This week's 10-day weather forecast.
Monday - 10/21/24: we drove over to the garden center and bought three pots of mums for the back deck. We also bought a planter for one (it is in the middle between the two yellow mums) and will get the others in a week or so. I chose two bright yellow mums, and one a reddish burgundy color. They are a pretty combination and I am enjoying them as I look through the patio door while I am typing this.
The deck was swept free of leaves a couple of days ago, but the trees are still full of them. I think they make everything look pretty, a glad tidings of the season. (Everyone in the neighborhood is sweeping up leaves.) We will get the broom out soon.
After doing a quick browse in the garden's gift shop, I chose something for a small fairy garden I'm planning, an impulse buy. Some call him The Green Man? Not sure if that’s right. I believe there are several names around the world. He came complete with a bird in a nest in the top of the tree, a squirrel at its base on one side, and two small mushrooms on the other. I could not resist. As I said, an impulse buy for my future fairy garden.
This has been put on the backburner for a while, but I add to it occasionally and store in a box. And the above is healthier than a chocolate brownie, but not as tasty and we won’t go down that road today. There is an interesting article about The Green Man, which I think this fellow may be. You can read it at this link.
These mums were huge and I chose three about a third of their size around the corner. After supervising Gregg in the placement of our new flowers (Where do you want these?), we spent the rest of the day quietly. I have also started feeding the birds and yes, the squirrels. The birds are slow to come back but there are a couple of squirrels tucking in, and also a chipmunk. That slightly sparkly look is because I am shooting through the glass and the screen.
Tuesday - 10/22/24: Gregg is on his way south to visit his brother and sister for a few days. He did the shopping yesterday and asked if there was anything special that he could get me. A couple of diamonds perhaps. No? Then I will take a small piece of salmon thank you very much. I have just baked it. Very simple and no fuss. I put it on parchment paper sprayed with avocado oil, another quick spray on the top. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and garlic powder. In a reheated oven on 450 degrees F. for 15 minutes, very yummy. Even with an oven that runs on the cooler side, it was cooked perfectly. You'll have to be the judge on the timing with your own oven temperature, and of course you probably have your favorite way of cooking fish. This is my favorite fish next to grilled rainbow trout, which I have never cooked before and only had on special occasions at a restaurant. My dear's favorite is cod. I bought a packet of frozen vegetables about a month ago and felt they needed to be eaten. They went very well as a side dish. I measured out a cup-and-a-half.
Just for the fun of it I wanted to find out all about its nutrition online and this is the first thing that popped up.
A serving of Wegmans Special Blends Broccoli Cauliflower and Pine Nuts in a Garlic Herb Sauce is 110 grams and contains 100 calories, with 60 calories coming from fat...
and then elsewhere I found this.
Vitamin C
Broccoli has more vitamin C than cauliflower; with 90% of the daily value (DV) in one cup of raw broccoli, compared to 57% in one cup of raw cauliflower.
Vitamin K
Broccoli has more vitamin K than cauliflower, with 77% of the DV in one cup of raw broccoli compared to 14% in one cup of raw cauliflower.
Fiber
Broccoli has more fiber than cauliflower, with 2.5 grams in one cup of raw broccoli compared to 2 grams in one cup of raw cauliflower.
Protein
Broccoli has the same amount of protein as cauliflower, with 2.5 grams in one cup of raw broccoli, compared to 2 grams in one cup of raw cauliflower.
Broccoli is also known to be good for eye health and contains more minerals than cauliflower.
And now I know!
If you care to, please share your own method of cooking salmon. It doesn't have to be salmon as I know not everyone likes it, hubby included. Even at this stage of my life, I am always looking for different ways, different seasonings I haven't thought of. Any favorite fish/non-fish are welcome.
Our son came over for a while. He called and asked if I needed anything from the store. I was grateful as I had forgotten to put fruit on the list for my morning smoothie. He also stopped in and got me a coffee, all very welcomed, his company most of all. Son and dear daughter-in-law thoroughly enjoyed their trip to New York, and we have heard lots of wonderful stories about the people they met, and about the city itself. Son enjoys NY very much. He had to go into DC yesterday and to use up some time as he was early for a meet-up, he spent time at the National Art Gallery. I will have some photos later, ones he shared with me. Here is one of them.
