A Frigid Hodgepodge

 

Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at From This Side of the Pond.

1. The Winter Olympics kick off on Friday, February 6th...on a scale of 1-10 how excited are you? (1= eh and 10=watching every event all day every day). What's your favorite Winter Olympic sporting event? 

I'd give it about a 3. I don't think the Olympics are what they used to be; maybe because it's changed from being amateur athletes to allowing professionals in. I like watching the speed skaters and the ski jump. Figure skating is also one I enjoy. 

2. In other sporting news, the Superbowl (American football's championship game) will be played on Sunday, February 8th. So tell us...what's your superpower?

Surely I have one, but I can't think of any!

3. Are you a romantic? 

I used to be but now I think I'm more of a realist. I do like to watch the Hallmark Channel from time to time (until it starts getting monotonous!)

4. Blue cheese-yay or nay? How about feta? If you said yes to one or both, what's a dish you like that calls for one of these? 

Blue cheese: not so much. Feta: it depends on what it's on. Like a good Greek Salad. Don't put it on my pizza, though!

5. What's more important-doing what you love or loving what you do? 

I think there's something to be said for both. When I worked, I would say both of those applied. It didn't feel like a job; I loved it and it defined me for most of the 39 years of my life that I worked. If you do what you love, aren't  you also loving what you do? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Whew! What a weekend! I like the snow, but I could do without the frigid temperatures. And this whole business of being a homeowner and having to take care of things (or see that things get done) is for the birds. I feel very fortunate that the 1 problem I had (which was actually very minor) was fixable, and one of my sons helped me with that. The problem: I have a gas furnace, and the tube that carries the water out of the condenser is (obviously) outside. So the water in the tube freezes, which causes it to back up and leak onto the basement floor. Now that the basement is complete (for the most part), there is a little bit of worry about the sheetrock getting wet. OS helped me fix the problem, so hopefully it won't happen again. Or will be minimal, at least. 

So, not a huge problem but just a bit of a pain. I didn't lose power (like the Nashville area did the week before) and I have heat, so I'm definitely counting my blessings.

My view on Saturday. Come back on Friday for more pictures!

Friday Fotos 2026: #1

 

Friday Fotos is a post where I can dump some photos from the previous week. The goal is to make me more aware of the beauty and fun in my everyday life. It's not even quite the end of January and I've managed to take some pictures!

Friday, I tried out this new recipe for "Veggie Stew"...except I added some stew meat to it. It's a keeper!

The girls and I spent Saturday lounging, reading, and enjoying a "fire" (courtesy of YouTube) in my office.

I used the remainder of my bird seed from last year and looked out in time to see this cardinal.

We ended up with a dusting of snow when I woke up on Sunday morning. We had some sleet/freezing rain, then quite a bit of rain on Saturday. 

Not very many pictures, but enough to do a quick post! 

Gold Mine Hodgepodge

 

Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at From This Side of the Pond.

1. I live in the south so we're pretty much only talking about the weather right now. Give us a weather report from where you live. Does the kind of weather you're having today affect your mood in some way? 

As I write this on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m., it's 17 degrees F in the Knoxville area. I woke up to 10 degrees, so the warm-up is on its way! Thank goodness we didn't get all of the ice that Nashville did. In my county, there were no reported power outages. I went to Mass Monday morning; the roads were okay except for ramps on/off a US highway. Since I live on a main road, if I can get out of my driveway, then I'm okay.

2.  Avocados, kale, cauliflower and cottage cheese have all had their time to shine. 2026 brings us the year of the cabbage. Is this a vegetable you like? If so, what are some of your favorite dishes that call for cabbage?  

Raw cabbage: yes. Cooked cabbage: EWWW. I like a good coleslaw. My mom used to make it with vinegar, salt, and pepper. I'm not sure if she added anything else to it. 

3. Was a Cabbage Patch Doll a part of your childhood? Or maybe your children's childhood? What's a toy trend from your childhood you remember wanting for your own? 

Cabbage Patch Dolls were a "thing" after my childhood, and my boys definitely weren't interested in it. I wanted an Easy Bake Oven something fierce, but never had one. Maybe Daddy was afraid I'd burn down the house? A childhood friend who lived up the street got one for Christmas, but I don't think she was very interested in it. 

4. Something you've spent a lot of time doing lately? 

Reading. Which isn't a bad thing at all! I've read a couple of books this month that have been in my Kindle Unlimited for a long time; I've got to clear them out so I can load more.

5. Somehow it's the last week of January...sum up your month in just three sentences. 

I'm establishing a routine.

I've been able to stay warm

I've done a lot of reading

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

When I googled Cabbage Patch Dolls to see when they were popular, this popped up:

So if you've got one still in the box, you have a gold mine!