The Weekend

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Saturday was a busy day. I read a lot of blogs in the morning. Then Frank and I went for a short walk up to the hardware and seed store... we walked maybe a bit over a half of a mile. They didn't have the type of lettuce Frank wanted to plant in the garden. So we took a ride over to a feed and seed store. Frank wanted seed and all they had were plants. He wasn't sure he wanted to go ahead and get the plants. He wrote down the variety and we came back to the house to read up on the variety. He decided to go back and buy the plants. He bought some carrot seeds too.

After lunch... which I can't remember what we had now... we drove over to Circuit City to see if they had any bargains. We were hoping to find a computer desk... they were out. They had no camera lenses for our cameras or filters. We thought we might like another external hard drive. We found one just like we bought on our trip last year, but the one that was 25% off in Circuit City cost about $9 more than the one we bought last year... you have to watch those sales; sometimes they aren't a sale at all.

Then we walked over to Michael's just next door. My nose was working and I could smell the potpourri very well!... so we didn't stay long in there and bought nothing. Then we went next door into Home Depot looking for bird seed. We bought none... it is cheaper at Tractor Supply. How about that... went shopping and bought nothing :-)

I tell you after all that walking we were tired, so the only thing I did after we got home was rest and then the dishes. Oh... finally remember what we ate. Frank cooked a nice shrimp soup and I baked some fish fillets and some baked sweet potato wedges. For the wedges... cut potatoes into wedges or slices... about one inch. In a mixing bowl place some oil and whatever spices you like and mix together. Then add sweet potatoes coating well with oil mixture. For the sweet potatoes I usually use cinnamon and black coarse-ground pepper (salt if you like). Bake at 425° until they begin to brown. The amount of oil depends on the amount of potatoes... a couple of tablespoons is enough for the amount to fill a jelly roll pan. The same can be done for regular potatoes; I don't think cinnamon goes well with them, but basil, paprika and red or black coarse pepper work well. Don't peel... keep the nutrients.

This morning we went to Wal-Mart. I looked through all the cold and sinus meds to see if anything would help this lingering cough. I finally thought it through that what I have now is probably my normal allergies causing the annoying post-nasal drip and cough. So I decided I would just take an antihistamine when I got home. I take Equate Chlortabs. They are cheap and work. It did help today. Frank is much better too.

After we returned home and put everything away Frank worked in his vegetable garden. I trimmed dead growth out of the flower pots and trimmed the butterfly bushes back. I had no idea how to do it... I only planted them last spring. I was careful not to overdo my back. Trim a bit and stand straight and then continue on. It only took me about 10 minutes. I don't have many plants in pots right now. Then is was time to cook dinner... our midday meal.

Today we had broiled pork chops, corn meal muffins, rice and blackeye peas with onion and chopped stewed tomatoes. The blackeye peas with onion and chopped stewed tomatoes are served over the rice. I am a syrup sopper... so I grabbed the cane syrup to go with my corn meal muffins. That's my sweet for today. I have brownies on my mind though. Ummm... maybe tomorrow. I also want to make some granola... maybe I can do both. There is enough food for dinner tomorrow... so for sure I should have time to do some fun cooking :-)

I washed a lot of dishes while I was cooking.... I do miss having a dishwasher... there are a few more to wash, but I will get them later.

After dinner I took my camera outside, but not much happening except for this Horace's Duskywing Skipper was fluttering around the vegetable garden. Of course he would not light on the grass which would make a much better background. He is a bit blurry because he was in motion. I used all auto setting today. I usually only use auto focus. I imagine he is a bit dark. I have a hard time editing pictures on this laptop. One turn of the head changes the look of a picture.

I do want all of y'all to know that I do read all your comments. I do appreciate each one of them. I'm really feeling at home here in the blog world.

To answer some questions now...

I will glad to help any of y'all ID birds or even insects. My contact information is no secret, so just send me an email with your questions.

Grammy asked me what type of picture editing software I use. Way back in the late 1990s I started using Microsoft's program called Picture It! It eventually morphed into DIP (Digital Image Pro) The version I use now is version 10. Microsoft decided to stop making the program. They think that what is contained in Vista Windows is sufficient. It is not sufficient for me because I do like to make frames and do other things to photos that can't be done with the picture editing software with Vista. I tried trial versions of Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. The latter program is especially hard for me. DIP does some of the same things as PSP and in less steps... so some of my friends use both programs. I will eventually have to bite the bullet and get another picture editing program, but as long as my DIP works I will continue with it.

Several people have also asked me if I know other Goff families living elsewhere. Frank's Dad was born and raised around Lucedale Mississippi. His family migrated from SC. We're having a bit of trouble tracing his line back because there are three William Goffs about the same age in the censuses. We need to go and dig in the courthouse records to figure out which William Goff to follow back.

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It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted. --Mary O'Connor