Soup season on the wane

I knew it was just a matter of time before I pulled out the shorts. Sure enough, when we took the boat for a spin this afternoon our temps were in the low 80s. I'm not quite ready to do the biannual shoe swap since my feet are scary scaly and dry, with unpainted dragon toenails that could probably dig taters (as my granny used to say). So I threw on a pair of what I've called boat shoes my whole life instead of the old flip flops I keep out year round in my closet.

Now that the husband is retired and we've got his parents moved into our neighborhood, we've been trying out new-to-us restaurants. He chose a local Italian place recently where we really enjoyed their fresh, warm bread with seasoned dipping oil and the caprese salad. After a really good start, I was disappointed that my chicken piccata and his pizza were bland. 

I'm not one of those gals that loves to cook. I can cook, and don't mind doing it. But I mean seriously, is there anything wrong with eating out once a day if you can afford it??? (Don't answer that!) This week I whipped up a big pot of beef and vegetable soup to share with the husband's parents. That's mostly healthy. But then I made some cheesy jalapeño cornbread to accompany it. Not so healthy. Especially when I brushed it with hot honey butter after I pulled it out of the oven. Calories schmalories, y'all.

Texas' season within a season

We've settled into milder temps lately, which is pretty common for Texas. We'll usually have a few serious cold snaps, but always return to the moderate temps. Calling this time of year winter is really kinda lost on us. But I digress. In the last few days we've had several mornings begin with clouds and/or fog, but then it eventually lifts for afternoon sun. In the video below, you can see the obvious line where the clouds were being blown out to make way for clear skies.

With these comfortable temps, I've found myself sitting on the back porch to read or work on my laptop most afternoons. And thus I've enjoyed the parade of boats on the water. In chilly weather, it's just the hardy fishing folks out doing their thing. But yesterday, I spied the trifecta of a pontoon, wake boat and fishing boat when the Fahrenheit climbed well into the 70s. Unfortunately no sailboats have been spotted this week, because they're my favorite.

With the nice weather, I've been able to take our dogs on longer walks through the neighborhood. When we were passing by a little canal-inlet sort of area recently, I looked out and saw ducks on the water. No surprise there. But upon closer inspection, I realized that what at first glance appeared to be a duck off by itself was actually a nutria paddling towards open water. 

For those of you who aren't familiar with nutria, they're an invasive species. Initially imported from South America in the late 1800s for the fur trade, they're now found across large swaths of the US. Nutria are considered pests/nuisances here in Texas since they undermine the banks of ponds and lakes with their destructive burrowing. When the husband was growing up, his pawpaw would turn him and his friends loose to help weed out the nutria population on their farm so they wouldn't destroy the ponds for their cattle.

As you can see above and below, nutria look like the ugly cousin of a muskrat or beaver. They're often called swamp rats or river rats. The term rat is appropriate because they have these long, skinny rat-like tails. And get a load of those bright orange front teeth. That's the stuff of nightmares, y'all. I read that these teeth grow continuously throughout the nutria's life. It certainly provides a horrific visual for that idiom "long in the tooth". Poor guy could use a good whitening toothpaste and some of those bleach strips to get his chompers presentable. But I guess the lady nutrias don't mind.

Old school covered dish supper

Back when I was a kid, potluck suppers were a thing. And I recall them at church most vividly. When you attend a small town church, then you get to enjoy what we called "covered dish meals", or "lunch on the grounds". My granny and mother's generations were more about lunch on the grounds after church in the days before air conditioning found its way to Texas. I recall my generation always gathering in the fellowship hall to enjoy covered dish meals, because everyone appreciates a climate controlled environment that's bug-free.

Today a lot of folks fix their food in those silver disposable pans you can find at the grocery store. I'll admit I sometimes use them. But back in the day, all of the church ladies would haul out their Sunday best serving dishes to whip up a favorite family recipe. In my opinion, the most outstanding thing about those gatherings was always the great variety of made-from-scratch dishes presented.

Fast forward to our new lake community. I really enjoy the sweet little nondenominational church that's located here in the gates of our neighborhood. In the fall they hosted a spaghetti supper. Then this week they scheduled a bring your favorite recipe potluck dinner. I whipped up my great aunt Jodie's cheesy squash casserole, as well as my mother's yummy chicken and rice dish, as you see below. 

