Happy Valentine's Day!

I saw this posted on Instagram a few years ago. 

I must admit, I have done this same exact thing. This is year seven for me with the same card. Every year, he puts the card and envelope in his sock drawer. The next year, I just look in there, read it to be sure. Put it on the kitchen table in front of his chair. This year I set it atop a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter hearts. He opens and reads it and comes and gives me a hug and kiss. Then, he said, "I didn't get you a card, but I love you, Valentine. I'm going to get you some breakfast. What do you want from Hardees?" He had a big grin on his face just like a little kid.

Hope you have a happy Valentine's Day!

Just 3 Things | #17

Happy Friday 13th! I love a good Friday 13th. After all, I was born on one. 

As one season melts into the next, we are assured that the world truly comes full circle. There are certain things one can count on to come round every so often just as scheduled. This week the warmer temperatures have returned, the Olympics are in full thrall, and I was reminded of my younger days as well. Sometimes that full circle is a good thing and sometimes not as welcomed. However, we should always hold out hope because what goes around will come around and we should just be ready and welcome it - come what may. 

- What I've Been Loving -

The warmer weather has brought out lots of smiles for us. Mike spent most of the day outside a couple of days this week. When he came inside, he was in a much better frame of mind than in days past as well. I got out and strolled in the sunshine a bit and it brought smiles to my face as well.  

I've never been a big lover of hot weather but as I've aged, I learn that I like warm weather a lot more. The cold just seems to get into my bones and I don't enjoy it as much as I once did. When we had snow and ice on the ground, I learned that our eldest grandson could spend most of the day out in it. He would take his BB gun and go out and just wander round and look for targets and investigate. I remember being a kid like that. We lived on a farm and I would just get out and go walking across the field and through the woods poking at rocks and vines and hanging limbs was sort of like a type of therapy for me. 

When I was outside yesterday, I noticed this little fellow. I'm sure there is an old wives tale about the coloring of this caterpillar. Also, I wonder, what is he doing scooting around in February?

One day this week I took my computer outside and did a little organizing and sorting of expenditures and income information as I prepped for tax filing. It made the task seem not quite so bad to me. So, I can say that I've been loving these warmer sunny days.

- What I've Been Watching -

I've watched a bit of the Winter Olympics. I'm not as big a fan of the Olympics these days as I was in the past. I really liked it most when the athletes were true amateurs. These folks are really professionals these days. They treat the sport like a job and practice it for hours every single day. They have company sponsors for which they advertise. I seem to recall the days when these were young people who spent their time before or after school working to improve their skills. I understand that the way all sports have evolved is more toward professional dedication and that is alright. I just enjoyed it a bit more when there was a fresh-faced innocence and the participants were not nearly so polished and professional.  

Many of the athletes are participating for their third or even more Olympic experience. So, that means they have been working at this sport or event for at least fifteen years. I heard one of the commentators mention something along the line that a participant was still in his teens so he had many years left and would look much different in his next Olympics. I've known folks who have had three different jobs during that timeframe. So, their dedication is admirable. Plus, how can one not be in awe of a person who straps on a pair of skis and a tight-fitting suit and slides down a mountain at more than sixty miles per hour?

via

I must say that it is enjoyable to see and hear from former Olympians who are now commentators sharing these athletes' stories and pointing out their skills and finesse. It sort of feels like these folks are old friends who have come back to visit and keep us informed about different sports that we might not be so familiar with. Scott Hamilton, who lives not far from us, is especially wonderful to hear from because he just tells these folks' stories with such humor and candor. He was talking about the world's most admired figure skater right now and chuckling about the young man's irreverent attitude and willingness to take risks and do things that are different. It is exactly the kind of thing folks like me enjoy hearing and learning about. 

via The Guardian

Plus, Snoop Dogg is there and is slipping and sliding and sharing his perspective. I loved that they showed him attempting curling and sliding down a hill on his fanny. His reactions have been about like mine would be only he is a lot more athletic than I am by far!

