Welcome to our monthly Fly on the Wall, a blog post written in snippets. Marcia, Diane, and I invite you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes, at our writing desks, and in our worlds. Come on in, buzz around, see what we've been up to. Bet you laugh!
PurDude texts me every day, just a quick check in. Monday through Friday, it's at around 11:00 am, and on the weekends, it's when he gets out of bed, around 4:30 pm (unless he's going skiing).
It was afternoon on a weekday and I hadn't heard from him. So I texted him, just a quick "how are you?"
PurDude: I'm sorry, I was tied up with meetings this morning. I didn't expect you to get so angry.
Angry? I kept reading his response, why did he think I was angry? And then I read my initial text to him, and saw the added "d." Apparently I hadn't texted "how are you?" I'd texted "how dare you?"
We'd been watching a baseball game when a player who hadn't played for a while due to injury came up to bat.
Hubs: He looks really little.
Me: Yeah, he's short.
Hubs: You're on your laptop, Google his height.
Me: He's 5'8".
A little later, another player came up to bat.
Hubs: He looks really little too.
Me: He isn't tall, but he doesn't look as short as the last guy, I bet he's 5'11" or so.
Hubs: I guess so, maybe around 5'`10". Google him and see how tall he is.
I do. And start to laugh.
Hubs: What's so funny.
Me: Either everyone's 5'8", or Google thinks everyone's 5'8".
Another night, another Sox game, and this time the Sox were on a losing streak. During the game, the announcer addressed the situation:
Announcer: Before the game, Cora (the manager) was trying anything to change their luck. He was even seen in the dugout beating the monster.
Me: What??? That's X rated, they can't say that on TV.
Hubs: Say what?
Me: That Cora was . . . you know . . . beating the monster in the dugout.
Me: That Cora was . . . you know . . . beating the monster in the dugout.
Hubs: Feeding. He was feeding the mascot head.
Me (in my best Rosanne Rosenadanna voice): Oh. Never mind.
So, here's the story. The Red Sox mascot is Wally the Green Monster (named for the famous the monster sized green wall in Fenway Park). This year, there has been a large mascot head in the dugout. When a player gets a home run, he puts on the head and walks through the dugout.
Apparently, before this particular game, Cora was throwing food into the large open mouth on the Wally head. I guess sort of like making an offering to the gods.
And as strange as this may be, it's a whole lot better than what I thought he was doing.
I
was trying out a new recipe. It wasn't mine, something I'd seen online.
The recipe was pretty vague, giving the basics, but no specifics,
allowing for interpretation.
I
prepared the chicken as per the recipe, then mixed the 3 ingredients
specified for the topping, but from there, it was up to me. I chose what
I wanted to enhance the sauce with, spread it on the chicken and put it
in the oven.
I
was hopeful, but as it cooked, I started to have my reservations. Then
Hubs walked in the door and said the quiet part out loud.
Hubs: What smells like armpits?
Me: That would be dinner.
Me: That would be dinner.
Dinner was OK. Not bad, but I wouldn't make it again. Dessert though, the Apple Crumble Tartlets were delish!
Apple Crumble Tartlets
This is a perfect example of hedging your bets.
Hubs looks at the weather report and swears by it. I'm more skeptical, following years of seeing meteorologists frequently getting it wrong, and because I can get more viable information by just . . . you know . . . looking out the window.
So weather reports, for me, are either mostly confirmation of what's going on outside or, often, a way to get a good laugh.
Like today.
It's really cloudy outside, getting cooler, feels like a storm is going to come through. It's 8:00 am, and I look at the weather report, which both tells me that the chance of rain is 90%, and the UV index shows I should wear sunscreen from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Sorry guys, you kinda can't have it both ways.
Although I could end up having another chuckle if Hubs lathers up in sunscreen to go out in the rain.
I love those little Dunkin' munchkins. Hubs, every now and then will come home in the morning with a box of them. I think it's great that you can pick which flavors you want and how many of each. It's like a mini donut smorgasbord.
Hubs is an intelligent guy, but handy, he is not. That may be an understatement.
Exhibit one:
He cannot work the munchkin box.
And honestly, I'm not sure what's more fun, being surprised with the Dunkin' treats, or watching him trying to figure out how to close the box.
I guess I've got my puzzle games, and he's got his.
So . . . donuts . . .
Once again, I was trying a recipe that wasn't mine. It was for donut twists made in the air fryer, and without yeast. I'd made baked donuts before (Vanilla Glazed Baked Coffee Donuts, Baked Caramel Apple Donuts, Baked Chocolate Lovers' Donuts, Baked Cinnamon Carrot Donuts, Baked Cookies and Creme Donuts, Baked Key Lime Donuts), and I'd also used the basic yeast free dough mentioned in this donut twist recipe before in my Rosemary Infused Shrimp Scampi Pizza, both of which had been successful. So I decided to give it a try.
I wasn't happy. First they weren't baking as twists, so I rolled them into 12 round (what I hoped would be) donut holes. They browned, but still not happy.
