Yes. And no. I try to live by some routine, but it is my routine and not dictated by work demands, so yes. But still, there is something special about a few free days. Part of it is that Rick isn't working then so we have more time together. And part is "just because."
The past few days brought some good fun. Because it was so warm, there were a couple of grill days. Rick made burger buns and they were just delicious! Made the burger all the tastier!
And before it got to be in the 90s, I made this delicious brown butter rhubarb cake, courtesy of a recipe on A Delightful Repast. (Thanks, Jean!) My friend Kate passed on some rhubarb and it was a wonderful recipe. The little bit on the top was a drizzle of a cinnamon glaze -- just powdered sugar, cinnamon and enough milk (not much) to make it "glazey."
I enjoyed several nice walks to the Ditch and saw my new friends!
When the first thing you see as you cross the street into the path is this, you know it's going to be a great Doe-a-deer day!
Harry was out, too.
And I met a lovely dog who was very good about not barking in the presence of the deer...
...or this goose family.
And I loved this photo -- the water looks almost like marbled paper. It's good to see new life at the Ditch.
Rick's in the process of stripping doors and bringing them back to their natural wood look and it's a bigger project than he thought. The weather isn't helping. But we took a break to do cemetery flowers, and after I got the rest of my plants in pots and seeds in the ground.
There was time at the pool, time to paint, time to prep for a short trip and time with friends. Just a laid-back time.
And really, isn't that what holiday weekends are all about?
Note about comment reply: I'm still not getting comment notifications sent to my email like usual. I've heard some of you are experiencing the same. I'm hoping it's a Blogger issue that will be fixed vs. provider issue, although neither is good. So, for right now, I mgiht not be answering your wonderful and most appreciated comments but I will be reading them and if you have a question will try to reply either via email if I have your address or on your blog if I don't. I have a hectic few days ahead so it might be early on next week.
Sharing with: Share Your Cup / Let's Keep In Touch
Now that - for the time being - I don´t work anymore you speak from my heart!
ReplyDeleteWhen Ingo hd two weeks off I went out of my routine. For two long weeks that was not good, it did me not really good.
My stomach told me so.
But weekends are good, "just because"! A short time-out is very welcome.
I´m not sure I like rhubarb, but was advised to try to make ice-cream with it as it´s not so sweet. Let´s see!
Awww, cute new friends :-) And Harry! That is very clear water indeed.
Ahhh, summer, right?
(Still no solution to the e-mail for comments, though)
Your baked goods look wonderful, yummy! Great photos from the ditch, it looks so cool and peaceful there. I still enjoy weekends even though I am retired! Have a great day, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely enjoying photos from the ditch, but that rhubarb pie would look good if it was anything except rhubarb.
ReplyDeleteI loved the photo of the marbled water. It does put you in mind of that, for sure.
I NEVER get e-mail comment updates, but I have read a few bloggers experiencing the same problem you're having. Seems it's a problem on Blogger, but not Word Press. Sorry I can't help you, but I only check e-mail about once every two to three months and only if I have to.
Good days, Jeanie!!Time off is good, retired, or not! :) Oh, WOW those burger buns are amazing! And the cake... more WOW! There goes carb-counting. ;) LOL... I've been wondering what's going on too, regarding comments, as I've seemingly had no comments at all in over a week, which is a bit unusual. I've had no notifications of any comments for many days now. This tech stuff--great when it all works, a BIG mystery when it doesn't. :/ HAPPY DAYS, my friend ((HUGS))
ReplyDeleteYou and Lizzie seem to have had some wonderful days, Jeanie. The homemade burger buns look delicious. I've never made any and now it's already to hot to turn the oven on. I love rhubarb and miss the taste as we don't get to buy it here. It's wonderful that you got to see Harry and the deer again at the ditch.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Jeanie . . ,
ReplyDeleteCan you walk “to the ditch” from your home . . .
Love it . . .
I must ask . . . Buggy??
I think I need to hire Rick for Breads and Rolls . . .
Yum!
(I will send you a post for an answer to the Google, comment, thingy.) (Pronto)
(The moisture and heat combo here of late has brought out ever ant in the planet . . .)
