It’s Gone to the Dogs, and Cats, and Elephants…

Day 23

Today we are revisiting May, 2019. On that day Kathy and I went to Lancaster to see Quiltfest. Although there were many beautiful quilts there, there seemed to be an overabundance of animal quilts that year. For this post I thought I would only focus on them.

When we were in Africa a few years ago we saw many elephants roaming the animal preserves we visited. Here are two that we did not see.

Although it is natural to look up in the sky and see birds flying from tree to wire I have never seen birds like these,

All of our cats are indoor cats, but there are some who live out in the wild.

Being a Leo I just had to capture this majestic guy.

Take a look at this proud profile.

This playful fellow seems to be having a good time romping through the field.

A movie poster with cats?

If you are a fan of Mondrian’s art work this cat is for you.

Although I sometimes hear them I rarely see them.

This will wrap up our tour of animal quilts. Tune in for the next installment of quilts. Don’t know what they will be yet.

Looking Back

Day 22

If you have been reading my blog over the last several March challenges you know that there was always one thing I devoted several posts to toward the end of the challenge and that was the quilt shows Kathy and I attended. Last year there were no shows due to covid. This year there were no quilt shows due to covid.

Therefore, I thought I would revisit shows from previous years and reshare some of the things we saw and what made them memorable. I thought I would start with the 2019 show that was held in Hershey.

Although I am a fan of traditional quilts this stained glass quilt caught my eye. This is definitely one to be hung on the wall and admired and not slept under.

I enjoy animal quilts all the more if they are whimsical.

There are always several pictorial quilts at a show.

If you know me there is no way I can pass up a cat quilt.

Not all quilts need to be colorful to be striking. Here is basically a black and white quilt.

As I said earlier, I tend to lean toward traditional quilt patterns. However, sometimes a modernistic quilt stand out.

A Baltimore album quilt is always pleasing. All those applique pieces.

What would a quilt show be without a wall of miniatures?

That will do it for today’s trip down memory lane. Tomorrow we will revisit another show.

Signs of Spring

Day 21

Spring has arrived!

How do you tell when spring is here?

Do you watch and listen for the geese overhead honking and flying north in their familiar V formation?

Do you look for that first robin of the season hopping on your front lawn looking for some food?

Do you wait for the pussy willow to bloom, one of the first to make a appearance in spring?

Do you notice daffodils and hyacinths poking their heads out of the ground too tall to pull themselves back in?

Do you notice kids and adults walking about in shorts and wearing short sleeve shirts but no jackets?

Do you notice trees sprouting their green lace before becoming completely covered in leaves?

Do you look at the calendar and notice the date is March 20?

Do you notice that at 7 PM the sun is still shining?

Do you notice different birds at the bird feeder?

How do I tell when spring is here?

I listen for the first lawn mower of the season.

(Believe it or not but yesterday as we traveled to get our shots we did see a guy out on his mower cutting the grass, or should I say stirring up the dust.)

Friday Sijo

Day 19

I haven’t written a sijo in a bit so I thought I would write some for today’s post. In case you don’t know or need a refresher course on what a Sijo is it is a traditional Korean form of poetry.

It has a syllabic structure with each line containing 14 – 16 syllables. Each line of the poem has a specific purpose. Line one introduces the topic. Line two develops it further. Line three contains some kind of twist – humor or irony, an unexpected image, a pun, or a play on words.

Here are a few of mine:

Weather
Yesterday the sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky.
Birds chirped merrily and flowers poked their heads out of the ground.
Today swirling snow makes seeing across the street difficult.

Brown
It takes it time as if it has all the time in the world.
The opaque brown liquid slowly fills the glass container.
Meanwhile, I anxiously await my first cup of hot coffee.

Emergency
Sirens blaring and lights flashing quickly draw my attention.
What emergency is happening in our neighborhood.  
I guess I had better emerge 'n see what's going on.

 

A Short Post

Day 20

Today’s post is short because:

We are getting our second Covid vaccine shot today.

It is a two hour drive to where we are getting the shot.

We also have a two hour drive home.

We will be spending a total of four hours on the road today.

We are leaving shortly because we definitely need to stop for lunch halfway to our destination.

Since one of Kathy’s favorite fabric stores is on the way to where we’re headed we will need to stop (besides, it’s a good potty stop).

After our shot we will need to get some dinner before we go home.

I will be too tired to write anything when we get home.

When we get home I need to devote the time before bedtime to commenting.

Today’s post is short because I really have nothing to say today.

Washing the Hands

Day 18

During the last year I have washed my hands more than I ever had.

I go to the store. I come home and I wash my hands.

I unpack the groceries. I wash my hands.

I go th Walmart for some things. After checkout I go to the restroom and wash my hands.

I unload the bags from the cart to the back of the car. I don’t wash my hands, but I do use hand sanitizer on them,

I like to thing my hands are clean, but apparently they are not clean enough for some.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Day 17

I am not Irish.

