Dragonmamma's Den

Stuff-swap follow up

2012-01-31T16:20:00.000-08:00

So, what did I bring home from the swap yesterday? How about two brand-new wine glasses, with the Pier-1 Imports sticker still on them?

We don't drink wine, but I think strawberry smoothies will look extra-special in them.
I also picked up a small bag of Starbucks coffee. The swapping/stealing went on for six rounds, but I stopped after two because everything I wanted was gone already.

Just as important is all the stuff I got rid of! I told everyone the story about the tea kettle, but one person came in 45 minutes late and nabbed it. (She'll discover its flaws the first time she uses it; that'll teach her to be late!)

I was also happy to find a home for this shirt that I embroidered for my dad about 40 years ago, that he saved for special occasions:

One of the ladies tried it on and it fit perfectly, and she liked it even more when I told her the background.

A fashionably late Happy New Year! 2012

2012-01-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

Spring cleaning is starting a bit early. I have a friend who has a "stuff swap" a couple times a year, where we all bring a pile of stuff we're tired of looking at that somebody else might love. Here's my pile of stuff:

It includes such treasures as the entire Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, a rainstick, a chinese hat, a jar of refrigerator magnets, and a lovely tea-kettle that has turned out to be my "big pink chair". What do I mean by that?

I recently discovered a website I love called Offbeat Home. On it is an article that particularly captured my attention, called The Big Pink Chair and the White Hot Rage. This is exactly what happened to me and my tea-kettle. It looks lovely, but the whistle stinks (I can barely hear it) and it pours even worse; I usually end up with water all over the counter. Fortunately, I did not dispose of my old, stainless steel tea-kettle. The whistle is loud and pleasant, it pours just fine, and with a bit of elbow grease I managed to make it look presentable again. I now have a fresh appreciation for my old tea-kettle. The swap is tomorrow. Maybe someone else can use the new one as a flower pot, or doesn't mind a kettle that dribbles and wheezes.

Here's something I'm experimenting with. I'm always deploring the waste of space in the fireplace (we never have fires) and I'm always looking for a place to put our games. So how about putting the games in the fireplace? I'm not quite sure if it looks cool and funky, or weird and messy.

Month is whizzing by

2011-10-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

I don't have as much to write about as last year, primarily because most of my decorations and activities are the same as last year. A couple of nights ago we went to see the Wicked West again. It was more extensive this year because they added a maze.

Here is my fireplace display for the year:

Moving on up

2011-10-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

First, to catch up on what is now old news: I didn't win my division in the Harvest Fair Run this year. Three speedy friends all running together took 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in 24 minutes, while I was eating their dust six minutes later. I can no longer claim to be an undefeated running champion!

Now for the exciting news: I got a job upstairs in the fitness center!

I gave my supervisor in the Membership Center almost 3-week's notice, and she's not happy to be losing me.

Right now my schedule is crazy, because I'm training for my new job while I'm still working the old job, plus I'll be subbing for the Arthritis Strength teacher while she's on vacation for a couple of weeks. My poor brain is working overtime.

A new part

2011-09-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Day 128

Have you ever changed your part from one side of your head to the other? I have, but not for the past several years. This seemed like a good time to do it because I just got a hair cut that I'm not thrilled with, and I figured it was a good time to train it to lie down on the other side since it looked awful anyway.

What do you think of my chopstick smile? Haven't you heard? This is how customer service people are trained to smile in China.

Here we go again

2011-09-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

Day #127

Remember how much I hate running? And remember how I got talked into running the Harvest Fair 5K last year on my birthday and triumphantly finished 1st in my division? And then I announced that I was a retired running champion and never, ever had to run again?

Well, I guess I'm a masochist, because I'm doing it again. Signed up today.

That gives me 2-1/2 weeks to train, plenty of time. This year it's happening the day before my birthday, not actually on my birthday.

Certified

2011-09-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Days 125 and 126

This is what I was doing last Friday night and all day Saturday. My eyes were glazing over by the time we were done.

(Does anybody else think "insane" when they hear the word "certified"?)

State of the Garden Address

2011-09-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

My garden this summer is definitely not up to par. For one thing, we're letting the ground lie fallow this year and I did all my planting in containers. A bigger factor than that, however, is the crappy weather we've had. In the 26 years we've lived in Santa Rosa, CA, we've never had this little sun.

Last year at this time I was dealing with mountains of zucchini and crookneck squash. This year, we haven't even grown enough to eat our fill, let alone sneak it onto the neighbors' porches.

So, I was thrilled when Rob did some weeding and uncovered a volunteer:

We just got our first veggie off of it yesterday, and it appears to be a weird hybrid of a zephyr squash and a zucchini:

Don't know what it was, but it tasted as good as any other summer squash.

The tomatoes took their sweet old time, but now they're the only thing we're getting in excess:

Ever heard of growing pumpkins in a container? Me neither, but I'm doing it. I found out about these containers called Smart Pots that are apparently the #1 choice of pot growers everywhere because of their high-yield results due to air-pruning. This is a 25-gallon Smart-Pot, and here are the two pumpkins growing on it:

I can't remember what variety I planted but it was a type that's not supposed to get very big, since I really wasn't sure if even small ones would grow very well.

Scallop Meal #2

2011-08-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

Day 124

For the 2nd pound of scallops from Anderson Seafoods, I wrapped the scallops in bacon and stuck them under the broiler, served with a side of sauteed zucchini and cashews.

So easy and so good.

At another meal, Rob and I ate the prepared meal of Szechwan Shrimp. The shrimp itself was fantastic, but I was not crazy about the sauce and veggies that it came with; Rob polished that off for me.

Curried Scallop Soup

2011-08-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

Day #123

I got really lucky last week and won a $150 gift certificate for Anderson Seafoods from Averie's blog. I ordered two 8-oz albacore steaks, a pre-made szechwan shrimp meal, and 4 pounds of premium scallops. I love scallops, but haven't had them for years because they're so pricey. They arrived frozen in the mail the day after I ordered them.

Today I made Curried Coconut Milk Soup with one pound of the scallops:

Very easy. Sauteed thin strips of red bell pepper, carrots and the scallops for 3 minutes, added curry powder, salt and chives, then added a can of light coconut milk and heated. Mmm, mmm good!

Something you don't see everyday

2011-08-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Day 122

ME in a DRESS? Definitely a routine-breaker.

It was dollar day at the thrift store, so I figured what the heck. If we ever get a hot summer day, this will be comfy for standing behind the welcome desk at the Y.

Downtown Cattle Drive

2011-08-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Day 121

In conjunction with our county fair, the organizers did something new this year: Driving a herd of cattle from the downtown courthouse square to the fair-grounds a couple miles away. Because of work I didn't have time to walk all the way, but it started a few blocks away from our house, so I had to go. My husband and I even made it onto the front page of the local paper the next day; we were two tiny little ant specks in the crowd, but definitely recognizable with a good magnifying glass.