I am retired and half the time I don’t even know what day it is - literally. As for “celebrating” holidays, I never did much of that anyway; it was just a day off work, a get together with friends, perhaps. Now I can honestly say that in retirement I am almost busier than when I worked, but I am busy doing all the avian and conservation works that are my passion, not crap that I had to do, dealing with people I had no interest in and did not especially want to deal with. Every day brings great pleasure now. We are right in the busiest period of our Barn Swallow monitoring and the two colonies take a lot of time. Yesterday we had the first nest with young so in nine days we will be banding them. And there is a whole ton of other bird-related stuff that I am involved with, papers to write, presentations to give, students to mentor.......all the stuff I never had time for when I worked. Oh....and please say hello to Harry for me.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful weekend photos. I think your weekend looks perfect. And you had sun. And you can send me a piece of your rhubarb baking beauty too. Happy last day of may. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteThe picture of the ducks is truly beautiful! I am in awe of the things that man of yours can bake. Those buns look amazing - and perfect, too. Oh to be retired. Just three more years. (is it bad to already be looking forward to that, am I just torturing myself?) Your walks along the ditch are something I would love, too. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing your geese as much as I enjoyed seeing a mixed fllock of adult geese and goslings crossing a busy street in Independence, MO, this past weekend. I'd made a quick trip up to see my aunt, and on my way to somewhere early in the morning, here they came. The best part was watching eight lanes of traffic come to a full stop until they were safey across. Hooray for nice humans!
ReplyDeleteAs for Rick and his doors, tell him, "Welcome to my world." I know it wasn't nice to laugh when I read it's more of a project than he'd realized, but I did. Been there, done that, as they say.
You are a very busy retired gal. Loved your pictures. Seems like a pretty good long weekend Jeanie.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful weekend! Those hamburger buns would have made it all perfect in my book. I can't get over that beautiful white dog!!
ReplyDeleteHello Jeanie, I love all the birds, duckling and the cute dog. Always nice to see Harry! The deer are pretty. Rick's burger rolls look delicious. Since retiring, I loose track of what day it is. Unless we have an appt, every day is free to do whatever. Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteI don't miss work one second.Not one.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoy it too..love all your alliums and the cake looks good.Isn't nature so beautiful to look at and examine and admire..your flora and fauna..Top!Have a great weekend.
I dodn't know..I don't have comments emailed to me.I just go back to my post and chat there:)
As usual, you supplied my eye candy for the day. Gorgeous flowers, darling animals, and mouthwatering food. What else could a girl ask for? Enjoy your weekend, dear Jeanie.
ReplyDeleteSorry I've been absent from comments but we were traveling and then catching up. I'm enjoying your walk to the ditch and seeing so much wildlife. The dog was so sweet not to bark and so pretty! Holidays are still special for us, and we stay on a routine so weekends are special too. Rick's rolls look delish and your cake yummy. I know you'll have a great plan for the weekend:)
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your wildlife photographs. I can almost smell the baked goods! And that white dog is SO beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHolidays are different in retirement because the rest of the world changes its rhythm around us.
Like you I love those long holiday weekends. You had a wonderful time, and those buns looks down right delicious. Nice shape, too! Is the ditch right where you live? I would probably go there every day, just to see the deer and Harry and all the waterfowl. Heavenly.
ReplyDeleteI'm experiencing the same thing with Blogger as well and it annoys me to no end. I also hope that it will change again - for the better.
Sounds like a perfectly lovely holiday weekend...retired or not. The burger buns looks fabulous...any thoughts of posting a how-to recipe? Happy Summer!
ReplyDeleteThe deer are a welcome sight, and what a sweet dog!
ReplyDeleteRhubarb is one of those things I'm not too fond of, probably best in small doses. I had a strawberry-rhubarb tart recently and that was enough.
I'm retired but work hard anyway. I look forward to weekends because I get to see my daughter and grands usually!
ReplyDeleteJeanie: I love your time spent at the ditch. So much beauty and fun to see. I have been retired for close to 10 years and I still think I have to leave fun time to the weekends! It's a hard habit to break. From what I hear, Blogger is aware of the problem and is working on it, too be done shortly! I'm trying not to worry about it until I hear otherwise..Happy Thursday..xxoJudy
ReplyDeleteoh, man.. those rolls!... and thanks for the recipe! -
ReplyDeleteYes, that is what holiday weekends are all about.
ReplyDeleteI like that photo of the three deer and the green water very much. It is really good. Your walks at the ditch are always fun.
I cannot tell you how impressed I am with Ricks bread-making talents. Those buns look delicious.
