May Amusement

I suppose there is a bit of irony in naming this May Amusement because I don't know that there was much amusement in the month of May. I did plenty but not necessarily things on this list; it was all about finding amusement outside the box this month. 

Anticipations

There isn't really much on my June calendar because of the Coronavirus... *sigh* That's the way of the world right now. The stay at home order for Virginia is meant to be lifted on June 10th but originally it was with the thought that life would go "back to normal" when that happened but I think it's becoming clear that life may not go back to normal any time soon. Just this past Friday the Governor announced that face masks will be a requirement for the entire state of Virginia - so it looks like things are going to be very different. 

Books I Read

I confess that I haven't been doing a lot of reading this month! I'm not sure why but whenever I sit down to read, I just can't get into the books I have on hand and so the month has sped by without me really cracking open a book. I know - shame on me.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - I have to make a notation here because I started reading this book on May 29th and absolutely inhaled it! I started it Friday evening and finished it on Sunday morning and I thoroughly enjoyed it (obviously). The book tells the story of Achilles through the eyes of his life time companion, Patroclus and the retelling of Greek myths and legends is excellent! I've previously read Madeline Miller's book Circe and enjoyed it, so I figured I would enjoy this one as well - and I did. I think I maybe enjoyed it more!

I definitely look forward to seeing what she writes in the future!

Books on the Shelf

I have a whole passel of books that I purchased early in the quarantine that I could read... I just need to get into it and then perhaps I'll end up blazing through some of them. I currently have Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen and The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom sitting on my desk to get into. And literally a stack of about 10 other books to read as well. 

Movies of the Month

I have nothing here guys - all the movie theaters are still closed and the movies that I've watched this month have been repeats of movies I've seen before! I was so looking forward to seeing Black Widow this month - but now it's not coming out until the end of the year. *sigh* So, nothing new to discuss here. 

Must See TV

The Great - A "sometimes truthful" telling of the marriage of Peter of Russia and Catherine, who would go on to become the woman known to history as Catherine the Great. The Great is 100% hilarious and takes a satirical look at history, placing historical figures into a compelling story line filled with laughs and a pretty healthy dose of impropriety and bawdiness. Honestly, I feel that the impropriety is probably one of the more accurate portions of history, ha-ha!

Defending Jacob - The first show I've watched on Apple TV and boy, what a show to start with! My sister and I have joked endlessly about watching Captain America and Lady Mary in this thriller-esque whodunit crime drama, which I have thoroughly enjoyed! It kept me intrigued through all eight episodes and I was sad to see it come to an end! The twists and turns were fabulous and kept me guessing until the credits rolled!

Killing Eve - A friend turned me on to this show and I devoured the first two seasons on demand just in time for the third season, which has been so very different from the two that came before it. It's been compelling and intriguing but I have to say... the episodes this season have kept Jodie Comer's Villanelle and Sandra Oh's Eve apart - and I find the show doesn't have the same "oomph" for me when the leads are not playing against each other. Having said that - the show is still so good and nothing but enjoyable! 

Tasty Treats

It would seem that I always look for the good things to eat, pandemic or no! This month has been no exception and while it seems like I am always posting all kinds of food - I am still in the process of losing weight. Everything in moderation, I suppose! I made a Mother's Day Brunch that included Vanilla Pudding Fruit Salad, Hash Brown Casserole and Lemon Rolls - it was divine! I also discovered the delicious cookies made by Cookie Therapy; they're cute, so perfectly made and taste amazing! 

I devoured some fajitas when my favorite Mexican restaurant was able to open back up and I tried my hand at whipping up some of The Grey Stuff - from Beauty & the Beast, of course! The Quarantine Baking got me twice: I made some peanut butter brownies and a S'mores Flatbread - and both were so very good! 

Tunes & Talks 

Courtesy of a friend, I have become pretty addicted to the podcast Crime Junkies and with thanks to another friend, I've also been binge-listening to the podcast Noble Blood. I have made my way through quite a lot of episodes of both of those because I'm just working from home and it's very quiet in my little office. I've also been listening to some playlists from Apple Music and the newly released season five soundtrack of Outlander.

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I can't believe it's almost June. This year; so far, has been - maybe unique is the best way to put it? 

Five on Friday

One. Quarantine Baking Strikes Again - I promise I'm not spending all my time baking but I'm sure it seems like it with the frequency that I post all these pictures of baked goods! *shrugs* Tuesday night I used a sheet of Pillsbury Pastry dough and topped it with Semisweet Chocolate Chips and baked it for 12-15 minutes. I pulled the flatbread out, topped it with mini Marshmallows and put it under the broiler for about a minute and voila - S'mores Flatbread! 

It was so easy to make and I know the Pillsbury Pastry dough could provide endless options for a dessert style pizza or flatbread! Imagine topping some of this with apple or cherry pie filling, a little cinnamon and sugar - it would be delicious! 

Two. In Bloom - There are a few rose bushes still left in the backyard and this week they have started to bloom, which I love! The light pink and pale yellow of the blooms is so lovely! There is a third rose bush that is getting ready to bloom... not sure yet what color those roses will be, but I'm sure they will be gorgeous! 

Three. Spectacular Sunset - As the weather has been warming up, the sunsets in the evenings have been pretty awe-inspiring and while I'm not sure my cell phone camera does them the full justice they deserve, I can't resist snapping pictures of the gorgeous colors as they spread out across the evening sky! 

