Taking the day off from writing to mow the back yard (HOA takes care of the front) and noticed a couple of things:
Hummingbirds get really annoyed when you put the sprinkler too close to the feeders. They feed in the rain, so I'm not sure what the problem is. Hummer experts, please explain.
Skinks are harder to catch than anoles. You can wear out an anole by chasing it, but the skinks just wiggle and freak out. Best bet? Use a piece of mail from the recycle bin to urge them toward the door, then flip them out into the grass. Be careful they don't wiggle and freak out and come back inside. Mission accomplished.
Never saw butterflies mating until today. Fascinating.
Note: You'll have to wait until next week to hear the carrot story. I ate them.
Happy day off from writing, and of course, happy Mothers Day to all of you out there, including Moms of pets!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The Garden That Wasn't
Last fall I wrote about the garden I'd planned. I had lots of big ideas about the crop I'd plant using the square foot gardening system--about all the wonderful fresh thing's I'd grow and how I expected to enjoy eating them.
The title of this post accurately describes how that project went.
Oh, the seeds germinated and sprouts came up, but as for harvest, it just didn't happen.
The zuchinni blossoms were lovely. Unfortunately, no zuchinni followed.
I should have taken my friend Jennifer up on her offer to show me how to stuff and fry them.
Green beans? Oh, yes, there were green beans. Five of them. Two in the first "harvest," three in the second and last. I ate them raw. They were delicious!
There just weren't very many of them.
The sugar snap peas germinated and sprouted but were too fragile to grow with out sun. Did I mention that last fall was the cloudiest, gloomiest fall I've ever seen in Florida? Well, it was. I have the lack of crops to prove it.
The beets never got more than two inches high. It didn't help that the squirrels decided the beet bed would be a marvelous place to bury acorns. Now that I think of it, the acorns didn't sprout either.
One of the red pepper plants I sprouted last September has held on and is now a respectable 12 inches high. Possible blossom sighted at top pair of leaves.
Of course, all this goes back to Julia, protagonist of A Trick of the Light, and the garden she grows. She moves into the barn in late August, too late to plant, and, in the words of Blanche DuBois, counts on the kindness of strangers to get her through that first winter. She plants her inaugural garden the following spring and after a rough start, begins to produce enough to live on during the summer with some to preserve for the fall and winter.
What if her garden failed like mine? What would she do then? Julia is incredibly stubborn and wants to be self-sufficient. Her friends want to help her. I see a conflict in her future, along with some yummy garden gifts.
Next time: How long would you be willing to wait for a carrot?
Till then,
Happy writing!
The title of this post accurately describes how that project went.
Oh, the seeds germinated and sprouts came up, but as for harvest, it just didn't happen.
The zuchinni blossoms were lovely. Unfortunately, no zuchinni followed.
Green beans? Oh, yes, there were green beans. Five of them. Two in the first "harvest," three in the second and last. I ate them raw. They were delicious!
There just weren't very many of them.
The sugar snap peas germinated and sprouted but were too fragile to grow with out sun. Did I mention that last fall was the cloudiest, gloomiest fall I've ever seen in Florida? Well, it was. I have the lack of crops to prove it.
The beets never got more than two inches high. It didn't help that the squirrels decided the beet bed would be a marvelous place to bury acorns. Now that I think of it, the acorns didn't sprout either.
One of the red pepper plants I sprouted last September has held on and is now a respectable 12 inches high. Possible blossom sighted at top pair of leaves.
Of course, all this goes back to Julia, protagonist of A Trick of the Light, and the garden she grows. She moves into the barn in late August, too late to plant, and, in the words of Blanche DuBois, counts on the kindness of strangers to get her through that first winter. She plants her inaugural garden the following spring and after a rough start, begins to produce enough to live on during the summer with some to preserve for the fall and winter.
What if her garden failed like mine? What would she do then? Julia is incredibly stubborn and wants to be self-sufficient. Her friends want to help her. I see a conflict in her future, along with some yummy garden gifts.
Next time: How long would you be willing to wait for a carrot?
Till then,
Happy writing!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Thursday, November 29, 2012
I'm a Winner!
I just came away from the NaNoWriMo website after having validated my 2012 NaNo novel. It came in at 50,225 words.
If you recall, I'm a NaNo Rebel this year and instead writing a new book I decided to add some real estate to the book I've been working on this year, A Trick of the Light.
A Trick of the Light is now at 87,074 words, and I'm not finished with it yet! I'm expecting to top out at 100,000 words, easy.
As for yesterday's Fast food for Writers, who can eat when you're writing for glory! Get something from the frozen section, if you must. You won't regret it!
