the giraffe life

Do you hang coats on hooks? We tried using the hall closet (around the corner from the door), but this is much quicker and then we can use the closet for out of season items. But this particular coat rack has seen better days. At first glance, it seems fine. Several hooks, a little space to rest things on top. Then the hooks started breaking off one by one, followed by the whole coat rack falling off the wall. Good times.  So we replaced it. And by we, I mean Mr. G :)  And not that I'm wishing for an early winter, but I am looking forward to loading this with heavy coats and winter hats. We're saving the old one for now, because we may be able to salvage the hook portion and use them elsewhere in the house for lighter items (I'm pretty sure the weight is why they were breaking). Where do you hang coats?

We unexpectedly adopted another feline friend last week. It all started when Mr. G dropped  Capone  off at the vet (to have a tooth removed) and commented on a cute kitten riding around on the vet's shoulders. As it turns out, the kitten was abandoned in a parking lot, picked up a few parasites and some burns, and then was dropped off at the vet's office. She was waiting for a good home.  Mr. G and I discussed it at length, but really it came down to this - we wanted to help, and we were in the position to do it. So we brought her home. She's been a joy. Very affectionate and curious. Keeping us entertained with all her antics. We love her already. So why the name Monkey? Several things . . she likes to climb (just on people so far), she greets us with a little squeaking noise that reminds me of monkeys, and her favorite blanket is covered with - you guessed it - monkeys.  I'd love to hear how you name pets. 

Mr. G and I love going out to eat. It's a little break from cooking and cleaning, and we enjoy the chance to talk. (Meals at restaurants last longer than meals at home, so I feel like we talk more.) But since we don't have unlimited funds, we usually skip dessert.  So imagine our surprise when we broke tradition to order a scoop of ice cream and this came to our table . .  I think the official name was French vanilla ice cream with peanut butter swirl. The official taste was YUM. When did desserts get so big?! linking up for wordless Wednesday

On a recent walk through the woods, one portion of the path was badly overgrown. The smart thing to do would have been to turn around and go back the way I came. Unfortunately, I didn't do the smart thing. I just continued walking, brushing vines out of my way as I went.  A little while later, at home, my face starting itching. Must be a bug bite, I thought. Until I looked in the bathroom mirror and realized I had a rash that looked an awful lot like poison ivy . Spoiler alert: it was poison ivy.  Bummer.  Thankfully the internet was here to save me with all kinds of recommendations (and provide me with frightening photographs - never google pictures of rashes).  I started out with some home based remedies (aloe and honey both reduced the itching), but eventually I branched out to the heavy hitters - medicated scrub and calamine lotion.  It took about a week, but everything cleared up, and my face and arms look normal again. Plus I can now identify poison ivy like a pro.

I finished 84, Charing Cross Road last night (and adored it) and look what I noticed when I reached the end. This is how I know a library book is old - it has a pocket! (Old being a relative term, of course.) Does anyone else remember these?  I remember them from my early years of having a library card. Sometimes the librarians would even let me use the date stamp on the check out card! And bonus, the pocket meant I could be nosy and see when the book was last checked out, how long it sat on the shelves before being picked again, and count to see whether blue, purple, or black ink had the most dates to its name. (I may have had too much free time.)  I'm sure the librarians were eager to see them go in favor of our current digital system, but I indulged in a little nostalgia for the pocket and card system last night. :) linking up for wordless Wednesday

Lots of changes in the garden over the past month. The biggest thing is that we built a trellis! It's occupying the space that was originally potato plants (all harvested now). I ordered bamboo and lashing cord online and we followed these directions without too much trouble. We didn't manage to get all the pieces straight, but the beans we planted won't know the difference ;) I think the most exciting part about the garden this time of year is that so many things are ready all at once. Here's a sample basket from a couple weeks ago: I've also discovered that pulling up carrots would be a great activity for anyone feeling stressed or angry. What can be better than ripping up plants and getting yummy carrots as part of the bargain? The flowers have really taken off too (some are nearly as tall as I am), and along with the ripening cherry tomatoes, they are making this side of the garden especially colorful. We've seen a lot more bees and butterfl

I stopped by the thrift shop to drop off two boxes of stuff we decluttered (wooo!) and look what I found . .  (Should I make a bad joke about how they were calling my name? haha ) Alas, they weren't my size (or style, really) but it was cool to see my name as a shoe brand. linking up for wordless Wednesday

I've mentioned before that new foods scare me sometimes . But I took the plunge on another one last week because my hubby was interested in trying it - black eyed peas. We used them in this tasty jambalaya-esque dish and now we both can add another food to our like lists.  Mr. G isn't a fan of anything spicy, but both vegan sausage and chili powder would be good additions, so they're listed as optional ingredients. Vegan Jambalaya Ingredients •  1 tablespoon oil (I used grape seed oil) •  1 medium onion, chopped •  1 chopped pepper/capsicum (I used bell pepper, feel free to also add hot pepper) •  1/2 teaspoon thyme •  2 cloves minced garlic •  3/4 cup basmati rice  •  2 1/2 cups vegetable broth •  2-3 tablespoons tomato paste  •  15 ounce can black eyed peas, rinsed •  1-2 zucchini optional:   •  1/2 cup vegan sausage, crumbled (I like Mexican Chipotle by Field Roast)  •  1/2 teaspoon chili powder Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add o

Usually I post a goals recap at the end of each month (see my goals for the year here ), but this month I really made no progress on anything except reading. Oh, reading.  It was an AMAZING month for reading. :) Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - Not sure how I made it to my late 20s without reading this book! I started reading it because I had no library books and this was a freebie, pre-loaded on my phone. The story was fun and I learned a bunch of new sailing terms.  Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh - A quick read (it's mostly comic strip style), but I really appreciated her two chapters on depression. They helped me understand the experience better than anything I've read before. The Composition by Antonio Skarmeta - A children's book Deb recommended. Pedro’s school forces everyone to participate in a writing competition about what their family does at night. Pedro lies and says his parents play chess every night to protect them (they act