Saturday Kiss

 I had a $50 egift card for Belk's. And, this Hershey Kiss dish showed up everywhere on my laptop.  I have wanted one of these for twenty years. Well, it was regularly $20 and marked down to $8 at Belks.  This LINK will show you the site. I really wanted the red salt and pepper shaker, but they did not have one in the store. I would love all gift cards to be for Belk's. I love the store.

This candy dish needs Hershey's Kisses. I don't. I may put a battery-operated tealight in it. If that is not enough, I could put two or three tealights. Maybe it needs a string of fairy lights stuffed inside...blinking.  

Tommy woke at about 10 am and I had thankfully slept until 9 am, over 6 hours. I asked him about 11 am if he wanted to go to Belk's. He was agreeable, so I told him to spiffy up because I wanted him to go in for me. Unbelievably, he showered, shaved, and put on his SAS shoes. my my my

We left about noon and returned about 3 pm. I was exhausted from riding and sitting. Now, it is time to cook...lol. We really did lots in three hours.

Tommy filled up the car, picked up a prescription, ran into Publix as we passed to get celery. While we were in the area where Belks is located, we had lunch.

Every time I see Whataburger, we have just eaten, so today we needed a late lunch. Have you ever eaten there? The hamburgers were so huge I could barely finish and thought I might not be hungry for a week! I got my usual--lettuce only, tomato only, and cheese only. We both got the smallest drink and NO fries. The total was $17+. Tommy was shocked. We will not ever eat there again. If we do, I will have the child's burger so I will not get so much food! 

It became so late on Friday that I was in no mood for dicing onions and the celery was not the quality I wanted for dressing. I will put the other celery in with the turkey breast just for seasoning. The new celery I will chop tonight along with the onion. 

When we left, the temperature was about 47F. I think the high was supposed to be 52F, not sure. 

For dinner tonight, we will have taco soup and a cabbage salad. Like I said, it is finally cooling off here, much to my chagrin. 

It feels like Christmas Day with new sheets on the way and this beautiful red Kiss candy dish. Do you become elated at some mundane items you like? Have you ever seen this candy dish? Have you owned one? 

Our Relationship is Complicated

 I cannot let it go nor can I fully commit. One time it is love, the next time hate. It is good for me, but not always fully appreciated. Maybe you can relate to my dilemma. Tommy sort of feels the same way. 

My mother always put diced celery in spaghetti. The pieces were about 1/4-inch cubes. I ate the spaghetti and loved it. She put the same size dices in tuna salad. I ate it. She cut the stalks into three or four pieces and put them into the pan with a roast, along with carrots, potatoes, and onions. I DID NOT eat the celery.

I cannot each a celery stick to save my life! I cannot eat it with peanut butter or even with pimiento and cheese. 

Before yesterday, I put short sticks of the stalk into soup and did not eat it. I always dipped it for Tommy. He would eat it but left a bit. Somewhere lately, I have eaten a soup with slices of celery. They were delicious. 

Until yesterday, celery in what I cooked was strictly for flavor. Then, I threw it away. All that changed for cooked celery. 

So, yesterday I thinly sliced the celery, across the stalk, of course, put it in the soup, and we both ate it. The slices were about 1/8-inch thick, definitely not even a quarter inch. I loved it and Tommy said it is okay.  It was delicious and good for us. 

So, it is settled. I can now eat celery one more way. The next time I dehydrate celery, the celery will be thinly sliced.  I just cannot stand big pieces in my mouth, cooked or raw. I must have something mixed with it if it raw. 

What foods are you ambivalent about eating? How so? Explain it to me. Inquiring minds need to know!

Raggedy

 Since Wednesday, I have been fighting off illness. I have a cough, head congestion and pain. I feel miserable, too miserable to much but sit. Of course, I cannot sit too much. 

Friday, I wanted the blueberry goat cheese that is seasonal. It was there on the shelf, but the crackers I wanted were not! I eat Wheat Thins Lightly Salted. They were on sale at Publix, so it was the perfect time to buy. But, they were out. I asked the woman stocking there. She said all of Nabisco was "raggedy," a perfect description. It is true at other grocery stores, too. 

