Happy Hearts Day

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day

From Beatrice & Grenville . . . 

And, Dorothy & Pat  — from Our Hearts to Yours

Celebrate everyday with your Love !

It Was the Fairies!!!!!

I've been hearing (reading) some scandalous rumors that I had some hand in the Great Moving Wine Glass Caper..... Well, i'm here to debunk these baseless misstatements.

Now, some of you who have been faithful followers (you know who you are.... so give yourself a pat on the back) know about the Fairy Problem we have here. It all started with the Card Fairies that plagued us back in New Jersey. Multiple cards showed up all over the house. Most all had instructions on them. Card Fairies have been known to have control issues, but these were over the top sometimes. We thought we had escaped them by coming here to the Eastern Shore..... To our surprise and amazement they were here too!!!!!! BUT IT GETS WORSE.... here they have cousins. Lots of them. All over the place. And they all know each other and share information (also called rumors, second hand information or scurrilous gossip here.) This means that there is 'No Hiding Place'.
Not only do we have Card Fairies to contend with,

we also have the Glass Fairies, and their cousins, the Stuff Fairies. By far the Stuff Fairies are the worst. They come for the weekend, wreak havoc with the rest of the Fairies, and then leave all of their STUFF behind when they depart (if they depart. Sometimes they stay for weeks and weeks. Collecting more Stuff to leave behind).

I'm starting to worry about what might happen this Thursday.... Hearts Day.... (A One Day Romantic Adventure for all but the most incurable, terminal romantics that go through this trauma every day.) 

We could be inundated with Fairies, and cards, and moving glasses, and stuff, all covered with Fairy Dust..... I wonder if i could hire that guy in the diaper with the bow and arrow for protections?????? For those of you who might be out there saying, "No problem, just lock the doors and windows" its not that easy. In fact we have found that it is easier to keep ants out of a sugar factory. There is just no way to keep Fairies out. Of course the Dish Fairies and House Cleaning Fairies would be more than welcome. If you see them, will you send them our way?????

More on this later. Have to go caulk some cracks and sweep up the Fairy Dust.

Grenville

Rose-Colored Glasses

Some folks are said to look at things through rose-colored glasses, which is defined as have an unduly cheerful, optimistic, and quite favorable view of life.

There’s NOTHING wrong with that.

BUT, at the Frog & PenguINN, the only rose-colored glasses are 6 wine glasses. These were a recent find at a local thrift store.

YES, it’s true that we are in the process of getting rid of “stuff.” So, they have replaced other wine glasses on the left, which were NOT colorful at all.

And, now we are looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, just of a different type. We we do it almost daily and use these glasses at dinner time, even for water or juice. Blueberry juice looks especially colorful.

BUT, there’s an odd thing that happens with these glasses hanging on a rack in our kitchen. They mysteriously change directions on a almost daily basis. (Grenville swears he has nothing to do with this phenomena.)By the way, IF you find yourself humming a tune about rose-colored glasses, it might be that you remember familiar lines of a song recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1962. The song dates to 1926 when it was penned by songwriters Jimmy Steiger & Tommy Malie and introduced in a Roaring 20s theatre revue, A Night in Paris.

Looking at the World Thru Rose Colored Glasses

Looking at the world through rose colored glasses,
Everything is rosy now.
Looking at the world and everything that passes,
Seems of rosy hue somehow.
Why do I feel surprise, don't wink your eyes,
Needn't guess I'll confess, certain someone just said yes.
In a bungalow all covered with roses, I will settle down I vow,
That's why I'm looking at the world through rose colored glasses,
Everything is rosy now.

Hope everyone is having a rosy day. Our family and friends in the Northeast US are digging out from the weekend snow storm, Nemo (named by The Weather Channel NOT the National Weather Service). Good news is that all are safe as we hope all you and yours are too.

Rain and Mud Season

Today, family and friends in the US Northeast and Canada are being pummeled by a winter blizzard — Nemo. Funny name for a storm that was the half the title of a Disney film. But, not so funny for folks in the path of this storm.

That’s NOT what’s going on here on the VA eastern shore. Instead, we were drenched with rain — LOTS of rain.

Grenville had the snow shovel at the ready on the back porch — in case it was needed, but it’s hard to shovel water.

The backyard and part of the street were flooded, which is nothing new. A few hours after the rain stops, the waters will recede leaving a very soggy mess — this is “mud season” cause winter is just NOT a season on the eastern shore.It was a day not even fit even for birds, few came to the feeders. This pair kept returning without competition.Of course, if things really got bad, Grenville has a kayak ready outside his workshop. Only problem is the mini-lake in front We are keeping tabs on those we love and hope that everyone is keeping safe and warm and indoors.

