What's in Bloom?

Previous owners planted quite a few bulbs with reckless abandon. I've moved most of them to more appropriate locations. Yellow daffodils bloomed a month ago. This variety is blooming now.

Most of the herbs are planted around the front porch. I've never had parsley survive the winter before - or grow so large. The stone pathway isn't particularly accessible now - unless you are as short as the duck. (He is following me on my morning rounds.)

Parsley's in bloom.

Comfrey, a medicinal herb, is in bloom as are the pansies in the background.

Hanover is attempting to bloom. I pick and eat the buds before they have a chance to open. The buds and the stems are very tender.

Ditto on the mustard greens. These have a sharper flavor.


I picked quite a few. Jungle insists we are eating weeds.

Okay, fine! I'll take your picture.

Dog and Cat's Diaries

The Dog's Diary*

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

The Cat's Diary

Day 983 of my captivity

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. *Bleep!*

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ...

*click on "The Dog's Diary" for one source of this - there are quite a few - it has made the rounds via email as well.

I Don't Feel Like It

Today is Fight the Frump with Fussy day. I've tried to get motivated to fight it this week - to no avail.

I think it's because of my hair. I've needed a haircut for a few weeks now - I'm starting to look like Little Orphan Annie.

My last few "professional" haircuts have been really awful - so *gasp* I cut it myself the last two times. I'm reluctant to do that again, although honestly, they weren't worse than the haircuts I paid for!

The cuts were either seriously lopsided or shockingly short. Some stylists apparently think curly hair is defective and therefore consider themselves duty-bound to remove every last evidence of curl from my head.

I have an appointment tomorrow with someone who is supposed to be good - i.e. listens to your instructions and understands that both sides of my hair should match - unless you are going for something like this:

Which I'm NOT...

Or like this:

Which I'm NOT...

So for today, the best I could do was put on my favorite socks.

Alas - even they are a little worse for wear. *Sigh*

Links and Interesting Information

Free Diet Plans
Similar to online tools offered by Weight Watchers, but without the fees.

Is Your Child's Sunscreen Doing More Harm Than Good? Includes a list of ingredients to avoid with links to lists that help you decide which products to avoid and which ones are safer.

Yet another use for ice cube tray
And a recipe for a cold coffee drink - I have an unnatural obsession with ice cube trays.

Food for thought - Grown-ups need rules, too!

Nail product for the not-so-into-primping type
I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds like something I might actually use (more than once.)

Favorite Tweet of the day
@GWI Work badness: Maybe we should all Twitter all the time. It seems like people have lost the ability to comprehend anything over 2 sentences.

Earth Day

I have been called a tree-hugger more than once in my life. Being a child of the 60s, we invented this environmental awareness concept. (Well, maybe not, but we claimed to anyway.)

I'm generally careful about conserving resources. I remember taking recyclables to the designated dumpsters in the school parking lot once a week. (Now they are picked up from our curb.) Our regular trash consists of only two small bags most weeks.

I learned composting and organic gardening from my grandmother years ago.

Today there are so many green "resources" available. That is mostly a good thing. It does concern me that it has become a marketable movement. One of the best ways to conserve is to just simply buy less. It conserves money, too. Most of use spend so much time managing our stuff. There are storage facilities everywhere for the stuff people can't fit in their garage, attic, or basement. But, I digress. (Carefully stepping down from soap box.)

One area I haven't tackled just yet is the switch to reusable bags. Lots of options are available, but one of the challenges for me and others is having the bags with me when I need them. Most of us buy more than just one or two bags of groceries at a time. I found this interesting option for easily bringing along several bags. You could probably duplicate this with handmade or purchased bags.
Update on drying laundry outside: Jungle cleaned out the shed over the weekend, and didn't find the retractable clothesline. We didn't come up with a good place to attach it anyway, so I'm not ready to go looking for a replacement just yet. Our house has new vinyl siding, so we aren't too keen on punching a hole in it - perhaps multiple (holes looking for a place with wood underneath.)

