A Second Look--February 27, 2013

Right now it's 36° F, with a strong wind driving rain into the windows. I'm glad that I did my exploring earlier in the week because I really don't want to go outside right now. As I did my Second Look, I found that I am focusing more on animals than plants, which I guess is no surprise since most of the plants are still dormant. However, I did find another clump of snowdrops I didn't know about. A pleasant surprise. 

Also, I found more bones this week. Ward and I visited a local park last weekend and talked to the naturalist about some of the bones we've been finding. She gave us some good information to help narrow down what animals we may be dealing with. I found it all very interesting and will share some of her wisdom with you in another post. 


Here's What I Found This Week During a Second Look.

Carolina wren

Acorn caps

Deer hoof prints

Snowdrops

Leaves we didn't get raked last fall.

Red-bellied woodpecker

Mammal jaw bone

Crow vertebrae

Park where Ward and I met with the naturalist.

Boys vs. Girls--The Stuffed Animals

Before I had kids, I thought that each child was an individual, and didn't believe much in gender stereotypes in children. Little boys ran and jumped a lot because that's the kind of games they were taught. Little girls played with dolls because that was the kind of toys they were given. I thought that if all kids, regardless of gender, were exposed to the same things, they would have the same tendencies. Then I spent some time in the real world of kids and figured out that I was wrong. Possibly there were some differences between boys and girls. From time to time, I'm going to share some of my experiences that led me to this conclusion. However, so as to not bias you, I'm going to let you guess, who are the boys in the stories and who are the girls.  Today's Story I was working with a new person at work and he invited us over for dinner. He wanted me to meet his wife and little girl, Lily, who was the same age as Wally at the time. They were both just under two years old. Wally and Lily hit it off, and we parents had a good time watching as they toddled around with each other. Coincidentally, both Wally and Lilly were attached to a stuffed animal at the time that they carried everywhere. However, the way they carried them was quite different. One of them, carried it by the arm, swung it around, and drug it on the ground. The other one cuddled it in their arms and cooed quietly to it. You choose. Which was the boy and which was the girl?Disclaimer: Of course, we all know that each person is a unique individual with a special set of traits that makes them who they are. No one is “all boy” just as no one is “all girl.”     

Powdered Milk

or Yikes! When Did Powdered Milk Become More Expensive than Fresh Milk?

Last night I had Ward pick up some powdered milk at the store because many of the recipes for my bread machine use it, and I had decided it was time to branch out from the bread we usually make. I didn't think any more about this until Theo was looking at the receipt and said that powdered milk was really expensive. Upon further investigation, we figured out that when reconstituted, powdered milk was about twice as expensive as fresh milk per gallon.* What? When did that happen?

When Ward and I were kids, both of our mothers had powdered milk in the cupboard because it was a money saver--especially since they had a lot of kids around who drank a lot of milk. (I thought nothing of having two or three glasses of milk with supper-growing girl and all). Even though powdered milk was quite a bit cheaper than regular milk, no one liked the taste. However, our mothers tried their best to get us to drink it. They would mix the regular milk and powdered milk together to hide some of the taste and make the regular milk last longer. They also tried serving it ice cold when it was said that you couldn't taste the difference between the two. My mother even tried mixing it with Nestle's Quik.

However, no one was very happy with their experiments. At Ward's house, it was an acceptable drink although not preferable. But it was a no go at my house. My father was raised on a farm with fresh-from-the-cow milk every day, and the powdered milk just didn't cut it. My sisters and I really didn't like the taste, so we were secretly siding with my father. So after a valiant try, my mother gave up. I even once or twice tried powdered milk with Wally and Theo because I thought it was my duty as a mother. And they didn't like it any better than I did. And just for nostalgic reasons, today Ward made himself a glass to see if it tasted as bad as he remembered. The look on his face told me that things hadn't changed.

