Latest Posts
-
Reading Lately
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy! – “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns Oh, January! I had such high hopes. But, alas, February. I imagined when I retired that I would have all the time in the world to do the things I didn’t get to when I was teaching. You know what? Turns out that you fill up as much time as you have and then some. I planned to post after every book I read. Clearly, that did not happen.…
-
40 Days…
Because this blog is for me but also for anyone who might stumble across it, I am making some notes about Lent and Ash Wednesday that I find particularly educational and interesting. The Council of Nicaea, which was a gathering of about 250 (some say 318) clergy in 325 AD, was held in what is now modern day Turkey (then Asia Minor). There were two “big ticket” issues decided: the divinity of Jesus and standardizing a date for Easter. This whole Easter dating thing is always a hot topic. Everyone likes to say that it’s based on pagan practices. Here’s…
-
Roasted, Glazed Carrots – Yum!
I am a fan of glazed carrots, and I am a fan of roasted carrots. Put the two together! Delicious. I had a bag of those “baby” carrots that needed to be used, so I decided to blend a couple of ideas about cooking them and am glad I did. This recipe makes 5-6 servings.  Here’sWhat You Need: 2 lbs carrots (you can use any type – baby, purple, standard) .25 c brown sugar (or honey or maple syrup) 2 cloves of garlic, minced (or jarlic – you do you) 2 T melted butter 1 T olive oil .5…
-
Because of the refrigerator…
“My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a dog” This is the first sentence of one of my favorite books, Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo. And because my brain is a strange place, this line immediately came to mind when I opened my refrigerator to see what needed to be used most. So this post could start… My name is Bonnie Yvonne Watkins and today, me – myself, the retired teacher,…
-
Meal Prep Tip – Chicken Breast
After more than 40 years of deciding what’s for dinner every night, I’ve learned a few things. Some things I’ve learned through success, but many things I’ve learned by failure. Have you ever bought chicken with the idea that you’d get it cooked and waited too many days? Thrown chicken in the freezer only to discover it’s made it’s way to the very back and is now freezer burned? It’s happened to even the best organized homemakers. One way to get chicken used in a timely manner is to meal prep it for future meals. This last week I got…
-
2026 Reading Challenge Book 1
Six days into the new year and I have finished one book and started the second. I chose Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn for the prompt, “set in an ancient civilization.” This is the second Quinn book that I have read. Much like her other book, The Phoenix Crown, that was the California book in last year’s challenge, Quinn spends a lot of time building the setting and characterization early in her book. As a result, the first 40% of the book is a little slow. However, after that, the action gets going, and I was surprised by one…
-
Book Ratings – My Take
In a previous post, I mentioned the book challenge I am doing for 2026. I’ve finished the first book and will soon post a review. Before I do that, I thought I might take a minute to explain my book rating systems. Many people choose complicated systems evaluating plot, characterization, setting, and more, but I read for enjoyment now (I’ve finished evaluating books like an ELA teacher). My systems are pretty simple. Each book gets a “how much Bonnie liked it” rating – 1-5 There’s no real criteria. I go with my gut here. DNF – did not finish –…
-
Have a Little Faith
My short version of my walk with the Lord: I was raised in a home where faith in God was not relevant; however, my grandparents were serious Southern Baptists and during the parts of my childhood that I spent with them I learned about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I was baptized as a child, but I had little understanding what that really meant. I was baptized on my grandparents’ anniversary as much for them as for myself. When I met my future husband, he had been raised in a Christian home but was disconnected in that way college…
-
The 52 Book Club’s 2026 Reading Challenge
Reading is Fundamental! Are you old enough to remember those commercials? I think reading is just plain fun. Since I’ve retired, I’ve worked on improving and challenging my reading habits. For 2026, I will be participating in The 52 Book Club’s challenge. I’m serious these days about challenges and about journaling, so I needed to make some decisions in order to prepare my reading journal for next year. (Can you believe it’s only a few days until the new year?) These are my choices so far. However, I reserve the right to change any book at any time. LOL I…
-
Last Bonus Read of the Year
Christmas at the Ranch by Julia McKay A swoony second chance holiday romance, about a woman who escapes family scandal in the city by fleeing to Evergreen Lake for Christmas, where she first found love and heartbreak at Wilder Ranch. On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to a run-in with my ex, two flat tires, and a miracle horse to help me find love. With the holidays around the corner and her father under arrest for financial fraud, journalist Everly Oakes has no idea where to turn. She’s only certain of one she needs to get away.…