Jen @ Daily Mish Mash had a good point, too - hanging clothes outside to dry is inconvenient. It requires scheduling several hours of daylight. If I use the dryer, I can do laundry any time of day.

However, hanging laundry and bringing it back inside could be combined with getting a little sun and vitamin D. Just put on a swimsuit or tank top and shorts - wallah! Am I motivated yet?

Weight Watcher's Product for Cats

see more crazy cat pics

Mad Scientist

Read this for an interesting commentary on "what's wrong with this guy."

Remember the Back to the Future movies? Doesn't Christopher Lloyd's professor character remind you of this guy?

Pilot's Inscription

The Gospel according to John specifically speaks of an inscription written by Pilot himself, and placed over Jesus as He hung on the cross. The inscription usually bore the charges against the person being hung. In this case, Pilot's inscription was written as an identification.

What Pilot wrote caused a great commotion among the religious leaders, and they demanded that Pilot remove it. He refused. John 19:20 says the inscription was written in 3 languages - Greek, Latin and Hebrew.

The Jewish scribes of that day used a method of interpretation whereby the first letters in a sequence of words were combined to discern further meanings. Often, the first letters of the words were enlarged for emphasis.

The Roman Catholic church borrowed this idea when they placed the four letters, INRI, on the crucifix. These are the first letters of the four words that make up the inscription in Latin. When translated into English, the result yields a phrase containing six or seven words. In Latin there are only four words. They are Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum. INRI.

There were four words inscribed, and the first letter of each word is twice the size and in bold type, so it really stood out. However, the hidden meaning in Greek or Latin is entirely lost unless we go back to the original Hebrew. The religious leaders of the day would certainly have related to their own God-given language. And herein lies the cause of their alarm. There are four words in the Hebrew translation, and they say, Yeshua Hanazri Vemelech HaYehudim. Yod, hay, vav, hay - YHVH. That is none other than the ineffable name of God! In those days that name was considered too awesome and too sacred to even speak aloud.

The sign also had an additional significance. At passover, each family would identify their own passover lamb by hanging a copper plaque around its neck - bound with a red cord and inscribed with their family's name. This identified their sin offering to the high priest who sacrificed it on their behalf.

So the ineffable name of God was inscribed and placed over Yeshua as He hung on the cross.

Is it any wonder that the Pharisees were enraged as they looked upon Jesus and the inscription. The inscription that identified Him as God's passover lamb for the sin of the world.

What Do I Know?

My daughter-in-law read yesterday's post with my four-year-old grandson nearby. When the first model appeared on the screen, he noticed.

Caleb: Mommy, who is that?
Mommy: It's a model. She's not someone we know.
Caleb: Can I kiss her?
Mommy: I guess so...
Caleb: *Smack* (Kisses the laptop screen)

It seems he finds an anorexic model wearing a bizarre dress and leg bands very attractive.

I obviously had it all wrong. The dress is apparently quite fetching.

I stand corrected.

The Empresses' New Clothes

Ya gotta wonder about designers sometimes. Are they sitting at sidewalk cafes snickering at us over their lattes?

Static cling used to be a bad thing. This designer decided to create fashions with the look built right in. It may be difficult to tell looking at one photo, but the entire dress sits crooked and the "pleats" have a haphazard appearance. Symmetry is so last season!
The leg bands are a nice touch, too, don't you think?

This skirt looks like a length of fabric was wrapped, tucked and perhaps taped into place. I'd like to see the dry cleaners' faces when they try to figure out if their cleaning ruined the shape, or if it simply needs a good pressing.

This reminds me of a tablecloth my grandmother didn't use anymore.

This is a frugal purchase, since the wearing of undergarments is optional. (Good thing this is on a manikin. Otherwise, I would have to add a warning for moms who read blogs with a toddler or two on their laps.)

