Friday Free For All- Crap and Good Times

      Welcome to the Friday Free for All. This is a no  theme day to just chat about different topics on my mind. Today's grouping falls to two categories, things that are pure crap and good times and fun. Let's start with crap.

Crap Products

     When my daughter and I went to pick out flowers just at Walmart, we passed an end cap of summer mugs and plastic glasses that can only be described as utter crap. I can't imagine collecting these free, let alone paying $4.98 for one. They were just cheap plastic, looked nonfunctional, and just space wasting. They were called fishbowl tumblers, 40 oz. and I'm gob smacked at the ridiculousness of them. Now I know I just complained about someone describing oak furniture as ugly and annoyed that people state opinion as if fact, so call me a hypocrite if you like. These are a landfill headed ugly nightmare. This is one of several options, each as awful as the next. 

Crap People Do ( or Don't)

     I'm so annoyed with people not picking up their crap when it spills out to impact others. Well, you know how I shared that I was able to get all my garbage bagged and secured in my trash can? Well, apparently an idiot in the neighborhood didn't plan so well. The park was filled with newly blowing trash not there the day before. We've had some windy blowing rain, so it just was gross. While trying to get some of it picked up, of course I'm spotting dog crap left as well. Others besides me must have filled bags when they were out walking or maybe kids did  some pick up to throw properly as it was better yesterday. But the crap action people made Wednesday unpleasant. I'm looking forward to our family park clean-up day, and alos not if it looks as bad as our did for a day. 

Good Times and Small Budgets 

     I have so many things that I love to do that even if I wasn't watching my spending I'd gladly partake in. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Como Park Conservatory, the river walk, and the free outdoor concerts that will be starting up again, to name a few in my part of the world. Now that we've sampled another trivia venue, I'm game for more. Several hours of games, good food and drink, and good company is a budget friendly good time. I keep looking for more options that may be seasonal, but can help fill a calendar. I'm looking at the Events on Facebook and Eventbright for ideas. How are you spending summer nights and weekends? 

Good Times with Others 

     When I think of some of the best times I have it's usually doing thing with others that are very basic, not extravagant affairs. Poker nights with my sister's, a perfect lake day in and out if the water or lounging on a floaty, hanging out by a fire retelling the same stories and laughing again, walks and happy hours with the moms, cooking together with my girls, or having girls dinner. Opening a bottle of wine and joining neighbors outside in porches or a quick meet-up on a pub patio with friends refills me.DH sort of splurged, but had a coupon, for dinner out last night. Nearby was a large group of women finishing up, but talking and laughing, and picture sharing. They truly all looked to be enjoying life at that moment. I'm looking forward to trying the Pizza Grill Kit I got DH for our anniversary with family and friends and games of bean bags (or corn hole depending on what you call it) at the lake or our own back yard as I got one for DH for Christmas. I've loved our vacations of course, Caribbean, UK, Europe, Alaska- potentially once in a lifetime experiences, so don't get me wrong. But these good times that can happen often and spontaneously, is where real life lands. 

     I've been down again, working from home, still cabin feverish from the long winter then wet and cold spring. Now I need to get the average Joe good times going again, starting with the park clean up and family picnic or lunch out, weather dependent this Sunday. A couple more grad party announcements came yesterday and it's nice to think about celebrating for others. The flowers are popping on the crab apple trees and lilac bushes now and with the added rain this week, yards are so green! It's time for me to shake off my blues and get my dose of green, yellow, and all the colors of late spring. 

Saturday Shape Up-Walking on Sunshine

      It was a plateau week for my weigh in, but frankly, I'm OK with that. I have had little extra exercise, and nights where I crashed early. The tease of spring then day after day of cold and wet, lingering impact of the daylight savings change, and work  urgencies (I refuse to call them crisis's) added up to pure exhaustion. When I came downstairs in the morning, the sun was flooding the dining room and it was marvelous, even though there were frost crystals on the deck. March sure went out like a lion, but maybe this wonderful start of April will not be a fool's day joke and we really will have spring. I got outside yesterday for a real poke around, and in and out of the paths leading into the park! An acquaintance posted on Facebook that their kiddo saw real buds on their trees, and reading her description made me smile. 

Lilac buds 4/1/2022

     So with that little gem of childhood excitement, I thought it might be fun to take a picture of the very tiny buds on the lilac bush  by the pond. Can you see the little brown specs? Look close, because they are there. I would think in eight weeks time we might have full on flowers. This will be my little project for spring, documenting the growth. As it was so nice and sunny yesterday, I grabbed a few other shots of very early spring-really, end of winter. I can't say I'll take new ones each week, but maybe at least once per month to see how the park and pond move into new growth. I guess this will be part of my Saturday Shape Up-the shaping up of our little neighborhood park. 

Entering the park from a  different path
yields a different perspective.

