Posts

Posted on

National days… Vanity Post #107

At the present time, I’m quite disappointed with the folks at nationaldaycalendar.com, but that’s a matter for another day (my “Office Day — Part 2”, to be precise). However, I’m setting that disappointment aside, so I can share with you the fact that today (September 15) happens to be National Cheese Toast Day. So… “Happy National Cheese Toast Day!” from me to you!

With today also being Tuesday, I thought I’d share something about cheese toast to turn today’s vanity post into a “Tasty Tuesdays” post, something I’m going to try to get back into every Tuesday — with “bonus” recipes thrown in every now and then as well. And now, without further ado, here’s some information that I found online about cheese toast:

According to nationaldaycalendar.com: “On September 15, National Cheese Toast Day savors the cheesy goodness of this classic dish. Simple but delicious, cheese and toast go well together. A little butter helps everything meld together nicely, too. The crustier the bread, the better. It makes an excellent side dish, but cheese toast also serves up a satisfying snack…

It might surprise many to know the treat was created by Del Johnson. In 1958, he opened his first Sizzler restaurant. It was an instant success. And although the recipe changed a bit over the years, the concept of Cheese Toast hasn’t. Over 60 (almost 70) years later, Cheese Toast continues to be a favorite dish across the country. With the best cheeses and bread, served up as an appetizer, with soup or with the main course, cheese toast pairs well with many dishes.

o follow up what I learned from nationaldaycalendar.com, here’s some information that a generic online search gave me for “a recipe for cheese toast:

“For a classic British-style cheese on toast, toast one side of thick bread, then top with sliced or grated mature cheddar and grill (or broil) until bubbly and golden. Many enthusiasts, enhance the flavor by adding a splash of Worcestershire sauce, a dash of malt vinegar, or a thin layer of chili jam or mayonnaise under the cheese.

For a richer, oven-baked garlic cheese toast, mix shredded cheddar, parmesan, and minced garlic with mayonnaise or butter. Spread this mixture over bread slices and bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges are crisp.

Popular variations include Sizzler-style cheese toast, which involves spreading a paste of equal parts margarine and Parmesan (or pecorino) on one side of thick white bread and pan-frying it until golden, or a double cheese toast breakfast option that incorporates beaten eggs mixed with the cheese for a custard-like texture.”

Whether you try it the classic British way, the in-the-oven way, or the pan-fried way Del Johnson did in his first Sizzler restaurant, I hope you’ll let me know how your cheese toast turned out for you. As for me, I think I’m going to enjoy mine with a bowl of soup. Hmmm… I think a bowl of tomato soup will go well with cheese toast!

Bon Appétit

Posted on

Something else inspirational… Vanity Post #106

While going through my current “Holler Happenings” notebook, I found something else inspirational that I want to keep handy for future reference. Here it is:

“A Psalm for Life”

Let us, then, be up and doing

With a heart for any fate,

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.”

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

Hope you find it to be as inspiring as I do. By the way… If you have other sources of inspiration (i.e. poems, quotes, etc.), I hope you’ll take a moment to share ’em with me by leaving a comment below. Here’s to inspiration!!

Posted on

Something inspirational… Vanity Post #105

While doing some research for my current work-in-progress, I came across a cute poem that’s very appropriate for me at this time in my life. So… I decided to transcribe it into one of my vanity posts. By doing so, I’ll have easy access to it whenever I feel the need for its inspiration. Without further ado, here it is:

“A Writer’s Prayer”

Lord, inspire me to write stories that touch readers’ hearts.

Breathe your spirit into my characters so they come alive on the written page.

Help me develop intriguing plots full of twists and turns that capture the imagination and move the story to a satisfying resolution.

Keep me focused and on schedule, and take away any fear or sense of inadequacy that blocks my progress.

Give me the courage to step out in faith, to stretch and grow and to be the writer you have called me to be.

Amen

(Thanks to Debby Giusti, the author of “A Writer’s Prayer”)

Posted on

A tasty day… Vanity Post #104

While perusing the National Day Calendar Web site earlier this month, I discovered that today is what promises to be a tasty day! It is National Chocolate Milkshake Day!!

I’ve tried making chocolate milkshakes at home before, but they usually ended up being more “milky” than “milkshakey” — probably because I was never able to the ratio between the ice cream and the milk correct. Wanting to make Sweet Thing and I a delicious chocolate milkshake to savor in honor of National Chocolate Milkshake Day, I searched far and wide (read: I did a quick Internet search online) for something that would give me the proper ratios (read: a recipe), and it didn’t take very long to find something (thanks to Brave’s AI summaries) I could use.

