In an earlier post I mentioned a New York Times article that discussed languishing and flourishing during lockdown times and I mentioned I was flourishing and, for the most part of the past year, felt much the same. No languishing for me!
But the past few weeks have been off kilter with my back issues, physical therapy and really never being comfortable. That combination led me to that very heavy-sigh spot more often than I'd like. So, with the long weekend, one would think "what fun!" I won't go all that far but it had its moments.
There was the delicious quiche I pulled together for dinner -- a pre-weekend treat. This was spinach/mushroom/onion/feta and was delicious, served with hash browns. Rick isn't a big fan of eggs at dinner but he heartily enjoyed this one. (I took two or three different spinach quiche recipes and messed around with them, but all had four eggs and a cup or close to it of milk and lots of cheese. I just kept adding things. I hope I can remember what I did!)
The weather wasn't scheduled to be good and it was pretty nippy early on (but warmed later in the weekend.) I enjoyed a lovely walk around the Ditch. The waterlilies are starting to come out.
I have to admit, I love them, looking like polka dots atop more polka dogs, just floating along.
There wasn't much wildlife on tap but this fellow was carting around a nut almost as big as his head.
And, he found a spot to bury it deep!
I made cookies, finished a book and started another, potted what felt like a million plants and made time to do a little bit of sketching.
This one might evolve into a watercolor sometime soon.
We were so excited to expect the kids for lunch, eager for those hugs only a toddler can give. Along with the cookies, I made a pasta salad, Rick was ready to grill that toddler favorite, hot dogs, and we were on pins and needles, awaiting their arrival. When they didn't show we thought they might be late, traveling down from their grandparents up north. Finally Rick checked the phone, only to find messages wondering where we were! They were at the lake -- we forgot to tell them we stayed home. We were deeply disappointed, after looking so forward to it. Next time we'll be more specific! But, with that canceled, we went off to plant the cemetery flowers.
This year, the VA couldn't get volunteers to put flags at the veteran graves but we found a fellow from the office who had a whole box of them and were able to get them for my dad's and uncle's graves.
With all that food leftover from the aborted lunch, we called friends Mike and Kate and enjoyed a lovely Memorial Day cookout on the patio. It was a good end to a quiet weekend.
Well, almost the end. I came home, worked on my jigsaw puzzle for a bit while watching an episode of "Vera," and finally hit bed. About a half hour into it, I was awakened by Lizzie, with whom I'll often play a game we call "Attack My Foot, Attack My Hand." I will move my foot or hand under the blankets and she will leap on it! However, at the moment, I wasn't aware of moving. That said, with my back issues, I'm sometimes a bit more unsettled. I just turned over and let her play and fell asleep.
I know. Ewwww. When I awoke, I realized, it wasn't my foot she was playing with. Yes, I was proud of her. And, thanks to several friends who know more about vintage quilts than I (including Panoply's Rita!) I now have the quilt and its stains soaking in the bathtub. It may be a lost cause. Like the mouse.
And on that note, I bid you farewell for another day! I'll let you know how the quilt comes out!
Sharing with: Let's Keep in Touch / Pink Saturday
63 comments:
Oh no, a dead mouse in your bed!!!! You are having a rough time! Sorry about the mix up with the kids too! I'm also sorry you're having back issues Jeanie, but on the upside, you created a new recipe, dined with friends and did some sketching, gotta focus on the positive...I hope you feel better soon!
Jenna
It sounds like you accomplished a lot this weekend! Sorry about the missed BBG! Yikes about the mouse!!!!! Can you tell me where you got the Nancy Drew puzzle?
I know the pain of back aches. Mine was acting up last week. Taking Advil and using a heating pad helps. The quiche looks so good. I always forget to make one. Sometimes a simple dinner is good. So glad you had a lovely cookout. Eeeeek about the mouse. I hope the stain comes out. Happy June and Happy summer.
You certainly got more done than I did! Don't like the thought of that mouse, eeeeek! Hugs, Valerie
OH my goodness! A dead mouse? Wow. LOL. I love your other photos, though. That quiche with the green grapes and potatoes on that blue plate looked amazing. I want some of that. So sorry about the aborted lunch with family, but you did have a good time with friends.
Hello,
Sorry you missed the family, I hope you are able to get together soon.
The quiche looks and sounds delicious! The gift from you kitty is a surprise, UGH.
Take care, enjoy your day! Happy June, have a great week!
Jeanie, that mouse would have been the end of me. I admit, they terrify me! The quiche looks delicious...so sorry the plans with the family was messed up. The food did not go to waste and the company of friends is always a good thing. Back issues are no fun, hopefully better days are coming!
Sorry you are having back issues, I hope you are feeling better soon. How awful to wake up to a dead mouse on your bed, I would have ran away screaming lol. Sorry about the mix up with the kids too. It sounds like you were able to have a nice weekend anyway. Hope this week is a great one!