New kitchen item.

2011-08-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Day 120

Today I found something at a thrift store that I've wanted for a long time; a butcher block island table:

Check out the close-up of the space for knives along the back:

I finally have a large surface for chopping my veggies. I already sterilized it with a vinegar/water solution, and now I need to buy some food-grade vegetable oil for sealing it. It has a bunch of knife marks in it, which I'm guessing is why the previous owner got rid of it, but they don't bother me at all. Now I just need to make sure that stuff doesn't get piled on it. This is my FOOD PREP area, not the pile-up area! Naturally this has set off a flurry of rearranging my kitchen stuff once again. I haven't figured out what I want to put on that one level with all the dowels. I'm guessing that's supposed to be for storing wine, but we don't drink wine.

The 30 Day Challenge

2011-07-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Days 90 through 119

Today's post is brought to you by procrastination. The details are a bit vague and fuzzy since events took place about three months ago. I can also thank Josie for giving me a prod by commenting on an old post.

My husband and I have been mucking around with low-carb diets for the past couple of years, but we never went hard-core low. Some people swear to have amazing energy levels and get super-lean on such a diet, so we decided to give it a whirl for 30 days.

No grains. No nuts. No sugar at all, including any fruit. We mainly ate lots of meat, eggs and veggies, and also coconut oil "fat bombs". This was NOT a low calorie diet. I did not measure things precisely, but I estimate that we were eating between 3,000 and 5,000 calories daily, depending on how many fat bombs we ate.

Results: We both felt great during the first week, and we each dropped a few pounds. My husband continued to feel great for the rest of the month, but I was dragging for the last three weeks. We both dropped a couple more pounds during the second week, and then we stayed the same weight for the rest of the month. When the 30 days were up, I added moderate quantities of fruit and nuts back into our diets. I felt SO much better after eating a banana!

I'm guessing that we would have lost more weight if we had attempted to limit our calories, but that wasn't the main point of the experiment. I really wanted to see how I would feel, plus I wanted to kick some bad habits that had crept into my diet, like eating dessert after breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Bike-ride Goodies

2011-05-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

Day 89 routine-breaker

Are you having Bike-to-Work-Day Events in your city? I'm so close to work that I walk there instead of bike, but I took a bike ride after I got done with my morning workout-at the Y so I could score some free shwag at the energizer station. Check out the goodies I got:

Ooh, I even got a big can of coconut water, which is just about my favorite thing these days! The bars will be perfect for me to take to the airport on Saturday, (Assuming the TSA doesn't confiscate them for looking like terrorist weapons.)

I hit up a 2nd energizer station for a free pancake breakfast! I don't usually eat pancakes, but how could I resist when they also had bowls of fresh berries and whipped cream to put on top? And coffee?

Banzai Gardening

2011-05-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for San Diego in a few days. I did some planting last week, but I still had three plants left-over (tomato, yellow squash and lemon cucumber) and no place to put them. I really wanted to get them planted before leaving; Rob is still here to water them.

So I was at Costco this morning, and they had these big corrugated boxes with holes in the bottom. I took them home and plopped them on top of our dying lawn and filled them with home-grown compost. Ta-da! Instant raised beds. I think they're sturdy enough to get through the season without falling apart; we shall see.

Reptiles, Creamers and Back-roads

2011-04-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Routine-breakers, Days 81 through 87

Day 81

NEW RULE. I've been really bad about note-taking, and I'm also woefully behind in my blog-posting. Which means that I'm sort of cheating a little bit: From now on, the order in which I post things isn't necessarily the order in which I did them, and I will no longer bother posting the date. There also may be a day or two here and there in which I neglect to do a routine-breaker, but I will still keep going until I hit 365 days.

Day 82

I was inspired to totally rearrange and clean-up our solarium/throw everything-we-don't-know-where-else-to-put-it room because I bought three matching shelving units at a thrift store.

The third unit is to the right of the camera. These were a great deal at 10-bucks each.

Day 83

My snake is even more neglected than my blog. Technically, it's not my snake, I'm just "watching" it for an indefinite period that will probably be forever. The cage has been getting a bit whiffy, so I cleaned it and brought the snake out for some quality time. I don't think he's been out for about 6 months now. Does he even care? Who knows? Snakes don't have a wide range of facial expressions nor do they wag their tails.

Day 84

I'm not big on ceremonies, but I decided to put in an appearance at the dedication ceremony of the YMCA's new solar paneled parking lot. Shade for the cars plus free electricity for the Y. The mayor was there and everything.

Day 85

I did my first closing shift at the Y. Since I'm usually asleep by 8pm, I was not thrilled to be kicking people out of the facility at that time. After a couple of warnings, I actually paced up and down in front of a woman while she was still getting dressed in the locker room. I hope I made her so uncomfortable that she gets out earlier in the future.

Day 86

I FINALLY broke my chemical-brew Coffeemate habit! My new creamer of choice is a pint of half-and-half, a tablespoon of vanilla extract, and some packets of Splenda. Yeah, I know the Splenda makes it not perfect, but it's certainly an improvement.

Day 87

After many urgings from my husband, I took the back-road/short-cut instead of my usual freeway route when I made a trip to Rohnert Park. Not bad. More scenic and less traffic, but it still takes a bit longer.

Spring is sprung

2011-03-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

The weather has finally caught up with the calendar, and I've been enjoying walking places while stockpiling some vitamin D.

I'm woefully behind on blogging about my routine-breakers. Still doing 'em, but I don't feel like focusing on the writing.

Been reading a book about eating bugs. Purely from curiosity; not something I'm planning to do myself!

The new Time Master

2011-03-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

Routine-breakers days 77 through 80 (March 4 through 7)

77: I do not shop at Whole Foods Market. I went there during the grand opening last year, and hoo-boy, it's not just a joke that people call it Whole Paycheck Market. But there are some specialty items I couldn't find elsewhere, so I bit the bullet and went. Didn't find everything, but I did get ghee (clarified butter) and coconut-aminos, which is a soy-free alternative to soy sauce.

I did NOT find lard or tallow, which I was looking for so Rob could season a cast-iron pan. I did not expect to be judged by employees working behind the meat counter, but I sensed disapproval for daring to request rendered animal fat. I'm guessing that the meat-handlers are the lepers of the Whole Foods Market community.

78: I rearranged my kitchen to reflect the gradual changes I've made in my cooking/eating habits over the past year. I put away the toaster that hasn't been used for a year, and I now have easy access to my Magic Bullet and Pancake Griddle, which I now use every few days to make a flourless "bread". I also disposed of some items which I don't expect to ever use again, such as flour and any kind of condiment containing corn syrup.