Here is a closeup of the front. Perhaps I should have added the warning anyway.



And now, for the Pièce de résistance

I especially like the idea of recycling garbage bags into chic turtlenecks. After all, we are counting down to earth day.

I'll bet you can come up with some better comments. Please share them below. If you happen to own one of these creations, I'm sure it looks absolutely stunning on you!

What Is It and How Do I Make It Go Away?

Can anyone identify this icky infestation? (Sorry the photo isn't clearer.) I don't even know the name of the shrub. I'm more into edibles, so this is a new one for me.

I tried picking the soft, squishy white with tan "heads/fronts" mystery creatures off by hand last year, but nearly every branch is affected this spring. There are also tiny ones on the backs of the leaves. That must be where they lay the eggs. The leaves curl up making it difficult to see them. Some of the stems have a black, mildew-like substance on them - I assume due to the presence of the mystery creatures.

I don't want to use chemicals. If this is likely to be an ongoing issue, I'd just as soon replace the shrub with something less vulnerable to infestations. Thankfully, I only have one of these, and it is relatively small.

Update - I don't know the exact name, but this is some variety of insect in the scale family. Insecticidal soap or oil are the recommended organic treatments I found. I'm launching an all-out assault this weekend.

Clean and Green Laundry

Being a compulsive rule follower, I often run into competing rules. Sometime ago, a recommended way to save energy was to do laundry in cold water. Then recently I read that odor-causing bacteria on towels, washcloths, etc. aren't killed unless you use "hot" water. I was trying to avoid chlorine bleach because it is toxic stuff - and it is hard on the laundry, too.

So I thought I came up with a good compromise - I first added the clothes (to the washer) that I want subjected to hot water. I filled the washer using straight hot water - just enough to cover the offensive items - and added the laundry detergent. The washer was usually about 1/3 full at this point. I let it "cook" until I remember I'm supposed to be doing laundry for about 10 minutes, then added the other laundry and continue filling with cold water.

It is a bit more labor intensive, but that doesn't seem to bother me.

In doing some research to see if I have been wasting my time and energy, I found this:

ELIMINATING GERMS FROM CLOTHES

Boiling clothes or hanging them in the sunshine were once common ways to get rid of germs. With modern fabrics, fabric finishes, and washing methods, other ways can be used to disinfect the family laundry. Liquid chlorine bleach that contains 5.25% sodium hypochlorite will destroy most germs. Quaternary, pine oil, or phenolic disinfectants can be safely used on any washable fabrics. Pine oil disinfectants must contain at least 80% pine oil to destroy germs.

It is always a good idea to use a disinfectant in the wash when someone in the family has a bad cold, the flu, or some other infectious illness. Disinfecting the wash will help prevent other family members from getting the same illness.

Use a disinfectant when washing at a laundromat. Illness from another family can be passed on if the washing machine is not disinfected before it is used. (Gross!) Wipe off the surface of the machine with a disinfectant, then add disinfectant to the wash cycle. Follow the directions on the disinfectant's label.

Revelation: The temperature of the hot water I use probably isn't high enough to kill germs. I realize I never questioned just how hot the water needed to be to actually kill germs. On the other hand, another part of the article says that warm water actually does produce more effective cleaning results. I can save myself some trouble and just use the warm water setting.

Drying laundry outside seems like the best option for killing germs and saving energy (not our own personal energy, but the energy used by our dryer.) I'd rather have my laundry smell like fresh air than pine cleaner or chlorine any day!

Trouble is, I don't currently have a clothesline. Permanent ones aren't allowed in our subdivision. I should look into some sort of alternative.

Doesn't look sturdy enough for outdoors. It gets windy here.

This one assumes you have something to attach the other end to. I have a heavy duty version of this one stashed away somewhere. I bought it to use at our previous house, but I couldn't find two suitable connection points. It might be an option at our current house. I'll have to look for the contraption and see if I can make it work.

