Floods and taxes

 Early this month we had weather forecast warnings of days of heavy rainfall and  chances of tornados developing.

The forcasters were right and 10" to 12" of rain fell in our area.  That led to flooding in our town from the Salt River. These aren't my photos. They are some that were posted online.

Here is the bridge over the Salt River. The road was closed because it was flooded on both sides of the bridge.

This photo is looking north, with the bridge on the left.

We had heavy rains like this and similar flooding in 2018 and also in 1997, and probably many times before that.

There were tornado warnings on 2 different evenings. I went to the basement each time.

It's so fortunate to have cell phones now and be able to see instant updates as storms move through the area.

I was very fortunate also, to have no damage or problems from the wind and rain. Just some water seepage in the basement and a couple of siding panels blown off an outbuilding.

Because of the storms and flooding problems, Kentucky residents have an extended tax filing deadline...November of this year.

I was unaware of that and on April 14th I had steam coming out of my ears, wondering when the accountant would call to tell me my return was ready.

Glad I checked online and found out about the extended deadline before making an angry phone call.

I mowed grass for the first time this spring on the day before the rain started. Glad to have done that because the ground was soft and muddy for days afterwards.

I made a recipe that I haven't made in a while. I'd actually forgotten about it...

Crustless Spinach Quiche

The recipe calls for frozen spinach but I used canned. Any type of cheese can be used...so it's a good way to use what you have on hand.

I made mini quiches using mini muffin pans.

No crust, so it's good for anyone trying to avoid carbohydrates.

Half went in the freezer so later I'll find out if they if they taste okay after thawing.

I've spent a little time in the sewing room. I started sorting through some fabric scraps that my friend, Susan, gave me.

She is a really talented and skilled quilter and her fabric choices are different than fabrics I usually pick out. That makes it so fun for me to look through her scraps and get ideas to make something.

I cut triangles from a bunch of striped fabric. Then added beige triangles cut from a shirt that had belonged to Lonnie. 

I arranged the squares like this to decide what sashing and borders to use.

Hmmm....pretty small. I wanted it big enough for a donation quilt.

Then I remembered this farm theme panel I'd picked up from a "free" table at a group meeting.   

It seems like pretty good match!

If I make a couple more blocks I can use this layout. It will be a good size for a lap quilt or a child's quilt.

I have yards and yards of good fabric in the closet, but it's more fun to try putting together something from scraps.

You won't believe this, but an Amazon driver backed into the front yard, AGAIN.

This is the THIRD time this year.

This one didn't get stuck but did leave sunken tire marks.

I called Amazon customer service to express my frustration. They put a note on my account for the drivers, saying to use the driveway for turn arounds.

Hope it works.

Late March

 Along with trying to use up things from my freezer, I also noticed that I have several cans of roast beef in the cabinet with an upcoming expiration date.  I had bought it, along with cans of chicken and tuna, just to have on hand. During the covid pandemic we all probably became more careful about having some extra emergency foods in the pantry.

I thought the beef might be good in chili...and it's the right size to make a small batch.

I was out of chili powder so I bought a packet of Bloemer's chile powder. I hadn't used Bloemer's in a long while and I wasn't sure if it was available. It's the right size for a small batch too. 

The beef looks good right out of the can. 

It was good in the chili too.  Yes, my chili looks a bit watery.  It tasted okay though. The Bloemer's has a nice spicy taste to it. I added cumin and also tossed in some freeze dried corn kernels.

The next week I made a pot of chicken vegetable soup, using leftover rotisserie chicken.

I've been outside on the warm afternoons...looking around at everything that needs some attention.

These three little trees have caused me some aggravation. I bought them at Kroger a couple of days before Christmas. They had marked them down to $3.75 each.

It never occurred to me that they would not be hardy in this area.

But they are dead. Killed by the cold, even though I had them sitting up next to the house.

A lesson learned, I guess.

The Sasquatch has started tomato plants from seed for both of us. I think at least four different types. 

The plants are strong and healthy. He sets them in front of a fan sometimes to help the stems grow thick and sturdy.

He replanted them into larger cups now, until they can be planted in the beds. I hope the deer will leave them alone this year.

You will think this next photo is a re-run, but nope, another Amazon driver decided to turn around by backing into the front yard.

Yep, this one got stuck too.  Those vans certainly aren't made for off- road driving. The driver didn't wait long before calling a tow truck.

And again, most of the damage was caused by the pull out.

This time Amazon emailed me, that same afternoon, then also gave me a phone call.  I still had to fill out forms and send photos.

I finished sewing the binding on my Tumbling Blocks quilt. This is one I'm keeping for my own. Puss likes it too.

I'm going to run it through the washer and then I'll take more photos. This one was a long term project.

Glad to have it finished!

Unseasonably warm

 Going into winter, it's comforting to have plenty of food in the freezer just in case a heavy snow keeps everyone from getting out to get groceries.

But at this time of year it's starting to seem like I have stuff in the freezer that now needs to be "used up".  Well, I'm working on it.

I thawed out a package of leftover ham and made cabbage soup. It's enough for 6 large portions.

 

That's a start, anyway.

It has been unbelievably warm this past week. Nice sunny days too.