- What I've Been Working On -

When my son, Bryan, was a little fellow - barely starting school, we went for a parent night that must have been around Mother's Day because each child had drawn a picture of his mother and answered some questions about her. One of the questions was something along the lines of: "When does your mother get angry?" My precious child answered, "When she spills melted butter." You see, earlier in the week I had melted a stick of butter in the microwave which was at upper cabinet height and bobbled and spilled the melted butter all over myself and counter and cabinets and floor and whatever else was nearby. Of course, it was hot and burning me and I was shouting some quite colorful expletives. So, my precious child recalled that and shared it with his kindergarten or first grade teacher. 

Well, this week has been sort of a repeat of that experience - minus the precious child witness. On Tuesday evening, I was cleaning up after dinner - Taco Tuesday. From the island, I picked up an almost-full, large tub of sour cream and turned around to put it on the top shelf of the fridge. Just before I got to the shelf, my grip on the tub gave up or I bumped into something or for some reason unknown, I let go of the tub. Then, started flailing round to try to catch it, which only served to make it bounce off a lower shelf, hit the interior side of the fridge, then, hit the door and continue on to hit the top of the freezer drawer, then, the freezer handle and on down to the floor where it hit hard. The top had come off at the first bump and sour cream had plopped out in heaps all over the fridge, the island, and the floor. I can assure you that my dismay was expressed colorfully and it is really a good thing there was no precious child witness.

Then, late last night, after the Mister had gone to bed, I stirred myself up a cup of hot chocolate, placed it in the microwave to heat, and opened the door to get my cup of goodness. I picked it up and got the cup about half out of the microwave and lost my grip on the handle. Hot chocolate sloshed all over the microwave, on the cabinetry between the microwave and the oven, down the drawer below the oven, and splashed all over the floor. There was even a drip or two between the glass pieces of the oven door that will require that the door be taken apart in order to get it cleaned away. I had come full circle. Again, my frustration was expressed colorfully, if rather quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping hubby. Again, it is a really good thing there was no precious child witness.

So, this week, I feel like I have been working on cleaning up messes of my own making!

I hope you have had a good week and have made fewer messes than this old gal. Have a good weekend!

Flowering Cactus

A couple of years ago my bonus daughter-in-law, Bonnie, gave me a plant and said it is a Christmas cactus. She and I had admired the one my mother-in-law had that was rather large and bloomed annually to put on quite a show. 

The one I have bloomed back in October with several beautiful large blooms. I thought it was a bit confused and I did a quick online search to learn that there is a Thanksgiving Cactus and a Christmas Cactus. So, I decided I must have a Thanksgiving Cactus. Here is how it looked on October 19, 2025.

It had bloomed in November of the previous year. Here is how it looked on November 27, 2024.

When I was searching through photos, I also found where it had bloomed on February 18, 2024.

The whole reason I began looking through old photos is because the thing is blooming once again! That means it has bloomed twice within the past five months. I decided that it is time to do some more research. I discovered that there are three different types of holiday cactus - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

via Briggs Garden

According to the source above, there is a difference in leaf or stem shape as well as the shape of the flowers produced. To look at the stem shape and the flower shape, I would think I have a Thanksgiving cactus. So, why is it blooming in February?

I checked several online sources trying to find the answer. Several sources mentioned that folks had moved their plant to a place where they could enjoy the blooms more. However, I have not moved mine. It sits in the same old spot all the time. So, I knew that was not the case.

Several sources mentioned that it is a short-day plant and that if plants are exposed to cooler night temperatures of 55° F, they will bloom. So, I'm guessing that we had cooler days and longer nights back in October and that caused the natural progression of blooming. Then, we just had a couple of weeks of really cold weather. The plant sets right beside the bay window. When the temperature outside is really cold, I've noticed that the floor is cooler there at the bay window. So, it probably is not insulated as well as the rest of the house. The cooler temperature there at floor level is probably triggering the plant to bloom again as well. At least that is all I can figure. Here is how it looks today.

February 10, 2026

It has one large, flamboyant bloom. If one looks closely at the ends of several other stems, little pink buds can be seen. So, I'm thinking those might bloom out as well.

At any rate, it was a pleasant surprise to see the bloom pop out. If more blooms appear, I will enjoy them as well. I've always treated this as a low maintenance plant by watering it once per week and leaving it alone. So, just having it live and grace me with blooms from time to time is a big treat!

