Not the Dumbest: Fly on the Wall

 

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! 

I woke up in the morning, went to the bathroom, and noticed that, on the shelf next to the toilet was one of Hubs's shirts, rolled up in a ball.

Later:

Me: So, I noticed one of your shirts rolled up in a ball on the shelf in the bathroom.

Hubs: Huh?
Me: Want to explain that?

Hubs: I can't. I have no idea why I would leave it there. Sorry.

Me: That's fine, hardly the dumbest thing you've ever done.

Hubs went to the DMV to register our new car. They charge to use credit cards, so I gave him the checkbook, but warned him that we only had 2 checks left. I hadn't yet ordered more, as we rarely use them.

Hubs comes back from the DMV and puts the checkbook away.

Hubs: I did something stupid with the checks.

Me: Oh no, those were our last 2, I'll order more but they won't come for 2 weeks.

Hubs: We still have a check left. I just wrote out the last check instead of the next check in order.

Me: That's fine, hardly the dumbest thing you've ever done.

The Red Sox 3rd baseman has a strained quad. He's not only a great infielder, but we need his bat in the lineup.

Me: The Red Sox are bombing all over the place. When do we get Bregman back?

Hubs (googling his current status): Here's a quote from the manager: "Bregman running but remains far away".

Me: That's easy, just tell him to run faster.

Hubs and I were watching TV when a commercial came on. Or part of one, anyway. There was a picture of two doctors, obviously in their office, standing in front of a sign for hair replacement specialists.

OK, got the picture.

Then a voice said "change your lettuce, change your life," just before the commercial cut off.

We laughed, of course, but now I can't stop wondering how changing my lettuce would change my life. Does arugula make hair grow? What am I missing?

I had some Mahi Mahi marinating while I was baking some Chocolate Berry Muffin Bars for dessert. Dinner time came and it was nice out so instead of cooking the fish in the air fryer, I decided to cook it on the grill, my favorite way to prepare fish.

Hubs came up from his man cave:

Hubs: Are you ready for me to clean the grill?
Me: I'm going out now to check the fish, see if it's done.

Hubs: Well, don't take it off unless it's done.

Sage wisdom from a guy who can't boil water.

Chocolate Berry Muffin Bars

I went out onto the back deck to heat up the grill. On the way back in the house, I looked up, and in the corner, right above the sliding door, I notice something . . .

Oh no! A wasp, building a nest. Right where we go in and out the door. This can't be good. In fact, I'm not sure how this could be worse.

I turn off the grill, and I'm about to run out to pick up a nice safe rotisserie chicken, when I realize that I need to warn the family in case anyone comes home while I'm gone. So, I make them a quick note, and stick it to the wall by the door to the deck:

That should do it.

I know I've talked about it before, but I read a lot. Here and there during the day, but at night I read for a few hours before I fall asleep.

So I "buy" (I use quotes for that because I go through so many books, I pretty much only read free Kindle books) books using my laptop. I then download them, both on my tablet and my Kindle. I read on my tablet when I can during the day, but I leave the tablet downstairs. I keep my Kindle next to my bed, sync it up to where I left off, and read on the Kindle at night.

Hubs and I were watching a late game in the den and we were getting pretty tired. I had found a whole bunch of free books that day which were already downloaded onto my tablet. For some reason, I decided to go upstairs and grab my Kindle to get all the books downloaded and ready for reading upstairs.

It was a bad idea, I knew I was tired, but I went upstairs, grabbed the item on my bedside table and came back downstairs, sat on the couch and prepared to get onto the internet on my Kindle.

Hubs (looking over at me): Why are you holding the remote to the bedroom TV?

Damned if I know, but hardly the dumbest thing I've ever done.

Our dishwasher had been leaking. Frustrating, because it's only 7 years old, but we had been told both by a sales person and a repair person that appliances are deliberately made not to last like the quality in the past, but to be disposable. There's a calculated decrease in quality but with, of course, an increase in the price. This is obviously a pervasive, industry wide strategy targeted at exploiting the customer in order to boost sales. I mean, I don't know about you, but over $800 is not exactly a price point I consider appropriate for a "disposable" item.

