Italy - October's International Family Night

Calebs's family portrait - Caleb asked us to choose our favorite colors of

the four crayons they were given. He then colored our clothes based on our favorites. Note that my hair is white versus Grandpa's hair ...

Charlotte's family portrait. We got to choose colors foro ur clothing. Megan, Baby,

and Grandpa are green as they are Hulks. She also made the top cat into a dog so that 

both Sylvie and Pan were represented.

We were all excited to celebrate Italy at Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano in Maple Grove. Biaggi's happens to be a family favorite. We started with two appetizer's, fried ravioli (spinach and ricottta) with a scallion cream sauce and stuffed mushrooms (Italian sausage, spinach, garlic and white wine butter sauce).

                         fried ravioli                                  stuffed mushrooms

While the adults were eating appetizers, Charlotte made mustaches with her pieces of bread:

We shared minestrone soup and a salad of honey roasted beet and arugula with avocado, sun-dried cranberries, spicy walnuts, and goat cheese with a honey balsamic dressing. The entrees for the evening included spaghettti and meatballs (Charlotte); pepperoni pizza (Caleb); baked ziti al forno (Jeremy); ravioli quattro formaggi (Megan); eggplant parmesan with three-cheese alfredo rigatini (Joe); and salmon and shrimp risotto (Beth). 

ziti al forno

 eggplant parmesan

 Pepperoni pizza

 Ravioli

 spaghetti

 salmon and shrimp risotto

Desserts were ice cream sundaes for the grandkids (Caleb - Chocolate; Charlotte - Cherry); and the adults shared lemon marscapone cake and sorbets (cherry, cappucino, and blood orange).

 

When we got back to the house, Jeremy helped Joe to move our new sectional (new to us, 6 months old and seller couldn't fit it into their new home) into the family room and get the old couch into the garage. They also managed to move Joe's new air compressor from the driveway into the garage.

Next up was taste testing snacks from Italy and trivia. Charlotte was the trivia winner. Her best response was to the question: The richest person in Italy owns which of the following brands? (a) Ferrari (b) Gucci (c) Nutella and (d) Versace. Charlotte was the only one to guess Nutella. When she delivered her answer she said, "I don't like Nutella, other people do, so it will be Nutella." 

Charlotte wearing her trivia winner sticker on her face.

Caleb did our snack taste testing scoreboard. Joe won the picky eater sticker as he liked the least number of snacks this month. 

The grandkids decided they would like to try another year of international snacks and dinners. With the latest grandbaby coming in late January or early February, we will have the dinners in our home for most of the new year. Charlotte let us know she likes going to the restaurants so Jeremy and Megan told her that maybe later in the year when baby is a little older we can return to dining out.

Today, Caleb and Charlotte spent part of the day hanging out with me. We went to the movies to watch Nightmare Before Christmas on the big screen. Fun day!

 

Night Out

Tonight was our monthly international night out. We had a late evening so I am not writing tonight. I will catch up with you tomorrow.

Very Funny Ladies

I have been following Liza Donnelly's work for at least a year. When she decided to produce a documentary based on her book about the New Yorker's Women cartoonists, I donated. As a thank you she sent out a signed book with a personal cartoon to donors at a certain level. Here is my cartoon on the inside title page:

Donnelly's daily work, writing and cartoons, can be found at  https://substack.com/@lizadonnelly. In case you are unfamiliar with Substack, there are many writers you can follow without a subscription. Usually, a paid subscription gives you more access to more content than an unpaid subscription allows. 

Even though my stick figures are sadly poor, I enjoy watching the videos Donnelly posts while drawing. She makes it look effortless.

Cooler Temperatures and Celebrating Tools

Fall colors in our backyard!

We have had cooler temperatures - in the fifties - today. The first frost is expected tonight. By the end of the week, it is expected for the temperature to be in the seventies. Joe is covering the radishes to protect them from the frost. I turned on the gas fireplace in the sunroom this morning to keep warm. I have also switched from short sleeved shirts to long sleeves. 

I made a Hungarian mushroom soup for dinner this evening. It tasted incredible. There is enough left over for tomorrow night's dinner as well. Chopping two cups of onions and one pound of mushrooms only took minutes with my Pampered Chef Rapid-Prep mandolin. On any given day, my favorite kitchen tool is the one that makes prepping recipes easier! We had a romaine salad with fresh vegetables and oven-baked crostini with our soup. 

