Everything Including Half Of The Kitchen Sink

August 5, 2013August 5, 2013 / Ally Bean / 15 Comments

• I was testing my camera to make sure that it was still working after it had gotten dropped and knocked about a few times. For no reason whatsoever I took a few photos of the kitchen sink. So here you go:

HALF OF OUR KITCHEN SINK.

• Now that it is August I’ve decided to shift my posting schedule to afternoons. And to do more of the dreaded bullet. point. posts. And to just babble a bit more than usual. In other words, I’m going to take it easy in my real life and think that I will do the same thing here. No stories, just stream-of-consciousness.

YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

• It is gorgeous outside today. Blue skies, white clouds, low humidity, happy birds, pretty flowers. This is what summer should look and feel like. I see that rain is in our forecast again [still], but I’m grooving on this beauty today for as long as it lasts. Sounds like a philosophy of life, doesn’t it? Maybe I could make a bumper sticker:

GROOVE ON THE PRETTY WHILE IT IS HERE.

• And with that piece of pithiness I’m going outside to do what I consider to be play; that is, I’m going outside to weed the garden. Yes, I’m a middle-aged, middle class, midwestern woman.

WHY DO YOU ASK?

Hazy With A Chance Of Slot Machines

July 16, 2013July 1, 2025 / Ally Bean / 13 Comments

On Saturday some friends who live in a small town north of here came to the ‘Nati to play for the day. We get together a few times a year and just goof off.

And the best part? No detailed plans, just hanging out for the afternoon seeing where life would take us. Yeah Team Mellow.

# # #

We drove up a large hill, on the west side of town, into an old part of the city called Price Hill, and stopped at a small city park dedicated to a long forgotten form of transportation, the incline. An incline was a cable railway that took passengers up & down steep hills. In this park there were a few plaques commemorating The Price Hill Incline, which allowed people to ride out of & into the city of Cincinnati from 1874 to 1943.

And the best part? This tiny park was a hidden gem– clean, quiet, providing a city view from a different angle than I have ever seen before. Way cool.

# # #

While we were up on the hill we went to lunch at a restaurant, Incline Public House, located beside the park. We sat out on the deck that looks over Cincinnati, the Ohio River and into Kentucky. Even though it was a hazy day, seeing the buildings, railroad tracks and barges from way up high was mesmerizing. The food was delicious. I had lamb sliders with goat cheese + cherry bourbon chutney, along with a side salad of fresh greens + peppercorn ranch dressing.

And the best part? A shot of Woodford Reserve Bourbon in my iced tea. Yum.

# # #

After driving around Price Hill so that we could admire the architecture of the old homes, we drove down into Cincinnati and went to the casino that opened there in March. Casinos are a new big deal in Ohio. While I’m not much of a gambler, I’m nothing if not a curious person so I was happy to see what Horseshoe Casino was all about. It was much nicer than I thought it was going to be– beautifully decorated, good sound system, a variety of restaurants and smoke-free. [Take that Indiana.]

And the best part? I walked away from the 25¢ slot machines, $5.00 richer! Cha-ching.

# # #

Not Lonely, Not Bored

June 10, 2013June 10, 2013 / Ally Bean / 24 Comments

The Forest Primeval says Good Morning to You.

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Another rainy morning here. Unlike earlier this Spring when the rain made me cranky, this rain is soothing. Now that bushes and flowers are in bloom the different colors outside combined with the rain make the scene look serene. Funny what a few weeks will do to a person’s perspective.

Seeing as the forecast says that this rain will continue most of the day, I’ve gathered my favorite electronic gadgets* and am thinking that I’ll make a nest for myself on the TV room sofa. We’ve got lots of pillows in there and with the window blinds up, I’ll be able to watch the subtle changes in the trees in the Forest Primeval [aka our back yard] without getting damp.

Only five years ago a Summer day like this one would have made me irritable. But today, thanks to wi-fi, I can sit anywhere in the house and not feel lonely or put out by the weather. Thinking about it I realize that this development might be one of the biggest changes in my lifetime. Used to be that a rainy day meant only reading a book sitting in a corner all by myself.

However, now in addition to reading a book I can: connect – research – catch-up – enjoy without going outside in the muddy, wet world. This is progress, my gentle readers. Oh yes it is. Don’t try to tell me otherwise.

– – • – –

* On ~~deck~~ sofa for today are:

my [new] Kindle – reading a book
my [relatively new] iPad – watching a TV show or a movie, tweeting on Twitter
my [ancient] Motorola clamshell wireless phone – chatting, texting with whomever about whatever, as usual
my [almost new] Nikon Coolpix camera – observing the world in case there’s a photo opportunity
my [old] MacBook – reading + commenting on blogs, writing a post should the muse strike

Rambling Thoughts On A Spring Morning

May 10, 2013May 10, 2013 / Ally Bean / 21 Comments

Another wet morning here. This Spring has been unusually rainy and not as warm as I’d like it to be. In fact, I have yet to wear capris, let alone shorts. Sandals, however, I have worn. They look kind of snazzy with jeans, so there’s that.

• • •

As you can imagine the rainy days have led to green, lush grass. Our yard looks great. The neighbors’ yards look great. The grass-filled concrete divider islands in the grocery parking look great. The side of the interstate looks great.

The whole world looks great… as long as you like this particular shade of green. From my point of view this green is getting a little too close to Pantone’s 2013 Color of the Year, Emerald Green. I don’t like Emerald Green, so you can see how, for me, this Spring is getting a little cloying.

• • •

To set my heart right I’ve taken to checking our pots of pansies more often than need be. The leaves are green, of course– but overall the pansies are a hodgepodge of purple and maroon and orange and blue. These colors make me happier/mellower/calmer than all that in-your-face green. I always feel more comfortable with variety than with sameness; and I guess, now that I think about it, that principle holds true for me in nature– as well as in decorating and people.

• • •

Well, that’s all I’ve got from here. Waiting for the sun to shine so that I can get outside to work in the garden. Wondering about where I should go to buy some new shorts. Thinking that it’s a very good thing that today is Friday, because I. am. tired.

Have a groovy weekend everyone. See you next week on the flip side.