So in my mind, powdered milk has always been there as the bad tasting, but inexpensive, nutritional alternative to regular milk. But somewhere along the way, things changed. It got expensive. More expensive than regular milk. I wondered why and did a bit of reading. And you know what I figured out? It's a very confusing issue. Price supports, weather, disgruntled cows and a customer preference for cheese may be involved.

So what is the conclusion to all of this? The more things change, the more they remain the same. Powdered milk still tastes bad.

*This was comparing milk prices in the same store. We did this in two different stores and found the same thing.

Thankful Sunday--February 24, 2013

I am thankful for brownies.

Gooey, Chocolatey, Simple Bites of Heaven

Today...

Today, I'm going to try not to be irritable and prickly.

Some days when I wake up, I feel prickly like this honey locust. I have to remember that my mood is my choice and I have to work on changing it. A walk outdoors is always a good start for me.

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Feb. 22, 2013

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.

This Week's Food Waste

 None!

    None!

              None!

This Week's True Food Confessions

In the center is a cabbage roll--our new recipe for the week.

 
This week, when we had our favorite takeout pizza, I realized that we hadn't had it for at least two or three weeks. Remarkable, considering we had it at least twice a week before. And yes, it tasted as good as we remembered. We had the rest of our vegetable-rich meals at home. While the carnivores in the family would have preferred a big steak, they didn't complain when meat was only a condiment in most of our dishes. However, the best treat we had required no cooking--grapefruit. This is the time of year for citrus and these grapefruits were certainly proof of that.

The new recipe we tried was Stuffed Cabbage with Tangy Tomato Sauce. I got the recipe out of the latest Prevention magazine, but it is also available online. The recipe was good, but was not hit-out-of-the park good. Everyone had several servings, but gave it only decent reviews. Theodore and Ward thought it was too sweet. The recipe called for 2 tablespoons of sugar and I would cut that in half next time I made them. And speaking of next time I make them, I would change the recipe quite a bit procedurally. There were entirely too many steps for me. You had to make the sauce and simmer it, and you had to cook the cabbage multiple times to get the leaves off to stuff, and you had to cook the rice, and you had to brown the meat and onion. And then you had to assemble it all and cook it in the crock pot for five hours. Golly, that's a week's worth of meal preparations for me.   However, we do like the combination of cabbage and tomatoes, so next time I will probably use this recipe as a basis for a cabbage stew. Or I'll just let Theo make it. He made an excellent cabbage-tomato soup recently with just a little of this and a little of that.


So how would I rate this week overall? Pretty good. However, I can feel that we're starting to slip a little. That's because I start too late to cook. Then I'm tired or something else I have put off is calling me louder than the kitchen. I'm going to try to get some of the prep work done before I go to work. That should help. Until next time...

A Second Look--February 20, 2013

We continue to have a little snow everyday or two, but not enough to last. Also, I haven't seen as many birds at the feeder recently, but I think that is because I'm not watching at the right times. They come in groups intermittently and you have to be watching at the right times or you will miss them. However, the crows come every morning around breakfast time, so I always get a good show from them. Ward and Theo went on one of the walks with me this week. I always find it interesting to see what someone else notices. Ward found another bone and Theo found an old ball, both things I would have missed on my own.

Here's what we saw this week during our Second Look.

Crocus pushing up through the mulch.

It was snowing very large flakes this morning.

This was the only feather in the area.

Sometimes when a lot of crows fly in, I feel like I'm in the movie, The Birds.

Fungus on a rotting tree stump

Something rooted up this clump of moss.

Theo's ball

I think this bone was part of a bird.

