George R.R. Martin

I've been a big fan of George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones for years.  Good story and not easy to predict what's going to happen next.  Why is that?  Well, because he kills off everyone.  Each time you think you know who the star of the story is going to be he kills them off.  This picture I ran across gives you an idea of what he's like as an author.

Each of the book marks represents someone he has killed off in the story.  And there are at least 2 more books to be published in the series.

Grumpy Old Lady Time

It's a grey, gloomy day today, I didn't sleep worth a fiddle last night and my puzzle is fighting with me so I thought I'd let Ida rant a little

Ida is sick of hearing that Obamacara (or the Affordable Health Act) is broken.
Find out why it's broken, fix it and shut up, doesn't matter if you like it or not it's the law of the land.

Ida says that if she hears the words  "twerking" or "selfie" one more time being used by an adult she's going to hurl.  And she sincerely hopes that Miley Cyrus disappears.

Ida is tired of people saying "are" when they mean "our".  It's not are house, it's our house.  Are is a verb and our is a possessive pronoun.

Ida is tired of people living on their cell phones instead of in the real world.  Lift your nose about 4 inches and look around that might be your child trying to get your attention.

Ida is sick of the wussification of this nation, some people need to man up and shut up.

Before it even gets going Ida wants to remind folks we're getting ready to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah, so feel free to wish her a Happy Hanukkah or a Merry Christmas, but don't wish her happy holidays, she'll probably hit you with her cane.

Schizophrenic Weather

Last week our temperatures dropped down to 34° for an overnight low and the next day it was only in the 50's.  Fine, autumn had settled in and winter was near.  Makes for good sleeping weather and working out in the yard on a cool, crisp day is great.
So what happens this week?  The overnight low last night was 66° and today's high was 82° and humid, humid, humid.  My bones are very unappreciative.  I want my cool weather back.

Why Nothing is Getting Done Around Here

I've been working on a pink afghan throw forever, but it's still not done.  I have a Christmas throw cut out and partially sewn, but it's laying on the floor in my sewing room undone.
 I still haven't mastered Pachel
bel's Canon in D.

Excuse the shadows please

Why, other than the fact that I probably suffer from ADD and can't  sit still long enough to get anything done are these projects not done?  It's because when we were out in California my sister-in-law was working on a jigsaw puzzle, she said it was good for your brain and helped ward off Alzheimer.  Well, I like jigsaw puzzles, use to work them all the time, with the help of one of my cats (picture puzzle pieces flying every where) and Lord know my brain needs all the help it can get, so I ordered myself a puzzle, it's of a painting I've always liked.

What it should look like

I don't work at it constantly, just a bit each day , and so it's nowhere near done, but it keeps me distracted from everything else.  When it's done I'm shipping it out to my sister-in-law who's a whole lot younger and quicker at finishing puzzles ( she says she gets them done in a day or so) and I hope she has fun with it too!

What it looks like so far

November is Running Away

October lasted forever, but November feels like it's tied on it track shoes and just taken off.  I meant to blog about Veteran's Day, but it was gone before I remembered.  I am grateful for the service of the men and women who defend this country and their families who sacrifice so much.  Mac was in the Army for 21 years so I know what it's like to pack up your home, put most of it in storage, leave your job, your family and friends to move half way round the world to a place where you know no one, don't speak the language and don't have a job or a car.  Our daughter knows too well what it's like for the children of service people to leave what they love behind.  One move involved selling her horse that she'd always wanted and going to live in a tiny apartment over a barn till we got quarters or having to travel from Turkey to Georgia on her own when she was just 17 to start college.
So I say thank you to the families too.
On a lighter note we went out to lunch today to a Japanese restaurant.  Mac will tell you I'm the least adventurous eater in the world having spent most of our travels living on chicken, but I did enjoy today's lunch.  I had hibachi shrimp with veggies and fried rice.  It was delicious.  No I did not have shushi, that's about as likely as me eating a snail.  Mac had a Bento Box meal that included tempura shrimp and veggies, white rice, spring roll and California rolls.  he liked the shrimp, but not the veggies.  We want to go back in the evening when they cook on the grill in front of you.
The weather is still gorgeous here, but I understand that Canada is getting ready to send us a winter blast, oh well, I have lots of indoor things to do.

The Can Opener From H**l

A month or so ago we went in search of a new can opener, wasn't sure exactly what kind I wanted, other than the fact I wanted one that was easy to operate and actually opened cans.  At Target the man in the small appliance department assured me that if I bought the small, magnetic Hamilton Beach can opener that I would love it.
I don't!  I HATE it!  In the month or so that we've had it I've not managed to open one can with it.  After some studying and fiddling with it Mac now gets it to work every time and has tried to show me what to do.  I follow his directions and try and try and try.  It will not work for me.
I want to take it out back and throw it as far as I can, hopefully at least nicking the salesman who assured me I'd love it.
So, I'm looking for a new can opener because I refuse to have to call my husband in every time I need a can opened.
Who has a can opener they actually like?

Coffee With a Fellow Blogger

Today was a very special day, I got to meet Rowan from Circle of the Year whose blog I've been following for a couple of years.  She and her daughter are here in Savannah for a few days before heading onto New Orleans.  We had coffee and beignets at a local restaurant named Huey's which is a favorite of ours.  It was 2 hours of talking, mostly me I'm afraid, trying to give them an idea of what to see and do while in Savannah, which restaurants are good and where there's live music.    It was so good meeting them, now when I read her blog I'll have a name and face to put to it.

Lessons Learned

Thought I'd cook a pot of Great Northern Beans yesterday in my crock pot.  Knew from reading various recipes that it would take some where between 5-7 hours to cook them , so I started them early.  After 6 hours they were nowhere near done.  What I didn't know, but now I've learned, is that the older your dried beans are the longer it will take to cook them.  Neither one of us can remember when we bought the beans which means they may have moved here with us from California and that was 10 years ago.  Yikes, I think I'm going to invest in some new beans.
Anyway,  this morning I transfered the beans  to a big pot and I've been boiling the heck out of them and some of them are still hard.  But the pork ribs and tomato sauce I put in has made them delicious, if only they would finish softening up we would be eating the homemade version of bean and bacon soup, my favorite.