A Love Letter To Japan

Today and everyday let us remember our fellow mankind.

Blessings!

Travel Plans Changed Because Of Weather

This week was going to be a week filled with lots of activities and travel. It has been snowing and/or raining so many days that we have not been able to travel as planned. We were going to leave on Monday to drive to Fresno to visit my Granddaughter at college and celebrate her 19th Birthday.  Then we were going to Yosemite National Park to celebrate the 83rd Birthday of MSM.

Yosesmite has closed for the first time in fourteen years because of the snow and power outage. It is such a disappointment. I have been to Yosemite only one time in the past and that was for only a one day visit. We are hoping to go the second week in April.

Yesterday we did get a chance to go out for a nice lunch to celebrate MSM's Birthday. We went to a favorite restaurant called Talulah's. We had a great lunch and they served MSM a special desert with a Birthday candle. He is doing so very well at his age. He was out shoveling snow just a couple days ago. I kid you not, I think he seems younger than he did a year ago. Maybe, "love is the best medicine"!

Today, I invited a friend of ours to have lunch with us. I prepared some Ruben Sandwiches with the leftover corned beef . I have a Wolfgang Puck Panini maker that I bought a few years back when they first came into popularity. The sandwiches were great. It was a lovely way to spend a rainy day.

It's been a Good Day. I hope you are having Good Days no matter what the weather is in your town.

Yes, it's The First Day Of Spring And It's SNOWING AGAIN

It started snowing an hour and a half ago and has been continuous. That is all I have to say!

Except - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I am ready for SPRING WEATHER ! ! !

I hope your day is Cozy.

I Could Not Resist

It just sounded too good not to find time to prepare Nicole's recipe for Corned Beef dinner. It was fabulous!

Simmering the corned beef, onions, carrots and cabbage in Guinness Stout Ale  Beer was a wonderful way to give a delightful flavor to the end result. I also liked putting a glaze on the corned beef and baking it in the oven for a short time.

The Irish Days Celebration went on as planned in spite of the cold day. The crowds were less than usual. But, it was great that it was not snowing during the day and the snow was melting. But, - - - we have more storms on the way!

I hope you are having warmer weather than what we are having.

White As Snow

This is the last photo I took with my Casio digital camera before it died. The little camera served me very well since I bought it in 2008. I must admit that I have dropped it a time or two. I guess it thought “enough is enough, I quit” and I can hardly blame it. It was a good little friend teaching me how to take photos for my blog.

The photo of the White Camellia is the first camellia to bloom in the garden this season. Sadly, it is also, the last photo I took in the garden before a snow storm started this evening about 5:30 PM.

The Big Irish Days Celebration is scheduled for tomorrow.  Unfortunately, the town folk have been preparing for months for the events that are planned. Even, our little church has been working very hard preparing for their annual Pancake Breakfast that was to start at 8:00 AM in the morning. This is a very big storm for us. We lost our power about 7:45 this evening and I am typing this post on my laptop.

From my dining room window you can see the snow as it was beginning to fall. It snowed steady for at least 3 hours.

It looks like my St. Patrick’s Celebration hat is going to stay on the mannequin this year. My Special Man brought it home for me a couple days ago just so I would be festive for the activities on Saturday even if I had to bundle up because of the cold weather.. Do I dare tell you that he has green slacks for the event? This little town really goes “all out” for their celebrations! Just take a look at these photos from last year.

 

These photos are from flicker taken by someone who attended last year.  The crowds were very large on a very sunny day.  It was a great celebration! The above photo is a short block from my home. 

A couple months ago, I bought an inexpensive little camera in case my Casio Exilim EX-S770 did not live much longer. The new one is a Polaroid i1437 and I was able to use it for the snow pictures this afternoon. I hope to get another camera before too long.

The snow has stopped and is quite wet. So, we will have to wait and see what it looks like in the morning. Maybe, enough snow will melt and the - - - - - - Party can begin!

I hope you have a Great Weekend.

A Little Green

This is what I see out my front door. The green moss is so vibrant covering the quartz rock wall around the front patio. It is a great reminder that today is St. Patty's day and there will be lots of activities in my little town this weekend celebrating Irish Days with a street fair, parade and lots of food. As you know I only have to walk a short distance from my front door to be in the center of all of the activity. Today, the sun is shining but rain is forecast for the next five days. How can "they " do that to us. Maybe, the rain gods will change their minds!

Are you ready for your celebrating? I am.

Have a Great Saint Patrick's Day but take it easy with the green beer.  

 

 I love preparing Corned Beef and Cabbage but I'm not sure if I will be taking the time to make "homemade" when we will be so close to all the Corned Beef we could ever want. However, if you are looking for a yummy sounding recipe, check in with Nicole's blog for what sounds like Corned Beef that is out of this world.

 

I will try to take some photos of the festivities to post next week. 

You Don't See This Everyday

Yesterday, when we were out 'n' about following church and brunch we took a short drive to see if the daffodils were blooming at a nearby winery. Yes, they were starting to bloom but what really caught our attention was this "one of a kind" motorcycle in the parking lot.

I never have seen anything like this in the past.

