SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER

This is a bit of a surprise as I didn’t realize it had published.  Well, this time I will blame it on this summer cold! I was going to yank it but it gets confusing for my blogging friends when I do that, so it stays. 

 

And so it goes on a Saturday morning at the bird feeder.

Thanks for dropping by 

and have a great weekend.

SWITCH OFF...

 

(At least for a little while, just long enough to center ourselves, which I think everyone needs at times. I am not sure who said the above, but they must be a very smart and caring individual. I saw the words and put them in the center of the wreathe of flowers.)

THE GIFT SHOP AT THE MUSEUM OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY IN WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA 7-16-24

 Usually, I wait until the end of a visit to go to the gift shop, but this time it was the first stop. The parking lot is a short walk, and Gregg took the few purchases I made back to the car, and put them in the trunk. He was there and back in a couple of minutes. I suspected, and rightly so, that we would be too tired to go on our way out. This way we didn't have to carry these few purchases around the garden.

In all of the museum and gardening shops we go to, I more often than not look for stocking stuffers for Christmas. They have some neat little things in them that I don't see in other places.

Inside the cabinet the top two shelves were dedicated to a Christmas in July theme. These are wooden Santa Clauses made by local artisans. I enjoyed looking at them and no I didn't buy any. I did pick up two or three greeting cards and a drinking mug. I didn't see those stocking stuffers today, but I'll be sending off the cards to family and friends sometime, and the mug will replace the one I broke last month.

It's fun to look at the stoneware, also made locally.  Many, many pretty pieces.

I had an eye on this plate. I thought it was beautiful! Maybe if I drop a line to Santa when the time is right, and tell him I've been a good little girl, or at least I am trying hard.

For a small gift shop it has a lot in there.

One last photo with my dear buying those items. I daresay we will be back here again when we visit the glass exhibit before it ends. Keeping fingers crossed that we get there.

I hope your week started off well and thanks for dropping by.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - SCALLION PANCAKES FROM TRADER JOE’S

 

Definitely nothing fancy today. There were no new recipes as colds, sore throats and coughs were running rampant through the house last week, plus walk-in appointments at the local medical center.

So, after making sure the dear man had all he needed, I fixed myself an easy and fast meal as he didn’t feel like eating. We both normally enjoy green onion pancakes from Trader Joe’s and more often than not keep a packet in the freezer. There are four to a packet, 210 calories for one, very tasty. They make a great snack on their own, or with additions if you want more of a meal. TJ’s also sells Taiwanese pancakes, and one called green onion pancakes. As green onion and scallion are the same thing, I wonder what the list of ingredients is in all three. 

I found that these were in the scallion pancakes. 

I will eventually try the others but right now these are my go-to-fast-on-the-table meal, for ease and yumminess. As at the time of writing this post, they retail in price from $2.49 to about $4.50, depending on the location. We buy ours for $4.50, which is still a reasonable price considering we only eat one at a time. We get ours from the actual TJ store, and although it’s only our once-in-a-while shopping place (our local supermarket is closer), it isn’t that much further away.

This was a late breakfast/early lunch so I thawed the pancake a bit (they are already cooked).  All that needs to be done is to finish it off in a preheated frying pan until a nice golden brown on each side. A few minutes is all. In the same pan I sautéed the sliced tomato. (I coated the pan with a spray of avocado oil first and did the same in a small frying pan just big enough to cook the egg.) Flipped both pancake and sliced tomatoes over to brown. If you had an even bigger frying pan you could include the egg and sautée all three to serve up at the same time. I put the pancake in a few minutes before, and then when I turned it over, I added the other ingredients.  Just keep checking so they don’t burn. I enjoyed this combination for a quick brunch, and thought a poached egg would be nice another time.

The possibilities for your own favorite combination idea would be fun to know if you care to share.  We have placed a spoonful of sour cream on top when we had the pancake on its own and that was delicious.

There is a blog I found who does a copy cat version here. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s on my list. It doesn’t seem to have every ingredient mentioned above but I expect it is still an excellent version and additions could be added..

Thanks for stopping by 

and I wish you all a great week!

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - HERE ARE A FEW ODDS AND BODS

Some of these are from Pinterest, but others are sent to me by family and friends, or I just find them and file them and forget about them, until now.

An added note that gave me an “Aaha” moment that I thought was important enough to share. Did you know if a service dog came up to you wearing its service vest without its human, something may have happened and the dog is asking for your help and wants you to follow him/her to give aid to their human, or call for help?  I never thought about this before and am glad to know. 

Gregg gave the following to me, an inside joke and he got his reward, a good laugh! I told him well, you know I can relate, to which he replied, oh I know that!  He is always saying he can’t believe what I can remember, not only the things he said sometimes a very long time ago, which comes in useful when he is trying to remember something, and yes when he has said something to me when we were newlyweds, which I can tease him about years later. Don’t worry, he teases me too. We never go over the line where we might make one another uncomfortable. But there are people, situations, etc., that pop into our conversation again years later and I can usually fill in the blanks. I guess it’s a girl thing? What do you say ladies?  My brain is my filing cabinet, right now!

This is a room that I would love. So cozy and warm even without a fire. When I was growing up, my parents, my sister and I would visit family and friends in old homes such as this one, and I always loved those wooden beams on the ceiling, the old stone fireplaces with their roaring fires in the winter months, and bookshelves full of lovely old books. I was often allowed to take one down to look at while the adults were talking, and remember playing with their dogs, inside or out in the garden depending on the weather. Little did they know they were helping me to form my taste in things as an adult. I have always loved anything old.