Now I'm gonna tattle on myself with a little story from the fall spaghetti supper. I made a pasta salad and dessert to share for that gathering. I had offered my elderly neighbor a ride. So when I was getting her into my SUV, I sat my food on the hood since I still had it in my hands and wanted to be sure she didn't trip on the running board. We quickly discovered the hood was more sloped than it appeared. Because dontcha know, the salad and cake slid off the front and landed with a PLOP on the  driveway. Oh the horror, y'all! The pasta salad was in a plastic airtight container and none the worse for its fall. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the lemon pound cake. Over at the church we were able to salvage some pieces to put out for the crowd. But the rest of it looked like it had weathered a beating and come out the loser. Lesson learned. No more putting anything on the hood of my SUV that I don't want tumbling off it.

Parents in the 'hood

It's an exciting week around here, y'all. The husband's parents are moving to our neighborhood tomorrow. We purchased them a home several months ago so they could be close to us now that the husband has retired. At 88 and 89, Nena and Poppy have gotten to a point where they need help, and we're happy to provide it. The husband and I have been over there doing some prep and spruce work in anticipation of their arrival. I made sure to get a spring wreath and welcome mat in place. More details to come, so stay tuned!

Winter warm up today

What they say about Texas weather is so true. If you don't like it, just give it a minute and it will change. A week ago we had ice on the roof and in the front yard. This afternoon I'm lounging in shorts on the back patio, running the ceiling fan because temps are in the mid 80s. I even spied one of our local sail boaters out on the water.

The husband and I ate our first casual lunch together at the club earlier this week. I enjoyed the weekly salad special, while the husband dined on that Texas staple, chicken fried steak. We washed down our meal by splitting a slice of brownie pie. Talk about rich, y'all. It's so convenient to be able to hop in the golf cart and zip over about a half mile to the clubhouse for a meal or happy hour. 

My resolution for the year is to learn more about Judaism and the history of the Jews, God's chosen people. I ordered a couple books that were well rated and recommended. Unfortunately, the first one I started was way too esoteric for me. So I switched over to A History of the Jews by Paul Johnson and am really enjoying it. I think that's mainly because my preference is a straightforward, organized approach that engages and holds my attention. I'm really hoping to get back to Israel for another tour next year so I can see the places I'm learning about in this book and my Bible.

Sleet removal is WORK

The back of our house faces south across the lake. So once the sun emerged after sleetmageddon this week, the ice melted in a couple days once temperatures crept back into the normal range for January. However, that means the front of our house faces north, and thus the bulk of the front yard stays in the shade at this time of year.

After a couple days of temperatures warming up through the afternoon, then dipping back below freezing overnight, it created a rather daunting ice rink situation on our driveway and front walk. Tired of being housebound and wanting to get out to attend Bible study on Thursday, I took matters into my own rather inept hands Wednesday with whatever I could rustle up in the garage. That's how I ended up wielding a shovel, broom and leaf blower to tackle our driveway's skating rink.

It took me almost two hours Wednesday afternoon to get all of the ice broken up and then pushed off into the grass so I could back out my SUV without fear of going for a slide. Then Thursday afternoon, I hauled out my make-do ice removal tools once again. I gleefully chipped away at the stubborn sleet hill that remained on the front walkway as well as the small iceberg blocking the golf cart's cute little garage door. A bucket of sweat later and my efforts paid off, y'all. I had the sore shoulders and arms to prove it, but thankfully no blisters since I wore gloves. Oh sure, they were the husband's dyed yellowish orange leather work gloves that stained my fingers a sickly shade resembling jaundice when the gloves got wet. But at least I didn't end up with any raw skin. 

Our temps have headed back into that frigid zone these past couple days since another cold front blew through at the start of the weekend. Winter is typically our most unpredictable time of year where I really have to pay attention to the forecast. Otherwise, I wouldn't know if I need to dress in short sleeves and flip flops or a sweater and boots on any given day. 

I've decided the best part of winter here at the lake is the amazing sunsets I continue to see from our back porch in the late afternoons when I let our dogs out for a potty break. God paints the canvas of His sky in the most gorgeous colors that often take my breath away, renewing my appreciation for the beautiful planet He provides for our temporary mortal home.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Psalms 19:1

Sleetmageddon 2026

We've just about cleared the deep freeze of this first winter plunge of 2026. However, here in Texas these warm ups are often temporary in the month of January. I just checked the forecast and it looks like I shouldn't be in a rush to uncover the landscaping beds since we're looking at another round of temps bottoming out in the upper teens this next weekend. 

It's truly a blessing to live in this era of outstanding weather forecasting so we always have sufficient time to prepare for things like ice storms and frigid temps. The husband and I also appreciate the added benefit of our Generac generator, powered by a large propane tank buried in our yard, that will keep the entire house running if the power goes out. 

