Jennifer Apodaca's Blog, page 35

My Fierce Hunter

Happy Wednesday! You all know Maggie is a bit obsessed with lizards. Here she is showing her tenacity:

Wizard and I cracked up. She was tracking two lizards: One was on the side on the house next door. Now Maggie’s an optimist, so it took her about five minutes of studying the situation before accepting there was no way for her to get to the that lizard. And the other one was the one you see her trying to get in the pic. She tried both sides of the wall, but as far as I know, never got him. Usually we find the…uh…evidence if she gets them. She loses interest once they stop moving (aka are no longer compatible with life, otherwise known as dead). Remember, I never said she was normal

So that’s my Wednesday Smile — what’s yours?

The post My Fierce Hunter first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

Happy Monday! We pretty much spent the weekend at home, or around home.

Saturday I went to a Farmer’s Market (I wasn’t impressed with this one), and Wizard overdid it while unsupervised That’s literally true, but I can’t fault him because I’d have done the same thing of pushing through to finish a project. Anyway, he pulled a muscle in his back. By Sunday was already doing much better so we know it’s just a muscle and he’ll be fine. But because schedules didn’t match up and Wizard could use a rest, we stayed close to home. Youngest came by  to deliver some wood for us (Wizard has many projects going!) and we did other stuff that wasn’t particularly noteworthy. Oh I made more sourdough, but that’s something I do every other week now, so it’s almost routine.

Sunday, I took Maggie for a two mile walk in the fog after which I admitted I need new running shoes. I took a deep breath and ordered an expensive new-to-me brand and we’ll see if they fit. It’s kind of weird that I spend the most on the shoes I walk in dirt with! Then I did a yoga practice and some gardening. After lunch I took Maggie to Home Depot where I was happy to see they have the dwarf Meyer lemon try in stock that I hope to get soon. It depends when Wizard can get ready that part of the hill where we are going to put it. I nearly bought my tomato and pepper plants but wisely held off since Wizards wants to rake out and put down some bark before I put potted plants on it. He’s been all logical and deliberate about it, but whatever….  The most important part of the Home Depot trip was that Maggie got about four people to pet her and tell her she’s pretty or sweet. She was quite pleased with her admirers.

Today I need to stay home for a warranty repair on a faucet and Wizard needs to go take his mom to a doctor. That usually takes half a day at the least for him, so pretty much shoots his day. But it will keep him for bending and lifting for one more day so that’s a bonus. While I’m stuck home, I hope to plan to fun cakes to decorate, and organize ingredients to bake and freeze layers. Lately, I just haven’t made the time to do it, and I miss it!

How was your weekend?? I’m guessing it more exciting that ours!

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF and Happy June! Can you believe we’re nearly half way through 2023? Okay, time to share five random things about our week. (I always blank on the entire week right about now, LOL).

It’s been gloomy and overcast here for days. In an unusual twist, it’s getting to Wizard more than me, although I’m tired of it too. But when the heat comes, we’ll probably miss these days I joined two new FB groups: One on women walking which is kind of cool. It’s for mature women who log their walks, show pics and share tips. I love the age bracket and the positivity so far. But I haven’t posted (I’m like to observe first to get a feel for groups). I also joined a gluten free one, but that one may not be for me. Just trying different things I might find a gardening club for clueless amateurs — but first I have to learn to spell amateur. I couldn’t even get close enough for spell check to guess what word I was trying to write!I downloaded a walking app that I’m just trying out and like so far. To my surprise, Wizard is trying it too. Walking is not something he’s ever really enjoyed, but who knows? I think it’s cool he’s willing to try on his own time and terms. What I also like is I believe I can add him to mine so he can check where I am for safety reasons.On Thursday, I got my hair done — my bangs are growing out! I’ve had bangs for decades so this is a fun change for me. Then I worked on making another batch of sourdough bread that will eventually become two loaves. That process is getting a lot easier for me now. And we have a gift card to a restaurant, so we plan to go out to dinner, which we’re looking forward too.  I’m writing this blog before dinner, because I’ll need to shape the dough into the bannetons (baskets) for long fermentation in the fridge and forget to write the blog This weekend, we might go see Turbo and his family, depending on their schedule. Otherwise, we’ll just see what happens! I’ll leave you with this pic with our son and daughter-in-law from last weekend at the Kramer Arch (I’m the shortest one, second from the right):

That’s my five and now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a terrific weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Procrastination Crashed My Tuesday!