There is a thin sheet of ice holding on
not ready to melt quite yet. The open
water though was like a glass mirror. 

I look forward to when the pond is blocked
from view because the trees and bushes
 are loaded with green. 

Bye Bye Ice rink until next winter!

I'll watch for the milk weeds return. First
the caterpillars, then the butterfly's. 

Table for One

I was on my own for dinner last night but after a weekend of not really cooking a single proper meal, there wasn't any leftovers to heat up. The girls had grabbed a quick sandwich before play practice and texted about making a frozen pizza when they got home. The daughters and I never did make masala over the weekend but I had a package of naan in the fridge that I had bought at half price and thrown in the freezer for a future use a few weeks back that now needed to be used. Some whole milk mozzarella, a little olive oil, garlic powder and Italian seasoning, and the naan, and a couple flat brad pizza's were born. We had some leftover sliced tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and a few crumbly pieces of bacon left hiding from DH's last Thursday's BLT's DH. I made a nice side salad, topping with some of the leftover seeds from my Friday office salad.

 It felt like a proper meal and I actually sat down at the table to eat it, instead of hunched over my computer screen. I had intended to eat just two quarters from one of the breads, but darn, if  the whole thing was devoured. I guess I know why my weight loss continues to stall. There was plenty of salad fixings for DH, plus the other bread. My husband is not much of an international eater and had no idea what the base was for the pizza's. "Is this focaccia bread?" he asked, though pronounced it like "foe ka chi a" which I know he did to get a rise out of me, as mispronouncing words even after being corrected on the proper pronunciation drives me nuts! He'll also call ciabatta bread chobani, like the yogurt, bread. 

It was such a nice night, one where I hardly cared it is only Monday of the week. I left work early and got home to take the pup for a long walk. We had a couple close calls with other dogs when one nearly jumped the fence barking. The owners claim he can't, but I feel like he get's higher  each time I walk past that yard. When pup was about 6 months old, a boxer burst through a back gate and tried to attack him when we were on a walk. I managed to defend him before he was hurt, but I got pretty banged up in the process. This isn't the same dog, or even house, but the same type and next door to the other occurrence so we're both still cautious walking by. At the next cul de sac, part of our walking route, a  lab who pup normally greets with some friendly sniffs and tail wags had two other big dogs in his yard and all three ran at us-not to us, but then  were diverted by being called back to the yard. Each one was triple pup's size. My heart was in my throat for a few seconds. The rest of the walk was just a smelling bounty for pup, but no more dogs trying to get to him. Later, while my pizza's baked and then after, I got caught up on some unfinished work by logging into the office. 

Now that the nice weather is in, I'll need to be planful about dinner so as not to waste the nice nights indoors. If I can come across more of the packaged breads on clearance, as I think a bit pricey at full cost, I'll stock up I can as these were quick and easy, and a little variety from a traditional frozen pizza. Anything could go on top, but I like flatbreads simple. Here's to the rest of a promised sunny week. 

Office Lunch

Spring and really from here on out, will be crazy busy at work. We have a lean budget and staffing levels are at a keep the lights on level. Morale is good though, and wanting to keep it that way, my office mates and I have been looking for little ways to keep energies up. We just wrapped up a significant stretch of a project in my program so I decided to bring in lunch on Friday. I've mentioned my affinity for a nice warm day soft rain. It started raining Saturday night and didn't stop until Thursday. Even us ducks get sick of that much rain. Plus, the temps have been cold 30"s and 40"s, making the wet just get into your bones. Friday the sun broke through, and it was gorgeous.  What better lunch than a bright salad. 

Nothing for my salad was bought on sale, except perhaps the chicken, so when I share prices, these are pretty accurate every days costs at my local grocery store. Had a I planned ahead and bought things at Aldi's or on sale, I probably would have spent 20% less. Eight people ate a substantial salad. Even factoring a $6,99 lunch special salad at our local Old Chicago, it would have been $56.00, not counting tax and tip for our crew to go out for lunch. It took less than 30 minutes for my shopping and prep at home as I already had the chicken cooked and in two pound portions in the freezer. Everything was kept separate and we made up our own salads in the amounts of what we each wanted. 

$4.99     tub of baby spinach greens
$2.00     1 pound tub strawberries
$3.34     2 pounds sliced chicken breast
$1.99     package of sunflower/pumpkin seed mix
$2.50     1 bottle raspberry vinaigrette dressing
$1,99     1 loaf crusty french bread
$2,99     1 tub of hummus
$19.80    Total

Not too shabby, and it was delicious. We have some gardeners in our group, so I think we'll be getting some really great salads going forward. Potlucks are good options in offices, but sometimes it is just nice to get treated to lunch. We can't use any agency funds for perks, but we can treat each other. I'll be in a salad kind of mood here on out. What's your favorite lunch salad? Do you have any combinations or ways of serving that have been successful with your work crew?