Almost Valentine's Day

Just a reminder on this day before Valentine's Day.

With the holiday falling on a Friday, I imagine the restaurants will all be filled to capacity.  We went into the city earlier this week for an early celebration.  No big crowds that day.

The restaurant had a lovely patio for dining alfresco.

As it was cold and rainy, we opted for indoor dining.

We both enjoy halibut which isn't always easy to obtain on the east coast.  "Just For The Halibut" caught our eye on the menu and it didn't disappoint.  When the waiter brought it out, at first glance it looked like a dessert.  The halibut was topped with crabmeat and resting on a potato cake with a layer of spinach between layers.  A delicious sun dried tomato sauce was swirled around the bottom.

Yum!

I was able to enjoy it twice as the portion was way more than I could eat in one sitting.  Although I should mention we also had a delicious salad and had to save room to share their famous carrot cake.

Tomorrow we will dine much lighter.

I'm thinking a pot of vegetable soup in the quiet of our own home sounds good.

How do you plan to spend Valentine's Day?

Sending LOVE your way.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Two Bags Full

Today we have been treated to an unseasonably warm February day.

73 degrees fahrenheit currently.

This called for opening the doors and a few windows.

When I opened them this morning I thought it would be for a little airing.  They've been open all day without the house getting too cold or too warm.  Delightful!

The jasmine growing on my trellis had gotten really wild looking.

It has been bugging me every time I walk by it.

The beautiful weather acted as a magnetic force pulling me out the door. 😎

Technically I am working my job from home today.

During a slow moment this morning I snuck out with my pruners and a garbage bag.  Here a snip, there a snip.

This isn't the easiest thing to prune as I can't reach the top and the ground slopes toward the 4 ft. drop off so getting on a step stool is out of the question at my age.

I took my light weight rake and pulled down as much as I could from the top, then got on my tip toes and snipped some more.

I spent the day going from my desk to the trellis and after a few hours ended up with two bags full of clippings from the jasmine.

Also managed to finish my day's office work.

While I was out there I checked in on a few of my herb plants.

The oregano is showing signs of new growth  and, while the chives are looking a bit bedraggled, they are also showing some new growth.  There were a few weeds popping up in there.  They are now relocated to the garbage bag.

The pansies that were covered in ice in my last post have begun putting out a few new flowers.  I gave them a weak dose of fertilizer to help them along.

Our high temperature tomorrow will be 20 degrees lower than today.

Looking at the weather forecast for next week I see two days featuring snowflakes.  That could all change by then so for today I am just enjoying this delightful day breathing in the fresh air and tending my little garden with thoughts of the pretty flowers that will soon begin blooming.

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A Good Weekend For Reading

Frosted Pansies

Well, our highly anticipated snow event resulted in a bit of snow followed by a bit of sleet leaving a frosty coating on everything in it's path.

Tiny icicles hung from the gutters.

Not enough to build a snowman with, but pretty nonetheless.

It was a good weekend for reading.

I finished this and thoroughly enjoyed it.

After remarking to Brett recently that I needed a book that I just couldn't put down, this one crossed my path. (note the words above the title).

Having never read this author, I decided to take a chance.

I didn't realize until I got home that the book was written in 1978.

Apparently it was hard for me to put down as I finished it in a day.

It definitely took some unexpected twists.

This one, set in Australia, was next up.

It is starting off on a mysterious note.

Sometimes when I finish a book I like to wait a few days to process the one I just read.  I planned to do that last night, but before I knew it I started this one.

Last year I signed up for a reading challenge on GoodReads.

I fell short of my goal by ten books.

I set the same goal for this year and now feel I am off to a good start.

"Reading One Book Is Like Eating One Potato Chip"

~Diane Duane

At The Start Of A New Year

As the new year has unfolded, I have been taking my time putting the Christmas decorations away and restoring order to each room in the house.  It's nice to have the time to do this at a leisurely pace.

The charcuterie board above was a gift from my brother and sister-in-law.  On New Year's Eve I made a pot of vegetable soup to go along with the delicious cheeses, nuts, dried fruits and salami.

Yesterday I was texting back and forth with my brother as they live in Los Angeles very close to the wildfires.  He said they haven't been told to evacuate, but have a go bag in the car in case that becomes necessary.  It is horrifying to see the videos coming out of that area of California.  I can't even imagine how that must be for the people living through it and my heart goes out to them.

We have snow in our weekend weather forecast.

It's been years since we've seen any so I'm secretly hoping to see a pretty snowfall.

I'll keep you posted on that.

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