5 thing Friday - cooking, trees, socializing, a coffee cup, gallery wall

Its been an OK week, overall.  I have gotten a few small things done around the house, read a book, worked on my family history, bought groceries, etc. and so forth. 

I've been shopping at Trader Joe's more often and making simpler meals.  The panko Tilapia is pretty good, as are the BBQ pork fried rice and the grilled chicken strips.  I haven't used the oven much.  I'm not as into salads as I was last summer, but maybe next week I will switch that up.

I had an arborist come take a look at my trees and make recommendations.  Of the four live oaks, this one I am most worried about.  This long scar is an actual crack from when the tree froze in the terrible ice storm we had a few years ago.  I thought my trees had escaped damage. It healed over the split so only time will tell if I am able to keep this 1/3 of the tree.  I'm trying not to obsess over it.  The tree company comes in a couple of weeks to give all of my trees a good haircut.

I met a friend for a beer and gab this week - 4 hours went by in the blink of an eye.  We went to a place where Mark and I used to go long ago.  They spruced up the place and were doing a good business - looking around I saw lots of folks my age and a friendly doggo or two.

She's the same one who gave me this mug!  I use it often and remind myself that grief and hope, crying and laughing can all exist sometimes in the same day.  Its nice to talk with her about everything.  We met 46 years ago as college freshmen at UT.

At this point, she's been in my life longer than Mark was.  He would have approved of the mug, and he did love his coffee.

OK, I finished the wall that was supposed to be a corner gallery. I changed up a lot of the art I had originally chose, opting for things that really spoke to me.  I thrifted some things, pulled some pieces from elsewhere, filled in with stuff from Hobby Lobby.  Its nice to gaze at as I sit on the couch, sipping my wine. Its gonna be one of those things I change up now and then.

Just on the other side of the front door, and it's prettier in person. And that's all I have for today - thanks for reading along and have a great weekend!

Gina

Home projects I'm getting help with this summer

 Mostly, I can do what I need to do for routine maintenance at my house.  I can replace filters/bulbs/batteries on all sorts of things, caulk and paint, deep clean and organize, mow and edge.  I can troubleshoot small and medium sized things but I have learned to call in a professional for things beyond my scope.  Topping that list is anything electrical: installing a new disposal and sink, replacing a switch, minor repair of a washer or dishwasher, changing out a light fixture. 

I have no business trying to do something a professional can do faster and better.

I have a working list at all times of things that require attention at my house that I need to get going on.  That includes:

*getting a new overhead light fixture installed in the garage

*installing ceiling fans in two bedrooms

*maintenance on the garage opener motors

*tree trimming

*sprinkler system and mower maintenance

*thorough cleaning of the roof gutters

*installing carpet

Its gonna be a HOT week in central Texas this week, but I already have some of these things scheduled.  Staying busy will be key for me as July finishes up.  What projects have you been hiring out lately?

Gina 

Addition by subtraction

 I knew that, as time went on, I would be able to let go of even more things.  As I make my way as a single person, I realize that less stuff makes more space - addition by subtraction is my mantra.  Last week I sent another set of china away, along with two very fussy silverplate candlesticks and some pink cocktail glassware.  Shocking, right?

For me, there is zero purpose in storing this stuff away until I die and making it someone else's problem.  And I don't think my kids' generation views china as practical.

More empty space.  I love it.

I saved out a pretty dish for the sewing room.  This can get passed down to my daughter as a memento of her Nana and a grandfather she never got to meet.  I also saved out 6 pink martini glasses, just because I like them.  

We didn't use these dishes even one time - just stored them.  This set dates from 1950 and likely was not used past 1970, if even then.  That's a long time to keep something pretty boxed up and un-loved.

I set it all by the door, and the next morning it went to a charity thrift store to find its new owner.  Who knows? Someone may see it and recognize the pattern.  Or fall in love with it and buy it for their home.  Or gift it to a couple as an anniversary or  wedding gift.  My garage and closets and cabinets have never felt emptier or cleaner and my home is getting more representative of me.

Gina

Little project: garage opener bulbs

I truly am trying to make headway on my summer bucket list - I would say I have at least a third of it done.  But along the way, these other mini "projects" keep popping up and I think, oh I can do that right quick. Case in point are the bulbs in the garage door motors. 

One of them is burned out, so I decided to replace all four and in the process discovered that the opener on the storage side of the garage actually works.  I could have sworn Mark told me that its motor was burned out.  But no, it opened smoothly and quietly - unlike the side I use all of the time.