Happy writing!
If you recall, I'm a NaNo Rebel this year and instead writing a new book I decided to add some real estate to the book I've been working on this year, A Trick of the Light.
A Trick of the Light is now at 87,074 words, and I'm not finished with it yet! I'm expecting to top out at 100,000 words, easy.
As for yesterday's Fast food for Writers, who can eat when you're writing for glory! Get something from the frozen section, if you must. You won't regret it!
Happy writing!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Fast Food For Writers, part 3
If you've got 20 minutes, you've got spiced pecans!
Actually, you'll need 20 minutes and some pecans, cinnamon and sugar. Ready?
Spiced Nuts (Betty Crocker Cookbook)
1 T egg white
2 cups pecans or walnuts (I like almonds, too)
1/4 cup sugar
1 T ground cinnamon
Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Mix egg white and pecans until pecans are coated and sticky.
Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over pecans, stirring until sugar mixture completely coats pecans. Spread on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Yield: 2 cups.
Cool on newspaper covered with parchment paper. Be sure to set the timer, but keep your nose on duty, too. There are few things that smell worse than burned pecans.
Enjoy!!!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
NaNo News
Forging ahead! Ten out of eighteen days I've clocked over 2,000 words. Of course, there was that one day my magnificent total was 147. Didn't stay in that neighborhood for long!
By the end of my writing session tonight I plan to be at 34,000+. Better get to it!!!
Happy writing.
By the end of my writing session tonight I plan to be at 34,000+. Better get to it!!!
Happy writing.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Fast Food for Writers, part 2
With NaNoWriMo taking up so much of my time I completely forgot to post on Monday. I was determined to post today with the second of my fast and easy dishes for others who have their noses to the electronic grindstone, aka, their computers.
I've had this recipe for almost thirty years. It was given to me by a friend in Bardstown, Kentucky, and it has spread throughout my family, undergoing many subtle changes. Here's my favorite version.
Creamy Baked Chicken Breasts (also known as Chicken and Cheese, Cheezy Chicken and That Chicken Dish). This is a great pot luck dish. It can be multiplied with no loss of deliciousness.
Creamy Baked Chicken Breasts
4 small (or two large chicken breasts, divided into 4 portions)
4 slices swiss cheese
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can milk
1 cup Pepperidge Farm Herbed dry stuffing mix
4 T melted butter or margerine
Spray 9 inch square or other baking dish with release agent (Pam is good). Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper and place in dish. Put a slice of Swiss cheese on top of each chicken piece. Mix soup and milk and pour on top of cheese. Sprinkle with stuffing mix. Drizzle with butter.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until chicken tests done.
Serve on rice, brown or white. Green beans are soooo good with this dish.
Note: My sister-in-law substitutes 3/4 cup cooking sherry for the milk and her dish turns out mighty fine. Of course, she is one of the South's best cooks, so she could probably put swamp water in it and it would be good. Not that I'm suggesting you put swamp water in this recipe, but, I'm just saying.
You can put this dish together in the time it takes for the oven to pre-heat, so you won't use up that much of your writing time to get it in the oven. Be sure to set the timer, though, if you're one of those who gets lost in the story. Like me.
Happy writing!
I've had this recipe for almost thirty years. It was given to me by a friend in Bardstown, Kentucky, and it has spread throughout my family, undergoing many subtle changes. Here's my favorite version.
Creamy Baked Chicken Breasts (also known as Chicken and Cheese, Cheezy Chicken and That Chicken Dish). This is a great pot luck dish. It can be multiplied with no loss of deliciousness.
Creamy Baked Chicken Breasts
4 small (or two large chicken breasts, divided into 4 portions)
4 slices swiss cheese
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can milk
1 cup Pepperidge Farm Herbed dry stuffing mix
4 T melted butter or margerine
Spray 9 inch square or other baking dish with release agent (Pam is good). Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper and place in dish. Put a slice of Swiss cheese on top of each chicken piece. Mix soup and milk and pour on top of cheese. Sprinkle with stuffing mix. Drizzle with butter.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until chicken tests done.
Serve on rice, brown or white. Green beans are soooo good with this dish.
Note: My sister-in-law substitutes 3/4 cup cooking sherry for the milk and her dish turns out mighty fine. Of course, she is one of the South's best cooks, so she could probably put swamp water in it and it would be good. Not that I'm suggesting you put swamp water in this recipe, but, I'm just saying.
You can put this dish together in the time it takes for the oven to pre-heat, so you won't use up that much of your writing time to get it in the oven. Be sure to set the timer, though, if you're one of those who gets lost in the story. Like me.
Happy writing!
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