Thursday Blackberries

 When I boiled the 7 or 8 chicken breasts, I decided to season them with many seasonings. Tommy was going to bring me the little jars and a bowl for me to make a concoction of spices to dump into the pot. 

I used in varying amounts:

salt, pepper, basil, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, celery seed, parsley, ground sage. I love sage-y chicken or turkey. But, that is a taste for Thanksgiving. 

Wednesday night, I had chicken and more than half a can of green beans and raw purple cauliflower. After I ate some chicken, I took the rest, shredded it and had an onion roll chicken sandwich. I put just a bit MW in it. Tommy had tomato, chicken and something else.

The chicken was not just boiled chicken. All the seasonings made it delicious, but subtle. I can add it to anything I cook. 

By the way, I love purple cauliflower. It lasts longer and stays pretty longer, both a plus. I am turned off by brown cauliflower or even bits of brown that I know is just oxidation. Since it was only $2 for a huge, fresh head, I will be looking for purple cauliflower again. 

Tonight, I am boiling potatoes for potato salad that will not be ready for dinner. Of course, I mix the onion and boiled potatoes while potatoes are hot to infuse the potatoes with onion. I still have Vidalia onions to use. 

Dinner Thursday night: bought meatballs, green beans, raw cauliflower florets. Tommy will have potatoes with onion in them. He likes this simple meal. Of course, it is just the beginning of potato salad. Dinner for me: boiled potatoes, 3 meatballs, more than half a can of green beans that were drained, soaked in fresh water, and then drained again.

Speaking of green beans, Tommy opened a can of French Cut Green Beans. I hate the French Cut. I eat them anyway. I did discover they are best in green bean casserole. Now, I have to eat the rest of these nasty beans!

Tommy picked four blackberries and brought me three. Maybe I need to freeze these until I have a cup or so to make something. Some are very bitter and some are sweet. I am not sure why the difference. They are very black and ripe. We will have five more plants for next year since five of the six cane pieces took when stuck in a pot. They still survive. He may have gotten the sixth one upside down. 

Today, Tommy saw a huge yellow butterfly visiting the flowers, especially the wildflowers and the one hummingbird feeder. Then, a hummingbird visited all the flowers and the feeder. He said he stood very still so as not to disrupt their feeding and so he could enjoy them. I enjoy seeing the bees in the clover.

Do you ever get just a couple of blackberries and save them for a larger portion for jelly, or tiny cobbler? 

Do you have a preference for cut green beans or French cut? Or, does it vary with how you eat them or in a recipe? 

Cooking Marathon

 Thursday, at 6:15 pm, we cooked meat. I had three package of chicken tenders from Publix, a total of about 5 lbs. and a package of six huge drumsticks, also from Publix. I used garlic powder on all the chicken. I put all four packages into one cooking bag that cost 60 cents. They went into the oven. 

Garlic powder tastes nothing like garlic to me. I like both, but it is so easy to sprinkle the powder over all the chicken. Plus, there is no salt. I never use garlic salt. Garlic is delicious. By using garlic initially, we can put any kind of spin on the cooked chicken.

Then, I put the pork loin, a small one, into the crockpot. I had left it frozen solid on the counter in front of the microwave which is next to the freezer. I use this bit of space to place things as I work things into the crowded freezer space. Well, four hours later it was sitting there still, limp and fully thawed. So, two days later I am cooking it. No, I don't think it spoiled. Tommy sees how dark it is in the kitchen although he swears he can see just fine. grr. So, he got the crockpot on high. Oh, I washed the teriyaki flavor off, so we can eat it. There is enough flavor left. It is in the freezer for Easter. 

While I was unpackaging the chicken, He cooked and chopped 1.75 lbs. of ground beef. Lots of it will go into two packages for the freezer since he is done. 

The rest of the ground beef will be made into a meatloaf and cooked after the chicken comes out of the oven.  Okay, meatloaf done and in two packages in the freezer. I did not have bell pepper, so I will somehow get it incorporated into the meatloaf later.

This makes over 30 helpings of proteins for meals from what we prepared in thirty minutes. His help is immeasurable! 