So… Here’s what I found:

Chocolate Milkshake Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vanilla ice cream (or chocolate ice cream)
  • 1/2 cup cold milk
  • 1/4 cup chocolate syrup (or hot fudge sauce)

Directions

  1. Combine the ice cream, milk, and chocolate syrup in a blender.
  2. Blend on high speed for 15-30 seconds until smooth and creamy.
  3. Pour into chilled glasses and top with whipped cream, chocolate shavings or sprinkles.

Variations

  • With cocoa powder: Replace the syrup with 3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder and 4 Tablespoons of sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water to create a homemade chocolate syrup before blending.
  • Thicker shake: Reduce the milk to 1/4 cup or substitute half the milk with heavy cream.
  • Without ice cream: Blend frozen bananas, ice cubes,(plant-based) milk and cocoa powder for a dairy-free or frozen alternative.
  • Without a blender: Soften the ice cream slightly and whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.

So, there you have it: A recipe with the proper ratios for making a chocolate milkshake! I do hope you’ll join Sweet Thing and I in celebrating National Chocolate Milkshake Day today — OR any day, for that matter! I’m sure a chocolate milkshake will turn any day into a tasty day! Bon Appétit!

09/13/26 Follow-up:

The chocolate milkshake I made for myself to celebrate National Chocolate Milkshake was DELICIOUS! However… The next time I use this recipe again, I’m going to use my handy-dandy immersion blender (that’s made specifically for this purpose) instead of my regular blender (as the recipe’s directions stated) — primarily because the chocolate syrup stayed in the bottom of the blender container instead of getting mixed into the milkshake. Such a waste of perfectly good chocolate syrup!!

Posted on

It’s about time… Vanity Post #103

Yesterday, I spent much of the day doing something that I’ve been meaning to do for YEARS but, for whatever reason, never did: compiling a collection of indexes (or is it “Indices” as the plural for “index”? If you know the answer to this question, please let me know. ) Anyway…

While writing a “Pages” entry yesterday, I wondered what I’d been doing on this day (the fourth day of a trip around the sun), so I went back to the first “Holler Happenings” notebook of my 2025/2026 trip around the sun. Once I’d satisfied my curiosity (and found out that I hadn’t done much since I wasn’t feeling well that day), I had a BIG pile of these notebooks on my lap (earning me the nickname of “paper bird”). So… I decided to (finally) do that “something” I’ve been meaning to do: photocopy each index from all of the notebooks that had one, which I’ll then compile into some three-pronged folders I’d purchased during this month’s back-to-school sale at my local WalMart.

Well… It turned out that I hadn’t created indexes/indices for FIVE of the fifteen “Holler Happenings” notebooks, so I photocopied those that I had and then spent most of the remainder of the day going through those five notebooks and deciding what info warranted inclusion in that notebook’s index. I actually enjoyed the time spent going through the notebooks because doing so brought back memories — both good and not-so-good — which is, actually, one of the main reasons I document my days in this manner! Like Mom in her later years, I have difficulties remembering things (Sweet Thing can certainly verify this!), so I always follow the advice that I’ve given my children: “If you want to remember something, write it down!” Don’t think either of them have taken me up on that advice, though, but I still do! It’s a rare day when I don’t have a notebook with me.

So, yeah… It’s about time I spent some time creating a collection of indexes/indices for the fifteen “Holler Happenings” notebooks for one of my trips around the sun!

Posted on

September 2026’s “7th of the Month” Post (Part 3)… Vanity Post #101

In my two previous vanity posts (#99 and #100), I presented the first two parts of September 2026’s “7th of the month” post. So… Today’s vanity post (#101) will finish this month’s “7th of the month” post by discussing the last category: Writing!

I began the month by coming up with several possible topics for upcoming vanity posts. In addition, I ordered a few Amish romance novels to study as I prepare for my BIAY experiment. During my next (2026/2027) trip around the sun, one of my writing goals is to FINISH writing one book in a year (biay), so… Please with me luck (and perseverance) in this endeavor!

I don’t think I received postcards from ALL of my July postcard swap recipients, but more postcards have been trickling into my P.O. Box, even including some from my sister and brother-in-law’s earlier trip “down under”!

