Zest & Aplomb

Lifestyle

“All Hail” The Library: Much More Than Books

I really love libraries. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until they reopened our local branch after being closed for two years. Just walking in feels like home.

I don’t remember going as a very young child. But my memories of the bookmobile (not quite a library but close) are vivid as an elementary school student. I remember when it pulled onto our street and I waited in line to climb the stairs of the retrofitted bus. And then it was my turn to select books from the shelves. I also loved taking my kids to story time and watching as they carefully selected the books they would borrow for the week.

I didn’t enjoy them nearly much as a teenager or while in college. There was always someone shushing me just when I had something extraordinary to tell my friends. And during college, it was usually under duress since I’d procrastinated far too long and had to spend countless hours trying to finish a huge paper making it look like I’d been working on it for months.

September 30, 2022 by Cheryl Ryan

Lifestyle

I’m Going To Celebrate the Autumnal Equinox This Year

By Cheryl Ryan

I’m not sure why I’m so intrigued by this. I haven’t thought about it since elementary school. But this year I feel like we should celebrate everything so here you go.

The autumnal equinox falls on Thursday, September 22nd this year. It’s almost always the 22nd or 23rd, unless it’s a leap year. It is the day of the year when day and night each last 12 hours because of the unique annual planetary alignment in North America. It’s obviously not to the minute, and depends on where in North America you live but it still signifies the beginning of fall.

It’s often associated with the large harvest moon which held ancient significance in that it gave farmers more light during their final harvests before the frosts destroyed what was left.

September 22, 2022 by Cheryl Ryan

Travel

Lake Tahoe – Even Better After The Fires

By Cheryl Ryan

Lake Tahoe has been besieged by fires the last few years, with smoke levels so unsafe that we couldn’t go outside to many days that we couldn’t see much of the lake even when we were outside. I didn’t realize it, but I’d come to dread going. That’s why when the opportunity arose to take an impromptu trip in early July while I knew the air was clear, I jumped at the chance, just in case the smoke moved in during our scheduled August time slot.

Honestly, I’d almost forgotten how spectacular Lake Tahoe could be. The sky and water were vivid blues, and the air so crisp and fresh that I felt like gulping it in. It starkly contrasted the muddy gray – even red – air that persisted when the fires were their worst.

Sitting at 6,224 feet above sea level Lake Tahoe is surrounded by majestic granite cliffs and an alpine forest. The Tahoe basin is a natural lake formed long ago between parallel volcanic faults by glaciation and volcanic activity. Our first recent history of Lake Tahoe was that of Explorer John C. Fremont, who spotted the lake in 1844.

So Much To Do

If you live in California, you’ve probably visited. But for those who haven’t, you might ask what you can do in Lake Tahoe. I think a better question is what can’t you do. From hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, boating, off-roading, biking, lazy beach lounging, camping, river rafting, golf, water skiing, snow skiing, or eating at any number of restaurants along its 72-mile circumference, there is something for everybody. It is a spectacular gem divided in two, with Nevada on one side and California on the other.

September 9, 2022 by Cheryl Ryan

Lifestyle

Labor Day: Fun & Food With Our People

By Cheryl Ryan

I took this summer off from blog writing to travel relax. I hope that you’ve all enjoyed some carefree summertime of your own.

It’s been a travel, go to concerts, BBQs and family reunions type of summer. Several friends of mine got Covid while traveling internationally and had to stay in their rooms, missing part of their vacation. I can’t think of anyone that complained. They would rather have gone on their trip and missed some travel than not gone at all.

And now we’ve all made it to Labor Day. I’m starting to hear talk about days getting shorter as we head into fall. I love it. I love that we’re here.

So how are you going to celebrate this year? We’ve got family coming into town and it’s supposed to be a hot one, so we’ll be planning our activities around that.

Since it’s going to be hot, I don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen. So all the things listed below are dishes that are either simple or do double duty!

August 31, 2022 by Cheryl Ryan

Lifestyle

Time for Some Saucy Father’s Day Talk

By Cheryl Ryan

It’s that time of year when all we need are some fresh in-season produce coupled with some great seasonal dressings or sauces to spice it all up. So I’ve been looking for some new recipes to whip up so that I can prepare them at the beginning of the week to use on anything and everything that we eat.

Green Goddess

Tahini

Cilantro Lime Dressing

Homemade Ceasar

And either this or this peanut sauce looks great for spring rolls.

I’m also loving this Lemony Spring Pasta.

And burrata cheese is making a splashy show again this summer. I will definitely be making this peach and burrata appetizer again and try this mixed green salad because yum! Using buratta cheese on pizzas looks amazing. And how about this chicken, peach and burrata main dish?

Father’s Day

And here comes Father’s Day again. Do you make a big deal at your house? Ours isn’t too big since not everyone can even drop on by for a BBQ. According to this poll, most dads want something simple. To be together, maybe a card or receive something homemade like food. So I just need a card and to make some delish recipes and we should be good. But if you want to be a Dad’s Day over achiever these activity gifts could go a long way!

Top Golf gift certificate

Most dads like concerts. Here is a list of newer artists and festivals but if your dad is into the old rockers’ tour we’ve got a list for that too.

June 12, 2022 by Cheryl Ryan

Travel

Santa Cruz: A Place to Catch Your Breath

By Cheryl Ryan

During those years when I declared Mother’s Day a national holiday in our family, Santa Cruz was always my destination of choice. I’ve often gone over the hill just to catch my breath and look at things from a new perspective. Although it feels like a world away, it’s only 70 miles south of San Francisco and right over Highway 17 from Silicon Valley. But there is a lot more than meets the eye in this quaint Pacific beach town. It’s happening shop-lined downtown, the University of California Santa Cruz and historic beach boardwalk and wharf are nestled against redwood-covered mountains on one side and views of the Monterey Bay on the other.

Its waters are rich in sea life. From otters, whales, white sharks and dolphins, you only have to take a sailboat from the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor to spot marine wildlife.

June 1, 2022 by Cheryl Ryan

Lifestyle

Memorial Day: Are You Wearing White?

By Cheryl Ryan

Here comes Memorial Day and it looks like parades, wearing white and BBQing are all on the agenda this year. That old thing about only wearing white after Memorial Day is less in vogue than in the past but I do still prefer to wear white with fun accessories during summer.

I’m looking forward to preparing summer foods again and trying to catch up in my garden (I’m getting a very late start this year). Here are some bbq meat recipes along with a few vegetarian options for either mains or side dishes, if you’re looking for inspiration.

I really like this list of things to do as a family to celebrate Memorial Day, especially making a care package for an active duty service member and hosting an outdoor movie night .

I’ve been reluctant to pay for one more media consuming channel so, instead of paying for audible, I downloaded our local library’s rental app. Ours is Cloud Library but you will need to contact your local library to find out what they are using.

May 26, 2022 by Cheryl Ryan

Lifestyle

Another Installment Of: Pet Peeves

By Cheryl Ryan

Once again, I find myself worried about how easy it is to think of things that bother me (see Pet Peeves Part I). But it is easy, so here we go:

I’ll start with TSA! Ugh. There must be a better way to stop terrorists than molesting people. Since I’ve had surgery, I get patted down regularly when traveling. If I go through the old-style machines, they often need to do a full-body search. Sometimes they ask whether I want to go into a private room for my search. Umm, no. I don’t want to go into an isolated room for a full-body search, thank you very much. Let’s do this in broad daylight, shall we?

May 18, 2022 by Cheryl Ryan

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