Now, for the vegetable front. I sit in my chair and put the month and year on top and front of cans so I will know which to eat first, not when they will kill me. After I got up from a long nap Thursday, Tommy told me what he found. There was a can of black beans under the edge of my chair. It was crushed almost in half! That can will be eaten in the next few days unless I find it was crushed and opened. I cannot believe I did that. 

Tommy asked what we will have of those meats for dinner. I told him--your choice. So, he chose chicken and a salad. I know I will have chicken and tomato, not sure what else. 

At this point, I still need to make the meatloaf. Okay, meatloaf done. I used one of the cheap cans of tomato paste. I might use a smidgen of catsup on top. I had no bell pepper, so I will cook it without bell pepper, find or buy some before we eat it and poke little pieces into the done meatloaf. We both love bell pepper in meatloaf. I used the last tablespoon of catsup in the bottle for the top of the meatloaf. 

Oh, and I finally made the hummingbird food! 

While I napped, he washed the rugs from the bathroom and hung them on the ramp railing to dry. I asked or he would never have done it. 

Friday morning

I had saved the juice from the crockpot pork loin. I used it with water to cook navy beans. Plus, I shredded the cabbage for slaw. It will be a coarse slaw since I cannot use the grater like I did before hand injuries.  I may use some of the cut cabbage for colcannon or for soup, and will definitely freeze some. 

That cooking marathon was fun but tiring. Do you having cooking marathons? 

Donating to Ukraine, Hummingbirds, and Seeds

 Thursday

Even though I was exhausted from the lack of sleep, I managed to cut up and cook two cabbages. I will freeze some for other meals.  Friday, I might bake the acorn squash or the spaghetti squash. Since Friday has a forecast of 100% rain, we won't be going out or even tempted. 

I still feel week as a kitten, so Tommy went into the store for me. I made a list of bogo items. However, I put a "1" in front of each and even explained I did not want two loaves since we could just buy another on Monday and still fresh bread. Same with every item on the list--grape tomatoes, bread, Miracle Whip; I just don't understand. He says I don't tell him and explain. Well, I said out loud and made a list. What more can I do?  

He also bought batteries, AA and AAA. We are about out. Not really since I am just replacing what we used and there are more here stashed away. We went to The Pig for a case of Dasani. 

There were clothes to fold in the laundry basket. He washed what I asked again, so they are in the basket with the rest of last week's clothes (dishtowels and dishcloths). I know. These aren't clothes. 

The hummingbird feeders I had last year would not open to clean the reservoir. This year, I am adding two more feeders. These have reservoirs I can clean. I wanted a pretty glass one, but they are expensive. So, I am settling for cheaper ones. It will soon be time to put feeders out. I will only put one out until I see one hummingbird. 

Anne in the Kitchen said radishes will roast and be soft. So, I will try it. If I like the first ones I roast, I intend to grow a pot of radishes. I like radishes on salads. Some bite, so I hope I pick out ones that will not be too sharp. This means a trip to Lowe's. 

I hope to find Romaine and Kale plants, same variety I planted last year. I refuse to plant tomatoes, zucchini or squash since some critter gets all of them before they are ready to pick! 

Friday, I did take a pill for my stomach and finished the antibiotic. Monday, I will go for a urinalysis! Hopefully, the uti is gone. 

Since I want to donate to people in Ukraine, I decided to wake my PayPal account. I had completely forgotten how to use it since it has been so long. Happily, I found a substantial amount of money in the account. I have two ways I will donate. There are sellers of art, items that can be sent to my email account for me to print. The other is to rent and Airbnb with no intention of going.  With these two methods, the persons to whom I donate will get all the money with no administrators taking a cut for their salaries. I will write more about that later. 

Friday

I was in bed for twelve hours, so I hurt. I slept for about 10 1/2 hours.  I awoke sooo hot that now my chest is acting up. UGH! So, I am medicating that problem.

Have you donated anything to Ukraine? Well, that is a different conversation we had. 

Storms, Hummers, and Booklight

 Thursday was a stormy day, lots of torrents of rain, thunder and lightning. We stayed in and I took a nap unwittingly. I had gone to the bedroom to make three calls, not to sleep. It seems when I see the bed a nap kidnaps me. 