Me (calling down to Hubs in his man cave): Want to come and see if these are edible?
Hubs (coming up the stairs): What are they?
Hubs (coming up the stairs): What are they?
Me: Well, they're not donuts.
Hubs: OK, they aren't donuts, but what are they?
Me: I don't know.
Me: I don't know.
Hubs: You don't know what they are?
Me: I know what they aren't and they aren't donuts.
Me: I know what they aren't and they aren't donuts.
Turns out what they ended up being was food for the kitchen trash compactor.
If you were a fly on the wall at my house this past month, you would have been witness to a few things that just didn't work out for me.
1) Sneezing while applying nail polish.
2) Walking down the street to the mailbox without the key.
3) Plugging the charging cord into my laptop without plugging the other end into the wall.
4) Putting dinner on the grill and leaving a clean plate and spatula next to the grill while I went in the house to work on the sides. Then coming back outside to find that a bird had . . . well . . . let's just say I needed a new clean plate and spatula {{gag}}.
5) Reenacting an old cartoon scene where I play Bugs Bunny when Yosemite Sam shot at his feet telling him to dance. That composite deck we had built last year apparently soaks up the broiling heat from the sun the way our wood deck had not. My poor feet. Went out to water my plants and came dancing. I'm sure the neighbors are still laughing.
I was watching a show, and the cop was describing his assessment of the intelligence of the suspect. At least I think that's what he was doing. 'Cause I didn't quite get it.
He stated that she clearly wasn't the sharpest bulb in the drawer. And I honestly don't know exactly what that means.
But then maybe he knows what he's talking about, and I'm just not the sharpest tack in the box. Or the sharpest knife in the drawer. Or the sharpest tool in the shed. Or the brightest bulb in the circuit . . .
But at least I can close the donut box.
Things have been incrediby tough for me lately. Not only am I heartbroken and terrified about the fact that it's this generation that allowed our country to be decimated, but a lot has been going on for me on a personal level. It's been hard to keep my head above water.
So I want to end this month on a hopeful note. I've taken some recent signs from nature, and tried to incorporate their message into my thinking.
I went out front to water my plants when there, between the front door and where I was going, sat a beautiful butterfly. Right on my driveway. When I got right up next to him to take this picture, he moved forward a few steps but, surprisingly, didn't leave.
I looked it up, it's a Black Swallowtail Butterfly, and if it visits you it's supposed to symbolize a major life change, a transition to something new and positive, an ending of one chapter and the beginning of another.
Sounds perfect to me.
But then as I was heading back into the house, I stepped up to the front porch and there, hanging right over my head (freaking me out), was a big, thick, hairy Wolf Spider (yes, way bigger than the picture shows, no way was I getting any closer). Oh, no, does this negate all that positive?
Back to Google. There are two versions of what a spider hanging over your head symbolizes. The first, based on superstition, is that you will receive a letter. The front porch location means that a new energy or message will enter your life.
The other potential interpretation is that it represents good luck and wealth, that something positive or important is going to descend from above.
But wait. That's not all.
As I opened the front door to go into the house, I looked down and to my right and saw something I've never seen before, a pure white moth. The moth also didn't fly away as I bent to take a picture.
Does this also have meaning? I don't know, I didn't even know they existed.
Back to my friend Google. And this time, with mixed results. Although some ancient beliefs is that they represent death or misfortune (yikes), by far most believe they are symbolic of hope, great change, guidance, or protection.
I tend to be far more analytical than spiritual, so one butterfly alone could just be chance. Add in the hanging spider and you could still have a coincidence. But three separate sightings? All within minutes of each other? I think someone is trying really hard to get me to see something. And I'm going to say that something is that I should have hope, that change is coming.
Thank you, Mother Nature, for the beautiful gift. Just when I need it.
Now click on the links below and see what my friends have to share:
Apple Crumble Tartlets
©www.BakingInATornado.com
Ingredients:
1/2 package refrigerated pie crusts
5 apples
5 TBSP butter, room temperature, divided
1 TBSP lemon juice
4 1/2 TBSP brown sugar, divided
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp apple pie spice mix
5 TBSP flour, divided
OPT: whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
*Roll out the pie crust. Using a cookie cutter or a 3 1/2 inch template, cut out 12 circles. If you don't get all 12, using a rolling pin, roll out the unused portions around the circles to make more. Press the circles into the bottoms and partially up the sides of 12 sturdy 3 inch disposable tart liners.
*Heat 1 TBSP butter with the lemon juice over medium heat in a skillet. Add the apples, 2 TBSP of the brown sugar, 1 tsp of the cinnamon and the apple pie spice mix. Cook, stirring, until the apples start to soften. Mix in 1 TBSP of the flour to thicken up. Set aside.
*For the topping, mix the remaining cut 4 TBSP flour, 2 1/2 TBSP brown sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon into the remaining softened butter. Set aside.
*Divide the apple mixture among the 12 tarts, add the topping and place the tart liners into a 9 X 13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve once cooled or partially cool and serve warm.
*OPT: top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
