July Garden Yield

I decided I would keep a list of our actual harvest this year. We have a very small suburban  gardening space but have various things planted in pots and containers all around the yard, I am excluding herbs from the totals since I grab them  to use in cooking, or dry them in small batches to keep for later use.

June Harvest:

yellow squash -9

zucchini -8

cucumber- not producing yet, so far all the blossoms are make flowers

bell pepper -7

banana pepper- 13

cayenne pepper-4

green beans -8  pounds

tomato -some still green, 1 dead plant, others still questionable

cherry tomato-9

radish- chipmunks delight

potato- not yet time to dig

lettuce- I am evidently growing this only to feed critters

okra- not yet producing but looking really healthy

apples- 2 are still on the trees, but I have serious doubts about them becoming ripe. though we do have some seriously happy squirrels

pears- zilch. I am thinking of getting rid of the pear trees. They are not pretty trees and never have more than a handful of blossoms.

July Harvest: It seems Little Bunny Foo Foo and/or Groundhog Gertie have found our raised bed!

yellow squash- 9

zucchini- 3 (Pulling the zucchini up. Still debating replanting it or not)

cucumber- 0. So far all the blossoms have been male blossoms

bell pepper- 11

banana pepper- 21

cayenne pepper- 10

green beans-  81/2 pounds I am not keeping up with this anymore for July. We averaged 1 1/2 pounds of green beans per day.

tomato-3

cherry tomato- 25

potato   I think one plant is ready to dig will do it this week

okra  8 pods, but it is blooming and growing like crazy. Fingers crossed it will produce well in August.

apples  Anne-1 / squirrels-20ish

pears The tree must have heard me talking about cutting it down. I found 3 pears on it

Not replanting the radishes or lettuce. Chip and Dale are on their own.

And now on to August!

Soon we are going to have to think about planting a fall garden. Harvesting in the fall sounds delightful

30 Weeks of Joys

 The 30th week of the year is now in the books. I have a hard time believing that much time has passed. It seems just a brief moment when we were all celebrating the end of a rotten year with hope that 2021 would be a turning point.

Here, this week began with rain and more rain, then a little extra rain just for good measure, but then the sunshine returned!

Friday: I keep telling myself all the rain is good for the garden, except for the tomatoes and they have had enough! So I am thankful for the rain and the bonus is the late night frog symphony I get after rains. Wet weather really does seems to have an impact on the amphibians who call my backyard home. 

Later that night we watched the delayed broadcast of the Opening of the Olympics. I always like watching the participants parade in.

Saturday: TheHub and I had our usual Saturday run to the produce stand, then we just ran a couple of quick errands. One of the biggest joys was having TheHub drop me off a few times so I could run in a pick stuff up. I hate shopping and I hate wearing a mask, especially when it is in the 90's and as humid as it can be, but he was driving and could let me out at the door while he stayed in the car with the a/c going so we would not have to return to a car that we could bake a cake in. (This was only for stops where we needed just one item__like a bag of lime to put in the hole on top of the squirrel who died on our front lawn. We have a critter burial ground, mostly for birds and frogs, but we do find the occasional squirrel or chipmunk)

Later we had a call to show the house and the young couple had one of the cutest little boys (4 years old) I have even seen. He was one of those kids who has never met a stranger, and stayed right by my side asking questions and showing me his tricks while his parents looked through the house

Sunday: We had more house showings, which was a joy, not as joyful as a sale would be, but a joy nonetheless.  I did not see our church service as it was streaming because I had to meet the folks wanting to see the place, but I did get to watch it later. There is a definite joy for technology that is available now.

Monday: I should be overjoyed with the green bean harvest this year, and I know I will be during the winter, but right now it is overwhelming. We are picking an average of a pound and a half each day and my neighbors hate to see me nearing their house with a bag filled with them.

Tuesday: We had a slight issue with the counter being about 1/4 inch longer than the previous counter, so the refrigerator (which was a tight squeeze anyway) would not fit into the space built for it. Fortunately my cousin (the stone guy) came and managed to fix the problem. 

In the late afternoon I got a call from Son1 and we talked about the rise in Covid. We had a whole family trip to the beach planned for late August and they were concerned because Florida is a Covid hotbed right now and Pip is too young for the vaccination.  We left the conversation with the possibility they would just fly here, stay at the house the whole time, and we could have a swim fest combined with festivities around the pool each night.

Wednesday: This day started out really nicely. TheHub left early to go to Boca Raton and the weather was great. This was going to be a one day trip and I hate him flying in storms. The sun was shining and though it was hot and humid, I will take it over the torrential downpours we have been having. 

