Junk Food

For those occasions when you want something crunchy

and you also want to repel vampires - 

Vietnamese Garlic Rolls

I have had to guess on the ingredients because Lu Shan never did tell me exactly what she put in them.

Ingredients:

One package wonton skins

One large carrot, grated very fine

Some radish or turnip, grated very fine

1/2 - 1 teaspoon corn starch

1 teaspoon soy sauce

additional salt - optional

4-6 cloves garlic, run through a garlic press or chopped very fine.

Mix all but the wonton skins together

Fill wonton skins as if you were making very tiny egg rolls.  Each one will take 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of filling.

Heat 3"-4" depth of canola oil until a wooden spoon handle inserted in the oil bubbles.  If necessary, fry a piece of plain wonton skin to make sure the oil is hot enough, or not too hot.  Fry Garlic rolls until they are lightly browned and crispy.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Argh!

What's the point in arranging mom's medications in a convenient dispensing box if she doesn't even bother to take them?!  Guess I'll have to call her 4 times a day and visit a lot to make sure she actually takes them this week.


Parents!  Unless you're adopted, you don't get any choice in the matter.

More Digging

Since the marinara sauce supply did not last as long as I would have liked, the flower bed in the front yard will be converted to a tomato and vegetables bed.  So, out came the bushes.

Then the tiger lilies were transplanted

to a spot next to the sidewalk.

Yeah, no more mowing around that blasted power pole!

Tiger lilies are tough!

They can handle the road salt, heat, dry soil,

and being peed on by every dog in the neighborhood.

Then the irises were dug.

So far no one seems to want to adopt them.

If there are not takers, they will go in yard waste next week.

I just don't have room for them, and don't want them near my vegetables because they attract iris borers and other pests.

I don't like using insecticides unless absolutely necessary,

which amounts to only when the critters are eating something

that I will want to eat later.

Flowers are pretty,

 but they aren't as important as food plants in my garden.

Handy, now I have a place to put all the extra black dirt from the drainage project around the garage.

With a little more black dirt, compost, some fertilizer and warmer weather this will be a sunny, warm place for tomatoes to grow.

Still no idea where to put the two wild grapevines I found growing in the tiger lillies.  It is interesting the volunteers that can be found in a somewhat neglected flower bed.

Still not sure what to do about the erosion problem of the neighbors' topsoil running down toward my garage whenever it rains.  The problem is further exacerbated by their dog Casey's digging habit, the more she digs, the more soil runs into my yard.

Suppose I could install a short retaining wall, but it would have to be concrete block, because she would chew on anything else.

Not  really interested in another project at the moment.

It is amazing the bothersome things we tolerate simply because they are sort of cute and loyal.

Feast for a Hungry Husband

Hubby has today off work.

As usual he's hungry.

 Salad of bean sprouts, asparagus, and radishes

(The radishes are the first produce

ready from the mini-greenhouse.)

 A bit of lean steak, spaghetti, green beans,

and low-fat cottage cheese

 Homemade bread

And some rhubarb custard

(I never did get around to rolling a crust.)

Enjoy!

Sheephead = Fertilizer

At least the worms will have plenty of food this summer.

Caught some rock bass too but threw them back to grow some more.

I'm not hungry enough to eat sheephead.

And if I ever am, you'll never know,

because before that happens,

I'll cancel my internet subscription

and use the extra cash at the grocery store.

It was a lovely afternoon at the park

watching pelicans, ducks, muskrats, dogs, people.

It was nice to see fathers taking their little children to the park.

Perhaps a lot of moms got the chance to take naps this afternoon.

Sunny Day

Did a lot of yard work yesterday.

Picked some rhubarb and radishes.

Think I might take advantage of the sunshine

and do a little fishing this afternoon

then maybe some chores.

Or perhaps the rhubarb will get put in a pie?

Have a great Sunday!

