Sunday Thoughts August 3, 2025

   

     It was a very quiet day, following a quiet weekend. I'm feeling left behind. I know I can always go to the lake, but I have to really gear myself up for that. I never know who and how many people will be there and more and more my in-laws families bring extra guests. Plus, after my last day bringing pup there without reinforcements, meaning my kids to keep his attention, he overdoes trying to go up the deck stairs and out on the dock following me everywhere. I think those things are what hurt him so bad heading into last weekend. I can't leave him unattended for more than 4 hours now as he'll have accidents. 

     Saturday was nice in that I had unexpected guests, twice. My youngest and two friends had planned to go tubing south of town, but learned the water was too high/ unsafe. They switched courses to getting something to eat and the beach. They used my fridge for their leftovers and stopped to see the pets before the beach. I invited them to for dinner and "orphan" cocktails, leftover beer, wines, and hard seltzers, when they came back for their lunch leftovers. I made a sort of taco bar and they hung out on the patio for a couple hours. Being young people, they had later plans and left about 8:00.

    Earlier Saturday I mowed the front and side yard, but the air quality impacted me a bit. I did the back and weed whacked this morning. My daughter gave me a couple massive zucchini so I processed one Saturday and tried an improvised savory zucchini fritter/cakes and a loaf of zucchini almond bread. The bread turned out perfectly moist and delicious. The fritters spread out so much, like a burger pattie, but were delicious. I'd make the same way, but maybe I'll add a bit of corn starch so they hold their shape better, plus make smaller so they are more appetizer size. 

Baked zucchini fritters/ cakes/ patties (whatever is best descriptor)

Zucchini bread with almond
extract for flavor 

     I watched the 1st and  2nd Downton Abbey movies over the course of the evenings so am all caught up when the finale comes out in September. I won't do spoilers in case like me, it took you over 10 years to even start watching the series. It'll be interesting to see the great manor houses, properties and gardens, now owned by the National Trust, and really see the way the aristocracy lived. Hard to imagine that the family's job was to basically "be rich". Also, does anyone else find the whole valet and ladies maid, getting them dressed not just lazy, but creepy? Why would you want someone in your personal space, hearing and witnessing many of your most personal experiences? Why do married "ladies" not have their breakfast with the rest of the family but by room service? Good thing I was not a rich aristocrat in 1920.

     I finally got a start today to getting the small dresser/night stand painted. Two coats, still drying,  but I think it needs a gloss coat too as it's too dull. I also am going to look for new nobs. I'll wait to post a before and after unless it truly looks like crap once done, but I'll still use it. I just painted the existing chipped and boring ones but maybe I can find four vintage drawer pulls. It'll be a practical addition in my bedroom even if less pristine than I'd like. I've done so few of the organization tasks in my July goals list. Most are getting moved to August.

     Other things I did instead of accomplishing tasks were chatting via WhatsApp with Siobhan and going on a YouTube tour of Salisbury, one of our side trips in November. I think we're putting together an impressive itinerary with plenty of slow time for me to just enjoy feeling like a local. Pup got a good play and I think I finally figured out what are weeds and what are plants in the squash and pumpkin patch so did some weeding. I'm finally seeing flowers and the start of something, but my guess is it's getting quite late in the year to hope for any successful vegetables. That's all for my weekend. I'll get grandpup in the morning.