You even have one of those days where Procrastination stops by uninvited?

Tuesday started off a normal day. I was a bit tired after a busy weekend and Monday we had a fun time having Biker Witch and her Biker Hubby over for dinner. They helped by bringing two dishes; my favorite vegetables and one of Wizard’s favorite desserts. Dinner prep and the cooking wasn’t hard at all, but I had to add more things in like making a bruschetta because, well, I’m me, LOL So by Tuesday I was a bit tired, but once I did my morning walk, I loosened up and was ready to take on the day. I had plans of grocery shopping, floor washing, a second walk and trying a new short yoga class that looked fun.

Things were going according to plan and I was putting away groceries, when I decided to boil some extra eggs for quick breakfasts. Sometime later — 2 minutes? 20 minutes? I remembered the eggs. I now have boiled eggs in my fridge that could be anywhere between soft boiled to ancient fossils. My breakfast tomorrow will be an adventure But still, that’s a minor glitch, and I wasn’t procrastinating, just distracted by…something…I don’t remember what.

By then it was almost 11 so obviously I should wait until after lunch to clean the floors. Looking back, I could have done it, but something was whispering in my ear to wait until after lunch. So I cleared email and finally figured out an AOL problem. Then I had to think why I even still have AOL???? So I made a mental list of why…

And wait, this isn’t important. I have a G-mail account too, and why am I wasting time thinking about AOL? So i started thinking about lunch instead. I wandered into the kitchen and found leftover beautiful, colorful vegetables and rice from the previous night and turned lunch into a cooking project. I cut the veggies, made a stirfry, added the rice, then some cashews I had on hand and topped it with left over bruschetta. Sounds odd (it probably is weird, LOL) but it was good. Again, more time slips by and now there’s no time for an extra walk.

But I washed the floors! Finally! However, I had to cut out the yoga plan due to time, but I had over an hour to write a blog. Yay! I got my sparkling water and sat down to think up a brilliant blog. While pondering, I thought, “I’ll just take a quick look at FB…wait what’s this reel? A dog????” A minute or 60 later, I looked up and realized I’d been watching FB reels for an hour! Most of them were dog videos

Then Wizard needed the computer.

And so it wasn’t until late (for me) last night that I was thinking, Why haven’t I written a blog? It’s not hard, what happened? And that’s when I realized that it wasn’t my fault, I clearly had an unexpected visitor from Procrastination!

Has this ever happened to you?

Happy Wednesday!

The post Procrastination Crashed My Tuesday! first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Happy Memorial Day & Weekend Roundup

Before I get into the roundup, I want to wish everyone in the U.S. a Happy Memorial Day. As we celebrate, it’s also an opportunity to take a moment to honor the memory of those who gave their lives for our country, and all those who serve and served. A big Thank You!

Now for the weekend!

Friday was awesome! We headed out to Calico Ghost Town to our son’s campsite. They go with two other families they’ve camped with for a long time. They were all nice and fun folks. Then we headed out on the offroad vehicles. Our son and his wife have a Can AM four seater. He retrofitted it with better safety gear, and provided us with helmets and instructions. He and his wife (and their whole crew) take safety seriously. Having now met their friends and seen first hand how they handle things, I feel even more confident they do a great job of looking out for one another.