Now I am writing and drinking a cup of dark hot chocolate with marshmallows. Much of my day was spent designing a plan for an upcoming Pampered Chef fundraiser for Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary. The good news is that once the content is created, I can schedule it to post on the actual days of the event (October 22nd through October 27th). Having a plan makes me happy. Engaging in the creative process also makes me happy!

Another "something" I am excited about is a new book that arrived today: Writing Tools - 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer" by Roy Peter Clark. My writer friend, Marjorie, recommended the book on her blog this week. Check her out at https://marjorieapple.substack.com/.

Meanwhile, Joe spent the day watering the lawn and plants ahead of the expected frost. Late this afternoon he went to the garage to work on setting up his shop. He came in for dinner and helped with the dishes before heading back out to do more shop organizational work. He is happiest when he has the right tool(s) to fix or make items.

Come to think of it, I appreciate the right tools for the job I am doing as well. This idea is from years of hearing Joe talk about how easy it is to do almost anything if you have the right tool(s). 

What is your favorite tool today?

Flannel Up! Festival

Joe and I spent the afternoon at a fall harvest festival in Buffalo. Our real estate agency invited the community to the first annual Flannel Up! Festival. The weather cooperated with winds up to twenty-one miles per hour and a temperature of 51 degrees. This is the first official chilly day this fall.

We got to pick a pumpkin, a free event T-shirt for Joe, drink hot chocolate or apple cider, and eat hamburgers, hot dogs, and bratwurst. We also had a photo taken -  I'll share when we get our copy. It was a lovely free event, and we enjoyed seeing so many people come out to spend two hours mingling with other people. Upstairs in the barn loft there was an area set up for people to paint and decorate their pumpkins. A man was making ballon figures for the children. 

The festival was held at Howling Moon Weddings and Events Center which is a beautiful property. I borrowed two photos from their website. 

After the festival we headed over to Menards so Joe could shop for more items for his home shop. From there we drove to Home Depot in Monticello for a new toolbox to hold his welding stuff. He is now at nine toolbox/rolling carts plus eight of them have a tool chest on top. In the future I will get you photos of his work area.

On our way home we stopped for dinner at Ton Ramen as I wanted ramen for dinner. It was a lovely day, and I am ready to take a nap even though it is 5:20 pm. I am thinking of getting into jammies and going to bed early if I can hold out for another two hours.

Please Be Right Terry Pratchett

Tens of thousands of Evangelicals marched in support of Donald Trump in Washington DC today. It seemed appropriate to drag out a favorite Terry Pratchett quote to offset my anxiety over this election and what it means for us as a nation.

I do not want to live in a nation that is ruled by evangelicals who believe Trump is God’s chosen candidate. He is not a decent or honest person. Why would any God choose an indecent, cruel, and dishonest man to lead us? I will scream if I see, one more time, the words "You don't have to love a candidate to vote for him" in my Facebook feed. It is not about love, it is about respect.

While I do not want to take the Evangelicals seriously, I don't think we are supposed to bury our head in the sand. It is exceedingly difficult for me to believe the ideas shared during today's march. "Don't Mess with Our Kids: an anti-LGBTQ activist group claims that library books, public school teachers, and pop culture are tricking children into changing genders. One woman told a reporter she is concerned her ten-month-old grandson will grow up in a nation where he's pressured to identify as a girl. I can't even think how our public-school teachers have somehow become the culprits. Educators are already overworked, saddled with the responsibility of teaching children how to survive a school shooting, and in the event of an active shooter situation trying to keep children alive.

We cannot ban automatic or semi-automatic guns or enact legislation to keep guns out of the hands of certain people. Now we have people vilifying teachers for a non-existent problem? WTF.

I have to go meditate to lower my blood pressure.

A Family Tradition

 

The Formo Family 2021 (top), 2022 (middle), 2023 (bottom) 

Charlotte, Jeremy, Megan (and Baby Bean due in late January), and Caleb 2024

Halloween fun is a big part of the Formo year. Even the dogs will dress up (I hear that Sylvie is a giraffe). Every year the people part of the family head over to a local pumpkin patch for fun and to get the pumpkins they will carve and decorate. 

I checked in with one of the neighbors yesterday to find out how many children come to trick or treat in our cul-de-sac as we were buying candy at Costco. It sounds like we can expect maybe thirty children. In California we stopped handing out candy. Joe and I would give candy to the four little girls old enough to eat candy who lived in our neighborhood. I am looking forward to seeing our neighborhood children all dressed up. 