Busy Times

Well, it didn't snow last night, but it did get very cold, windy, and rainy.  Took Chloe out before bedtime.  She walked around a little, then went back to the back door with the look on her face of "Ma, I don't need to go THAT badly.  Seriously, put me back in the house!  I promise to hold everything in until morning!"  You know the weather is bad when the dog doesn't want to be out in it.


This afternoon, I checked the 3 1/2 ft. hole dug behind the garage as part of the ongoing drainage project around the garage.  Almost a foot of water was standing in the bottom of the hole.  It is no wonder that the neighbor's sump pump runs almost continuously after a rain storm if the water table is only 2-3 feet below the surface when the weather is wet.  There used to be a creek back there; it probably just runs under-ground now.  I have been trying to reduce the amount of rain run-off into the city storm sewers by adding french drains around the garage and catching some for watering plants in the rain barrel.  Unfortunately, a lot of it seems to end up in Joe's basement sump.  Then the sump pump just sends it out to - you guessed it, the city storm drain.


Mailed some oatmeal chocolate chip bars to pa & ma-in-law.  Those flat rate boxes save a bunch!  The postage would have been $4.00 more if sent by weight.  Next time I'll have to spread the batter a little thinner so that two levels of bars will fit into the small flat rate box.


Took mom over to my aunt and uncle's house today so that she could take a shower.  (Mom's house doesn't have a shower.)  She was squeaky clean and very relaxed when the shower was done.  Hopefully the warmth of the shower helped loosen the sore muscles in her back.  She is still quite wobbly on her pins and uncertain in her movements.  There are some occasions that if her brain and body move any slower, no one will be able to detect any motion except with time lapse photography.  I took her home and re-stocked her medication and vitamin dispensing box for the next week; I am not sure if she has been taking all of her medicines as she should.  Maybe after a week of taking all her meds, she will improve.  Perhaps next week they'll let me help get more things sorted.


After loading mom back into the car and returning her home, she was ready for a night out on the town with step-father.  Well, at lest her idea of a night on the town, which consists of a fish dinner at a restaurant then back home so she can go to bed early.


Of course, my night on the town wasn't much better.  I did a little shopping at a department store.  With the sale price plus a $10 coupon, the total saved came to $23.  That is only because the original markup on things in that store is utterly ridiculous!


The next stop was the grocery store.  Woo-hoo!  Such an exciting, wild, Friday night - NOT!  Oh well, at least we have milk, eggs, and meat in the fridge again.


Maybe tomorrow, I'll pick some rhubarb and make some pies.


Have a great weekend!

It's Raining Now

But the weather forecast says it will turn to snow tonight.
Well, at least a few of the dandelions were dug and half the lawn mowed before the rain started.

It would be great if Roundup was designed to work below 70 degrees.  By the time the weather is warm enough to use weed killer, the weeds have already gone to seed.  Now if I could only train Chloe to pee on the dandelions and leave the grass alone.  Unfortunately, I don't think she has enough pee to do the job.

These Boots Were Made for Hiking

They have served me very well.

Unfortunately,

the tread is almost gone.

And Timberland has informed me that they currently are not making this model boot at the moment.

(I should have bought two pairs when I had the chance.

They seem to make them approximately every 5 years.)

Can anyone recommend another boot brand that carries a comfortable, fairly high arched, ladies' size 8 hiking boot with serious tread, leather uppers and Goretex waterproofing for <$170/pair?

Time to put these back on and wear down the tread some more.

A Blustery Night and Day

The wind has been blowing quite briskly since yesterday afternoon.  The house is creaking a bit, and the window insulator kits are bowing in on the west side.  The forecast for this evening is for winter to attempt a return.  At noon it was 50 degrees and sunny.  Tonight it is supposed to get down to 30 with high winds and rain/snow mixed.  It only has 9 degrees to go.


It is no surprise that the mold and pollen count is really high.  All the stuff that drifted down to the ground over the last month has gone airborne again.  Well at least it isn't tornadoes again, so far.  Other parts of the country have not been so lucky.  It is time to take some more allergy medicine and hope that my eyes stop watering soon.


