Natalie’s Challenge, Weekend Coffee Share is three weeks into its second year. She provides her readers a chance to discuss whatever they want with their friends and sum up their week. She usually connects with PPAC each week with beautiful pictures of Toronto. Except for the cold snow, I think I’m ready to move there it’s so beautiful.
While Natalie gives us the opportunity to vent a little, Ju-lyn and Bush Boy urge us to share our month in photo reviews. Since some of them are bound to be odd, I’ll try to kill another bird (sorry bird lovers) with my stoney posts.
Debbie’s only concern is the our post title has six words. I don’t know why I haven’t done this challenge every week. Ah yes I do, today I remembered.
I had some roads included in this month’s review of photos, so Which Way Challenge was another perfect addition. So put on your helments and let’s take off.
January in Review – This Is Odd!
What’s Odd on Your Plate?
Since my overwhelmingly popular interview of the hosts of What’s on Your Bookshelf, I’ve had this powerful urge to cook. Okay, we just didn’t go out much either. Donna and Widow Badass host What’s on your Plate.
On January 15th, Vince came down with Omicron so we had a quiet few days. I spent much of my time playing in the kitchen. Since I went to Australia in 2017, I have tried various kinds of squash to represent the flavor I tasted there which they called pumpkin. Nothing has been quite right. This was my first attempt at fixing butternut squash and my first use of this sugar-free maple syrup.
Result: It replicated the flavor well but not quite the texture. It goes well on salads or as a stand alone treat. It was supposed to have fresh rosemary, but somehow fresh dill made it into the bag of groceries. I substituted cinnamon and poppy seeds. It was and odd substitute, but tasted delicious.
Counting, counting, counting, there might be 13 pecan halves and 17 blueberries on my salad. Please don’t check my counting skills. My salad making skills proved exemplary.
More January Changing Seasons
On January 26th, Vince’s Omicron was officially no longer contagious. We drove downtown and walked the Prescott timeline in front of the Courthouse. About half-way around he was done, done and done! I finished my walk and documentation for PPAC and we drove home. At least he had been out of the house for a few minutes. It felt good but chilly.
On January 31st, you can’t see Puppy Girl sitting at Vince’s feet because I cropped the picture so much, but I thought he had a couple of odd lunch companions. After his snack-like lunch, we took off on an hour drive to Williams.
Odd, Is He a Fake or Real Person? Can You Tell?
I wasn’t kidding when I said it was oddly deserted. Which Way do we turn? Where could we park. We chose not to park, and did a quick drive-through instead.
The lone man on the bench might not have even been real. We were driving 16 MPH and I couldn’t tell at that speed! His bike could be a prop and there was a fake man sitting on the bench acroos the street from him. Based on recropping my photo, my opinion is that he is real. However, it was cold outside, and he doesn’t look very uncomfortable.
That sums up January 2022 in a few photos. I have millions more on both Williams and Wickenburg, but unlike my dad used to do, I don’t want to bore you with every photo I’ve taken in one sitting. It is like eating a bag of Hershey’s Kisses. Dad could devour an entire bag in less than an hour. Vince makes the bag last a couple of weeks. I’d rather be like Vince.
More Coffee Clatch Stuff
It’s in the 20s and high teens here in gorgeous Prescott, AZ, and Vince and I love to lounge around in our jammies and robes drinking coffee and discussing our plans for the day. My day starts with Vince’s delicious blend of coffee to which I add one quarter cup of Muscle Milk to increase my negligible protein intake.
This week I haven’t gone to the library but I’m still reading Geoff LePard’s memoir about his mother, Apprenticed to my Mother. It’s adorable. She had him wrapped around her little finger. My mom was like that with me, too. I love his names for his significant family members, his brother, the Anthropologist, and his wife the Textiliste. His book is very British, so I’m learning new words and phrases as I get to know him better.
Between, reading, curating my pictures, and a couple of trips, I’ve enjoyed a relaxing January. I’m going to borrow Donna’s and Sadje’s words of the year and hope for more in February. I’ll do more than hope – I’ll curate some major adventures. This month my WOTY caused me to:
- Retrieve pictures from a hard drive that I’ve been missing since 2016.
- Have the Geek Squad move photos off my computer, clean it up, and also fix my browser Google to sync woth WordPress so that I can Like posts again
- Call two companies for quotes on catios since cats don’t go outside in Prescott. – too many wild animals at night.
- Super clean and organize the house one drawer and closet at a time.
- Explore short vacay options for February.
- Plan projects for next month.
- Stick to my blogging plans in my Curating Calendar.
Other Challenges that Inspired Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share # 55
- CHANGING SEASONS – BUSHBOY, JU-LYN
- NATALIE’S WEEKEND COFFEE SHARE In Linkz Link Party
- SIX WORD SATURDAY
- SQUARE ODDS
- WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? DONNA AND WIDOW BADASS In Linkz Link Party
- WHICH WAY CHALLENGE
UPDATES ON ALWAYS WRITE
- If you host or participate regularly in a challenge and would like an interview on Always Write contact me. If not, I love that you read and comment on them.
- Story Chat has a new story on Tuesday. KL Caley’s “HANDLE WITH CAUTION.”
- For a list of topics for WQW 2022 check out my page. WOTY was a popular week. Last week’s post may beat it! See how you can use your friends’ quotes in your posts.
- PPAC is your choice of public art topic every week. We have had a surge of fountains recently. Be sure to check out some of the other participant’s entries.
Now it’s your turn.
Thanks so much for stopping by and having fun dipping into all these challenges with me. The links are all there if you want to do your own dipping. If not drop me a link of your favorite post and I’ll amble on over.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
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