Layer Upon Layer

As I backed out of the driveway this morning on the way to Bible Study I noticed, now that the snow has almost completely melted away, the amount of liter that accumulated under the layers of snow and now fully exposed, is not a pretty site.  There were newspapers, bottles, empty Styrofoam trays and various other pieces of trash.  This started me thinking about "layers" in general.  Sometimes when layers are peeled away there is trash, however sometimes there is treasure.  I am not going into any deep thoughts here about unpeeling the layers of our lives, we all have layers, some we would just as soon keep buried, while others make us feel good to uncover them and let them go.  No, I am referring to physical layers.  Something as simple as preparing my lunch and the layers that I uncovered in that process.  First up, the onion.  In order to savor the enjoyment of onions, you pretty much have to take off that top layer, it's thin, papery, and not very tasty.  But once you remove that top layer it adds to the overall taste of whatever you are preparing.  In my case, a sandwich.  A few thin slices of red onion on a ham sandwich awakens those taste buds.

 

Next up.....lettuce.  Not your regular iceberg lettuce, but Romaine lettuce...romaine almost sounds regale.  Again that top layer usually comes off, sometimes just for sanitary reasons, but more than that, once you get pass that outer layer you uncover the tender leaves that are a tasty sensation between the layers of the sandwich.

You can't have a sandwich without the bread.  Personally I prefer the bakery bread, Italian, not sliced with its crunchy crust.  And once again, taking that first layer/slice off.  I know some people like that end piece, but on a sandwich, not so much.

After all the peeling and slicing the sandwich comes together in layers of perfection on a plate.

And an apple for dessert....Some peel off the outer layer of skin prior to eating an apple, but with Honey Crisp Apples, (my fav) I leave the skin on, to enjoy the jubilation of flavors.

While enjoying this palate pleasing layers of good to the last morsel sandwich, I also stare at the latest bunch of tulips purchased this morning, again from Trader Joe's.  My last bunch enjoyed their brief, but beautiful life on the windowsill in the living room.  This sweet bunch will sit next to my laptop right here in the kitchen where I spend most of my time.  I can watch and enjoy their journey as they unfold their layers of petals, layer upon layer.

"Seek and you will find.  Don't be willing to accept an ordinary life."  ~  Salle Merrill Redfield

Until next time.....

The Dripping Will Continue

After 4 attempts at seeing my Dr. for a yearly physical, I finally managed to make & keep an appointment Monday morning.  I blogged about these earlier "attempts" so I won't re-hash the why's.  Being the first appointment of the day you would think I could get in and out in a reasonable length of time.  But, as suspected, she (the Dr.) hadn't even arrived.  So after sitting with parts of my anatomy exposed for far too long, she finally appeared in the examining room.  "Any complaints?," she asks.  I do have this dripping in my nose, which in turn drips into my throat, which in turn (well, never mind you don't need to know that part).  As she sits in her chair, she begins this long litany of questions about when it happens the most, blah blah blah.  After all is said and done, she is convinced that I have an allergy to my dog.  WHAT???  An allergy to Toby, no way.  She then tells me I should keep him out of my bedroom, and definitely no sleeping in the room.  I didn't dare tell her he sleeps in bed with me.  So guess what??  I will live with the dripping, it is a small price to pay for the companionship Toby gives me.

Along with the dog advice, she also wants me to have a bone density scan, a heart scan, lose weight, get more exercise, etc etc.  The heart scan is a must-do since my Mom's side of the family all had heart conditions and my Mom passed away from a stroke.  And since February is Heart Month, there is a clinic here that is offering the Heart Scans in February for $25.00.  For $25.00 it could eventually save my life by discovering any problems that may be building that I am not even aware of.  Heart disease can be sneaky, you don't even know it's coming until it may be too late.  One of our State Senators, 52 years old, just suffered a massive stroke on Sunday.  He survived, but it will be a long, long road to any kind of recovery.

After leaving the Dr.'s office, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up some "healthy" foods.  This morning I mixed fresh blueberries, with clementine oranges and a dollup of low-fat vanilla yogurt on top.  The pairing of blueberries and oranges not only looks good, but is mighty lip-smacking tasty.  Healthy can be good.

After breakfast I decided a walk was in order since exercise is on the list.  While walking I snapped this pic.  What is it about pinecones that always get my attention?  No matter how many times I see them, stumble on them, pick them up, get their sticky sap on my fingers that is almost impossible to wash off I seem to be drawn to them.  But I'm guessin' I'm not the only one, I see lots and lots of pinecones on blogs, on flickr, in classes.

And one (I promise, at least for this bunch) last image of the tulips, dropping their petals one by one.

"Every day that we wake up is a good day.  Every breath that we take is filled with hope for a better day.  Every word that we speak is a chance to change what is bad into something good." ~ Walter Mosley

Until next time.....

The Box of Surprises

Toby was barking which usually means someone is approaching...what a great watch-dog he is.  I opened the door just in time to greet the mail-woman as she was bringing a package up the walkway.  I could see my name on the front, but had no idea who would be sending me such a large box.  It wasn't my birthday, I had not ordered anything from Amazon or anyplace else.  What could it be?  Who was it from?  As I brought it inside, I glanced at the return address and then realized it was the book that Michelle from Michelle Renee Photos was sending me for participating in a challenge on her blog in preparation for the Scott Kelby World-Wide Photo Walk in October.  It was an awfully big box for just a book.  Using a scissors to slit open the box, I was like a kid on Christmas morning.  As I began to unwrap the items, yes I said items, I found much more than a book inside.  The first unwrapped treasure was a beautiful red cup/mug (how did she know that my favorite color is red??), then a matching small plate, then a red cloth napkin with a lovely napkin ring.  The surprises kept coming.  I then uncovered a sweet little porcelain bird that was disguised as a tea light holder.  And to top everything off there was chocolates and tea.  And oh yes, the book was there as well, Scott Kelby's "Light It. Shoot It. Retouch It."    I haven't been this surprised in many a moon.  Thank you Michelle, you made my day!!! Michelle has such a lovely blog, please visit her and become a fan.

 

 

“The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.”  ~  Ashley Montagu

Linking with Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday.....hop on over and join us. 

                                                      

Until next time......