tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36349530851363045202024-03-05T18:00:28.663-05:00Shiny ThingsWrandom eruptions from my noisy headNancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.comBlogger312125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-75276570929417014492019-10-13T11:24:00.000-04:002020-02-15T18:13:47.524-05:00Baking Up My Brand New Life
Well, I did it.
I.
Did.
It.
I just wrapped up Week #2 of My Brand New Life and am still pinching myself every single day.
What is this life, you ask? Well ... just like my first 53 years, I'm figuring it out as I go but instead of just imagining and totally seat-of-pants-ing, I've made the first real step toward intentionally designing the life I want to live for the next 53 years. More or Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-2593746313401705162016-11-12T13:39:00.002-05:002019-10-13T09:50:14.921-04:00Sound bites, safety pins and silver liningsWhat a week this has been.
From the dark night of 11/9 (the entire day, that is), to the dismal, nearly debilitating, disgust, despair and despondency of the next day, to all of the other "D words" and stages of grief those of us of like mind and heart have been working through the past few days ...
Some of us talk in hushed voices - in offices and hallways and on street corners. In coffee Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-79563695702138525272016-06-20T20:58:00.002-04:002016-06-20T21:04:01.974-04:00It was (not) a dark and stormy night
My 2010 Pontiac Vibe
(at towing lot)
showing main points of impact
It was a dark and stormy night ...
No, that's not right. It was, in fact, a sunny, clear, gorgeous summer evening. A Monday, which meant rowing night. And on my way from work to rowing, I got in a car accident. The kind that gives you shivers when you imagine it happening. And miraculously, the kind that included me emerging Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-20835294554179422212016-06-01T22:57:00.002-04:002016-06-01T23:08:29.611-04:00Phun with werdz
Best. Birthday cake. Ever.
I promised a friend I would join her in blogging every day in June. Yikes. It has officially been more than two years since I have posted a few words in this here space.
My brain is a bit frazzled so I do not have many things to say. Now. At this moment. So I will share a few of my most recent word nerd thoughts. (Like: Why not werd nerd? Why is word not pronounced Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-18607669539470332042014-04-12T23:22:00.000-04:002014-04-12T23:22:26.188-04:00Of mermaids and goats and geriatric cats
MerLois of the sea.
Recent happenings have had me thinking about life. How it's a blend of raucously good and happy times. And unremarkable, mundane bits. Sweet and silly moments. Curious bits. And sad parts.
Last weekend was filled with the happy, fun sorts of things. On Friday I went to my first book club gathering (at which we discussed The Happiness Project) and had a delightful Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-84234163846652667492014-04-08T23:33:00.003-04:002014-04-08T23:35:40.144-04:00Phew. Sure is dusty up in here.It's been such a long time since I've posted that I don't know where to start. It's not that I've had nothing to write about over the past 15+ months ... I just haven't taken the time to sit down and let the words flow out of my brain onto the keyboard. Here.
But I'd better start letting some of it out.
I must warn you. It will likely not be in an orderly fashion. But so many sweet, happy and Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-3421777952439774932012-12-29T11:34:00.000-05:002012-12-29T11:34:11.238-05:00I shoulda taken a picture
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Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-33654176968510564622012-07-31T23:24:00.001-04:002012-07-31T23:24:13.524-04:00thirtyONE
Wonderful, whimsical and a wee bit wacky --hand-torched beads from Fire Goddess Bead Studio.
I may not have written all 31 days this month, but I did write 31 posts. Technically. Since I created two new pages up there - for the Nicaragua journal and FOOD. Right up there at the top. Did you notice? Does that count?
This month did not go quite as planned - blog-wise and otherwise. I still Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-42526330044342520202012-07-30T23:57:00.000-04:002012-07-30T23:57:23.012-04:00It's just a flesh wound
You can get your own Black Knight action figureat thinkgeek.com
It's all Deb's fault. After reading her post tonight, I spent the last 45 minutes watching Monty Python clips on YouTube.
The Black Knight is one of my favorite segments in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I remember when Lizz (then still Lizzie around age 9 or so) had not quite graduated from cartoon movies ... and I convinced Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-50624307538241435572012-07-29T16:24:00.000-04:002012-07-30T23:10:35.599-04:00Ensalada de repollo
This is a salad we enjoyed several of the evenings we ate dinner at La Quinta Havilah in Nicaragua. And no, "repollo" does not mean recycled chicken. It's cabbage! Who knew?! I loved that it was such a simple, crisp and refreshing counterpoint to the ubiquitous (but differently prepared) chicken and savory beans that comprised most of our dinners - and it even went well with macaroni and cheeseNancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-78839095427065893742012-07-29T11:19:00.002-04:002012-07-29T11:19:38.639-04:00Oceans of prayers
Yesterday morning I decided I needed to knit a prayer shawl. I was going to try to purchase something of that nature (wanted to send a loving hug to someone dear who lives far away) and then started reading up on prayer shawl ministries and learned about the significance of actually knitting or crocheting it oneself. The point is to pray for the individual who will receive the shawl as Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-29533892588768598272012-07-27T22:33:00.001-04:002012-07-27T22:33:43.056-04:00Triage
The certified arborist told me this Colorado Spruce was acting likea big baby. Outgrown its space. Trimming would have beenalmost as much as removing it and would only delay theinevitable.
Get it? TREEage?