So, we had a repairman coming out to look at it, we were hoping it could be fixed. I had a very lucky game morning that day, and was hopeful that it was a sign of things to come.

Turns out it was just me using up my good luck for the day. The dishwasher had to be replaced. It would cost as much to repair it as it would to replace it.

We were looking at dishwashers on line in order to figure out which units we wanted to go see and at which stores.

Another issue was availability. Obviously, we wanted it replaced as soon as possible.

First web site I went to listed their dishwashers as available for delivery on the 12th, and available for installation on the 10th.

Silly me, I thought that was done the other way around.

I was talking to Hubs about the timing of the dishwasher kicking the bucket.

Me: Seriously, the timing could not be worse. I mean really, any other month but the one where the second half of our property taxes is due.

Hubs: Yup, Murphy's law.

Me: I swear if I get my hands on that Murphy I'm gonna kick him in the ass.

It's about 9:30 am on Saturday:

Hubs: I'm going to have a cup of coffee and do a few things on my laptop, then I'll change and go out to mow the lawn.

Me: Today's not a good day for that, it's early and it's already like a hundred thousand degrees out there. You'll end up with heat stroke.

Hubs: Yeah, but the grass is getting long.

Me: I don't care, you only go in to work a few days a week, you can mow tomorrow, or Monday.

Hubs: I'd rather just get it done today.

An hour later, Hubs goes out and starts mowing the front lawn.

And I turn on the sprinkler system . . .

 

Now click on the links below and see what my friends have to share:

Menopausal Mother 

On the Border

Chocolate Berry Muffin Bars

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

12 chocolate filled chocolate sandwich cookies

12 strawberry cream sandwich cookies

1 package (7 oz) wild berry muffin mix

1 package (7 oz) raspberry muffin mix

3/4 cups milk

1 egg

1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup fresh mixed berries: chop any strawberries and/or blackberries, half any blueberries and/or raspberries

1 container (8 oz) mixed berry cream cheese, softened

1 (5.3 oz) mixed berry Greek yogurt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.

*Place the cookies on the bottom of the pan in 8 rows of 4. First row: chocolate cookie, strawberry cookie, chocolate, then strawberry. Alternate the second row starting with strawberry, and continue for the 8 rows.

*Mix the muffin mixes, milk, and egg, just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and berries. Spread evenly over the cookies.

*Using the same bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese, yogurt, and brown sugar. Mix in the mini chocolate chips. Dollop onto the muffin mixture. With a toothpick, gently swirl around the cream cheese mixture over the top of the muffin layer.

*Bake for 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature and cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Deferred Maintenance: Word Counters

 

Counting my words again. 

Today my fellow Word Counters and I are sharing our monthly group post. Each month one group member picks  a number between 12 and 50. All participating bloggers are then challenged to write something (or a few somethings, as the case may be) using that exact number of words. Today we all share what we came up with. 

 This month's number is 43. 

It was chosen by Diane of On the Border!

As I've been doing in these Word Counters posts, I've chosen a theme and am using my word count multiple times in keeping with the theme. This month I'm talking about Deferred Maintenance.

~ It was late, I shut my tablet, Hubs closed his laptop. When heading upstairs, I heard him mutter about "deferred maintenance."

~ I'm self-conscious on a good day. Between aging and having been isolated during Covid, he was right, I'd let myself go.

~ Looks aren't paramount in life, but I used to feel good when looking my best. Not THE best, but my best.

~ When did I last shave my legs, tweeze my eyebrows? And pulling out the grey hairs will soon leave bald spots . . .

~ Maybe I could be a little less . . . ahem . . . aggressive . . . with taste testing responsibilities when baked goods are the day's recipe attempt.

Very Berry Bundt Cake

~ Next morning over coffee, he broached the dreaded subject. "Deferred maintenance," he said. Should I start with an apology? Action plan?

