Bfth's Boring Blog

 Spring is 20 days away.  It's been 68 (or 69 depending on when you read this) since the winter solstice.  Between then and yesterday here in Northern NJ, we've had no real snow to speak of.  Yes, we've had flurries.  Maybe we've had more than flurries.  (I'm thinking of that one day when it came down pretty heavily, but never amounted to more than a dusting on the ground that was gone almost as quickly as it arrived.)  We've had a few bitter cold days.  (Who wanted to go out on Christmas Eve when temperatures were in the single digits with real feel being in the negative numbers?)  Mostly the days were above average temperatures.  (There was actually a day where I uncovered one of my patio chairs and sat out for about 20 minutes in the sun; then the clouds came and I was out of there!)   As much as I like the warmer days; as happy as I was that I didn't have to shovel; I KNEW no snow in December, January and February couldn't ...

Can it be the end of the month already?  It's only the 24th, but as we know, February is a short month and this one is already wrapping up.  (Like January, it's been a warm one, a cold one and a windy one with no...I'm not going to say it because it's bound to screw things up) As the second month of 2023 (almost) concludes, here's some follow up on previous thoughts and posts: · Thank You for NOT Poisoning Me :  Since my first foray into the cuisine of  Pizzanada , I/my family has ordered twice more.  I've had the pleasure of trying their Vegan Chicken Francaise (which I admit I wanted to try because Chicken Francaise was one of my mother's favorites when she dined at the local Italian restaurant.  She wasn't a fan of Italian cuisine; this was her standby) and their Vegan Beyond Sausage Orecchiette.  All three meals that I've had in February have been delicious, and more importantly, I haven't gotten poisoned!  My husband and so...

 Fat Tuesday.  And boy am I feeling fat on this Tuesday.  So fat, that I'm NOT getting on a scale today. (I am more than a number as I have said before:   https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/no-weigh-tuesday.html )  Perhaps today, more than January 1st should be the day that marks the end of indulgence and the beginning of reflection as we head into Lent. To be completely honest, I've been VERY indulgent for a while now. (Probably longer than I'd care of admit.) Life has been stressful.  (When is it not?)  And I've been "treating" myself for getting over and through hurdle after hurdle.  Although, as we know, these "treats" (such as a couple of glasses of wine or giant sized strawberry chocolate Kit Kat, to name but two) aren't for the best in the long run.  It's simply overindulgence and me fooling myself.  (Although I'm not really am I?) I know I need to cut myself some slack.  I've got a job that has gotten more str...

   Today is Presidents' Day; a US Federal holiday.  While I will never turn down a holiday/day off, for me today is also a day of reflection of those 46 men who have served our country. (Some served well; some not so, but that's not the point of today's post.   And as an aside, while I’m slightly off topic, I hope that someday I will be able to say that Presidents’ Day is a day of reflection of the PEOPLE who have served the office.) Two Presidents featured prominently in this morning's news:  former President Jimmy Carter and current President Joseph Biden.  Why were the 39th and 46th presidents in the news on this day?  President Biden secretly flew to war torn Ukraine, where the people have been fighting off Putin's invasion for a year now.  Former President Carter has decided to receive hospice care at home.  This got me thinking about something that both men have in common; and I'm not talking political party.  I'm talking about f...

  Warning:  while this post will not be too gross (I hope), I am going to talk about some random, but not serious health stuff.  So if you're not into that (or you think you'll get too grossed out), you've been warned. If you are made of stronger stuff, keep going and feedback is always welcome.  First off, the left knee weird injury finally seems to be "healed".  (I'm hesitant to say that.)  It's been over 2 months!  (What's up with that?)  I've been able to go back to some in home walking, modifying as I feel my knee needs and only doing 30 minutes (versus my "usual" 60 or more).  Last week, I walked to the bus stop and home.  There was some discomfort/knee awareness, but not much.  I went for a slow outdoor walk earlier this week and although I went slow, that could also be because I wasn't wearing any socks and I was rubbing the back of my heel.  (When will I EVER learn that I have to wear socks when walking?  WEAR s...

  Dear Mom, Well here it is Valentine's Day.  I associate the holiday more with Dad than with you, which may not be fair.  He always had a card for me that he signed from both of you.  (I knew it was his signature.)  Even with health challenges, he sent us chocolates for the holiday.  (They came early and addressed to all of us so I can't eat them all.)  I know he used to send you "jokey" cards which you didn't like, but he learned after a few years and I can remember all the fancy, flower cards that you kept in a drawer.  (As for me, I've always preferred the funny ones.) I think back to last year at this time.  You had just been released from the hospital where you had been treated for Covid (something I still can't figure out how you got).  You were pretty weak and I wonder if I should have done more; although when I saw you 4 days later you were much better.  I think I bought you chicken corn chowder from  Wawa  (i...