My Father's Garden

Most of my life I watched my father garden, and I learned a lot about life as I observed him adjust to the ever changing world that surrounded him there. He usually had an acre or more of vegetables growing every year and I watched as he spent hours and hours, days and days, and weeks and weeks planting the garden. He'd plant 20 rows of corn and the crows would eat 20 rows of corn. He'd plant beans and the rabbits would feast on the leaves. He'd plant tomatoes and the groundhogs would take one bite out of each one. And the deer—they liked EVERYTHING in the garden. So he put up an electric fence. That worked except for the things that could go under it like the rabbits. Then he put up a chicken wire fence inside the electric fence to keep those critters out. And that worked except for the creatures that burrowed under the fence like groundhogs. So, he buried fencing a foot underground and that worked for the digging critters. Now all he had left were the flying creatures. So, he put up scarecrows and shiny streamers and that sort of worked, except for the wild turkeys. And turkeys are like the deer, in that they like EVERYTHING in the garden. Turkey's are really smart and several years the turkeys did more damage to his garden that all of the other animals combined.

But yet he kept on. He would plant and plant again. He would hoe a row and he would weed a row. He would stake the tomatoes and build teepees for the beans. He would fertilize and he would carry water. And along about the middle of summer, the first of the bounty would need to picked and picked and picked. And my father was happy. That's where my main part, along with my sisters, would come in. Our job was to can and freeze all of the produce that was ripening. We had many all night sessions getting the peas or corn into the freezer before their natural sugars would change to starch. And although I complained at the time about how I had to do more work than my friends, I never complained when I got to eat the wonderful food from our garden.

As time went on and the kids moved away from home, my father still planted his huge gardens. He gave away most of what he grew, but he was happy. My mother finally convinced him that maybe the two of them didn't need such a large garden. It was hard, but he cut back. He adjusted just as he had when the crows ate all of his corn. And now, because of failing health, he doesn't live at home and he's not sure if there is a place to plant a garden where he is. However, he has adjusted and he is happy.

When I grow up, I want to be like my father and his gardens. I want to do things when they need to be done, just like my father did when he had to water his plants when they needed it, not just when he felt like it. I want to keep working on anything important until I get results, just like my father did when he had to plant his corn again and again. I want to adjust to changing situations just like my father did when he had to downsize his garden. And most of all, I want to find a way to be happy in any situation, just as my father did when he had to leave his garden and couldn't live at home any more.

Thankful Sunday--February 17, 2013

I am thankful for lotion.

During these cold, dry winter days, I am thankful to have lotion to use on my very dry skin. I have tried many different brands and some of them work better than others. However I can never remember which ones they are when I'm at the store, so I buy what ever strikes my fancy at the time. (In case you're interested, this one seems to work pretty well but can be a bit messy to rub in.)

Do you have a favorite lotion?

Boys vs. Girls--Wally's Valentine Party

Boys vs. Girls—You Choose

 Before I had kids, I thought that each child was an individual, and didn't believe much in gender stereotypes in children. Little boys ran and jumped a lot because that's the kind of games they were taught. Little girls played with dolls because that was the kind of toys they were given. I thought that if all kids, regardless of gender, were exposed to the same things they would have the same tendencies. Then I spent some time in the real world of kids and figured out that I was wrong. Possibly there were some differences between boys and girls. From time to time, I'm going to share some of my experiences that led me to this conclusion. However, so as to not bias you, I'm going to let you guess, who are the boys in the stories and who are the girls.

 Today's Story 

The Event: Wally's Third Grade Valentine Party

The Scene: The kids were seated around tables and had naturally grouped themselves into two groups with all boys on one side and all girls on the other side.

The Action: One group was carefully reading each Valentine and talking about who liked whom. The other group was seeing how many Red Hot cinnamon candies they could stuff in their mouth before their mouth burned too much. 

You choose: Which group was the boys and which was the girls?

Disclaimer: Of course, we all know that each person is a unique individual with a special set of traits that makes them who they are. No one is “all boy” just as no one is “all girl.”

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Feb. 15, 2013

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.

 This Week's Food Waste

The last serving of this salad turned slimy. (This was the next to last serving.)

 I had to get rid of slimy salad this week. I was looking forward to eating the last serving of a salad we had, but I was disappointed. Instead of crisp vegetables, I found soft, slimy ones. Out they went.

