is there any more pie?

let the music play

Posted on May 30, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Here I am before the Walsh band concert. As you can see, the Funny Grandson is growing up. Yes, he is tall. And handsome. And happy to pose with his grandmother, thank goodness.

He plays percussion in the Concert Band and the show was fantastic, taking place in one of the middle school’s auditoriums.

You are looking at a little over 1/2 the auditorium. Everything is bigger in Texas.

My cell phone camera is pretty awful. Time for an upgrade?

The Concert Band was awarded all “1/s” for excellence in a recent statewide competition. The Honors Band, which we heard later in the evening, won the national championship.

It was a fantastic evening and I was SO GLAD I was there!!!! The decision to stay longer had been an easy one, but it meant my kids had to deal with their mom for four more days. So Saturday Ben drove me back to Austin for a weekend with Will. Monday afternoon I visited the fourth-graders and the second-grade teachers (Will’s new “team”) at Will’s school, then on Tuesday I Uber’d back to Round Rock for the concert.

Uber is a Very Good Thing, although Ben wouldn’t let me Uber to my airport hotel after the concert. It’s a long drive on a school night, but he said it was fine. So off we went…and the next morning I was on my way back to the lake.

To be continued…

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sunday on south congress

Posted on May 20, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Yesterday Will and I strolled South Congress, stopping in stores to gawk at merchandise while enjoying the air conditioning. We looked at boots.

Our destination? Jo’s Coffee and live music.

Iced tea never tasted so good. It was 93 degrees. I bought a wide brimmed straw hat from a street vendor to prevent heat stroke. This Northern gal is not accustomed to hot days!

Will worked on school stuff for the rest of the day. Dinner was from Torchy’s Tacos.

My projects today? To wrap the students’ gifts and then treat myself to lunch at the Magnolia Cafe.

And I will wear my new hat.

Posted in austin, family, just for fun, texas, travel | Leave a comment

living the good life in texas

Posted on May 19, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Look who met me at the airport last Saturday night! A very sweet and unexpected surprise.

The plan for this visit was to enjoy a Mother’s Day lunch at our favorite New Orleans-style restaurant and then I would head north to Round Rock for the rest of the week, flying back to Spokane early Saturday after the all important band concert on Thursday night (the reason for my visit).

Mother’s Day:

The celebration continues…

Monday I made meatballs. Tuesday I went shopping with daughter-in-law Amber. Always a good time, especially at Costco. We had fun!

Sampled these. So good!

Tuesday night I accompanied son Ben to a function at the high school and met some of his students. Loved it. Wednesday was my day to help out at Amber’s school library. She let me read to the kids.

I had such a good time.

Thursday was to be the highlight of the visit, when I would finally hear the Funny Grandson play the drums and the marimba. But unfortunately a wild thunderstorm changed all that, so the concert was postponed until Tuesday.

And I decided to change my flights and stay longer. Of course. Because that’s what grandmothers do, right?

Friday the FG skipped school and we took an Uber to Georgetown and went out to lunch at a favorite restaurant, the Monument Cafe.

Yes, I am wearing the same dress as in the other pictures. I packed light.

We strolled around the Square and did a little shopping. My handsome companion was such a treat to be with.

And this morning I am back at the condo with son Will for the weekend. I made another pot of meatballs and am looking forward to braving the heat and strolling along South Congress while Will prepares for the last week of school.

I might find a seat at a cafe, sip iced coffee and watch the world go by. I live in the woods, both in Rhode Island and at the lake, so people-watching in the city is highly entertaining.

Meanwhile, back at the lake, Banjo Man and brother George have been living the bachelor life and getting all sorts of chores done for the upcoming summer season. Banjo Man cooked a pork roast and learned how to make spaghetti sauce for the meatballs I left for them.

I wonder if this family is tired of my meatballs yet. As they probably are of looking at my blue dress.

Posted in austin, family, food, grandmother stuff, texas, travel | 2 Comments

there will be flowers

Posted on May 10, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Dancing Mandolin Player gave me the beautiful gift of flowers in my mother-in-law’s old soap kettle yesterday. Isn’t it beautiful? I have planted various flowers in this pot all by myself, but the outcome was always…pitiful.

I do not have the gift. And fortunately I have a friend who shares hers.

Let us celebrate the first day of sunshine, shall we?

DMP also gave me this sage plant, as she knows how much I love cooking with sage. Retired Mountain Lady told me to clip my music stand lights onto the top to give the plant a boost.

I did what I was told.

I look at this and see future chicken dinners, don’t you?

