A Bit Bummed

Do not write much when I'm bummed. Had a good time with the "kids" Jason and Laura Friday night but then we always do. Russ was a no show today. Do not know why because it didn't rain until late afternoon but then we got another 1/2 inch. Maybe the mud was a factor. We certainly have plenty of that!

I went to an auction but I am believing that the auction was an accumulation of things that had failed to sell at former auctions. They did not fare much better today. I did not buy a thing.
I have a headache and just do not feel up to snuff. Perhaps tomorrow will have more substance for me.
Later...

Papa Gary sent camping pics from last weekend

Another rainy day...

Colleen and I went to Carroll (30 miles west)  yesterday. She needed a new printer so that was the main feature of our trip.
We also stopped in the Verizon store to talk Internet connection for Colleen. Butch and I have come to the conclusion if we have a connection here and another connection in Texas we can get by in between. The only reason this works is because we can suspend service at little or no cost at each end. On the Texas Time Warner end we pay $4.99 a month for the months we do not use it and on the Jefferson Telecom end we disconnect in October at no cost and reconnect in April/May for a $35 hook-up fee. It has taken us quite some time to get all this ironed out to our satisfaction. The main problem with Verizon is the two year contract and/or the large fee($250) to buy the equipment to not have the contract and then the connection itself does not quite hold up to the others. Streaming video or movies is not going to work well on a 3G mifi. Buffering, buffering, buffering...we have all been there!
We returned to Colleens and hooked up her printer and some other computer issues and maintenance. Full but busy and productive day.
When I came home Butch had enjoyed a day of rest and watching Longmire on Netflix. It looks like today will be another one of those napping -watching the rain kind of days until this afternoon when we are going to Costco and activate our membership. We are sharing a membership with Jason so will pick him up in Boone. He is not at all sure he needs a membership but then I wasn't either until Peggy got me hooked. And MyPoints offered me 1000 points too. And Costco threw in a bunch of free items. It penciled out as they say.
This rain may put another crimp in the room construction. I would out and out cuss using the biggest and nastiest cuss words I could think of if it would do a nickles worth of good. #$%^ it.

Chugging along

We have been doing the ordinary things of everyday life so nothing earth shattering to report.

Russ stopped by last night and says he will be here Saturday...unless it is raining.

Butch is getting some pre-cancerous areas burned off of his face this morning. That may slow him down a bit. Maybe, just maybe. Might need to stay out of the sun until it heals a bit.

I had an echocardiogram yesterday. Have not seen the results yet but expect it to be okay. I had forgotten how long those take- 45 minutes to an hour. Geez!

The river is down a little from where it was a few days ago.

We had unstuffed cabbage rolls for supper last night. I gave it 5 stars last time I made it and the 5 stars still stand. It is yummy!!

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small cabbage, chopped
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender.
Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8

A one-sided conversation with me

Butch found deer prints in our backyard! That would be quite a surprise to get up in the night and see a deer in the yard. Better than some crazy guys looking for a cat!
Butch put some insulation on the inside of our foundation blocks. Brother Bill suggested it and it seemed like a smart move. Still waiting on Russ...

We went uptown for the farmers market tonight. We have been forgetting about it. I will be more anxious when the cabbage, cauliflower, corn and tomatoes come on. I stay away from the baked goods but there is always a great selection.

I rode the trail then walked with Colleen this morning. Too bad you weren't with us because the conversation was fascinating. It always is!

My cactus, the one the boys gave me for mother's day many years ago has grown too big to make the trip to Texas last winter so we left it in the house. We set the thermostat at 52 degrees. Jason watered it once with melted snow water. Next winter I will leave some plant water in the shower so he won't have to wait for the snow to melt. You will be gobsmacked when you see the current picture of it with over 20 blooms on it!
And here it is!

Jefferson's Belltower bathed in a setting sun.

Leo emailed this photo to me. It is a great shot!

taken by Rich Osborn

Today's pics plus

Colleen and I skipped Sunday's walk because the weather looked threatening. I have been biking to the river every morning and then getting back to the depot to walk with Colleen. Later on Sunday Jason came over and we attended an auction. Butch purchased a golf pushcart that had previously belonged to Colleen's husband Jim. Butch was very glad to get it because it is a design that he has wanted to have for quite some time. We picked up a few other items as well and isn't that the nature of auctions.

We had a very good time at the auction but the long hours of standing was hard on both of our backs.

The pictures were taken this morning near the trailhead.

Kid's Camping

Little Leo is loving smores!

Elise enjoys them too!