I got most of the stuff that I wanted to accomplish, had a nice time swimming laps, then managed to score a couple of Aldi's great finds of this week.

He returned home by 6 and then we got the call. Son1's family will not be coming. I have not seen them since November '19, and it breaks my heart even though I completely understand it. A special thanks to all of the folks who decided for whatever reason (and there are lots of reasons floating around out there) not to vaccinate! You made my day!

More frustration swimming was necessary

Thursday: I was bummed out the entire day and could not think of a thing to be joyous about, except perhaps finding 3 pears on the tree in the front yard that had never born fruit before. I think it got tired of me telling it I was going to cut it down and replace it with dogwoods. 

Also it was the second day in a row with not a drop of rain, so I was very thankful and overjoyed for a sunny day. It was much nicer than rain with a blue mood. Plus I did not have to get wet while I picked green beans!

Hope you have a nice week finding your joys wherever and whatever they might be!

Brokenhearted But Not Broken

We had some disappointing news last night, and though it was not unexpected, it did make me sad and left me feeling hollow for a bit, so I did what I always do when I am upset and I turned to music. This is going to be a music heavy post and if you do not like music feel free to stop here. 

I literally have a playlist on Spotify that has songs I use to move me from sadness to happiness and it always works for me. This is not the complete list because sometimes I have to listen to a lot of music to alter my mood.

I almost always start with this song when I feel just normally upset. Though it is about a breakup which is not germane to our current situation at all, it is still my "wallowing in self pity" go-to song. Thank you Jimmy Ruffin for your very soul wrenching vocals that really do this song justice.

At some point and time when I am still giving in to the blues, I listen to Billy Paul's Me and Mrs Jones. I think it might be one of the least appreciated songs just for the words and amazing instrumentation. Again it is not about anything going on here. I just really do like the song and it's still sad enough to echo my mood.

There is a little side note on its origins. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff were a song writing team who frequented a little bar that was in the same building as their office. They noticed a distinguished looking man who was at the bar every day and would met a woman about 15 minutes after he arrived. They would have a drink, listen to a tune on the jukebox then both leave going separate ways. After a few days of watching the ritual, a song was born, though they admit as far as they know it could have been the guys daughter, his wife, his lawyer__anybody. But for their purposes, their song was about infidelity.

If you listen carefully in the opening you will hear the sax playing the few notes "once I had a secret love"

                                  Yeah, they got sued for using those few notes without permission!

Usually  Billy Paul is the last sad song that I listen to as I transition to something more up-tempo like Petula Clark's, "I Know a Place". It has no deep meaning at all, but it is a happy song.

Next I chose Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry Be Happy". I listen to his version but since I am using YouTube for the post rather than my Spotify playlist I chose this version. I love all the Playing For Change videos.

And how would it be possible to feel good without listening to a bit of the master of feeling good__James Brown

I think Meghan Trainor's I Feel Better When I'm Dancing is self explanatory 

And then just because I can,  I listen to Stevie Wonder's Sir Duke. I love jazz and this is his homage to the genre. Plus I think it has the best opening of any song in the modern era. I love all the heavy brass and the little background clickity clack from the percussionist.

And finally I end with this. The Sam Cook cover I listen to is different, but I could not find it on Youtube

                                       

And as usual the music changes my mood. I am still not happy about plans changing, but life does go on and I am feeling better.

But I am going to end this with a two word vent: Damn Antivaxers!
                                      

What The Future Travelers Might Wonder

When I actually remember it is Tuesday, I try to participate in the questions Annie poses in her 

                                                                   Tuesday 4 post

Todays post is all about what future travelers might think if they saw your home just as it is today.

My first thought about time was to post Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce, but then I remembered Led Zeppelin and thought  Kashmir might be more appropriate for time differences.

1.  Let's pretend that it is 50 years into the future, and explorers have just discovered your house, "frozen in time" exactly as it is today. Everything is preserved, even the food, but of course no one has lived there for fifty years.  What do you think would be their first reaction as they walk in the door of your house? "Why is there a carved chimpanzee who is holding a silver tray, while dressed as a butler, in the foyer?

2.  What would the things left in your house tell the explorers about you?

We read a lot, love music, dishes, tomatoes, and green beans.

 

3.  What kinds of books would they discover on your bookshelves or beside your chair/bed?

We have a library/guest suite that has about 1,500 books. They are in order by genre, alphabetized by author. There is something there for everyone.

