#TastyTuesday - Cherry Smash!

I missed the Traverse City Cherry Festival this year. *sigh* Stupid Covid crap. 

To honor one of the many things that didn't happen this summer, I lift a drink. 

Park your tush on my deck and enjoy a Cherry Smash with me.

Bottoms up to Summer 2020.

This flirty cocktail has only 161 calories and a nice amount of Vitamin C

Ingredients:
1 cup pitted fresh or frozen cherries
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, 4 mint sprigs
8 teaspoons of sugar
6 ounces (3/4 cups) dark rum
1/4 cup lime juice
3 cups cherry-flavored seltzer (plain
seltzer will work too)

Preparation
Using 4 glasses evenly divide the cherries, mint leaves and sugar. Mash the ingredients with a wooden spoon and then stir in the rum and the lime juice, top it off with seltzer. Add mint sprig for color.

******

When we first moved in, I planted two different kinds of mint in my ditch. It's gone a bit wild over the years. I will often pick a few springs in the morning after a walk to place in a vase, add to a dish or feed to Teeko the guinea pig.

DYI Fancy Wine Glasses

 Fancy wine glasses don't need to be expensive. Purchase some quality inexpensive glassware, wire and glass beads and you have a DIY project.

The house on the lake we rented for summer vacation had the cutest bar ware. My daughter-in-law and I examined the pieces carefully to realize they are crafted.

Four packs of wine glasses and goblets can be found for a reasonable price at Walmart and Meyer. Wire and glass gem marbles are easy to come by at any craft store. Use glass glue and you're all set. We thought a set would be a lovely gift for a new couple or home.

Self Isolation Sucks

 A couple days ago a close friend tested positive for Covid-19 therefore all of us who had been with her during a certain time are in self isolation for 5 days. I figured this would happen eventually to me.

Currently, it's just me and the youngest at home. I must say, my 15 yr old is pretty freaked out about everything. He's more worried about missing weight lifting and football workouts than being sick. 

Hubby and I discussed a plan early on if one of us would get sick. With his job as a freight pilot traveling around the world, we guessed he had a high chance of contacting the virus. Our bedroom is on one side of the house, has it's own bathroom, is on the first floor and has doors directly to the outside. These are all features first responders say are good to have. Hubby said if it were  him, he'd put a mini fridge in the room (for beer).

So my bedroom has become the "Rona Room" according to the youngest. When I leave the room, I don a mask and sanitize the shit out of my hands.

The first few days were quiet; solitary. I swam more, meditated more, did more yoga, walked the dog more, read more (I'm hooked on Pippa Grant)...you see where I'm going with this. I've cleaned my room, organized my bathroom cupboard and decorated my space with bouquets of wildflowers picked on my walks. 

I've been keeping a little journal to record my activities and thoughts. During this self-imposed quiet time, I'll catch up on blog posts and work on Hawk's Honor. Maybe I'll learn some new book promo tricks. 

The idea of me having the virus scares me - I have asthma, lupus and fibromyalgia. But I will cross the bridge when I come to it on Wednesday with the test. Hubby comes home from his 2-weeks assignment so I'm hoping it's good news.

Thursday 13 - Ode to Baseball

Baseball...a game to love as a player and a fan.

I live in Michigan and I'm a Tiger's fan who has never been to a live game in Detroit.

Hey... I'd rather watch them on TV. Don't hate me for it.

Friends, Nick & Carol are HUGE Cubs fans. I love how they "go all out" for their team.

Our Police Chief played pro ball "back in the day" and is my son's pitching coach.
The stories he tells could be in Pippa Grant's books.

My middle son has played baseball when he was in school and my youngest since he was a wee one, travel teams and all. 2020 was the year of no baseball for him. I miss the games, the crowds, Twizzlers.

Hats off to the players and teams who are struggling through this messed up season.

 Inspired by those who love the game, today's list is dedicated to all those hard working ball players and those who love to watch them. 

I've taken liberty to borrow some phrases from Ernie Harwell's Definition of Baseball.

1. 

Photo M. Quast

Baseball is the tossing out the first ball of the season.

2. 

Baseball is a scrubby school boy playing catch with his dad on a Mississippi farm.

3.

Photo M. Quast

So is the scout reporting on a sixteen year old pitcher in Cheyenne.

4.

Baseball is a spirited race of man against man, reflex against reflex.

5.

 A game of inches. Every skill is measured. Every heroic, every failing is seen and cheered, or booed. And then becomes a statistic.

6.

Baseball is a rookie.

 His experience no bigger than the lump in his throat as he begins fulfillment of his dream.

7.

(Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

It a veteran too, a tired old man of thirty-five hoping that those aching muscles can pull him through another sweltering August and September. 

8. 

Nicknames are baseball, names like Zeke and Pie and Kiki and Home Run and Cracker and Dizzy and Dazzy. 

9.

 Baseball is the cool, clear eyes...and the flashing spikes.

10.  

Baseball is just a game, as simple as a ball and bat, yet as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes.

11.

 GETTY IMAGES

 A sport, a business and sometimes almost even a religion.

12. 

Photo M. Quast

Baseball is a tongue tied kid from Georgia.

13. 

Still a game for America, this baseball! 

CHECK OUT MORE AMAZING AUTHORS
THURSDAY 13 

Listen to Ernie Harwell's "Definition of Baseball", as recited at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

#TeaTime - A Little Cup of #Happiness

 

Had a McD's burger on the run yesterday and today my body is pissed. I've been eating too much good food lately and now my body is rebelling against the McDecision so I grabbed my favorite Detox tea in an attempt to bring happiness and balance to my gut..

Ahhhh.... tea makes me happy.

What makes you happy when you're feeling yucky?

Happiness is that feeling that comes over you when you know life is good and you can't help but smile. It's the opposite of sadness. Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel happiness.

happiness - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com