A Second Look--July 23, 2014

Here are some things I saw this week 

during a Second Look.

The tiger lilies are starting to bloom and are a favorite of the hummingbirds. The hummingbirds are still visiting our feeder, but they are also enjoying the lilies.

The black eyed susan are also blooming now.

There always new mushrooms to be found.

Notice the black dot in the middle of the Queen Anne's Lace. A couple of years I did a study of these in my yard after a friend said they only come with a black dot and I said I'd never seen one with a black dot until then.  You can read about it here  if you're curious.

I don't know the name of this green beetle, but it was quite striking shining in the sun.

Three of the baby wrens hatched today. The mother is still sitting on the nest waiting for the other two.

Ordinary Treasures--Apple Seeds

Every once in a while, I find an ordinary thing that happens everyday but strikes me as wondrous. I found one of these recently in an apple. The apple had two seeds in the middle of it that were already sprouting, and this was something that I hadn't seen before. I know that the whole goal of an apple seed is to sprout and grow into an apple tree, but most seeds wait until they are in the ground. These two early-sprouting seeds struck me as an everyday, wondrous thing. Sometimes it's the simple things...

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Jul. 20, 2014

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions. Occasionally, if our eating is going okay, I'll talk about some other food topic.

Monday Edition

My Food Waste Friday post is a little late because we've been having internet problems. However, things are getting a little loosey -goosey around here in the food department, so I figure it was better late than never. I think I need a little more public accountability these days to get back on track with both not wasting and better eating.

This Week's Food Waste

Very disappointingly, we recently had some cheese slices go bad before we ate them. We also lost some lettuce and half a cucumber. And maybe other stuff. It certainly seems like there has been more, but I can't remember. That's what happens when I don't report on things in a regular fashion. Hopefully, I won't have much waste next week, and that will be because we were very good about not wasting, not because I can't remember. :)

This Week's True Food Confessions

Okay, let me confess. We had pizza three times last week (two carry out and one from the freezer).  Now  there's nothing wrong with having pizza three times in a week. In fact, Ward was quite happy about it. However, having pizza three times in one week because nothing is planned, is not the best. Once again, our eating patterns over the last couple of weeks has been hit or miss. We have had some very good meals with fresh veggies from the garden and some good carryout meals from Subway and Dominoes. But for next week, we need a plan. That's what we need for next week. A plan. Do you think if I say it often enough, one will materialize? A plan, we need a plan. Nope. That's not working. Guess I'll have to do it the old fashioned way. Check what we have to work with, what our schedules are for next week and make a meal plan. Sigh.

Fried radishes. Yum.

On another food front, let me tell you about Theo and radishes. Radishes have been on sale recently at Aldi's and Theo has been experimenting with them. First he sauteed/fried them with a little oil and salt. The general consensus was that the radishes fixed that way were pretty good. They were sweet with just a little of the radish bite to them. He also added them to a stew with other vegetables in the slow cooker. He reports that he wouldn't cook them again this way. While they were okay to eat (meaning he finished the dish), they weren't that good. I had never eaten radishes any way except raw before, so I found these experiments interesting.

Until next time...

Thankful Sunday--July 20, 2014

I am thankful for my mother and her patience. 

Many years ago, my mother gave birth to me on this day after waiting patiently three weeks after her due date for me to arrive. Then she waited patiently for 6 more months for me to stop crying night and day. For her and patient mothers everywhere, I am thankful.

A Second Look--July 16, 2014

New things I saw this week during a Second Look:

• Nest activity on top of the old chickadee nest
• Five Wren eggs
• Sunflower bloom (almost)
• Gayfeather blooms
• New kinds and colors of day lilies
• Japanese beetles :(
• Hot and steamy weather and lots of thunder storms (This is actually old news.)