If I am remembering correctly, I think John Lennon may have said this, or at least something like it.

Here’s a cute bunny rabbit because as you may know, I am going through my bunny phase.

This made me laugh. Maybe my quirky humor is showing, or something!

A lovely poem for newlyweds.

Pretty artwork.

And look at that, animals of the forest getting along, sharing a good night’s sleep. Dare I hope?  Maybe one day!

One of my favorite themes, The Lion and the Lamb, a good one to end my post.

Thank you for continually visiting my blog. 

It is a very happy part of my day to read your comments, and to visit you in return. I appreciate it more than I can put into mere words. 

Wishing you all a very happy Sunday, and

may your week be a great one!  

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER

 

There are days when you have to part with your broomstick for the greater cause, and say it like it is!

 All joking aside I enjoy visits from the crows. I saw them every day, always at the same time, this before I stopped filling the bird feeders. The raccoons and foxes were frequent visitors, and I will start up again in the Fall when nature's bounty is scarce, and the larger animals are safe in their burrows. 

As I have mentioned before, and I might sound a bit boring, but this is also to remind myself why I have done this. My natural inclination is to do the opposite. I must remember that there are too many family pets let out at night all up and down our road, and beyond. I sometimes hear these dogs barking, letting their humans know when they want to come back inside. No bear sightings like there were last year but I don't want to look outside and see this fellow waving at me, even though he looks very friendly. Look at that, he even wants to help with the tidying up, bless his heart! 

Not to mention I heard a very loud yipping and yowling between said fox and raccoon one night when they found themselves on the deck at the same time. No argie-bargies thank you very much and that was that! I often thought how nice it would be to live out in the countryside, but I love it here and that's not going to happen now. In the meantime, I make sure the water is out and still available if needed. Not only for the birds but for others who make quick trips to the water dishes, and hopefully paths do not cross for larger animals.

So, two cheeky crows visited the 

bird feeder a few weeks ago (plus my imaginary bear), and that's how it goes on a Saturday morning at the bird feeder.

Thanks for looking everyone, and I hope 

you are all having a great weekend.

NATURE IS...

Can you see it? 

"Nature is always hinting at us. It hints over and over again, until suddenly we take the hint."

 ~Robert Frost~

CONTINUING OUR VISIT TO THE MUSEUM OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA 7-16-24

Before I forget, I thought it important to mention that the museum is closed on Mondays.  This is just in case anyone out there is visiting the area and may want to go there. 

Above is an older photo of the museum, from one of our visits shared in this post. The flowers below were found on our recent visit in the flower beds at the side of the museum not too far from where we entered the Glen Burnie Gardens.

This was found right outside of the museum's main entrance. Called Southern Globethistle, other names are Globe thistle and Small Globethistle, with a botanical name of Echinops ritro. Like other thistle plants, it has prickly, weed-like leaves. It is drought tolerant and will grow well in dry soil.

Looking for information on this flower, I came across a new blog to me. The host is a lady called Audrey Driscoll and she also writes stories. I haven't looked into that yet as I was more interested in her flower posts. She has several including this Southern globethistle. If you are interested in taking a look you can go here.

Native to southern and eastern Europe (from Spain east to Turkey, Ukraine, and Belarus) and western Asia. The species is sparingly naturalized in scattered locations in Canada and the United States. It needs a full day of sun, at least six hours to remain compact and grow well. It will grow leggy if shade persists.

Next is the Purple Coneflower, also called Eastern purple coneflower and Hedgehog coneflower. Botanical name Echinacea purpurea. It is an herb native to North America. I have a few of them in my garden and no doubt you are familiar with them as they seem to be everywhere. Its genus name, Echinacea, means 'spiny', because its flowers are especially like a prickly sea urchin, which also has the same genus name. Some people think its flowers resemble petals around pinecones, and so this genus is called the coneflower. Since it has purple petals around the cones, it's called the purple coneflower.

The red flower is Scarlet beebalm. You can see very nice photos of it here, and also other colors plus different types of flowers if you scroll down their page. The ones in the flower bed near the museum were not looking their best, but I still liked them. Shriveled up with the heat probably but still flashy with their red skirts. A few other names are Oswego tea, Crimson bee-balm, Bergamot and Scarlet monarda. Botanical name Monarda didyma. 

It is non-toxic to humans and is a perennial herb. It forms a cluster of bright red flowers atop a 3-foot long stem, which is particularly attractive to hummingbirds. 

The leaves are aromatic with a minty smell, and can also be brewed into a tea. The Oswego people taught the early European colonists to do this in the New York area. Its common name, Scarlet beebalm, refers to the use of a resin which is derived and used for its ability for healing and pain-relieving, and especially from bee stings, hence its name. Most of the flowers are scarlet red-colored, so it is often called scarlet beebalm. You can read more at this link.

I always am curious as to where they originated, and this one is native to Eastern North Amerca and Canada. Its native range is from Quebec south to Maine and down to Georgia, and westward from Ontario to Minnesota, and down to Missouri. It is also native to Washington and Oregon in the west.

Across the road from the museum and up the hill you will see an old silo. It is one of the last remnants of what was once an old working farm here. On this page, it will show you what they have done inside. On the left of the page click on Silo Skyline to see more. It looks very impressive and I would like to take a look next time we go.

I'll end my post here and show you the gift shop early next week. That will be my last share from the museum until the next time we go.

Thanks for looking and 

wishing you all a very enjoyable 

rest of the week.