 

Bits-N-Pieces

This cartoon made me smile today. A reminder that if we are not Native American, we were originally here as guests. Did our ancestors acclimate to the language and customs of the Native Americans? Near as I can tell, immigrants to the United States today come here to provide a safe place for their family and to work, just as our ancestors did.

Megan and I had lunch at River Inn and then went shopping in Maple Grove. Meanwhile, Joe was at home ordering more equipment and supplies for his home machine shop. He dropped off his resume this morning and they interviewed him on the spot.

There is not an official opening where he interviewed. The floor supervisor plans to talk to the owner, who was off duck hunting today, about hiring Joe anyway. They were really excited to interview someone with manual machining skills and welding experience. 

This evening, I received an email that I will be needed to work at the polls on election day. The schedule for when and where will be sent out on Monday. In addition to the role we are assigned as election judges, we must make sure that we manage our role in a nonpartisan and professional manner. I am excited to have the opportunity to serve.

We have been invited to a neighborhood bonfire at the end of the month. I have not met these host neighbors yet. Joe met the husband right after we moved in. He has  stopped by and talked to Joe while he was working in the yard two or three times over the last six months.

The Garbanzo beans came out of the crockpot last night and they were still firmer than Joe likes. He cooked them on the stove this morning and it took another two hours before they reached the consistency he enjoys. He said it was not the new cooker, he thinks the beans were old. He has never had beans that took so long to fully cook. I will try another bean next week to make sure the pressure cooker feature on the Deluxe Multi Cooker is functional. I am so happy the product has a warranty!

Inclusion at McDonalds (and Other Topics)

Busy day for me today. First, I spent four hours at my daughter's house (Megan) helping her and visiting. By the time I got home I was ready for a nap; however, Joe needed help with online applications. I sneaked in a McDonald's Big Mac which was a treat for me. I had a hankering for one for two weeks and kept putting it off. 

I had not been at McDonalds since I took the kids there after a movie in August. At the time I did not notice these signs in the drive-up window.

The first sign reads: Hearing/Speech Impaired Assistance Available at This Window. The second sign reads: Braille and Picture Menus Available. The third decal is for St. Michael-Albertville Schools (STMA) with "Excellence is our tradition" as their slogan. Anyway, I thought it was cool that McDonalds is inclusive of people. Now, obviously a person who is blind is not going to be driving a car, but their friend, partner, or caretaker can read the sign and let a person who is blind know they can read the menu in braille. Years ago, I had two adult students I taught to read. I thought of them today when I saw picture menus are available.

Does anyone know if all McDonalds are offering hearing/speech assistance and menus available in braille and pictures?

The first two boxes of my Pampered Chef sales kit arrived this evening. Joe helped me unbox, wash, and set up the Deluxe Multi Cooker. We are running a test run and then I will cook garbanzo beans this evening. Tomorrow I will clean and put away the other items I received. One of the things I appreciate most about Pampered Chef is the instructions for use and cleaning inserts they provide with most products. It makes it easier to figure out how items are used. Example: A few weeks back I purchased the store and serve because we love salads. Before the store and serve, I would pre-chop veggies to last two or three days and put them in Tupperware containers.

The problem with the Tupperware is that I would have to open the container to clearly see what veggie was in which container, then I'd have to hunt around to make sure I had all of the containers. Since Joe shares the fridge, containers would get moved. The store and serve lets me see what is in the containers AND everything is in one place. I love this so much, I have ordered another one. BUT, when I received the first one I did not read the instructions. How hard could it be to fill up the containers and stick them in the fridge?

What I finally figured out this week was that the drain trays on the lid popped off and were for the bottom of the tray. Duh ... NOW, I read those handy dandy inserts from Pampered Chef when the product comes in. They write them for a reason.

I am excited to see how the garbanzo beans turn out. Usually when Joe cooks beans, he does it early in the morning before I am up - the smell of cooking beans makes me nauseous. Plus, he has tended to forget he has them on the stove even though he will set a timer on his phone. The beans have never burned because when they start smelling up the house I ask him about them. Cooking the beans in the Multi Cooker means they will stop cooking at the time set on the cooker. Then I can hit the pressure release button and wait ten minutes before opening the lid.

