leder legends

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 EVERYONE! I CAN'T BELIEVE THE LAST TIME I POSTED WAS IN MAY!  RESOLVE TO DO BETTER IN 2014!

The Dump So, in Grand Rapids there is a dump for yard waste and it's free. At least there is no money involved but it is not without cost...phy sical c ost.  We have a very nasty truc k that roars like a tank and makes me feel like a rednec k grandma as I drive it to the dump.  This morning , we lo aded up the tr uck with bags and bags of leaves and branches and off I went to the dump, carefully staying below the speed limit and praying tha t I wouldn't be stopped for a noise violation. To tell the truth it was kind of fun!   I arrived at the dump without incident a nd off-loaded my b ags and watched as the man parked next to me proceeded to dump an e n tire trailer of BEAUTIFUL mulch! He told me it was the remai ns of 22 yards of mulch that they had ordered! 22 yards!! I can't even imagine that much mulch!  Needless to say, I was n ot able to resist helping myself to the stuff. I filled bags and the back of the truck with as much of the stuff as I had ener...

May Flowers So, these days I have been cleaning up the flowerbeds in my yard and bemoaning the fact that most of this could have been done in the fall. At the same time I love exploring the beds to see what has made it through the winter and what needs to be divided. Almost everything is up and show little sign of winter harm. The Joe Pie weed, hibiscus and the galardia are perhaps not returning but I'll give it a few weeks. It's May 8 and I am quite surprised at the amount of spring blossoms in my yard. There are lots of these lawn beauties. and lots of these... both of which I could do without!! Tulips Cowslip primroses Lenten rose (a hellebore...I think) white lamium ( a ground-cover) A dark purple mini iris...it's the first iris blooming. I wish I could remember where I got it from last year.  Brunnera Solomon's seal Pink lamium bleeding heart Rhododendron   Old-fashion bleeding heart...

I got a great box from Sandy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I love getting something via snail mail...anything...but even better when it brings me some great foodie stuff!  Coffee from a local Iowa roaster tops the list. Not only does it taste great (and that's a complement from a self-proclaimed coffee snob), it has the best name: COW TIPPER! That is so cool! The box also contained corn nuts and grape jelly from a nearby 'village' that has a great German heritage. My husband LOVES corn nuts! The last item was a bag of Indiana Popcorn drizzled with chocolate etc. Sandy suggested we enjoy it 'slowly'...as you can imagine that did not happen! lol  The stuff is addictive! So a great big THANKS to Sandy for making my day ...and days because I'll be enjoying that coffee everyday for a while!! Who can resist coffee with such a great name!  This stuff is SO good! Crunchy old-fashioned goodness! Gourmet! That plus a nice note made my day! Th...

It's April 15th and SPRING should be here...right? I don't think it is much different than other years but the expectation is or seems to be higher. A good week of rain has done wonders for the lawns which are much greener than before, tulips and daffodils and irises are showing promise in the flowerbeds. The weeds too are up in numbers too many to contemplate. I am not a big fan of chemicals BUT I found some Round-up in the shed and took a walk around the yard with it. I do hope it won't effect plants that are on their way up! I really need to split a lot of plants this year and perhaps this will unintentionally help. lol  Tomorrow is hubby's 67th birthday. What do you get for someone who needs nothing?? I suggested a Power Hang-Glider ride!! He said he'd think about it! LOL! Doesn't this look like fun?? LOL

Praying that you all have a wonderful Easter! The sun is shining here in west Michigan...such a good feeling after a long winter!

I sent my pen pal HIS box today! YES!! There are guys that also participate! and I came home this afternoon to discover my box had arrived! Such fun!

So my dear hubby outdid himself this year on Valentine's day! That's a challenge after 41 years! A super sappy-in-a-good-way card, an assortment of chocolate, a bottle of pomegranate liqueur, a lunch out and a semi-chick flick movie...not half bad! 

