I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

I am literally going offline after this. Gardening, writing and playing with the critters. My brain needs a break. I’m still too fatigued to wander far from home (when I need to sleep, sleep I must). I am hoping that eases up this week if other’s Covid experience is a guide.

As promised, some distraction.

I needed a new Facebook profile picture and Scout obliged.

And here is Gabe doing his balancing act. He has been lying on the rail, which is adorable with all his, shall we say, floofiness (we do not body shame here  ) but whenever I get the camera out, he bolts. I’ll keep trying.

The day after Memorial Day, I braved going out into the world. I scored 10 lbs of chicken leg quarters for $4. (That’s $4, not $4 a lb). So I froze most and kept a few out to grill. I use a spicy dry rub and grill them until they are about 160 degrees F, then I coat them in a sweeter sauce (I love me some Sweet Baby Ray’s) and let them finish cooking, about 10 more minutes. That way the sauce doesn’t burn.

Other times, I’ll flip the process and use a sweet rub and coat with Sweet Baby Ray’s Spicy sauce. Either way, I get a nice sweet and spicy mix when it’s done. And yes, those potatoes are sliced in half, coated in oil and salt and then grilled. Gives them a nice crust and they cook in half the time.

(Also, I posted all the recipes I used in both Run Aground and Underway today. There is also a link in there to all my food in fiction recipes, one of my favorite recipe topics, from some of my favorite books.)

And since it’s Sunday Garden time, here is one of my favorite irises. We had a hard freeze early last fall and another one late this spring and most of my irises are looking a little worse for wear because of it. But still pretty.

Okay, this is a RESPITE open thread. We all need a break. Check-in if you need some reassurance. And go offline if you’re really feeling beat up like I am. My brain and my heart just need to check out for a while.

Tell us something good.

Be kind today, especially to yourself….

Much Needed Respite: Puppy, Kitteh and FoodPost + Comments (92)

Not to step on Anne Laurie  – but this is probably the only chance I’ll have of participating in this thread before falling sound asleep. 💤💤

I just finished watching this and I feel so much better. I highly recommend it.

As for me, I am doing much better and well past 14 days without symptoms. That being said, the fatigue is fierce and while I can do a lot, I am nowhere near able to do what I could a month ago. Yesterday it was walking the dogs and move a rosebush, and then I was done for the day. I am doing what I can to rebuild my strength each day – a little time on the spin cycle, lots of stretching to counteract all the couch time. I am now (finally) scheduled for my antibodies test – after being thwarted at every turn trying to get a Covid-19 test. There were some scary days, but I as I said before, so grateful for the mild version I seemed to have ridden out. I can’t imagine how much worse it could have been.

Here’s a photo of Bixby enjoying himself on a beautiful spring morning:

Bad photo, but love how he’s just in mid-stride, not a care in the world. The entire time I was sick, he was glued to my hip. And let me tell you, when you are tired and oxygen-deprived, trying to move a damn 160 lb dog out of your way is impossible. LOL

There is a lot of crap going on and so much I want to rage about, but I figure we can all use a bit of respite and I need to keep my blood pressure down. So..

Respite open thread. Tell me something good.

Respite Open Thread: Becoming, Michelle ObamaPost + Comments (44)