In fact, I am as far away from being Irish as you can get. My mom was Lithuanian. Agnes Zelonis is not an Irish name. As far as I know there is no Irish blood on her side of the family. I know, if I did a test I might be surprised by the results. Still, I consider myself half Lithuanian.

I am not Irish.

My father’s parents were immigrants. They came to America from the Ukraine region. Definitely not a highly Irish populated area. Believe me when I say that the broken English my grandparents spoke did not have a hint of Irish brogue to it.

I am not Irish.

We did not dine on corn beef and cabbage. My mom cooked good hearty artery clogging meals like bleenies, pierogi, haluski, and halupki. Not one of these has an Irish sounding name.

I am not Irish.

My wife, on the other hand, is totally Irish. With a name like Kathleen Ann it is almost a given. Her father, Thomas Elliott. had the fair skin that he passed on to her thus making summer sun time something that is not tolerable. Think lobster red after just short sun exposure.

I am not Irish.

Kathy’s mother was Marguerite Mc Geehan. Kathy’s grandmother was Winifred McHue. Need I say more? These certainly are not Italian names.

Today, I am Irish. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Halfway There

Day 16

Well, we made it halfway through the March Challenge. Let’s hear it for all of us.

Just as Wednesday is considered the hump day of the week I like to think of March 16 as the hump day of the Slice of Life Story Challenge. We have written, posted, and commented for 15 days. We have 15 more days of writing, posting, and commenting ahead of us. Today we sit right in the middle.

At the beginning of March, some of us, and by that I mean me, often wonder if we will make it through the month. Coming up with 31 different ideas can be pretty daunting if you don’t have a plan. Now, I only need 15 posts. That seems doable.

During those first 15 days excitement grows. We reconnect with old friends who take part in this challenge every year. We meet new friends who are doing this challenge for the first time. During the last 15 days bonds grow stronger through our writing and commenting. Inspiration from others gives us the push to try new formats of writing.

The first 15 days sometimes seem to go by slowly as we at times seem to push ourselves to write to get something in during the time frame of 24 hours. During the last 15 days we are in the habit of writing and feel a sense of loss if we don’t do a daily post.

So, as we start the downside of this writing journey let’s give ourselves a great big pat on the back. We deserve it. See you all at the finish line on March 31.

Keeping It Simple

Day 15

Yesterday, as I wrote in my post, I decided to take it easy. I felt like I had good reasons for doing this. First of all, I went to bed late, at least for me, Saturday night. PBS ran Les Miserables, the 25th Anniversary concert. I have seen Les Miz several times. It is a show I don’t get tired of seeing or listening to.

I knew I wanted to watch it even though starting a 9:00 and running 3 1/2 hours because of breaks because it’s money time on PBS, it would end well after my usual bedtime of 10:30. I also know that with losing an hour of sleep I wouldn’t be much good for anything on Sunday.

I wanted simple to extend to all aspects of the day including dinner. I didn’t want to make anything that would take a lot of fuss to prepare. That is why I decided on a crock pot meal. Again, keeping it simple, I didn’t want anything that required a whole lot of prep time or ingredients.

I settled on a meal that only needed 4 ingredients and didn’t need any stove top browning or precooking of any kind. I had some chicken tenders in the freezer. I needed 2 pounds and I had 2 pounds. After defrosting the tenders I cut them into chunks. I like using the crock pot liners so I put one in and gave it a light spray of Pam. I placed the chicken chunks in a single layer on the bottom of the crock pot.

I measured out 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup soy sauce, and 1 cup pineapple juice. Mixed them together in a 4 cup measuring cup, poured the mixture over the chicken, put the lid on the pot, and turned it on low.

Eight hours later dinner was ready. Served with rice and brussel sprouts as a vegetable dinner was ready with very little work thus keeping it simple. There is plenty left for a second meal during the week.

A Quiet Sunday

Day 14

After doing some yard work during the week I thought I would just take it easy today. There is nothing pressing that needs to be done. There is no place I need to or want to go.

Dinner is in the crock pot so it will be ready for 6:00. My blog for the day is written and posted. I will keep checking back throughout the day to read the posts of those who post after me. There is nothing going on this week that demands attention.

Oh, yes, Kathy does have a dentist appointment on Tuesday and then we do need to go to Wal-Mart to pick up some pills. But that is only one day.

I almost forgot that I have a zoom meeting I need to get ready for on Wednesday. I guess I need to take some time today to write up an agenda for the meeting since I am running is. Now where did I put my notes for the meeting.

One more thing, on Saturday we go for our second Covid vaccine shot. It is a two hour drive which means a total of four hours driving plus a half hour of sitting after the shot. Here’s hoping the weather will cooperate because as of now Thursday and Friday look a bit iffy. Can’t worry about the weather today. Things change day to day.

But as I said, there is nothing going on today so I will just take it slowly and quietly.