That said, one of my smiles was when my son strapped me into the harness the first time and has his wife adjust my helmet to make sure it was fastened correctly. After that time, I was “allowed” to do it on my own, but one of them checked my work when I did it, LOLOL! I’m not actually laughing at them, I’m laughing because once it was me strapping Middle into his car seats, and later his helmets and and safety gear. Life comes full circle but it’s all good. Then off we went through the desert on what I believe is called Phillips Loop, which could be called a trail if one is being generous. It was awesome, but I’ll say this, there’s not a lot of people I would trust to drive these roads and somewhat treacherous conditions. Middle son and his wife co-piloting are at the top of my list.  While he’s driving, she is watching and they are both in constant communication with the other two vehicles. I also know my son takes care of his vehicles and equipment. Wizard and I got to just be passengers without any worries

It didn’t take too long to get to the Bismarck Mine and Kramer Arch. Here’s Wizard and me at the arch:

 

Then Daughter-In-Law, myself and three of the kids went into one of the two mines. I didn’t get pictures because I left my phone in my jacket in the vehicle. But everyone else had their phones, so I wasn’t concerned. I did worry I’d have to fight my claustrophobia, but it didn’t bother me. Partly, I think, because my daughter -in-law has been there many times, and I fully trust her. It was super interesting to see the mine.

After that we headed back to camp, ate lunch then headed into the ghost town to check out the Calico mine, the train ride, and some shops. We ended up in the small patio bar, where Wizard and I sadly didn’t drink anything fun. We would have loved to have a beer (or wine in my case), but we were driving home later. At one point, daughter in law and I went to the dog store — a cool shop that sells fun things for dogs including cake mixes! — and I came back to find Wizard and Middle putting each other in the town jail and taking pictures…Boys! They crack me up.

There are a bunch of little stories but I’ve rambled about it enough. We just had a good day “away” from the real life responsibilities and it was just what we needed.

Saturday we picked up Maggie after lunch and someone had partied too hard on their Spa Weekend. She can’t hold her eyes open!

She won’t tell us what she did all weekend, but it must have been fun! For the record, she’s always happy to see us but displays no anxiety or stress when she comes home. She’s goes right back to her routine, eats well and seems happy.

Today we’re having Biker Witch and her Biker Hubby over for dinner. We are looking forward to seeing them!

So how was your weekend?

The post Happy Memorial Day & Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF!! Every week, I experience the same thing — I wake up Monday and see a whole week in front of me, then I blink and it’s Friday! But that’s better than long boring days, right? Okay let’s get right to sharing five random things about our week:

The patio ceiling fan is up and working! Wizard’s “fix” worked, then youngest came over (for the third time!) and finished installing it. We are all happy! The first problem was basically the wrong fan to hooked on the switch we had prewired when the house was built. That was annoying but fixable. It was the second problem of not being able to anchor the bracket securely that caused the headache. But that’s all done now! Both the guys worried that I might be upset that part of the bracket is showing — I’m like nope, as long as the fan is secure and safe, I’m happy! Wizard will paint the bracket to match the ceiling then we won’t notice it anyway.I made a stir fry that I loved and I’m more than thrilled   I used this recipe and adjusted the spices to what we like and can tolerate. I’ve been doing well slowly and carefully adding some foods back into my diet, but some things like real garlic are not going to work. But I can use a little of the minced garlic in the jar and other spices, and we like it. I know a stir fry isn’t for everyone but I love them when done right!Wizard had his brother’s Mustang for a few days. The car had  to sit for awhile, so his brother had the battery replaced and had Wizard drive it a couple hundred miles, then they all crossed their fingers it was pass smog (required in CA). It did! But poor Wizard hurt his calf while weeding and stepping wrong off the wall, then drove that car with his racer clutch (a really hard clutch) and his calf is a mess. He barely noticed the injury when he first did it so he ignored it (like most of do, LOL), then aggravated the crap out of it with the car until I made him stay off it yesterday. Still he did get the car taken care of for his brother who is dealing with his own challenges and couldn’t do it. Plus Wizard enjoys driving the Mustang Maggie went to boarding yesterday. I already miss her! She’ll be there two nights, and yesterday once she was gone, I tackled cleaning the carpet in the main areas of the house. I am wiped out! Wizard and I originally planned to both do it, but I insisted he not help due to his leg — this carpet cleaner I bought is powerful and heavy. But I got the hardest parts of the house done while Maggie’s gone. The other rooms are accessed by a hallway where we can put up a gate while it’s drying, so we can easily do those when Maggie’s home and Wizard’s leg is better.And today, finally, we’re going to Calico (a ghost town!) to see Middle and his awesome wife, and my two grandpuppies who are camping there. We are soooo looking forward to spending a day with them and doing fun stuff. We debated endlessly about taking Maggie with us (she’s usually good and the dogs all get along well), but decided to board her and get things done while she’s there. She will probably forgive me. Maybe She usually has fun and loves the owner so fingers crossed!

