while i haven't

been the best at getting on the computer and typing anything, I have thought about the blog while I've been out doing my thing.  So much so, I have a few pictures from my time off.

Last week or so we went to Top Golf.  I had to make a stop in the bathroom.  This just seemed odd to me.  (I know we don't all like to just drop our pants and go in the middle of a golf course... not that I've ever done that...)

Sure, golf clubs are expensive and I could understand her not wanting to leave them behind but it still seemed odd.  I half wondered why she didn't just use the big stall and take them in with her.  Oh well, maybe that's standard procedure.  Maybe it's an American Standard.  Get it?  American Standard? The brand of toilets?  Never mind.  And don't even get me started on her towel touching the floor.

Here's another thing from last week.  I needed a new pair of scissors for the kitchen, or, kitchen shears.  Whatever.

Notice anything?  I needed scissors to open the freaking scissors.  Why?

And then I made butter but probably should have whipped it a little longer.

And last, but not least, the day Dodo went to the hospital (the first time) and Cindy and I went back to the nursing home with her, I took this painting from her room.  I've always liked it and I knew I wanted it.  Now I have Dodo's take on The Lone Cypress hanging right here.

I need to order a new light for it, I think.  I don't have a bulb but even if I did, the cord looks a little jacked up.  I guess the cord could be replaced but then I could just get a new light and feel better about everything.  I also need to shop around for something different to place on the buffet.  This whole setup doesn't speak to me.  Something's just not right.  It needs a little more height and maybe a little less variety.  I don't know.  I do know the more I look at it, the more I know it's wrong.

My phone just let me know I need to be at the church in an hour to count so I guess that's where I'm off to now.

one of the things

I've been working on lately is eating out less.  (Yes, I'm on that kick again.)  Anyway, I picked up blueberries the other day and tried a new muffin recipe.  It pretty much sucked.  They were bitter and had too much cinnamon.  When butter didn't help, I went and bought margarine.  Sometimes, after all, a blueberry muffin calls for margarine and this wasn't that time.  I tried to eat them and not let them go to waste.  I threw them out yesterday.

Next time I'll stick to the recipe I always use.

And on the not-eating-out menu tonight?  Hot dogs, plain for Eric and me and Chicago style for Cosme.  Hey, I didn't say it was anything fancy.  Well, at least I'm planning on hot dogs, Whataburger or Chili's might happen at the last minute.

For now though, I'm off to try some stuff with paints.  I'll share later if it doesn't flop.  Well, I'll probably share even if it does flop.

Until then, just say no to bitter, cinnamon-doused blueberry muffins.

i've been missing

for a while.  Not because there's been anything major going on but mainly because I haven't been on the computer.  I will take a minute and share a few pics though.

I posted this on Instagram a few days ago.  The photo challenge was hands.

Sometimes it takes more than one try to get a picture... especially when there's an animal involved.  Here are a few I ended up with in the process.

Strat really doesn't understand my goal.

Or that light saber.

Or this little man.

But he does want to taste it.

And it was after his taste, as he pulled his face away that the happy-accident I shared yesterday on FB came about.  I thought this picture was great.  It really looks like Luke just fought him off.

*No cats were injured in the making of this picture.

My goal is to be back tomorrow.

last week i made

chicken fried steak.  Before I mixed my egg-dip mixture all up, it looked back at me.

And last week the cats continued to camp out in the laundry room.

On Friday we took the dogs for lunch to McDonalds.  Even though I said they shouldn't be able to eat meat since we couldn't, Cosme got them burgers anyway.

They enjoyed the burgers and then wanted some of Cosme's fish sandwich.

Yesterday I woke up with news that the nursing home took my grandmother to the hospital because she was unresponsive and might have had a stroke.  I took the hour long drive with my aunt to find out my grandmother's test results were all normal and she was being released and returned to the nursing home.

When I got home, Eric went with us for Mexican food and then Cosme suggested we go to the local beach.  Those are three things I never saw happening yesterday.

