Wednesday, December 4, 2019

The Dreaded Plague

Greetings!  I am now on day ELEVEN of the plague.  It's a wretched little plague, characterized by a wracking non-productive cough, sore throat and fatigue.  Apparently it's been making its way through the neighborhood.  Word has it that it goes on forever.  I'm to the point that I don't cough so much during the day, but nights are still difficult.  I hate this.

So, not much has been going on since the onset.  The day before I contracted the plague, we pruned the dead fronds off the palm trees.  That's when we found the Hooded Oriole's nest.  The amount of time and effort birds put into nest building (with the exception of doves) is astounding.  See the fibers hanging off the fronds?  That's what they use to make the nest.


The Thanksgiving day picture shows how the nest is woven onto the palm fronds.  Birds are amazing.



There has been decorating for Christmas.  It's something to do in the house.  This is the tree we had in the RV.  It's about 14 inches tall, and it fit perfectly on the dinette side board.  What you can's see is that it's sitting next to the Instant Pot we bought at Costco.  Who has one?  Do you like it?  Do you use it?  Jim and I both do not enjoy cooking.  We've tried to like it, but we don't.  I'm hoping the Instant Pot might move us off our current limited diet of things that can be grilled.


Here are the always festive compotes with shiny ornaments in them.  Notice the lights underneath them.


Now the lights are on.  They're battery powered LEDs since there is no outlet in that corner.  Using my serger I made a long tube of gauzy material, and put those really cute lights on copper wire in the tube.  Very festive!



Same tree as last year.  Next year we may get a real one.  I think I'm done with the fake tree.


Jim decided that there must be outside lights.  This house is very difficult to light.  There is not much gutter, and it channels a lot of rain, so that might not be so good.  Anyway, we got one of the palms illuminated.  Amazon sells solar powered lights on copper wire.  I could put those on one of the Queen Palms.  They do not have stiff fronds.  Actually, I could do both Queens.  Lights for all!


Tonight's sunset was pretty good.  We've had clouds moving in and out all day, and they just happened to be here when the sun went down.


That's it!  Many words signifying that I've done basically nothing for eleven days.  I would like to hear from you Instant Pot owners. 

11 comments:

  1. No instapot here. All my recipes seem to involve food. I really don't care much for it, but if I'm careful, it tastes good.
    It seems you got the serger up and off home plate. I mean, serging gauze! Way to go.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No instapot at our house but we have friends (more than one) who swear by theirs. I think we're going to try and put out some lights tomorrow. Maybe.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is a wretched bug Alison as its also been over here. The illuminated palm tree looks good.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love my Instant Pot, but I also love to cook. I discovered that there is a lot of research involved to find the right recipe for the things I prepare in the IP...everyone's recipes seem to differ by a few minutes, you have to find the one that works for you. I actually keep a spreadsheet of the basic recipes I use the most. I'll send you an email with more detail and a few recipes I really like.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I LOVE your Christmas lights!! I have an IP, actually FOUR of them. Check out Pressure Luck on Facebook. He has lots of great recipes to try. Also, This Old Gal (Google it) has good stuff. I cook mostly chicken dishes, and they all have come out terrific. My two favorites are Tuscan chicken (with spinach and sundried tomatoes) and butter chicken (with Indian spices like turmeric and garam masala) ... and the best of all ... CHEESECAKE!!! They make a lot of soups, although that's not so much for me. Hope you are feeling better, my plague lasted for 22 days. :-(

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a beautiful bird nest! I hope you start feeling better soon. That's a long time to be sick. :(

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm not an Instant Pot owner, sorry. I love to cook though.

    Your decorating is beautiful, especially considering you feel like sh t! You're holding the beautiful oriole nest, no eggs in it ever? It would make a wonderful, natural Christmas decoration filled with one or two pretty ornaments. I always used clean nests for the holidays. Legend says finding one in your freshly cut tree will give you good luck so I used to save one from year to year and sneak it into the tree - you know....who can't use good luck? My favorite one was a tiny finch nest made entirely from the mane/tail hair of our two horses....chestnut and white, just beautiful. Feel better and have a happy christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  8. so sorry to hear the grunge is still hanging on. this is why I avoid people. one of our neighbors has gone all out with outdoor lights but most don't do anything, myself included but then I don't celebrate christmas. the few ornaments I have from growing up, the remnants of german blown glass that my sister and I divied up after both parents passed on, are displayed all year.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry you are still ill. I hate that night-time cough more than just about anything. When I get sick, I tend to have that. Soooooo annoying, and cough meds really don't do a thing. LOVE the beautiful bird nest. Amazing. And lovely Christmas decor. Good on you, especially being sick. Hang in there -- this too shall pass!

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is amazing how versatile the birds are - I found a nest recently and it had a few strips of plastic, like a plastic bag, woven in. Hope you feel better soonest.

    ReplyDelete
  11. You may be down, but you're definitely not out. You've done more Christmas decorating that we've yet managed, and it's festive and lovely. We have an instant pot, and after my husband used it a few times, it has not been relegated to a closet, out of sight, ensuring that we might never use it again. I, too, thought it would inspire me to cook, but I was wrong.

    ReplyDelete