Spring 2025

It's been a while since I've posted.  I spent a few days in the hospital in January with the flu.  It hit me very, very hard. To add insult to injury, I had the flu shot in October. Unfortunately, the vaccine for this year's flu wasn't the flu that ended up running amok.

It's been a long 8 weeks since my time in the hospital, but I finally feel like I'm back up to 90% of my normal - and just in time for spring!

This year, I've decided that I'm going to attempt to grow a few veggies up close to the house and hope that the deer stay away from the "all you can eat salad bar" since it will be closer to the house.

I ordered two large, raised planters to put in the screened in porch. Now that the weather is finally warming up, I have plans to get them assembled this week. These are going to be my salad tables!  I'm planning on planting peas (one of my favorites), lettuce, some radishes, and spinach.  I have dreams of walking outside this spring and being able to pluck some leaves for a tasty salad every day!  Honestly, if I can save a little bit of money by not buying a bag of salad from the store every couple of days, I consider that a major win!

The forsythia has started to bloom!

The daffodils my mother in law planted 50 years ago when they moved into our house are starting to bloom.  I love seeing their joyous faces poke up out of the ground!  They remind me of her - so quiet and unassuming, but with a heart full of joy.

All images (c) Library Nut, 2025.

Welcome to 2025

 An update on our lives, if you're interested.

My mother passed - after 5 long years of health struggles following her stroke this summer. She had fallen and broken bones, needed stitches, multiple infections, gotten through COVID, fought off pneumonia not once, but twice... the past 5 years were not easy for any of us, friends.  For the past year, my life existed of going to work, driving 90 minutes one way down to Virginia (if the traffic Gods were smiling on me), spending time with her, and then driving 90 minutes home before doing it all over again.

We were in a pretty serious traffic accident in October. My car was totaled. We walked away, but not without some injuries. I am still struggling with some of those injuries.  If you're inclined to send some thoughts my way I would appreciate it. 

The kids are all doing well.  Everyone is settled into their professional adult lives.  And I find myself missing those wild and wacky teenagers!

You might be finding a few entries from me here and there throughout the new year! I don't promise a regular schedule.  But, I do promise some content that might be worth your time!

Thank you for checking in with me!

The End?

I'd like to thank everyone who reads this for sticking with me over the years.  I've been blogging on here since 2010. If you've been with me the entire time, we've been through some things together.  So many things. Loss of parents, loss of jobs, raising children - watching them launch themselves into the world.  The struggle to save money and feed children in a tough economy.  Learning how to be empy nesters - the pandemic.  We've covered a lot of ground.

I'm moving over to Word Press now. And I'm combining all of my blogs into one. There will be a little bit of everything related to the Library Nut. (Me)

This blog will remain up. Mostly because of all the recipe links!  I use those all of the time, as do my kids.  I'm not certain how to transfer those links, but if I can find a way, I will. Since my life has changed so much since the inception of that blog, I felt it was time to change how I blog.

If you're interested in following along, My blog is entitled the Library Nut's Library Life.  You can find it here: https://wordpress.com/read.

I have several blogs. I will be moving relevant content over to the new blog in time. 

Thanks so much for sticking with me for the last 13 years! 

Tex-Mex Quinoa

 Well, this recipe takes me back! I was searching for vegetarian recipes and it hit me - I have a tab on the side of the blog of recipes that I have found and made over the years and absolutely loved.

As I was searching through the recipes, I found one that we used to make all of the time, and I loved it.  It’s a Tex-Mex Quinoa, and it’s made with a recipe I found on Chelsea’s Messy Apron.  NOTE - I’m not receiving anything from sharing the link - I want to give credit where credit is due. The recipe is awesome!

I like this recipe for so many reasons. It’s a crock pot recipe.  We put it in the crock before we headed out, and when we got back - dinner was ready! The ingredients were easy to find, and overall it was relatively inexpensive. When you use the garnishes as Chelsea suggests, it elevates this plain looking bowl of  quinoa to amazing. My favorite garnish is Guacamole. (With a capital G.) 

We used to make this recipe for 5 of us.  (2 of those 5 being hungry teenage boys.) When we made it over the weekend, we ended up having enough for us to eat a really good dinner and to have leftovers for 2 days of lunch!  (Pictured above - one of my lunches, ready to go in the fridge.)