Finally, to keep things exciting around our house, Joe helped me to rearrange small appliances in the kitchen. After almost six months in our house, I think I finally have figured out the best place for the coffee maker, microwave, air fryer, and stand mixer. While Joe has decided to go back to work (he is in the application process) it is NOT because I want to rearrange stuff. He wants to earn more money to continue to buy equipment for his home machine shop. Honest. 

Cold Rain of Judgment

I am going to frame the above saying to sit on my desk. As the oldest of five children, to parents stretched thin by my father's accident and my mother's return to the workforce, at ten years old I was helping to care for and make decisions for my siblings. Any wonder I grew up and joined the business world and took on similar roles?

From May 2016 through February 2017, a series of unfortunate events in my life meant I had to step back and examine how I could change me so I could curtail elevated levels of anxiety and be able to breathe. Meditation, better health habits, and quality time with Joe and close friends all helped me to gain perspective. I figured out that I did not have a responsibility to make suggestions when people came to me with their problems. I learned to listen and empathize. I learned to wait until I was asked for an idea.

I learned that sometimes the best gift we give is to listen without judgement. Sometimes that was incredibly difficult for me. Especially since the answer seemed obvious to me. I would keep silent and coach myself with the idea that a friend's situation was the same as letting my child make her own decisions and succeed or fail on her own. Was I always successful at stilling my advice? Heck no. I WAS trying though.

Had I had the framed saying above, I think I would have been more successful. I will keep working on me. Who knew that would be such a job when I got older?

Authenticity

Adults need this as well! That is why I love my closest friends so much. I can be my authentic self, and they are simply fine with it. And I love that they are their authentic self with me.

When I say authentic self - that is the me that gets to act silly. Or be sarcastic and they get it. After so many years, my closest friends can probably finish my sentences. I love my long-time friends, and I love my newer friends because they met me after I gained a bit of wisdom. (Just a bit - that seems to be a long journey for some of us). 

 

Joyful Sunday

 

Patio in our backyard (Photo by Joe)

Joe and I went to Rockford today to pick up a free patio table and chairs. We rented a truck in Buffalo at Menards ($54.00 with taxes and fuel for 90 minutes). I spent a couple of hours washing the set down. I am happy with the set-up. I close my eyes and imagine how this will look next year when all of the vegetables are growing. 

Joe drove the truck, and I followed in the car because I could not climb into the truck. Note to Self: Next time you have to rent a truck take the kitchen stepstool along. Oh, the joys of being a chunky short-legged person. 

The upside to this was that I asked Siri to play John Denver music, and I sang-along for the ten-minute drive to the pick-up location in Rockford. I did the same from Rockford to Saint Michael and then back to Buffalo to return the truck. The music and the changing colors of the landscape felt like I was in another land. It was a glorious Sunday morning. Extraordinarily little traffic, clear skies, a multitude of colors, and John Denver's music. It was joyful to be in the moment.

This afternoon, from the sunroom windows, I saw four neighborhood boys, ranging in age from eight to ten years old, running through our backyard and up the hill past other neighborhood homes. A bit later they came back through, and they stopped and were looking at the planter boxes. Or maybe they were wondering if we had chickens because of the cat house. I know they were there for about a minute or two checking out the area. I was happy the boys felt comfortable enough to enter the yard. 

Find the Broom (How Smart are You?)

 

There is a broom hidden in the above picture. I found the broom within 30 seconds. Does this mean I am smarter than average? I doubt it. I have taken aptitude tests over the years, and I usually come out above average, but not genius level. I think my inquisitive and analytical nature is because I loved journalism in high school and learned to question and look for answers. On top of that I was blessed with jobs that gave me the opportunity to learn how to think and how to look for solutions. A year on a Yolo County Grand Jury taught me to triangulate information (three reputable sources) before coming to a conclusion.

I say all of this not to gloat about my intellect that is within the range of normal. I know really smart people who jump to conclusions. It is difficult not to do just that when we might like what we are hearing or want something to be true because it supports our own belief. 

When I worked the sales desk at my last job (during COVID it was all hands-on deck at times) I remember a veterinarian calling to talk to our veterinarian claiming that his dog died from the vaccine we manufactured. Our veterinarian, after expressing condolences on the loss of his pet, said, "Sounds like your pup got into some poison." The veterinarian insisted he had walked his property and there was no poison. We took a report to register the claim with the USDA. About an hour later, the veterinarian called to say he found the poison his dog ate.