We stayed inside except for Tommy's trip to the trash outside the door near the porch. It has to stay there in order for Tommy to reach it with trash. Plus, the neighbor who takes it to the road and bring the empty can back for Tommy. 

Tuesday, I brought the hummingbird feeders in and cleaned them with Clorox. I had read that they can smell the dishwasher detergent and will avoid the sugar water. For weeks now I have had no problems. But, the video pointed out that mold can grow in the feeders. I knew that from the time I had a feeder out years ago and attracted only large carpenter ants. 

I had Tommy put the feeders out about noon on Wednesday. Well, the birds did not come for a while. When they did come back, they drank little and traffic was light the rest of the day. I realized that I did not get all the Clorox out completely since I could still smell it. Soooo, I took them down on Wednesday and rewashed with Dawn and rinsed thoroughly. 

Today, Thursday, traffic improved. My main problem is that the reservoir cannot be opened to clean it. I need feeders that I can take apart. sigh.... So, if you buy a feeder, make sure to get one that can be opened to get mold out of the reservoir. When I bought these, it was not evident that the feeder would not come completely apart. Both feeders come apart into four pieces, but the reservoir will not open. We both tried to pry it open and had no luck. 

When I read in bed, it appeared to booklight was getting dimmer. I was madder than a wet hen. Then, I realized that it pulled apart and had a USB to recharge the light. I knew this but forgot when I was sleepy. My laptop is the only thing in the house with a USB port, so it lived there for a bit today. Now, I can read once again. I think reading at night and in bed helps me sleep. I've missed reading. 

Dinner tonight--salad with baked chicken from the freezer. It took less than ten minutes from the time I walked to the kitchen to having dinner on the plates. I love easy meals!

Will your hummingbird feeder completely disassemble? What is the quickest meal you put on the table? Are you having storms, fires, or other adverse conditions? Maybe fair skies?

Problem with Fetch

 Monday

Actually, the problem is probably me. Everything was going smoothly. Then, I took the picture of the receipt about 12 times. It seems the picture is too blurry. Since I don't know how to make pictures less blurry, I am stuck! 

Between Haiti, Kabul, and fires this was an unsettling day for news. Puppy and kitten pictures helped. I know that is not an answer for problems, but it sure helps me. Watching hummingbirds and Gunsmoke works, too.

For dinner Monday, I thawed cauliflower, thawed chopped chicken and heated up leftover Brussels sprouts. So, dinner was barbeque chicken, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. There is enough of all this for dinner another night and meat for Tommy's lunches. He really liked the cauliflower. 

Even though the rain was abundant in the state, we got none. It was hot and humid. AC is a wonderful thing. 

Once again, I slept well. I know most people do and this is not newsworthy, but for me it is like a miracle. When you have not slept more than three hours each night most nights for months, this is wonderful news for me. 

I have a hummingbird project underway and ordered something from Amazon. Well, two days later, there was no notification from Amazon and nothing from person shipping to me. Instead of complaining, I just ordered again. I knew it was ordered. So, today, I received both orders at once. Have you ever ordered anything from Amazon or elsewhere and got no confirmation on the order, only to have the order show up at your door? 

Tuesday

I think I took the Cymbalta too late last night because I still have a hangover. It is almost 5 pm and it seems like I have done nothing. We did get the dishes out of the dishwasher and loaded it, washed all the seals for glass storage dishes. 

Dinner will be thawed chicken breast, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. Tommy said he did not mind eating the vegetables again. Whew! 

Well, enough of this rambling.

Fred is kicking up tornadoes and violent weather to the east of us. I am so happy it is not here. Is Fred causing bad weather where you are? 

Diversity

 

At Sportsman's Lake Park in Cullman, we saw these two together, apart from their respective flocks. Not only did we see them together, we saw them multiple times. They wander far from their own kind. We were impressed that they found friendship. 

About my friend from yesterday, we only know each other from meeting at a church yardsale. Of course, when I heard about her thrift/junk/antique store, I was interested. We really do care about what happens to each other, but she is interested in selling stuff. We will continue to be the same kind of "friend" to each other--not close at all and only bound by her business. But, I tried to help someone and it hit me in the face. 

