I am already tired of winter weather, although here in Oklahoma we have had some nice, mild days intermingled with the cold ones. Summer is too hot, winter is too cold, but spring and fall are just right, as far as I'm concerned.

There are some things about the internet that are just so much fun! Sometimes I will recall a food that my mom prepared when I was a child, but that I don't have a recipe for. (Maybe she didn't, either!) I can search online and find similar recipes which will lead me in the right direction. The most recent one was a chicken and rice soup which featured--besides chicken and rice--carrots and celery. Mom made it with cut-up chicken pieces (bone-in) rather than chopped up boneless chicken. It was really more of a stew or a stove-top casserole because it really wasn't very thinned down with liquid. I don't remember Mom's version having onions in it, but mine certainly will! I do think she used garlic (probably garlic salt). It was absolutely delicious and an excellent winter meal. Of course, we all know that no one cooks like Mom, but at least we can find similar recipes and have fun in the process!

I think cooking (and even just looking for recipes) can be good therapy when you need to rest your mind from everyday concerns. You can also find new and different foods to fix and healthier ways to fix them. You can find less expensive ways to fix meals, too. Having access to the millions of recipes on the internet is useful as well as fun.

I took a vacation day from work today. I've had some sort of respiratory ailment for the last 9 days and, while I am definitely better, I'm still weary and can't quite shake the cough and congestion. Maybe that's why I was thinking longingly of Mom and her chicken-rice soup! Getting older is definitely not for sissies, as the saying goes. It gets harder to recover from things.

My apartment needs cleaning. I hope to feel energetic enough tomorrow to do something about that.

Even my brain is not up to par. I've written posts for all three of my blogs today, but they aren't terribly inspiring.

Tomorrow will be better.
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