Rain, sweet potatoes and life without social media on the path least traveled…

Diary from the path least traveled..

Hello Diary,

Rain, fog and gloom again on this Saturday, popping in to share some thoughts before getting on with the day…a week of rain and fog with more to come (there may be some storms later today), they say…in the Far East they would refer to it as the Monsoon season… they would plant their rice while the “rice paddy” was dry, then along would come the Monsoon season and fill the paddies up…no rice paddies here but at first glance it seems my home has become lake front property… 🙂 ..

Have some flooding in the area and do not envy the unfortunate folks that live near rivers, streams, etc and live to the south…they have a bunch of water coming their way…but life goes on and decided a good rainy day project would be to cook some bacon… my breakfast consists of 2 slices of bacon, two slices of toast, a small container of diced peaches, bowl of apple/cinnamon oatmeal and a cup of juice… every often I would have a “bacon fry”, takes about 2 hours…

I usually cook around 3-4 pounds of bacon at a time using a large electric griddle..

It has a drip pan underneath so most of the fat juice goes into the pan and then I put on a cookie sheet with a paper towel to soak up more of the grease,,,

Once the slices are cool, I put in a plastic container using wax paper to prevent the layers of bacon from sticking together….

Then I put the container in the freezer and whenever I need some bacon, I can take out however amount I need and after a few seconds in the micro, I have cooked bacon… cool, eh?!

Another gloomy day project is starting some sweet potato vines (there is a difference between sweet potato and a yam but most yams sold in stores are sweet potato)… purchase some sweet potato and put in a container of water for the potato to start root…

Once I see the roots have started, I put the potato in a hanging pot and I have a hanging vine (cheaper that a philodendron)…. and the plant doesn’t do to bad in low light…

One in the utility room…

And one in a area where there is a vaulted ceiling allowing the plant to grow un-restrained…

Don’t want to hang them outdoors in the summer as the squirrels will eat them… 🙂

Well, that will be all for now, thought I would share some pleasant thoughts on a gloomy day… 🙂 I have been asked about being on social media but other than here in WordPress the answer is, no… I have in the past but like guns, religion, etc, (while I am not a recluse) I have found it is not needed in my world and I can thoroughly enjoy life without it…. 🙂

Going to leave now, putter around the house and mosey on down the path least traveled…. but I shall return one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

This is not goodbye ( I never say goodbye, sounds too much like forever… 🙂 ).. As Vera Lynn would say, I am sure we will meet again..

Out of the “box” and doing it my way on the path least traveled… :)

Diary from the path least traveled..

Hello Diary,

Another Saturday morning and another gloomy weather weekend to be had but at least it is not snow but rain, and I woke up on the green side of the grass this morning… 😀 going to share a few thoughts today before getting on with the day and life…. will be more of a “show and tell”, less words and more pictures.. (is that cheering I hear??… 😀 )..

To begin with, were going to wait till next week to do errands, but with the forecast in hand, decided to do it yesterday, Friday…ventured to the grocery and they had items on sale…so decided to do things different for today for a meal and purchased a piece of rib meat…

And a package of fresh veggies ready to put in the slow cooker (don’t have to worry about waste)….

Browned the ribs in the toaster oven briefly and combined in the slow cooker…

Will cook for several hours and ready for a Sunday meal… 🙂 also sliced some Colby cheese and wrapped in wax paper so the pieces would not stick together and put in freezer… won’t have to worry about spoiling….

Also had some inquiries about why and how I do my nails (which is a 2 hour Sunday project about every 2 weeks)… I have natural nails that break easily and has caused issues the past and I like long nails..in the past have done several things to deal with the issue but have settled on acrylics… for both mental and physical health…

Because of the cost of buying finished nails ( and to find what I like and works for me), I will set down with polish and basic nails on a given Sunday and “roll my own”… 🙂

Have different colors to suit my fancy but usually stay with what I call “my natural nail”..

They are long and I can trim the nail to however long and what shape I wish…and I can change the color at any time I wish… to change the nail, first, using remover, I take the polish off…

Once the polish is remove, I use a combination of liquid remover and a powered nail tool and “carefully” remove the old nail…

Once done and down to the original, real nail…

I do any trimming needed ( the nail does grow under the acrylic) and apply some nutrients to the nail for future growth…

And once finished and allowed some time to dry, will apply the new acrylic nail, trim as wished and have the finished product…

Looks nice and will refrain to do anything stupid in a effort to protect the new nail, and therefore protect the real nail and fingers…cool, Eh? again, a matter of mental and physical health with a plan that works…

Same scenario with my head of hair..not into bald, definitely like it long..do have hair but with being a bit thin, rather than let it grow long, followed the advice of others and you can see in the picture the issue was resolved….

But that is another story… 🙂 remember Diary, “you/I have a life to live, only you/I can live it, you/I will only get one chance at it, so you/I had better do it right and do it your/my way”… 🙂 will close for now, life and the day is calling and better go see what is instore for me… but shall return one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

Don’t know when or how the adventure down the path least traveled will come to an end (hopefully not anytime soon!!.. 🙂 )..but when it does, it will be recorded that we did it our way, right Frank?…

Winter, noodle soup and Yanni on the path least traveled…

Diary from the path least traveled..