At the beginning of the year, I found Kraft Parmesan Cheese in the can with the green top. I got another coupon as they were available and ended up with 3 or 4 coupons for $0.50 off. I did use them before they expired in May or June. Well, now there are more coupons and I have 5 more of the same coupons that expire December 31, 2021. Now, if I can find a good sale this Fall. 

Today, Thursday, Tommy helped me as I unloaded the dishwasher. I give him a stack of bowls or whatever and tell him where to put them as I hang onto the counter and bend. Later, we will load it. In the meantime, he did something else.

Then, I put two packages of ground beef in a tall, wide pot with a half cup of water and he chopped it with the multiple blade chopper. I used 1.05 pounds of 90/10 and 1.25 pounds of 75/25. When it was done, it was chopped more finely than I have even seen ground beef chopped. Then, I put it in a collander and poured over it water boiled in the microwave to remove the grease. I froze two pint bags with 2 cups of meat in each. A little over a cup is in the refrigerator for dinner.

It feels good to know that two more meals of protein/meat are already prepared for whatever I cook for two meals. Plus, those dishes will probably make another two meals for for meals of meat. 

Tommy is going to peel two pounds of carrots, so I must go in and wash them and bring it all to him. I am not working him to death, but he just carried clothes out to the washer. It is a semi-busy day for both of us. 

Usually, the hummers have a battle with everyone involved. Today, I watched one of the smaller hummingbirds approach the feeder and a larger one chase him away. This went on for about ten minutes. If I had filmed it, no one would guess it was a different chase each time. 

My nose hurts and is swollen and red. I suppose when a tip is sliced off, no matter how small, the nose will hurt and swell. 

About the picture, no one helped me to figure out how to post it. I think I finally got enough sleep several days in a row so I could think logically. I have never posted  a picture this way, so I hope I can do it again.

New Neighbors

At first, we had two hummingbirds, both tiny brown birds. When we could see three, all three were little brown birds. Then, a hummer with a white neckband, then a hummer with a full white head and neckband. Then, one of them showed a green back. Finally, one had a red chest and then another with a redder chest marking. 

How many hummingbirds are coming here? It seems there are at least four "couples." I think I need more feeders! And, I don't have a flower in the whole yard! 

The first two hummers were exciting and boring. We saw the PBS special on hummers. Can you imagine the thrill of a highly colored hummer on a 50" screen. And, we could practically reach out and touch these three foot hummers! 

But, we were still thrilled with our little brown hummers. The one with white was a thrill, then the red-breasted one, the ruby-throated hummer was exciting, so exciting. We are easily thrilled! 

I think I need more feeders. How many do you have?

Today is the day I am finally getting a week's worth of work done. Still, I am behind. But, I got the dishwasher emptied, which took less than three minutes since I have just used dishes from it as I needed it. Mail has stacked up and I am working it down. Tommy washed clothes for me one day and I managed to hang all the wet stuff and still have many items to fold and put away. 

Saturday night into Sunday morning, I slept well. I awoke and it was 2:30 pm. I stumbled to the living room, sat and watched what Tommy had on TV. Finally, I looked at the clock and saw it was 1 pm. I went back to the bedroom and my clock said 1 pm. It appears the Kleenex I sort of tossed at the table landed covering the first number on the clock, making 12:30 appear to be 2:30. This is twice I have done this. Even with the mistake, I did sleep over 8 hours. This is the second night this week I have slept over 8 hours, so I hope this continues. I might have slept 7.5 hours, but still...  Have you ever accidentally covered your clock?

Okay, laptop is going to die unless I find the power plug that goes into the laptop power port. .

Hummingbird Developments

 Tuesday night, I took out my bag I keep my medicine in, prescription meds, otc meds, a bandaid or two, Qtips, etc. As I pushed a pill through the back of a bubble pack, it fell into the bag. Well, I was too ill to find the pill, but I had to find it and now. 

As I removed the bottles one by one, I hoped to find the pill right where the bottle had sat on the bottom. I did find a half dozens pills and a cough drop that had escaped and were hanging out in the bottom of the bag. I put these on the table beside me and finished taking the meds. 