This was a great lesson for me on cause and effect. We look for answers and hope to find solutions and it can be easy to get misdirected along the way. It is one reason I read so much; I want to understand. Other people are not necessarily interested in understanding and will take misinformation as gospel. Whatever helps them sleep at night. Not my job to correct them. OH MY GOD, did I just write that? Well, I am trying to only have conversations with people who ask for my opinion or people who send me information in private messenger. I figure if they are sharing with me privately, they are asking for a response. Writing a response on something I posted is permission to respond as well.

I hope you found the broom. I hope you maintain your sanity over the next thirty-one days. VOTE!

My morning was absolutely lovely as I spent almost three hours video chatting with my dear friend, Anne, in Pennsylvania. She brings light to the world.

First Harvest

Pictured is our very first harvest of a fresh vegetable in Minnesota. Joe pulled up two radishes to top our dinner salads last night. We will be eating radishes for weeks! We were both excited to have grown something this year – we had thought it would be late next spring before planting. While visiting Ohio, in early August, my Uncle Dick suggested we grow radishes this year as they have a fast grow time. He was right!

The original owner of our home was in town earlier this week and he dropped by to chat with Joe. Joe gave him a yard tour. Our visitor’s response, “It looks really nice. My wife can never see this – she was after me for years to plant the trees you have here.” He was  referring to the arborvitae we planted in late August that line the back property line.

He also complemented Joe on his mini-retaining wall he built for the terrace that houses two of the raised planter beds. Since the guy used to own a company that manufactures the bricks for walls, Joe was pleased to get positive feedback.

Today, Joe is outside screening rock from the large dirt pile left by the retaining wall contractor last spring. Joe built a simple screen rack to fit over his wheelbarrow. He scoops dirt over the screen and the dirt filters through. The stones/rocks are picked off the top of the screen and put in a bucket. Joe said the soil is rich and beautiful, so that soil is going into his eight planter boxes. The stones/rocks will be saved for footpaths for the wild garden area we plan to complete next year.

My morning was filled with cooking and laundry. I do not mind chores at all. I am happiest when I have order around me. I started cooking before I had breakfast as I wanted to get the recipe into the crockpot early. If I waited until I had my coffee it would be more difficult for me to tear myself away from the internet rabbit hole! This afternoon, I spent an hour reading Pampered Chef’s online new consultant materials. Now I am off to do my daily meditation and to read (aka take a nap). I LOVE RETIREMENT!

Fall Has Arrived!

 

The leaves on our hillside trees are beginning to change colors! The changing colors lift my spirits even further than normal. As we drive around the area there are increasingly more red and orange leaves interspersed with the greenery. It is so beautiful.

The temperature dipped from in the low 80s yesterday to the low 60s today. The sky is grey. It is October 3^rd, and the weather gods have decided it is finally the moment to deliver fall to Saint Michael, Minnesota. 

Growing up in Ohio, Fall was my favorite time of the year, despite my allergy to ragweed. Every year at picture time, usually the end of September, I would cough and sneeze until I had a red nose. The red nose made for lovely school photographs. To this day when my allergies flare the tip of my nose will get bright red (yes, think Rudolph) and itch like crazy.

While I have not been looking for work, and I have plenty to keep me busy, I decided to sign on as a consultant with Pampered Chef. My goal is to fund my own Pampered Chef purchases of the larger appliances I want to add to my kitchen. If I make a little bit of additional money, I can spend more on my grandchildren …

This morning, I did food prep for tomorrows crockpot pork roast with potatoes and carrots. Now, I am off to wash windows.

Voting/Window Cleaner/Nobody Wants This

Joe and I completed our ballots today and turned them in at Saint Michael City Hall. As we drove home Joe remarked, “This is the most consequential election I will ever vote in.” I agree. I am relieved to have voted and to be done with the process. I can’t imagine why people don’t vote. Perhaps growing up around parents who were committed to the work of unions instilled in me that it is both a privilege and a responsibility to vote.

I am relieved to have the Vice-Presidential debate over with as well. I agree with most everyone writing about the debate that most likely it did not change anyone’s opinion on which candidate they will support. I liked Walz’s relatability and authenticity. I am not looking for a debater – I am looking for a collaborator in my choice of candidates. I can relate to Walz and not at all to Vance.

I made homemade window cleaner and tested it out on the windows in the sunroom. It was so much easier to use than Windex! I am delighted with the end result. I only did the inside as I am not climbing a ladder to do the outside. That’s a Joe job.