This is Ginevra de' Benci by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1474/1478, Gallery 06 at the time of writing. Ginevra was the daughter of a Florentine banker. Her portrait was probably painted when she was married at the age of 16. It's incredible to see such a painting. I shared it a few years ago on a blog post. It wasn't enclosed in a glass case back then and was hanging on a wall with a permanent guard in the room. Standing several feet away I was mesmerized and not the only one. I remember this lady and she definitely looked awestruck. I watched as she slowly moved closer and her hand slowly went up to touch the painting, literally as though in a trance. She was so enthralled. A security guard quickly and firmly told her, "Ma'am, please don't touch the painting." She jumped back and apologized, saying as I suspected, she felt the need to touch the painter’s brushstrokes. And that's why it is now under glass. I am sure she was not the only one. You can see Ginevra and other paintings from my post when we visited in 2016 if you click here.
I had texts and photos from my dear earlier in the day, and an evening phone call when everyone had gone to bed. He is having a good time with his brother and sister. They don't get together that often but when they do, they always have fun. My sister-in-law enjoys taking photos also, especially of birds in her area, and she takes great ones. Their mom always enjoyed watching birdlife in her own back yard, with binoculars always at her side. I remember many times going down to visit the family and sitting with her in their den. They had a big picture window with a lovely view of all feathered friends. Watching the birds with her was and is a very happy memory.
No fussing with the meals today. Weetabix for breakfast with a tablespoon each of dried cranberries, and warmed almond milk. Lunch was the leftover veggies from yesterday, the broccoli, cauliflower and pine nuts. I needed nothing else. Dinner was a Trader Joe's frozen Shepherd's Pie. All very tasty that didn't keep me on my feet for long in the kitchen. A freezer day more or less.
I enjoyed my evening and finished off another jigsaw puzzle. I have two Halloween ones to share, one was done last week.
Thursday, 10/24/24: it is already 3.53 p.m. I got up late, shocked that it was almost noon. Last night was another sleepless night so I was glad for the catch up. When I finally dropped off, I saw the light come into the windows. Breakfast was my usual Weetabix with the same fixings as yesterday. I haven't had lunch because I can say breakfast was my lunch because it was that time. Dinner will be something fast. I was going to make a cabbage potato soup but I think I will go the easy way out again, maybe the other shepherd's pie from yesterday. This would have been hubby's but he won’t mind and there are still two left as he bought four originally. I did some laundry, fed the birds (and squirrels and chipmunks apparently), the sun is shining and I am feeling good.
Joy! I just saw my first bird as he hopped on the bird feeder. No time for a photo as away it flew after seeing my movement. I actually clapped my hands, and it may have heard that too. It doesn't take much to keep me happy. I will try to do things in slow motion when I reach for my camera next time.
I had a call from my dear other half, to tell me he is starting out at 8.00 a.m. tomorrow.
Friday, 10/25/24 - 9.29 a.m: he is on his way back. They have all had a great time and I am very happy they have been able to spend this time together.
I woke up at 6.30 a.m. and the first thing I did was fill the bird feeders. I noticed yesterday that Big Bunny was on his side (if you look carefully at my first photo, on the right side of the bench, you will see him lying down). I was going to pick him up but got distracted, and didn't do that until today. Bad news is his other ear has been broken off. I am not sure if I will be able to fix it as I found three jagged pieces under the table two or three feet away from his poor self. I am keeping fingers crossed the crazy glue will do its job. The culprit is indeed the squirrel, I am almost 100% certain. I have watched him use Big Bunny's ears as a springboard to get to the top level of the feeding table. When he did that, Big Bunny swayed violently from side to side, and on one other occasion was found toppled. At that time, a quick check of the ear that was previously broken, revealed it was still there. This time the other ear broke. If I buy anything for outside, it will be made out of a stronger stuff. Metal seems to be a good choice as the Kissing Bunnies are hanging in there. Even Froggies3 have been untouched since the first fiasco, and am keeping fingers crossed for them as they are ceramic and have had their run-in. All’s well since they were fixed (replaced actually because there was no way I could put all those pieces together - fortunately I found the exact same Froggies3 and ordered from the same company). Sophie Squirrel is thankful she has short ears! And I say to myself yet again, it’s a good job I love these furry little rascals, as I shake my head from side to side and roll my eyes. He just stares back at me and saying “What!”