To be continued...

P.S. When I'm in the market for replacement laundry appliances, I hear there are greener washing machine options available. Some use less water and less detergent.

Lawn and Garden Maintenance

The easy way to rid your lawn of moles...

The Evils of Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

"If only a small fraction of what is already known about the effects of sugar were to be revealed in relation to any other material used as a food additive, that material would promptly be banned."
- John Yudkin, MD

Shane "The People's Chemist" Ellison says, "If you could make one simple change in your diet to help you melt fat, sleep better, and improve your memory... wouldn't you do it? What if that same simple dietary change could increase your energy, conquer depression, save your eyesight, restore your mental alertness, get your bedroom energy rockin', and increase your lifespan?"

"It's as simple as reducing the amount of sugar you eat." (The average American now consumes a whopping 3 to 5 pounds per week!)

Simple maybe, but not easy. Most if not all of us have at least some need for a sweet fix. It tastes good and makes us feel good initially. And it's addicting.

"In a study comparing the addictive properties of sweeteners, saccharin and sucrose proved more addictive than cocaine!"

There is more bad news about artificial sweeteners. He says they are actually drugs in disguise. Splenda, he says, was created in a pesticides lab. Aspertame is dangerous, too. I remember when Sacharine was banned. The company that made Sweet 'n Low was reportedly well connected enough to get it back on the market. Cyclamate was banned in the US in 1966, but is still used in some other countries. Interestingly, saccharine is banned in Canada but not cyclamate.

"Over time, "sweetener addiction" leads to the hard-to-diagnose symptoms, and a host of dreaded diseases like insulin resistance, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. To avoid the sabotage, you must understand how to get your sweet fix without becoming addicted."

There are several safe alternatives to artificial sweeteners: erythritol, stevia, agave, xylitol and luo han guo.

Choosing which natural sweetener to use depends on which one tastes best to you. Agave nectar usually wins. It stimulates taste buds exactly the same way sucrose does. But unlike common table sugar, very little of its active ingredient - inulin - is absorbed. Therefore, you are protected from the dangers of sugar addiction.

As a "nectar," agave is a bit harder to bake with. This is where erythritol wins.

All natural sweeteners are known to help control appetite, keep insulin and blood sugar low, and prevent the formation of AGE products. None of them are addicting, nor will they diminish your lifespan, he claims.

I use stevia occasionally, but I can't say that I'm wild about it. It still reminds me of an artificial sweetener. I prefer to avoid sugar altogether (although I haven't made that step yet) rather than use an artificial sweetener. The effect just doesn't work for me.

I used to eat a lot of sweets when my children were small. I baked cookies, quick breads, and muffins on a regular basis. At the time, I thought it was wholesome food because I used whole wheat flour and other whole food ingredients. We didn't keep candy in the house except small amounts for holidays.

Since my mom died so young, I wanted to do whatever I could to live a healthier life. I determined to kick my sweet tooth. It took time, but little by little I worked toward making healthier choices. Just using less sugar than I really wanted in iced tea allowed me to gradually reduce the amount I actually wanted to begin with.

Still, I do have some sweeteners in my diet and should continue to find ways to cut back. Karla, at Looking Toward Heaven, recently received an ultimatum from her doctor -"Get off sugar!!!!!!" (She says he wrote it down just like that.) I was impressed that he didn't just send her for a bunch of tests or write another prescription. Her post inspired me to dig up the above information which included the list of natural alternatives.

Since stevia hasn't been a big hit, I think I'll try the agave nectar and see how that works out.

Multi-Tasking With a Twist

I sat down at the table to have breakfast, make a grocery list, and fill our weekly vitamin/supplement containers.