You know it is a blustery day when...
   trees without leaves are leaning
   a pickup truck gets 45 mpg (while traveling downwind)
   the water in the toilet is rocking back and forth
   bicyclists are going backwards
   children hang on to their parents because they make good ballast
   ducks are flapping their wings frantically while backing up
   even x-games enthusiasts don't want to fly kites
   Winnie the Pooh's friend piglet flies past


Hope you are all safe and well.

An Afternoon Outside

Mutant Violets

Maybe some plant geneticist can tell me why they aren't purple.

Here's an update of how things have been growing

inside the mini-greenhouse.

Some of the plants have fared better than others in the cold weather we had last week.

 The pumpkin seedlings on the left were a bit nipped by frost,
but the radishes, tomatoes (really little in the middle),
Swiss chard, kohlrabi, and carrots seem fine.

 The yellow beans were really sensitive to the cold,
even with being planted way in the middle.

The sugar snap peas and cabbage are doing fine.
The spinach and lettuce never really grew.
I bought some new seeds to sow later.


Yesterday I finished digging out the snowball bushes,
that I have been trying to kill for the last 3-4 years by cutting off all new growth as it appears.  Shockingly enough, they were still hanging on to life.  Sorry, I just did not like them.  They grew really big, hogged a lot of space in our small yard, and had really stinky flowers in the spring.  I will not miss having to prune them!

I have plans for that planting bed.
There is a lot more digging and moving of tiger lilies and irises to do before it is ready for planting summer vegetables and fruits.


While I was out digging in the yard, hubby took Chloe for a walk.
Later we went over to Cocoa's house for a visit.
He's not a little puppy anymore.

Chloe played with Cocoa for a while, but lost interest and became OCD dog once she learned that Cocoa's house has a CAT.

After that Chloe kept trying to sneak back to the patio screen door to visit the kitty.  Cocoa eventually discovered that he was no longer the center of Chloe's attention and started herding her with his Kong frisbee.

As the sun was setting, the asparagus was picked.

For dinner we had an omelet filled with mushrooms, fresh garden asparagus, fresh garden green onions, lowfat cottage cheese, seasoned with some salt, pepper, and oregano.

Sorry, no pictures, it disappeared too quickly.

Funny, after reading Brigid's post,

hubby decided to watch Serenity tonight.

Semi-Lazy, Semi-Restful Weekend

Hubby has the weekend off work.  Wow, it is actually a long, three day weekend!  I cannot remember the last time he had three days off work in a row.  Of course in order to get three days off in a row, he had to work a whole bunch of days in a row.  He spent yesterday resting, watching TV, and catching up on eating.


When we did decide to go out, Chloe jumped into the back seat of the Element and stayed there.  She really wanted to come along.  Much to her chagrin, we did not go anyplace fun.  We made a short excursion to the library where I selected some more DVD's to watch over the weekend.  Then we stopped at the hardware store and purchased new fishing licenses.  (Now I can attempt to catch fish again.)


We came home and Hubby had a big piece of Lazy Daisy Cake (minus the frosting) soaked with malted milk to soften it.  (I hadn't made that cake in a while, and for some reason, it turned out a bit rubbery rather than spongy.)  It tastes quite good soaked in coffee with a bit of whipped cream on top, but Hubby can't have coffee anymore and whipped cream is a once in a great while treat.


Hubby settled in for an afternoon of watching Primeval on DVD, while I went outside and did more digging in the yard.  As usual, he needed rest, and I needed exercise.


Who knows what today will bring, but it has already started well with a little extra sleep.  The sun is shining, and it looks like it might wait till tonight to rain, if it rains at all.  Wonder what we will do this afternoon? - Endless possibilities.

Rhubarb

In about a week, we might be able to pick some.

To the International Readers in Blogland

Welcome to all the people scattered around the globe that seem to have discovered my blog this week.  I hope you are enjoying some of the older posts.