So that’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Wednesday Rant — Just Because I Feel Like It

You all probably heard Martha Stewart is on the cover of Sports Illustrated. (If you haven’t see it, you can look here) And since absolutely no one asked my opinion on that cover, here it is:

 

Personally, I hate it. But if it makes Martha Stewart happy, then I say good for her.

But to all the outraged people who think I don’t get to have an opinion unless it’s their opinion? You know the type that jump on social media and lecture the haters like me who think that cover looks a bit silly? Bite me. My opinion is mine and by the way, it’s no reflection on Martha Stewart personally. I have never met her. Professionally, she’s done plenty I do admire, including building an empire out of being a lifestyle guru. But that cover makes me roll my eyes and wish Martha Steward had represented grown ass women who are done pretending to be 23 year old sex goddesses. Again, that’s just me. If others feel differently, believe she represented in a big way and validated something important to them, I respect that. It doesn’t upset me, nor would I want to change their opinion. I like that people have different views, it makes us all interesting, and one would hope, less narrow-minded.

I mean, I also don’t care for mayo, but I never get mad when I see it on the grocery shelves. Instead, I just buy my preference of mustard and go on about my day. That’s how most opinions should be treated. As opinions and not declarations of war.

And my opinion is simple: I don’t like the cover almost as much as I don’t like mayo. But both Mayo and Martha still have the perfect right to live and thrive and I have the right to keep having opinions no matter how riled up the social media crowd gets

Also I hate to point out he obvious, but when something is published, then their will be opinions. Not all of them will be good. I know this from my own career as an author. I didn’t always love it, but it was part of the job and I tried hard to be publicly gracious. And I’m positive that Martha Stewart is much more experienced at this than me!

Anyway that’s my Wednesday Rant. By the way, this rant was brought to you by a random FB post I saw lecturing the world about why they had to love the Martha Stewart cover. (I could probably find it if I tried, but I don’t want to support those kinds of posts and besides, we’ve all seen different variations of those posts).

Do you have a rant or opinion you’d like to share today?

The post Wednesday Rant — Just Because I Feel Like It first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roudup

A good-ish weekend

The Good: We had fun both with Youngest helping Wizard with the fan, and with Oldest, Special K and Turbo visiting for the afternoon and dinner! Oldest LOVED the sourdough bread, and there was a battle between him and Wizard for the last piece. I think Oldest won (and Wizard let him cuz he was full.) Turbo loved the small hose for my plants on the side of the house where there’s a long strip of dirt. He played with his trucks in the mud His very cool mom was fine with it. It was hot so she put on sunscreen and a hat and let him be a kid. The before dinner, she gave him a bath and put clean clothes on him.

The Frustration: The patio ceiling fan! First it was the wiring and we had to exchange the fan for the right kind of wiring to work with our wall switches (for the fan and the light). The second fan worked — but the bracket isn’t right. The cheap brackets weren’t going to be strong enough. So Youngest and Wizard stopped again so Wizard could figure out the solution. Sunday, Wizard made a bracket that he was happy with…until he realized he cut it too short. Wizard was frustrated-mad on Saturday, but by Sunday he was fine. He had to leave anyway to go help his brother with something, but this fan is so much more complicated than it should be. But we’ll appreciate it that much more once it’s done!

The Bad: Yesterday I went to the pharmacy to pick up some meds. Maybe thirty seconds after I passed through the intersection, there was a bad accident. One car was flipped on it’s roof. I parked in the parking lot and jogged closer but I was on the opposite side of a pretty busy street so I stayed there. People on that side of the street parked where they were, leapt out of their cars and were running to get the driver and any passengers out, and others were clearly calling 911. Since the police were on their way, I decided the best thing I could do was get my meds and leave the area. I hope everyone’s okay. I was uneasy the rest of the day. I’m not usually that easily weirded out, but it was just so odd to have it all happen seconds after I went through the intersection. My best guess is a car blew through a red light.

