kernel had sheared off part of my tooth.

I thought I could hold off until my normally scheduled dental appointment in two weeks. But no. That broken bit of crown wiggled and jiggled sending pain down to my toes.

So now I have a pirate crown, all shiny and silver. Until next Wednesday when I get the nice enamel one. As for the rest of the bag of popcorn, I finished it. I guess I’ll just be avoiding the kernels in the future. 😀

Until next time.

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What are you reading?

Posted on August 19, 2019 by

This month, I’m reading:

Perfect Phrases for dealing with difficult people

And just for fun:

NC Lewis’s British Seaside Cozy Mystery series

What are you reading?

 

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Our Week in Portland, Part VI

Posted on August 16, 2019 by

We managed to cross the river into Washington and visit Fort Vancouver. It is a completely reconstructed National Park that tells the story of early European settlement driven by the fur trade.

Outside the walls was a food garden and orchard.

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We started at the counting house.

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I imagine this well was easy to use, but not as easy as turning on a tap. Behind the well is the bakery, which is half-in and half-out of the fort walls.

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These two cabins are what most of the settlers would have lived in.

Attached to the fort is the Pearson Air Museum which focused on the early days of aviation and had an awesome display circa World War 1. Here is the inside of the a tent that housed the men who milled the wood to make the airplanes.

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Until next time!

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Our Week in Portland-Part V

Posted on August 14, 2019 by

We were fortunate enough to visit the Japanese Gardens in Washington Park. There are actually seven types of gardens to explore, all more beautiful than the last.

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I loved all the gardens. It’s not that we don’t have them in Phoenix, but we are a desert so they are very different than those in Oregon. And then there’s just the fact that there are ponds and streams.

Until next time.

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Our Week in Portland, Part IV

Posted on August 12, 2019 by

Given that the Willamette river just a few blocks from our hotel, we found the Spirit of Portland River Cruises and booked a cruise on a boat that would take us up the river and through the Columbia Gorge to the Cascade Locks. On the way, we learned about Bigfoot.

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We watched the geese before boarding the boat and traveling under so man bridges to reach the Columbia River.

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In the lock, we rose 60 feet to reach the lake near the damn.

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And at the end of the tour, Bigfoot was waiting to take photos with everyone. The day was beautiful.

Until next time.

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Our Week in Portland, Part III

Posted on August 9, 2019 by

A trip to Portland wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Rose Garden. It was heavenly and as the sun rose, the scent was amazing. Of course, not everything was a rose.

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Until next time!

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