With retirement comes the opportunity for new experiences.
Debi has a passion for music, singing, theatre, and travel. With her BMEd and MEd she had an extensive career which included elementary music education, performing, vocal instruction, choral conducting, musical theatre directing, and clinician work. She has, for the most part, retired from this very successful music career. But really, does one ever retire from music? I think not. So now the stage is set for the next act: interweaving her love for music, travel, and whatever else comes her way.
Wherever her travels take her Debi shares her exploits: musical adventures, local interests, historical sites, local cuisine, the journey there and back, plus whatever life sends her. She'll share the hits and the misses, the successes and the failures, as well as any helpful hints she discovers along the way.
Celebrating the first day of a new year. Seemed so decadent.
It was only 13C but if you look closely you’ll see there were people in the water. What a difference being on the Gulf of Mexico makes. Sun is stronger. Sat on the deck most of the morning and boy was I sweating. And I don’t usually sweat.
What a lovely day. I try to enjoy every minute as no one ever knows what the future holds.
Lovely Day – Bill Withers
Take care and stay healthy.
As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.
I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.
As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.
I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.
Sunday was a very long day of traveling. Up at 5 am, four airports, and finally home at 1:00am. I’m so thankful to Richard for driving me and James coming to get me.
Happy to be home for the holidays. My poor grandson has been under the weather but hopefully I’ll see him soon.
I love Christmas. Family. Memories. Traditions: Christmas baking, homemade Nuts and Bolts, special treats like Pot of Gold, After Eight, Toffifee and more, the decorations, the love put into choosing the gifts, Christmas Eve movies, Christmas breakfast, and Christmas dinner. Yes. Lots of work but also lots of joy. Love it all.
Our Christmas decorations we’ve had for years. The ceramic Santa and Mrs. Claus my mother, Ruby, made with so much love. A macrame Santa head and hanging sleigh bells that David’s mother, Joline, made. We still even hang the Christmas bells we made over thirty years ago out of egg cartons, covered with aluminum foil, and joined together with ribbon.
I especially love our Christmas tree. But I guess what I really mean is I love the ornaments on the tree. Standing there looking at the ornaments I’m flooded with memories. Babies First Christmases. Decorations painted by my mother, knitted by David’s grandmother, or made by my children. Plus musical ornaments, trumpets, and Seagull pewter ornaments given to us each year by my grandmother, Frances Henderson. Many are well worn but they hold so much love. They make me reminisce, sigh, and smile. And yes, a few tears fill my eyes.
There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays – Perry Como
Take care and stay healthy.
As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.
I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.
“There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can’t move, and the kind that just gives you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies.”
Robert Frost
Last year I posted photos of various items I saw in grocery stores that I had never seen at home. One was quail eggs. This year Richard suggested we try them. I was sceptical but willing to try.
Took all 15 to make our supper.
Naturally I did some research.
The following was taken from the Manchester Farms website as we bought Manchester Farms quail eggs.
Quail eggs are a delicious, nutritious treat that can be utilized in a number of ways from breakfast to appetizers to dessert! While considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, many people are discovering the immense health benefits of quail eggs – and the incredible flavor.
Health Benefits of Quail Eggs
Quail eggs contain 3 to 4 times the nutritional value of regular chicken eggs.
Quail eggs contain 5 times the iron and potassium of chicken eggs.
Quail eggs are known to prevent the symptoms of associated with allergies, hay fever, and sinusitus.
Quail eggs improve digestion, immune system function, and detoxification.
Quail eggs are considered a delicacy in many countries, including western Europe and North America.
Today’s recipe was found here. Have a look and tell me what you think.
The most difficult part: cracking the eggs. Good lord. I couldn’t believe how difficult. Those suckers have incredibly tough shells/membranes. Guess that’s why I saw an advertisement for quail egg scissors.
Quail egg size compared to a quarter.
My verdict? They tasted delicious. I thought quail eggs tasted a bit richer than our usual chicken eggs.
Scrambled quail eggs on toast, salad, and peppadews stuffed with goat cheese.
(FYI peppadews are sweetened pickled peppers from South America.)
When searching for an egg song the following sentence plus a fav Muppet, Animal, sealed the deal for my using it today.
“The song’s title and lyrics reference the shape of a rugby ball, adding to the playful and uplifting mood of the track.”
Happiness is Egg Shaped – The Seahorses
Take care and stay healthy.
I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.
Looking out the window this morning at the breakfast table we had the exquisite delight of seeing our local heron, Fred, land on our deck railing. Absolutely thrilled.
And a breathtaking way to end the day.
Thinking of PEI and hoping everyone is ok during this huge wind storm
you’re having.
I Got the Sun in the Morning – Bernadette Peters
Take care and stay healthy.
As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.
I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.
* Richard stayed home and watched his football club Nottingham Forest.
* An afternoon reading and sunning on the deck. 24C. Loved it.
Dolphins – Tim Buckley
Take care and stay healthy.
As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.
I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.
Last April we booked a condo for the month of March as our beach house rental we have from Dec.- Feb. wasn’t available for that month.
A month ago the condo owner emailed me to say it had been sold and we needed to find other accommodations. Yuk! (Instead of you know what word)
We decided to wait and look once we were down here in Gulf Shores. Last weekend I posted on a Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Facebook group what we were looking for. Boy! I received so many responses. Took me hours to search through them and send correspond correspondence. Most were way above our budget. A few looked promising.
A lovely woman messaged me that friends of hers (the salt of the earth) had two condos in Orange Beach and she’d talk to the them and see if they’d agree to her giving me their number so I could call them. She did. They did. I did. I talked with the owners and they were so friendly and accommodating. Said they would make one of the condos work for us at the rental fee we could afford. They had their friend show us one condo on Tuesday. Wow. Unbelievable. All 2400 share feet of it. We loved it. Said we were interested. I called the condo owner saying we’d love to rent it. She seemed happy and said we’d get a call that night to make arrangements. Ugh. You guessed it. No call.