79: The winding of the clock is another one of those chores that's always done by Rob; I did it this time. I needed Rob to show me the routine to make sure I didn't wind the side that activates the hourly bongs. (I like the bongs, but Rob doesn't.)

80: Ever since I got hired by the Y and am allowed to enter before opening time, I've been going in early to set up boot-camp for Lorenzo. (Class starts when we open at 5:30am.) This generally involves carrying 20-30 plates (from 25 to 45 pounds each) downstairs from the weight-room to the gym. It's been sort of wearing me out so that I'm tired by the time class begins, so I told him I would no longer be doing this when I'm attending class. (I still set up on Thursdays when I don't attend.)

ZAP, Chopsticks, Sound of Silence

2011-03-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Routine-breakers days 73 through 76

73: There's a store down-town that sells ZAP electric motor vehicles; cars, scooters, mini trucks, etc. It's been there a few years but I've never been inside. Today I went in and looked at them. Very cool; if I had an extra few thousand bucks sitting around I would totally buy an electric vehicle with a foot-pedal option.

74: I won a gift-certificate from a radio-station before Christmas (for identifying a song played backwards) and I still hadn't used it. When I got home from my morning work-out, Rob and I used it to have breakfast at the Crepevine. I had a really yummy steak, mushroom and caramelized onion sandwich with fries.

75: I haven't used chopsticks for years. I guess it's like bike-riding; once you learn, you never forget. Stir-fry is easy; slaw soup is a bit trickier.

76: I didn't say a word to Rob all day. (I warned him the day before so he wouldn't think I was mad at him.) I think he liked it. I had a really hard time keeping my mouth zipped; there were all sorts of things I was bursting to say.

Naked Ears and Doodling

2011-03-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

Routine-breakers days 69 through 72 (Feb 25 through 28)

69: I walked directly from work to the grocery store to do some shopping. Had to plan ahead and bring my tote bags with me.

70: When I was a bored student in school and college, I doodled all the time, but that was years ago. After 30 some years, my style hasn't really changed.

71: My husband is the list-maker in the house, not me. I prefer to carry crucial info around in my head. I forgot to take a picture and I can't find it now, but I made a to-do list of such important tasks as grinding coffee, making flax-seed pancakes, and washing the sheets.

72: I've constantly worn earrings my entire adult life. One time when I was visiting my mom I lost one, so I switched the remaining earring from ear to ear for the rest of the week. So I took my earrings out for more than 24 hours. I kept rubbing at my earlobes all day just because I could.

more stuff

2011-03-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

Routine-breakers days 65 through 68

65: Ever try to make bread without flour? 'Tisn't easy, but I found a recipe I'm happy with-
1/4 C flax meal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 T coconut oil (or butter)
seasonings of choice (I've been using Penzey's pizza spice blend)

Mix together, pour into shallow dish, and microwave approx 1-1/2 minutes.

It actually tastes like bread! I cooked this one in the same dish that I'm serving the sandwich and sweet potatoes in. When in a hurry, I can quadruple the recipe and cook on a pancake griddle, but then it looks like pancakes instead of bread.

66: I consider putting a new bumper-sticker on a car to be a huge commitment. (Ever need to take off a bumper-sticker?) They gave me this one (on the right)at Penzey's Spices, and I knew I was ready to commit.

67: Got another Red Cross certificate, this time for CPR and AED (automated external defibrillator.)

68: You know how you hear something on the radio or you have a random thought and you think "I'm going to Google that." but then you totally forget about it next time you get on the computer? No? Happens to me all the time. Today I wrote them all down and Googled them.

Playing Games & Playing With Knives

2011-02-28T10:06:00.001-08:00

61: We haven't played any new games for a long time, but I found Castle Keep at the thrift store and it looked interesting. It said "ages 8 and up", so I figured I could handle it.

Talked hubby and son into playing a few rounds. Eh. OK but not great. The playing pieces are pretty cool looking; maybe I can use them in some future creative endeavor.

62: Got a first-aid certificate from Red Cross. Haven't had one for about 30 years.

63: I generally hate computer games and anything classified as a brain game. So I Googled "brain games" and came up with this. I checked out every game on the website and this is the only one I actually liked.

64: Rob is the official knife-sharpener in the house. He's always telling me how easy it is, but I've always resisted learning. Today I had him show me how. He's right; it is easy!

Don't you think it's a good idea that I took the first-aid class before I started playing with knives?

Routine-Breakers: Month Two Review

2011-02-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

Doing things in a different manner: 9 Days
Doing something new: 19 days
Days of deprivation: 2

The further I get into the challenge, the more skewed it's going to be towards doing something new and creative. It's really getting difficult to think of ways to do things differently, particularly since I'm not a very routine-oriented person to begin with.

Random photo: Karni, who died last month. RIP.

Hearts, Dreams, Beads and Shoes

2011-02-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

Routine-breakers, days 57 through 60

57: I'm usually a Valentine's Day grinch (Hallmark holiday! Bah, humbug!) but I figured I'd go with the flow and make cutesy Valentine goodies for Rob. These are the same as the regular granola bars that I make, but I made these in heart-shaped, silicone baking cups and wrapped them in gold foil to look all fancy:

58: I programmed myself at bed-time to remember my dream. I know I dream, but I usually forget what it was by morning. This was not the most exciting dream to remember: I dreamt that I had a janitorial job at the Y, and spent hour after hour collecting and washing the towels.

59: I was fixing a seam on a shirt I got from a thrift store, and I spontaneously fancied it up with some beads I had on hand.

60: Did you know that there are all sorts of ways to relace your shoes? Many of them require two sets of shoe-laces, but I followed this tutorial to bar-lace my Converse. Here is the before and after:

Taking Suggestions for Routine-Breakers

2011-02-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

Days 52 through 56

52: It was bed-time and I still hadn't broken a routine, so I slept nekkid. (I don't usually.) I don't like it, and didn't sleep well. Every time I changed position, some part of my body hit a cold section of sheet or brought in a fresh, chilly gust of air.

53: I am not a singer. Pretty much the only time I feel compelled to sing is when a birthday cake is brought out or during the chorus of Bohemian Rhapsody. Today I sang in the shower. I got through all the lyrics of Cat Steven's "Moonshadow" twice.

54: I haven't used nail polish since I was about 12 years old. Today I painted my toe-nails:

55: On my walk to the thrift stores, I stopped at Starbucks and bought coffee. This probably wouldn't be a routine-breaker for most people, but I don't think I've been out for coffee for over a year. Got a tall soy latte, and it was yummy.

56: I went all OCD and avoided stepping on lines all day. Talk about a way to suck all the joy out of a walk. When you have to pay attention to the ground, you can't really notice anything else.
*****

I'm finding it more difficult to come up with routine-breakers. I've already used up all the easy ones, like switching hands, sitting in a different spot, etc. Anybody have any great ideas?

