Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
The last Rose of winter.
Taken a couple of weeks ago. It was hidden behind a clump of bushes in an untended part of the subdivision.
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
In no particular order:
My health
My family
My husband
My job
a roof over my head
food to eat
My friends
My animals
My life
I hope you, my dear readers, have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a wonderful year to come.
Facebook is doing some strange things to my world. I’ve had a great time reconnecting to old friends, and I’ve been kind of blown away by people I remember whom I never thought would remember me. I’m also having a hard time reconciling the fact that I have certain memories of years gone by that aren’t so picture perfect, and that other people seem to not remember things that way at all.
I’m not the best at letting things go. I know this about myself. Facebook is bringing me face-to-face with some of my demons. It’s a good push for me, but it’s kind of painful too. I guess that’s part of the process of letting go.
I have no idea how I managed not to post last night. I beat myself up for it a bit this morning, but I’ve decided that 23 days in a row was a great effort, and work just had to come first last night.
I had to rearrange and rework a three-hour presentation last night, because the client “realized” that they wouldn’t have enough computers for the hands-on presentation that they asked for. Sigh. I wasn’t happy with the final presentation, but they really liked the presentation, and one of the deputy directors was really impressed. I’ll take it. 
I bag on Rachael Ray for being so perky and having such goofy buzz words. But I have to give the woman credit for coming up with great, simple recipes. I found the original recipe in Everyday with Rachel Ray (a subscription is my paper anniversary gift from Hubs) and I’ve adapted it to be easier to work from and to have, in my opinion, a bit more flavor.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
1 small onion, choped
1 clove garlic, chopped
dash of thyme
dash of basil
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 10oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed (you can use whole leaf, just chop it up after thawing) and squeezed dry
1/2 cup goat cheese
1 thawed puff pastry sheet
1 2-1/2 inch biscuit cutter
1 mini muffin pan
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Saute the chopped onion in extra-virgin olive oil until soft (about 5 minutes). Add thyme and basil and mix thoroughly. Add garlic and and chopped spinach. Cook the mixture until spinach is warmed through (about 2 minutes).
Put spinach mixture into food processor and blend until mixture resembles a chunky paste. Turn into a bowl and mix in cheese. Let the mixture cool slightly.
Meanwhile, cut twelve rounds from 1 thawed puff pastry sheet; prick each with a fork. Press the rounds into a mini-muffin pan, then fill with the spinach mixture. Bake in a 375 degree oven until
golden, about 20 minutes.
These got a thumbs up from Hubs. The only thing I don’t like about this recipe, is that I felt like I had dirtied every dish in the house. I’d like to find some ways to streamline the process a bit.
Finally watched Serenity tonight! Some closure, but mostly it stoked my need for more.
I’ve had a mostly frustrating day today. I think my co-workers were ready to kill each other. At that point, I stuck my earphones in my ears and started listening to Pandora.
It is now 10:28 PM, and I think I will go upstairs and crawl into bed with my favorite person. Tomorrow has to be a better day.
Got this from Facebook.
Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your wall.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
Others complained to county authorities, until the offenders were hauled into court for violating a local ordinance under which any weed more than twelve inches tall is presumed to be “a menace to public health.”
Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education by Michael Pollan.
…you’ve heard a ghost?
I was listening to NPR this evening on my way home. They were doing a piece on The Priests and their new CD. Three priests from Ireland with beautiful voices, singing beautiful music.
As they were singing Irish Blessing, one of the voices came through in a beautiful, clear tenor. I thought I heard my dad.
