Bits and Pieces of my Crazy Life!

First, thank you all for such lovely and kind comments on my "cancer" post. I've appreciated your sharing about those you have loved who have dealt with this terrible disease and follow-up conversations with some of you as well.

This post has been a bit in coming. It seems like the project is keeping me busier than I thought. Then a wonderful weekend workshop with Jacqueline Sullivan. I'll post more about that later -- still have to upload photos! But it was fabulous!

My friend Suzanne is visiting from Canada this week, which has meant lots of movies and even more good times! We've known each other since high school and it seems as though not a day has passed when we connect! (When she's not bird watching, Lizzie has been camping out on her bed, getting it cozy for her!)

I'd love to show you photos of my Coq au Vin dinner that I made the other night but I forgot to take pictures! Rick called and said he'd made some French baguettes and he thought that a little French food would go nicely with that. I agreed. How about Coq au Vin? he suggested. Sure, that sounds good. (A pause) Are you making it or am I? Well, it turned out that he had projects up the wall so I said I would -- if he'd send his recipe. I knew I couldn't tackle Julia!



He sent Ina's recipe and it really is delicious. I'm sort of a stickler for mise en place -- chopping/dicing all your veggies and measuring out your ingredients before you start. And really, that made the whole thing a snap! Very tasty and not hard at all. I recommend it! And his baguettes were terrific!

Most of the photos in this post make no sense with the words but they are photos I was thrilled to take. Rick's oldest, Greg Oberle (my loaner kid!) finally finished his chalk mural in an office building in Lansing.

 

Look closely (it goes the entire width of the building) and you'll see Bill Gates, R.E. Olds, Steve Jobs, local landmarks and lots of Olds-related images mixed in with plenty of sci-fi stuff. I'll never understand what's in his head but I love how it comes out of his fingers!

 

Needless to say, I'm pretty impressed! You may have seen some version of these pix before the mural was completed. Now it is done! Three cheers!



Speaking of Bill Gates reminds me of computers and I am getting a new one. A good friend (very good friend!) has repurposed one for me. So hopefully I will be able to see videos without them stopping and starting and be able to load tons of photos without deleting (or moving) old ones!

I send good wishes to East Coast Gypsy readers who are digging out from the snow! As you can see, we don't have much. But I'll knock on wood as I say that!

Coming soon, more on Jacqueline's workshop, the 2014 Book List, Cork Poppers try Bordeaux and more.

As they say, Onward and Upward!

(Well, we have to go somewhere from here!)

 

I leave you with my favorite artist and one of my favorite photos of him.

Makes me smile!