~ "Every six years the assessor's office requires us fill out a form. You know, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, a finished basement."

~ "They also ask about deferred maintenance. All I can think of is we really need to replace some windows. Anything else?"

 

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

On the Border 

Messymimi’s Meanderings 

Very Berry Bundt Cake         
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup sour cream

3 eggs

1/4 cup blackberries, quartered

1/4 cup raspberries, halved

1/2 cup blueberries

2 TBSP blueberry jam

1/2 cup chopped strawberries

2 TBSP strawberry jam

3 TBSP flour, divided

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle all over the inside of the pan, all the way up the center and sides.

*Beat the cake mix, milk, oil, sour cream, and eggs for 2 minutes. Move approximately 1/4 of the batter into a clean bowl and about another1/4 of the batter into a third bowl.

*Toss the blackberries and raspberries with 1 TBSP of the flour. Fold into the 1/4 of the batter and pour evenly into the prepared pan.

*Toss the blueberries with another TBSP of flour. Fold into the original bowl, holding about 1/2 of the batter, along with the blueberry jam, and spoon into the pan.

*Toss the strawberries with the remaining TBSP of flour. Fold into the last bowl of batter along with the strawberry jam, and spoon into the pan.

*Bake for about 35 - 45 minutes, until the center springs back to the touch. Allow to sit in the pan for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edges and removing from the pan to cool completely.

Sock Talk: Poetry Monday

 

Poetry Monday's once a week.

I bet you know which day.

I don't participate every time,

But today I've come out to play.

My friends assign each week a theme,

Socks is what they chose.

Now it's up to all of us,

to put our thoughts into prose.

 

 

Sock Talk

I've written about socks before, 

in fact, a time or two.

Today I'll tell you 'bout them,

(and I'll end with something new).

Once I wrote a poem 'bout

their disappearing act.

It's always in the laundry and,

oh, how I tried to fight back.

What would drive me crazy?

I'm as organized as can be.

PurDude? He'd grab just any two,

as you can clearly see.

Don't leave out my other son,

he's more than happy to wear,

footwear that's more hole than sock,

(much to his mom's despair).

In The Love Theory I even wrote,

shocking though it may seem,

about sock, ran away with fork,

"love is love" (not food) was the theme.

 

Blackberry Cream Cheese Muffins

 

Me? I'm at my happiest,

when going sockless, though.

"Unless," PurDude says, "it's because,

you've broken where they go."

 

 

 

 

Wait!

Read more poetry, 

you're not through.

Some talented writers

are in this crew:

 

On the Border

Messymimi's Meanderings 

Mother Owl 

 

Blackberry Cream  Cheese Muffins         

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

6 oz fresh blackberries, quartered

3 TBSP cinnamon baking chips

1 TBSP sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
*Grease or add liners to the wells of a 12 well muffin tin. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

*In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

*In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, cream cheese, egg, and milk.

*Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix just until incorporated, don't over mix. Fold in the blackberries and cinnamon baking chips.

*Divide into the 12 muffin liners. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the tops.

*Bake for 20 minutes, or until the center of the top springs back to the touch. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.

The Love Theory

 

News Flash: Did the dish run away with the spoon? Or did something more nefarious happen? It's true that the case of the missing dish and spoon has not been solved. In fact, despite that it's rumored that a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich, there remains only colloquial testimony, so no such panel has been convened. 

 

There is a new case though, one that may be solvable, albeit without nursery rhyme testimony. 

There is a developing circumstantial case that could be made that the forks ran away with the socks.

Now, you know I love mysteries, read them all the time. If I were to write one about this case, I'd start with the facts, add in the word on the street, put together the clues, and follow the leads. Where does it all take me? Socks, although we all say that our dryer eats one of each pair, and I suppose, as theories go, it bears investigation, I have come to believe something very different. I think that they just aren't necessarily happy with the mate they've been assigned.