Have a good weekend.

Mmm Mmm Good

Which is similar to, but not the same as the trademarked Campbell Soup slogan — “M’m! M’m! Good!” — but a good way to describe what was on The Frog & PenguINN dinner menu recently when we invited our neighbor, Mary, to join us. She’s a soup fan too and was willing to sample my first try at homemade tomato soup. How hard could it be?

Good news — making homemade tomato soup isn’t hard at all. And, as huge fans of tomato soup this is now our preferred tomato soup choice, sorry Campbell's. An added plus is that you may already have most, if not all the fixings available in your pantry or refrigerator. (Yes, fresh tomatoes would be better, maybe this summer.)

The soup was served with one of Grenville’s specialties, grilled cheese sandwiches and he prefers to use Swiss cheese.

Tomato Soup

• 1-2 TBSP olive oil
• 6-7 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried basil (fresh if available)
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes in their juices
• 1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes
• 1- 1/2 C low-sodium chicken broth (I used beef)
• 2 bay leaves
• salt & pepper
• tomato paste (if needed to thicken)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream OR use some half & half
• Ricotta (optional) and/or pesto (optional)

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil slowly until translucent and softened.
2. Add tomatoes and juices to the pan and stir to crush up tomatoes. Add broth and bay leaves and bring to soup to almost boiling, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes to let the soup thicken
3. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, and allow soup to cool slightly. Carefully purée soup in a blender until smooth or better yet use an immersion blender because pouring soup into a blender to purée it can be messy (trust me).
4. Return soup to the stove over low heat and stir in cream (or half and half). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve, garnished with a dollop of ricotta and/or a swirl of pesto.

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich . . . Mmm Mmm Good

As NJ natives, here’s a little history . . . Campbell’s is a NJ native too. It began in 1869 in Camden, where it is still headquartered. Fruit merchant Joseph Campbell and icebox manufacturer Abraham Anderson started packing French peas, fancy asparagus and beefsteak tomatoes, later expanding to other vegetables, jellies, soups, and condiments.

In 1897, chemist Dr. John T. Dorrance joined the company and is credited as the inventor of condensed soup, which turned the company into a household name. The soup was so popular that in 1922 the company incorporated as the Campbell Soup Company.

The cherub-faced icons, the Campbell Kids, have been peddling soup since 1904. Grace Wiederseim Drayton, an illustrator and writer, added sketches of children to her husband’s soup advertising layout. Campbell execs liked the child appeal, choosing her sketches as company trademarks. Mrs. Drayton drew for the company for 20 years. The Campbell Kids were first depicted as ordinary boys and girls. Based on their popularity, they later assumed the personas of police officers, sailors, soldiers and other professions. They are still promoting Campbell Soup.

Small Packages and a Surprise

IT came in a plain brown box last week, at least the outer box. Best of all it was addressed to ME !

There are no wish lists for us at holidays or birthdays, but SURPRISES are always nice — don’t you agree ?

The inside package one was plain as well, but inside was an iPod Touch, a birthday gift from Grenville (yes, he IS a sweet guy). We decided to hold off upgrading our current cell phones. (Grenville posted about a new model last Sept.)  Our decision was because on avoiding added costs as we focus on selling our VA home to relocate to NH.

Grenville really enjoys his iPod, that can do about everything an iPhone can — except get and make calls — but at much less cost. Here’s WHY, this iPod Touch 4 (8GB) version was bought refurbished from the Apple website. Its one-time cost was less than one monthly bill would be IF we upgraded our cell phones.

There were other birthday treats — dinner at a favorite local restaurant (Grenville enjoyed the sushi), followed by candlelight watching of An Affair to Remember (Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr). ANOTHER birthday plus, lots of cards from family, friends and my best friend Pat/Grenville, and the well wishes of fellow bloggers.

Thanks Everyone — it’s going to be a great year!

YES, we did forgo the Super Bowl and commercials, and after watching online, my thoughts are that most were worth skipping; some were downright in questionable taste (you may know which  these are). BUT, a couple of notable exceptions: The Ram truck commercial featuring a voice over over by the late Paul Harvey extolling farmers and the story of the trainer and Clydesdale horse.

When I’m 64 . . .

WOW, OH MY GOSH — that’s me !

It was so nice of the NFL to hold the BIG game on MY special day (even if I am not planning to watch it.).