I keep our vitamins in a very special cardboard tray, as you can see. When I removed some of the bottles, the cat assumed I was making room for her to lie down. *sigh*

Not So Simple Oatmeal

As I mentioned before, Jungle has remarked more than once, "It's hard to be you!" One such occasion occurred while watching me prepare a bowl of oatmeal. Seems like an easy breakfast option. I thought it was easy until DH pointed out all of the ingredients I added - otherwise known as "the oatmeal fixin's bar." (He spent a little too much time as a corporate pilot in Texas.)

I start by choosing a bowl. I use the bowl pictured above if I'm cooking the oatmeal on the stove. I use a different one for the microwave.

Fixin's Bar

The first ingredient is plain, rolled oats. Before cooking, I also mix in about a tablespoon each of dried coconut, oat bran, and flax seed meal. Sometimes I add wheat germ, but lately I don't like it so much.

Next goes in the liquid - usually water, but sometimes I use rice milk or Horizon organic milk. I used to cook it in the microwave for two minutes on high, but lately I'm cooking it in a small saucepan over really low heat for about 10 minutes.

After the oatmeal is cooked, I add either soy milk or organic milk and frozen blueberries (most of the time - if other fruit is around, it is fair game - like the perfectly almost-ripened banana in the photo above.)

Oh, I forgot - sometimes I add raisins, dates, or other dried fruit before the cooking begins. It's VERY important that dried fruit is cooked along with the oatmeal.

The addition of frozen fruit and cold milk must be brought to almost the same temperature as the oatmeal, but not cooked so that the fruit gets mushy. If that happens, it can still be eaten, but it just isn't as delectable that way.

When heated to the perfect temperature, coarsely broken, not chopped, walnuts go on top. Maple granola (organic) is also a great bonus topping.

Since the oatmeal will not maintain the perfect temperature for long, it now requires my undivided attention. If I'm distracted, or if I don't eat it quickly enough, which usually is the case, the oatmeal has to go back into the microwave for a quick reheat.

Simple, right?

I haven't tried steel cut oats yet. I recently read about a way to cook them overnight in the crock pot. I have to try that next...

When Kids' Rides Weren't for Sissies

My Favorite Color is Beige

An 80 year old family member told me that in all seriousness. I thought it was so absurd...until I looked in my closet...and my bureau drawers. This is what I found....

Edit PostsA veritable Sea of Beige! (Note that the bedspread and wall colors are also beige/tan. In my defense, the quilt is usually on the bed, too, but still.)

At my mature age and given my glow-in-the-dark Irish complexion, I'm told that jewel tones are the only antidote to appearing completely washed out. So I've been dipping my toe in the color (and pattern) pool.




Frump takes it on the chin. Ha!

10 Ways to Save Time and Money With Ice Cube Trays

• Baby Food This is what got me started using ice cube trays for something other than ice cubes 33 years ago. Commercially prepared baby food was and still is expensive and cumbersome to deal with. All of it is canned food - yuck. As a convenient alternative, I used the blender to make batches of various vegetables and stews using fresh or frozen vegetables and meats. I poured the puree into the ice cube tray. After it was frozen, I put the cubes in plastic bags (usually bread bags I saved) or plastic containers.
  
  
• Herb Cubes During the summer, I usually have an abundance of basil. Rather than dry it, I put it in the blender with some water. The cubes can be added to pasta sauces, soups, etc. Much better flavor than dried.
  
  
• Chicken Broth I save the bones and skin from rotisserie chicken and make broth in the Crockpot. I add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. The outer skin usually has enough salt, so I don't add any. If I'm using chicken or turkey that I prepared, I do add some salt. The cubes are great for adding flavor when preparing frozen vegetables, to replace part of the water when preparing rice, to dilute gravy, and to make sauce for stir fry. Sometimes I use the whole bag of cubes at the same time to make soup, but at least I have the option of using a little at the time.
  