_________________________________________________________________________________

 This Week's True Food Confessions

This was our special dish this week.

We struggled a bit more this week to cook at home. Jobs were stressful and migraines were lingering. However, we did pretty well. One night we had dinner out with our brother-in-law who was visiting and another day we had lunch out. (BTW, I had very good meat loaf during this meal. After they sliced it, they blackened it. A different and tasty treat for me.) The rest of the time we cooked at home. Although, sometimes that only happened because we had some easy meals planned.

Now onto the great success of the week. Last week, I decided that we should try to cook some things that weren't in our normal rotation of dishes. This week we tried Maple Salmon with Bulgur Pilaf. I got the recipe from the January Good Housekeeping magazine, but it's also available online. The dish was essentially broiled salmon on a bed of quinoa*, peas, and celery and very easy to make. The whole family was happy with the meal. Theo said that he didn't know that food that is good for you could taste that good, and Wally had similar remarks. Ward was especially appreciative that I tried this recipe because he knows I'm not a fan of seafood. With that being said, I thought it was pretty good also. I think it helped that we used fresh salmon that was fairly mild in taste. Would I make it again? Yes. It was easy to make and filling. The flavors were mild, but blended well together.

Until next week...

*The recipe called for bulgur, but the store I was in didn't have any. I substituted quinoa and it worked well.

A Second Look--February 13, 2013

Today the temperature was in the 50's, but there have been plenty of colder days and we may have snow tomorrow. However, I found that a few of the daffodils have actually shot up buds with their leaves. I was surprised, but I saw them in two different places. But I also saw daffodil leaves with frost damage and no buds.  The promise of spring is always a confusing time for all involved.

I found some more bones in the lower part of my yard. I'm starting to be fascinated by the colony of animals that may be down there. However, I'm going have to take some classes if I want to have any hope of getting true ID's on what I find. However, in the meantime, I am going to entertain myself with my guesses.

Here is what I saw this week during a Second Look.

The snowdrops should be blooming soon.

I think it will be a while before this daffodil actually blooms.

Red breasted nuthatch

A skunk(?) has been digging for grubs.

I think the squirrels are enjoying our bumper crop of walnuts this year.

Bird jawbone

I am totally confused by the two rows of teeth on this skull. Apparently some canines don't lose their baby teeth like they're supposed to and end up with two rows of teeth after the adult ones come in. I don't know if that is what happen here or not.

I wondered what had happened to this.

I Spy Something Round

Can You Find:

1. What I look through to see if the light is turned off in the garage.

2. My favorite way to cook meat loaf because it cooks much faster.

3. A cat toy that used to be in the refrigerator.

4. The setting that my car heater is on most of the time these days.

5. An orange slice that has been eaten by a squirrel.

6. What I used to dry tomatoes and oranges and apples last fall.

7. A pocket watch that Theo took apart.

8. A cross stitch piece made for me by my sister. It was her first one and the spacing got a little off.  She fixed that by including the names of my cats at the time. To paraphrase, "Her mistake was my gain."

9. M&Ms--My friend says that red ones of a distinctively different flavor. Can you taste differences among the colors?

Ponderings of Theodore--the Middle Years

On the Internet

On the Internet, 

I am free to do anything I want.

There are endless possibilities.

I am anonymous.

I like to play Pogo games,

Like Word Whomp,

Turbo 21, and chess.

I am anonymous.

I can read books for free,

Study for tests,

Buy stuff, and talk to strangers.

I am anonymous.

It is a world of information,

Being shared freely,

I like to be on the Internet.

I am anonymous.

Theodore wrote that poem when he was in grade school. I think it spoke to his growing awareness of the Internet. Fast forward to today. Theodore is now in a situation where he cannot afford Internet service and has no easy access to it. His lack of it has pointed out how much I have come to rely on the world wide web. I tell him to look up an address to find something. Then he reminds me that he doesn't have the Internet. I tell him to look up a recipe that will fit the ingredients he has on hand. He reminds me that he doesn't have the Internet. I tell him to check his email because there is an interesting email that he should see. He reminds me that he doesn't have the Internet.

