Spring Just Keeps Coming

Either I don't have a good memory of last year or this spring has outdone itself with color.  Or perhaps this time last year, I was so preoccupied with the serious beginnings of COVID outbreaks, I didn't notice what was going on around me. And perhaps, as I am starting to feel lighter about COVID, I am noticing things more. Whatever the case, here are some of things blooming this week in my yard.

Rhododendron

Lily of the Valley

Dianthus

Dianthus

Iris

Phlox

Dianthus

Until next time...

This and That

 Stream of Consciousness Morning

Three types of radishes I harvested yesterday. Miss Landers shared her seeds for them.

Here's more or less what's tossing around in head this morning. It's not actually not stream of consciousness, because I don't think you could keep up with that. I know I have a hard time sorting out the rapid fire thoughts that keep me company every day.

I am trying to figure out where I can plant more things without making a new bed. I have very generous friends who have shared many plants and seeds with me. They all seem interesting, but I've run out of space. So far this year, I've added two pussy willow bushes, two beauty berries, one butterfly bush, a mum, coneflowers, astilbe, four o'clocks, and columbine that I can remember. Some of these are in new spots and some are additions to old beds. I like to tuck things in here and there for little surprises as the year goes on. It brings me great joy. Some of the plantings are for curb appeal and others are for my enjoyment. Now the problem with all of this is that instead of making the yard easier to care for, I'm making harder. Oh, well. Spring will do that to you.

I also went overboard with planting my spring weather vegetables. I didn't expect all of them to survive the transplanting or even sprout, but they all have hung on and begun to thrive. It's long way between here and harvest, so we'll see what happens. Sometimes, nature has other plans. I did manage to plant 4 tomato plants over the weekend from my father-in-law. But that's all the room I have. The squash and beans will just have to wait.

My cousin is in her last days on earth. She is quite a bit younger than I am and I haven't seen her much since we were adults. But still it makes me sad. Mostly because she and her sisters have had a very, very hard life. I feel so fortunate to be on the branch of the family I am on and to have had parents who were able to break the cycle of problems and give me a stable and good beginning. Life is so complex and how it turns out is the luck of the draw sometimes. However, I do believe that we each have some control over our destiny. As I said, it's all so complex.

I had leftovers from yesterday for lunch today. I love leftovers. I made the menu for Mother's Day and the men prepared it. We had grilled hot dogs, potato salad, and a green salad. I'm not sure you would call me a foodie. But I know what I like. :)

Time to go to work. I'm hoping for a quiet day, so I can catch on some things, but we shall see.

Hope everyone has had a good day and seen or heard something that made them smile.

Until next time...

Thankful Sunday, May 9, 2021

 Happy Mother's Day! 

I come from a long line of mothers.

My mother, Betty, and me. I was about three and she was pregnant with my sister, her fourth child. I didn't have a care in the world, but she looks very tired. I think she was. 

My mother with my grandmother, Donnie. My grandmother was very proud
since my mother was the first in her family to graduate high school. 

My paternal grandmother, Yula, with 17 grandkids. There were 6 more to come.

My great grandmother, Anna Estella, on my maternal grandmother's side.
In other words, this is the mother of the person above.

This is my paternal great grandmother, Lavenia Jane
In other words, this is my paternal grandfather's mother.

This is my great, great grandmother, Anna Elizabeth,
mother of Anna Estella.

There. Do you have all of that straight? Don't worry. I'm not sure if I got it all correct myself. What I do know is that each generation along the way has made me who I am and for that I am thankful.

So as you remember those who came before you, Happy Mother's Day!

Highs and Lows

Lilac

It was a weekend filled with highs and lows:

The Highs:

1.  This was the first weekend in a month when I didn't have to write a blog post, meaning the A-Z challenge was over. I did it! Having a theme this year was easier, but limiting at times. We'll see what next year brings.

2. The weather was good, so that we were able to work in the yard and enjoy the continuing blooms.

3. It wasn't my Saturday to work, so I was off all weekend.

4. Ward, Theo, and I are all fully vaccinated as of yesterday. Wally only has one more to go.

4. Because of our vaccination status, yesterday, we had a cookout to celebrate Ward's birthday. It was a small affair with just family, but it was so nice. The food was simple and we had a relaxed time enjoying each other's company. This was a first cookout since over a year ago.