If it isn't too difficult, leave a comment and introduce yourselves.  The mystery of who all of you are is quite suspenseful.

Thank You Lake Michigan!

The weather last night was still quite cold for the third night in a row,
but it could have been much worse.  The southeast wind from the direction of Lake Michigan provided a little bit of warmth, keeping the temperatures just above freezing.  If it stays above freezing for the next few weeks, maybe we'll still get some apples this year; a few of the flower buds look like they survived.  Now if the bees can stop shivering long enough to visit the blossoms, some pollination can occur.

Fresh Asparagus

It can't get any fresher.

We picked a little and had it with Easter Lunch.

It was a little bitter, perhaps the cold weather did that.

I've been giving it plenty of water so that shouldn't be the reason.

There are strawberries planted around the outside,

mostly to choke out weeds.

Thankfully, those aren't trying to bloom yet.

Hope the Forecast is Wrong!

This is one of those occasions

when I really hope that the weather forecast is wrong!

This Afternoon Partly Sunny Hi 55 °F

Tonight Patchy Frost Lo 29 °F

Tuesday Morning Frost Hi 46 °F

Tuesday Night Patchy Frost Lo 31 °F

Wednesday Sunny Hi 53 °F

Wednesday Night Patchy Frost Lo 32 °F

Tonight there will be no chance of keeping the apple trees warm using the grill, because in addition to the cold temps,

the winds will be gusting in the range of light to heavy cattle.

Guess it is good that I found more rocks while digging in the yard.

I can use them to hold down the greenhouse plastic.

I forecast a likely shortage of apples come fall.

Wishing You a Blessed Easter!

It helps to remember the reason for the holiday is not chocolate bunnies.  If you want to get theological, check out last year's post of April 22 on propitiation.

Sorry, I should have written a decent post

before mowing the lawn and digging in the garden.

Should I discuss justification next year?

Please pray for strength and stamina for the Sunday school teachers and helpers at churches tomorrow morning, because the little children will probably have found and eaten a lot from their Easter baskets before church.  The children will be really wired on candy.  Then by the end of church, they will start crashing.  I hope and pray that the parents of those children are still rejoicing after church on the car ride home and that they get a good lunch into the little ones before they hit full meltdown stage.  Sorry, I'm being a bit of a killjoy this year.

After a brief whack in the head for an attitude adjustment,

let me again wish all of you a Very Blessed Easter!

Howdy

Partner

(Ok, give me a rawhide already.)

Not much to say for tonight.

Once the temperature outside gets down to 35,

it will be time to fire up the grill next to the apple trees again.

Don't know if it will do any good,

but I have to try.

Chicken Dog

Last night we had our first real thunderstorm of the spring season.  Chloe has never been afraid of storms before, but we were awoken in the middle of the night by a dog desperately seeking comfort and consolation.  I ended up sharing the guest bed with a quaking dog.  Sometimes her exceptional memory is a bit frustrating.  She must remember the trip to the basement last spring around this time when a strong storm came through the area.  Oh I hope she doesn't get into the habit of being afraid of thunderstorms.

Mischief Afoot

in my neighborhood last night.

Very late last night I took Chloe outside

for her last potty stop of the day.

She sniffed around the yard a bit,

then she made a beeline for something on the ground

at the edge of my neighbor's yard.

Not knowing what it was,

I told her to leave it alone.

Turns out it was an almost full carton of eggs.

Two eggs were laying on the ground nearby.

Either there are some really smart egg stealing foxes

in the neighborhood

or some kids were planning to egg something,

and wisely chickened out.

Hope they got some dog poo stuck to their shoes

as a souvenir of their visit to my yard.

Just goes to show how impossible it is to predict

what may turn up in my yard.

At least it wasn't an empty bottle of Jagermeister.

It is always sad when underage drinkers and/or other secret drinkers hide their empties in my rose bush in the front yard.