My niece has a cottage and a house and I've gone to the wrong one before when invited out. Fortunately they are close enough to each other I could still make it tot the party. I'll bet that won't happen again with your family. We always specific now.
The mouse, at first glace looked like he was an applique to my cataract encrusted eyes. Maybe if you can't get the stain out you could find a fabric with a cat curled up and applique that (or something else) over top of the stain.
Sketches and hot dogs for me, please!
I would have greatly enjoyed eating hot dogs, while contemplating your lovely sketches.
Well at the very least Lizzie takes her resident duties seriously.
Ugh - Lizzie! I'm not fond of mice in the bed. Too bad about the mixup with the kids. We spent a quiet weekend with some sleet/hail/rain. That quiche looks yummy, Jeanie.
I'm so sorry about the back pain, Jeanie. As one with spinal stenosis I understand. So sorry your plans for the weekend were misunderstood, but you made the most of it! I love the Nancy Drew puzzle, but the mouse would have done me in. Hope your soaking quilt is none worse for your efforts.
Ewwwww! a dead mouse in the house. I hope the quilt stain comes out.
Sorry for the mix up with the grands.
I love your sketches.
Quiche is a favorite evening meal or teatime treat for me. I do love quiche. Your quiche looks delicious.
Hope your back gets better.
Oh yuck, a dead mouse on the bed. But I guess it's better than a live one crawling over your head while you sleep. It does look and sound like you've been having a great time except for the missed opportunity to see the littles. Soon I'm sure you will be spending a lot more time together. We're gearing up for 2nd shots where I live and if my dear niece can get one soonish we might just get a chance to visit before summer's end.
Ewwww, but thank God for your Huntress or you might have awoke with a Live Mouse and that would have been worse! *LOL* I owned Pet Mice but something about the Wild Ones gives me the willies, which probably isn't Fair, same Species really and I did Love my Pet Rodents whenever we had them, including The Hamster Brothers. That Quiche, OMG, and I really should try to make one, hardly any Restaurants even give the option on their Menus! *Le Sigh* You certainly are not languishing, even with ailments you're keeping on top of things, I bow down to you... I'm a Sloth by comparison lately, I really just can't get my Mojo going to tackle things.
First, let me say how sorry I am to read you are having back problems. I can empathize. I think I need a chiropractor. I hope you are getting treatment.
What a mess up over the weekend. But your quiche looks great and so does the rest of the meal.
Thankfully, I don't have any mice in my home. Bleubeard found one once and was playing with it, but with two cats, mice have warned their families that my house is off limits. I feel for you and the gorgeous quilt, though. Keep that positive attitude and smile even when you don't feel like it, dear friend.
What a bummer about missing the grand kids. Next time.
Ewww that mouse!! I hope your quilt fares better than that mouse did!
Glad there are a few bright spots amid the less pleasant things at least. Sorry about the back issues, and about the mix up with the grands. Poor mouse, and poor you waking up to realize what Lizzie had actually been playing with... Hope the quilt comes clean.
I know the misery of an achy body all too well. It makes me feel old before my time, and just as I felt I was making some personal headway getting back on track, now we are being told we could be seeing the start of a third wave, it is heavy news to read.
Have you ever thought of doing ICAD? Google Daisy Yellow Art. Thousands of us doing it, from beginners such as myself to fully on professional artists.
All in all, having had the kids and the grandkids go to a different part of the state to visit, it didn't turn out too badly. And maybe it's good for you to skip the hot dogs anyway! Our treat recently? Fresh Ontario asparagus. It was wonderful.
Everything sounded great until....and I skipped right over that when I saw the beginning of the photo! I hope you get relief from your back.
Sorry about the back issues; hope things improve. Sorry you missed time with the boys. The quiche sounds great. Hope the quilt cleans up; but, if it doesn't, consider painting a mouse on cotton and making an applique for it. I love your sketches.
OK...
THATWOULDFREAKMEOUT.
Oh Jeanie take care..
Glad you have distractions..pain needs distractions..lovely sketches..
What a mix up w/ the kids!
Until next time.
Take care.
Oh, my. The most Dixie Rose ever was able to accomplish was drowning her toy mousies in her water bowl. I'll be curious to know what you tried for your quilt cleaning. My first thought would have been peroxide; that's why I use when I manage to get blood on my work clothes; I learned the trick from a nurse who had to keep her whites white.
I shouldn't have laughed at the lake cottage mixup, but I did. One of my friends had a similar experience recently. As she said, "I'm not always sure whether I said something out loud, or just thought it." At least it worked out well, and you were able to enjoy some time with friends. As for that quiche: if you manage to duplicate it, publish the results here. It looks scrumptious!