Hula-hoops, Hobbits and Eskimo Kisses

2011-02-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

Routine-breakers Days 43-51

Day 43: I got out the hula-hoop that's been sitting around for a dozen years (I bought it for my kids) and played around with it. Not only can I still keep it twirling around my waist, but I did some twirling around my legs and arms that I never even did when I was a kid. It was so much fun, I've been doing it every day since.

Day 44: The break-room at work has a serious coffee mug and spoon shortage. Instead of being perpetually annoyed about it, I went to a couple of thrift stores and bought some to take in. (20-cents per mug, 15-cents per spoon. What a deal!)

Day 45: My husband always mixes the oil into the new jar of almond butter. I did it today.

Day 46: I reversed all my dresser drawers; left to right, and right to left. Took a few days to stop opening the wrong drawers.

Day 47: I hate having the remote control, my husband likes it. For our evening movie (A Fistful of Dollars) I DEMANDED possession of the remote. (Wow, I even figured out how to use it!)

Day 48: Remember eskimo kisses? A combo of rubbing noses and sort of a side-nose nuzzle. Robbie and I both liked this one; we're still doing it.

Day 49: Haven't listened to an audio book in years, but it seemed like a good idea. So I dug out the CD set of The Hobbit and spent a couple of enjoyable hours listening to it while doing some domestic chores. I'll be continuing with it today.

Day 50: Even when I'm at work, I usually have a meal ready for Rob to microwave. At the very least, I have the food in the fridge and tell him what to do with it. Not today:

Charlotte's book just happened to be sitting there, so I figured I'd include a gratuitous book plug.

Day 51: NO COMPUTER! AT ALL! Oh, the agony...I felt so disconnected from civilization!

Getting More Creative

2011-01-31T02:19:00.000-08:00

Day 31: Because I'm short, I frequently need to hem-up new t-shirts several inches. Usually it takes me forever because I use a ruler to measure and mark it. This time I got the bright idea to hang an old t-shirt over it, and then I eye-balled it and cut it without measuring.

Day 32: Rob is always trying to get me outside to look at little light specks in the sky that he claims are satellites of some sort, and I always pass. Today, at 6:59am, I went out with him to see communications satellite Iridium 97 pass by for several seconds. I did it the next day, too.

Day 33: I haven't had my own checking account since I got married 25 years ago. Now that I'm rolling in dough (hah!) with my new part-time job, I opened one up at a local bank.

Day 34: My towel shelf is always a mess, and I thought I'd try out rolling them up the way we do at the Y. Will it stay neater this way? So far, so good.

Day 35: I watched an interesting video about a guy who hunts fish on the sea bed without any equipment; he holds his breath for over five minutes! I wanted to see how long I could hold my breath. My first try was a pitiful 36 seconds. I did it a couple times a day for a week, and was able to improve my time to 80 seconds. I don't think I'll be diving down to the sea bed anytime soon.

Day 36: I walked to work backwards, about 1/4 mile. Didn't look backwards, either. I couldn't have done this one without Rob as an escort or I would have killed myself. I got some weird looks from people driving by!

Day 37: I don't usually eat at work, but I'm working extra hours this week, so I made myself lunch.

Curried tuna, cashews and raisins to put on a bed of mixed greens, along with a few of Averie's almond meal/flaxseed balls.

Day 38: A work haiku:
Working the front desk
Quick bursts of frenzied madness
followed by dead calm.

Day 39: I usually scribble out quick, messy notes to my son, but today I wrote out a very flowery message in cursive, with lots of swirls and little hearts to dot the "i"s.

Day 40: There are some jobs that always fall to Rob. Changing batteries and fixing things is one of them. Today, I actually opened up a kitchen timer and changed the batteries by myself. (Rob says this one is pretty lame, but, hey, it's definitely a routine-breaker for me!)

Day 41: OK, I'm really proud of this one. The front door of the Y is a pain in the butt to open because the automatic door-lock above the door needs to be deactivated by pushing two buttons that are in these big recessed holes way up high. The tool they use is a long allen wrench, and you need to fish around with it to find and hit the buttons. I figured out that this would be much easier with a thicker tool, so I brought a chop-stick to work, and it worked like a charm. One woman I work with has struggled with this for years, and she is very happy.

This incident led me to realize that I now have a fourth type of routine-breaker: Breaking OTHER people's routines!

Day 42: Last week Rob and I took a bike ride to a cafe, and I had a delicious pastrami-melt on rye. I got the idea to recreate all the crucial flavors without the bread, so here's what I did.

In a shallow baking dish, I layered pastrami, swiss cheese, thin-sliced red onion, yellow mustard, mayonaisse and a sprinkle of caraway seeds. (Rye flour really has no special flavor; it's the caraway seeds that give it the distinctive taste.) I repeated this in three layers. While this was all melting together in the microwave, I shredded up a bunch of spinach. Then I slid the pastrami layers out of the dish on top of the spinach. (No photo; couldn't find the camera!)

Three Ways to Break a Routine

2011-01-20T11:52:00.000-08:00

I've completed the first 30 days of my 365 Day Routine-breaker Challenge, and I've discovered that there are three ways to break a routine:

1. Do something you always do, but in a different way.

2. Do something new.

3. Deprive yourself of something you usually do or have.

I've had 13 days of switching things around; where I sit or sleep, what hands I use to perform various tasks, etc.

I added or did something new on 10 days. These were the most rewarding days, because they usually involved some creative endeavor. Some of these additions will be on-going, such as my new job and adding olive oil to my diet. I'm also on a redecorating and painting binge since getting my dining-room chair repainted.

I had seven days of deprivation, and these are definitely my least favorite days. Two items are tied for the worst routine-breakers so far: giving up my computer chair for a day, and not listening to music for a day.

Rob tells me I seem to have more energy and creativity since I started this project. Cool!

(The photo up above has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with this post, but it looked naked without a photo. That's me on the Golden Gate Bridge next to a very important sign.)

Hello Sweet-hearts

2011-01-17T05:54:00.000-08:00

Days 24-30 of routine-breakers

24: Rob and I called each other honey, dear, darling, sweet-heart, etc. for the entire day. It felt like we were in an Ozzie and Harriet episode.

25: No jaywalking. It took all my will-power to use the crosswalks.

26: I decided to take an entire week's break from the gym. I usually work-out 6 days a week, but my body's been needing a rest. I'm enjoying the extra time at home.

27: Brushing my teeth with the opposite hand.

28: I've been wanting an adult tricycle to carry groceries for a long time, but never even saw one at the bike stores. A friend of my son got one for Christmas and she let me try it out.

