Some days the baking stars all align and I know from the time that I see this exact meringue stiffness that my macarons will be perfect.
The lemon macs from the merengue in my feature photo turned out nicely.
As I’ve said in previous posts about these divas of cookies, my ocd-ish personality loves the attention to detail and perfection that’s required in every step.
Charla is one of the travel bloggers I follow.
She and her husband are full-timers in their RV and once a week, through photos and fun descriptions, she recaps their journeys across the USA.
You can find her blog here.
In her post yesterday, Charla had a photo and information about this controversial metal sculpture at Council Bluffs Iowa. As soon as I saw the photo, I said to hubs, “We were through there last fall and I have a photo of that sculpture too!”
Because my photo was shot through the tinted front window of our truck, the white balance was skewed. I corrected it in one move in Lightroom. Here’s a before and after:
Today’s post seemed the easiest way to share my photo with Charla and to introduce my readers to her informative, educational, and entertaining blog.
A week ago yesterday, when my morning power walk took me through our city campgrounds, I saw a young couple, a small tent, and two bicycles at one of the campsites.
I walked past but my mind kept nagging me to go back and say hi.
I finally gave in and am so happy I did.
I greeted them and then asked to take a few photos of them, their tent, their bikes, and their post-breakfast picnic table. I explained that I’d like their permission to share the photos on my blog.
They agreed without hesitation and, as I was taking the photos, we conversed about their trip.
They were from Quebec (a province in eastern Canada), and although they had French accents, their English was excellent. When I complimented them on their English, they explained that they had to not only study English in high school, but their courses required them to practice the language with fluent English-speaking Canadians. This approach was definitely far superior to my own requirement to study French in high school, where it was classroom only. Canada is a bilingual country, thus the “other official language” requirement for school students.
Marilou and Leo graciously gave me permission to use their first names in my post.
When I first arrived, Leo was doing breakfast dishes at their picnic table.
My cover photo is of their bicycles.
They told me they had started their ride in Vancouver, Canada (our far west coast) and were cycling back home to Sherbrooke, Quebec (near Montreal). Depending on their route, this is a minimal distance of approximately 5069 km (3150 miles), and goes through the Canadian Rockies. Our city park isn’t even the half way point for them.
I wished this friendly young couple good weather, safety, and enjoyment for the rest of their trip.
This type of tenacity, commitment, and friendliness to complete strangers is found in rare and beautiful souls. My life is richer for having met them.
At one of our city parks that’s adjacent to the newest elementary school here.
The case/cover for my new Kindle Paperwhite arrived a few weeks ago.
This lightweight cloth case makes the reading experience feel more like a regular book.
A nice feature is that the technology in it puts the screen to rest when you close it.
When you open it, the screen awakens, so no need to use the on/off button and this feature makes the experience even more “real” book-like.
Earlier this spring, my blogging friend Betty, over at chambersontheroad.com, created a post about the porch goose fad that had caught on in her neighbourhood in Missouri.
At that time, I hadn’t seen any sign of this new outdoor decor fad catching on here … until recently.
Now, they’re everywhere!
The one in my feature photo is in front of a downtown art studio. Lady Honksworth is chained up because her predecessor was kidnapped.
A few weeks ago, her ladyship was sporting a cap and gown in celebration of 2026 high school graduation.
Around the same time, I went upstairs in our condo building to visit an owner who had just returned home from hip replacement surgery. Guess what was greeting me at her door.
Canadian Tire is a huge and much-loved department store chain focused on home maintenance, sporting goods, and automotive parts and repairs. You can also find kitchenware, small appliances, electrical needs, tools, and there’s a big outdoor section that now includes … you guessed it:
I wonder if “Goose on the Loose” (my own term) will become as popular and enduring as “Elf on the Shelf”.
Have any relatives of Lady Honksworth taken up residency in your neighbourhood?
Towards the end of last month, I traded in my iPhone 15 pro for the current newest in the line, a 17 pro.
There were several June promos happening at my dealer’s store, so I jumped on.
After my trade-in and all of the perks, I was out of pocket only $10.59 CDN ($7.45 USD) for a $1650 CDN ($1160 USD) phone, and this included a high-end case and an installed tempered glass screen protector!
The deal required me to maintain a 2-year contract with my provider, at the same price point as the previous year. I’ve been doing this with my provider for as long as I’ve had a mobile phone, and am very happy with the service.
I upgrade my phones according to the new technology in the cameras. This time, I liked the 48mp capability because this allows for large prints. I’ve always wanted to print some of my best shots on large canvas. Now, I can.
My greatest excitement is the optic-quality 8x zoom native lens. It’s not a true optical zoom because it combines zoom and cropping to achieve the outcome. I’m OK with that.
The above image was my first attempt with the 8x zoom. With shooting practice to ensure stability, and more experience with post processing to fix focus, I’m sure I’ll get satisfactory clarity.
There are many other excellent upgrades to the iPhone camera in this model. I’m learning as I go.
So far – zero regrets on the upgrade.
We’re currently spending half of our lives living in the USA, where we’ve made many very good friends over the years.
Through WordPress, I’ve also been blessed with many cyber friends who live in the USA.
Have a Safe and Happy 250th Birthday! 🇺🇸 🎂
As I was cutting my freshly-baked muffin for sampling (I sample everything I bake), I wondered if the way I cut and eat my muffin says anything about my personality.
I was greatly amused in my research because other bloggers and instagrammers have already broached this subject – no doubt tik-tokkers have too, but I don’t use that platform. There are also many muffin personality tests that come up with Google research on the subject.
Who knew that how you cut and eat your muffin, as well as your preferred kind of muffin says so much about who you are?
My all-time favourite is the wheat bran muffin, and this one isn’t even listed in the type of muffin/personality list. I wonder what that means? Wheat bran is unheard of where we winter in south Texas, so I take a winter’s supply of it along each fall.
Apparently (according to one blogger), the way I cut and eat my muffin indicates that I’m a realist and am getting things done. That post also says, that as a 50-50 person, I don’t care much about food except that it’s for fuel. Hmmm. And I thought I cut it that way because it’s more aesthetically pleasing on my plate.
What’s your favourite muffin and how do you cut/eat it?
Radically Retired 