Tag Archives: long weekend

Interesting And Full

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This was a good weekend.

We made it a long weekend and went to Cincinnati for art, for a walk in a cemetery that feels like art, for book shopping, and for a stage show by Sean of the South.

I’m headed home today with a trunkload of books and some much needed food for thought after a couple of days of exploration. Going places that are different, meeting new people, reading thoughts different than your own – these things are good for us. These things keep life interesting and full.

That stage show was exactly what I needed and meeting Sean afterward proved that one of my favorite writers is as down-to-earth as I had hoped.

This was a good weekend. I hope you enjoyed yours too.

Road Trip, Anyone?

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Who here is ready for a road trip? You know the kind where you hop in the car and head off into the wild blue yonder with freedom in your heart and a full tank of gas?

You open the sun roof and roll down the windows to feel the breeze. Then you turn up the tunes – none of this modern stuff but some Neil Young, Eagles and Springsteen with a few Flying Burrito Brothers tunes for good measure.

I like to find a Sheetz for a restroom break and something caffeinated to keep me focused. Their deep fried mozzarella cheese sticks may also help with your concentration. And maybe not but you won’t know till you try!

Perhaps you’ll have a destination in mind and maybe the journey will be the destination.

There’s no one to impress because this is your road trip and your adventure out into the world to see what it has to offer.

Sometimes I pull into a little town to walk around and see what’s what. Everyone needs to stop for a stretch of the legs after all and the very best way to see a place is by ditching the car in favor of a walk around.

Maybe you’ll just keep driving, happily cruising through downtown streets until they become cornfields.

What’s stopping you? There’s a long weekend ahead. Maybe this is the weekend you throw caution to the wind and hit the road for an unforgettable cruise through America’s towns and countryside.

You don’t need reservations or even a lot of money. Pack a weekend bag or just hit the bricks for the day.

It’s your road trip.

Now go.

Around Here

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Around here, there’s a lot to say and nothing to say about how my time has been occupied and where my thoughts wander. Sunsets are welcome as are good books, long weekends and days when I don’t even consider turnjng on the tv.

Around here, I’m trying hard to dial back my stress levels and all around busyness and am avoiding troubling situations when possible. I’m trying to drill to the core of some health issues and am starting to feel like that is a lost cause.

But, around here, we don’t quit and we don’t lose hope. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. That may be the case but I’m convinced it will work one of these days.

Around here, Scout is suddenly sleeping very close to me at night and I’m drinking in the warmth of his little body and the purrs and soft snores that lend such comfort.

Around here I’m still thinking about the wonderful hike I took Saturday and about how lucky I am to live in a place where nature is so accessible to the public.

Around here I’m still thinking about the art we saw, the book shopping we did, and the great pizza we had from a little place in Columbus on Sunday. These handmade prints are accompanied by an old recording of natives speaking that sent shivers down my spine.

I like art that feels meaningful, that I can find a connection to so it’s not just something on a wall but something I will remember.

What a nice day that was.

Around here, it has been windy and cooler than normal. I’m bracing for the summer that’s to come and thinking about ways I can lean into the misery and try to enjoy it. Stay tuned.

Most of all, around here, I’m thinking about the sacrifices made by the brave men and women who have served our nation over our storied history. We are a young country and one with a government prone to mistakes but I will always be grateful for those who answered the call to serve our nation and I am proud of our military.

I didn’t do anything patriotic this Memorial Day weekend other than think about this very topic, admire the flags our local volunteer firefighters put out, and watch the National Memorial Day concert on PBS.

Nonetheless, I have something to say. If you are reading this and you are a veteran or active duty military, I want you to read these words:

Thank You For My Freedom.

Around here, your sacrifices mean everything.

A Long Weekend To Do As I Pleased

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I took off a couple of days so I could have a long weekend to do as I please. Christmas break was the last time I had a chunk of free time where I wasn’t thinking about something at work.