Even before this thing with the trees happened a couple of weeks ago, that's been my strategy for managing stuff. Like on M*A*S*H (I loved that show - was in love with Hawkeye Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-88560413273789797742012-07-26T22:53:00.000-04:002012-07-26T22:53:04.659-04:00A new pageI just learned a new skill! Created a separate page on Shiny Things! See - it's right up there underneath the Shiny Things header: Nicaragua Journal. All of my Nicaragua posts are gathered there. Oh my. That is just too spiffy.
Well, I think that is all the excitement I can handle for today. I'm very sleepy and the tree man is coming tomorrow to significantly change the landscape over here. I'llNancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-71749850113325996522012-07-25T22:49:00.001-04:002012-07-25T22:49:05.946-04:00Things that make you go ¿qué?
This whimsical little figure riding on a tiny origami - what is that? - and clinging to a palm tree was on a little shelf in the courtyard of the café where we lunched in Granada our last full day in Nicaragua.
Phew.
He amused me. He still does. I think he's smiling at someone over his left shoulder there. Funny because he must have an awful wedgie.
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-4458400293862162272012-07-25T07:00:00.003-04:002012-07-25T22:27:17.594-04:00El pelota ... BOOM!Each day, on our way to the school in La Chureca, we stopped to get ice. One day, we stopped at a convenience store with this lovely tile design in front.
Jordan - just before giving his hat to Tito outside the school.
I jumped out of the van to take a photo and then went in with a couple of others to look around. It wasn't our usual ice stop. The first thing I noticed was a bin with Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-71131983956046527472012-07-21T23:21:00.001-04:002012-07-22T09:47:14.153-04:00Putt. Putt. Pfftt.Two boys, full of energy. Two rounds of putt putt. One pizza. Three ice cream cones. A dip in the pool. Two snacks A few rounds of catch in the yard. Two baths. Two more snacks. Stories and prayers and back scratching and finally... two sleepy boys. An infinity of priceless moments. One pooped aunty.
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-37804600264285701132012-07-20T22:16:00.001-04:002012-07-20T22:16:17.625-04:00who needs punctuationleft work at 7 on a sunshiny Friday in time to enjoy a few minutes catching up with my daughter on the drive home before putting on some hot pink nail polish and going for peppermint ice cream with my big sister and molly pants in silly glasses and settling in with a glass of chilled wine and a furry purry cat and a book in my pjs because i dont have to go back to work for another 58 ish hours Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-37172046545454139082012-07-19T22:38:00.000-04:002012-07-19T22:38:46.815-04:00When life gives you lemons...
Lemons from Kelly's lemon tree all the way in California. A refreshing treat!
I've been having those I'm-not-really-a-writer thoughts a lot lately. Those "wouldn't it be nice to be outside trimming trees instead of sitting at this desk" thoughts. Of course that could be because of all of the tree people I met with yesterday. The first one I met with is a certified arborist. He seemed to Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-6748964920409304972012-07-18T22:36:00.001-04:002012-07-18T22:36:56.845-04:009 Junio
9 Junio (June 9). 5:30 a.m. My last full day in Nicaragua. I awoke to the er er ér er of the roosters. After lying there for a few moments, I pulled on my shorts, brushed my teeth and headed up to the third floor. Even though I awakened most days around the same time, I had made it up here only few early mornings during my 10 days. It was a much-coveted and sacred space - for the Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-27356324088378474412012-07-18T08:43:00.001-04:002012-07-18T08:43:25.831-04:00Tree People
I'm meeting with tree people this morning. No, not that kind.
Tree man on Las Ramblas, Barcelona 2005.
Not this kind, either.
Tree lady in Parc Güell, Barcelona 2005.
The kind that remove trees that have fallen on houses. I wish they were one of these other kinds, though. That would be cool. And less expensive.Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-19634402303847732782012-07-16T22:53:00.000-04:002012-07-16T22:53:16.720-04:00Bountiful harvestThe haul from Saturday's trip to the market was pretty awesome: cabbage, wax beans, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, cukes, corn, blackberries, basil and peaches. The peaches were from Georgia ... and I normally stick to locally grown at the market ... but these were the perfect ripeness at The Potato Man's stand. I didn't need potatoes or onions, which he also sells. Plus melons and other Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-56426822258551791202012-07-15T23:59:00.000-04:002012-07-15T23:59:01.745-04:00ErgonomiqueI worked on painting the back of the garage today. My neighbor came out and commented that it was nice that Walter had installed that coffee mug holder for my convenience.
It's also kind of awesome for holding my paint can at just the right height.
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-29859659897852729582012-07-14T23:25:00.003-04:002012-07-14T23:26:29.765-04:00Little tarts
I made these strawberry rhubarb tartlets on July 4 as part of my contribution to the gourmet picnic I had with Deb and Al on Ojibway Island before watching the fireworks. I followed - mostly - the recipe I found on bites out of life, a truly delightful blog I happened upon that morning.
I decided to bake mine two ways - half of the batch with the "free form" method and half on Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-69280742106888120432012-07-13T23:13:00.001-04:002012-07-13T23:14:01.557-04:00Camping outOne of my co-worker writer friends took her kids to camp earlier this week. On Tuesday I think, she sent them each a postcard - each from a different vacation destination: NYC, San Francisco and London. (She had also mailed out "normal" letters to them the day before.). "Dad and I got a deal we couldn't pass up on a flight to _________," she said - a slightly different message to each kid. She Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634953085136304520.post-19761267844563233942012-07-12T22:42:00.003-04:002012-07-12T22:42:56.145-04:00Limb-OH!(Doh!)
I meant to write my post over here tonight and I forgot to change the settings back on phone after yesterday's post. So today's entry is over on Tuna on Wheatley again. Oops!Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125078045273736451noreply@blogger.com0