A blog about laundry

Davey: I guess I'll do some laundry today.

Me, surfing Facebook: Mmmmm...

Davey: Do you think you could write a blog about laundry?

Me: Well, I guess I could, but it would be boring.

Davey: Like doing laundry.

Part of the reason there's so much laundry is because Portey keeps stealing the kitchen towels off the towel bar. He never chews them, just races around the house with them until someone yells and takes them away.

I've discovered a way to stop that attention-seeking behavior. You know those big binder clips, useful for long manuscripts and reports?

I was actually standing there watching him this morning, and he reached up and grabbed the red hand towel. Boy, was he surprised when it didn't come down.

You party pooper, you... :(

in·ge·nu·i·ty
ˌinjəˈn(y)oo itē/ 1. the quality of being clever, original, and inventive.

There will no longer be 12 kitchen towels a day in the laundry.

:)

Review of Thankless in Death

Thankless in Death
by J.D. Robb

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Two-haiku review:

He murders parents
Then more, each worse than the last
Eve needs to find him

I love this series
Not so much plots as people
Great character growth


View all my reviews on Goodreads

That Toddlin' Town

There are so many great pictures of Chicago I'd like to show you!

But the internet connection here is way too slow. So here are just a few of my faves:

Our cruise ship, at the Navy Pier.

Lunch at Harry Carrey's.

Sunset.

Stained glass museum.

Architectural tour.

More architecture.

City tour.

Bye bye, Chicago!

Got... fish?

I was driving home yesterday in the rain, and went by way of the park in Woodbury. This guy was just hanging.

Suddenly he takes a dive!

Well, at least it's not my fish getting eaten.

:)

Land of the Free

A few weeks ago, Davey & I took a ride on the Spirit of Philadelphia. One of the most interesting spots we passed on our cruise up and down the Delaware River was the old Philadelphia Navy Yard, filled with decommissioned and mothballed naval vessels.

The ship in the photo is the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, most recently used in Operation Noble Eagle, protecting the Eastern Seaboard right after the September 11 attacks in 2001, and then in Operation Enduring Freedom in the Persian Gulf, 2002-2004. Due to the excessive expense of maintenance, the ship was decommissioned in 2007 and moved to Philadelphia in 2008.

On this celebration of our independence, the thought of the John F. Kennedy's proud history from the 1960s through 2000s is both uplifting and heart wrenching. For the full history see Wikipedia's article.

Today, I just want to honor and express my gratitude to all those who have served or are currently serving to keep our country free.

Thank you.

Meet Porter

Porter tears the head off a rubber chicken

Porter is the latest addition to our family. He's an adopted mixed breed, very friendly and affectionate. He's also very quick, killer of baby bunnies :'( , chaser of birds, and destroyer of rubber chickens.

Betsy adopted him in April and quickly learned it wasn't good to try to keep a puppy in a condo in Philly. So they moved home to stay with us until he matures a little. Molly, naturally, is thrilled to have a pet to practice her veterinary skills on.

I'm sure you'll be hearing more about him as time goes on. And of course my Facebook friends have already seen many pics and will suffer through many more.

Now when that evil great blue heron comes to the pond, we've got a weapon! Go, Porter!

When Mother's Day Is Hard

I don't normally flaunt my Christian faith on this blog, but today I feel the nudge from God. Just a little warning for those of you that might not care to read something overtly Christian. Jesus talk below! 
:)

Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday. My family is looking forward to cooking me a nice dinner and honoring me in a special way.

In all the hoopla, honoring, gifts, flowers, family meals, etc., we sometimes forget that Mother's Day isn't joyful for everyone. Some women have prayed for children, and God's answer has been "no"... or "not yet." Some people have had mothers that abused them or abandoned them, mothers that gave them no love, no hope.

While surfing the Net today I came across the following letter to those who have a tough time on Mother's Day. I think it is worth repeating.

Dear Friend,

I am so sorry for your [situation]. It is hard. I'm not going to pretend it isn't. I'm not going to tell you that everything will be better if you take certain steps. The only thing I know for sure is that Christ loves you. He really does sympathize with you. You can read God's words to you in Hebrews: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).

I know you've probably seen this verse many times, but I think God has a lot to say to you in these verses. He is reminding you that he isn't far off. He has entered into the ugly and hard places that you see your heart going as you struggle with worry or anxiety or fear or anger. He knows it. He knows your temptation. Jesus reminds you that he walked this earth perfectly for you. And in your weakness he invites you to draw near to him. He wants to comfort you and uphold you with his righteous right hand. Come to him, weary friend, and receive grace and peace and rest. This is your time of need. Mother's Day is your time of need, and he does not turn away from you during your time of need; he wants you to find grace to help.

Friend, I pray that you would receive his good grace today. As you look to Mother's Day know that he has you in mind and intercedes even now on your behalf.  "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).

~Trillia Newbell, on The Gospel Coalition

So whatever your situation this week, have a happy Mother's Day.

What's cooking, good-looking?

I'm cooking dinner tonight. My specialty, meatloaf.

I cut this recipe out of the newspaper when I was first married, almost 40 years ago, and it's still one of my staples. And best of all, my family loves it!

Why is it All-American? No clue. But it IS delicious! So I decided to share.


All-American Meatloaf

2 lbs extra-lean ground beef
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp spicy mustard
1 tsp salt

Glaze
1 cup ketchup
2 tblsp horseradish
1 tblsp spicy mustard

Mix all meatloaf ingredients in large bowl. Form into loaf. Place in meatloaf pan or on rack in baking pan. Top with half of glaze. Bake 350F for 2 hours. Serve with additional glaze as desired.

8 servings of 315 cal each, 7 Weight Watchers Plus Points per serving.

Evil comes to visit

A saga in pictures:

Evil great blue heron sneaked under the pond net and can't get out.

Frantic flapping, but the netting keeps him in.

Davey goes to raise the netting and evil bird flaps across the pond to me.

Back on the far side, he rests after his terrible ordeal.

Free at last, he huddles by the fence before finally flying away.