Hmmm… I thought I did more when it came to my writing this month, but the notes I took for this month’s “7th of the month” post don’t have anything else to mention, so…

I’m going to close this final installment of September 2026’s “7th of the month” post. Hopefully, I’ll have more items worth mentioning in the “Writing” section of the next “7th of the month” series of vanity posts. Stay tuned!

Posted on

September 2026’s “7th of the Month” Post (Part 2)… Vanity Post #100

In yesterday’s vanity post (#99), I discussed “Holler Happenings“, which is the first part of September 12026’s “7th of the Month” post. In today’s vanity post (#100), I’ll be focused on events that fall within the category of “Personal“. So, sit back and enjoy my latest update!

Personal Events

Hello, again, from “my holler in Kentucky”! This month began (on 7 August) with a phone call from my darlin’ daughter, who gave me a “heads up” about the delivery of a package containing early (VERY early) birthday presents, and it continued with LOTS of work on “Stars”, my current “quilt-along” project.

Throughout the month, I

  • made some “modified log cabin” blocks on the 8th;
  • started putting together “block kits” (for a “Grab-N-Sew” solution) on the 13th; on the 14th and 15th,
  • I did a lot of figurin’ to find out how much more “slicing and dicing” (Sweet Thing’s term for the cutting out of individual pieces needed for a quilt) on the 14th and 15th. Sadly, I’ve STILL got LOTS of “slicing and dicing” to do! Ugh! At this point, I decided that instead of doing all of the “slicing and dicing” at one time (as I’d originally planned to do), I’m going to do it on an as needed (read: row by row) basis, especially since I’ve never really liked cutting out fabric — for clothes and now for quilts).

In addition to working on “Stars”, I’ve also been working on a couple of other quilts:

  • one that will be given to a local veteran in November; and
  • another one that will be my first commissioned quilt! (Imagine that… I’ll be getting paid to do something I love to do!

Another “first” happened this month: Got my very first TORNADO WARNING on the 12th of August — along with a “Severe Thunderstorm Warning” — both of which were sent to Sweet Thing’s cell phone. Since I’ve been here at “my holler in Kentucky”, I have experienced LOTS of severe thunderstorms, but I’ve never worried about tornadoes — until now! Thankfully, the severe thunderstorm did NOT spawn a tornado — at least not anywhere nearby!

At some point this month, I created a diagram of my local grocery store — something I plan to use to create a shopping list that’s based on the lay-out of the store. I”m hoping that this will cut down on the need to backtrack to pick up things I forgot to grab when I was in that particular aisle. I’ve NEVER liked having to backtrack! I’ll take a loop any day!

As I mentioned in another vanity post (#82), Sweet Thing and I had our eyes examined, and we both got new eyeglasses! In addition, we each got a solution for “sun damage prevention. Sweet Thing decided to go with “flip-up shades” that attach to his regular prescription eyeglasses while I opted for a pair of prescription sun glasses. The last time I got prescription eye glasses, I opted for the “clip-on shades”, but they proved to be rather inconvenient (just something else I could — and probably did — lose since I don’t even know where those “clip-on shades” are now.). So, yeah… If this eye exam is any indication, I probably shouldn’t have to purchase another pair of prescription eyeglasses (regular or for the sun) for quite a while since my eye sight hadn’t changed enough for the eye doc to recommend that I purchase another pair.

NOTE: The main reasons I had to purchase another pair of eyeglasses this time was (1) I’d lost the previous pair of glasses that I’d purchased the last time; and (2) the “flexible frames” I purchased then were NOT very flexible and ended up breaking instead of merely bending like Sweet Thing’s pair with truly flexible frames that are several decades old!

Anyway… Here are a few more things that fall into the “Personal Events” category:

  • received one more call from my darlin’ daughter this month, who said that (1) they’d been “busy, busy, busy” and (2) that they bought a couple of new fans to beat the heat that they’d been having.
  • I suffered “Queen of Tabs” consequences (read: crashed computers) a couple of times throughout the month. These crashes happen when I’ve got WAY TOO MANY browser tabs open and the computer’s “Mem” and “Swap” get so full that the computer can’t function properly. Since the this month crashes weren’t the first time I’ve experienced something like this, you’d think that I would learn to CLOSE tabs once I’ve finished using them, but… I obviously haven’t — hence my nickname: “Queen of Tabs”!
  • I have FINALLY learned the secret to cooking chicken-fried steak so that the coating doesn’t come off. (Hmmm… Should put these directions in a future post, so that I’ll have easier access to the information the next time I’m in the mood for chicken-fried steak!)
  • I celebrated National Blueberry Popsicle Day by making a batch of Creamy Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles, which, in my humble opinion, are better than Simple Blueberry Popsicles.
  • and lastly, I planned a birthday picnic to be held at a new picnic shelter that I recently discovered. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be crowded since my birthday happened to be on Labor Day this year. Thankfully, it wasn’t! We were the only ones enjoying that beautiful spot for a picnic, one that’s sure to draw us back more than once!