  
• Vegetable Broth Last summer in addition to our own small garden, I also joined a CSA farm. I picked up a box of freshly picked vegetables every week. When it became obvious I wasn't going to use up all of the vegetables before getting another batch, I decided to make a pot of vegetable broth. I froze the cubes and planned to use them in the same way I use chicken broth cubes. Unfortunately, I don't like the flavor of swiss chard in a broth any more than I like the vegetable by itself. So some of the cubes ended up melting in the sink. At least the boiled vegetables I strained out made nice compost.
  
  
• Vegetable Cubes When I have extra cooked vegetables that I don't think we will eat right away, I freeze them in cubes. I do this mostly during the summer when I have too much zucchini, tomatoes, onions, etc. I later add a cube or two to canned soup, frozen prepared meals, homemade vegetable soup, pasta sauce, stir fry, etc. It's an easy way to add additional vegetables to our diet.
  
  
• Toddler Food For a sneaky way to add vegetables to your finicky toddler's diet, add a cube or two of butternut squash puree to macaroni and cheese, pasta sauce, or anything else that you think might work. Other vegetables can also be used. Toddlers have sharp eyes though, so there can't be any visible specks of "oogie" as one of my sons called them.
  
  
• Pasta Sauce Jungle doesn't care for tomato based pasta sauce, but I love it. Since our nest is empty, a jar of sauce is more than I can eat before it becomes a lab project. So as soon as I open a new jar, I freeze the unused portion in cubes. I sometimes use a couple of cubes on a pita with cheese and vegetables to make an individual pizza. It also makes a quick vegetarian chicken Parmesan when paired with a Morningstar Farm chicken patty.
  
  
• Juice Cubes This idea works for any type of juice, of course, but I mainly make cranberry juice cubes. I get Lakewood pure cranberry juice. It is unsweetened and very strong. I add one or two cubes of it to water for health purposes. It is a convenient way to make sure I have it around when I need it.
  
  Juice cubes could also be used to flavor iced tea or other beverages.
  
  
• Coconut Milk Cubes This was my most recent experiment. I used a small portion of a can of coconut milk and made cubes of the rest. I plan to use them in rice, oatmeal, pudding, smoothies, baking, etc.
  
  
• Crushed Pineapple These come in handy for baking (pancakes...mmm), smoothies, yogurt, etc.
  
  

It's Hard to Be Me

If there is a way to make something complex or complicated, I will find it. Jungle has pointed out this fact on more than one occasion, by slowly shaking his head and saying, "it's hard to be you."

About a month ago, as I searched for something I had lost couldn't immediately locate on my desk, I took a visual survey of the clutter important papers. Most of it was essential, or so I thought.

I decided to make some stacks on the floor by project type. It seems I had quite a few organizational tools, i.e. calenders, notebooks, journals, etc.

My main planner was executive size (makes me feel more important) in a loose-leaf binder. I kept it in the open position most of the time - presumably, so I could see my to do list. However, the planner took up so much desktop real estate that other items got stacked on top of it. I could seldom see more than the edges.

Something had to give. So I ordered the personal sized planner that comes spiral bound. I kept the Stock Traders Almanac and began using it to write down my trades. My trading software keeps detailed records, so it wasn't necessary for me to keep so many notes - which I never read later anyway.

I noticed today that most of the other notebooks have made their way back onto my desk. I had one for each type of note - one for spiritual things, one for household things like grocery lists, and several for miscellaneous. I know they each contain very important information I simply cannot do without! My plan was to go through each notebook and extract the most important jewels of wisdom so they would not be eternally lost to posterity. Have I done it yet? NO! Am I likely to do it? I'm thinking, "of course I will."

I'm not at all certain that I can be trusted here. So here I sit in the balance between order and chaos. For inspiration I'm reading 10 tips for keeping your desk clean and tidy. For some reason I don't have trouble with the rest of the house, but when it comes to my office...*heavy sigh.* It's probably because I live most of my life in my office/studio or outside gardening.

So, maybe I should be reading this instead Organize Your Cluttered Desktop and Regain Your Sanity. But only if I promise not to print it out first.

Jungle is right - it's hard to be me.