Weekends in my world aren't a lot different than weekdays. I did take a couple of decent photos this weekend, so I can use them to tell you about my mostly dull weekend. Let's see what I can come up with.
John was talking to his brother at his house and their conversation was getting a bit boring for me so I took a little walk into the woods. I was lucky enough to see this hawk, but I wasn't sure what kind it was. Google tells me that it's a red-shouldered hawk and I think it's quite beautiful.
I also saw bare fields and plenty of deer eating in those bare fields on my way back. I'm surprised at how fast the snow is melting, but I guess that's what happens when the temperatures reach 50. We do have a few chilly days before it warms up again. I wonder if the warmup is here to stay? Probably not, but the rain that is predicted for this warmer week is far better than snow.
Speaking of deer, I made venison chili in the crockpot on Sunday. I don't mind cooking but half the battle is deciding what to make. Chili is easy to put together and it's a good meal with cornbread. I hope there are leftovers because I don't know what to make for dinner tonight (or the rest of the week).
The only other thing of note that I did this weekend besides knitting and reading was search for a rechargeable stick vacuum that works on both carpet and bare floors. Jess has one that I've used to pick up kitty litter that's gotten tracked around but it barely works on carpets. I have this idea that I might clean more if my vacuum wasn't so heavy and cumbersome to lug upstairs. I found a couple possibilities on Amazon, but I'm not sure. So if you have any recommendations, please let me know. There's no guarantee that I will clean any more even if it's easier, but there is always a small chance.
I hope you had a good weekend and that it was somewhat warmer in your neighborhood!
I got my stick vacuum because I was afraid of getting tangled in the cord and falling down the stairs when I was using my old canister one. I bought a pretty cheap one off Amazon thinking I might not like it but it’s been three years now and it’s still going strong. I love it. I looked on Amazon for the link but they don’t carry it anymore. It’s a Fykee P11 but I bet most of the cheap Asian brands work as well. If you’ve ever seen any of those Asian Mommy cleaning videos you know those ladies mean business.
ReplyDeleteAsian Mommy cleaning videos are a new thing to me. I've never even heard of them or watched them, but it might be interesting. Maybe I'll get some sort of motivation!
DeleteWe have a red-shouldered hawk in our neighborhood; it was out yesterday being noisy while I was walking Ruthie. Sometimes it has some friends over. It's not what you expect to see in the middle of the city!
ReplyDeleteWe have two Dyson stick vacuums (one in the basement, one on the third floor). We use them all the time, particularly the one in the basement because I'm constantly cleaning up the Ruthie hair and the stuff we track in from outside. They're pricey and maybe more than you want to spend, but they work really well.
Love the hawk picture! And your venison chili looks wonderful. I bought a cheap stick vacuum off Amazon, but ended up donating it since it did not work well. Fletch bought one (brand is Tineco I think) from Lowes or Home Depot I think and it works very well. I like to use it in the kitchen and it does area rugs very well.
ReplyDeleteI heard a Red-shouldered hawk a couple of times this weekend, but I did not see them! (But I had a Cooper's hawk come and land on my front porch last week. He sat on my railing for a good 15 minutes!) Your chili looks delicious! We have a stick vacuum, I think it is a Dyson... it lives, plugged in, upstairs and is really fantastic on bare floors and rugs but carpet? It really is not great at that.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any experience with stick vacuums, but I do have a consumer report membership. They rate the Shark Detect HZ 4002 as their highest rated stick vacuum and say it is good on hard floors and carpet. It is corded. While I always check these ratings I don't always follow them, rebel that I am. I thought those things were cheap, but they are not. I think it is about $320, which is close to all the higher rated ones. I love the picture of the hawk! I live in middle of the city, and there are several families of hawks in the neighborhood. I like watching the elders teach the hatchlings how to hunt. Sometimes they are lined up on my back fence. However, I hate to watch them kill my birds. Like you, I love a meal that creates leftovers. Stews and soups are best at that, I think. I bought a souper saver cube that I haven't tried yet, but I am hoping it makes things easier when I am clueless about what to cook and/or just can't get myself to do it. Happy Monday, Bonny. It sure seems like spring down here.
ReplyDeleteI heard and then saw a red shouldered hawk yesterday. I can't tell specific hawk calls, but my Cornell bird identifier app said it was a red-shouldered and I looked up and saw it land in my neighbor's tree top! We have been having see-saw weather-a few mild days followed by a few cold days. We woke to a dusting of snow this morning.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like everyone has red-shouldered hawks, but I don't honestly remember seeing one before. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention. I will have to listen next time and see if I can hear it call. It's cold today and we're supposed to have snow tomorrow, but after that there's a big warm up. I hope you've got some warmer weather ahead, too!
DeleteDo you shop Costco? They have pretty good prices right now on an LG model and two Shark ones. (They also carry Dyson.) We just got the Shark Stratos - the jury is still out, but the suction is good. As to whether I'll do better (or Chuck will) at keeping things tidy, the jury is out there too.
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