Along with the rest of the folks in the impending deep freeze zone, I hit our local grocery store Friday to gather the fixings for soup and cookies. That has always been my go-to for these cold snaps over the years. This time I whipped up supreme pizza soup and my mother's delicious cheesy garlic bread. The husband and I also enjoyed two batches of cookies I baked for this little bout of serious hibernation.

Meanwhile, the dogs have spent the past few days curled up instead of begging to go outside. Mostly. Little white dog can't resist a bit of whining to see if he can aggravate me into opening the back door for him. After a few potty breaks outside, though, he decided he'd rather just whine for attention or a game of fetch.

Thanks to our accurate weather forecasts, the husband and I were able to get the landscaping plants covered here at our house as well as the ones over at the house we purchased for the husband's parents. Hopefully they will all weather the frigid temps with no ill effects since I don't relish the thought of having to replace them come spring.

In the early morning hours of Sunday, I heard/saw thunder sleet, which was pretty cool. I had read about the possibility of it in a social media post from one of our local meteorologists. By the time the sun rose that morning, our world was a sleety wonderland. I was intrigued by the steam and mist that continued to rise from the water through most of Sunday. It was equal parts interesting and eerie.

The dogs did a bit of sliding, and weren't too sure about the sensation of walking on little round balls of ice. Thankfully, they stayed off the ice-slicked retaining wall at the water's edge, so no lake rescues were necessary. The sun came out Monday and melted most of the ice in our backyard. Hopefully today the sun and some continued warmer temps should take care of the rest of the lingering ice in our region of Texas, so everyone can regroup and prep for the next round of winter that will arrive in a few days. I pray y'all stay safe and warm out there!

Weekend with the twenty somethings

This weekend we enjoyed a visit with the law school daughter and her boyfriend. They drove down Saturday morning, so we enjoyed an early lunch at our favorite local Tex Mex restaurant. Then for supper we went to a new place we discovered recently thanks to a neighborhood couple that invited us to join them one evening. 

Sunday morning I headed out to church. I had already committed to teaching the littles during the contemporary service before we found out we'd have the twenty somethings since they were both off on Monday for MLK day. For months now, we have been wanting to hire one of the lake's top fishing guides to take us out and show us the ropes before we invest in a second boat for fishing. So the husband, daughter and her boyfriend enjoyed four hours of reeling in some hybrid bass despite the really chilly temps. 

As you can see above, there were lots of keepers. The guide dressed them, so the daughter returned to Dallas with a big bag of filets to put in the freezer for future meals. Once we were all back home from church and fishing, we prepared a delicious dinner. The daughter requested that we make a new tomato and burrata appetizer she recently saw online. I obliged by slicing up a baguette that I slathered with garlic butter and toasted in the oven for dipping. The husband manned our grill to prepare us these very tasty steaks along with some unique gourmet sausages they found at the meat counter. We rounded out the feast with loaded baked potatoes and salad, then washed it all down with French vanilla Neiman Marcus bars. 

I love spending time with our girls and their significant others when they come for visits. And I'm always a bit blue when they have to return to their busy lives. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure with these two amazing young women who made our family complete, and have given us so much to be proud of since they came into our lives. My dream is that they both remain geographically close so we can continue to enjoy their company and be a big part of their lives as they age. Plus be a help once grandkids come along. Nothing would make me happier than to be an involved and supportive Granny and Mimi like I and my girls had the benefit of for so many precious years. They were truly a Godsend in our lives, and I praise the Lord for both of them.

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from Him. Prof 127:3

Rounding out my latest collection

For those of you who don't know, I'm a bit of a collector. My largest collection is Santas since I started acquiring them way back in my 20s. In my 40s I saw a picture in a decorating magazine that sparked my interest in collecting vintage blue and green glass. After my mother passed away, I added milk glass as a third collection since I inherited a single piece of milk glass from both my granny and her. 

Over the holidays, I ran across this article below and it caught my attention since I've collected Santas for 34 years. Although the jolly old elf was one of the eight most popular vintage Christmas decorations, it was cool to run across KLM's blue and white Delft houses since I began collecting them a couple years ago.

I got my first two blue and white porcelain houses when I flew business class on KLM to visit a childhood friend in Holland. Loving the look of them, I rustled up a dozen more of these charming little houses by combing eBay for good buys. An old English teacher, I made sure to get a mini Anne Frank house. Not only did I read Anne Frank's diary in Mrs. Campbell's 8th gr English class back in the day, but I also taught it as an 8th gr English teacher a couple decades later. But I digress. All of the houses are numbered on the back, and the Frank house is 47, in case you're wondering.