Today I noticed...Sunshine and warmer temperatures

Sunshine and warmer temperatures seem to make everything better after the cold, bitter, sloppy, freezing days we had last month!

The hubs had a smile on his face every time I talked to him today, too. So, the temperature is not all that warmed up. Somebody's happy meter seemed to warm up as well. 

Just 3 Things | #16

Maybe we are stepping into a bit of normalcy here at last. The beginning of 2026 has really been one that is different from years' past. I'm not complaining - just observing. This week's three things are about food, storytelling, and organizing.

- What I've Been Loving -

While we were sick, we took advantage of convenience and did lots of food delivery for our meals. I was ever grateful to have something tasty and hot and the fact that cleanup was just basically sacking up the containers we had jut emptied and tossing into the trash can. When we honed in on the weather predictions as we began to feel better, we knew that food delivery would probably not be a good idea. So, our grocery order included more ingredients to prepare or cook from scratch and some fast heat and eat options. We both have been loving the home-cooked and almost-home-cooked meals for the past couple of weeks. 

Even though we stuck to Taco Tuesday both weeks during the frozen event, we also tried out some other options as well. We tried some frozen beef and bean burritos and some queso dip. That meant we had some left-over taco meat. The first week I just froze it because I knew that we had a fridge full of options and probably wouldn't eat leftovers. I browsed the interweb for different ideas and ways to incorporate taco-flavored ground beef into casseroles and soups. We tried one of the casseroles this week and I really liked it. Basically, it is just an addition of elbow macaroni and cream cheese to traditional taco ingredients. It was pretty tasty, though! Since the temperatures are supposed to drop this weekend, I might thaw the other leftover meat and try out a soup recipe I found. Stay tuned.

- What I've Been Reading -

I read three Mary Kay Andrews books in a row during the snow event we just melted out from under. Savannah Blues introduced me to a couple of southern gals and their acquaintances. My cousin, Faye, and I were both reading it at the same time and chuckling at how we could envision certain scenes described by the author. I downloaded Savannah Breeze immediately upon finishing it and found the second book to be really just a continuation of Weezie's and Bebe's story. One book's primary focus is on one of the characters and the other focuses on her friend's experiences. They are intertwined and it makes one wish for a close female friend with such loyalty and understanding. I hesitated on the next one because it was marketed as a Christmas tale but it wasn't so season focused that it wasn't a good read. Reading Blue Christmas did make me pause and think about our own family gatherings and how they probably seem to outsiders or how they might be viewed differently through the different eyes of each family member. I will probably go back and read Christmas Bliss but I just couldn't read two Christmas titles in a row right now.

I decided to take a break from fiction and picked up a friend's recommendation for reading a Jimmy Buffet Memoir, A Pirate Looks at Fifty. One of the most important things this book is doing as I'm reading it is that it is making me wish that I had written a brief memoir at the end of each decade of my adulthood. I'd love to have captured my thoughts through the years like that and look back to see the ideas and actions that brought me to the place I am today. 

I also learned that in addition to his music, I appreciate him for his dedication to reading and literature. Many chapters open with song lyrics shared as poetry. I found myself searching for the song and listening to it almost every time. We don't always think of songs as poetry or as telling stories, but that truly does encapsulate what Buffet did with his music - he is an interesting and inspiring storyteller and I will probably read some of his other work. Who knew I would become a Parrot Head?

- What We've Been Working On -

We spent a little time in the downstairs kitchen this week. The Mister uses that space a lot more than I do. So, I spent a little time watching him as he was puttering round and it helped me to see how he uses his equipment and the space so I can better organize it. He mentioned that he needed somewhere to store his meat slicer and wanted to better organize the tubs he uses for storing sausage batches while he is seasoning and sacking it. Then, he took a little break to go putter outside and I got busy.

I dragged a 2' x4' bookcase out of the storage room and scrubbed it down. The bookcase had one shelf attached with screws and had a couple of loose shelves setting on the bottom. After giving it a good clean, I put the bookcase on the east wall near a cupboard where the Mister's meat packaging materials are stored. There was just enough space between it and the cupboard to provide access to a plug. So, I slid a cute little crock in the space and it looked like I'd planned it that way. I slid the slicer onto the shelf that was attached in the bookcase. It was a perfect fit - like the bookcase was tailor-made for that purpose!

