Friday, January 24, 2014

Slice Of Life

So here it is Friday again, another quiet week. Even quiet weeks have fragments worth capturing. In the middle of a polar vortex it's important to enjoy the small things.

First...this cardinal-


Is there anything more lovely on a hum drum January day than a bright red cardinal posed against the naked forest? Add a bright blue sky and a snowy backdrop and it's very near perfection. There's a female lurking too, but her camo prevents me from capturing her at a distance.

I was at a distance.
It was 3 degrees so shooting from my kitchen window was good enough.

When I see a cardinal this time of year, the red so vibrant against a leafless branch, it's as if God is reminding me not to be a worrier. I watch this gorgeous bird from the warmth of my kitchen and think of the verse in Matthew 6 that says, 'Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you more valuable to Him than they are?"  (NLT)

I'm glad there are seasons... in nature and in life.

Daughter1 was home last weekend, and we had such a nice day on Monday. We enjoyed a long leisurely lunch, and solved all manner of the world's problems. Long leisurely lunches with grown up girls makes my list of favorite things.

Tuesday we had us a little snow, somewhere around 6-8 inches. My bible study was cancelled, and although hubs did make it to the office, he came home early to get ahead of the worst of it. The snow was the super soft variety and so pretty!  Still not tired of it.

Wednesday hubs worked from home, which is another way of saying he set himself up in the middle of the kitchen island, and proceeded to conduct one conference call after another. Not inconvenient at all-ha!

Actually I didn't really mind. It was the push I needed to tackle the great office file clean out of 2013, which somehow was overlooked in 2013, so in reality is now the great office file clean out of 2014. Still not done, but close. I'm easily distracted.

Yesterday I had my hair cut and highlighted which pretty much means this week was awesome.

And here we are, back to Friday. My gourmet group met for lunch today, and our theme was 'eating by number'. All the recipes had a number in their name, and everything was delish, most especially the 5-ingredient no bake peanut butter bars. Oh my! I probably should not have tasted those.

I made a five-spice green bean recipe which was just okay. The 5-spice seasoning is really strong, a little heavy on the anise flavor which isn't my favorite. On the bright side though, my house smells a lot like Christmas.

Now on to the weekend, where once again we have snow heading our way. I heard one weatherman say, "...we won't even mention the Superbowl forecast just yet..."

Ruh-roh.

I don't think you needed to be a weatherman to predict a February Superbowl played in New Jersey as a risky proposition.  

And yes, the Superbowl is in fact being played in New Jersey, not New York. As a resident of The Garden State I feel it's my duty to insert that piece of sports trivia here, because apparently the lack of respect our little state is getting is annoying a whole lotta people. I say this is what happens when sports teams with one state name in their moniker play all their games in a stadium that sits in a whole 'nother state.

New York? New Jersey? Either way it's gonna be a cold one!

Half-Past Kissin' Time

For more Friday Fragments hop over to Half Past Kissin' Time.  Enjoy your weekend everyone!

20 comments:

  1. we have cardinal visits (always the pair) but just our naked backyard as the background. I like seeing them but I'll honestly say it doesn't spiritually move me. Not much moves me but that's another issue. I think what brings these beautiful winged creatures over is the bird feeder.
    nice pic

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  2. I feel the same way when I see a cardinal in the winter - as if it is a sign that everything will work out. It's like a little miracle :-)

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  3. When they announced it was going to be in New Jersey years ago I knew this was going to happen. Of course if it was Green Bay and Denver playing they would be used to it. Probably hard to have a halftime show if it is snowing though. Unless Bruno Mars can play the piano with gloves on.

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  4. Hey! I know! Last week was the first I'd heard that the actual location was New Jersey and NOT New York. I actually asked X where the huge stadium was in NY. Ha.
    Ginger Zee (GMA) said she thought the forecast might be favorable... at least in the 30 degree range.
    That whole working from home thing... inconvenient to say the least. It's like having a weekend day in the middle of the week. Ha

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  5. I love your picture of the cardinal. So glad you had a good week. We're suppose to get more snow this weekend too. I'd just like to see this arctic air blow out of here.
    You have a great weekend.

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  6. I was with a Hospice client yesterday and glanced out the window to see a cardinal in a tree. Oh how I wished I had my camera or phone handy...Lovely photo:)
    I will never understand why they put the New York Stadium in New Jersey.
    It will be a cold game for sure!
    Have a blessed weekend...

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  7. You are so right, a nice long lunch with a grown up daughter is one of life's nicest treats! It really is once little ones enter the picture. :o)

    Enjoy your weekend, I'm hopeful I will finally quit coughing soon, like tomorrow!

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  8. Great shot, I love cardinals. Hope your going to stay in and stay warm this weekend. I can't wait for the Super Bowl!

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  9. That is a wonderful photo. Really wonderful. Wishing you a good weekend - stay warm up there!

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  10. Well I will start by saying that I loved the cardinal picture, and then agreeing with you that LONG lunches with grown up girls IS one of life's best pleasures. And then, that luncheon sounds both fun and interesting, and finally, enjoy both the super bowl and your week-end, and stay warm!

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  11. Love the picture of the cardinal. It has been so cold here that the birds are in hiding.

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  12. Love this post! New Jersey/New York..that drives me nuts when the newscasters do this..that is like comparing us upstaters to NYC'ers/downstaters--the world thinks NYC is NEW YORK STATE! NOT! Smiles.

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  13. I've always been a fan of cardinals ... the state bird of Illinois and of course the name of my favorite baseball team. ;-)

    A quiet week is always a good thing, especially if it includes some time with your daughter(s)!

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  14. Love seeing a cardinal when I am out on the road...that flash of red always gives me a "thrill." lol I have to admit the blue of a Jay will do it, too. :)

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  15. The picture of the red cardinal is lovely. I remember seeing cardinals when we lived in Northern Virginia (a quarter of a century ago!). They were so special. We don't have them in Colorado. I also appreciated your symbolism with the red bird, to not worry when all around looks bleak. My hubby works from home all the time now, and like yours is on the phone with conference calls virtually all day. When we built this house last spring, we got a study for him with the glass French doors. Now he can do his work and we don't get into each other's way. (smile)

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  16. Yes cardinals are beautiful - and rare around here which makes them more special.

    I want to be in a gourmet group! That sounds fun.

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  17. Lunches with grown daughters are on my top 10 these days too! I got to go out to lunch with my older daughter, just her and I, for the first time since she got married and became a mom herself... It was amazing! I sometimes forget how much i *like* her... I always love her but I forget the like part!

    I am not tired of winter either, but am sure this list of us is getting smaller!

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  18. Lunches (or breakfasts) with daughters are indeed a special thing. My daughters and I are making an effort to do them more often.
    Nearly every weather forecast on TV around her has lots of talk about what the weather will be like on Super Bowl Sunday.

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  19. I get upset when New York is called "New England". I want to yell and remind those people that New York in NOT part on New England. It's up there with people who claim they flew across the entire continental USA - Boston to LA. Hay what happened to Maine!!
    Any meal with daughters is fun and special

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  20. Beautiful cardinal. I saw a pretty blue jay yesterday and the blue was so brilliant against the white snow. Unfortunately I was out with the dog and no camera.

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