When I moved my cute little collection up to the lake house, I was struggling to find a place to display them since the lady who built this home a few years ago obviously wasn't a big collector of anything needing display space. I finally landed on the narrow shelf above my cooktop. But it just looked incomplete to me, with too much empty space. So I recently rounded up six more houses I didn't have and added them to that ledge after all of my Santas were stored for the year. Then when I was over at the famous Canton trade days recently (the world's largest flea market), I ran across a pair of cute blue and white windmills that I used to bookend my sweet little Delft house collection. And never fear. I'm already thinking about how I can incorporate my KLM houses into our holiday decor for Christmas 2026.

A warmish winter thus far

Don't get me wrong, y'all. I'm not wishing ice and frigid temperatures on us here in Texas. However, it just seems wrong when the temps creep back up into that shorts and flip flops wearing zone during wintertime. I'm still trying to get some mileage out of my boots and sweaters at this time of year. Plus we need at least a few more serious cold snaps to help kill off some of the bug population. 

Living on the lake means these Fahrenheit fluctuations can make for some interesting sunrises and sunsets. Plus the steam and/or fog rising above the water creates a really cool effect. I'm thinking we'll probably take the boat out for another spin around the lake before our next round of cooler weather rolls in on Friday. Maybe invite a few of our neighbors. I've got two new covered charcuterie style containers, one that even holds ice in the bottom to keep things cool, and I'm just itching to try them out. Lake life continues to make me smile on the daily. As you can see in the pic below, our daughter's fur baby would undoubtedly give two paws up for boat rides, too.

Dancing with and to the oldies

For New Year's Eve, the club in our golf community hosted dinner and dancing to ring in 2026. So the husband and I had a fun time celebrating with all of the oldies to all of the oldies hits. And when I say oldies, I include myself since I'm knocking on the door of 60. Music that was popular when we were growing up is anywhere from 40-50 years old now. I was impressed with the band they brought in from Austin. Below are a few of the video blurbs I recorded.

Forget cabbage and black eyed peas on January 1, y'all. We're hoping cole slaw on fish tacos and charro beans on nachos will do the trick! The husband and I visited our nearest Tia Juanita's Fish Camp for this first lunch date of 2026. Tia's is a personal favorite of ours, a tasty marriage of Tex Mex and Cajun cuisines. Their decor is always interesting, and I especially like this big mural of Texas country music legends Willie and George. 

New year, new normal

It's hard to believe the husband is retired, especially since it coincided with the holidays. He always saved a few weeks of his annual vacation to take off around Christmas and new years (for as long as I can remember) so we could spend time together as a family. He'd typically be gearing up to head back to the corporate trenches on Monday. But that's now a thing of the past in 2026 as we settle into our new normal.

He's kicking off the new year with some of his old work buddies down on the coast at a rod and gun club for fishing and dove hunting. Then he'll be back at our house in the hill country to begin the barn purge and pack. I don't envy him that big job, and I'm glad it's his stuff rather than mine that needs to be moved to his new workshop near our lake house. 

Meanwhile, the dogs and I will be holding down the fort here on the water. My sister and I decided to check out the famous Canton trade days this weekend. I'm kinda wishing I owned a wagon to bring, just in case I spy something substantial and/or heavy I absolutely need. But since our only wagon is at the hill country house, I will definitely be putting a couple of those reusable shopping bags from HEB or Home Goods in my purse for any purchases we make.

My Monday and Thursday Bible study groups resume next week, so I've gotta pull out my lessons and get back into the groove with that. I was checking out my January calendar, and it contains a lot of maintenance. Things like my SUVs oil and filter change. A facial for me. Plus appointments for my annual mammogram and check up with my GP. January is chock full of all sorts of *fun* appointments. 

But I'm definitely not postponing the health stuff. Since summer I've added six people diagnosed with cancer to my prayer journal, as well as folks with heart troubles, a stroke and the inevitable old-age falls. Just last month, a classmate's father, my mother's dear friend and a classmate I've known since 4th grade have passed away. Aging and its accompanying illnesses aren't for the faint hearted, y'all. 

I ran across this post above on social media and it gave me the giggles. Because seriously, no reason to be morose about death. Our time on earth is fleeting. Of course we miss and grieve when loved ones pass. But what a blessing to know as believers they're in a much better place. They certainly aren't missing us like we're missing them. And we'll see them again one day. Until then, we can trust God as He walks with us across the mountaintops and through the valleys of life.

My big wish for myself and all of you in 2026 is a year filled with God's peace. Peace with your people. Peace with your choices. Peace in the inevitable challenges of life that find us all. A genuine peace that can only come from the Lord. I pray the Prince of Peace will bless and keep us all this year, that our Almighty Father turns His face upon us and gives us sweet peace.

(Jesus said) PEACE I leave with you; my PEACE I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 4:6-7