Birthday Freebies - 2021

Looks like I really raked the treats in.

2021 - Birthday freebies

4/12	Portillo’s	Free slice of chocolate cake	$3.19
4/14	Texas Roadhouse	Free appetizer: ribs	~ $7.99
4/20	McAlister’s	Free cookie	$1.69
4/20	Denny’s	Free “breakfast slam” (4-choice build-your-own Grand Slam)	$8.69
4/21	Red Robin	Free burger	$13.89
4/21	Panera	Free pastry - bear claw	$3.99
4/25	Culver’s	Free turtle sundae	$4.09
4/27	Ye Olde Donut Shoppe	Free 2 donuts @1.75	$3.50
4/29	Moe’s	Free burrito	$8.79
4/30	Subway	Free cookie	$0.79
5/06	Arby’s	Free shake 2.99 + fries 2.29	$5.29
5/07	Perkins	Free Magnificent Seven	$7.99
5/16	Jimmy John’s	Free 8” sub	$5.95

Grammie's No-Bake Cookies

my grandmother's writing

Back when I was in junior high or high school, I used this actual recipe from my Grandmother B. to make these cookies. I followed it exactly.

I put   2 cups sugar

          1 cup cocoa

          2 cups milk

          1 stick of butter

in a saucepan and heated it on the stove.

Then I looked at the other scribbles and finally figured out what the measurements really said.

What I was heating was a total screw-up. How do you correct 4 times the amount of milk that I'd put in the 3-quart saucepan? I would have needed to use 4 sticks of butter. No way.

So, how to dispose of the catastrophe and start over?

The garbage disposal did not seem wise with the melted butter. Nor the toilet.

So I walked the hot saucepan out to the garbage barrel in the alley and dumped the contents there.

I don't think I ever told Mom.

I started over. Since I had broken the code, I knew to use 1/2 cup peanut butter and 3 cups oatmeal. And I ended up with perfectly delightful No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.

Here's the easy-to-read recipe:

February 2022

Big snowfall event on Groundhog Day 2022.

J usually waits until the snow stops before shoveling. But I think one or the other of us had an appointment so he was shoveling while it was still snowing. He topped it off the next day.

February 3, 2022

February 4, 2022

January 3rd

January 3rd always makes me think of my third grade teacher.

I received a thank you note from Mrs. Farnsworth -- came addressed to me through the U.S. postal service. I believe it was probably the first letter I had ever received that was not a birthday card from a grandparent. 

Our room mothers collected money from the class -- probably 50¢. I remember that she thanked me for perfume, maybe Chanel No. 5. And then she signed off: See you January 3 -- Mrs. Farnsworth.

I wonder if Mrs. Farnsworth ever used the perfume. She told our class early on "Please do not wear perfume" because she was sensitive to it. More than likely she just thought 8-year-olds apply it too liberally. Can't say I blame her. I mostly dislike any scent that anyone wears, particularly if it is strong.

I kept that card for years. And I must have re-read it from time to time since I remember it so well.

One of Those Nights

I composed this haiku in my head this morning before 7 a.m.

Sometimes you just have one of those nights when you can't sleep.

I Don't Think So

My favorite is "Mary Did You Know" with the Carpenters singing

I pointed out to D that Karen Carpenter died in 1983, before "Mary Did You Know?" was composed. She answered back that she had heard it somewhere but couldn't remember where.

Maybe D heard it from the grave?

from Wikipedia:
"Mary Did You Know?" is a Christmas song with lyrics written by Mark Lowry in 1984, and music written by Buddy Greene in 1991. It was originally recorded by Michael English in 1991.

Restless Night

-  woke around 12:30 a.m.; dozed back to sleep

-  woke couple hours later - old-age body aches and pains - thought about the Italian sausage in the fridge and what I could make with it - pretty clear I'm wide awake

-  2:36 a.m., got up and settled into recliner - read for a little bit - tried to doze - thought about a new blog I might make: Googled and YouTubed how to add a search box to a blog; in my head named the blog, then changed the name and wrote and rewrote my first post

-  turned on TV to see how the Queen's lying-in-state was going; looked like it was it ok so switched off TV

-  twiddled my thumbs

-  4:20 a.m., J gets up; it's a workday for him

-  read my book some more - J finishes with newspaper; I look thru it

-  take a look at Facebook; D has not yet started her series of shares so I guess she's not up yet (she's in Eastern time zone and starts FB shares as soon as she gets up)

-  thinking about watching something that I've dvr'd

-  it's now 5:45 a.m.