I can't really say as I blame them, I'm someone who believes in free choice. In fact, I know that we all have been guaranteed the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness by the constitution, which specifically states that governments are created to protect those rights. 

 

 

 

 

So how about this? Rather than having been eaten by a machine, perhaps those missing socks did just that, made a choice. Fell in love with someonething different. Chose a life of mixed marriage far away from those trying to force them into a relationship with "one of their own."

That's my theory of the case. Here are the facts, as we know them:

Single socks disappear. Not temporarily, but permanently. Although the dryer is a good suspect, there are a few things that don't make sense: how can it so consistently choose just one of a pair? And how is it disposing of them without so much as a thread left behind? Would there not be some evidence at some point.

Forks are also disappearing. Simultaneously. Not knives or spoons. Most of us have 12 of each: dinner forks, dessert forks, knives, small spoons, soup spoons. I noticed, months ago, that the fork section of the silverware drawer was looking light. I didn't give it much thought, though, as some could be in the dishwasher, or dirty in the fridge (don't ask).

But I was able to deduce, one evening as I was finishing up emptying the dishwasher, that I actually didn't have all of my forks. Not even close. Checking, I noted that there were none sitting in the watermelon container in fridge either. 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, I only have 7 forks. Strange. Even stranger is that now, about a month later, I have 6.

And don't tell me the dishwasher is eating the forks. One voracious appliance is hard enough to believe, there can't possibly be two rogue cannibal mastermind machines.

No, single socks are missing and so are dinner forks. Coincidence?

You know what one of the most frequent things I consistently hear from detectives in all of those true crime stories I watch? "I don't believe in coincidences."

Yeah, me neither. So here's my working theory, one I've not yet been able to disprove: the forks and the socks, unhappy with their mates and unable to conform to societal pressure, have gone off to be their genuine selves. Yes, together.

Let me ask you a favor because, if I'm right, this was a difficult and painful choice. These socks know they've left a mate behind, fated to either be discarded or matched with a clashing mate. So, if you happen to see a sock, gaily cavorting with a stainless steel fork, please do not approach them. Leave them to the life they've chosen, the life they felt they had to sacrifice everything for.

But, if it's safe, if you can do it covertly, take a picture. Or, if not, just call in the tip, I'll close out the file and move on. 

 

After all, there's still the case of the missing dinner to solve. And I fear it may have met quite a different fate, one harder to digest, from that of the socks and the forks.

 

 Grilled Blackberry Pork Medallions

 

 

❤❤❤❤❤ Love is Love ❤❤❤❤❤

Grilled Blackberry Pork Medallions        

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: 

2 # pork tenderloin

salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

6 oz fresh blackberries

1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

3 TBSP blackberry jam

1 TBSP lime juice

Directions: 

*Sprinkle all sides of the pork tenderloin with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

*Reserve a few blackberries for garnish, then to a sauce pan, over medium high heat, add the barbecue sauce, remaining blackberries, blackberry jam, and lime juice. Bring to a boil, whisking now and then, reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook and whisk for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat for 5 minutes, then carefully press through a sieve over a bowl, and discard the seeds.

*Reserve and refrigerate approximately 2/3 cup of the sauce for serving with the meal. Allow the rest of the sauce to cool completely.

*While the sauce is cooling, remove the tenderloin from the plastic wrap and slice into about 3/4 inch thick medallions, and place in the refrigerator in a gallon sized sealable plastic bag. Once the sauce has cooled, add it to the bag with the pork, making sure all of the slices are covered, both sides. Seal and refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours, turning now and then.

*Preheat the grill to medium. Place the chops on the grill and reduce the heat to medium low. Discard the rest of the sauce that has been in the bag with the pork.

*Cook for 6 minutes. Flip the chops over and cook for about 6 - 8 more minutes.

*NOTE: how long these will take to grill will depend on the thickness of your medallions and how you like them cooked. At the least, pork should be cooked to 145 degrees.

*Serve with the reserved dipping barbecue sauce and garnish with the reserved blackberries.