random thoughts – Day 2,047 (Friday) – animal life and brownies

Turkey parade.

Another set of weekdays is done, and another weekend looms with an intoxicating mix of leisure time and specific plans that will spare me feeling like a total slug. Today was yet another sluggish day. There was the now customary shoulder and arm pain care, job applications, and loose ideas for leaving the house. And brownies were baked.

There were fantasies about setting up the stained glass work area, but they were abandoned. By the time I get to it, most of the kinks will have been worked out mentally and it should be relatively easy to execute. My physical laziness is almost always accompanied by busy brain activity.

New curtains.

The reasons to leave the house all involved shopping, but the list of needed items is only one deep and my world wasn’t going to disintegrate if I failed to buy diced tomatoes today. There was a can in the pantry from a recent trip to Hannaford, but when I took it out to open it to add to a soup yesterday, the top ring of the can was rusted and looked messed up. Spoilage seemed likely. 

Instead of visiting a grocery store, the day was spent admiring the new navy blue sheers that were hung in the dining room on Thursday. The space finally looks like some thought was invested in it. The walls still need artwork, which is the story throughout the house, but I’m not in that headspace yet. It will get there. I'm still waiting for the walls to talk to me.

Kiki on the bed.

There was excitement with a turkey parade. It started with the gang of four bearded birds coming through the front yard and Mom calling to alert me to the arrival of company. The first cluster was quickly followed by two females which morphed into a cluster of seven birds which included the one with the limp. During the crossing from my side of the street to the other side, three vehicles passed by and nearly took out some of the birds. Come on people, pay attention to the speed limit and the neighborhood wildlife.

On the domesticated animal front, Kiki spent most of the day lounging atop the bed like the beautiful royalty she is. The best part is that she let me lay next to her and stroke her face and give her shoulder rubs multiple times throughout the day. And the big surprise bonus – she licked my fingers. The first time I thought it was an accident, but then she did it again, intentionally. My heart exploded.

Brownies.

The brownies, a snap decision, were a bit of a disappointment. Chili powder was added in an attempt to recreate the delicious chili hot cocoa and chocolate bars I love. The result that emerged form the oven was unfortunately lackluster. There was an undercurrent of a taste of something, but there was no distinct chili flavor. It didn't stop me from eating a significant chunk of it. 

The chili brownie experiment will require more work to refine the flavor profile. Maybe the answer is cayenne. Or maybe it's as simple as a recipe search because I truly doubt I am the first to try this.