A Second Look--July 30, 2014

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

The majority of the day lilies are done blooming, but some are still providing nice color.

The ever-faithful balloon flower (platycodon).

The hummingbirds sometime perch on the suet cage now instead of hovering all of the time around the feeder. Look how long the beak is on this one.

Salvia

This dove was right outside the cats' favorite window causing them to be quite excited.

Since last week, the last two wren eggs hatched and the chicks are starting to grow feathers.

The butterflies are starting to increase in numbers. Notice the long proboscis on the skipper butterflies on this coneflower.

From L-R: Top Row--Blackeyed Susan, Celosia, Gay Feather,  Bottom Row: Cone Flowers, Little White flowers that I don't know the name of, Coreopsis

Second Look Update

Immature green stink bug

In last week's Second Look post, I showed a picture of a shiny, green insect that I could not identify. Courtesy of What's that Bug, I now know that it was an immature green stink bug. 

If you're not familiar with the What's that Bug website, it's a great place for all of your bug information. One of the highlights is that you can send in a picture or description of a bug and they will try to identify it for you. All the work is done by volunteers, so they don't guarantee that they can handle the volume of questions they get. However, since a friend told me about this website last year, I've sent in three questions and had them answered.

Thankful Sunday--July 27, 2014

I am thankful for these coneflowers.

We have this little patch of dirt between the sidewalk and driveway right outside our garage door. For years, it was grass which slowly turned into weeds, and this year it became a bed for these extra coneflowers. The bed is small and simple, but these pink flowers make me smile every time I go by--which is several times a day. For this small pleasure, I am thankful.

Food Waste Friday & True Food Confessions-Jul. 25, 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.

This Week's Food Waste

NONE

I had my eye on the prize this week, so I had no food waste. I plan to keep this vigilance up for next week. Wish me luck.

This Week's True Food Confessions

The meals this week were focused on preventing food waste as mentioned above. First, we had some left-over chicken and some yellow zucchini to use. This turned into a zucchini casserole with chicken and a salad. The salad had cherry tomatoes in it that were just starting to shrivel. The zuchinni-chicken meal lasted us for two nights. 

Next, I had some hamburger buns and pizza crust languishing in the fridge. The pizza crust came from an almost disaster a few days before. As I was taking a pizza out of the oven, it started to slide off the pan. I managed to catch it before it hit the floor, but about a quarter of it lost it's toppings during the save. So I retopped it with jar sauce and some fresh tomatoes and mushrooms that needed to be used. I also added cheddar and feta cheese for a really tasty result. I did the same thing with the hamburger buns after toasting them. 

Now I had a jar of open tomato sauce, so we had this over spaghetti the next night. I added some fresh tomatoes and basil to fix it up a bit and to use them up before they started to go bad. I also made a fruit salad to add to this meal from some ripe peaches and blueberries. And speaking of fruit, we also had some very good yellow water melon from Uncle Billy's garden. 

It was good week. I realize that some of you cook like this three meals a day, but not me. My interests and time usually lie elsewhere, so I'm gonna have to say that I am very pleased with this effort on both the Food Waste and Food Confessions fronts. :)

Until next time... 


 

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.)

Surprise!!

Recently, I caught up with an older friend I hadn't seen for a while. When I asked what was new, she replied, “Well, I have a new brother and a different father than I thought I had!” She proceeded to tell a complicated story that started with her daughter, who was doing genealogy research, and ended with a DNA test.

I was shocked. Even though this kind of stuff is the bread and butter of TV plots, I'd never known anyone in real life who found out something like this. I have friends with adoption stories, but no one with a story quite like this to tell. And what makes it even more remarkable is that this woman is in her 80's and her living brother is in his 90's. After I closed my dropped jaw, I asked her how she felt about this new development. She said that she was still processing things, but some pieces of her childhood made more sense now. The next week, her daughter was going to take her to meet her new half brother. She wasn't sure how she felt about that either. She was having a hard time wrapping her mind around an 80 year history and identity that had suddenly changed.

Since my visit with her, I've thought a lot about how I'd feel if something like this happened to me. Intellectually, I know that I would still be who I was and a past that I didn't even know about for most of my life wouldn't matter. But the emotional part of me started to think what if someone told me that my father wasn't my father. Or if I had siblings that I didn't know. That made me feel very unsettled. We each have a personal story that we tell ourselves and others--who our parents are, where we've lived, what happened in third grade, etc. I don't know if I'd be ready to tell a new story all of a sudden.

But that is what life is about and that's what makes each of our stories so interesting—there is always something new waiting for us around the corner.

Thankful Sunday--July 13, 2014

I am thankful for fresh blueberries.

Yesterday, Theo and I went blueberry picking in Uncle Billy's patch. Among Theo, me, and the dog, I'm surprised that we actually made it home with some. Blueberries right off the bush are so good. :)

A Trip to the Beach

Ward and I recently returned from a trip to the beach with his family and a good time was had by all--including me. You see, I'm not a beach person--meaning when I think about going to the beach, I don't think about the mesmerizing waves, interesting sea shells, and cool ocean breezes. I think about the burning sun and the annoying sand.

