Earth Day Wednesday, PWYC

[MysteryWoman]

Good afternoon!

Had my ADHD meds. I am still procrastinating some, but much less sluggishly. Making roasted tomato risotto for dinner, so the tomatoes must be roasted. Started setting up for that while waiting for DC to get ready for school, but I have been loath to go back to it since I got home. The recipe is a lot of work, but it is tasty -- or at least I think so. It's not really to the rest of the family's liking, but we haven't had it in so long, I was missing it, so I put it in this month's rotation. But it falls to me to cook. I figured today was a good day because it is a Scout day for DH, so he won't have much time to cook. Yesterday, he made one of his concoctions -- green curry beef. Very tasty. Every so often, he gets a wild hair and goes off the planned menus. The result almost always tastes good, but then I usually end up with a menu or two from the rotation that cannot be made because he used up the ingredients. We do not have enough pantry space to always be stocked for all possibilities.

Congrats on the sewing machine needle, Nancy! Needles are getting to be such a challenge. I need to get another couple of needle threaders, but it's hard to find anyone who sells notions any more.

Speaking (yesterday after I'd gone) of zinnias, I have decided to plant some this year. That, and bachelor's buttons for the blue. I thought about snapdragons, too, and something else -- can't remember what, pinks, I think -- but they both needed preparation. Sowing straight into the soil sounds more my speed. I still need to get the containers to plant them in -- I'm going to put them on my upstairs porch railings -- but it's too early to plant them right now, anyhow. I have way more seeds than I need, because I wanted an assortment of colors, and I didn't like most of the premixed assortments, so I am planning to plant profusely and then thin. I don't know if deer eat zinnias, but they will not be able to reach them upstairs.

Our purple azaleas are blooming, and the white ones are in bud. Not sure how the orangey ones on the other side of the front steps are doing. I suppose I will have to go outside and give them a look. I saw a dogwood on today's run.

I hope your tour goes well and you get in a few words, Twins.

I will make myself lunch and then get to those tomatoes. Have a great day, everybody!

[Twins' Mom]

The little tour of the cemetery went well. This rabbi is older - I think dh said maybe 80? and walking the cemetery seemed like a lot for him. We didn't go all the way to the far end, only about 3/4 and I purposely took him off the path - the prez guy is wheelchair so he couldn't go that way! So I got to talk to him some on my own, lol. We were there about 45 min - I took down some way past their time artificial flowers and took down a shiny metallic thing someone put up on our fence. (This family has previously had to remove a bench they brought in and they have a lot of junky things around the stone but those aren't like something on the fence.)

Went to Lowes - couldn't find the gallon size Windex that we use but did shop for potting soil and plants. Marigolds, basil, a small fern for front porch and more red geraniums for a planter at end of porch. Also found some zinnia seeds of the variety I like, that I'm sending to a friend. She had asked about my zinnias earlier in the spring.

I am tired from my day yesterday - I had nearly 12K steps and was pretty achy this a.m. I may try for something creative this afternoon.

[atlanticflyer]

afternoon! just checking in to see how everyone is

[Twins' Mom]

Glad Mystery's ADHD meds got there! I love hearing about all the planting going on here!

Nancy, WTG with the eggshells and coffee grounds. We're using a Keurig and I think emptying the pod is too fiddly. I've composted in the past - just burying the eggshells and coffee grounds is a great idea and easy to do. We eat a lot of eggs and I could easily do that.


Yeah, liver and onions are not a fav here, although a chopped liver spread is an excellent use of liver, Cathy. We have dh's mothers meat grinder and have done it, but it was probably 20 years ago.

Cathy, your pillow sounds great. Great way to update a little!

LadyM: Thumbs up!

Action proceeds motivation.

And I love it that Harriet is in the garden! (Wondering now if burying eggshells in my raised bed would draw a varmint? We used to have a back porch chipmunk but I think dMilly discouraged him.)

Waving to AF and bw2!

[Harriet]

That is how I used to cook liver and onions.

I've always thought it pleasant to look UP at containers holding pretty plants, Mystery.

I don't think eggshells are going to interest any critter, especially if buried a little.

*Bird Life in Wington
I have walled off (fenced off?) the wren's little world from my other half of the large planter pot.
Some thoughts -
her nest does not look as good anymore, tho' I never touched it. That's sad, I'm thinking, but, she's still there, fast as The Flash.
The planter was surprisingly dry. It may upset her more than I know that I am watering my side. Upset a balance?
Yes, "my" brushed art on other side of sign is more pleasing to my eye than the sign side. But she deserves calm.
Double-Up Pink Begonias to "my" front. White Impatiens to the rear will grow taller. Worked in some amendments and ran.

HRH asked what about the other Impatiens that were supposed to go in there? I may bite the bullet on their orange color, and plant them in the area in which I was avoiding orange. Or further nagging about needing more pots.

Kitchen spiffing done.

Getting warm. I suppose the cool days that actually seemed like April were too good to be true.

*Emptynester would laugh at Bird Life in Wington. A 1970s series of children's sermons by a Presbyterian minister about the First Birderian Church of Wington and how members sometimes acted.

[CathyS]

I fry the onions in butter with a bit of oil.

Liver gets soaked in some milk for 30 minutes or more if I remember early enough. Then it gets covered with flour and then into some oil with a bit of butter. A few moments on each side.

I serve it with boiled potatoes and a green vegetable. (Usually green peas) I made a package of brown gravy once. It wasn't really needed.

I usually cook the liver at too high of a temperature.


