migraine day #4.... cold. I think my immune system is rebelling . In other ‘news’…. here are some hostas blooming in the courtyard.
8-9-19
migraine day #3.... I can't people today.
Roses out by the office of the apartment complex.
8-8-19 --Bonus
I've never tried to make pho... and to be honest, only have had it once. But I tried! This one is a pork version. I looked at several different recipes online, and combined what seemed to be the consensus into one recipe...
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I cooked the pork loin with onions and a few spices in the Instapot (40 minutes on pressure cook). And, I cooked the traditional noodles separately, at the last minute after soaking them for an hour.
The base is: Miso broth(I used 2 cartons of organic Miso broth from the store), a few veggies I had (squash, scallions and peppers). I added Chinese 5 spice, lemongrass, cilantro, ginger, salt, Fish sauce, cinnamon, and Thai chili paste.
Once the pork was done, I added it to my broth which had been simmering for a couple hours.
To serve: I added my freshly cooked noodles to the bottom of each bowl, and ladled generous portions of the the broth/ meat/ blend on top.
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UPDATE: To me, it needed more Thai Chili sauce.. so I added a generous dollop to my bowl.
8-8-19
#createDaily
The weather here is pretty amazing….I took all of these photos yesterday late afternoon.
8-7-19
#createDaily
Right now it’s 93 degrees and 56% humidity. I feel like a wilted flower. That said, the Black eyed Susans in the courtyard seem to love it…. And so I will stay inside, rest, and maybe work on some stuff I’ve been meaning to do. (or maybe I’ll work on jewelry).
8-6-19
#createDaily
I am a mess today…. a combination of news/ world events hitting hard… and a migraine… and lack of good sleep. >>sigh<<
In continuing what I was talking about yesterday; when I am stressed, I either cook… or clean (or both). Here is another yummy meal I put together with our Instapot. It is boneless, skinless chicken pieces with lots of herbs, fresh tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, red/orange/green peppers…, all over Farfalle pasta with Asiago & Parmesan cheese on top. And a side of ciabatta bread with butter.
8-5-19
#createDaily
I find that when I am stressed, I either clean the house, garden, or cook. Most times, it’s a combination of all three… until I can wear myself down enough to calm a bit. These past few days have been no exception.
So. I cleaned the apartment, fiddled with the plants on the balcony… and made this fabulous dinner. Comprised of fresh/ local beats, tomatoes, scallions, mushrooms, summer squash and zucchini, an apple, a dash of white wine… lots of spices…. and a skirt steak…. it came out fabulous.
8-4-19
#createDaily
Photo taken this am of my fabulous pup having some naps and dreams… and my submission for my daily “createDaily” project.
I have to admit though… that I am so incredibly overwrought. I just.... can't...watch any more news today. That, coupled with the rantings of some really "uninformed or willfully stubborn?" folks on my FB feed who still believe we don't have gun/ hate/ racism issues here in the US. I am just so incredibly angry/sad/depressed/ frustrated/ fed up/ gutted/ incredulous/exasperated/ infuriated/ demoralized/discouraged/ disheartened …with both my country and my fellow man right now. Where do we go from here?.....
I fight, I write… I vote… I still feel powerless.
So. A dear friend suggested I need to back away for a bit, and concentrate on doing more art. She’s probably right.
Someone asked me once, how do I come up with so many ideas for y jewelry? I’ve been making jewelry since 1997, and I have to admit, I haven’t had a “block” yet . Perhaps I am just really, really lucky…. but I find inspiration is practically everywhere I look. Oftentimes, I am inspired by nature.
The other night I was getting groceries… and was inspired by the flowers in the shop. I took a photo (see below). Those colors inspired me to think of gemstones in a similar color palette… (which also led to some suggestions of stones from a friend)… which led to the necklace I a currently working on …
8-3-19
8-2-19
#createDaily
Still trying to rest my ankle… seems to be getting worse before it starts to get better. But alas, it also gives me an excuse to sit on the couch and read…. or watch some pretty terrible tv.
… in other “news”….
Today ZeeZe went for his annual physical and shots. AND… he also went to the groomers there for a “spa day”. … which included a shampoo, pedicure, and haircut. I think he’s loving it.
8-1-19
#createDaily —- August first…. new beginnings… new moon…. lots of changes going on.
And today I am trying to rest my ankle, and going through some photographs I took in PA last week.
7-31-19
#createDaily
taking a rest today as my ankle is giving me much grief….
Pleasant Ave
just some snapshots of our home in Potter County, PA that we are listing for sale this week.
You can see lots more photos on my personal page on Facebook.
This is where we’ve lived for the past 6years…. and what we’ve been fixing up. It was an awesome home. Perfect in many, many ways…. .but it’s time to move on and let someone else enjoy the peace we felt there…. surrounded by nature.
#114 Pleasant Ave, Coudersport PA
Sandra Stevens at Howard Hanna Realtors is the listing agent.
Built in 1977
House is about 1000 square feet, which does NOT include the basement. This house sits on a double lot. We have intentionally left almost one full lot as native grass space because we have deer and such that visit daily and like to sleep in the shade of our trees. The property borders with woods on 2 sides, and a small natural creek. The house next to us is unoccupied. It is very quiet and peaceful up here, and we see the best sunsets from our front deck.
We have taken many trees down (that needed to come down), and we've planted fruit trees, berry bushes and lots of herbs. It is a dead-end street that is plowed (it's technically in town, but feels like it's out in the woods).