And on that note, I’m going to close today’s vanity post which contained Part 2 of this month’s “7th of the Month” post. Stay tuned for the third, and final, category in September 2026’s “7th of the Month” post, which will be coming tomorrow!

Posted on

September 2026’s “7th of the Month” Post (Part 1)… Vanity Post #99

With today being the 7th day of September (AND the first day of a brand-new trip around the sun), it’s time for this month’s “7th of the month” post, which, like last month, will be split between three separate “vanity posts” — one for each of the usual sections:

  • Holler,
  • Personal, and, of course,
  • Writing.

So.. In this vanity post, I’ll be sharing information about what’s been happening here at “my holler in Kentucky”. Here goes…

Holler Happenings

Hello, again, from “my holler in Kentucky! At some point in time, our security camera system “bit the dust”, so Sweet Thing ordered some of the parts he needs to get it (or a new one… I’m not sure which) up and running again. Since I miss being able to see what’s happening outside, especially critter sightings, I’m looking forward to him getting it up and running again.

In addition to the list of projects we want to accomplish around the holler, I’ve been struggling to come up with some kind of schedule that will help me stay on top of the chores around here — after noticing that some tend to “slip through the cracks” (possibly because I don’t like doing ’em?) Wish me luck on this endeavor.

As I mentioned in this section of August’s series of “7th of the month” vanity posts, we’re in the process of relocating the trailer — to give us more room in front of the reliquary. We’ve managed to move most of the “junk pile” (of “stuff” that have accumulated through the years) to the “back 40” (“Out of sight, out of mind”) to make the needed room for moving it into its new home, which, in case I didn’t mention it earlier, is going to be a different location than we had originally planned. The new location will actually make it easier — AND less expensive — for Sweet Thing to run power out to it, so that’s definitely a good thing.

I also spent some time clearing off a section of the holler house’s porch. It’s amazing how much sawdust and “stuff” has accumulated on the porch over the years! Oh! I’m happy to report that I wore (what I think has got to be) my very FIRST pair of overalls while clearing off the porch. It’s a cute one made from a green floral print fabric that I purchased atTSC — Tractor Supply Company, which is a very fun store in which to browse!

One more thing… At the beginning of the month, I was reminded that September is “National Preparedness Month”, something I knew from my ham radio days but somehow forgot. So… I’m sure preparing for emergencies will probably be a focus in the coming weeks as well as our other (previously mentioned) projects. So much to do, so little time… Must remain focused!

So, there you have it: Part 1 of September 2026’s “7th of the month” post. Stay tuned for Parts 2 (Personal) and 3 (Writing) coming soon!

Posted on

The last day… Vanity Post #98

As the title indicates, today is the last day… of my 2025/2026 trip around the sun. Consequently, I will spend the day (my “Unplugged Sunday”) planning how I want to spend my birthday tomorrow. I foresee that I’ll be…

  • trying to figure out whether the local pizza place in town will be open on Labor Day (since 2026 is one of those years when my birthday falls on this holiday);
  • planning the menu for my birthday picnic (and coming up with TWO options that will be based on whether or not the local pizza place will be open); and
  • doing lots of cooking/preparing of the food I’ve got planned (that I’ll be having regardless of the status of the pizza place — like deviled eggs since it wouldn’t be a picnic without the deviled eggs!)

So, yeah…. Tomorrow, I’ll be celebrating my birthday — the first day of my next (2026/2027) trip around the sun — with a picnic, and that picnic will actually be a “first” for me. Sweet Thing and I will be spending the afternoon at a location that I didn’t even know existed until this past Tuesday — at my most recent “quilt-along” session!

By the way, I’m sure I’ll also be spending some time on this last day finalizing what goals I’ll be working on during my 2026/2027 trip around the sun. This is something I don’t think I ever did last year, which is probably a (major) contributing factor as to why I’ve felt so unproductive much of the year! Gonna try not to make that same mistake this year!