These motors are 30+ years old and still going strong.  I do need someone to come out and adjust them, but I can change the bulbs and clean them up.

I hauled out my trusty ladder and unplugged them first. A YouTube video later, I had figured out how to open the lightbulb cover.

They were very dirty and had a couple of dirt dauber wasp nests in them.

(side note: do you know that people actually sell large wasp nests on Ebay? What a weird world we are in. Mine got tossed into the driveway.)

Things like this make me pause - why did we never have actual pull strings on the emergency release?

I found some paracord and a 2 knobs from my stash and put one on each door, making it long enough for my 5'3" self to reach.

You would think a simple project like this would take maybe 30 minutes, tops, but I also had to look things up, go buy the dang bulbs, and talk myself onto that ladder.  I also swept out the garage and set some stuff by the trash bins.  Plus, it was already climbing in the 90s here.

I'm gonna have to pace myself with outside projects in the summer...

Gina

Homebody me

 One thing I re-learned about myself recently:

I am a homebody at heart.

I traveled lightly!

 Much as I loved putting my feet in the sand and feeling the warm summer sun and cool breezes off the Gulf, home is my Happy Place.  Two days away from home is always the outside limit for me, and I have always been this way.  As a child, we spent summers visiting family while my mother worked and even if we were having a blast I had some serious homesickness.  I remember feeling that way when we had Highlands, too.  On Sunday afternoons I was READY to get back home to my own home and bed, even though Mark was grumpy about it.  When I spent two nights at the hospital for the ice storm in January, I was so ready to get home that I was willing to face my fears driving through icy Austin to get there, crying as soon as I hit the front door.

Its just how I am wired.

I had a good time at the coast and I can cross it off my summer bucket list, but in future I will look for day trips, closer to home.  I still want to be independent, still feel capable, still want to have fun.

But I am definitely a homebody!  

Gina

5 thing Friday - Texas Exits, yogurt, cell phone tool, the den, art

Last time I was in Bertram I found a new-to-me winery, called Texas Exits Winery. 

The co-owner and her mother were pouring and both very friendly ladies. The other visitors were very friendly, too, as in small towns people often are. I enjoyed a tasting (first time in a loooong time) and bought their sparkling rose to enjoy this week.

Exit 1431 - do you know where that leads?*

I have a hard time eating yogurt, even though I need the probiotics.  I think its mostly a texture thing, although Greek yogurt is kind of tart as well.  But if I swirl in some chunky peanut butter, and top with granola, its like eating a dessert.  Supposedly, full fat Greek yogurt is better for you. (less sugar, higher in nutrients, healthy fats)

I was telling someone else on their blog that I use my phone as a tool more often lately.  Case in point is documenting things round the house that I want to address - like low spots in the yard that need some filler dirt. (I notice it when it rains!) I go through my photos fairly often and come across the photo and its a great reminder.  Do you use your phone like that, too?

The art that was hanging in here was huge, dated, kind of ugly.

(you'll see it in a minute)

On a whim I went over to Hob Lob while I was doing errands and as their art was 40% off, I grabbed these three framed prints.  If nothing else, they keep it from being a giant expanse of just wall. (and I promise, this shade of green-blue is the same on both walls!)

They are companion art to the one a friend gave me.  I'm not going to decorate the whole house with Hobby Lobby, pinky swear.  But anything is better than this:

Very dated and not my taste.  I think I paid $20 for the large one about 15 years or so ago.  Both of these canvases are up for grabs if any of my peeps want them for their apartment.  Maybe they will do something artsy with them.

Speaking of art, I am still slowly gathering mostly thrift store art for the mini gallery in the front room.  This is an actual oldie I am re-purposing - I might have paid $2 for it at Salvation Army years ago.  It used to live in my laundry room.

I picked it up and couldn't bear to set it back down.  Esther was born in 1896 in Missouri, and outlived her parents and 3 siblings.  She died at 92 years old; 16 years after her husband Ralph.  And I own something she stitched as a child.  As my mother would say, "I wouldn't take a nickel for it!".

Gina

*Marble Falls, Texas!

5 thing Friday - beer shack, rainy days, easy meals, gallery wall, walking

Way back when, Mark and I used to drive up the road 2 minutes to have a beer at the Whole Foods beer shack and bop around the grocery store. We brought our growler and used to fill it up, then sit on their patio.

The other day I did an Amazon return there (didn't know they had an Amazon desk!) and stopped by the middle of the store to see if the shack was still there.  Lo and behold.  I think I might have found a great place to sip a beer and journal in the middle of the day.

The rain here makes for moody afternoons.