 

4.  What things would they discover in your closets or cabinets that would make them wonder why on earth you were saving it?  Pillows, they would wonder why in the world I have so many bed pillows. After we sold the lake place, everything came to my house. Anything we could donate to either charity or neighbor kids moving to their first college apartment, we gave away. But no one wants pillows. We had sleeping arrangements for 15 at the lake place and naturally had pillows for each sleeper.

Now I am in a quandary. I don't want all these stupid pillows, but I also don't want to create unnecessary textile waste. So they take up space in a closet waiting for who knows what. Maybe the explorers will take them and put them to good use?

If you feel so inclined, join in the merriment and post your own answers either here or on your personal blog, but be sure to follow the link and add your blog to her post.

And now it is pouring down____again!

Plan or Non-Plan?

A plan is only as good as the follower of the plan. I knew this would be an unusual week for meals, but had no idea how far off it would go. Yep just count this as a big fat fail. And yet, life goes on and I will make a plan just like I always do.

What I thought might happen:

1. Pesto chicken, over pasta or zoodles,  sliced tomatoes, green. beans

2. Cereal or something equally easy (Hub has a dinner meeting)

3. Chopped salad, rolls or keto rolls

4. Veggie dinner (depends on garden output)

5. Grilled something (steak or burgers) tossed salad, green beans

6. Take out

7. Veggie dinner (tbd based on what we have in the garden)

What really happened:

 Monday: TheHub had a dinner meeting so I scrambled around the fridge to see what I had that required nothing more than putting it on a plate

 2 slices Lebanon bologna*, watermelon, avocado

Tuesday: TheHub had another dinner meeting and I was free to do the snatch and grab refrigerator thing again.

Chicken, coleslaw

Wednesday: I thought I was going to get to continue my no cook streak, but TheHub had no meeting so he came home. Glad to have him home, but I was neutral about cooking.

Squash casserole, veggie medley, zucchini waffle

Thursday: I got stuck at Mom's with the electrician. He did not finish until well after 7, and by the time I got things swept up and in show shape it was after 7:30 when I finally returned to the house. Because someone is very wise he suggested we just pick something up.

TheHub got macaroni and cheese and I got a container of coleslaw. I guess neither of us was really hungry

Friday: We had decided we would watch the Olympic opening ceremonies. I love watching all the countries carrying their flags and all the excitement they have, but I am always thrilled with the countries who have very small delegations, particularly the one with 5 or fewer. I find myself sitting in the den applauding for them.

Leftover veggies. We each had different bits and bobs on our respective plates, but we did manage to clean out 7 small containers that were in the crisper drawer. 

Saturday: Our plan was to go out to eat, but we had both been hot and moist from running around and then doing things outside. We decided rather than stop and get cleaned up we would just call our favorite Mexican joint and go looking like a couple of haints** for a quick curbside take out meal.

Chili poblano meals

Sunday: We ate a late lunch and neither one of us was hungry

Watermelon 

What the optimist in me thinks might happen, while the realist is screaming whoa!:

1. Grilled lamb chops, rice or cauliflower rice, green beans, tossed salad

2. Veggie dinner subject to what grows (green beans) and what is on hand

3. Pesto chicken, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, green beans

4. Veggie dinner, subject to harvest, but I know green beans will be served

5. Another veggie dinner, because things are growing__like crazy

6. Takeout

7. Super salad meal (depends on what is growing!)

* I had no idea what Lebanon bologna was. TheHub went rogue and bought it, and it was more like a slightly soft salami. 

** Southernism for an angry, ugly spirit 

                           Y'all can thank me later for this public service announcement! 

Low Carb Blueberry French Toast Casserole

 

Occasionally if I am being nice, I make breakfast for TheHub. He generally is up and gone before I wake and honestly it is no harder for him to pour cereal in a bowl than it would be for me to do it, so I sleep while he pours. (For the record most days he is gone a few minutes before 6) But sometimes, on the weekend I am somewhat accommodating, and every once in a while I try something new and different.

Saturday morning was one of those times. 

I  should be following a keto way of eating but watermelon and corn on the cob have foiled me again this weekend. My intentions were noble, so I thought I would make us a casserole breakfast dish that was very different from anything that is our norm.  Since it was going to be a two step process I began by making the blueberry bread the day before. See recipe here. I rarely follow directions or a recipe exactly, but keto baking is a little different and I had never tried a keto sweet bread loaf before so I did this time*.  I made it as suggested for the French toast casserole omitting the heavy cream and one egg. 

There is nothing even remotely original about this recipe and I am copying it as it was written. I did use just half the loaf of the bread and halved the ingredients because we just do not need a recipe that serves twelve.  This is the link to the actual recipe.

