Monday, February 10, 2020

In February It Will Be My Snowman’s Anniversary

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1OWnU-JNy_RlPdqzetKSheaAp4k5VDkqt
Another month gone by! January was fast this year. One minute you’re putting away the holiday   decorations, the next you’re planning the spring garden. 

So what’s new? I reluctantly purchased another car. The Ford had been in and out of the shop ( though predictably it is now fine) and Dan will be learning to drive this summer, so it was time. I bought a Honda Civic coupe and LOVE it! It pained me to buy a foreign car, but the days of American cars being built in Detroit are long gone. Anyway, I’m happy with it and can now worry about something other than being stranded by the Focus. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1PjlLhLKTj5Jyp6jgmK-GhV5JvzrcMVVF
Okay, it won’t win any beauty contests but it has a remote starter and a sun roof😁.
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1MRie-ie7ZvQAkftgsbk02xTrapZP_IvP
That was a shit show, wasn’t it?! We live fifteen minutes away from Iowa and were involved with the campaign ( Dan has been phone banking and getting screamed at by people who don’t want any more political phone calls- can’t say I blame them) but never thought it would be such a shambles. Ugh, hopefully New Hampshire will go smooth. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1d3vof6WjHK0CiKNyRY91OntPoKKom9b-
Without going into a lot of detail, I’ve got an annoying person I’m related to ( though actually not in the way we always thought) calling me. Dan showed me how to block her. I mean, if we haven’t talked in 20 years there’s probably nothing to say. Anyway, after hanging up once she called back a month later demanding I answer questions , and  creating the same drama that caused me to walk away decades ago. So I hung up again. I don’t think they are done/ but I’m sticking firm to my boundaries. I wish I’d been more assertive with it when I was younger. How dare anyone feel so entitled to intrude on my life once I’ve been clear they are unwelcome. The level of disrespect is shocking. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=13sAWwyMLgMohQHuTByj473gjqdEIkm8e
New year means washing the kitchen walls. Everything is looking much better. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ImQljbN7EqChXq3kCEA4-1sTkniCYEV0
I do actually cook, and as a result the kitchen gets dirty. Just juicing these oranges made it look like there’d been a massacre. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1OwuIAeYKbT9iU_Jzb1uALlYhcLeIMCDkhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1oUI_-h63lHyhaI74ZguRsMgxaD4eHDcA
And you know how I like a clean house! Have you tried the Dawn soap and vinegar cleaning spray recipe yet? My shower has never looked this good. It is like magic! We have hard water in Omaha and the vinegar really helps clean through it. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1dIk3hn8BMohOreKU6MCmmsj3U93dRHHK
I’ve been baking bread again. Got out of the habit after Dan was cleared for nut allergies ( only to now be diagnosed with an whole host of food restrictions (don’t ask) but now I’m back to baking my own, and honestly, it is so much better than what I was buying. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1XrzvFJUBln_IW9WM4nSyWVlv5JO51TaE
I’m off for more oral surgery on Wednesday ( it never ends) so expect to be stuck in bed through the weekend recouping . There’s no end in sight. Ah well, what can you do? 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1rWM6hcobD1X4IgBDJYF1PsUuJ9e9WTwM
I cooked a goose last week. No, not this one...
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1MWMmgP7FE3DUgRGu0Dw6WuIoXZ5Ot4_S
... this one. Not too shabby for a vegetarian 😁. The boys loved it, so that’s what matters. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1U2L7hFWF0DdfXC_6Ca7LzaOMPnOCK_-hhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1XeKgTaTPSPRfcfzuSSVgelCH5Uo37g4ghttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=11BwtW81UdgrmrtEoHtmLFAewncdPEf8_
I had another birthday on the 4th and was given these magnificent pieces of pottery as a gift. They’re almost too pretty to put plants in! I’m considering silk ones. There’s a large pottery shop in South Omaha that I avoid because I would spend all my money there- But Mr. ETB showed better restraint. Any, it almost feels like summer looking at these beautiful pots.
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1_PQKPVCJNWkcWBeFAlQfTK_dnx0gUCao
This was a surprise! I like it. I must be losing my mind and sense of smell because Vanderbilt is definitely not my thing. Except, now it is? Such strangeness. 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1N_U0Wk-M_G8qxfBnlADzOMhh_e0sMlLg
Here’s something I can definitely smell- Homemade kimchi. It broke down much more over time and lives in the fridge now. We were pleased with it. How cool is it that you can ferment something on your kitchen counter in a jar?
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=10GTQpZ4QOd4AkAZQo525afQGbqPewU1o
I’m going to keep it short tonight, but hopefully while I’m recovering there will be a proper outfit post or two. The phone app isn’t perfect ( though not on the level of the Iowa caucus app!!!) but Is better than nothing. 