You might say the beach is not in my blood. I didn't grow up going to the beach, in fact I didn't see any ocean of any kind until after I graduated college. My family was more of the mountain type-- both for living and vacationing. When I finally gazed upon the vast waters of the Atlantic, I was fascinated, but not drawn to it. I think the main reason for that was the sun--it's my enemy. You see, I'm very fair--so fair that if it were up to me, we wouldn't need the word tan in the English vocabulary (at least as a verb). My skin has two colors--translucent white and red. It never takes a visit at the in-between color of tan. So while I was looking forward to spending time with Ward's family, I was not looking forward necessarily to doing that at the beach.

But I needn't have worried. Ward's family arranged the perfect trip for a non-beach-lover like me. We had a big house right on the beach where I could watch the mesmerizing waves from a balcony that was shaded. Our location also meant that I could take a quick trip down to the water without a big production of carrying everything I think I might need. But best of all, was the general area. We visited Nags Head, NC, which besides having very nice beaches, also has a lot of interesting history. So during the sunny times in the middle of the day, we explored the surrounding area instead of spending it on the hot sand. As I said, a good time was had by all.

Do I think I'll be vacationing at the beach on a regular basis now since I've had this positive experience? Perhaps. But for now, I'm just relishing the fact that I spent several days at the beach and I didn't get a sunburn!! Miracles do happen.

Here are a few pictures from out trip.

We woke each morning to a beautiful sunrise.

We visited Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers Museum.

 

We watched fireworks that had been postponed because of Hurricane Arthur.

We saw charter fishing boats come in and display their catch for the day. One of the kids' games during this was to touch the eyeball of a fish.

We took a family kayak trip through the Alligator River swamps.

My skilled nephew and brother-in-law used only paddle boards on our swamp trek.

We climbed the spiral stairs to the top of the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

We visited The Elizabethan Gardens. These were on Roanoke Island, the location of the Lost Colony.

We spent one hot afternoon visiting a nicely air conditioned aquarium.

And we finished each day with a beautiful sunset.

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions-July 4, 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.

This Week's Food Waste

NONE

We've been doing pretty well preventing food waste recently. Today to continue with this vigilance, we will have to plan our meal around the refrigerator vegetable drawer. The only thing that we know for sure that we're having for today's 4th of July cookout are hamburgers. After a look in the fridge, those will need to be supplemented with grilled zucchini, mushrooms, and onions along with a green salad. Also, Theo wants to saute some radishes. I've never had anything but raw radishes, so I'm interested in how those will turn out. Anyway, I think the fridge will get pretty clean with the above menu and hopefully next week I can also report no food waste.

True Food Confessions

When we haven't been having takeout Chinese or Subway sandwiches, here are a few things we've been eating. We have been enjoying greens from the garden for both salads and cooking. Also, we resurrected the ever-favorite foil meal and experimented with Portobella mushrooms that we found on sale. Add in a couple of casseroles, and all in all, it's been pretty good eating around here.

 As some of you may have noticed, I've stopped posting every week about our eating. There have been a couple of reasons for this, the biggest one being that I got distracted by other things and got out of the habit of taking food pictures. However overall, I'd say that we've been doing pretty well. With just two of us here most of the time, a little cooking goes a long way. Thank goodness we like leftovers. However, we are slipping more and more into takeout for dinner, so it's time to get back on track. Next week that is. Now it's time to head to the beach. :)

Watch this turtle

As we all know, there are thousands probably millions of videos posted out there and after a while they all start to blur. However, I saw one yesterday, that was a little different. It showed a turtle and a dog in a very unlikely exchange. In case you haven't seen it yet, take a look. I think you'll enjoy it.

Dog and Turtle 

(I can't seem to get the video embedded, so I'm including the link instead.)

 

A Second Look--July 2, 2014

The weather this week has been hot with little rain. The afternoon/evening thunderstorms seem to be skirting their way around us without leaving any precipitation. Most of the plants are doing okay, but the stress in starting to show in some. There are some new flowers blooming, but the spectacular views of spring are gone.

The bird dramas continue, but have subsided some. Here are the updates. The chickadee box that had two pairs of chickadees fighting over it has been inactive for a couple of weeks. The nest in the wren box has continued to evolve but no eggs yet. If I were a wren, I would think it would be just right to settle down in now. But I'm not a wren, so I'll have to defer to their judgement. And the bluebird box--when last we spoke, the bluebirds and sparrows were fighting over it. The sparrows won. However, I have seen the bluebirds in the front yard, but I haven't located a new nest. I removed the sparrow's nest that they were building on top of the bluebird nest and now it looks like a house wren is building a nest on top of that. For now, that box belongs to the wrens.

And speaking of wrens, I read that the male will build two nests at the same time hoping better to attract a female. So I don't know if the two wren nests are for the same pair or two different pairs. I also read that wrens have a problem with mites and will place spider sacs in the nest so the hatching spiders will help control them. I had seen spider sacs in the nest, but assumed that they just happen to be on the twig the wren was using for construction.

Okay, do you have all of the nest box wars straight? There will be a quiz next week. :)

Here are a few things I saw this week during a Second Look.

We had two new colors of day lilies blooming this week. The first was this red one.

The other new color was this dark pink one.

The first trumpet lily also bloomed. Unfortunately, most of the trumpet lilies were eaten by the deer.

Here's the first coneflower this year. However, insects are eating many of the blooms that followed.

Balloon flower. If you look carefully, you will see a bee at the base of it.

Wren's nest. See the white balls. Those are spider sacs.

Today...

Today I am going to enjoy low hanging fruit.

Sometimes I think too much and make things more complicated than they need to be. Today, I'm going to relax and do what is easy and smart.

(Raspberries from Miss Lander's garden.)