There are 2 bedrooms and both have good sized closets. There is one bathroom. Large kitchen. Hall closet, big living room, and a stone fireplace. Furnace/ Baseboard heat.
We've had new Berber carpet installed in living room and both bedrooms. We've just painted everywhere! inside with neutral, fresh tones. We've put in new lighting in the bedrooms, hall, and bathroom. New heat/ light saving curtains in bedrooms. New faucet, new shower head, new exhaust fan in bathroom. Toilet is 2yrs old. New appliances! include an electric stove (oven hasn't even been used), washing machine and dryer. The fridge is older, but will stay, and works perfectly. The dishwasher was just serviced in March, and has new gaskets and such. All the electrical and all the plumbing were serviced and updated in January. An all new/automatic thermostat was also installed and the furnace was updated and inspected. Breaker box was updated in the basement. ToNS of new electrical outlets placed in the basement, along with studio lighting.
The basement functions as a car garage on one side, and studio space on the other. It has several layers of drylock paint. The dehumidifier will stay with the house, and keeps the basement.
The exterior was updated & painted in October. The fireplace was cleaned, as were the gutters. The roof was inspected and is great! A new screen door, new house sign, and new mailbox installed. New outdoor lights. The deck has been restructured and painted, also in October. The cinder block retaining walls were reinforced and painted as well. At the back of the house, is a concrete patio with an outside faucet, electric outlet, and raised garden beds.
We love this house. It is extremely well made, and has kept us warm and cozy in the winter (even when we've just used the fireplace) and cool in the summer (we get a nice breeze off of the hill). We are also leaving a practically new (used one summer) AC unit. It is fantastic.
In the basement, is a well containment system. We opted to leave the house on town water, but there is the option to use the well here. The water heater was new in 2011.
I will load some photos into an album here in the next few days. I hope you like what we've done.
**various work done by, and profound thanks to these local professionals: 3D Facility Services, Steve Sevinsky, Steve Quelet, Kevin Doud Lawn Services
7-30-19
#createDaily
so for today…. I find that I am completely worn out. A big afternoon nap was in order. …
This photo is one I took on Sunday, coming from PA back to Alexandria. It is located in one of my favorite spots; Wykoff Run … just outside of Sinnamahoning PA. This tree in particular, reminds me of Ganesha. May all obstacles hereby be removed.
7-29-19
#createDaily
So. We spent a total of 5 days back up in Coudersport, PA… fixing up our home on Pleasant Ave. It will be listed this week. Thankfully, it already has interest, and a very solid offer… thanks to folks knowing we were there and stopping up to see the place. My true wish is just to have someone else love it and be happy there. As always, there were things that would have been nice to do (like an entire bathroom remodel)… but that just wasn’t an option for us. The good news… it’s a warm, welcoming, structurally sound home with a fantastic bit of property. It was also wonderful to see friends and family…. as well as having the opportunity to eat some incredible food, and have stimulating conversations.
And today, I woke from the comfort of my own bed (and pillows… which are wonderful). Zeeze is happily snoring at my feet, and life is good. We are very grateful.
7-28-19
#createDaily
… and as of right now, I am sitting on our fabulous couch in our apartment in Alexandria, VA.
Today we had an awesome day traveling back to Virginia. A couple hiccups… but we had fun; and ZeeZe was so good and even took a little nap in the back seat while we were driving. I took this photo at one of the waterfalls on Wykoff Run back in PA on the way home. It is one of my favorite spots… and ZeeZe had a great time wandering in the creek and lapping up some crystal clear natural water.
7-27-19
#createDaily
There’s been so very much going on the past few days…. but most importantly, we’ve finished up all the projects at our home on Pleasant Ave in Coudersport PA. It is our sincere hope that the next folks who live here, love it as much as we have. I will probably post photos of what all we did…. but for now, we are safe and happy in a hotel nearby…. after spending some fantastic time with friends for dinner.
7-26-19
#createDaily
another really busy day…. and lots of folks stopping in to say “hello” and to check out the house (which should be officially listed next week). Then… a late dinner at a local place, and a visit to family/ friends.
And this…. this is what greeted me when I left the ER last night… Potter County sure can be pretty
7-25-19
Had a very busy day, and some incredibly tasty food at the local Hotel Crittenden here tonight (poutine for an appetizer, and shrimp and grits for an entree). Then we were off to the hospital to get my ankle checked. Yes, I ripped everything, and tore up some old scar tissue and bone …. but no fractures! So… I have a nice boot.
7-24-19
so… we are making a road-trip back to PA to finish up some last details and get our home ready for sale. I absolutely love traveling… and it’s always a fun time for me. Fortunately, ZeeZe seems to love it too. And of course, Jim is doing the driving.
We had some fantastic stops along the way… and marveled at some lovely scenery. Had a tasty late lunch at a sub shop…..with a roasted chicken sub for me, and Bavarian Ham and cheese for Jim (and ham for ZeeZe as well.
Spontaneously, I asked Jim to stop so I could take a photo…. and accidentally slid on the gravel ( it was soft from all the rain and humidity is my guess)… and promptly heard a profound crack and went down. Yes, I was rolling in a ditch and crying before I knew it… and have managed to mess up my ankle. Ah…. the best laid plans ….. so we’ll see what all I can actually do at the house in the next couple of days.
But for now, we are back in our old hometown, resting on a comfy bed (with my foot up) and eating a burger and fries. …..