Whoop!  That’s a win!

External Link to Tex Mex Quinoa Recipe: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/slow-cooker-tex-mex-qunioa-casserole/#_a5y_p=2118221

Random Pictures

 It’s a major photo dump! Okay, I’m going to try to keep it down to only a handful! 

Life, as viewed from my phone!

My attempt at a Gingerbread House!

Sunrise. Busboys & Poets is across the street. 

Watermelon Radishes. They’re beautiful, aren’t they?

I thought they would be sweet, but no - they’re bitter. 

Still good, but not the taste I was expecting with those colors!

The water fountain by Whole Foods has been converted to a light fountain!

The cat, listening in on the weekly phone call with the kids. 

The Udvar-Hazy Museum. 

It’s a branch of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.

And it’s not on the mall.  It’s by Dulles Airport. 

Look at the price on this roast.  $147.

$101 with a Bonus Card. 

That’s $10/ pound. 

Granted, it is a rib roast. But still… it feels really high. 

Book Review: Mango, Mambo, and Murder

I found this wonderful cozy mystery last week. It's a wonderful series set in Miami.  Miriam Quinones-Smith is a Cuban American Food Anthropologist who moves from New York with her husband to be closer to his family. Within her first month in Miami, she finds herself immersed in a murder mystery that involves not only her best friend, but also a mysterious connection with her husband's family.  Just who is Juliet and what is this mysterious hold she has on everyone?

I really enjoyed reading this story! I love the smart characters, intelligent dialogue, and the quick moving plot.  Having been a young mother struggling to find a crowd to fit into when my kids were young, I identified with Miriam's quest to fit into the social scene. (Granted, she was being pushed into networking... but it was still a story that I could relate to!)

I love that the author has mixed in references to Cuban culture throughout her book.  From teaching her child to be Bi-Lingual, to the food she cooks to the Spanish mixed in throughout the conversations in the book…. There is just so much to appreciate from this Latinx author.

There is also a fascinating sub-plot that tells the story of Miriam's mother-in-law and her relationship with Miriam and the rest of the family. If you have had difficulties getting along with your Mother-in-law, you will relate well to the story. Actually, I think most of us will read that story and think "Wow". And also "I don't want to be that kind of Mother-in-Law in the future." It's a compelling sub-story that makes you think.

This was a fascinating story, with many layers (like ogres and onions!) 

There are two books in the series, and I am looking forward to the third!

Author Website: http://rvreyes.com/

And hey, there are some great recipes in the back of the book for recipes that Miriam made throughout the book.  I'l looking forward to trying the Cuban Style Chicken Fricassee. 

Mom's Little Dog

For Christmas, Mom received a wonderful little robotic dog. 

As her health has continued to deteriorate, she finds herself wishing for things that used to be. One of those things is a dog. She wants a dog.  Her favorite dog of all time was Geraldine.  Geraldine was a Beagle that my parents brought into their life when they got married.  Geraldine was Mom's companion while Dad was in college. Mom worked to support Dad while he went through college. Geraldine kept her company. When I was born, Geraldine kept me company, sleeping under my crib and standing guard while I slept. I don't remember Geraldine, but Mom still loves that dog.

My husband and I don't have a dog. We have a cat. And the very last thing we want to do is take the cat - who hates card rides - for an hour-long drive down to Virginia and then back up again. 

I found this adorable robotic dog at the Alzheimer's Association Store.

It interacts with the patient when they talk - barking, moving its head towards the sound of the voice, opening and closing its eyes, and moving its ears. You can scratch it on the head and it will have some vocalizations and move it's head around. 

As soon as we took the dog out of the box, the first thing Mom did was turn the dog upside down to see if it was a girl or boy.  She decided that "she's a boy, and her name is Benji."            

 Mom loves her little Benji! She sleeps with him. When she wakes up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep, little Benji is there with some nudges and makes some wonderful little noises while she pets him until they both fall asleep. 

If you're interested in finding out more about this little dog, you can find the link here:

https://www.alzstore.com/doll-pet-therapy-dementia-s/1516.htm?utm_source=bing&utm_campaign=Alzheimer%27s%20-%20General%20-%20Exact%20-%20tRoas&utm_medium=ppc&msclkid=76d9cad4994b18f0cc08a91fd7fbfa82