Hope February is treating you well. See you later.

13 comments:

Beth Waltz said...

Yep, the Iowa event definitely made one wonder if these folks could manage a first aid station at a scout jamboree, much less a NHS... *sigh*

This was a particularly fragrant post! The kimchi is clearing my sinuses and inspiring me to add Nathan's hot dogs to the shopping list. (This is a combo made in international food festival heaven.) And since I'm a fan of vinegar cleansing and now struggling with hard water residues, please, share the Dawn recipe.

Admiring those bold buttons on the hounds tooth jacket -- and your determination to defend your boundaries against intrusion. Jeez! As if you didn't have enough crud to shovel already! Glad your sense of humor is intact: caught the reference to the blood orange juice massacre on the second reading. Stay strong!

Goody said...

@Beth
Equal parts Dawn and white vinegar. Mix it in a spray bottle. It is the best shower cleaner ever!

Polyester Princess said...

Let's start by wishing you a happy birthday! Not a date I'll forget, with it being our wedding anniversary. That bread looks so delicious, I was wondering if you are using one of those bread machines? I wouldn't mind trying that cleaning spray recipes, only we don't have Dawn. I might have to google it to see if there's a Belgian alternative. We've got quite hard water here too. I'm loving the pottery Mr. ETB got you, what a wonderful present. I used Vanderbilt back in the day, but can't remember what is smelled like. I'm very reluctant to revisit the scents I used at that particular period in my life, as I don't really want to take that trip down memory lane.
Hope your surgery goes well! xxx

Vronni's Style Meanderings said...

You are looking fabulous, Goody! So glamorous with the big hair. Love the checked top and that fabulous floral, floaty dress - just gorgeous.

What lovely birthday presents your pots were. So colourful and cheerful; I do love a nice bit of pottery. I'm hankering after a china cabinet now to display lots of pretty pottery in; having dissed china cabinets for years! It must be an age thing.

You make such yummy food!

Hope the oral surgery goes well and that you recover quickly.

You might yet get Trump out!!
xxxx

Emily from Etsy said...

Happy birthday to you, and happy anniversary to Roland the snowman!

As difficult as it was to see the debacle that was Iowa, you still have so much to be proud of as a campaign volunteer. And you got to be a firsthand witness to a piece of history, which is pretty darn cool. Perhaps years from now, Danny will be telling young whippersnappers about how grassroots volunteering helped get Trump out of office and a decent human being back in the Oval Office.

As long as we're sharing recipes for easy, non-toxic household cleaners, I learned that tarnished brass can be cleaned to a bright shine if you soak it in ketchup for a few minutes and then rub gently with a soft cloth or toothbrush. It really works! But it does make your kitchen look like a crime scene, just like those splattered blood oranges, LOL.

It is wonderful to be able to block calls from people who aren't nice. The peace of mind you get from that is priceless.

Enjoy the new car, and I hope your oral surgery goes smoothly with the quickest-ever recovery.

Propagatrix said...

Happy belated birthday! I appreciate the “Really Rosie” reference in the post title.

Bibi Maizoon said...

Happy belated birthday!
That pottery you got on your birthday is gorgeous! Love the black background floral dress too.
Sigh, my family is a DSM certified Cluster B clusterfuck - got tired of reasserting healthy boundaries so I went no contact in 2008. I have never regretted it. When they badgered me by email I simply told them, "My life is better without you."
I had a bottle of Vanderbilt in 1982 when it first came out, I recall it being an aldehyde bomb but I loved it in all its Giorgio-esque pineapple tuberose bomb glory. I think Tatiana was my other fave of the time.
Keep poppin' those Vicodin for a swift & speedy recovery from oral surgery. ;)


bahnwärterin said...

a belated happy birthday to you!!! *virtual hug*
that pottery present from your hubby is gorgeous, such happy designes!
washing kitchen walls? never heard of that. does not come the wall paint off?
as always - looove your outfits - so glam!
best wishes for the surgery!!!
xxxx

Emily from Etsy said...

