April 30: You Never Know

I was up early enough this morning that I decided to go ahead and make pancakes.  I avoid making pancakes and I'll tell you why.  I find them very time consuming.  I cannot find a flat griddle that covers two burners properly on my stove...I take that back. I had one but it was huge, cast iron and heavy as could be.  I gave it to one or another of the kids and since then I've been unable to find one that doesn't have handles which butt into the back panel of the stove and prevents the thing from sitting properly on the two burners.  So, I use a frying pan.  I can fry one large or two medium or three small at a time.  If I opt to do the larger pancakes it truly does take forever and then some to get the batter all cooked up. 

Anyway, this morning, I was in the mood to make the pancakes, and I took my coffee at the kitchen sitting so I'd be in the room.  I made up my own protein type pancake batter mix.  I used almond flour, oatmeal, flax seed meal, hemp hearts, eggs.  I wish I'd had some almond milk as they would have increased the protein still further.   

One of these is very filling due to the extra fiber that is in all of the grain type ingredients.  I admit I'm not adverse to using this almond flour at all.  Everything I've used it to make thus far has turned out just wonderful.  Baked goods like muffins and pancakes have anyway.     

I'm also liking the simple 'dough' that you make from Greek yogurt and flour.  That too becomes a higher protein (not a low carb but a higher protein) bread item and it can be used to make biscuits, muffins, bagels (Don't boil!), scones, etc.  

Why all this food talk today?  Because my loves, I was feeling very blah and downhearted about weight loss efforts.  And today, this very day, I am solidly back into my size 22 pants with a wee bit of room to spare.  They had gotten so very uncomfortable and tight that I'd sized up four months ago.   And just so you know I don't weigh in.  I don't own a scale and haven't for most of my life, so I go solely by how clothes fit (or don't).  I've made some headway!  

I worked outside again this morning.  John went out to feed the cat and dog and came in saying, "Oh it's crisp out there this morning."  Now it wasn't cold by any means, not like autumn, but we've had some very humid days of late, and I welcomed the news that it was a wee bit cooler.  I hurried through my bit of housework and went right out the door to get to work.  

I picked up a great pile of sticks, moved a lot of pots about, emptying out the dead things and contemplating what I want to do this year to make the bed next to the steps look pretty and contemplated the many tasks that I needed to tackle.  I pulled weeds but carefully avoided any spot where I saw poison ivy of which there is more than enough.  I've had John spray it and will watch carefully to make sure we kill it completely as we both are very allergic to it.

The second New Dawn rose has been trimmed and tied to the trellis.  Both rosemary bushes got a hard trim though I didn't complete the task on the larger one.  The rose in front of the back porch had all the barren canes cut out of it and some of the branches trimmed now the flowers are dying back.  

I've found that using those plastic net produce bags to tie roses to the trellis work incredibly well.  I don't tie them up tightly, so there's no damage done to the canes.  I cut the bags into strips and tied them around a group and to the trellis.  There's enough stretch in the netting that the branches can grow and move freely but still be supported.   They do disintegrate but will generally last a season or two.

My last task today before I quit completely was to pile the wagon high with all I'd pruned.  I was too weary to walk across the yard to empty the darn thing though.  

All in all, this morning I was outdoors about 2.5 hours.  I took two or three rest breaks sitting down to drink a glass of water and then I'd get up and go at it again, until I began to feel overwhelmed with it all which is why things get left undone.  I would tell you again you'd never guess I'd made any progress at all if you took a look at it, but I did make some.   

I came indoors to sit and cool before showering and listened to John play his guitar.  When he came out of the music room, I told him I needed to go to town to get a bill in the mail...Brief panic as my mind just double checked that I did indeed mail off said bill while I was gone today...He asked me to pick up Chinese for lunch as his treat.  He said, "I know you've been wanting some."  Well, no, I haven't.  I've been wanting Mexican to be honest with you, and have mentioned that several times, but Sam and I spoke of the place in Butler yesterday while he was visiting and John apparently got a hankering for Chinese.

I also mentioned to Sam that the woman in the Chinese place is never very friendly, and she truly hasn't been in all these years, but the food is quite good, and the service is very good if you don't attempt to do online orders.   But you just never know do you?  Today when I went in to place my order she was sitting quietly on the side behind the counter, and she jumped up with a huge smile and a very friendly 'Hello!  How are you today?"  And she was more than kind and courteous.  Maybe I've just been catching her when she's been run off her feet?  They are often busy, which is a testament to how good the food is.  Since there are four restaurants on that side of the courthouse that one might choose, it's easy to see that they more than hold their own there in that small town.  Anyway, she was very pleasant today and it made me determined to give them more of our business in future.

Never mind...I agreed to pick up Chinese but told him I'd put my own homemade frozen egg rolls (which are baked not fried) in the oven to heat while I was gone.  I got an entree of steamed vegetables to go along with our meal today.  We put rice and extra food into the freezer for another meal, so we'll get two servings each off of our purchase today.  

Now I am off to make a light supper of some sort.  Not sure just what.  Having eaten quite well at lunch today I don't want a big meal.  

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