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bits and pieces

Posted on May 7, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Not the best picture, but this is the view of the osprey nest (taken from the screened porch). We’ll be able to watch the show this summer as the ospreys come and go. The pair are in their nest and I assume are sitting on the eggs. Stay tuned.

As of yesterday there is fresh snow on the top of these mountains. Spring has not arrived yet and the gray clouds hang low. The sun will appear eventually, I’m sure.

Yes, it is that time again. Blueberry cakes were baked yesterday morning in preparation for the Funny Grandson’s arrival in June. This grandmother does not mess with tradition!

Trying out a new recipe by preparing sliced chicken breasts with marinade, then freezing them for future easy grilling. I hope it works. I’ll let you know.

Check out the new table runner! It only took me seven years to dig it out of my sewing closet and finally finish it this past winter. The pattern is called “Mountain’s Majesty”, which I think is appropriate.

It’s good to look at mountains again.

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it wasn’t easy

Posted on May 6, 2024 by is there any more pie?

I dare you to find an iced latte in this vast selection of coffees at a Sheridan, Wyoming gas station. It was a beautiful place, but I had been through this kind of thing before. Many machines, many instructions, hidden lids, etc.

Just about every afternoon I had the chance to feel very, very stupid. And old. And not all that coordinated, too.

If you look closely you will see what looks like a very simple iced coffee dispenser. BUT…you must fill a plastic cup with ice and then the hot milk and espresso is poured over the ice, leaving a lukewarm drink that does not taste good at all.

It was hard to find cappucino without sugar added, too. My husband would wonder why every afternoon stop took so long. In the mornings I would fill my own mug with my own tea bag and “buy” hot water. But later in the day, when it was my turn to drive again, I needed coffee and a straw, as one does when driving 75-80 mph down the highway.

We are seriously contemplating flying to the lake next year.

I might be too old for gas stations.

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here comes the sun…or not

Posted on May 5, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Banjo Man and I drove to the middle of nowhere near a rive in the woods on Thursday afternoon to visit this store. They design and ship solar-powered energy systems all over the country.

I definitely wanted to ride along and learn all about it. After all, the shows I watch (PORT PROTECTION, HOMESTEAD RESCUE) rely on solar power.

I find it endlessly fascinating.

But as the meeting wore on, I realized (a) this was a ridiculous way to spend money, i.e. putting electric lights (and solar rooftop panels) in our remote cabin, and (b) I really needed coffee.

So I hustled around to the front of the building to the Pack River Store and bought myself a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin. I enjoyed both of them in the car around the back of the building, in the woods. About twenty minutes later Banjo Man returned to the car to announce that he had the quote and he had come to the decision that spending money on electric lights in the cabin was a ridiculous and unnecessary waste of money.

He was also tired, so my caffeine-fuelled self drove back home and thought about planning some trips. There are places I want to go, things to see, things to see again…

On Friday Banjo Man bought another solar lantern, which will do just fine. The cabin is perfect the way it is, usable and comfy and genuinely enjoyable to visit.

I need to get a new passport.

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40 degrees but who cares

Posted on May 1, 2024 by is there any more pie?

When I took this picture yesterday it was 38 degrees. Despite the cold, I had to say hello to the dock and to the beach and to my favorite rock.

The past few days have been frustrating. I admit to being grumpy about it. My new shoes are too small. These are the same shoes I’ve been wearing for twenty years and now the sizes are not consistent. My feet hurt all during the road trip (I thought it was from arthritis and it took a while to realize my new shoes didn’t fit), but I’ve ordered others and hope for the best.

In the meantime, there are my cowboy boots.

Banjo Man attempted to stretch one of the pairs with leather gloves and cans of tomato paste. It actually helped. My hero.

I can’t find my laptop charging battery and cord. It is somewhere in the house, but God knows where I put it last fall. I have ordered a replacement on Amazon, but the laptop doesn’t work very well anyway and I am dragging my feet on buying a new one. The keyboard finally synched with the computer after 24 hours. Banjo Man’s laptop cord works with mine.

My new recipe for oatmeal cookies failed. I’m trying a new one this morning.

My new recipe for chicken with artichokes and Feta failed. I am never trying it again.

The good news? Five lasagnas are in the freezer, I have hugged dear friends and played Bridge and gone out to dinner and hooked up the tv with the internet and jumped for joy when the old Highlander started right up.

Speaking of joy…Banjo Man is heading up to the cabin this afternoon.

This afternoon I will force myself to unpack, my least favorite thing, and reward the effort with another walk on the beach.