There were clips affixed below that shelf. So, I slid one of the loose shelves onto the clips and began  looking round for items that might fit the space. There were some shallow plastic tubs with lids that fit perfectly there with a little space beside them for something small like the plastic gloves worn while handling the meat. The Mister had two clear tubs holding parts and utensils used with his sausage sacker stored within them. I eyeballed them and crossed my fingers. They slid into the space side-by-side and fit like a glove! I could not have been more tickled.

I moved the dresser back over to the east wall of the kitchen below where all the old-time family photos hang. All the drawers in that dresser are useful for stashing things out of sight that don't need to be handy or used quickly. This is where silverware lives and a few sundries like that. (It still has some empty space but I'm not telling anybody.) I'd like to just leave the top empty to be used for counter space or maybe add a basket or two for catching odd things but I don't want it to become a cluttered surface. That 'counter' space is too handy and I don't want it to get cluttered and junky looking since it is the first thing encountered upon entering the kitchen.

The thrift store console table slid across the room to the space vacated by the dresser. It is a good height for storing some of the Mister's equipment that is a bit on the heavy side but not used daily and stuff that is somewhat awkward in size. So, the tall sausage stacker found it's place there. There is a shelf below that is a perfect spot for a big clear tub that holds smaller equipment, pieces, and part sand works well for the sausage grinder. Plus, there is room to stack some tubs that are used for storing sausage batches. 

While I was finishing shuffling and organizing, the Mister weighed and packaged up some bacon. He had something slow-cooking on the stove. I slipped down the hallway to do some bookkeeping. About an hour later, I heard him wrapping up his work. So, when I reached a stopping place for the day, I cruised through 'his' kitchen to see if I noticed any changes or adjustments he made. He had washed up everything he had been using and left some things drying in the sink and added a couple of tubs to the storage space.

On the other side of the room, he had cleared off the table and tidied up that space as well. The scale was set back atop the bookcase and he even mentioned that he liked having a 'home' for it when it wasn't in use. Of course, he also left a subtle hint that he obviously needs a coat rack somewhere down there!

I know this space is a work-in-progress but just the short time spent there in one day really made a difference in how it looks and how it seems to function. It is not designed and organized like I truly would like for it to be but since I'm not the primary user, there are other needs taken into consideration. I know that we both will get busy and things will not stay tidy and as organized as they were when we walked away after that work session but I have a better feeling about how it is growing more functional and serving the needs of us.

Things on the to-do list for this space:

• hang a knife magnet
• clean and organize the cabinets
• find new homes for various glassware
• find new homes for books that are just outside the camera's lens
• hang a bit of artwork to camouflage the thermostats
• add a coat rack

Some of these little projects like the organizing and re-vamping the kitchen space is starting to inspire me or just kindle the desire, at least, to tackle some more of my To-Do List projects and cleanouts. First, though, I've got to dig into filing our taxes. Fun times up in here next week! Happy weekend.

Happy Birthday, Easton!

 

Hope you have a great year!

A New Term and a Love of Reading

I love reading and, as a teacher, I've always wanted others to share in that passion. I think reading is just a habit that almost everybody in my life had. I can recall my Granny sharing paperback books or suggesting titles to my mother. She also encouraged me to read the books that Mama and her sisters read as young girls. Why, some of my most treasured items that were inherited from Granny are the Anne of Green Gables series of books. 

I remember Mama reading every chance she got - which was not that frequent, I'm sure, since we were farmers and she was busy raising us and sewing for the public as well. However, I know that she always had a book going and would talk about different authors and books. Daddy was also a reader. His literature of choice was mostly magazines and newspapers. He always wanted to be informed of what was going on in the world and he subscribed to many farming journals and magazines to keep up-to-date on modern farming practices. My Daddy always told me that education is something we carry with us and nobody can ever take it away from us. So, reading became a vital part of my education.

I learned a new term this past week from Marian Parsons, Miss Mustard Seed. She said, "bibliotheque iterierure means your 'inner library' in French. It's the 'invisible shelf  you carry inside, filled with every story that's ever shaped you.'" She loves, "that concept and the idea that we can continue to expand our inner library throughout our lives. Through reading, we can learn new skills, visit other parts of the world, put ourselves in someone else's shoes, travel through time, become a student of masters, and challenge our perspective."

