Thursday, February 2, 2023

A Few Weather Days, Pear Cake, and a Finished Painting.....

We have stayed home ever since Monday night and have watched the weather through our windows and on TV. We didn't lose power and we had plenty of food so it not really a hardship for us - unlike many who have been without power and have struggled with being cold. 

Photo from a local meteorologist on Facebook

Louis Dean has kept the bird feeders full and spent a good bit of time organizing his room and working on his music.

I've been cleaning house and fluffing things up.


There's no door on my bathroom so I use curtains - and decided to change out the white ones for these.
Since I have four panels.....I used two for the door.....


and one for the cupboards......


and the last one for my dressing table.

I like changing things up!

I've also been exercising every day to Miranda Esmond-White's Classical Stretch that I record from PBS.

We seldom eat three meals a day - it's usually two meals and a snack.


For the most part, we eat a healthy diet and we both stay physically active.
He has his music as well as his projects and I have my art and reading and sewing.
Neither of us is ever bored and we never run out of ideas of things we want to do.

We had an appointment this morning with Louis Dean's neurologist, but with the weather situation, I called yesterday and re-scheduled a video visit instead.

I love that modern technology works for us in some really helpful ways.
We both dressed up just like we were going in person and were sitting in the living room with our coffee waiting just as we would have been doing in her office.

She was right on time and went over the diagnosis with us as well as the treatment suggestions.
We were not surprised by anything she said and will be starting on the new medication that will slow down his dementia. She recommended a healthy diet, social activities and good physical exercise as well as keeping his brain active.

That's not a problem for him!
Louis Dean not only sings and plays his guitar - he also arranges music and does the chord notations.
He's very good at it and does a good deal of research on his music. He has a multitude of notebooks in which he has organized according to favorites, artists, and/or alphabetically.
He can spend hours at a time in his music room - which he has designed especially for him.

I'm encouraged that life will pretty much continue for us as usual with some adjusting and compensating for changes as we come to them.

To celebrate I made a fresh pear cake!
I don't remember where I got this recipe but I know I made it for the first time back in 2003.
I remember because Charlie and Nita's Mike came over to repair my shower for me.
I didn't have any money as I was in the process of divorcing - so I baked them a cake!




Our neighbor, Ilene, gave us the pears and they were really good!
This recipe works well for the pear trees in neighborhoods - you know the kind that are hard?
You can cook, peel and chop them and they make a great cake!


Instead of baking one big cake - I made the batter into several small ones.


This makes it easier to gift.





Louis Dean and I split one after our salad supper tonight and it was delicious.
Instead of glazing them - we just spread a little butter on top.

I've had the art table set up for weeks now and have been painting a little bit every day, but tonight I cleaned all my brushes, put all the papers and palette in the trash and stored it all away for awhile as I finish cleaning the house.
It all looks a bit 'vacant' without all the 'debris!'


I've pretty much finished this landscape of the Texas hill country during bluebonnet season.
After it's dry, I think I'll add some more details on the flowers and path, then let it dry again before glazing it with Liquin. THEN it will be done!
All my Santas are still hanging on the walls but I'll be taking them down soon.
It will be nice to have this new painting to put up!


I hear the sun's going to shine tomorrow!!!!


17 comments:

  1. Your Bluebonnet painting is gorgeous! I am glad the appointment went well, and know things will be fine! The cakes look delicious.

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  2. Love your curtain fabric! You always have everything SO pretty!
    Love your painting and the Texas funny...
    Isn't technology great these days?
    Stay warm up there friend!
    hugs
    Donna

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  3. Okay, okay...you know "everything's better with blue bonnet on it"! But, seriously Linda, that painting is fantastic. Texas Hill Country charm!

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  4. Sounds as if Texas needs some sun! Now I think Texans know how to drive and I love the phrase, "Drive friendly the Texas way" which I have adopted where circumstances allow.

    Yay for a good report from the doc. We can all benefit from that advice. No one is getting any younger.

    So glad you have stayed home this week. I plan to stay home until the deep freeze passes by.

    Love to you!

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  5. I'm so glad you were able to stay inside and had everything you needed. It sure was a terrible storm and I've been praying for Texas and all my family and friends that live there. Sweet hugs, Diane

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  6. What a great idea to put the batter of the pear cake into smaller size to be able to gift it whole.

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  7. I'm staying in and keeping warm too. It's very cold out here too. We don't have ice to deal with just the bitter cold. And we are to warm up again next week. Thankfully days like this don't last very long. Congrats on finishing your painting. Well done ! Keeping active is very important. You two do that very well!

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  8. Your pear cake sounds fabulous...I can feel the pounds creeping on just looking at it. Great idea to make it in small batches for sharing..which you are the Queen of Sharing!
    Your weather is so brutal. I'm glad you have stayed home and have been busy "Fluffing".
    I think its been good for Louis Dean too. His special music room is his perfect Man Cave.
    Love your BlueBonnet painting too. Such talent..Love it!
    Sue

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  9. What happened to your bathroom doors?
    Texas was just about closed wasn't it?
    And those muffins you made with pears look delish!

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  10. A happy kitchen is a happy cook! I know you have a happy kitchen. We have been watching Jean Piera cooking show, and he's so funny. He says in cooking in fun in yur kithen, get out of there. It's gotta be fun!! I agree. I love my kitchen and it's fun!
    Your painting is so lovely. It will be a nice addition to your "Painting Wall".
    I love your square muffin pan. I will look for one. I've never seen one like that! I continue to add little gadgets to my kitchen as I see them on Jean Piere show.
    I now have a frother, and love my morning coffee with the froth!!
    How nice you could have an online appointment and not get out in the weather. Yes that part of tech is helpful.
    Your neighbor gives your pears and my friend persimmons. We are blessed, and with that blessing can bless others. Win-Win!
    Love you.

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  11. good idea, doing the video thing. I have had 2 of those and they work well for some things. for what you were doing it was perfect. prayers the meds will work well and so glad he has his music room and still loves it. I do like rod pocket curtains, i like the way they ruffle at the top, I have rod pocket valances in kitchne and living room over blinds and now that i think of it, every window in the house has either rodpocket sheers or rod pocket valances. i love a sink with rod pocket to. always have, mother had daddy build floor to ceiling shelves to hold her canned foods. after my brother and i moved out, he did one wall in the bedroom and she made rod pocket curtains to cover the whole thing, the room was pretty and she had room for more than they could ever eat.

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  12. I tried in vain to post a comment earlier today from Dixie Cottage, but I was on my phone and could only comment as "anonymous", and when I tried to fix that things just got too confusing so I gave up. But here I am at home on my computer and maybe I can say something. Can't remember what it was now I wanted to say, except that pear cake sounds SO good...and I LOVE your painting so much! And your curtain, etc., for your bathroom, looks so pretty. I love the design. Very lovely. Okay, that's all for now. Have a blessed and WARM weekend I hope.

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  13. Glad to read that you have stayed home in this nasty and cold weather, Linda, and good that Louis Dean's doctor visit was able to be virtual. As much as I prefer in person meetings, there are times when it's not possible. Hope the new medications will help LD. You are right that you both keep active with joint and separate activities, much like ourselves.

    The pear cake looked delicious and the painting is lovely.

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  14. Your painting is beautiful! I like your fluffing too! Those curtains are very pretty and perfect for spring and summer!

    What great news about your doctor visit. You’ve already been doing all the right things!

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