Went to bed feeling very discouraged.
No call on Wednesday.
Meanwhile I received a message from another person who had a beach house she’d rent us. Now it was more money but it is right on the beach. We’d be going from one beach house to another. So we planned on going to have a look on Thursday after yoga.
Strangely Wednesday evening, after having a wonderful evening with friends, I received this strange text from the condo owners phone number.
I hope they got in Touch with you today about PG 301 ! Please ket us know if we can help Yall.
Who the he_ _ is Yall?
So I messaged the owners asking if I’d missed the call or if they had changed their minds. And shared the message I had received.
How stunned am I. And embarrassed. Yall was not a persons name but Y’all. What everyone down here says. Well we all got a great laugh out of that. They even sent me a picture of them titled “The Y’all’s”. Great sense of humour.
So good news. The owners said they’d recontact the rental agency and remind them to contact me and send the information and contract to sign. She did. They did. I did. All wrapped up. We have the condo for March. Now I can breathe easy.
The condo is in this complex in Orange Beach, Alabama.
I Can See Clearly Now – Johnny Nash
Take care and stay healthy.
As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.
I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.
“Yet the best determining factor of how comfortable we are with ourselves, is our ability to laugh at ourselves.” Wes Adamson
Well here it goes.
Remember all the trouble I’d been telling you Richard had with using his credit card during our drive down? He called his bank. They asked many times if he was using his correct pin. He affirmed he was. He was asked if he wanted them to send him his pin. He adamantly refused saying he knew his pin. That he’d been using it for years. Down here it still wasn’t working. He called his bank again. And again they asked about his pin. Yes he said. He was using the correct pin.
And then the light bulb went on. Oops. Last year he had changed his pin. He had been trying to use his old one, not his new one. Egg on his face or what. His comment, “What a dufus.”. But at least he laughed at his mistake. Hmmmm. Old age or forgetfulness? I won’t say.
Delicious as always. Restaurant only had a few customers. Probably more servers than customers. Haha. But it’s only December. January brings the big influx of snowbirds. So only a few customers was to our benefit. We got to sit in the car. Yippee 🙌
Then just a regular day. Groceries, and Target looking for special items for my grandson David. Sending emails and messages trying to arrange a rental for March. Several possibilities. Fingers crossed. Had a little time on the deck. And that’s it.
PEI. I really hope that snow forecast doesn’t come true.
Drive My Car – The Beatles
Take care and stay healthy.
As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.
I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.
“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more” Lord Byron
That sums it up for today.
You might remember these lyrics from the song Stuck in the Middle with You. “Clowns to the left of me. Jokers to the right.”
Well that couldn’t be said of today. No one around for miles. As Richard said “ The only footprints in the sand were our own.”
Moody – Just before the rain.
And in the house the only sounds to be heard were the pounding rain and the Nottingham Forest game. (Soccer to me-Football to Richard)
And that’s about it. Very quiet, lazy day. Some exercising, some reading, and watching a movie on tv.
Lots of songs about a rainy day were popping into my head.
Fire and Rain – James Taylor
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head – Burt Bacharach/Hal David (from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Loved that movie.)
I Think It’s Going to Rain Today – Randy Newman (Have a listen to Nina Simone’s version.)
Purple Rain – Prince
Singing in the Rain – Brown/Freed (Listen to Gene Kelly. Love it)
Here Comes the Rain Again – Lennox/Stewart (The Eurythmics)
And I could go on for much longer. But you get my drift.
Please comment with some of your favourite rain songs. I’d love to give them a listen.
But for todays musical selection I chose to go with today’s title. It’s hauntingly beautiful. Moody.
(In My) Solitude – Billie Holiday (by Duke Ellington/Eddie DeLange/Irving Mills
Take care and stay healthy.
As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.
I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.
Yes, yes, yes. Oh yes. I should have kept my mouth shut. The last three days I’ve been talking about the great driving weather we had. Should have kept my mouth shut. Woke up today to rain. 🌧 Most of the day. Fluctuated between torrential rain and light mist. It sure was wonderful to have the breaks. It would have been dreadful if the rain had pounded the whole drive. Most of the time the traffic wasn’t heavy. Whew. Thank goodness Richard didn’t get stressed. I did enough stressing for both of us.
But when we made it to Gulf Shores the rain disappeared and it was 23C. Can’t complain about that. A little lunch. (Five Guys) A few groceries. (Publix) Books from the library. Pay gym memberships. Get post office box. All good to go. Off to Two Views. Our home for the next few months.
So most things are put away. Sitting writing this and then will tackle my suitcase. Then I’m done.
Here’s a few more things from the last few days:
* We’ve seen an eagle sitting on a scrawny branch over water, deer eating in a field, (plus a dead one on the road😢), and a hawk here in Gulf Shores. Plus the ever present pelicans.
* Richard’s charge card is still hit and miss working for purchases. Guess another call to his bank. Grrrrrr.
* Some changes to the house. New furniture. Walls all newly painted. Decor changes. New Keurig. New curtains. Hmmm. Think that means new prices next year?
* Unfortunately the keyboard I had hidden in a closet is now gone. It was just a cheap one I had purchased down here a few years ago. I was hoping it would still be here but really didn’t expect it to be. Those things happen. A cappella it is.
And this is one reason we love it here.
Steps from our deck.
Love that sound.
At The Beach – The Avett Brothers
Take care and stay healthy.
As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.
I invite you to click Follow or Subscribe to receive timely updates, Like to show your love and support, Share my post on your social media site, and /or Comment here.
Debi's Junket Journal 