1 loaf keto blueberry bread, cut into 12 slices

2 cups heavy cream

6 eggs, beaten

4 ounces cream cheese cut into small bits

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and pop in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes, flip the slices over and pop them back in the oven for another 10 minutes. The object is to dry them out rather than toasting them. Once dried cut them into small cubes and spread evenly in a greased 9x13 inch pan.

Mix the cream, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon. Gently pour over the bread. Top with the bits of cream cheese then sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top of it.  Bake in a 350 degree over for 25-30 minuted until the mixture is set and slightly browned.

Serve with maple syrup (or blueberry syrup would be good too) I used Choc Zero Sugar Free Maple Syrup ( I know I keep mentioning them, but they have really nice monk fruit sweetened products, and I have no dog in the hunt. I just like their products and I never mention any product unless it is something I personally like and use)

We liked this but there are a couple of things I would do differently and it is strictly our preference. I would use less cream (3/4 cup for the half recipe) and would eliminate the cream cheese entirely. Neither of us felt it added anything and might have even been a taste distraction. That being said, we both like bread pudding, and this was much more like bread pudding than the French toast casseroles I have eaten in the past. (That being said, I have only had them made with French bread with much less liquid to bread) 

I have the other half of the blueberry loaf in the freezer and will make this again another day with the changes. It might work and it might not, but we will see.

If you are not doing keto, you could use any sweet bread in place of the keto version. I would suggest adding a little sugar to the cream mixture though. It was fine for us, but might not be sweet enough if you were expecting something more dessert-ish.

*I thought the bread recipe had entirely too much butter, but overall tasted really good. I will try using 6 tablespoons the next time I make it because after it finished baking the loaf was literally swimming in melted butter.

Ordinary Times Call For An Adjustment

Week 29 of 2021 was neither joyful nor joyless. It was just an average week, filled with mostly average days. I imagine the excessive rain had something to do with the lack of excitement. I know it seriously impacted my swim time and that seriously impacted my mood! So here is to some sunshine, swim time, and an attitude adjustment. Fingers crossed!

 Friday:The day was pretty uneventful but we had plans to go out to eat, which fell apart  at the last minute. I think the biggest joy was actually getting dressed to go out, even if it did not happen. I probably should pay more attention to my hair, makeup and clothes everyday, but I only go to the grocery store, Mom's house or stay here at home and none of those places care what I look like.

Saturday: We made our usual trek to the produce market. Even though it is not keto, sometimes you just have to cave to delicious watermelon and an ear of corn. Mouth dribbling joy!

Sunday: I slept late, well at least very late for me and did not wake until almost 9. TheHub and I had a mostly lazy day, though we did go out riding around for a bit, and we got to talk with a couple of the sons. 

Monday: This does not sound joyful and was not while I was doing it, but I got the stairs at Mom's house sanded and stained. Talk about a huge difference. The joys are it looks so much nicer, and it is done!

Later that afternoon and through the night we had horrendous rains and flooding. I am thrilled that we had no flooding at my house.

And the last joy was TheHub's dinner meeting left me to my own devices at dinner. Translation: No cooking!

Tuesday: There was a special joy that the waters which were so high in Mom's back yard receded leaving little debris in its wake. And the second, though somewhat selfish joy, was TheHub's second dinner meeting this week which meant I did not have to cook again!

Wednesday: I spent all week waiting for various people to show up at Mom's to do a little bit of last minute work. I waited all day Wednesday for the guy we hired to do some work in Mom's back yard to call me so I could see it and pay him. It was a no show, no communication type of day. My beloved sister was the contact point and I did not have his phone number, but she had texted him my number because she had several appointments and would be unavailable. So I basically wasted my day hanging around waiting  on his call. While I was waiting for him I did at least have a really nice phone visit with my cousin who lives in San Antonio.

Thursday: The yard guy finally showed up and did a really nice job, then it was wait for the electrician. I knew he was not coming until later in the afternoon but he has great communication skills, and a little heads up is all I really ask for. He did not finish until well after 7, but he did change over the old fuse box to a breaker box. And that was the last major hurdle.  

I hope you find your joy this week. I hope I find/create more joy this week. It is always there even on regular mundane weeks!

And these are the pics of Mom's post reno. All we really did was trim the bushes and shrubs and change the paint colors.

If you look in the center of the lawn you will see my flip flops. Mom's grass is so thick, it eats my shoes, so I usually take them off before stepping in it.  I forgot yesterday and just left them where they came off.

Front porch

 Patio in the front yard

Back of house

Creekside