I informed you thusly.

September 20, 2021 Rivergirl 22 Comments

My husband doesn’t like it when I say I told you so. And oddly enough he doesn’t like it when I roll my eyes at him either. So from now on I shall be channeling Sheldon Cooper and saying “I informed you thusly.”

I uttered this phrase repeatedly yesterday when I walked out to the barn after a rain storm and saw this:

In case you aren’t aware, apple trees limbs are not supposed to be lying on the ground.

When we moved to this house 20 years ago, there were two gorgeous mature apple trees in the backyard.

I put furniture under them, kept trimming the lower branches and spent long lazy summer afternoons reading in the shade. Then, out of nowhere… the husband decided I was hurting the trees and refused to let me prune them. I fought against this ruling for a few years and then gave up. This was the result:

Every year the trees were so laden with fruit they hung to the ground. It drove me crazy but the husband wouldn’t let me near them with shears. I kept telling him he would regret it, but he wouldn’t listen.

So naturally, this happened:

A major branch, basically half the Granny Smith tree… cracked and split off.

I contacted a licensed arborist and he’ll be here in a few days to give us an estimate for structural pruning to save the trees from further destruction.

And after we’ve paid a small fortune to someone we didn’t really have to?

I shall inform him thusly one more time.

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Pandemic humor

September 20, 2021 Rivergirl 13 Comments

Because I still need to laugh.

Nothing like negative reinforcement.

It’s all about choices.

It certainly is.

That seems fair to me.

I really need that shirt.

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Because his Lordship rules.

September 19, 2021 Rivergirl 25 Comments

It’s not much of a stretch to say this house is run solely for the comfort and convenience of the cat.

When his Lordship wants to look out the window?

His Lordship looks out the window.

Even if his parents are trying to stop the sunlight fading their furniture.

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Goodwill is good for the soul.

September 19, 2021 Rivergirl 27 Comments

A girlfriend and I hit Goodwill the other day and if nothing else, it’s a great place to pick up cheap books.

16 books for $21? A little slice of heaven right there.

Of course, even thrift store shopping isn’t immune to politics these days…

And while I didn’t buy that tee shirt, I did buy this one. Because, honestly…. I had to.

I shall wear it and point at myself the next time my husband disagrees with me. That should go over well.

My girlfriend was in the mood for Cracker Barrel so that’s where we headed for lunch. The restaurant was almost empty but the hostess told us there would still be a 20-25 minute wait to be seated due to short staffing. (I’m seriously tired of waiting for meals… have all the pre Covid waiters and waitresses been abducted by aliens and given the anal probe? If not… please go back to work. River be hungry. )

Since it was raining we chose to wander the store instead of sitting outside on the rocking chairs, and that’s where I saw this:

For which I have no logical explanation.

But perhaps the biggest surprise of the day?

Alcohol… at Cracker Barrel!

When did that happen? Granted it’s not a favorite restaurant of mine and I probably haven’t stepped foot in one since my mother passed but it seems like I would have noticed such a momentous event.

Since their beer was dishwater I opted for a mimosa, which was close to dishwater only fizzy… but yes, it was alcohol!

At Cracker Barrel!

The world really has gone mad.

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So he’s a little inexperienced….

September 18, 2021 Rivergirl 16 Comments

Lord Dudley Mountcatten saw a chipmunk disappear into the backyard rock wall the other day and was stone cold focused on catching it.

He paced, he stalked, he cackled, he dove head first into crevices.

And after half an hour of me standing patiently beside him with the leash?

He caught a dried up day lily leaf.

I’m so proud.

🥴

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Sometimes it’s the little things that get you.

September 18, 2021 Rivergirl 15 Comments

On a dark and rainy day last week I picked up my phone and started scrolling through Facebook.

There’s a lot wrong with that platform and what it’s become, but it’s still the best way I know to keep up with family and old friends.

I have a SIL who plays those silly games and repeatedly answers all the questions you shouldn’t …. and while I don’t usually pay attention to that password phishing nonsense? This one got my attention.

Not for the question itself. My SIL has lost her husband, her mother, her father and her brother so I didn’t expect to be surprised by her answer.

But I was.

Because even though she’d lost a lot of her family? My SIL chose to hug my late mother….

And damn it, that made me cry.

❤️

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Random claptrap.

September 17, 2021 Rivergirl 33 Comments

Have you ever tried this?

I found it last week and it isn’t half bad. Apparently smashing citrus fruit and mixing it with vodka is a Maryland crab bake tradition.

This next one is all I’m going to say about the travesty happening in Texas. Because common sense is common sense, and if men were the ones who got pregnant? There would be clinics on every street corner.

Have you ever felt like you just aren’t accomplishing enough?

There.

I feel better already.

And finally, it’s never too early to start that Christmas knitting.

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I bet you thought I’d say wine.

September 17, 2021 Rivergirl 48 Comments

Because let’s face it, wine and I go way back.

But no, sadly the grape didn’t make it into my top 3.

This was an easy pick.

#1. Books.

Life isn’t worth living if I can’t read. I’m voracious. How much do I love to read? Think Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. I get equally as twitchy when bookless.

#2. Cheese.

I can’t imagine not eating cheese. A sharp Vermont cheddar? A rich and creamy Camembert? A delightfully pungent blue? No…. I could give up a lot things, but cheese isn’t one of them.

#3. Cats

I write this with Lord Dudley Mountcatten sitting happily at my feet, purring contentedly just to be near. (and no he didn’t threaten to vomit in my shoes if I answered differently)

While I love all creatures and have had housefuls of assorted pets, there’s something about persnickety, attitude laden felines that calls to me.

Is it their independence? Maybe.

Their cunning? Perhaps.

But when a cat chooses you as their person? You know you’ve been given a special gift.