It is cold and wet and gray, so.....

I thought I'd remind us of warmer days with photos from a summer trip to Mercer Arboretum.

Around OakMeadows

Around OakMeadows

We went to see Mockingjay Pt. 2 and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I've read several reviews about it that were rather negative but I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars.  And I love Jennifer Lawrence.  And she chose the right guy in the end. 

Thanksgiving was good. JMM and I make Turkey and Cornbread-Sausage dressing. We've made it so many times that it's easy and delicious. Daughter and SIL came and brought really delicious mashed potatoes. She used an herb infused butter and heated the cooked potatoes so that they were very dry before adding the milk and butter. Anyway, delicious! It was a very pleasant afternoon.  

Christmas: I have decorations stored in 5 plastic tubs.  None of my decorations involve climbing on anything to put them up.  I don't do a tree, much to my cats dismay.  So Christmas decorating is a simple, easy, pleasant task. I can admire other people's finely decorated homes but have no desire to do more.  As for Christmas shopping, I'd just as soon give everyone a hug and a gift card but JMM felt so deprived as a child that he loves opening Christmas presents.  So I shop online. 

Books: I finished Lights Out by Ted Koppel and wrote a review of it. Good book.  We are still reading Deep South by Paul Theroux. We are about 3/4 of the way through it. I have no idea what we are going to read together next.  I'm currently reading Wildwood: A Journey through Trees by Roger Deakin -- not sure if I'm going to finish it or not. 

Yesterday I did all the preregistration for my hernia repair surgery on December 14.  I'm not looking forward to it but it needs to be done. The surgeon is planning to do it by laparoscope so there will not be a large abdominal incision. And there is a robot involved but I'm not sure how.  Modern medicine.  

Politics is interesting as always.  The GOP candidates are just appalling. And we seem determined to stay at war in the Middle East with one country or another.  There was another shooting in Colorado; sad to say but it is just another shooting and nothing will be done. 

The weather has turned cold (for us) and wet.  Good for staying inside cooking, cooking, and reading. We have one hummingbird still coming to the feeder.  I wish he would move on south where it is warmer and there are more flowers.  

We are driving to Fort Worth on Friday to the Kimball Museum to see an exhibit of the work of Gustave Caillebotte.  I've always loved the one painting of his that is at the Museum of Fine Art here in Houston so I am looking forward to seeing more of his work.  Then we will be driving back on Saturday. 

Well, that's all the news from OakMeadows where the cats sleep on the electric blanket 24/7 and the people are all bundled up. 

Goals for the week November 30 - December 5, 2015

Goals for the Week

Spiritual

     ABF/Church

     Daily Bible Reading

     Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Physical

     Pre-Register for Hernia repair surgery

     Healthy Breakfasts

     Exercise DVD X 5

     

Home

     Mail the few Christmas cards that I send. 

     Put up one box of decorations each day 

     Get thistle feeders up for goldfinches

     

Cooking

     Fish, Carrots/Thyme, Corn

     Chicken-Rice Bake

     Steak, GMP, GB

Reading

     Deep South by Paul Theroux

     Wildwood: A Journey through Trees by Roger Deakin

     The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom (Audio book)

Personal

     Trip to Kimball Museum in Fort Worth to see Gustave Caillebotte exhibit. 

 

     

December Menu

December Menu

1. Chicken-Rice Bake

2. Steak, GMP, GB

3. Leftovers

4. Out

5. Bacon sandwiches 

6. Pancakes, Sausage 

7. Baked fish, Carrots, Corn

8. Chicken tenders, GMP, Asparagus

9. Pork

10. Leftovers

11. Out

12. Stuffed Wieners

13. Slow Cooker Chicken

14. Hernia Repair Surgery

15. Shrimp Jambalaya 

16. Pizza

17. Leftovers

18. Out

19. Corned Beef Hash

20. Schlotzsky's 

21. Tuna salad

22. Mac and Cheese

23. Spaghetti and Meatballs

24. Leftovers

25. Christmas Ham

26. Scrambled Eggs, Leftover Ham, Toast

27. Out

28. Seafood pasta

29. KFC

30. HBs

31. Leftovers

November Meditation

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing 
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.” 
― Rumi

November Poetry

Blackberry Picking

In early fall the blackberry vines

were full of blackberries to take. 

I picked enough to fatten

all the pies we planned to bake. 

Yet not a drop of filling

did those juicy berries make:

I carried home two empty pails

and one full tummy ache. 

John Frank

Around OakMeadows -- Butterflies

We are still seeing butterflies.  It is late and several are looking rather worn but still feeding on the milkweed and lantana blooms. 

Monarch

Pipevine Swallowtail (rather worn at the edges)

Queen

Gulf Fritillary