March and Air Fryers and Such

Well, hello there March!! Texas welcomes you.

Mind you, there’s no promise that everyday will be as warm as today’s 78 and there will be low temps at night for another week (In theory plants can go out overnight as of the 15th but I may wait a few).  But Icemageddon came and is gone. Now I’m just counting down to the time change. Count me in the group that wishes daylight savings time would be regular time, I tell you.

I’ve realized since I moved, that when those two cold months hit (yes, I do know cold is relative), I get not a lot done. Even though most of my out of the house commitments step aside and I tend to visit church services via a streaming method, I’m still not going crazy sewing and crafting and creating inside the old abode. The warm weather, for whatever reason, gets me headed into the studio, and intensifies both the creative ideas and the energy to bring such ideas to fruition. Successful or not.

This does not mean that I’ve turned into a scheduled retiree, oh no. Other than meals and bedtime and the promise of at least one morning walking period to get the blood to the proverbial brain flowing, who knows what will get done each day. Does it matter, really? But more gets done, most days anyway!

I’ve finally figured out how to cook steak without a grill, use of the broiler (I’m afraid, don’t judge me) or basting it in a pan (I know it can be done, I just never have). That’s because after listening to all the wisdom from my readers, the people in my town facebook group and other interested parties, I now have an air fryer.

 Rather than getting one with a drawer, I decided to upgrade my toaster oven to a large one that I could bake in and got a fryer/toaster oven combo. In addition to all the cool air frying recipes I will look up (hopefully), I now have cut down on my oven use times ten. My toaster oven holds six slices (obviously not needed) and a nine by eleven pan or a six cup muffin pan. It’s a new world I tell you!  Since the only thawed meat I have in the house is a four back of burgers, guess what the first air fry cook will be? I think I’m going to love this thing, but I’ll let you know!

My old friend Murphy seems to have decided to visit just as walking season arrives in earnest.  I have yet to visit my friendly podiatrist (it’s almost time for my every two month appointment), but I have Plantar Fasciitis or bone spur, something is there. I can no longer wonder if I stepped on a rock. Thank heavens for SAS and Asics, at least they keep me fairly padded for my minimal walking bouts and everything else. Now if I could just remember to take the time to stretch out my darned foot for a while before climbing out of my bed!

This year the beginning of March also means the beginning of Lent. Where I’m supposed to take on something (I have), give up something (not yet), study (doing) and do self reflection (ON going)

 With world events,  I alternate between doing plenty of praying and wondering if simply eliminating the news in all its forms would be more healthy to my mental state. It wouldn’t of course, being aware and advocating and praying is important, but it’s painful to be helpless. As a woman who walked near the wall and no man’s land in Germany in a different time, and remembers the invasion of Afghanistan by NOT the US, I tell myself we were here once before and right (or something along those lines) prevailed. It’s what might happen first that scares me. Lost, sad and worried. Very worried.

First I need to paint over previous mistakes !

Today I am finally starting on those modern wall art pieces, after playing with color mixing my acrylics to a fault to get them to match my pillows and quilt.  

Life is an adventure.