The artistic skill was very impressive. I wonder what it would feel like to see this "animal" coming toward you on the roadway.  Just look at the size of those HORNS!

It was a very rainy day and the first day of daylight savings time. Things seemed a little "off-kilter" but these beautiful blossoms were very cheerful! I could sure use a good dose of sunshine.

I hope your week is starting off with lots of energy. I am working on it!

It's That Time Again

And don't forget to change the batteries in your smoke detector.

I hope you have a Wonderful Day.

Juicy Hamburgers And A Movie Plus A Yarn Bowl

Can you top that for a spontaneous evening out. Diamondback Grill has some of the best hamburgers around. If you arrive after six o'clock in the evening you will have to wait for seating. It is a very busy place every day.

"The Diamondback Grill was established in 1991 in a tiny 25-seat diner in Sonora, California. The location had been a diner for over 90 years and represented a true slice of Americana with chrome and red vinyl stools with a pink Formica counter. In short order indeed, lines were forming out the door by customers waiting for juicy half-pound burgers, marinated chicken salads and goat cheese stuffed chiles. Ranchers and lawyers can be seen elbow to elbow at our counter with shirt sleeves rolled up, biting into half pound burgers of locally raised grass fed beef and melting Fiscalini Farms cheddar cheese, all at prices that make our city dwelling friends green with envy."

The Adjustment Bureau was a fast moving enjoyable movie with lots of action. It seems as though we are going to the movies almost every week which feels a little strange to me. My childhood experience did not include going to the movies because off very strict parental control. Recently, there have been a lot of movies that have our interest and we are having a good time.

Surprisingly, I came home with "a little something" from a yarn store that is across the street from the "burger place." I saw it in the window and I have been interested in having one for some time now. I am still quite frugal and when MSM said  "let's go in" I hesitated. Within five minutes I was walking out with a Yarn Bowl. I think they are nice to have so the ball of yarn doesn't roll around. And, an added bonus is that it was made by a local artisan.

In the past we had about four yarn shops nearby. However, with the recession some of them have closed and the shop in Sonora is the only shop nearby. And ~ ~ ~ it is a very nice quality shop with a very wide selection of "everything".

The name of the shop is By Hand Yarn 

I hope you have a Beautiful Day.



Looks Like It Is Pink Hard Hat Time Again

I like and laugh at this photo from google images and it is so fitting for me because of my many and frequent projects that are generally, but not always, pursued by men. If you follow my blog you know that for many years I have managed to learn and accomplish most of my home repair and maintenace projects from cleaning off the roof (which I should NOT do anymore) to replacing an electrical switch/outlet.

This time it is the vacumn cleaner that needed a little cleaning, new filters and a little overhaul. I am happy to tell you that all of the screws and parts went back together nicely and it purrs like a good vacumn should. Mission accomplished.

I guess it is all in a days work at my home. Now I think after I vacumn the carpets I am going to sit down and crochet on my blue and white afghan.

I hope you are having a Grand Day.

Success Came My Way This Time

Yes, I have been playing in the kitchen again. But, first I was in a box of my old recipes. Country Spareribs with Sauerkraut and Cabbage has been looking at me for quite some time now. When I say old recipe I am not kidding. The bottom of the page says February 3, 1985 / San Francisco Sunday Examiner/Chronicle. Now, how is that for keeping recipes a long time in the "some time I'll make it" box?

I put a few photos together for you. I totally forgot to take a photo at the dinner table after serving.

I have copied the recipe for you and posted it here. It is a little different than what I have prepared in the past. I have used tart apples and caraway seed previously, but not leeks, sliced cabbage, wine and balsamic vinegar in my ribs and sauerkraut recipes. I will make this recipe again. I liked how the flavors mingled nicely.  I hope you will try it.

This is a great recipe for a rainy day and that is exactly what the weather has been like today.

I hope you have had a Nice Weekend.



ADDITIONAL NOTE:  Even though the recipe says 8 oz. saurerkraut  - -  -  I used a 28 oz. jar of saurerkraut because that is what I had in the cupboard. It was perfect.

You May Remember This

These first two photos are from my post back in July 2010. My dear Internet friend from Chech Republic sent me this photo of the needlework she was working on at the time.  I am in awe of her lovely talent.

This is the link to the post   http://everydaydelight09.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-gorgeous-is-this.html

Anyway, this past November she sent me a photo of the finished dresser scarf. I wanted to share it with you because I think it is so fabulous and I wish I had the talent and patience and time to attempt some needlework like this. Isn't it beautiful?

I have made some progress on my Blue and White Ripple Afghan. Other than the color, this is like comparing "apples and oranges" with the dresser scarf!  But, I thought I would show it to you anyway. I have a long way to go and I will get there inch by inch.

The sun is shining brightly this morning and I am going to enjoy every minute of it. Especially since another rain storm is forecast for this evening and tomorrow.

These white hyacinth bulbs are trying so hard to grow and bloom. But with the sporadic days of sunshine I know they are feeling a little challenged. 

Come out - come out - I know you are in there!

  

If you have sunshine, enjoy it. If you have rain, enjoy it. If you have snow, do your best!