Talk about lack of maneuverability! I never realized how much movement comes from leaning to the side, which you can't do with a trike. Plus, you keep whacking your heels on the back wheels if you try to walk it. I no longer want an adult tricycle.

29: I've had three wishbones (2 turkey, 1 chicken) sitting on the counter for a few months, because I keep forgetting to get Rob to make a wish with me. I figured what the heck, who says I can't make a wish and pull both halves by myself? I can't possibly lose! That's what you call a Win-Win situation. So I made three wishes and broke all three by myself.

30: Usually when Rob is home from work, I cut loose and eat whatever I want. (Cookies, candy, popcorn, etc.) But I've been feeling a bit too well-fed lately, so I stuck to real food today.
****

Because of my workout break, I've had extra time and energy to spend around the house. I got another dining room chair painted

and I've been doing a little bit of embroidery on the dull dining room curtains to make them match my colorful tablecloth.

Yesterday I fixed stuffed bell-peppers.

I still have two more days left of my break; I'll probably spend most of it in the kitchen.

Day of the Clown

2011-01-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

I do not like clowns. At all. I'm not scared of them, I just think they're stupid, ugly and obnoxious. If you've ever been a clown, don't tell me.

For day 23, this is what Rob found on the dining room table when he got home:

He immediately knew it was my routine-breaker for the day. Whattaya think? Did I manage to totally swallow my hostility while creating this monstrosity? I really, truly tried to think nothing but happy thoughts while drawing it.

ANOTHER MIND-BOGGLING POST OF STUPENDOUS IMPORTANCE

2011-01-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

Made you look!

It's really tricky coming up with attention-grabbing titles for my posts, especially when the contents aren't really that exciting.

Without further fan-fare, here are days 19 through 22 of my routine-breakers:

19: Because I work past my regular dinner hour, I now need to prepare dinner right after breakfast two days a week. On this day, I fixed pumpkin enchiladas:

Rob can pop one in the microwave when he gets home from work, and then I can do the same when I get home. And we've got left-overs for the next day! I love left-overs.

20: About two years ago I got a bum bottle of olive oil that was all dark and cloudy, and I felt queasy after using it. I've avoided olive oil ever since. I figured it was about time to give it another try, and made a simple vinaigrette dressing. Not my favorite, but it didn't make me sick, either. I will no longer consciously avoid using olive oil.

21: At the beginning of October, I planned to paint a dining-room chair. I sanded it and prepped it with masking tape, then the holidays happened, and I sort of never got around to doing it. This day I stopped procrastinating and did it:

22: No gum chewing. I avoid chewing gum in public, but I'm usually chomping on it while I'm home. I missed it.

First Post of 2011

2011-01-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

Day 13: I do some warm-up exercises as soon as I wake up, which is when routines come in handy, because you don't want to think when you're half-asleep. But my brain was whirling and I woke up at 2am, so I decided to experiment. Came up with a new hip exercise which will be permanently added to my routine.

Day 14: I've been a tea-totaler for years, but when I did used to drink, I loved booze in hot coffee. With all the emphasis on drinking on New Year's Eve, I caved in and bought a bottle of Bailey's Irish Creme. There was plenty left over, so I had a cup for breakfast today, and then I had some more later on in a cup of hot cocoa! Happy New Year!

Day 15: My first full shift on my new job. Talk about a crazy time of year to start working at the YMCA! You have no idea how many people are signing up for new memberships and classes right now.

Day 16: I switched all the clothing around in my wardrobe. It used to be: Jackets, shoe-rack, pant, shirts. Now it's: Shoe-rack, shirts, pants, and jackets. No particular reason, just did it as a routine-breaker.

Day 17: I usually weigh myself every day, but I've been avoiding the scale the past few days to deny how many cookies I've eaten this past couple of weeks. I decided I won't weigh myself for the rest of the month.

Day 18: My morning routine is to take a shower when I get back from the gym, and then I slop around in my sweats until I have to leave the house. As soon as I dried myself today, I got fully dressed. Now I don't have to be embarrassed if somebody comes to the door.

I'M A USEFUL MEMBER OF SOCIETY!

2010-12-31T11:12:00.000-08:00

I got a job! I've been trying for months to get a job at the fitness center of the YMCA where I work-out 6 mornings a week. I thought that I was going to be hired back in October because one of the employees was leaving for the Peace Corps. But then there was a snag in his paperwork and he said he wouldn't be leaving till the end of March.

However, there was a sudden vacancy at the front desk, and some of the employees who know me put in a good word for me, and there I am! I have a part-time job as a "Member Services Associate". I'm thrilled to have my foot in the door, as well as getting free membership. Oh, have I mentioned that it's only a 5 minute walk from my house?

Oh, yes, so I believe this counts as a routine-breaker for Day 12: Filling out my employment paperwork and getting my first hour of training yesterday.

Creativity as a routine-breaker, Part IV

2010-12-31T10:52:00.000-08:00

Day 10: Every time I throw out a toilet-paper roll (into the recycle bin), I always think that I should do something with it. I never know what, but something. This day, I was inspired by something I saw on the internet, so my routine-breaker was to quit procrastinating and do the same:

Done with a combo of stickers and Sharpie pens. He now lives on a ledge above my dining room window.

Day 11: No music or radio today. This was torture! I usually have the radio or my music library on all day. I had the constant, nagging feeling that I was missing something.

Day 12: This one deserves a post of its own; stay tuned.

Day 13: I wake up at 4:10am in the morning, start the coffee pot, and then do some mobility/warm-up exercises. Because I'm half-asleep, I do the exact same routine every morning. This is when routines are really useful, because you can get things done without thinking about them at all. But last night my brain was racing (because of events on the mysterious day 12) and woke up at 2:00am, so I messed around with my warm-up and added a new hip mobility exercise which will now be permanently added to my routine.

Backyard Carnage, Routine Breakers Part 3

2010-12-27T12:31:00.000-08:00

Days 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9

Day 5: Washing and drying dishes on opposite sides of the sink. I don't have a dishwasher; it's all done by hand. Switching the two sides is quite tricky, because there's not much space and I don't usually need to think about how to turn and move things to keep from whacking into the faucet or other dishes.

Day 6: I switched sides of the bed with Rob. (Sleeping, that is.) Isn't he a good sport?

Day 7: Merry Christmas to all! Instead of using my automatic coffee maker, I made all my coffee today by dripping it directly into my mug with a filter holder.

The coffee tasted great, and it was a bit stronger than usual, but it's a pain in the butt standing there and waiting to add more water as it drips, so I'm reverting to using my coffee maker.

Day 8: Sitting on the opposite side of the table while eating. No problem; I don't think I grew any new brain cells with this one.

Day 9: I usually wait until New Year's Day to take down the Christmas decor,but I decided to do it early. Probably because right before the holidays, I bought a new tablecloth I really like.