@Propagatrix
I'd never heard of "Really Rosie," so I looked it up online this morning and discovered the whimsical chicken soup song that alludes to a snowman's anniversary. I still wish Roland a happy anniversary if he still lives in Goody's freezer.

@Bibi
Speaking as the child who escaped a very dysfunctional family,
I know all about Cluster B and going "no contact." Life really is better this way.

Goody said...

@Ann
I think that's fab that you and Jos chose a winter wedding. fSpring and summer are overrated (mine is in April).

Any grease-cutting dish soap will work. In the US Dawn is famous for being strong enough to cut through grease but gentle enough to bathe sea-birds and wildlife impacted by oil spills (for years they had a fluffy yellow chick on the package reminding consumers of it). Dawn also works miracles on fleas. We had a little white poodle that couldn't tollerate the commercial flea treatments so at the first sign of problems he'd get a bath in Dawn, and that would be the end of the fleas. They aren't paying me to promote the stuff, but I use it, and will happily continue to do so forever!

@Veronica
I have a China cabinet (and two corner units) that were turning into catch-alls. I had a good clean out last month and now they can properly display my Minton and other collections. They have built in lights that I've never bothered plugging in, and the original 1970s bulbs! I'll bet I could sell the bulbs for more than my China.

I enjoy cooking-even if I can't eat most of it. There's something meditative about preparing something that takes time.

@Emily
This was Danny's second time making calls for Bernie. Last time he was able to hang around the campaign office and talk to people who had been around campaigns for decades. In this cycle, the calls are made through a dilaer you connect to via your home computer-the technology changed quite a lot in 4 years. His voice is so deep now I doubt people know they are speaking to a 15 year old, where last time it was clear he was a kid.

Ketchup works really well. Also, try an eraser on bits of silver tarnish-it works wonders.

The surgery is now 24 hours post and...worse than I expected, and I knew it would be bad. I'm sleeping a lot, which helps. This is going to be a long slog, but I guess it could always be worse.

@Amy
Thanks, you!

@Bibi
I had to Google it (not up on DSM diagnosis stuff) and yeah, that's all pretty spot-on. I have legitimate reasons for not wanting these people around me, but I also don't think I owe anyone a reason why beyond, "Because." I'm a little too old to have anyone demand I defend my decision to be alone. I really don't want Dan exposed to this level of manipulation, and deciet. When he was born my dad was still alive and started making threats so we had to hire a lawyer to send cease and desist letters. I had better things to do than drag my month old baby to a lawyer's office, but that's how it was. Anyway, yeah-not putting up with any more of this rubbish.

The best you get these days is tylenol with codeine, which is fine because I'm really NOT a pain medication person. I take Diclofenac daily anyway, and NSAIDS do a pretty good job on pain without all the risks of a narcotic. This was a stupidly difficult extraction and I'm going to take my time healing. Lots and lots of sleep!

@Beatte,
The paint on out walls is a very glossy-washable variety. The rest of the house has matte paint, but the kitchen is thankfully able to be cleaned.
Thank you for the Birthday wishes.

@Emily
Roland is still there! He might outlive me at this point.
Families can really be messed-up. I used to think it was just mine, but I'm sorry to heaer so many of you have also been through it.

Mim said...

Yup, you don't need to have toxic people in your life, and sharing some genetics and/or family history doesn't change that.

Sorry to hear Danny's now got a load of food restrictions. That bread does look good though... Pete makes his own kimchi; a spoonful or two is excellent in ramen.

Vix said...

Sorry to hear about the oral surgery, hope you're recovering and feeling much, much better.
A couple of friends have Honda Civics and absolutely love them, so reliable and dead cheap to fix, win-win! xxx

The Liberty Belle said...

Your homemade kimchi has intrigued me. The homemade bread looks perfect. Love the color of your blue cardigan. Have a terrific week.