This morning I decided I needed an outlet for a few...maybe a few more than a few..things that frustrate me. Can you tell I have had a bad morning?? lol That being said I am just going to make a list. I might expound on a few at a later time. waking up too early and yet too late to go back to sleep. not being able to walk around that darn mall any faster even though I think I am going faster. people who only answers texts and/or their phones when they want something from you. .. and then tell you the ir phones weren't working........... liars!!!!!!!!!!!!!! workmen who finish the job on their t ime  people who don't show up for appointments people who waste my time...I'm retired you know! people who delete comments from their FB postings!  Don't post stupid things if you can't take any comments and /or criticism! A great-nephew allowed his three year old to shoot a .22! Seriously??   I must stop!! ...for now

It's Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Day! My second time participating in this activity was fun! I had fun deciding what to send my pen pal and as well as waiting for my box to arrive. As an aside: I must say that I have been lucky both times because it worked the way it was supposed to. Apparently there are those who sign-up and then don't fulfill their obligations. Last month the gal who sent me my box did NOT get anything from the person who was supposed to send her something! That's such poor manners!!   Anyway...what did I get this month?? Alissa (from New Jerse y) sent me a great package! A bunch of delicious chocolate, some tea and some gluten free chocolate chip cookies! Some teas I had never tried before and the best chocolate: dark with blueberries! Does that mean it's good for you? DEFINITELY! Have you ever heard of this stuff? It almost seems too good to be true! No junk in your chocolate!! The best part is that is tastes FANTASTIC! The Unreal c...

26. Together. I took a picture of an invitation I just got in the mail. My sister and brother-in-law TOGETHER 45 years next month.

Yesterday, with much success, I tried cooking a new food...new for us that is. I cooked a spaghetti squash in the microwave oven and found an Emeril Lagasse recipe called Spaghetti Squash "Carbonara". I happened to have all the ingredients on hand except the parsley. It's here if you are interested: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/spaghetti-squash-carbonara-recipe2/index.html . I wanted something that did not have a lot of tomato-type sauce and this was perfect!  It was wonderfully flavorful and just a bit crunchy! I cooked up another veggie I had in the fridge and we had a great meal! Next time (and I will do this again) I will try cooking the squash in the oven because they say it is more flavorful that way. I'll have to take a picture when I warm up the leftovers. Arie thought it looked like sauerkraut...I did not agree and thought even the idea very distasteful. He liked it despite the weird comparison.

25. Landscape Out my front door-- a beautiful Michigan afternoon.

24. Stripes. I bought striped fabric with the intent of making curtains for the family room. I have ONE almost done but I am not sure if I like the fabric. What should I do? make them all and then decide or just go back to the fabric store?

23. Electric Do any of you have a solution for what's under my computer desk????????

22. Corner: recently my granddaughter and I hung a heart bunting over "her" bed (at my house). For her this is very special! She slept over last night and for us that is special!

21. What you do: This was difficult because I am doing a lot of different things theses days now that I am completely retired. Even though I do many different things I feel like I am always cleaning up. It's so typical to see tables covered with "stuff" and it's annoying even when it's MY stuff.

19. Delicious! I am making biscotti these days. I have made peanut butter biscotti with mixed success. I am now making dried fruit biscotti. In a word DELICIOUS! I think it's pretty healthy too.

18. Shadow:Guess where and what this is!

16. Two things: (and we are halfway there) Does life come in pairs? We have two calculators which is probably not so unusual.  Why is it that when I need to use one of them I usually can't find either 

Today marks the second time I have participated in Foodie Pen Pals. The package must be sent by the 15th of the month. I find it quite a challenge to come up with something interesting to pack in a box to send to a complete stranger in another state...this time to MA. Last time I packed up some goodies to celebrate our (my) Dutch heritage. This time it was made in MI. I found it quite educational to browse through the local Horrock's store to see if I could find a few food goodies that were made in MI and that gave me a variety and most importantly that kept me under my $15 limit.  I think I accomplished that. Let's hope the recipient likes it.. The best part of participating in Foodie Pen Pals is that now I get to anticipate getting something in the mail as well. It's fun!

