Wacky Wednesday Weather

For anyone who might actually believe this is a recent picture of my backyard, I have some swampland in the Everglades I'll sell you real cheap! I had to dig deep in the achives to find something that would remind me what spring SHOULD look like!

It really is my backyard. The picture was taken on April 23, 2010.

I can't say one word about the wacky weather most of us are having that hasn't already been said, so my strategy is to talk about what I've been doing while shut up in the house and post some pictures that will remind all of us that spring WILL come.  All of the following pictures were taken in my backyard on April 23, 2010.  Hope you enjoy them.

What I find unique about the way this huge weather system is affecting us here in East Tennessee, is that it has literally been snowing non-stop for two full days, yet there is not one flake of snow laying on the ground.  Thankfully, the temps have remained above freezing, so other than some light accumulation Monday morning, there has been none.  The temps have also allowed roads to remain clear and simply wet so no traffic problems.  However, that's about all the positive I can find because the wind, windchill and non-stop precipitation has made it brutal to be outside and we have not seen the sunshine since (as Johnny Cash so eloquently sang it) I don't know when!  I wouldn't say I'm stuck in prison (Folsom or any other), but I haven't been out since Sunday afternoon.  And you know what?  I've enjoyed every minute of it!  For whatever reason, I've been as content as I can be and have accomplished lots so when the sun comes back out and the temps moderate Thursday or Friday, I'll be headed to the hills.  Not to far up in the hills, mind you, cause up there, let's just say there's LOTS and LOTS of snow!

So what have I been doing..........................

1)  Dreaming of Tulips - Time to renew Biltmore passes and dream of tulips, bluebells, roses, orchids, mums, etc.  We have been season passholders to Biltmore Estate for many, many years and would not trade them for anything.  It's a quick 90 minute jaunt from our home and an easy go-to when we just need to escape.  We go for the gardens and the trails.  I've been to a lot of gardens in our travels - few rival the displays found in Biltmore's garden and conservatory.

 

 2) Planning Summer Travel - Our Summer Adventure 2013 is going to look a bit different than in past summers.  Not ready to reveal details just yet, but plans have come together nicely and the planning process has been enjoyable these past few days.  Just a teaser....I'm hoping to mix in some blog friend time along the way as I'll be doing some solo traveling to give Bill more time at our destinations.  He's not the road warrior I am and being the introvert that I am, I love meandering down the backroads taking the longest way possible to where I'm going.  He enjoys some of that, but there comes a point he give me that look and I know it's time to get to the destination.  STAT!

3) Spending some time in the kitchen -  Yes, I realize most of you find that humorous, but every once in awhile, I do get a yen to get in the kitchen.  Monday, I spent almost all day in front of the computer planning travel, so Tuesday, I was ready to do something different.  Daily Garnish is a blog I have followed for at least two years.  Emily and I have NOTHING in common.  She lives in Seattle, is a trained chef, a vegetarian with ZERO weight issues and half my age, but I thoroughly enjoy her writing and have followed her through two moves and the birth of a child who is now over a year old!  I tried one of her recipes, Coconut Date Energy Bites, a few weeks ago and although I liked them, Bill RAVED about them.  You just never know what's gonna strike his fancy, but these certainly did.  I stuck a couple in his lunch one day as a surprise and he's begged for them ever since.  (Not to be crass or anything, but take a look at the picture and you can only imagine what sort of creative name Bill has come up with for these!)  So I made up a batch of those and then tried Debby's recipe for Frozen Yogurt Trail Bars.  Mine are a cross between her recipe and what she linked to as the original recipe.   The jury is still out on those - my ingredients didn't seem to work together as well as I'd hoped.  I also made a to-die-for Turkey Breast in the Crockpot last week and am looking for a good soup recipe to use the broth and leftover turkey.  So much fun to search for just the right recipe when I'm in the mood and have the time.  But it can also be totally overwhelming!

4) Learning how to use my new SmartPhone..... Yes, I realize that I am likely the last person in the free world to own and use a SmartPhone. Quite frankly, I really wasn't all that interested in getting one, but my old phone was so close to biting the dust and these days, you don't have much choice in the matter.  I don't have any problem with the phone.  I just have no interest in being connected all the time.  But now that I have it, by george, I'm going to learn how to use every last feature it has.  So reading the 176 page instruction manual and finding aps to download has been interesting to say the least.  And yes, I am totally serious.  The manual is indeed, 176 pages.  Did I read it?  Not hardly!  But I did find it interesting that you had to navigate to page 56 in order to find out how to make a phone call!  LOL!

5) Reading..............I mentioned that I was struggling a bit with overeating and fighting hard not to slip back into some old habits that have no place in my life any longer, so I am re-reading two books that have been highly motivational to me in the past.  One is The End of Overeating and the other is Made To Crave.  In addition, I am enjoying Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

 Couldn't resist leaving you with a picture of my handsome yard boy! Bet you don't have a yard boy that works all day in the yard and then comes in and fixes dinner! What I'd give for one tenth of his energy!  And no, you can't have him. He's all mine!

 Hope your week is as full of variety as mine has been.  Keeps us on our toes!