Take care of yourself. I would have freaked out a bit with that dead mouse. Hydrogen peroxide will take out blood stains, and don't put it in a dryer, lay it out on a clean sheet. I have a pdf on how to wash vintage quilts if you need it.
I hope your back is much better. I love your sketches! I also hope you can remember how you made the quiche...it looks delicious! I know how you feel about the mouse: our champion barn dog brought me a chipmunk through the doggie door a couple of weeks ago. She was so proud and wanted to share! :/
Hi Jeanie, I am so sorry you are having problems with your back. Not to mention the mouse! But you did accomplish a lot in that short time, so give yourself some credit. I'm sorry too that you missed the kids. I know how much you sere looking forward to their being there with you. Love to you both.
Oh, Jeanie. Missing the boys must have been at the top of your list, but the mouse must have come in a close second. I hope your back gets to feeling better. I sympathize wholeheartedly..xxoJudy
I am so sorry you had that mixup with the get-together - how disappointing! Love your water lilies but can't say I'd love a dead mouse in the bed. Sending you warm thoughts and a big psychic hug.
Do you have any peroxide? That is really good for taking stains like blood out of cotton.
The quiche looks delicious, and topping it off with potatoes and fruit is just how I like it :)
We have a park here with a lake that has water lilies, and I always enjoy them. You got great photos! The mix-up on the family gathering is a shame. We've been re-watching Vera. We always like that show and hope for more seasons. Congratulations to your cat on a job well done. I'm hopeful the quilt will be fine.
I've had back trouble so know how that is. I trust the physical therapy will be beneficial.
Beautiful gravestone in pink granite.
Sorry y'all were ready to meet, but at different places.
Ready first...see photo...I thought it was the mouse you let sleep. Eeuuw. That was a curious few seconds until I realized Lizzie is the cat that made the mouse sleep forever.
I hope your back feels better soon Jeanie! It doesn't help not having the greatest weekend and missing the little ones. At least any rodent problems at home are being dealt with thanks to Lizzie. Art and nature should bring some comfort.
Oh no! Lizzie!! I hope the stain comes out. Oscar has brought 2 LIVE mouses upstairs recently at Joan’s. Eeks! Phil was there one time. Joan grew up on a farm so is not skittish about that kind of thing. I would be as I am a total wimp when it comes to mice!!!
Sorry to hear about your back! Back pain is awful and so debilitating. Phil had sciatica issues last month and could not lift either boy for a good week or so. His mom is having issues with a bulging disc and might need surgery. Oy that will be tough for her if she needs it.
We had a quiet weekend at home, too. We saw some of Phil’s friends on Saturday and he took Paul to Joan’s on Sunday. I know my parents were bummed to not have us at the lake but we avoid busier weekends up there. Will wakes during the night and we really need at least 2 bedrooms so it’s better for us to come at quiet times. I am sorry you didn’t get to see the toddler twosome!!!
Sorry about your back problems Jeanie. I've been going to the chiro for my 20 year old back problems and I've been feeling a great improvement.
How sad about the missed visit from the grandkids.
I love quiche but don't often make it.
Yikes on the mouse, hope you managed to clean the quilt. My cats no longer catch anything, thank goodness! but they used to bring dead mice and leave them by the glass doors to the patio.
That's too bad about not seeing the baby grands. But it doesn't sound like the worst way to spend a long weekend. Well maybe not the mouse. That happened to me when we had one of our cats. At least Lizzie didn't eat everything but the head and leave it that way for you. Yuk. The quiche looks yummy. I made on a couple of months ago and I am thinking about another one, and seeing yours has me thinking about it even more so. It looks so good. And cookie too. That sounds like a perfect meal, or several meals. Hope your June is starting off in a good way Jeanie. Hugs-Erika
So sorry to read about your back troubles ... sending healing thoughts and wishes to you.
Shame about the mix-up with seeing the family and Grands!
Your quiche looks great.
A definite YIKES about the mouse!
Take care, my good wishes.
All the best Jan
Hang in there, Jeanie with your back issues. I hurt my shoulder and back and it took almost a year of therapy and rest to get better.
I'm sorry your plans got messed up for Memorial Day with the kids but glad you salvaged the occasion and had friends over.
I have a funny mouse story. Years ago, my husband and I went to his parents beach house and the moment we walked in I told him I could smell a strong smell that I thought was a dead mouse. He said he didn't smell anything and dismissed it. Later that night. after we had been asleep I got up to go to the bathroom and got back in the bed only to feel a lump in the bed. So in the middle of the night we discovered a dead mouse under the mattress cover of the bed we were sleeping in. We started laughing and could not stop! I think my husband will believe me if I smell something from now on!
