I do not get foods flavored as other foods.
From the Potato Chip Division:
Potato chips are the go to for chemical flavor dusting.
Not weird so much as is it really necessary after fried and baked options?
From the Make It Taste Like Chocolate Division:
From the Instant Diabetes Division:
Makes my teeth hurt just to look at it.
Not food but food related, a thick slab of himalayan salt.
Even dogs are not immune.
And finally, chickens do not have paws!
I saw a rose breasted grosbeak! It was sitting facing me in the photinia on the other side of the little backyard across from my window when I happened to look up. It was so striking with that white breast and the brilliant red collar with a black head and wings though I couldn't really see the body, facing me as it was. But I'm sure that's what it was being the right size and after doing a google picture search, it is the only bird that fits what I saw. I looked it up and sure enough, they migrate through here in April. I was hoping it would come to the bird feeder so I could get a better look but it didn't, just flew off. So that was my excitement for Wednesday morning.
I finally got mulch spread under the tomatoes Wednesday afternoon. Took me about 30 or 40 minutes. Wasn't particularly hot, upper 70s, partly cloudy sky so the the sun wasn't beating down relentlessly but it was so humid that by the time I finished sweat was dripping off my face. You'd have thought I had been standing out in the rain.
Wednesday night had a different excitement. A big storm with lightning and thunder, a couple of which flash and boom happened almost simultaneously, and bouts of hard rain came through about 3 AM and lasted til 7 AM just when I had to get up to have my coffee and breakfast and get to SHARE. Consequently I did not get any sleep between those hours because the neurotic little dog was in constant motion trembling and panting. This side, that side, on the bed, off the bed, up by my head, down by my feet, under the covers, not under the covers and mostly trying to lay on my pillow above my head which pulled my hair, panting in my face. I was not a happy camper. Tremble and pant, just be fucking STILL. Threw her off the bed several times, tossed her out of the room and closed the door for less than 3 minutes while she scratched at the other side in a panic. I'm sorry to say I yelled at her a lot. Poor little dog. I know she can't help it. Why do these storms always come through at night!
When I went out to check the rain gauge this morning which showed we had gotten 2 inches, I heard a strange chirping/whistling, looked up in the pecan tree and there were four whistling ducks.
Spent my morning at SHARE, very slow today, only 14 or so clients for food so a lot of standing around. One of the other volunteers bags up instant oatmeal packets and granola/snack bars three to a bag and she brought them around to me as that's one of the things I deal with. So here's another item from the Department of Ridiculous Food.
What, pray tell, is 'seasonal flavor'?
And because I just really like this view of the queen anne's lace with the clasping leaved coneflowers and the big old native pecan tree, here's another picture of it.
We got a little over an inch of rain Thursday night which we needed so I didn't have to water. Of course the little dog was all freaky during the storm preventing me from sleeping and I finally just turned on the light and read until the storm passed and she settled down. Too wet to work outside Friday which was just as well because I was tired from no sleep and weeks of physical activity.
I spent yesterday morning catching up on blogs. I can either read, write, or hurry outside to take advantage of this still beautiful weather. After breakfast we went to the Saturday Farmer's Market which is mostly anything but produce this early in the growing season. Squash and banana peppers were the only thing I saw. Lots of baked goods, our local potter was set up and some other crafts I didn't pay much attention to. I went for honey from a local beekeeper and microgreens from one of the women in the Mennonite community here. And then I hurried out to the yard.
I got the last of the weeding done under the big pink rose bush in the west flower bed. I had to prune some of the bottom branches off so I could get under there and dig up the ground cover and dewberry vines that had taken up residence. Then after a late lunch I separated and replanted a big clump of surprise lilies that I dug up when I weeded the little garden by the fence. It surprised me (ha ha, see what I did there?) because I only get one or two flowers if that every fall and it turned out to be 22 bulbs tightly packed together. I moved them to three different spots where I hope they will bloom better. Then I cut off the lowest leaves on all four tomato plants with the intention of putting mulch underneath today but it's currently dark and lightly rainy out. Not supposed to last all day so maybe this afternoon I can do that.
And speaking of tomatoes...
My second scattering of zinnia seeds that I threw out where I usually have poppies this time of year are starting to sprout but I'm only seeing a very few of what I think are marigolds from those seeds and nothing yet from the nasturtiums.
Other miscellanea...
The pink angel trumpet is blooming. Yesterday it had 13 open flowers, this morning 15 in various stages of just open and declining.
From the Ridiculous Food Department: strawberry, cherry, and raspberry flavored cranberries. I don't get it. Just eat strawberries, cherries, and raspberries if that's the flavor you want.
I finally accumulated enough screws of the right length (what? go buy them?) and mounted the rest of my glass doorknob collection on the railing of the deck (the row on the left).
Found this little bird nest in the middle of the hanging basket of petunias that Autumn wanted replanted in the ground in front of the little hedgehog grave. It was so well hidden I didn't see it until after I had already pulled out half the petunias and didn't see the three little eggs spilled on the ground until I had planted all the petunias. So I put the eggs back in the nest, filled the hanging basket with leaves and nestled the nest in there and hung it back on the shepherd's crook it had been hanging on. I doubt the mother bird will return though as it's no longer well hidden. Best guess is cardinal eggs. Too big for wren eggs.
The love-in-a-mist are finally blooming
and the day lilies are starting up.
Well, the rain which was only supposed to last for an hour is showing no signs of retreating, still dark and windy and sprinkley drizzley hours later. Time for me to retreat to the couch and book.
