Wednesday, August 19, 2020

The Sky is Putting on a Show

Because we've had so many afternoon and evening storms, this past week has been all about the brilliant skies. We'd finished dinner last night when I noticed the reflection of the sunset in the clouds above Lake Willisara which told me that something exciting was happening over Lake Pineloch.
It was a dramatic ending to an enjoyable day celebrating being a couple. Heck, we are nearing the half century mark as a married couple, however, the truth is we've been together years past that official milestone, just not as husband and wife. Naturally we played pickleball in the morning, this time with some of the ladies, rather than just us which, while fun with only the two of us, with more on the court it ensures that we can play all that much longer! Not to mention the camaraderie. After lunch and a much needed shower we went to our polling place to vote. There were way more poll workers than voters, that's for sure, and all I could think about was what is all the fuss about? There are far more folks at the grocery store than at our local polling station.  From what I read in this morning's newspaper, it was a similar situation across the county. Anyway, I went into Publix for some dinner goodies, followed by our very first stop at the newly opened Twistee Treat. On a hot afternoon there was a race to finish the cones before they melted! We raced home as the storm clouds moved in, while Bruce read, I worked on a jigsaw puzzle and before you know it, it was time to make our dinner. We opened the wonderful bottle of wine David gave Bruce for his birthday. Nancy sent us a card; she's so good like that, always remembering. 

We may not look like we did once before,

but we still feel the same, undoubtedly even more so. As you can see, our photos are not the greatest, having discolored over time. Then too, I don't have a lot to choose from as there are only about 15 professional photographs of the event. All the snapshots are super washed out. I do remember laboring over those 12 8X10 enlargements because we paid for them ourselves and back then, photographs were not a dime a dozen. I'd gotten the album out the night before, reminiscing over them as well as both the guest, and gift lists. Some folks gave us $5.00, some $10, and we even received two gifts of $50 which was amazing, one from Bruce's Grandma and Grandpa Loveland, and one from a radiologist I worked with. His gift of a fifty dollar bill was inside a 25th wedding anniversary card. We were crazy in love back then and still are. By the way, I've always been a wee bit out of the ordinary as my wedding gown was a pale pink. :)

So, I've been shopping forever in the plaza where Clemons is located, having grown up on the street that runs behind it. As such, I feel a bit of a kinship with the building that formerly housed the Winn Dixie where we shopped most every day. With eight people in our family, we always needed something. Anyway, it was with quite a bit of a shock that I learned from the cashier that Mr. Clemons has actually sold his business! That is why they now are carrying even more dry goods than before. Actually the reason that is happening is because the new owner, having moved down from New York looking for a business to buy, has a grocery background. Wisely, he plans on keeping the name.


So yes, there are new dry goods, but they are not changing a thing about having such a great selection of produce.

It was not produce I needed but flour, sugar, chocolate, butter and eggs to make brownies on Sunday afternoon. Bruce, once he came home from helping Bill, was going to see his brother who is allowed one visitor a day. From the pictures I'd seen he looks painfully thin, so after checking with his daughter, I got the go-ahead to bake. Here's a little tip that you may or may not be aware of when trying to cut brownies. Have you ever done so and they got all scraggly? Use a plastic knife my friends, it works like a charm. Here I'm using my lettuce knife, however, I'm well aware that most folks don't have those in their gadget drawer as I do.

You might note that there is not even a smidgen of brownie residue on the knife. And while I'm thinking of it, here's another kitchen tip that works for me. Have you ever had your pasta water boil over on the stove leaving a sticky, starchy mess behind? I sure have, more times that I can count. Recently I've been laying a wooden spoon across the top of the pan and for some reason this seems to keep the mess at bay. Try it yourself and report back, okay?

Jessica was very enthusiastic when I mentioned peanut butter, so I made those cookies as well.

And while I could have done an online search for recipes, why not use what I have in the form of my Betty Crocker cookbook that I received as a wedding present? It looks as if it is 47 years old!

Our friend Carolyn lovingly calls me Betty Crocker, so I just had to take some down to her place with a note saying Betty Crocker made a visit.  Or so I hope her intentions are loving!

Along with the goodies I had Bruce take a quilt because when a person is thin, a person gets far colder than the rest of us.

We have not heard how long he will be in the rehab facility because although he has finally tested negative for Covid, he still has pneumonia and is very, very weak. As my old buddy Dr. March used to say, "tincture of time" is the best medicine.

You would think with living in Florida, one of the lightning capitals of the world, that I would have been successful photographing it at some point in my camera crazy years. Not so. Nada. Never even once before, but because the storms have been extraordinary of late, ta da....

Not great, but the best of the batch! Remember what I mentioned how the clouds reflect the sunset? The photo above demonstrates that phenom perfectly as it was taken facing East around 8PM. Which reminds me, have you noticed the days shortening? For sure, as this photograph, taken the next morning was around 6:45AM, about forty five minutes later than the sunrise around the time of the Summer Solstice.

While the light rays were super impressive, even more so was the Crescent Moon overhead with Venus nearby.  Should you need confirmation, click on the provided link.

Don't see Venus straight away? It's the tiny white speck on the right. Honestly, I was stoked.

Today I invited Pam over to see what all the pickleball fuss was about as she just could not understand my enthusiasm. She got it after one session, and she and Glen are coming over in the morning so he can get hooked as well. Here's one happy pickleball player who probably didn't even know I was taking his picture, but I imagine he's smiling so broadly because he had a good shot.

People are always wondering why it is taking so long for Bill to finish his house, which I get, but if they were paying for each project with cash, while doing most of the work themselves, they would understand. Of course Bruce has helped a bunch, but as an example, here is the nearly final project after Sunday's work session.

The wall on the right was added as was the molding, done one piece at a time. He covered the ceiling in wood, again, one piece at a time. As to the floor, he sands each piece multiple times before staining, followed by the installation with his Dad's help, followed by three coats of sealer. Everything has been designed by Bill, and none of his designs are run of the mill, resulting in long construction times when he is not working for the bank. Nearly every bit of the four bedroom, three bath house has been transformed from drab to fab with a ton of work. That said, he is the first to tell you that he has had just about enough construction to last him a good long while. I, for one, will believe it when I see it!

Speaking of one piece at a time, I've found someone to do my quilting as soon as the batting arrives. In anticipation, I've made the binding, wrapping 400+ inches of fabric around a paper towel roll until it is required.

Woo hoo....nearing the finish line at last!

Hopefully this blog post finds all of my readers healthy and strong during the continued Covid-19 crisis. Here in Florida there is a glimmer of hope that the cases are receding, however, with everything Covid, there is no guarantee as there is nothing to compare it to. We continue to mostly stay home and for how much longer is anyone's guess. My heart goes out to those who are still without employment or those victims of domestic abuse which is on the rise. Oh how I wish that nothing like that happens, but sadly, it does, as many people do not live out the "happily ever after" dream. I'm grateful every single day for my dreams coming true.

your friend,


Gail

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