One of us will eventually sit down with blueberry goat cheese and crackers for a snack and end up making a meal of it. It is a little splurge we both enjoy. Of course, I have cut back on little splurges to afford these. 

The bowl of sweet potatoes are still in the refrigerator. Everyday, I say "today is the day" and still have not frozen them. We are eating from the frozen turkey breast I baked last week. I am too tired to do more. I may make turkey a la king. Tommy would be against it if I tell him. 

The cranberries are in the pan to cook. The package calls for one cup of sugar, but I asked Tommy if he minded my putting only 1/2 cup of sugar. I like them very tart. These will be frozen to keep me out of them until Thanksgiving Day.

Tommy loves the colcannon I cooked. I froze two meals of it and thawed one yesterday. It was way too watery for me. He loved it. Is this how it normally turns out when it is frozen and thawed? I know I could put dried potato flakes in it to firm it up, but I don't want to. 

The most beautiful head of celery came home with me. I will have to make potato salad and tuna salad while I have crispy celery. There is frozen in the freezer, but it has no crunch when thawed. Even though it is gross to eat celery sticks, having it buried in tuna or potatoes is a special treat. 

I was in Publix about 2 pm on Friday and people were coming out with carts overloaded. Same at Big Box. at 3 pm. I cannot imagine the crowd later that night or on Saturday. 

For the first time, I bought Sister Schubert's Yeast Rolls. They are delicious, but not as tall and light as I expected. Have you ever had these frozen rolls?

Do you ever have blueberry vanilla goat cheese? 

Does frozen colcannon thaw watery?

Have you found Nabisco products are abundant? Or, out of stock? Anything scarce or not available? What product shelves are raggedy?

Sunday Doldrums and Nothing Interesting except Celery

A two hour harangue will wear me down faster than a beating. I did survive yesterday! But, I hurt today--bones, muscle, skin.

However, I was not defeated mentally. I did a bit in the kitchen, more than I am usually able to do. The friend who said he was coming back, did not. The woman who was going to work for pay cancelled. CRAP!

The weather was a mix of everything but snow. The skies were sunny and blue with few clouds, then completely high cloudy, then severely overcast. I could see the storm approaching on radar with lots of lightning strikes. When it arrived it was just mild rain, a few sprinkles and no lightning in hearing or sight. The weather is ruled by Barry, and I must say, we are little affected, thankfully.

I went to gas station near the little flood with the car in it. The car was towed from the water according to the guy who owns the station.

At the storm drains there were toys, chairs, trash cans, and all sort of debris that had been washed down in the fast and heavy rain. One near my house looked like a trash heap.

Laundry never ceases. Somehow, I was down to only three nightgown. I found four more to wash. Things fall behind the clawfoot tub! So, they are hanging all around in doorways along with many pairs of panties. I could not have unexpected company. Even when Tommy comes, I take everything down most of the time.

I have so many nightgowns because I get hot in my sleep and need a new one often. I don't normally get sweaty, just uncomfortable and itchy. Plus, having more means I wash less often. And, since I always hang gowns, they don't dry fast as if I put them in the drier. Since I have so many in rotation, I won't need gowns for ten years. Most were on sale.

Kitty spends less and less time here. Her voice, the inevitable meowing, has grown weaker and less demanding. She stays far away from me. It might be my accidentally stepping on her twice that makes her keep her distance. Tonight, I started talking to her and she was right back to her loud demanding and running too close beside me and stopping short in front of me. I fed her and she seemed happy.

One goal this summer is staying hydrated! Thankfully, I love water due to my mother's not giving us sweetened drinks as a matter of course. Now that I can drink what I want and do love Kool Ade and Cokes, I still stick with water or plain tea.

I have so far refused to pay $4.99 or $3.99 for a head of celery. But, I have reached the end and will buy celery tomorrow even if have to trade Kitty for it. Why is celery so high right now? I want tuna salad with celery. I want potato salad! I want celery for flavoring in meats. The base of the celery will grow more for me. I will not be dehydrating it as usual, but I can flash freeze it and then dump it in a bag so I can use just a bit. I will not be able to use it for the crunch.