We enjoyed the beach so much though, we've decided to rent a beach house for a week this summer and now I'm waiting on a lady to email me a list of what's available.

Since yesterday's events distracted me from laundry and cleaning, I've been trying to get all that done today... on top of all the grocery shopping I'd planned on doing.  Now I've got to go start a dessert to go with all the strawberries since I loaded up again.

i've taken classes

on print transfers to figure out ways to combine photography with drawing and painting.  A while back I took a picture of myself to make a photography version of a painting I did.  It didn't turn out great because I couldn't get the makeup to run the right way down my face.  Anyway, I took the print and tried something else with it.  That's what this is all about.

I just added more paint to it.  It's pretty much one of those things I have hanging in front of me and whenever I get an idea for it, I try it.

I tried something similar with a picture of Cosme.  I'm not crazy about it but there are a few details I like.  Now I have it hanging so that if I ever come up with a way to fix it without ruining those details I like, I'll be happy.

Sometimes I forget about the photography and just use paints, like the other day when I was in a foul mood.  I came into the front room, left the door open enough for the cats to get through, brought a Coke, grabbed my headphones, put a canvas on my new easel and worked on my mood.  That's what this is all about.

It also seems to be one of those things I keep adding to but it was a lot easier to work on when I was in a bad mood.

Oh well, I guess I'll go off and enjoy my good mood... maybe paint some smiley faces? 

and then there

was yesterday morning when the dogs had a squirrel stuck up in the tree with no way to escape.  The barking started and lasted for an hour and a half.  I'm not kidding.  I finally let them in so the poor guy could get down and run off.

After that was all settled, I went to run some errands.  In this errand running, I found strawberries on sale at HEB... so I bought 2 pounds.  When Eric was about 3, and didn't care for strawberries, I ended up buying a bunch after somebody at work bought a couple of flats from a local strawberry farm.  Anyway, along with bringing home more strawberries than I knew what to do with, I had a recipe for a strawberry pie that I also got from work.  (That's one thing a job at the county was good for: collecting recipes.)  So I brought the recipe and strawberries home and made the two pies the recipe produces and from that point on, Eric loved strawberries.  I was hoping he'd like the pie but he LOVED it.  When I came home from HEB with 2 pounds of strawberries yesterday, I found out that pie recipe is GONE.  I've looked everywhere.  I even looked online but couldn't find it.  Instead of making one of the similar recipes I found, I decided to make a totally different one.  The other involved cool whip and had a fluffy texture.  What I made was just a plain strawberry pie with crust on top and bottom like any other fruit pie... more specifically, the apple pie I made last week.

The reviews said it was a somewhat runny so I added more flour and it still came out a little runny.  You know what though?  That doesn't matter because we ate it anyway and enjoyed it.  Then I had some for breakfast too.  It's thicker today after being in the refrigerator all night and cold strawberry pie is awesome for breakfast.  I just look it as a homemade Pop-Tart.  Makes sense, right?

it seems like a lot

of the neighborhood dogs have been getting out lately.  There are always pictures being posted on our neighborhood's fb group page, showing which dogs have ended up at which house.  Last week somebody had a good idea and everybody has been posting pics of their dogs with names and addresses to the page.  It's created almost like a pet directory for the next time a dog or three come wandering up to your house.  Here's our directory photo.

Maggie always looks like she's smiling for the camera.  Most of the time, Archer just barks at the camera.  I didn't include the cats since they don't get out.

Speaking of Archer, my legs have bruises all over them because of him.  It's not like he does it on purpose, he's just strong and plays a little rough.

When I went out the other morning to take their pictures, Archer was being a little bad.  I was getting really angry and I don't know if Maggie sensed it all or what but she had to (what I'm considering) get onto him for me.  After her second time of pinning him down and growling, she followed him around while he sulked and then he straightened up.  That "good deed" makes up for the other day when I caught her in the front bathroom... digging in the cats' litter box. ugh.

Also, I got this picture the other day.

I guess she's just reminding him who's in charge.
Clearly it's her and not me...