  You (should) know the answer should be "is love sweet love." but I'm going to add to listen and appreciate the music of Burt Bacharach who passed away on Feb 8th. (Yes, I know the words are not his, but those of his partner, Hal David.  Even without the lyrics, the music speaks for itself.) If you don't know Burt, then you are either pretty young (under 25?) or you are musically uneducated.  In either case, you need to get out there and listen.  It is my opinion, that EVERYONE needs a little Burt Bacharach in their lives. My own introduction came when I was really young.  So young that I can't remember how old I was, but it was definitely before I was 6 because I remember his albums  Reach Out  and  Make It Easy On Yourself  along with the incredible soundtrack to  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid  (a soundtrack and movie that SHOULDN'T have worked but did and did so WONDERFULLY) sitting in the record rack by my mother's ste...

From the moment we started looking at colleges, it was apparent that schools want your money.  They may SAY they want you (and by that I mean your child) and some of them DO, but they all want your money.  That's a part of life and I don't blame them.  Everyone needs money.  Everyone spends money.  It is up to us to decide HOW to spend that money.  Where we can get the best value.  What makes us most comfortable/happy.  Where we fit in.  What place ties to our wants and desires?  It's not just about schooling, it's about life. My son has gotten probably thousands of emails, as well as some "snail mail" from schools.  The majority of which didn't match him at all.  The emails still continue to flow in and when I look at some of them, I want to laugh.  They don't know my son.  (How could they?  Whatever information they have gotten is not really indicative of the person that he is.)  Yet they SAY they want m...

  We (my family) are in the final stretch of high school.  It's the second semester of my son's senior year.  My son has been accepted at his top two colleges.  (He applied to 3,  one of which is closing its door after the spring semester  which definitely changed his outlook)  He's 99% committed to one of them, it's just (?) a question of finances. I recently had the pleasure of speaking about our family's college search experience on a podcast hosted by  Keys to College . (I'm episode 48 if you want to listen.)  The ladies (Jen and Gina) behind the podcast and the company were a great help to me over the summer with their webinars.  They were a source that I knew I could trust and when it comes to education, finding TRUSTED sources is challenging and complicated.  There is so much out there; it's scary!  My family has had own bad experiences with "educational" sources/assistance, that I've been very wary.  There are (in ...

  You may think this is an odd title for a blog post, but believe me, it is a heartfelt thank you.  Believe it or not, for me, dining out or ordering in from a restaurant is a terrifying proposition.  I have serious food allergies and eating anywhere but my own kitchen can be a matter of life or death...or at least life or hospitalization.  Even being extremely careful, in my 50+ years I've been "poisoned" more times than I'd care to count.  There have been times when I've "only" vomited (numerous times) and had to only resort to taking a large dose of Benadryl. There have been others where I haven't been injected with epinephrine (aka the Epipen) and ended up in the hospital.  All the result of a "simple" slip up.  There have been times when I've been able to track the mistake (the ingredient list was changed and no one bothered to double check) and others where I haven't...yet the "results" have proven that an allergen h...

My husband and I raised a pretty smart and well-rounded young man.  He's not a genius, but for the most part he does have common sense.  (Which we all know is not that common.)  He is generally a kind and compassionate human being.  (Well, at least to the rest of the world.  To his father and I, well...he's a hormonal teenager...what else can I say?)   He says please and thank you.  He makes his bed religiously. (I wish I knew how he does it.)  Yes, he is a good person. Raising a child is a challenge and there are lots of struggles!  (LOTS of struggles!)  Overall, I think we taught him well, but there are things that I (we?) failed to get across.  Things like: Toothpaste cap goes back on the toothpaste. Caps/tops need to be put back on after they are removed. Items that you remove from the refrigerator/freezer need to be returned back there after you have finished with them.  Of if you have used whatev...

 Okay, so that's not completely true.  We did have some flakes this January.  Why just last week:   However, while the snow came down heavy at times, we didn't get a measurable amount.  And by the evening it had all washed away with the rain. As I wrote this it was "snowing" meaning that a few flakes were coming down and my roof was slightly dusty, but again there was no measurable amount of snow. You would think I would be happy.  I am NOT a snow person.  While I will admit that I enjoy seeing the snow fall AND seeing the ground covered in a couple of inches from the window in my nice warm house makes me smile, I'm NOT one who likes what comes next.  That would be the shoveling, the cleaning up and the mounds that may start off as white, but quickly turn dingy gray.   It means slick roads (and careless drivers) and slippery walkways. I'm not a winter person at all.  That much is probably obvious.  I don't like the massive...