The Sasquatch fixed up some grow bags planted with potatoes that had sprouted at his house. He had more than he wanted so he brought me one to take care of...and also a lot of little mini potatoes that have sprouted too.  Might as well stick those in the ground somewhere.

It's too early in the year to do most outside work so I just spent these warm afternoons sitting out back and stitching the binding down on my Tumbling Blocks quilt.

I laid down a patio chair cushion so Puss could join me.

I'm sure we'll have lots more cold weather but it's so nice to feel the warmth of the sun during this warm spell.

Just back from a cruise

 I'm just back home after a fun cruise.  I booked with Carnival again...a ship I've sailed on before  - the Vista.

Here's what it looked like at home the day before I left...

Here's what it looked like in Florida from the shuttle bus heading to the cruise port...

A bit more overcast later in the day and around 70 degrees when we left Port Canaveral.

This was the view from my balcony after we set sail.

Later that evening I went to two comedy shows. Both were good. They keep the early evening comedy shows suitable for everyone. No off-color language.

The next  morning this was my view from my bed...

And the TV is right there too if a lazy morning is on the schedule!

But I went down for coffee and breakfast. A breakfast burrito with pico de gallo. I ate at an outdoor table near the pool.

The weather turned a bit drizzly so I went to an indoor craft class. It was still sprinkling a bit after that so I went to a movie in their Imax theater. It was a new Bob Dylan movie,     " A Complete Unknown".  Really enjoyable with the giant screen.

 After lunch it seemed like a good time for a nap.

Carnival still has one or two formal dress evenings on each cruise and that evening was the first one.  I didn't feel like getting gussied up...and I wasn't dining in the dining room...so I just put on a decent looking pants and blouse outfit.

I found a seat overlooking the bar area in the atrium to do some people watching and see those who dressed in their fancy outfits. Violin players there to the left.

After that it was the main evening show. It was a musical production with singers and dancers. Fun to watch and I had a pretty good seat.

Day three had warm sunny weather so I spent time on my balcony...and of course eating, craft class and evening show. 

When I booked my cabin, I didn't realize that the deck above extended out and made an overhang above my balcony. A perfect set up...creating shade (or a bit of light rain protection). 

 I'll bear this in mind when I take another cruise, but also one needs to think about which side of the ship would be most shady.  That would change also, depending on if you are cruising south or returning heading north.

Day four we pulled into port at Aruba.

I caught an open air shuttle bus to Eagle Beach.

It's a huge wide beach with white sand and beautiful blue ocean.  I could see chair rental areas in the distance but they had the chairs all lined up close together and they were crowded.

I just spread my towel in the sand for some beach time. I went in the ocean too. Nice clear water.  I could live here!

We didn't sail from Aruba until around 10:00 pm. Nice to have plenty of time ashore and not have to worry about boarding time.  Of course, I was back on board and enjoying the view from my balcony well before dark.

Day five we docked at Caracau just after breakfast. I caught a shuttle van to Mambo Beach. A nice beach but very popular and crowded. They charged a small entry fee and I rented a chair in one of those dreaded lined up chair areas.

That worked up a thirst and I ordered a "local" beer. They handed me this one which is made in the Netherlands.  Huh?  Oh, because Caracau is a territory of the Netherlands.

I swam a couple of times. The water was calm and protected by a man made rock breaker.

I had my snorkel mask so snorkeled a bit out near the breaker. There were a few small fish.

Here is Curacau port from my balcony. Watching all the last minute boarding passengers rushing to beat the boarding time cut off.

Day six was another sea day. I spent some time looking at each deck of the ship...except for the decks that were staterooms only.  Here's the rear of the ship...or aft.

And here is the mid ship main pool area. You can see the giant slide and kids play area in the back.

Day seven was the third and last port, Grand Turk. A great port because you can walk off the ship and the beach is right there.

I had arranged to rent a "clam shell" on the beach...for sun protection...and a bit of a change from sitting elbow to elbow in beach chairs.

It was a good decision! Private and relaxing.

Happy face!

Towards the end of the day I imagined watching the ship sail away while I stayed there living in the clam shell. I'd get my meals at Margaritaville there on the beach.

But, I snapped out of it and boarded the ship when it was time.

I took this photo walking up the pier back to the ship.  From the beach it seems like the ships are really close but it's just because they're so huge.

Sailing away...good-by blue Caribbean.

The last day was a day at sea. Carnival had a special gathering for those who have taken lots of past cruises with them. 

There was entertainment, the ship's officers made an appearance, a few cruisers won prizes...and drumroll...free alcoholic beverages during that hour.

I enjoyed some balcony time that afternoon then later got my suitcase packed. 

The room steward places a towel animal on the bed each day and I made a collection of them on the sofa. 

So the next morning it was a quick breakfast then debark the ship. My flight home was scheduled for later in the day so I took a wildlife tour to pass some of the time.

It was fun...on an open boat through a mangrove lagoon.

We saw lots of birds including baby pelicans in a nest. There were several dolphins but they surface and dive so fast it's impossible to get a photo.

Also a couple of manatees were visible just beneath the surface of the water.

Besides the wildlife it was fun to see the homes built around the lagoon.

Travel home went fine with flights on time. Good to be back to the familiar comforts of home and my grumpy kitty.