A couple of days ago I was in the laundry room when I looked out the window and saw this:

Hawk? Falcon? I know nothing about birds. Let me know if you know what this is.

He was plucking and eating his pigeon for over an hour before he grabbed it in his talons and flew off over the fence.

Routine Breakers, Part 2

2010-12-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

Days 2, 3, and 4

I really hated day 2! My routine breaker was to stand at the computer. I took the chair away so I wouldn't forget and use it. The morning was the worst part, because I usually stumble out of bed, grab my coffee, and blob out in the computer chair while catching up on emails and forums. Wasting time just isn't as much fun when you can't sit down.

I had to prop up the keyboard and mouse on boxes so I could reach them. I don't have a desk job, but I do generally spend 2-3 hours on the computer at various times throughout the day. I definitely cut down on my computer time because of this change.

Day 3 was a breeze. I'm left-handed, and I switched to my right hand for all of my eating and drinking. No problem; I was a lot more coordinated than I thought I would be, and it didn't require much mental effort.

Today is day 4: Putting on the toilet paper roll upside-down. Because I'm doing it intentionally, it's not bothering me nearly as much as when it happens on accident.

'Twas the week before Christmas

2010-12-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas doesn't excite me nearly as much as Halloween. But I'm not a total Grinch; I do attempt to make the house look festive:

Looks a little different than it did a couple of months ago.

Breaking Routines

2010-12-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

I found an interesting blog called Make Something 365, which encourages people to pick a theme and make something within that theme every day for an entire year.

I'm not exactly a crafty person. I have my moments, and can create something nifty once in a while, but I don't think I could keep it up on a daily basis. It did, however, inspire me to come up with a 365 day challenge. Every day, I'm going to break a routine. The one "rule" I'm making is that it has to be an intentional change. If I accidentally plow my car into a house or have unexpected guests, that doesn't count.

As you can see from the picture up above, today I'm wearing my watch upside-down and on the opposite wrist. I'm a compulsive watch/time checker, so I figured this would make me a little more aware of how often I do it.

I doubt that my routine-breakers will be exciting enough to blog about every day, but I will attempt to summarize at least once a week.

Only 364 more days

2010-11-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

Halloween is always a bit anti-climactic, primarily because we're off the beaten path and don't get many trick-or-treaters. I believe the doorbell rang four times last year. But I always hope, and I always prepare.

Time to carve the pumpkins:

This is my "Ernest" face after discovering an extra-slimy, disgusting, sprouted pumpkin seed:

The finished product:

We took them outside later, of course.

Rob and I settled onto the couch with a big bowl of popcorn to watch Trick-r-Treat.

I think word must have gotten around that I was giving out canned coffee drinks to the parents, because we got more trick-or-treaters than we ever had before. We went through five bags of candy. I'd say at least 80% of the girls were princesses. (0% of the boys.) Besides the preponderance of princesses, we were visited by two Winnie the Poohs, a Power Ranger, Superman, Wolfman, a skeleton, and various characters from movies and television shows that I've never heard of. Not a single pirate! That's a surprise; that's practically all we had the past couple of years.

Lots of treats, and no tricks. A successful evening.

Behind you!

2010-10-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

(Happy Hallowe'en!)

It's not dead yet!

2010-10-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Why is the post-office like a serial killer?

You know how at the end of the movie the heroine stupidly thinks the killer is dead, so she turns her back on him and closes her eyes in relief? And that's when he pops up again with knife in hand?

Well, I can't tell you how many times over the years I've heard that the post-office is dead or will be soon, but I'm here to tell you that it's not.

Earlier this month, the owner/author of Love Manor graciously offered to send out Halloween greetings to his readers, and I got my card yesterday:

I was so excited; it came in a black envelope with white ink, and a ribbon with a wax seal on it! (I managed to keep the seal intact, as you can see.)

Now, I can read Love Manor and leave comments instantaneously anytime I want, but it's just not the same as getting an actual letter or thing that can be touched and displayed.

So the moral of the story is: Don't turn your back on the post-office or it will stab you in the back. (Think they might want to use that as an ad campaign?)

Hallowe'en Eve-eve

2010-10-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I'm getting a little burnt-out on posing for photos every day?

I've been perusing my iphoto library for pictures taken throughout the year that could be considered scary, and I came across this little gem:

It's a friend of my son peering through the mail slot. She's really a cute girl, but you wouldn't know it from this disturbing view.

Me and my boyfriend

2010-10-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

Halloween link of the day: Crumpkin's Pumpkins song

Nice, creepy little addition for a holiday playlist. It's from an interactive website about an evil pumpkin patch inhabited by soul-stealing pumpkins.

Perhaps you thought I ran out of seasonal t-shirts? Not quite:

The Wicked West

2010-10-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the other side of town to see a neighborhood display called The Wicked West. Very impressive. You can't see the house at all; it's totally covered. This is in the middle of a block of regular tract housing.

Here's a town hanging, complete with body twitching and jiggling:

Another execution; this time it's the electric chair:

And a walk through the jail, filled with lots of hanging things, people jumping at us, and an evil clown who insisted on silently stalking me and creeping me out.

Pretty cool, huh?

I'll leave you with a link I've been meaning to post that I enjoyed greatly:
13 Steps

I'M C-C-COLD

2010-10-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

I will be very sad when Halloween is over, but my consolation will be on November 4, when we have our appointment with PG&E to have the pilot light of our floor heater turned back on.

I'm running out of Halloween decor, so you wanna see the scariest thing that happened to me this year?

That's my poor ankle that I broke on March 31. To make a long story short...I can't walk on air. (Helpful hint: If you're ever shaking out a rug at the top of some stairs, don't forget that you're at the top of the stairs.)

And here's the shirt-of-the-day shot, along with my li'l pumpkin-head pal:

BOO!

2010-10-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

That's Karny, my son's rat. OK, she's not exactly terrifying, but she's trying her darndest.

Here I am coming back from the gym in the rain. Yep, I actually go out in public like this. (Can you see my Frankenstein monster socks?)

Kitchen Goddess

2010-10-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

When the weather is cold, nothing tastes better than a hot bowl of stew. Here I am being all domestic-like fixing my pot of bandito stew. (Ground beef, onions, yams, beans and enchilada sauce.)

Got some time to waste? Here's a good link to several corny old Halloween cartoons plus a 3 Stooges short: Halloween cartoons.

Lights Out

2010-10-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I bought this intriguing looking linzer cookie-cutter set for making fancy, Martha-Stewart-perfect Halloween cookies:

Unfortunately, my date-nut ball recipe was just a wee bit too sticky and they didn't come out looking even remotely like the cookies on the package. Which is not to say that the product is a piece of junk; it just requires a drier recipe.

