Recent Reads
I decided to go back and finish The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and I’m glad I did. It was a lovely book, where the characters learn about love, forgiveness, grace and extending all of that not only to others, but also to themselves. I’ve learned that I only like books that offer hope in the end. The Language of Flowers offers that in abundance.
The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith is the first book I ever preordered. It came in the mail on Tuesday. I am really enjoying it. It’s worth getting the hard copy instead of a digital version. I’ve been doing most of my reading on my phone lately (Kindle app), but this book needs to be held in your hands. It’s beautiful to flip through, but the words draw in the reader and are full of encouragement.
One of the first chapters tells the story of the many rental homes that Myquillyn and her family lived in. It had me remembering all the places that Jim and I have lived. I’ve thought about what I liked and didn’t like about each place. What we did to decorate. What I was too afraid to do, but wanted to (paint the harvest gold refrigerator and the cabinets in our first house). If I’d had this book back then, that kitchen would have looked a lot different!
Doppelganger
Remember this story I told about my son, Peter and the guy who looks like him? The guy on the left is no relation, but is someone in Jim’s college yearbook from his freshman year. Weird, huh?
Well this week, we had another doppelgänger incident.
Jim was flipping through Flipboard, which is an iPhone app. It mixes some news stories, stories of interest and Facebook stuff all together in a flippable format. It was late at night when Jim came upon this image that caused him to take a closer look:
Jim’s first glance at the guy on the right had him wondering why Stephen, our soon-to-be son in-law, was in a black and white photo. Jim first thought he was looking at Facebook.
Here’s a picture of Stephen and Meredith. Maybe you can see why he thought it was Stephen in the black and white photo.
But then Jim realized, the black and white photo was an old picture of Willie Nelson. Kind of weird how much Stephen looks like the young Willie Nelson, isn’t it?
Derby Day
It’s Derby Day! Even though we don’t live in Louisville, where the run for the roses takes place, it’s still a big deal here in Lexington. Have you chosen your horse yet? If not, here’s an article that lists them, along with how the horses were named. And here’s a list, along with the odds. Just in case you’re betting. I think I’m going to go with Wildcat Red (although Wildcat Blue would have made an even better name).
If you’d like a little Kentucky flavor for Derby Day (or any day), here are a few recipes to try:
Derby Pie is a classic. The name is also copyrighted. But this homemade Kentucky Chocolate and Nut Pie for the Derby is pretty good stuff!
Beer Cheese makes a great appetizer.
Kentucky Hot Brown Bake is not exactly like the original, but that’s where the inspiration for this dish comes from.
I’m not much of a drinker (see the note on my Beer Cheese post for proof), but mint juleps are traditional at Derby parties. I’ve never had one. But if you’d like to try one, Modern Mrs. Darcy has the scoop on making a good one. She’s also got a mocktail version with no bourbon.
Recent Reads, Doppelgängers and Derby Day was first posted on May 3, 2014 at 7:00 am.
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