The time change always takes me by surprise and I always find myself amazed that when I come in from sitting outside watching the sun set, it's almost 9 PM! I seem to forget that when the Summer arrives, the sun stays out for so long! It also makes me sincerely miss watching the sun sink from seats at Nationals Park, accompanied by the smell of beer and baseball leather and the crack of the bat. *sigh* 

Four. World Series Rings - Speaking of baseball and Nationals, the World Series rings were revealed on Sunday night and they are absolutely breathtaking! I love everything about them; even the inclusion of Baby Shark on the inside of the ring, it makes me smile! The team did an hour long ring reveal and watching portions of the World Series documentary ahead of the show filled me with warm fuzzy feelings all over again!

I was intrigued to see that they had replicas that fans could purchase but when I saw the $15,000 price tag attached to the replica, I decided that the gorgeous pictures and the three minute video on the ring would have to be enough! 

Five. The Difference of a Year - Earlier in the week we hiked to the summit of Stony Man in the Shenandoah National Park and I realized on returning home that I hiked the same trail almost a year ago. I found the pictures from the previous hike and couldn't resist putting them side by side for comparison. 

It's amazing the difference a year can make! I have obviously been very heartily pursuing being healthier in the past year but more intently since the start of this year and so far, I've lost 33 pounds. It's nice to look at pictures like the ones above and remind myself that while I still have a ways to go - I have made some good progress! 

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Happy Weekend to everyone - it's the last weekend of May! I cannot even wrap my head around that! This year feels like it's flying by and sometimes I feel like I don't have much to show for it, but then - I suppose that's life living through a pandemic!

Watson Wednesday

A few Memorial Day edition snapshots of my favorite little furry friend. Sometimes he looks more like a pup than a little old man! 

Long Weekend - Lots of Pictures

What a good long weekend it was - but man, it passed way too quickly! I can't believe it's already Tuesday, it seems like I blinked and the weekend flew by! 

The weekend kicked off early with a 4 PM release from the office and I immediately threw on my sandals and headed outside with my pup. The weather for last week was forecasted to be rainy all week but the weather played out much differently and the sun was shining brightly at 4 on Friday afternoon. After a walk around the neighborhood, it was off to peruse Hobby Lobby (which is now open) and pick up take-out from Ruby Tuesday. We ate on the ground of Shenandoah University and then perused the campus in the lovely weather! 

  

We popped into Costco for a few items before heading home and I spent a chunk of the night watching The Great on Hulu before crashing. I joked with my family that it almost felt like a typical Friday night - granted; we didn't usually wear face masks when we went out shopping on Friday night, but close enough.

Saturday was another beautiful day and I spent the morning having my coffee, doing some organizing and tidying in my little home and getting ready to get my hair cut. The whole business of getting a hair cut is another completely different experience now - I had to call when I arrived, have my temperature taken, wash my hands and keep my mask on at all times! However, when it was all said and done - my hair got cut off, I chatted with my friend Melissa and everything went perfectly! 

I popped home, joined my parents and we headed into West Virginia to visit with some friends and drop off birthday presents (better late than never, thanks COVID!) before making our way into Maryland for a bit. Some family friends bought an old stone house from the mid-1800's and are restoring it piece by piece, by hand and it will be massive undertaking but it was a thrill to see the house and the land it's on and hear the history behind the place. I didn't get any pictures but they did share about a waterfall right up the road and so we said our goodbyes and headed to check it out! 

The waterfall was gorgeous and was literally a short walk down the hillside from the very busy road! I looked it up but there isn't even a name for the little waterfall, so it's almost like a hidden gem - however there were plenty of people who had stumbled onto it! It might have something to do with the fact that it's located on a path where tubing and kayaking companies exit the Potomac and head back up the hill! Talk about a scenic end to your adventure! 

After snapping some pictures and taking in the scene, we popped over to Five Guys for dinner and I do believe it was the first time I had a fast food hamburger and fries in months - and it was divine! After returning home, I spent the rest of the evening relaxing on the deck in the fading sunlight, chatting on the phone and reading! 

Sunday was a very chill day: church at home, a lunch at Panera, a pop into the AT&T store to get a new cell phone (yahoo!), shopping at Kirkland's & Wal-Mart and then home to pass the afternoon. I set up my phone and we took a long walk around the neighborhood, taking in some of the lake trails before heading home to have dinner and watch the Washington Nationals reveal their World Series rings - which are GORGEOUS. I'd love to have a replica - but I would also love to keep the $15,000 that Josten's wants for that bad boy. No thanks! 

It was so nice not to have to set an alarm for Monday and I ended up sleeping until almost 9:00 - something I haven't done in ages! After having my coffee, I got myself put together and made a picnic lunch for myself and hopped into the car - for the quick trip over to Luray! The family and I had a picnic lunch at the park as you enter Luray and then it was into the newly reopened Shenandoah National Park to hike to the Stoney Man Summit!

 

The Stoney Man Summit Trail is located right next to the Skyland Lodge in Shenandoah National Park and is an easy hike of about 1.6 miles (round trip) to the second highest point in the park at 4,010 feet. The views are stunning and made especially so when the sun through the clouds makes patterns on top of the ridges. I'm sure you aren't surprised, but I took quite a few pictures!

 

 

It was so good to be in the National Park again - and wander through nature to take in the spectacular sights and sounds that the Park has to offer! I'm so very glad the Park is open again and I hope it will be able to stay open, since it provides so many wonderful opportunities to explore!

When we returned home, we grilled burgers and corn on the cob with salads for dinner and even Watson got a bite of hamburger! The final hoorah for the Memorial Day Weekend was a drive over to New Town Creamery to get ice cream - and yes, Watson got to come along a get a pup cup for himself, which he heartily enjoyed! 

 

The weekend was wonderful, even if it did pass to quickly! I'm like Watson, having enjoyed all the goodness of the weekend and left begging for just a little bit more! Aren't we all?