Time to soak the liver in some milk. (It helps it taste better)

[Nancy]

I did knit a few rows this morning. Then after my lunch I did up the dishes had a nap, nature show was on ...
I have removed onions from a bed to put in some cut flower and perennial seeds for today's out doors adventures.
It was raining a bit when I headed out. Ddoggo stayed in for her nap. For round one outside.

Next is to take the can back for the onions.
I've tried putting seeds on the field on my walk but some one sprayed heavily and killed everything. sigh Oh well at least
I know why they did not grow.

I see brighter skies are coming. Nope - just more rain.
Harriet thanks for the reminder that it takes a week to adjust to new glasses.

Did a couple of rounds out in the rain 1st I went out and ripped out the onion bed, put out flower seeds.
I went out again after a rest and put the onions in the cans it was raining harder the 2nd time ddoggo came with me.

I vacuumed the living room.
Swept the hall dining room and kitchen.

[lucylee]

awww... I feel like Eeyore -- thanks for noticing me (or rather, my absence).

It's just been an exhausting week -- already. Monday night church meeting, last night ballgame, and I am supposed to be at church again in 20 minutes -- thought I was getting two weeks off from my class because 1 of our 3 members (counting me) was absent. Nope... last week I volunteered to help with the meal because a lady at yoga said she was going to be doing it by herself. All her helpers were sick. Tonight, the two main children's workers are out of town, so the third lady asked me if I could help. It's not that I just can't say no -- I honestly don't mind helping out with these two ladies and I do try to say yes when I feel confident to do it, because y'all know, I'm going to be wanting to say no to lots of things.

Anyway -- I will be back later! Hope you are all having a good Earth Day!

[CathyS]

LucyLee I always notice your posts!!

Right now I am in the middle of making a banana cream pie. The pie shell (Pillsbury) has been baked and it's cooling now. I'm going to be doing the pie filling in the microwave and then pouring it over some sliced bananas. I did NOT get the whipped cream that dh wanted to go with it.

[lucylee]

Whew! I will be so glad to have my two ladies back next week!

We had 12 children, ages 4-11, and oh. my. goodness. They were a handful! And the other lady did all the hard work. I think I told y'all, the ladies who are usually in charge are long-time retired kindergarten and first grade teachers. They are PROS at this. Tonight, the lady I was helping is like me, the mother of an only child, a very mature adult son, and we are NOT used to having these little kids bouncing up and down all the time. But at least all these little kids are sweet, well-behaved (but talkative!)
She read the story while I took different ones to the restroom... and she fielded comments and questions after every page.
She helped the ones who volunteered to read the Bible verses.
Then we got them started decorating their little flower pots. A few of them finished quickly and she took them outside to put the potting soil and little petunia plants in them. (She said they were just all over her, "me next!" "do me next!" I watched the ones who were still finishing and sent them to her. Tidied up the classroom.
THEN -- we had instructions to have them make bird feeders out of apples, peanut butter, and birdseed. The main teacher had thought of everything -- plastic bags to put the apples in so they could take them home. (I told her, the main teacher is VERY ambitious.)
After all that chaos, the other lady gathered them up to have prayer and we got everything cleaned up.
I am glad I do not have to teach elementary school for a living!

So today, I paid the roofer and that is all done. I went to talk to the insurance people, and I can lower my roof deductible (wind and hail damage) to $8500, which is what my general deductible is for the whole house. This will raise my premium approx. $500 per year. When you consider that I have gotten by for a long long time without needing insurance at all, this is not as easy a decision as it may sound like... but when you consider that this is less than $200 per month, it does seem pretty clear that the peace of mind would be worth a lot. Dmom definitely advises to go ahead and do it; the way our weather is here, predicted storms this weekend could possibly undo everything that was done here last week. I would certainly feel foolish if I had to contact them next week and still had a $21,000 deductible! I may even ask about dividing this into monthly payments -- I'm sure you save a little bit by doing it yearly or twice yearly, and considering that, I may just start putting aside an extra $200 each month, maybe even use the Dave Ramsey envelope system.

Your pie sounds delicious, Cathy!

Nancy, I had to take a nap this afternoon also. I really had a hard time getting out of bed for yoga today. I am looking forward to tomorrow -- NOTHING is on my schedule. I will go to the insurance office again, but it is on the way to the post office. And they are open till 4:30. It has been a full week since I have had a day with nothing on the calendar and no grandchildren underfoot!

I do want to go to Wmart tomorrow and get some potting soil. We had two little plants left and the other lady told me to take them home. So I need to go ahead and get my two pots ready to try those seeds I was talking about a few weeks ago.
I also need a new solar light for my back door. (The roofers broke the old one when they tossed shingles on top of it. It's just the little $10 Wmart thing. I wanted a bigger one anyway.)

Harriet, there is a book of the sermons on Amazon. Now I have it in my cart! It looks so neat. I'm wondering if my dgd would enjoy it. I think I will buy it -- it is certainly as applicable to adults as to children! Thanks for the mention!

I have NEVER cooked (or eaten, for that matter) liver of any kind. My ddad wanted dmom to cook it occasionally when I was a child, but I'm not sure anyone in the family really liked it -- I think ddad just thought we "should" eat it. It was one thing that even he would not force me to eat, however. OTOH, dmom, ds, and dgs love chicken livers. I don't remember dh ever wanting them. I do seem to remember soaking in milk was something dmom did.

I emptied the dishwasher while talking to ds on the phone earlier this afternoon, but I still need to fold the load of towels that have been in the dryer since last night.
WHB is still awaiting cleaning bathrooms and dusting, but I did get the dgrands' room straightened up yesterday.
I'm making progress * slow progress * on getting my act together, but exercise time has been suffering. I've got to get back into that routine. While my cough was troubling me the most, I just entirely stopped trying to walk for exercise.

Hope you all have a great evening!