Anyway, no food was wasted in the process. I was able to shape the balls into rough skull-shapes and decorate them with white chocolate chips. I had barely begun when I heard a couple of loud THUMPS and the lights went out, which had the amazing effect of bringing my long-lost son out of his room! I actually talked him into decorating some of the balls with me. Which is why the one at the bottom of the plate is an owl instead of a skull.

Long-lost son. I think he was four years old the last time I saw him.

Turns out a transformer pole around the corner caught on fire, and all the struts had to be replaced. (That's what the PG&E guy told me; I really have no idea what that means.) Lights were out from 11:30am to 11:00pm. Time to break out the candles:

Break out the umbrellas

2010-10-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Needed my umbrella for the first time in ages. It's not a raging storm, but it's definitely rain. Hope it doesn't ruin anybody's Halloween displays.

T-shirt of the day:

As an added bonus, today you get to see my ghost socks!

In case you're interested, my desktop picture is from the Devil's Tramping Ground, an interactive website that's pretty cool: http://darkartsmedia.com/DevilsTrampingGround.com.html

Last Squash of the Season

2010-10-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

This is it. The plants are rotting, but I was able to salvage these adorable, tasty little ones. What a change from a couple of months ago, when I would turn my back on them and they'd be the size of a bowling pin.

Halloween t-shirt of the day:

Holiday Pics of the Day

2010-10-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

Also known as the bedroom. Uh-oh, we escaped. Bwa-ha-ha!

Halloween T's, continued

2010-10-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Halloween t-shirt #2:

Here's what our letter carrier gets to see when he delivers our mail every day:

They don't bother him at all, but he does claim to be terrified of the coffin by the front door; he thinks that some day something will pop out of it. He's lucky that it's only about 4 feet tall, otherwise I'd consider it.

Only 12 Days Left

2010-10-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

The Favorite Things Guy wrote a post about getting funny looks for being an adult and wearing a Halloween t-shirt: the favorite things guy

Heck, people think I'm nuts no matter what I wear, so I wear what I like, which means a full month of nothing but Halloween t-shirts for the entire month. So my husband is going to take pics of me everyday until I go through my entire collection. I haven't counted them, but I think I have 9 or 10. Here's the first:

It's sad that the stores are already having clearance sales on Halloween decor to make room for Christmas merchandise. No fair. The Christmas people get to see their stuff for twice as long, plus they have about 100 times the selection. Even the thrift stores are down to the bare bones, but I found these two little items at the Salvation Army store that wanted to come home with me:

After the thrift store, I went to See's Candy to use a couple of gift certificates that Rob got from his customers last Christmas:

Mmmm, good chocolate! Unlike the items on my mantelpiece that I bought for their looks alone and probably taste like crap, these will most definitely be eaten.

One last picture to round out the post. This is a stocking mask that is meant to be worn as a costume, but I think it looks pretty cool wrapped around a jar of my zucchini chips:

Have you figured out the theme for the month?

2010-10-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Hope you're not sick of looking at my Halloween decorations, because I'm probably not done yet.

The Decorating Continues

2010-10-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

I add to my Halloween decor every year. This year I decided that what I really needed was a murder of crows. (Yes, that is the actual collective term.)

I also like to arrange my old stuff in a different way, just to keep things fresh. This time I'm clumping all my "witch" items on the fireplace mantel. I had no idea I had this many witches.

Rob got me some chocolate monsters I had seen at World Market, and I needed a way to display them. So I took some old cardboard castle blocks and Halloweenified them with black paint. I think they came out pretty good.

Then I had to replace a non-Halloween picture in the dining room. I repainted a picture box black and made this with a scrapbook page and some chenille pipe-cleaners:

I had to figure out where to put Clyde. This year he's sitting on top of the DVD shelves. That's a lady's shawl he's wearing, but I think he pulls it off quite well. I tried out a purple boa on his head, but he looked like he was in drag.

Happy 52nd Birthday to Me!

2010-10-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Exactly what I wanted: A personal best and a 1st place win in my age division at the Harvest Fair Run. My goal was to break a 10 minute pace, and I did: 5K in 29:01. (That's a 9:20 pace.)

My favorite part of the whole event: Doggedly passing up all the young whipper-snappers who zipped by me at the beginning of the race.

It's Beginning to Look Like Halloween

2010-09-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try out a popcorn-ball maker I got at a thrift store, but I realized I needed some clear treat-bags to put them in, which meant I had an excuse to go out and look at Halloween stuff again. I just discovered the Dollar Tree store, and it was filled with all sorts of goodies for a mere buck apiece. I just couldn't pass up this cookie jack-o-lantern on a stick:

The little ghosts light up and change colors. I did not get those at The Dollar Tree.

Here are a couple of marshmallow pops and hard candy skeleton heads on non-edible bodies:

I actually did get around to making popcorn balls, and the shaper worked great.

The monster-hand treat bags were my favorite, but the opening wasn't big enough:

Is It Time to Decorate Yet?

2010-09-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Today I went to a juried art show called Halloween & Vine:

http://www.halloweenandvine.com/

Wow. Definitely a cut above the stuff you see at Target. Unfortunately, the prices were considerably higher, so all I could do was drool all over everything and covet my neighbor's goods.

Oh, well. I do have some pretty cool stuff of my own. I haven't started decorating yet (I'll hold off for one more week) but here's a pic from Halloween past:

That's looking from the living room (to the right of the blue fireplace) into the dining room.

It's Been A While, Huh?

2010-09-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

I'm jumping the gun a little bit on Halloween. What the heck, Summer is over, and that's close enough for me.

Those are my four volunteer pumpkins that sprang up in the middle of my squash plants. I had no idea they were pumpkins until they started to turn orange. Pretty cool, huh? The mornings have been damp and drizzly, so I thought I'd better pick them before they started to rot.

Whattaya Mean it's Longer?

2010-08-12T04:47:00.000-07:00

I detest running, really I do. I'd rather do a hundred pull-up burpees. I'd rather push a heavy cart around for an hour. I'd rather clean toilets.

But last year I went to the Harvest Fair Run to cheer on some friends who were running the 3k and the 10k, and I got caught up in the excitement and said that I'd be running it this year, so I am. I even talked a couple other non-running gym buddies into doing it with me.

So I wasn't too thrilled when Joanne (one of those non-running buddies) called to inform me that the 3k run no longer exists; they decided to turn it into a 5k event. In mile-speak, that's an increase from 1.8 miles to 3.1 miles. Argh! I think she was hoping I'd back out of the whole deal when she told me, (also letting her off the hook in the process) but no dice! I'm going for it. It just happens to be on my birthday this year, and I think it would be pretty cool to come home with a ribbon for my birthday.