However, he's doing much better than I think I would. What's he doing? He talks to his classmates, he listens to the radio, he plays cards, and he reads. Maybe I should be without the Internet for a while to see how well I could adjust. As much as I would like to pretend that I'm not hooked to my computer, I don't think I would fair very well.

Do you think you could give up the Internet?

Thankful Sunday--February 10, 2012

I am thankful for clouds.

I love to look at clouds. To be honest, it's not their beauty that I appreciate first. It's the information they can give me about the weather. But, if I take time to notice, there's nothing more beautiful than white billowy clouds against a brilliant blue sky.

___________________________________________________________________________________

But Wait There's More,
Here is a link to some unbelievable pictures of clouds around the world.
Incredible clouds you've got to see.

Hat Tip: A Place to Reside

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Feb. 8,2013

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.

This Week's Food Waste

 
This week, I had to get rid of some tomatoes that went squishy before we got to them. We did enjoy the rest of the container, though, on our salads.

This Week's True Food Confessions

This week was one of the overall best times for eating at home when we consider all family members and all meals. I think we only ate out once when we met Miss Landers for breakfast. However, we did not suffer. Last weekend, Wally and Theo made two large racks of ribs which we had for the next couple of days. Also, we stocked up on Super Bowl food and feasted on that for a couple of more days. All and all, it was all great tasting, high-fat, high-sodium food, that my body started to protest from after a couple of days. However, the men in the family were very happy. We finished the week up with some simple vegetable rich comfort foods.

Where do I go now? I'm starting to bored with this whole process of tracking our food, so I've been thinking about if I want to change things. I have been doing a Food Waste Friday for about a year and a half. It has definitely made me more aware of of our food waste, and consequently, we have been able to reduce it greatly and save money in the process. There have been a couple of short breaks I have taken from weekly reporting of our food waste and I immediately slid backwards. So I think this weekly confession is good for me, however unexciting it is to write and read about.

I have been doing True Food Confessions for about six months now, and overall we are much improved in the area of eating at home. I have not reached the goal that I had in the beginning of having a weekly meal plan, one trip to the grocery store based on this meal plan, and good food ready every night. However, we are doing pretty well with a couple of ideas for the week and making do with what we have on hand. In fact, that's how I like to do things the best. Create on the spot with only a loose structure guiding me. However, I'd like to expand on this success.

I want to think more now about getting even healthier food on our plates and maybe some better tasting food. I want to spend a little more money for more exotic ingredients and to try more things. I want my food to look like the colorful, varied, vegetable-rich food that Economies of Kale shows us every week. (However, I know that with my family of carnivores, that may not be a realistic goal.)

What am I going to do about all of this? I've decided that I'm going to start slow, and try to cook one new dish every week, that is reasonably healthy, and follow a recipe. That's going to be the hardest part--following the recipe, but I think I can do it.

A Second Look--February 6, 2013

Here's What I Saw This Week During a Second Look

Crow

Hairy Woodpecker--The downy woodpecker, that was on this suet, left when this hairy woodpecker showed up.

This was only half of the group of deer that were grazing in the yard.

Tufted titmouse--tuft up

Tufted titmouse--tuft down

Male cardinal

Today...

Today, I'm going to remember that little things mean a lot.

Recently, Ward and I spent a few nights in a hotel while being with my mother who was sick. The first night while we were checking in, the desk clerk offered us a selection of snacks to take to our room. They were small bags and probably only cost the hotel a dime or so a piece, but that gesture made me happy. For just a minute, I forgot about how tired and stressed that I was, and I thought about what my midnight snack was going to be. Today I an going to try to remember that the unexpected little gestures really do mean a lot.