Love that shot of Harry the Heron!
ReplyDeleteJeanie, that white dog is precious. And the deer made my heart sing. Oh my gosh, the rhubarb cake looks scrumptious, and with cinnamon glaze, even better. That last picture is so pretty with the light shining through the trees. You always take interesting nature photos. I'm glad you had a nice three day holiday.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
ps...thank you for having the pop-up comments. I'm having trouble commenting on different blogs, but the pop-up comments seem to go through every time. I wish more of my blog friends had them. : )
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanie...it's so nice to get back to reading your posts again. I love all the photos of wildlife you come across on your walks. I wish there were more deer around here, I have only seen one since moving to our new home. At our old place they were abundant and you would see them most days if you were out driving.
ReplyDeleteThose buns that Rick made...oh my goodness. And your cake looked delicious.
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful card about Audrey's passing. I opened it at the mailbox and cried all the way up the driveway. Your words were so beautiful. It's been a tough time and Annie was truly affected. She has always lived with other cats and hated when we would go out and leave her so we went to Natalie's farm and brought home a little guy to keep her company. She finds him interesting and his presence has lifted her spirits but she's not 100% with him yet. This always takes time. He's on my blog today. :)
I like the lighting in your area. So nice. That last photo is exquisite. I want to find a place like your ditch for us to walk about almost every day. I'm newly retired (several months). Yesterday I thought the last few days feel like a Sunday.
ReplyDeleteI think that the work we do on our homes, our lives, is as necessary as it was when we worked full time. We may have a bit more time to address it, but it isn't any easier. That said, having the time to enjoy nature (love, love your pics!), and grill, take walks, those are the perks that everyone should find time for!!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Jeanie, I am having a difficult time commenting! Your holiday sounds restful and perfect! But you also got some work in and your wonderful walks to the ditch to visit your friends and my personal favorite, Harry! I featured you on my Gardens Galore Sampler today!
ReplyDeleteI love how you captured this special time of year...Fresh and natural...Yes, holidays and vacations are not the same as retired days, in my opinion. There is still work to be done!
ReplyDeletePS Do you have a tick problem where you live? It is very bad here so I don't go in woods or fields.
That always gets me; everyone always seems to think staying home all day - whether because you're retired, or because you work from home - automatically means you don't have any responsibilities to deal with, things that have deadlines to be completed in, etc.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm glad you had such a lovely holiday weekend. Yes, homemade buns would have been an excellent addition, I'm sure... I love homemade fresh bread products... The smell of it baking is delightful too!
I still love my holiday week-ends.
ReplyDeleteSome beautiful pictures Jean. Loved the beautiful dog!
ReplyDeleteRhubarb cake sounds nice. I've made rhubarb puddings but never cake, will have a look at the recipe.
Enjoy the weekend even if the week days are also weekends to you :)
Jeanie - I just loved this post - I felt like I was relaxing right along with you! Beautiful nature shots, especially the one of the ducks in the water that you described as 'marbled paper'. Gorgeous! And of course, since I am a tree nut, loved the shot of the light on the leaves at the end! Enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment - I see you are from Michigan! We just moved to Florida, but I'm a Michigan girl too. The fix for the comments that I blogged about is working for me, so it might be something in your settings - who knows, but hoping Google fixes it soon. Following you now!
ReplyDeleteOkay so Ricks buns (haha) look amazing! Brown butter....oh my, I love it. My friend makes brown butter rice Krispy Treats.....OH MY....so good. Loving all the wide life.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice Sunday with your new friends in the forest.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like an active, delicious weekend. The views at the ditch very peaceful.
ReplyDeleteThe comment issue is so annoying. I tried to do some research on it but had no luck resolving it. I think it has to do with the new privacy laws in Europe that went into effect on 5/25. I hope blogger fixes it soon!
ReplyDeleteI can totally see why you still love holiday weekends and feel differently about them compared to other weekends. Especially since Rick is still different. There’s just something special about a holiday weekend, even when you aren’t working!
I just love your adventures at the ditch! Hubby and I went fishing Saturday with our youngest daughter and her boyfriend. We saw a mama deer with the sweetest little fawn. Just makes me ever so happy! Your hubbies buns, (lol) look awfully delicious! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Jann
That cake looks amazing. It sounds like a great weekend. Thanks for sharing at Keep In Touch.
ReplyDelete