So for the next 6 weeks, I'm running 3 times a week. A 3.3 mile loop twice a week, and a 1 mile fast-as-I-can run once a week. At the moment, my 5k time is about 33-1/2 minutes. Ummm...I've got a bit of work to do if I want a ribbon.

Slacking off already!

2010-07-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

Sheesh, I got off to such a whiz-bang start on my blog, and then I let a whole week go by! Oh, well, I never promised it would be a daily thing.
Life gets in the way. I'm dehydrating as fast as I can (I have 8 trays now) and trying to eat the rest. If you are what you eat, then I'm turning into a squash.

Foot present for size-comparison purposes.

I also did a major clean/declutter of the dining room:

You'd be much, much more impressed if you could see the "before". Alas, it didn't occur to me at the time.

Also went to book-club on Friday night for discussion of "The Outliers". We all gave the book a thumbs-up.

Dehydrating Veggies & Growing in Containers

2010-07-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here's my 2nd squash dehydration experiment. As you can see, my dehydrator is not huge. This is a Nesco American Harvest dehydrator, which comes with four trays. You can buy more trays and the directions say that it will handle 12 trays at a time, but so far I've made do with the original four.

I was able to fit one 8-ball and one crookneck squash on this tray. I brushed them with coconut oil, and lightly seasoned them with a parsley, salt and garlic powder mix. It will take about 10 hours to dry these.

I have a big garden area out back, but I hadn't finished planting my veggies when I broke my ankle a few months ago. I really didn't feel like mucking about in the dirt with my compression boot, so I decided to plant a couple of stragglers in two half-barrels I have right outside the kitchen door. The one on the left is an Armenian cucumber, the one on the right is a yellow crookneck squash. So far they're doing just fine in their limited growing areas.

Squash Chips

2010-07-07T18:43:00.001-07:00

Squash production in my garden is in full swing. In the past week I've been fixing stir-fried squash. Raw squash "spaghetti". Squash fixed pizza-style with marinara, cheese and pepperoni (or "squizza".) Julienned in spring rolls. I do love squash, but I've been struggling to keep up with the supply.

Seemed like the perfect time to try making squash "chips". This morning I filled four dehydrator trays with 1/4" slices of zucchini and yellow crookneck squash. I decided not to use any seasonings at all this first time; I wanted to see what just squash would taste like.

10 hours later, I wound up with the jar you see me holding. (Minus a few that I taste tested.)

Not bad! I should have left the larger slices in for another hour to make them crunchy; some of them are decidedly chewy. They should be great with dip; hummus, perhaps.

Next time I'm going to season them and maybe try one tray with a bit of coconut oil to see what happens.

MY Book has arrived!

2010-07-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

Last November I participated in NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. That means I cranked out a minimum 50,000 word novel without any outline, premeditation or editing! It's not Shakespeare, but by golly I did it! One of the "prizes" was a promo code to get a free proof copy from CreateSpace. You won't be able to find it at your local bookstore, but if I decided to make it available to the general public, you could get it from Amazon. Luckily for the general public, that's not going to happen! Not without some major editing, anyway.

What's it about? I guess I'd call it an Urban Fantasy. Fate and coincidence. Mythology from South America and Egypt. References to H.P. Lovecraft and Henry Kuttner. Seances with a Scrabble board. Fights to the death against hordes of rats, both human and rodent. Aren't you biting your nails in suspense just thinking about it?

Zippety-doo-dah!

2010-07-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Rob and I went zip-lining today!

Last week at the Wednesday Night Market, there was a woman handing out brochures about zip-lining through the redwood forest:

http://www.sonomacanopytours.com/photos.php

This place just opened up to the public last month. It's only about 45 minutes away from us, the price was right, Rob was available today, and I figured it was now or never. It's been in the back of my mind ever since I saw it for the first time in the movie "Medicine Man".

Rob and I were the only people signed up for this time slot, so we had the two guides all to ourselves. It was a series of seven zip lines (up to 1,000 feet long and 300 feet off the ground), one spiral staircase going up into a tree, two suspension bridges and an 80 foot rappel down from the last tree.

Was I scared? YES! The first couple weren't too bad because they were fairly short, but then my subconscious brain kicked in and started telling me how stupid and dangerous this was! My legs were getting wobbly, and I probably would have chickened out on the rest if it were an option, but it wasn't. I mean, we were in the middle of the forest on a platform a couple hundred feet in the air, and the only way out was to finish zipping. Besides, what sort of wimpy dragon would I be if I had to be carried out by a rescue team? So I just kept forcing myself to look straight ahead and not focus on how high up we were.

I'm glad I did it, it was quite an experience, but I'm not planning to do it again. (Oh, and it was rather annoying that Rob wasn't the least bit nervous about it at all.)

Well, here's the proof: Me, on the zip-line:

Rob, Rod, Ron, Robert and Bob: Strange Coincidences

2010-07-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, three comments on my first post! I'm going to consider that a huge success, even if the first one is my husband.

I'm still half-asleep. Slept till 6:15, haven't done that in ages! Yesterday I tackled a major gardening project in the midday sun, and it kind of wiped me out. We've been letting our lawn die, and I filled in a strip along the front with bark and tree stumps and rocks. Looks pretty good if I say so myself.

After I finished, I decided I needed a bike ride to the thrift store to reward myself. So I got my bike out of the garage and hopped on, and it wouldn't pedal. I figured something was jamming the gears, but I couldn't tell what. Rod, the guy across the street, sees that I'm having problems and yells for me to walk my bike over. He looks at it and sees that a screw and a wire from my bike rack got jammed into the gears. (Then I remembered that I felt something shift when I unloaded groceries from my last bike ride.) So, he's fixing it for me when the guy next door to him, Ron, walks over and volunteers to help or bring out his bike repair kit.

I started laughing because it reminded me of that old joke, about how if your car breaks down in redneck country, you can barely get your door open before a dozen guys hop out of pick-up trucks to push you to the side of the road; they live for that sort of thing.

Well, this was the Sonoma County version of that joke; your bike breaks down, and a dozen guys show up to help you fix it! I was very grateful for that; I am not mechanically minded, and I would have had to cancel my bike ride if they hadn't fixed it for me.

Notice the similarity of names? My husband is Rob, the guy across the street is Rod, and next to him is Ron. Not only that, but our letter carrier is Bob, and the letter carrier who delivers to and lives around the corner from us is Robert. (Cue Twilight Zone music.)

Plus, we have the great triumvirate of mail delivery in our block. My hubby is a carrier for the US Postal Service, one of Rod's tenants delivers for Fed Ex, and the lady two doors away is a UPS driver. The coincidence amuses me.

Any strange coincidences going on in your lives?

First Blog Post Ever

2010-07-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

I really have no clue what I'm doing! If anyone is lurking, please be patient as I stick my toes into the water one inch at a time.