Hello Diary,

Another somewhat bleak, wintry day this Sunday…another good day to quietly contemplate destiny with a spot of tea…listening to FM radio live from London (internet streaming) currently playing Celtic Woman singing The Parting Glass…winter not ready to leave yet as can be confirmed by looking out the “office” window….

A good soup day also…normally I make soup in a crock pot but with it being a last minute decision, I chose Ramon noodles (I just use the noodles, not the herbs and spices that come with the package), a half batch for one meal, add some pepper, ground garlic, two chicken bullion cubes, some mixed veggies (frozen and thawed out) and bits of chicken and in about 10 minutes soup is on….

A toasted bagel with garlic and cheese to go with to deal with the cold winter weather…and while on the subject of weather, have been helping out, voluntarily, various meteorological departments get a better idea of climate change…have been doing some transcribing of old documents over the past few months…

Also checking out and transcribing data concerning Solar Flares which has some affect on the weather…

So we stay active here and with all projects, have a work week here, just not on a clock and a payroll… 🙂 …wrote a poem about it a few years back, will share it with you, Diary…

Tell me , Fate
You hold the key,
What is my destiny
Suppose to be?

I was not a king or president,
No powers did I hold,
I wasn’t a preacher or a pope,
No sermon for the fold.

Never learned to speak fine words
A country bumkin’ was I.
Were taught never to tell a falsehood
Learned never to tell a lie.

So tell me , Fate
You hold the key,
What is my destiny
Suppose to be?

Can no longer build cities
The back is tired and sore,
Turned the green earth into a parking lot once
A forest….. into a general store,

I was a soldier once
No longer have the heart for war, I say
Children’s cry of suffering, I did hear
A memory still here today.

So tell me, Fate
You hold the key,
What is my destiny
Suppose to be?

I’ve tilled the soil as a farmer
Fed the world is what they say,
But I see the faces of hunger
Still this very day.

I’ve donated love, time and money
Ask for nothing in return,
But I see nothing has changed today
Will they ever learn?

I’ve tilled the fields and went to war
Helped build cities, towns and much more,
Sowed fields of flowers with tenderness an love
Has my destiny run it’s course, is there any more?

So tell me, Fate
You hold the key,
What is my destiny suppose to be?
(Penned by the hand of Larry “Dutch” Woller (8-18-2008))

Glanced at the news briefly first thing this morning.. conflict, hate, anger, intolerance, etc… nothing has changed, won‘t they ever learn?… perhaps the world can use some advice from Maya Angelou..

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived. But if faced with courage, need not be lived again. ” Maya Angelou

That being said, will close now..have downloaded some reading on the Kindle so will warm up some tea and snuggle in…prepare to venture on down the path least traveled and explore the wonders that wait for me…but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

Have been sending all my questions to Fate, perhaps Yanni has the answer…

Andre Rieu, Phil and winter on the path least traveled….

Diary from the path least traveled..

Hello Diary,

Popping in briefly to leave a few thoughts, more active today than anticipated, mainly with one eye on the weather… with the forecast being what it is next week, decided to go to the store and run errands this morning, something I rarely do on a weekend… had some snow over night but morning was pleasant for winter…

Errands taken care of, returned home and true to forecast, the “other shoe had fallen”.. a clipper from Canada arrived shortly after arriving home bringing with it clouds, wind, snow and falling temperatures…

Appears Punxsutawney Phil has forecasted six more weeks of winter…however he has a cousin in Rhode Island that has forecasted spring and summer instead… one must be as Republican and the other a Democrat… 😀 …but here were all warm and comfy by the time the weather arrived, settled in to listening to my favorite orchestra, Andre Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra..

And set down to a Italian dinner, wine to come later… 🙂 ….

So now bringing the day and week to a close, relaxing and perhaps read a bit later..trying to get into a poem writing mood but no luck at the moment… will share a poem I wrote in history’s past…

A Kipling I know I’m not
I know that from the start,
No eloquent words here, my love
Just words of love from the heart.

Nothing cute or fancy, sweetheart
No false charmers words here,
But words of undying love for you, my darling
From my heart, my very spirit, my dear.

Couldn’t find the words for some time
Searched every book and song,
Until that wonderful precious day
That you, my love, my June, come along.

Now that I have the words, my love
What’s this ole country boy to do,
How will these arthritic hands, my love
Say those precious words to you.

It will have to be done right, you know
And I know I will find a way,
To say how much I Love You more
With every heartbeat, each and every day.

There will be no falsehoods or lies for you, dear one
No meaningless empty words, cute or clever,
For I would rather you love me for just one day
Than to hate this ole country boy forever.
( penned by Larry “Dutch” Woller, 7-12-08)

With being said, going to close now, venture on down the path least traveled, eagerly awaiting to find what lies ahead, what Fate has planned… but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

No rainbows near by today, but there is one out there somewhere and Kermie and I are still searching… 🙂