Three Beautiful Things 08-22-2025: Cameras in Plain Sight, Ed Extends Invitations -- I Accept, Chicken Dinner

1. I charged the batteries for my Nikon D3100 and my Pentax Q. Rather than store the cameras on a shelf above where my clothes are hanging, I put them out on the desk that's been out of action since the transplant. (That's another story for another time. Maybe.) I do better with all my belongings when they are out in the open, not out of sight. 

My next challenge, now, is to decide what I want to photograph. 

For now, I'll keep my struggles with what to photograph in and around Kellogg to myself, but I hope I can push myself to overcome these struggles and get back to taking pictures again, 

2. Ed called me this morning and extended three invitations to me. 

1. He was going to meet Mike Stafford in CdA at the Breakfast Nook on Saturday morning: Did I want to join him?

2. He wanted to head south after breakfast and pick up some chew at Fightin' Creek and then go a few more miles south and spin some reels at the CdA Casino. Did I want to join him?

3. How about getting together at The Lounge around 4 o'clock?

My answers:

yes

yes

yes

I look forward to Saturday's fun and I enjoyed drinking a couple refreshing Bud Zeros and yakkin' with Ed and Cas. 

Ed makes superb invitations! 

3. Back home, I fixed a pot of jasmine rice, fried frozen corn, frozen green beans, and sliced mushrooms in butter in the cast iron skillet, and baked four chicken thighs seasoned with salt, pepper, Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute, and sesame seeds. 

I ate two of the thighs which were flavor packed with a modest variety of textures and chilled the other two for tomorrow. 

I was very happy with the way the vegetables and rice complimented the chicken. 

Earlier today, for the first time in years, I bought a carton of ice cream -- French Vanilla to be precise.

At some point early in our marriage, Debbie scooped ice cream into a glass or a coffee mug, poured milk over it, and stirred the ice cream and milk furiously, making an instant milk shake. 

I'd never seen anyone do that and tonight, inspired by Debbie, I made myself just such a milk shake. 

I also had Bob Dylan's song, "If Not for You" pop in my mind and thought of all the things that would be missing in my life if not for Debbie, chief among them is a quick stir it yourself in a glass or a mug milk shake.