Beautiful
I worked at home during the pandemic an still am so I flourished as well. Janice
i love your sketches jeanie. it's nice to be creative. and what about that cute squirrel? when we lived in the US for a short while, we used to love seeing the squirrels and chipmunks. so adorable. i make quiche the Ruth Reichl way. her recipes are so good, and this one always works. She uses 3 eggs to one cup cream Delish! Hope you're doing well and your back gets better.
cheers
sherry
The back can be such a difficult problem to overcome. I hope that rest helps with the pain.
And---oh dear! A mouse! Let's hope your advisers' suggestions work out.
Get well soon on your back Jeane.
Wonderful post... Take care
Oh no!!! A dead mouse in your bed! I used to have a dog that would bring me such thoughtful gifts - but never in my bed. Lol. I am sorry. Hopefully you can save the quilt!
It sounds like you had a pretty good low-key weekend. I am sorry you missed your family though, and that your back is bothering you!
Those waterlilies are beautiful, I love them. It's a shame about the misunderstanding with the family.
Lizzie was a bit naughty, poor mouse and poor you. I wouldn't want to wake up to a dead mouse in my bed.
Brilliant shot that second pic! Love it. Hope you're feeling better now... so much to enjoy as you've shared with us. :)
So sorry to hear about your back.
OMG that quiche looks wonderful. I love quiche.
Take special care.
Dear Lizzie, she was so proud of her find she just had to share it with you.
Sad about the mix-up with the family, but there will be many more lake times with all.
Your quiche looks wonderful, it is a favorite of ours.
About your stain, I have had good luck with the following: On a hot sunny summer day, treat the spot with a little salt, followed by lemon juice on top (fresh lemon). Lay in the hot sunshine and see how it goes. Rinse off with cool water.
Oh no that is taking the is there a mouse in the house to a whole new level! Fingers crossed it will all come out in the wash! I loved that languishing article how brilliant that you were flourishing I feel I'm going the other way I've definitely been languishing but now trying to flourish in these yet continuing testing times. Sending you a big hug.
Wren x
Oh it's so frustrating when meet ups go wrong. I'm glad you found a constructive and social way to eat the food and you will laugh ruefully together when you all do meet up which I hope will be soon. Lizzie doesn't need to get the idea you enjoy her little "gifts" does she? but she isn't to know that it's less fun for you 🙂 I think the mess on that pretty quilt should dissolve away when soaked with Vanish but how annoying to find it when you woke. . That quiche looks really good. I'd be VERY happy to eat it! My latest thing with quiches is to cut very thinly sliced raw celery in before baking. It cooks through just fine and the taste isn't overwhelming- more like a condiment.
Lizzie wanted to bring you a present.
And she helps you not to have too many mice around your house.So she was rather busy and did a good job....LOL
It is really sad that you have such a bad back. A lot of people have problems there. I hope it gets better soon. Perhaps the warmth of the sun will help
you.
I am sure it was really disappointing when the grandchildren did not come to enjoy your pasta salad.
So sorry you missed your family especially as you were looking so forward to those hugs. I would have flipped out at a dead mouse on my bed! Stay safe.
That's funny! The mouse thing happened to us, as well!
I love your sketches. I really ought to try do one.
I heard about languishing, as well. That pretty much where we are!
Okay, I would have died with the dead mouse in the bed with me!!!!! I think Joe would have died more!!!
I am proud to say that I am carving time out of my busy days for doing some reading!! And as long as it is not really hot right now, I am able to do so in my upstairs Sitting Room. It is all good for my soul!!
Thanks for visiting!! Have a great weekend...I am getting my second covid shot so I plan on being deathly ill on Monday!!
Hugs,
Deb
Congratulations to Lizzie! A brave girl! Seems she just want to show you that she is a real feline 😻
The food looks yummy!
Beautiful shots of squirrel.
So sorry to hear about your back issues Jeanie and hope you feel better real soon. I enjoyed all your photos. Looks like you made the most of your weekend. Yow on the mouse. Our cat brought us presents like that. I hope you won’t have to throw your quilt out. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
OMG! I wouldn't be right for weeks.
Uhh, thanks for the gift, Lizzie......
I hope you get better soon.
Oh no! I am so afraid of mice, I think I would have died seeing that. Lucky for you that Lizzie was on duty. I loved Nancy Drew when I was young. What a great puzzle. Hope your back is feeling better.
Well, one never knows what the next day will bring with cats. I love all your little sketches. Very talented. I'm not sure what the beginning photo flowers are, but they are beautiful. Quite a busy time you had.
Now that was certainly not the weekend you had planned but it sounds like you made the most of it. Although ending with a mouse in bed...ewwwww is right.
Sad I am . . . thinking of you and your back . . .
and oh my, you’d have found me on the ceiling
and heard me even more.
Mouse Mice get a EWEUUUUUUUU . . . from me!
(Not sure of my spelling, but you’ll get my point!)
Did you manage to rescue the quilt!?
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