As I often tell you here, we have seasons in our lives and this busy one is the season I just left. My big first quarter project is now complete and it’s time to move on to other things. But first, my tired mind needed a break.

So I spent this weekend on a day trip with my fella as well as another day trip solo. I had a day at home and, for today, I have a combination of errands and creative pursuits planned.

Yesterday I told you about a cool art exhibit we saw but there are more stories to come. As I emerge from my winter season, I’m trying to put my house and mind in order and figure out what’s next. As part of that, I plan to return to a more consistent writing schedule and hopefully find some consistency in other things that need my attention.

The birds are chirping and the sun shines bright in southern Ohio this morning. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope you make it a great day.

Long Weekend

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A three day weekend is like hitting a lottery that gives you extra free time. I like to use long weekends for adventuring but this wasn’t the case for this weekend celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I’m mostly staying home this No Spend Month. Plus, thanks to Covid, there’s nowhere to go and nothing to do once you get there.

Consequently, I spent Friday night and yesterday fussing that I was wasting time. After all, when you work all week, free days feel like a luxury that shouldn’t be squandered.

Yesterday, I walked at a local park and made an effort to look for different things to photograph. Like this.

And this.

So far this weekend I have made some really good vegan mac and cheese and watched the movie Jo Jo Rabbit, the wonderful documentary Streetlight Harmonies and a few episodes of I Love Lucy. I played with the cat, read some, wrote a letter on nice stationary, got a little rest and did some organizing.

Friends, my fridge is both clean and organized.

It was a nice balance of fun and work, active and lazy. When I think about it that way- it all seems like a good use of my time. Enjoy this day, friends.

Around here

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It’s a three day weekend for me so today marks the halfway point rather than the end of the weekend.

I’ve accomplished some things this weekend and failed miserably at others.

Yesterday featured some cleaning projects. This was a requirement because the house was littered with cat toys and things that little Scout had knocked on the floor. Johnny Cash sang about killing a man in Reno just to watch him die. Scout knocks things over just to watch them fall.

But my work ethic didn’t last long. It was raining and cold so I ended up in a comfy chair, determined to finish this book so I could move on to some less traumatic material.

This book is graphic, emotional and compelling. The author expertly weaves the story of Emmett Till into the context of the Jim Crow south to create a narrative that’s impossible to put down and hard to stomach all at the same time.

How anyone could be so hateful, so intolerant or so so certain of their superiority over another group of humans is beyond me. And yet, it relates closely to a lot of the sentiments we hear today in this country about immigrants and still about African Americans.

Around here, I’m also doing some cooking this weekend. Today I’ll make a bean and veggie soup, pancakes for the freezer and some granola for the pantry. Yesterday I adapted an internet veggie burger recipe to meet my needs and to use up some odds and ends of leftovers in the fridge.

It was far better than store bought veggie burgers and I know exactly what went into the mix. Interested? Here’s the recipe:

Brandi’s Quick Break From Reading To Make Dinner Veggie Burger

1 can pinto or black beans (drained and well rinsed)

3 Tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 Tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat but use what you have)

1/2 cup cooked vegetables – I didn’t cook mine but ran them through the food processor so they were finely chopped. Mine were onions, carrots, corn, spinach and mushrooms

Run the beans through the food processor and mix well with the other ingredients. Shape into patties and place on parchment paper. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for nine minutes on each side or until a bit crisp.

This is an extremely forgiving recipe because it’s designed to use up what you have. Don’t have tomato paste? Use ketchup or maybe some salsa! Whatever veggies you have will do. Want to add a favorite seasoning? Go for it. Can’t eat them all right now? Freeze them.

It really is easy. My apologies for having no photo to share.

Instead, I will leave you with this image. I dared to move Scout’s tent from the kitchen to make mopping the floor a little easier. Here’s the aftermath. It seems there was some kind of riot.

Here’s hoping today is a good day for us all and that I make it back to the list of things I failed miserably at today!