Its nice to have the covered patio while a storm moves in, but I have really been struggling with cloudy day blues.  I am ready for summer and sun and not having 86% humidity every day!  While I was sitting here, small birdies were hopping in and out, looking for shelter.  That's enough rain for now, thanks.

Grocery shopping has been minimal and cooking has been, too.  One night I enjoyed some blackened tilapia, mushroom rice, and corn on the cob.  I had my labs drawn earlier in the week and things look good, so eating at home definitely has health advantages for me.  Still, I am picking very easy things to cook.

The corner gallery is moving along. I shopped my house and found a couple of things to add.

I traced around each one on some kraft paper so I could play with the placement.  Its going to be a process - finding the art I want to add and figuring how to arrange it.

The bunny art got a bit of gold paint, I added a lace heart to the small carved frame, and the MCM frame still needs art. All of these items were thrifted, though there is some art at Hob Lob I am eyeballing.  I will consider this a long-ish term project.  And I need to finish up other projects I've started.

I hate to make excuses, but I just cannot get behind walking or exercising in rainy weather on my days off.  So yesterday was the first time in a long time I was able to get back over to the park track and walk.  However, I have today and tomorrow off and will add it into my morning routine, plus I go in late on Monday so I can walk 5 days in a row next week.

Bring on June!

Gina

5 thing Friday - Kites, parking for Brigid, thrift shopping, books, Sugar

One day as I was sitting on the deck near sunset, I saw these three birds, obviously hunting, and swirling around above my house.  I have really been loving bird-watching back here.  I use an app that helps me identify birds by their calls.  But these birds were mostly silent.

Turns out they are Kites.

They mainly visit this area April through September.

At one point there were three of them sitting on the power lines above my backyard.  Pretty birds!  Come eat all the insects you want!  I fished my binoculars out of the hall closet so I could use them more often on the deck.  Mostly I see Bluejays, White-winged Doves, Woodpeckers, Carolina Wrens, and Cardinals.

We've had a couple of storms here that threatened hail.  So I put on my Big Girl panties, opened the garage door, folded in Brigid's rear view mirrors, and pulled her into the garage for the night.  Twice. Can I overstate how much I LOVE being able to do this?

 

Just for reference: it looked like this for years.  I will never tire of the before and after of this space.  I am most proud of myself when I see where it stands now.  I love coming out here.

I did some thrift shopping this week.  The lamp was $4, glass baking dish $3,  dress $4, framed art was $14 total (before discounts), and the books around $2 each.

I like these authors and consider them palate cleansers for the heavy hitters we have been reading in the book clubs lately.  I am very happy to have rediscovered reading for pleasure!

A little over 10 years ago we lost Sugar - she was 13 years old.  Someone recently asked me if I had a pet photo to add to the wall they are creating at work, so I sent in this one.  She was so lovely.  A quirky old lady cat, who got easily confused, and loved to scream for more wet food just after she puked what she ate.  But a sweet girl who also loved warm laps.  I won't discount owning another cat someday - but for sure I am not ready now.

Gina

5 thing Friday - weatherstripping, cobbler, El Rancho, KFire Winery, mornings

 I finally got around to changing out the weatherstripping on the attic door in the hall ceiling.  Took me an hour or so.

One package of this stuff was just enough - about $3.

I also used these small detail sanders to help smoothe out the wood so the adhesive sticks better.

It was painstaking work - someone before had not only used adhesive weatherstripping, but bolstered it with a power stapler.  I scraped and sanded and made a huge mess on the carpet.

But I think I did a good job.

There are a couple of spots that I may add staples to - we'll see.

I made a peach cobbler from an old recipe card of Mom's - I will post it on Monday.  It was so good and really hit the spot!  I enjoyed it with butter pecan ice cream and man, was it good.

On my "empty day" I took myself to Burnet and Bertram - just a short drive from Austin.

I ate at a restaurant that Mark and I visited often, and had an amazing $10 breakfast of barbacoa, beans, eggs, potatoes, and corn tortillas.  It held me throughout the day.

Then in the afternoon I visited a winery in nearby Bertram and joined their wine club!  It has been years since I have visited this particular one.  The wine is good, priced reasonably,  and the owners are very friendly.

It being in the middle of nowhere is a PLUS.  Its time to reclaim things I once enjoyed doing.

I have been heading out to my deck each morning to catch the sunrise.  I get there just after it breaks, and I light a candle and enjoy my coffee, sans creamer.  Its been a very pleasant 5 days off and now I am recharged for the weekend!

Gina