All Deck Posts Capped

 

Song:  Sweet Return

Artist:  Hilary Stagg

I started the day with a big meal...

as I wanted it to keep me going all day.

I had made these beefer sliders the other day...

and as I hadn't had them in such a long time...

and they had tasted so good the other day...

 I went food shopping yesterday...

to buy more of the needed ingredients.

It is a very simple...

but hearty meal.

You simply brown 1 lb of ground beef...

season well with salt and black pepper...

...and you top each beefer slider with grated cheese...

and verde sauce.

This verde is so delicious.

I made each slider with buttery croissants.

After I brown the ground beef...

I simply load it into a left overs refrigerator container.

This way...

as I will only eat about half of the ground beef...

I can just put on the cover and place it directly into the fridge...

once I am done eating.

I would end up eating the whole container of these croissants.

As you can see...

I love soaking the ground beef in the verde sauce.

They had tasted so delicious that I had eaten 12 of them.

I then rested for a while before starting on capping the 2nd deck posts.

Once I began...

it didn't take so long.

(I had wanted to add a coating of waterproofing to all exposed wood this past summer...

as you can see how some of the last coating from the previous owners

had started wearing off...

but it will have to wait until next Spring).

Now...

the post on the left...

as you can see...

had drop offs on both sides of it.

What I did was to walk along one side while holding on to the railing with one hand...

while holding the items and tools with the other.

Once I reached parallel with the post...

I swung out one foot and caught the other side with it...

as I straddled over the stairway.

Applying the screws was a bit awkward as I had to hold the screw with one hand...

and the power drill in the other...

as I straddled the void.

It took me about 5x as long to secure the cap as with the other posts...

as the angle I had to hold the power drill with my hand was awkward...

but I finally got it done.

These three posts were the last ones to cap for all of my decks.

I had finished just in time...

as the temperature began to drop...

and the winds began to pick up.

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These stairs are to what I will be adding raised friction mats and waterproofing...

to keep me from slipping during icy conditions

(these are the ones I had slipped down all the way to the rocks below...

the last time the stairs were covered in ice).

So long as the weather holds out...

tomorrow morning, I will repair the water damaged wood

(my two part epoxy arrived today)...

and while those spots are curing...

I will start working on these stairs.

My reward after I finished for the day...

a large pot of peppermint tea.

I am sipping on my first mug of it right now...

and the effects of it are, both...

refreshing, and relaxing.

I am telling you...

you simply must try this peppermint tea.

It will soon become your hot beverage of choice.

Another Magical Sunset / Tea House

 

Song:  A Breathtaking Piano Piece

Artist:  Jervy Hou

I was up in the loft on the computer when I noticed amber light coming in through the windows.

I stepped out on to the third deck and was treated to another magical sunset.

I get the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets right from home.

The colors make me so happy.

----------

As I had been in bed all day...

but was feeling so much better...

I decided I would go to the Yellow Mountain Tea House in Colorado Springs...

once again.

I just love that tea house.

Even though I have the same tea at home that they use there...

the Dim Sum and the ambiance just draws me back

(I ordered from the Yellow Mountain Tea House online

to get a large supply of Peppermint tea of my own).

I got into my car and started driving towards the tea house.

I took this last sunset shot just before the first major turn down the mountain road.

I arrived in Old Town Colorado Springs...

and parked just behind the tea house.

I got the same table I had my first time there...

...and of course...

I got the same tea.

I just love that particular tea.

I got my Dim Sum...

and I enjoyed each bite.

Part way through my meal...

a staff member asked me if I would like more tea.

I, of course...

got my free refill of tea.

I also picked up two more ounces of loose leaf peppermint tea as I was paying to leave.

I will be going back every so often...

as the staff members are just so nice...

and I feel so at home there.

----------

On my way home...

I stopped in at Walmart once again.

I picked up more ground beef...

 buttery mini croissants, and sharp cheddar cheese...

as I made mini beefer sliders yesterday...

and I loved them so much that I just had to get more of the same ingredients...

as I will make more of them tomorrow.

I also loved the blueberry pie from the other day.

--------------

I am so glad I moved to my home here in the mountains.

There are just so many magical days...

one after the other here...

and with even more adventures lying ahead.

Although I have already checked off most of my major bucket list items...

I still have many more of the minor ones to check off.

And so...

I live in a constant state of, both...

serenity...

and of hopeful anticipation.

This is a major dream fulfilled.

This is what retirement is supposed to be all about.

And...

I am living the dream...

and this is what life is supposed to be all about.

Tea Infuser Arrived

 

Song:  Ordinary World

Group: Duran Duran

I just received my electric Infuser Kettle today.

I love it so much.

-------------

Yes...

I am like a child when I react to positive things in life.

I feel an inner giddiness...

a bubbling and upwelling of happiness from the simplest things.

I had been so looking forwards to this infuser 

since I had first ordered my peppermint tea.

I will be making large batches of tea...

as I will be drinking large quantities throughout the day. 

This great electric infuser comes with a separate base plate...

which the kettle itself just fits on top of as only the water in the kettle heats up...

while the base remains cool.

Then you just lift off the kettle and it is portable as a serving vessel.

You can see the stainless steel loose leaf tea strainer inside the kettle.

I had also ordered a stainless steel...

hermetically sealable tea container.

I just spooned out the tea into the filter

(which attaches to the underside of the lid).

I slid the tea strainer back onto the lid.

There is also a finer filter which seals up against the pouring spout...

and which is part of the main kettle...

but which is very easy to clean.

Addendum:  You would first allow the water to boil...

and then you would emplace the tea infuser to allow the tea to steep.

Otherwise...

it is subject to boil over with higher levels of water.

I then just placed the kettle onto the electrical connector plate...

...and flipped the large under handle switch

(a blue led light tells you when it is heating the water to a boil...

whereupon it automatically shuts off and the tea steeps for 10 or so minutes).

In less than a minute...

it began to boil the water.

In less than two minutes...

it began to boil at a greater rate.

After I let it steep...

the tea was the color of coffee...

just right.

The kettle just lifts right off the electrical connection plate.

And the kettle performs perfectly as a serving vessel.

I really love this tea steeper.

It works perfectly...

is very convenient...

and is a very welcome addition to my kitchen.

---------

Although this tea is delicious...

and leaves a coolness in my mouth...

I want an even more intense peppermint experience.

So, I ordered essence of peppermint drops...

made specifically to add to tea.

I will then call my peppermint tea...

Arctic Blast  :)

I think I will once again visit the Yellow Mountain Tea House.

I miss the Dim Sum...

as well as the tranquil ambiance...

and I plan to buy more tea directly from them.

-----------

Just as the included song intimates...

take care of the future...

so you may then leave the prison of the past...

and so...

you may fully live life today.

Allow yourself to feel a free flowing happiness

in the most ordinary of events in your life.

Delicious meals or drinks...

country drives...

little gifts to yourself...

beautiful scenery...

should all make you feel as giddy as a child at Christmas.

So...

 once again...

never let your inner child die...

for he (or she) is the one who gives life so much of its flavor.

Love life always...

it is the only one we will ever have.