And The Smart: I sort of took Sunday off. I did stuff around the house and just caught my breath after a really busy week. It might have taken me six decades, but I’m learning to attempt a little balance and I’m kind of proud of that This week could end up being another juggling act, but on Friday we are going on a day trip to where Middle is camping and we are so looking forward to spending the day with them and having a good time!

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roudup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF! Okay lets dive right into sharing five random things about our week.

I am off jury duty as of last night! I got lucky this time and didn’t have to go in. Wizard sulked because he not only had to go in, but got the judge that held them there for two days.Youngest is having car issues, which is not unusual. But the state of California has turned what should be an inconvenient headache into a blazing migraine with no cure. It’s utter craziness. So this morning I am picking him up from another mechanic (his third or fourth) as they try to solve this problem. FYI — the car drives and performs fine. This is a state bureaucratic issued and the dealership just shrugged their shoulders and said, “We don’t know.”  I’m seriously pissed for him. Not that he needs me to be pissed, LOL. But he’ll solve it and move on because that’s what adults do.I bought some pillows and a candle for my outdoor space (because I had a gift card!), and now I’m out there all the time. Wizard and I love that patio.  This weekend, we’re hoping to get the ceiling fan installed.  I mentioned to Youngest that Wizard and I could probably do it now that he has the bracket up. Guys, I was so proud of him — he was very tactful when he insisted he would do it. I know he didn’t want us trying to maneuver the fan up the ladder and because I can appreciate his concern, I told him we would wait for him. The kids seldom worry about us doing anything, so if they do have a concern, we make a point to listen.So I think I accidently created a Sourdough Monster in Wizard He’s worrying that we will run out and wants to know when I’m starting on the next set of loaves. I find that hilarious. In the beginning, he was afraid of the starter, and my first efforts weren’t turning out the way we hoped. But now he’s a sourdough fiend!Turbo is coming over this weekend. That’s awesome. But Turbo’s dad (Oldest) loves sourdough so I told him we’d bring out the loaf in the freezer while he’s here. Wizard tried to talk me into buying sourdough from the store and giving oldest that, and save the homemade stuff for him. I just rolled my eyes and told him I’m serving the homemade sourdough to Oldest and Special K. Wizard will find a way to cope, LOL. We are both looking forward to seeing Oldest, Special K and Turbo! Sometime today I have to go buy some snacks for Turbo since I don’t think I’ll have time to bake. I already bought him a toy when I was in Target this week. I had zero intention of doing that when I ran into Target so I’m not sure how that happened, but I do have a theory: Grandma’s have a magnetic field that draws toys into their carts and we don’t notice it until we’re checking out. By then, it’s too late and so we keep buying toys. That’s my story! (Wizard rolled his eyes at that one!).

So that’s my five, now I’d really love to hear yours! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Wednesday Growth Report

So I don’t have a green thumb. Wizard has a part time green thumb that only shows up if it matters to him, LOL! And together we are trying not to murder too many plants

We finally planted some pots and here’s two of my favorites:

Don’t ask me their names — I can’t remember. We’ve planted soooo many flowers! I call the second picture, the orange one my Hawaiian plant. That’s probably not the real name (I think it’s in the hibiscus family maybe?) And the bloom you see in the picture is one that bloomed AFTER we got it home and replanted it and that’s a win for me!

And for the far end of our little patio there’s a strip of dirt — youngest is going to build me two big planter boxes so I can grow my tomatoes and bell peppers next year (let’s say hopefully grow!).

My herbs are thriving, but I only have five and they are easy to grow so far so I can’t really brag.

That’s my growth report update. Since I’m not writing, I have to create something! Although I really want to make a pretty cake very soon. I miss decorating!

What’s your report this week?

The post Wednesday Growth Report first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.