Since I had to move my desk to clean two of the windows, I decided to make the desk move permanent. My monitor now blocks my view of the neighbors’ backyards. More privacy for them! I can still look out the windows and enjoy the scenery.

I did find time today to watch three episodes of Nobody Wants This on Netflix. This show is a wonderful treat after window washing (or any other chore). I laughed aloud and got teary-eyed at poignant moments as well. The creator of the story is Erin Foster and is loosely based on her own relationship with her now husband. She mentions that some plot points were added for entertainment value. But the “emotional journey” is accurate, Foster says. “It’s not always like tangible things I can point to,” Foster told Today. “The emotional journey, I would say, is very accurate to my experience of meeting my husband.” (source https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2024/10/02/nobody-wants-this-true-story-foster/).

Do we know how to have a fun day at the Coehlo house?

Tuesday's Tangents of a Cat Lady

 

Today was vaccine day. Pneumonia and flu shots get marked off the list of to do items.

We also made a trip to Menard’s (Surprise!!) so Joe could buy a miter saw and workstation for his shop. He plans to build a sifting screen for extra dirt we have left from the backyard. When the largest retaining wall was installed, the company dumped the excess soil they dug up on top of rocks that were in the yard. The result is a mess that we cannot take anywhere to dispose of as it is not soil or rock.

Besides Joe is happier when he has a project. Once he gets the screen made, he can sift the dirt and use it in the raised garden beds. Yesterday I mentioned that he was done with yard projects until next spring. Go ahead, laugh aloud with me. This is the last ‘project’ he says.

Tonight is the Vice-Presidential debate. Part of me is looking forward to watching. Another part of me wants to go to sleep instead. That may be the flu vaccine side-effects, or it may be anxiety over the debate. I tell myself that is silly as it is what it is, and I AM NOT the one debating. I feel compelled to watch as I want to know first-hand what is said and not have to rely on media accounts and memes plastered on Twitter (X) and Facebook. Then again, it seems to me I could bury my head in the sand. I just can’t!

I may need a nap first, though. Well, maybe. I tried to nap when I was finished with chores and Alto wanted pets. We know who won that round. I did not get a nap. Alto is a happy cat. This officially makes me a cat lady.

Alto laying on top of me while I tried to nap ...

Backyard Landscaping Reveal!

Joe finished with the backyard for this fall. The first photos are of how the yard looked when we purchased the house. The retaining wall in the background was replaced and most of the backyard was left a muddy mess. In some areas grass grew back without our reseeding. In the midst of the process of landscaping we had trees removed and a transformer/tree fire that created more landscaping clean-up.

The original yard looking west to east. 

Looking toward the north - has the original retaining wall and sloped

yard. Patio area retaining wall was not replaced. On the far end of the patio 

is a bench and the firepit. In photos below you will see the firepit was removed and

replaced with planter boxes.

MAKEOVER REVEAL!

Looking toward the north these two planter boxes will 

get full sun for a lot of the day. The beige shed belongs to the neighbors -

it sits within a foot of the property line. The yard was gradually sloping both north to south and east to west. Joe leveled out an area and built a small terrace 

Closer view looking West to East. Eventually the trees and shrubs will

create a privacy screen from the neighbors behind us. On the far left you

can glimpse another retaining wall Joe built for the first apple tree area.

Next summer we will terrace the second tree and the rest of the backyard up

 to the white retaining wall and plant herbs, bushes, reeds, and wildflowers.

Closer view.

Looking from north to south the completed level with the first apple tree.

Our property line ends about five feet to the south of the last small tree. Our neighbor 

is talking about buying the same tree and continuing it along his back property line. 

Full height of these trees will be beneath the power lines which means we will not 

have to rely on the power company to keep branches off of the trees. Joe took this photo while standing on the patio that existed when we moved in.

Looking west, we have six planter boxes on the patio. Four of the planter boxes are 

located in what was once the fire pit area. The greenery in the furthest planter box is from an experimental fava bean and radish seeds. 

Next spring the plan is to level out the area between the patio retaining wall and the white retaining wall. That area was damaged in the replacement of the large retaining wall. Actually, the wall was not replaced - the new wall was built in front of the old wall. The soil they dug out for the base of the retaining wall was left in a large pile with gravel and rock mixed in. 

We are pleased with the overall progress of the makeover. 