 I love the combination of these two concepts - acquiring an education that I will always have and having an inner library.that I can always expand.

The thought that I have an invisible shelf where all the materials I've read are resting and ready for me to draw from whenever I need them is a good one. In fact, I used it just last week when my cousin asked me about Wuthering Heights. I could recall that it was written in the 1800s and that it was a love story between Heathcliff and Caroline or Catherine or some woman with a similar name to that. I could recall that it was shocking back at the time when it was published but that, when I read it in high school, I thought it was rather dry. I was able to make a recommendation for two or three authors whose work I enjoyed more. She wound up taking my advice about one of those authors and checked out an audiobook by the author that she is really enjoying. In fact, she called me back and told me she had selected a book and I was about half-way through it. We shared passages that we enjoyed and why we liked them. It was a great shared experience. When we touched base this week, I told her that I had finished that book and the sequel to it. She jokingly signed off of our phone conversation by telling me that she needed to go read!

Linley finishing up a book

I also went to the invisible shelf to recall the couple of Dogman books I'd perused and the few I Survived books I'd read. I could understand why my granddaughter enjoyed those selections. The graphic novels are humorous, engaging, adventurous, silly, and fun to read. They also have positive messages and promote kindness and persistence. The pictures help to tell the stories and make readers smile. The survival stories bring historical information to readers in  narrative format that is exciting and at the same time safe. They are told in the voice of a young person who is experiencing disaster or terrifying events. It is easy to understand why my granddaughter who lives life with her hair blowing in the wind and running as fast as she can and competing with the boys in her class enjoys such selections.

I frequently go to the invisible shelf and pull out a literary quote in conversations. It will make the Mister roll his eyes from time to time. Yet, it is truly a way to relate things to one another. Sometimes it is a way to relate the old with the new and sometimes it is a way to compare or contrast. It may seem to be a nerdy thing but we all do it and don't even realize it. 

Some of our most loved quotes come from literature. "Love is blind, break the ice, wild goose chase, and all that glitters is not gold," are all Shakespearean quotes. "Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between," comes from I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. "It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then," is from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. "It always comes to just two choices. Get busy living, or get busy dying," is a well-loved Steven King line from Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. And I'm sure I could go on and on listing more, but you get the idea.

I think I fell in love with reading because it opened new worlds and took me to places where I had never been. I know that I enjoyed several beach reads and then when my cousin, aunt, and I went to the east coast and visited the Lowcountry region, I really enjoyed visiting Sullivan's Island and getting the chance to see things I had read about. I felt the same way when we went to New York City and visited famous landmarks. I can remember standing in one of the buildings on Ellis Island and wondering what ancestors of mine had stood in that spot and how they might have felt entering a new country and starting a new life.

I guess that sort of encompassed that traveling through time concept of the invisible shelf. Like my granddaughters, Linley and Luci, I sometimes enjoy historical fiction where book characters tell the story of events and encounters with people from the past. Of course, as I have grown older, I also enjoy reading biographies, memoirs and diaries written by people who lived through those historical periods and getting a first-hand perspective. Some of my favorite reads have been books written by people who were employed by the government and worked in the White House. Upstairs at the White House by J.B. West is a good read where the author tells about his life as chief usher at the White House. It was eye-opening to read Five Presidents by Clint Hill, a Secret Service agent and that really made me dig into other selections written by the same author and some biographies about former presidents. It sort of made me feel as if I was getting a behind the scenes look at my country's history.

I also like the idea that I have invisible shelves in my library which contain how-tos where I learned to do things via reading. There are times when I know I've read the how-to but can't quite recall how to do it, though. I guess I sort of wish I had a digital spreadsheet that is easily searchable to help me recall that information!

Luci engrossed in a book.

I learned to read before I even started school and I have loved it ever since. I was that kid who read the road signs when we were going somewhere and read the cereal boxes and everything in between. I have always loved reading and can think of nothing that I would prefer to do than read a good book. So, if I have invisible shelves, I know they are crammed pretty full of titles and information and there is no way I can recall all that I've read. I only wish everybody had the same opportunities to read and love reading like I've had.