5. There are good leftovers from yesterday to have today, including Key Lime Pie. Yum!

The Lows:

1. Something (deer probably) has broken or eaten all of the branches on our small apple tree. We need to prune up what's left and figure out if we can construct protection for it from critters.

2. I found out a friend has been put in Hospice Care. This was a shocker because last time I talked to her, she was doing well. These kind of events spur introspection and this time was no exception. 

More Highs:

Nature continues to put on a good show: More scenes from around the yard.

Tulip

Azaleas

This came from a pack of wildflower seeds. Can anyone tell me what it is?

Azalea and bumble bee

Nandina berries and azalea

Lanium

Periwinkle and Lanium

Apple tree

Wallflower

Until next time...

Z is for Zucchini

 I'm going for the obvious today-zucchini. 

I'm always surprised when I hear that someone has had no luck growing zucchini. We must have the right climate for it around here because in July and August it's shows up everywhere. We have had many bags secretly placed on our doorstep in the middle of the night. We were happy with these gifts, but I'm not sure that everyone felt the same way. The other thing about zucchini is how big it can grow. The perfect size is 8-10 inches but we have grown more than one zucchini over 2 feet long. They were seedy, but otherwise good. However, our big zucchini paled in comparison to the Guinness Book of World Records world record holder of 8 feet, 3.3 inches long. 

In case you have an abundance of zucchini this summer, below is a previous post about different ways to prepare it. 

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Our zucchini with tomato for comparison

A Week of Zucchini Dishes

or The Vegetable That Keeps Giving and Giving 

or Today's Equivalent of the Loaves and Fishes--Zucchini

Recently, Aunt Martha gave us a zucchini from her garden. It was one of those that somehow got hidden and grew to almost the size of a baseball bat before it was found and harvested. Our goal last week was to eat it until it was gone. We knew it was big, but didn't think that we would be able to cook it in five different dishes before we saw the last of it. But we did. Below are our results with links to the recipes we used.

 
Day One: Zucchini Patties
We were having salmon cakes this day so it seemed like a natural accompaniment.  The cakes were basically pan fried shredded zucchini and bread crumbs. Everyone liked the taste, but Theo and I weren't crazy about the texture. I thought they were a little gooey from too many bread crumbs, and Theo didn't like the stringiness of the shredded zucchini. I got a tip for this recipe from the Frugal Girl.  


Day Two: Zucchini and Cheese Casserole
This has been a favorite recipe in our family for many years and is a favorite of guests.  It is a baked casserole containing zucchini chunks, eggs, cottage and shredded cheese topped with bread crumbs. I usually add another vegetable like broccoli or asparagus to give it more flavor. This recipe comes from Jane Brody's Good Food Book.


Day Three: Hearty Tuna Casserole
This recipe was given to us a few years ago from a friend when were trying to find new ways to cook zucchini. We make other tuna casseroles, but this is my favorite. The dish contains the standards for a tuna casserole including noodles, tuna, sour cream, and shredded cheese. However, there are layers of zucchini slices in it as well as diced tomatoes on the top. We leave out the mustard and green onions as a favor to Ward and still find it very tasty. A word of warning: the zucchini and celery take far longer to cook than the 30 minutes allotted for the casserole. We cook them a little before we add them to the dish so it doesn't take forever to bake.


Day Four: Oatmeal Zucchini Bread
For years, I have been carrying around this recipe for zucchini bread that included cooked oatmeal. Last week, I finally made it. The bread was very good but was dense and gooey. This may have been because the recipe called for three eggs and I only had two. I read somewhere on the internet that you can substitute milk for an egg and you will never know the difference. Well, I think we knew the difference. However, the four loaves disappeared in less than 24 hours.


Day Five: Continental Zucchini
 As we were brain storming about what we were going to do with the last of the zucchini, Ward remembered a dish he had as a child-- continental zucchini. This dish is stir fried zucchini and garlic with corn and pimentos added. The whole thing is topped with melted mozzarella cheese. When we made it, we also added some yellow squash that we had. Everyone liked this dish. However, Ward thought it could use black pepper. Also, this dish would lend itself well to the addition of sweet or hot peppers We may try that next time.

Zucchini dishes from last week.