Vinyls & Vino

Ready for a super cliche statement? The weekends are NEVER long enough...  this one was no exception. Saturday morning I teamed up with other residents in our little community to repaint some equipment at our local playground... it was fun to jump in and do something nice for a town I love so much.   It didn't take long for me to end up covered in paint and primer, but it was well worth the mess! I am the MESSIEST painter of all time, ever.   After the painting project, I headed to the local lake to spend some time with family.  With the "unofficial" end of summer coming this weekend, I was excited about getting to have a lazy lake afternoon- even if it did end up POURING rain on us toward the end of the evening (and just when we were getting ready to charcoal some steaks!) My spot.   Red Clay.   The color of home. Our lake (and every other body of water around here) has a red clay bottom, which means the water is not very clear.  A

I am many,  many things in life.  A cook is NOT one of them.   To be honest, I don't really care for cooking.  On the rare occasions that I decide to do it, I either stick to the absolute basics (tacos, spaghetti, anything from a box...) or I get adventurous and try something new (which just means I follow a recipe to the "T."  And usually still end up getting something wrong...). While the cooking gene completely missed me, baking is one thing I've always loved.   I've also always loved EATING baked goods, which can be dangerous when combined with my love of actually doing the baking.  For this reason, I generally only bake when I have someone in mind to give the sweets to.  I'll bake, take one or two  cookies/slices/squares out of whatever I've created, and then pass the rest along. (In other words, my fella and his roommate get quite a bit of sweets from me).   I had a sweet tooth yesterday and decided to pull out a recipe I hadn't

Every so often, I see articles posted online stating “You know you’re from a small town if…” or “Living in a small town means…”.   These are always good for a laugh, because they are all so very, very true.   This week, I’ve compiled some of the most common items found on these lists and added my own comments here and there.   I’m sure some of these are meant to poke fun, but I prefer to see the charm in them.   To me, THIS is what’s right about small-town living.   Well, most of them, anyway… *The grocery store was also the place to rent movies, drop off dry cleaning, rent a carpet shampooer, and to leave your rolls of film to be developed . *You can name every person in your graduating class, and their GPA’s and you still keep in touch with every one of them *It’s not abnormal for you to see horses, pigs, chickens, cows, etc. in someone’s back yard. *When you call the wrong landline number, the person who answers will politely give you the correct number.   A

A few of the songs I've been obsessed with this month.... Vice by Miranda Lambert.   I'm usually 'on-the-fence' about Miranda.  I like her well enough.  Saw her at a music festival years ago, and she puts on a great show.  I own a few of her songs, but she isn't exactly a favorite, and her songs usually wear on me after a few plays.  This one, however- AMAZING.  I can't stop listening. Ophelia by The Lumineers. This band can really do NO wrong, in my eyes (ears).   I'm really wanting to add this album to my vinyl collection. In Bloom (Nirvana Cover) by Sturgill Simpson This one took me some time.  When I first heard it, I HATED it.  But after hearing it a few times, I've grown to love Simpson's rendition of this 90's classic.  I love cover songs that really change a well-known song, so I'm not sure why it took awhile for this one to click with me, but I'm glad it finally did! Ain't No Man by the Ave

Three weeks from today, I will turn 34. Thirty-four. Just typing it, I feel like I need to stop a minute and let it sink in.  Age is something that truly has never really bothered me- I've never minded getting older.  It's a privilege.  It's a right of passage, a sign of strength. It's something too many don't get to do.    For reasons I really can't explain, this year I'm finding the thought of another birthday a bit daunting.   Just for the record, I don't think 34 is old.  I don't think my youth is gone or that life is over... but 34. There's just something about it that is stinging me a bit.   I've decided that I need to shift my focus from whatever it is about that number that is getting to me, and rather focus on what a wild ride this past year has been. My 33rd birthday was extremely bittersweet.  On the eve of my birthday, I celebrated with a few close friends (all whom I rarely see) around a fire