15: An ordinary moment: Daily essentials: a comfy chair, an interesting book and a cup of superb coffee...the bad wardrobe is optional! lol

14: Something YELLOW.I found that finding something yellow to photograph was particularly difficult. There is very little yellow in my wardrobe or my house. I finally spied this yellow ornament in my yard and felt inspired to take a picture. It a bit of a bright spot on an otherwise dreary day!

Day 13: Circles There are circles all around us but not all are easily photographed. After taking a picture of a bunch different circles I decided to use the one of things I am using to get a project done. Perhaps it will motivate me to keep going. I'm trying to make curtains for our family/TV room.

Day 12: Surprise Two surprises today. I needed some parsley and oregano for a recipe and of course I had forgotten to buy some. Just on the off chance, I asked A to go see if any was still usable in the garden. Both were not just usable but growing! Surprise: it's Jan 12!

Day Eleven: Water It's been raining for a few days.

10. One o’clock: Take a photo of whatever you’re doing in the hour between one and two. It could be in the middle of the night {you party animal, you!} or during the day. This was the most difficult assignment because I did not have my camera with me between 1 and 2 either AM or PM

Paper:  In our technological age where we can access everything via machines like computers and kindles and more, I am often baffled by the amount of paper that accumulates everywhere. What happened to that promise of a paperless society? So today I was supposed to take a picture of PAPER. There are no end of examples in our home but that doesn't make it easy to decide on a picture. A took a few but finally settled on the one below. It's a work in progress and will always be so. Lesson plans and article abstracts: tools of the trade.

Day 8: something that starts with T. I took a picture of a Trash can but thought that was pretty lame. Then I took a picture of my car Tire because I am having trouble with my car and I'd rather it was a flat tire because that I could fix myself.  Instead the towing company is coming (only $75. 95). I might take a picture of the TOW TRUCK when it finally gets here. Then I took a picture of a propane TANK in my garage thinking it would be great to barbeque some Alaskan salmon tonight for dinner but then I remembered it was empty. If my car would start I would go get it filled. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! All is not lost! We have a beautiful birch TREE in our front yard! T--- T---- What begins with T?

Day 7 : A street scene. So here's a picture of my street. It really should be covered in snow and beautiful BUT it's 40 degrees today. It's just not normal! .

5. Movement: Get moving and take a photo. You could take a photo of cars whizzing by, somebody jumping or you could even take a run and take photos as you’re jogging along. So, today nothing was moving nor moving me to take a picture!

My morning coffee!! 6. Mine: Take a photo of something that’s yours. Perhaps it’s a thing, something you’re proud of or a person you call ‘yours’. Can't function without it! and it has to be served in this particular cup! Mine!

4. The view from here: With many people around the world on holidays, it’s a great way to see where people are. Take a picture of your view from where ever you are. I've decided to post a picture I took in Alaska...where I WAS

3. Heart: Take a photo of a heart, or a heart shape. She's a valentine heart.

2. Something new: Take a photo of something new. Something physical, the sunrise, a new attitude. Be creative! Aaron's new look!

Found a blog today...sounds like a challenge I could take on now that I am completely retired! http://fatmumslim.com.au/january-2013-photo-a-day-lets-do-this-thing/ The idea is to take one photo per day that fits the instructions in any way possible. 1. Today.  It’s the first day of the new year, so take a photo of how you spent the day. Resolving to make good food choices this month.

We have a party every New Year's Eve and invite a few friends to join us for themed potluck of hors d'oeurves. This year the theme was European cuisine. Every couple was asked to bring a food and a beverage from a different country BUT the catch was that we assigned the countries. Each couple got two countries and could bring something from either or both. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, France and Belgium, Italy and Cyprus, Denmark and Norway, Israel and Jordan, Switzerland, Greece and Turkey, Spain and Portugal.   It was a foodie lover's paradise last night. Guess what's in the Glugg? Beverages ranged from a potent GLUGG to a yogurt drink called Kefir along with wine, sherry and champagne.There was enough for all to taste some very different potables. The food was unbelievable! Everyone did some research and chose wonderful representations of the given cuisine. What party is complete without a plateful of yummy dill shrimp. Such a nice change from the usua...