Duffy Brown's Blog: New Cozy Series - Posts Tagged "fun"

It’s a new year and everyone is making resolutions. I suck at resolutions. I mean well but things just never seem to work out. So, I was looking on Pinterest and they have this board called New Thing to Try in 2015.
Somehow that made more sense or maybe it’s the wording. It just sounds more adventuresome and a lot more fun than You’re fat, Duffy, resolve to lose weight!

The first thing I’m going to try that’s new in 2015 is learning Italian! I’m off to Italy to discover my Italian Roots as grandpa Angelo was from Bisaccia, a tiny town just southeast of Naples. To try and not offend my relatives I thought it would be nice to try and speak the language. (though with my ability to learn foreign languages it might not work out that way) But at least I’ll try.

I’m also going to start doing Zumba more before this poor old body of mine completely falls apart. And the new thing for me is to start lifting weights! Picture me as Hercules by December. See, an adventure!
I’m going to try the fish oil routine as my eyes are failing and I guess fish have much better eyes. And I’m going to write three pages a day come hell or high-water. I need to get organized. Trust me, this is indeed a new and adventuresome path for Duffy Brown.

So there you have it, my new things to try in 2015. Do you have any adventures you’re taking on? Hopefully something fun and exciting and that will not make you look like Hercules.

Hugs and Happy 2015!
Duffy Brown

I used to think that vacation meant going to the beach. Maybe because I live east of the Mississippi and can actually drive to the ocean. And there are terrific lakes close by as well all with wonderful beaches.

Something about water is so relaxing, the waves the endless stretch of sandy beaches for walking and riding bikes, the sun setting/rising over the water. And the food! Nothing is more delish than fresh-caught fish!

And if you actually do the fishing that just doubles the pleasure of catching your dinner! If you boat that adds to the pleasure even more. Getting out on the water feels like an escape from the everyday grind of work and schedules. The roar of the motorboats is a fast getaway or the flap of the sails or dip of the paddles for a more relaxing adventure.
At one time I couldn’t imagine a vacation without going to the water. And then I discovered the mountains!
Wow, talk about escape. Heading into the mountains is escape on steroids! There is nothing like a hike in the woods to get away from it all. The tress, the animals, the feeling of leaving it all behind and going for long hike.

I think the quiet is what impresses me most about the mountains. No cars, no motors, few people and when you do meet up with someone it’s just a nod of greeting then you are back on your own again.

And then there’s the camping. Nothing is more solitary and offers the feeling of getting away than camping. No running water electricity, TV. Just you and a campfire. There is something totally mesmerizing about a fire in the woods and cooking your food over it.

So what about you? Are you a Beach Girl or a Mountain Mamma when it comes to vacation? If you could pack your bags right now...where would you go?

It seems like there’s a day for everything even beyond the biggies of Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas and to tell you the truth I like it. I like celebrating even the simple things in life and a lot of times they are the very thing that make life interest.

Well, tomorrow is one of those special days for something we use a lot, the sandwich. Yep, tomorrow Nov 3 is National Sandwich Day.

IMHO sandwiches are an amazing invention. They are perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack. And they come in so many forms with fun names—hoagie, hero, grinder, sub, wedge. I’m not sure what a wedge is but if it’s a sandwich in any form I’m in. Fact is, it’s rare to find anyone who doesn’t have at least one favorite sandwich.

So how did this whole sandwich thing start you ask? It was born in London during the very late hours one night in 1762 when an English nobleman, John Montagu the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, was too busy gambling to stop for a meal even though he was hungry. It must be a guy thing. Women would have no problem stopping cards and going out for lunch.

But I digress...

The legend goes that Montagu ordered a waiter to bring him roast-beef between two slices of bread. The Earl was then able to continue his gambling while eating his snack and from that we have inherited that quick-food product that we now know as the sandwich.

It seems that old Montagu had the meat put on slices of bread so he wouldn’t get his fingers greasy while he was playing cards. God forbid he mess up the cards.

So my question to you is... What is your fave sandwich? BP&J, ham and Swiss, grilled cheese, a Ruben...don’t you just love Rubens...chicken salad, fried bologna, pastrami on rye?

IMHO the key to a really good sandwich is everything sliced really thin! You can put on layers but the meant and cheese have to be thin sliced. And there has to be mayo and maybe add chips and I don’t mean just eat chips with the sandwich but put the chips on the sandwich. Love the crunch!

So what about you? Got a fave sandwich and what do you thing makes a sandwich really yummy?

Hi, Duffy Brown here and Halloween is just around the corner. I finally brought my candy because if I buy it too soon there is no candy left to pass out.
I love candy bars. I try to buy one that I don’t like but that doesn’t work as I like all of them except those almond joy thing but if I gave them out of Halloween the kids would egg my house for sure.
I have an assortment of Snickers, Hershey bars, Reese’s Cups, Skittles, Kit Kat. That should keep everyone happy. I told my daughter in NYC that as soon as the trick or treaters left I was dumping all the candy in a box and sending it off to her and get it out of my house!
I love passing out the candy maybe because I enjoyed going trick or treating so much as a kid. I remember coming back home with my cousin and BFF Barbie and we’d dump all our candy out in front of us and then start trading. Something like two Smarties for a Snickers was how it went.
After a week or so the good candy got eaten and the rest sat around till Mom tossed it out.
So what are you passing out to the trick or treaters this Halloween?