In an hour or so, I decided to use the cough drop, thinking it was Hall's Mentholyptus. I really needed it for throat, sinuses. No, it was a Luden's cough drop. But, I did not recognize it even though it did not look like Hall's. The cough drop was in my mouth, so I allowed it to stay because it was a taste of my childhood. Luden's cherry is the best!  Sadly, I only found one cough drop!

When I was in 7th and 8th grade, there was a "bookstore" in the one building school where we could go and buy pencils, paper and other school supplies. AND, we could buy Luden's Cough Drops. I had to get money from my mother to buy a box. And, we did not have to have a note to buy a box for a nickel. 

Tommy said they had to go to the office with a note from a parent to get one cough drop. Well, just now he filled me in--the school would give a cough drop, just one. Okay, hours later, he has changed the story. No one gave kids a cough drop unless it was brought from home and handed over to the teacher. The office would sell one cough drop to a child with a note from home. 

Hummingbird Developments

1) Wednesday morning, we had a new hummingbird come to visit. The first two were dull brown. The new one has a white breast and head. I think there must be a fourth one with a white band around the neck. We also had our first 'dogfight' between hummingbirds. It was such a sight with all the swooping and diving. 

2) Tommy was on the ramp returning from the mailbox when a hummingbird flew right past him on the way to the feeder. So, I supposed they are becoming accustomed to our presence. At first, when we moved inside the house, they were spooked and flew away. Now, we walk around inside and they come and go or sit and drink. 

As all these antics occur, I give a play by play and also serve as the color commentator. It's hard work!

And, finally, the food we give them is disappearing fast. Today is the first day I could even tell they had even drunk any.

Did your sell or give out cough drops? What brand? Could you buy cough drops at your school? How much did they cost? Were they a great alternative to candy during class, which, of course, was not allowed?

Successful Friday Yard Sale-ing

 Today, we had plans. Once again, we went to a food giveaway, not the nationwide one. A church is the location. We brought home enough meat for two + weeks as we don't consume as much as a family. 

On the way there, we had to take a detour since traffic was so heavy the way we needed to travel. Lucky me! We passed a yard sale, so decided to stop on the way back. I have certain criteria for yard sales.

First, does it look like it is just children's toys and clothing for anyone, especially children? Do I have to walk far? Do I have to walk down into a ditch or up a bank to get there? Do I have to walk far? Am I broken already so that I will be unsteady? Is it raining? Will I have to walk in mud or wet grass after a rain or before the dew has burned off? Is there a dog in the yard? 

I could see a dozen things or more that I could use or liked! It was very close to the road. there was only a little step down and nothing like it to walk up to yard level. I was fresh! No mud or dew was present. I saw no dog. 

As I went along, I spied a box with "Waterford" on it. I asked the woman to pick it up from the ground. I also asked if I could sit for a minute. Yes, it did have a Waterford mark. I asked her to get me the two Monopoly games. One was very old with the old markers. Money was clean and barely used. I did not check the Star Trek Monopoly game. I asked if they would take a reduction on the Waterford and paid one price for all of it which meant a reduction on the two games, also. 

I may sell all three. I might only sell the games. We will see. I walked about 20 feet and 20 back to the car with a little rest in a chair and a cane to steady me. She pointed out holes for me to be safe, and she put the items in the vehicle. I had fun. There were three people there and no other customers at the moment, so I did not take up time they needed to spend with someone else. 

Used, the Waterford bowl was $29, so maybe I can sell it. 

Now, I need to start thinking about dinner. Even though I did little, my back really hurts! 

We decided we will keep both hummingbird feeders and put one in the back yard. It will be hard to fill and we will have to stand at the sink to see hummingbirds, but it will be worth it. The backyard will be cooler, so we may have more hummingbirds there and fewer in the torrid front yard. 

Do you have criteria or a criterion for yard sales? Can you tell from the road when you do not want to stop? Have you ever stopped against your better judgment and found a treasure? Hve you ever stopped with a heart full of hope and found nothing to buy? How do you react to overpriced junk?

I bought blackberries, cream cheese, Diet Coke Caffeine Free b2g2, Johnsonville Sausage Patties on sale, two tomatoes, bananas, a2milk 2/$7 (Usually $4.59 for  half gallon), and garlic powder at Publix.