WHAT, you don’t really think they planned it that way???

Humor me because I’m getting older, but not TOO old.  However, being a year closer to Medicare is a bit daunting, even to someone young-at-heart.

CELEBRATIONS ?  I’m planning to celebrate the entire year. Grenville surprised me with a totally unexpected gift especially since we have cut out gift exchanges for holidays and birthdays (more on that surprise later). Sharing our life together is a gift enough and priceless too. Besides, we have enough stuff already. We’re going out for dinner at a favorite (local) Chinese restaurant, one that serves sushi, which Grenville really enjoys — I think he’s happy too for my birthday !

NO, I won’t go around singing (or even humming) When I’m Sixty-Four popularized by the Beatles on their 1967 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. (Do they still call them albums?)

Paul McCartney wrote these simple verses in the  1950s when he was in his mid-teens, although it wasn’t recorded until years later. Coincidentally, it was released the year his own father turned 64. McCartney’s original idea was to write a love song ballad, not a rock and roll song. The song was initially more popular with parents of Beatles fans. Now, original fans are at least that old, and each one has a personal answer to the singer's questions.

This is for everyone who might remember it — or forgotten the lyrics:

When I get older losing my hair,
Many years from now.
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine.

If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door,
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four.

You'll be older too,
And if you say the word,
I could stay with you.

I could be handy, mending a fuse
When your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride.

Doing the garden, digging the weeds,
Who could ask for more.
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four.

Every summer we can rent a cottage,
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck & Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line,
Stating point of view
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, wasting away

Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four.

NOW, that I have attained that same age, I am thankful for each and every day, to be loved by family and friends, to be content in life. MOST especially I am thankful for the love, support and companionship of my best friend and partner, Pat (known as Grenville and some favorite nicknames).Best of all, I am still on the Magical Mystery Tour  of life and enjoying myself — it’s a great wonderful road trip !

Dorothy (Beatrice)

No Shadow for Prairie Dog Pete

This is Prairie Dog Pete (our name).

OK, you are more familiar with his well-known celebrity cousin Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog weather forecaster. Today, at 7:25 a.m., despite overcast skies, and 8-degree temps, Phil did not see his shadow in Punxsutawney, PA. And, no shadow means an early spring, but if Phil had seen his shadow, it would have meant six more weeks of winter per folklore tradition.

And Prairie Dog Pete probably did not see his shadow either — WHAT you never heard of Pete? (he lives at the Salisbury MD Zoo, which is where we spotted him.)

That’s Pete on the right above and one of Phil’s groundhog kin on the left above. They are both both members of the Sciuridae family, along with chipmunks, squirrels, and marmots. All have similar characteristics, like diet and behavior. But, most often confused are the the groundhog and the prairie dog.

The prairie dog can grow to 16 inches in length and can weigh up to 3 pounds with a stick body, short and thin tail that is less than one quarter of the length of its body. The coat of the prairie dog is mottled brown in  to blend in with the surroundings. They are often seen sitting up on their haunches.

Pete and his fellow prairie dogs prefer temperate flat land; habitats include the western half of North America, from Canada to Mexico. Prairie dog are polygamous and live in colonies, which can cover over 100 acres. Pups are sheltered for the first few years and stay close to home for protection. They are communal, while some graze, others  watch for predators and can warn all the animals into their burrow for safety.

Phil, the groundhog is bigger and can weigh up to 9 pounds and up to 26 inches in length. Groundhogs dig with claws and thickly muscled forearms.  Their spine is slightly rounded; coat is grayish brown with has two layers for insulation during winter. The groundhog does not need flat land and is found over almost all of N.A., much to some homeowners’ dismay.

Phil also calls a burrow home, maybe adding to the confusion. But, groundhogs are less social, only three to four occupy the same burrow, used for winter hibernation, sleeping and raising young in spring and summer months. They burrow for protection, can climb trees or swim to escape attack.

NOW that you know the difference, HOW are you spending Groundhog Day — knowing that spring is almost around the corner?

LATER, we’re spending it in our usual way by watching the 1993 film, Groundhog Day. It’s become an annual event with us, year after year.

The 2012 post for Feb 2 had some info on the film, which will not be repeated over and over this year. All those familiar with the movie know the meaning of not repeating it.

Spring is Coming (soon)

Friday Mishaps

Billy Bob, somthin' don't look right here..... Ya'll sure you was holdin' them plans right????????

Friday Funnies

Leave the driving to . . .

Cause he’s in the driver’s seat !