Shout out to my brother, Kenny, on his birthday! He is sixty-seven years young. 

Beth Ann and Buddy (Kenny) circa 1959

Spending Money or YOLO

 

As if I needed a reminder that I am getting old and crotchety AND acting from a place of privilege. This morning, I read a blog on Medium by a twenty-something woman who gave a list of twenty-five things that her “rich” aunt suggested people could do to save money. The article has stuck with me all morning as it really seemed like a practical list to me. Don’t worry I am not listing all twenty-five items. What struck with me though was the perspective of someone from a different generation.

The writer had a reason for why each of the suggestions from auntie were both elitist and biased. I bristled as I read the reasons she gave as to why  auntie was acting “privileged,” mostly because I have done over half of the items on the list to save money when money was tight. It used to baffle me when people I knew lamented about lack of money when they had spent money in a way that I thought was unwise  (bragging about an $800 tattoo but couldn’t afford to pay childcare is my all-time award for “Baffling Beth” on spending decisions). For the most part I have tried to rein in my tendency to judge other people’s spending habits.

As long as I am not responsible for the debts of others, I don’t care how they spend money. At the same time, don’t expect me to have empathy for the person who complained about how Biden economics meant she had to cash in her retirement to pay her increased mortgage payment. I bit my tongue and did not ask her if the four cruises she and her husband took over the summer had contributed in some way to her decision to cash out her retirement funds.

To the outside world, in this moment of our lives, Joe and I may look affluent. We know we worked hard to save for a rainy day. We had luck along the way. That luck combined with financial mindfulness brought us to a point where – at least for today – we can enjoy living in a home that we can afford and that we love. We can take our family out for a fun and nice dinner each month, we can donate to political campaigns and no-profit organizations, and we can buy gifts as we please for others. That was not always the case.

I remember when we decided to buy our home earlier this year. We could buy smaller and save more. Or we could spend the money to live in what seems like the perfect home for us right now. It took quite a bit of self-convincing to overcome the “keep saving for a rainy day” mentality that we had been practicing for so long. We don’t regret it. At least not today!!

And to the person who cashed out her retirement benefits because of the current economy. It was a choice to take four cruises. Own that. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. Just don’t expect that everyone else you broadcast your “I am poor because of Biden (or any other person)” will empathize with you.

Here is the link to the blog I read this morning.

https://pomeroysays.medium.com/25-items-my-rich-aunt-says-that-poor-people-need-to-stop-buying-d7c59f83783c

Note: Yolo = You Only Live Once (It is also the county we lived in in California as well).

South Korean Dinner Out

Last night we had our monthly international dinner at Shinhwa Korean Steakhouse. It is an all you can eat grill and hotpot style restaurant. Our clan opted for the grill only and used the full two hours to our advantage. We ate a variety of  grilled vegetables along with pork, shrimp, and beef. Our group is not real exotic in our palates, so we stayed away from tongue as a meat option. We did try beef and chicken bulgogi (including the spicy versions), finger ribs, pork belly, and garlic shrimp. Vegetables included zucchini, eggplant, both white and sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. We also ordered pineapple but ate it before we could get it on the grill.

After dinner we came back to try the snacks in our monthly box. South Korean snacks got the most likes of all of the countries we have tried to date! Crown Saekom Dalcom Blueberry Soda, a sweet and sour chewy candy got a big smile from all six of us. The Crown Sando Strawberry Creme Sandwich Cookies was second with five of us loving it. Unfortunately, Charlotte was feeling a bit sick and opted to not participate. She planned to eat her cookie today.

Photos from last night at the restaurant.

Photo taken early in the meal as we began cooking. Eventually the table looked

crowded and messy. We were stacking plates around the top ledge of the booth.

The second meat tray. We went through four grill changes by

the time all of the vegetables and meat had been cooked.

Third grill change we decided to cook up more veggies

before cooking the meat, We had two trays of veggies and two trays

of meat total. In additon there was a bar with edamame, kimchi, and desserts.

We all love edamame so ate plenty of it whileour  food cooked.

In other news, Joe is still working on the backyard. He thinks he will finish tomorrow. He did finish the retaining wall for the planter boxes and decided to go ahead and level out the first apple tree area. He has promised photos once he finishes that area. He says he sees the light at the end of the tunnel. I did not remind him that he said the same thing last weekend. As long as he is happy with the progress, I am happy that he is happy.