You're never too old to learn

The other day my friend Betty called.  She asked me if I liked pea soup.  Being the blunt person that I am, I answered, "no".  She invited me to dinner anyway. I told her that even though I didn't like my mother's pea soup, I'd try it.  She also made hot dogs as a back-up.

Tonight was the night.  I tried it and I liked it.  I won't say that I'd order it in a restaurant or go out of my way for it, but it was good.

It reminded me of the many times I told my son to at least try a food.  You never know, you may like it.

Cleaning Time

Today I decided to clean the laundry room/extra pantry.

When I do my food shopping, I usually put the non-perishables on the floor, with the usual comment that I'll take care of them later.  Well, later is now.  My back is still bothering me, but resting hasn't done much except add to the clutter in the house.

It's surprising how little time it takes to pick up and put away.  I spent only 45 minutes rearranging the shelves and putting the canned goods from the floor to the shelves.  The room looks so much better now.  It's also surprising to realize how much I buy because I didn't know I already had it.  That has got to change.

It's also amazing how much cat hair accumulates in a room that they are not allowed to enter.  But maybe that's because I haven't swept the floor lately.

Because this has been a warmer than usual winter, I haven't made as much soup as I normally would during these months.  I have cans and cans of broth.  It's a good thing that canned goods have a long shelf life.

I also have a lot of hot chocolate, baking and candy making supplies on hand.  Hmm, maybe I'll have a dessert party, or even better a soup and dessert party and we can drink hot chocolate.

Occasionally, with all the bending my back has let its presence known.  Hopefully, tomorrow won't be too bad.  My closet needs cleaning too.

Laughs at Lunch

Because of a chemical leak last week, our clubhouse is closed this week.  We moved our Scrabble game to one of the ladies' homes and then, because I didn't have to work in the clubhouse today I was able to join them for lunch.

We were having a good time when one of my friends mentioned that she noticed in an email from Costco that you could buy a casket from them.  We were discussing the price when I questioned whether or not you had to buy the casket in bulk like so many other items or could you buy only one.  We had a good laugh over that.  If you had to buy in bulk, where would you store the extras.

I guess you could be like Abby on NCIS and sleep in it.

Roomba

This year my son listed a Roomba on his wish list.  I had been thinking of getting one for myself since several friends use it and love it.  Since my son always does extensive research on any product before he buys or even thinks about getting, I decided to get one for him and one for me.

I can say that it is effective.  It does a very good job of cleaning the floor and picking up all the cat hair.  Crash and Burn aren't too keen on it though and sometimes I don't blame them.  It's like having another child or cat.  It just doesn't listen to me and has a mind of its own.

This morning I put it down in the kitchen since I wanted it cleaned first.  Well, Roomba seemed to have a mind of its own and went straight for my bedroom and stayed there for 1/2 hour.  That floor didn't need that much cleaning. 

I finally picked it up, closed the bedroom door and put it down in the kitchen.  It headed immediately for the bedroom again, but was blocked.  The next time I saw it, it was back in the living room and pushing a cat toy around.  Was it playing with the toy?  It's still wandering around the living room.  Will it ever get to the kitchen?

Government Interference with Religion

I've been following all the media reports on the president's directive that religious institutions, regardless of their precepts, must provide coverage for contraception.

In my opinion, this coverage is very misleading.  Actually, the president demands coverage for abortion, contraception and sterilization.  Most reports omit abortion and sterilization and only mention birth control. 

I'm not an expert on the constitution, but somehow it seems to me that the government is intruding on the laws of Catholics and any other religion that considers abortion wrong.  If women feel that they really must have an abortion, let them pay for it themselves, or go to Planned Parenthood who will gladly perform the service.

Sneakers

Today I learned something.  First I have to explain something.  I'm cynical, particularly about advertising.  I tend to pick commercials apart.

I've always thought that there wasn't too much difference in sneakers, whether they're the cheaper cloth ones or the more expensive leather and designed for walking or running.  I've decided to start getting more exercise and until I get my own treadmill, I've been going to the gym in our clubhouse.

The other day I wore my cloth sneakers and had to force myself to walk for only 23 minutes and go only 1.01 miles.  I was tired, my legs ached and every step was an effort.  Today, I wore my sneakers designed for walking or running.  I was able to walk for 32 minutes and cover 1.51 miles.  I felt good this afternoon and I still feel good.  I actually have some energy.  There really is  difference.

I like the look of the cloth sneakers.  They're dark blue and nice and flat.  The special shoes are white, which make my big feet look even bigger, the real reason I don't want to wear them.  Vanity is everything.

I guess I'll have to live with those ugly white shoes as long as I can walk over a half hour and still have some bounce in my step.

Nature

Here in New Jersey, we've been having a very mild winter.  We've been having temperatures in the 60's.  In fact, yesterday I decided to give Crash and Burn a treat and opened a few windows.  Unfortunately, I live in a very windy area.  Leaves were blown off some of my plants and the door to one of the rooms was slammed shut a couple of times.  I finally got the hint and closed the windows.

Today, when I went out to get my mail, this is what I saw.

The hyacinth are popping through the ground and the crocus are already blooming.  I hate to think what will happen to them if and when winter finally arrives.

Seeing that crocus reminded me of our home in Woodhaven.  Because we let the boys dig in the backyard, there were many holes.  When they outgrew digging we had the yard blacktopped.  This really helped keep the dirt and dust down.

As time went on, the blacktop cracked.  One spring I saw a crocus work its way through the crack.  This happened for several years, every spring.

I guess you can't stop nature.