On a good note, the birds are coming back and I have enjoyed them immensely. I have seen a female Cardinal, North Carolina Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse and our winter bird, the Gray-slated Junco.
5.56 p.m: Weetabix was the breakfast of the day again. I haven't made my smoothie yet. Everything these last few days have been ‘throw-together-fast’ meals. For lunch I went to the freezer and picked out a serving of miniature chicken and cilantro dumplings, the kind you cook in boiling water and when they float to the top, they are cooked. We have a large bag in there from CostCo. They always taste yummy and no energy needed and again, not on my feet too long. Tonight, another freezer dive. This time I heated one of the two Trader Joe’s Green Chicken Thai Curries. The dear man found them originally and has bought them on each trip to Trader Joe’s. Very tasty and the portion control is great. Always delicious but very spicy and made my eyes water and I gasped a little as the heat hit my tonsils. Yes, another great image I know. It wasn’t enough to stop us and we both enjoyed our easy meal very much. It’s on the list for the next Trader Joe’s run. Could be a while, the store is on our rotation but not regularly, we don’t go often. It is a very popular place and is always packed.
Gregg was home for dinner. He walked in the door at 3.30 p.m. He said it was a good drive and he kept to the freeways for the fastest route home (six hours). The traffic was fairly light. I had fun listening to what he did. Lots of walking involved around pretty scenery, eating at fun restaurants and generally catching up with his siblings.
Son called as he knew his Dad would probably be home and we had a nice long chat. A quiet day for him as he had caught up on all his work.
Saturday, 10/26/24 - 7.16 a.m -1.53 p.m: I am sitting on the sofa, drinking a cup of tea, watching the leaves fall down like rain. So peaceful! The deck is covered but we are in no rush to sweep them up. It looks like Fall out there and I love it!
5.50 p.m: we finally made the cabbage and potato soup this afternoon (I posted it yesterday.) It was excellent. No problem having this over the next few days, and if we do get a bit tired of it, there is always my friend the freezer. Another quiet, peaceful day.
Sunday, October 27th, 2024 at 11.39 p.m: It is late and I am in bed. Not sure how much I will write. Son came over for his usual morning with mom and dad. The time went fast before he left to pick up our daughter-in-law. We always without fail take selfies, sharing one below. The day was chilly but we most always step outside, until it gets bitterly cold. The sun warmed us up and it was lovely. Mid-morning he was very amused to see a squirrel come up to the window, put his paws up on the glass and stare in at us for several seconds. He's never seen one do that before. We were late putting seed out and I asked son if he would do that for me. The squirrels disappeared for a while but the staring one arrived and said thank you. I have great conversations with those rascals in my head, as you know!
After he left, my dear went to CostCo. He loves to shop, I do not at the best of times, especially not on a Sunday when it’s absolute bedlam. I am not good with crowds, never have been. Sundays seems to be the day when people get out. I’m thinking they are people that work during the week. Saturday they have fun free time, Sundays they shop. Let me know if you think differently, but crowds in the food stores seem to be very heavy around here. Anyhow, the dear man bought all kinds of goodies, mostly snacks. It’s too late for me to remember everything but he did return with the biggest bag of popcorn I have ever seen, and a rotisserie chicken. The popcorn is organic and good for you - with a touch of sea salt. He gave me a small cupful to try mid-evening, and it was very good. He likes to look at Instagram and got the idea from one of the videos where a person goes shopping at CostCo, and other places, and shows you all the healthy things you can buy. They go through all the good ingredients but also shows the bad ingredients that we shouldn’t buy. I actually like these videos and find them interesting. So, we now have a gigantic bag of popcorn from CostCo. We will have the chicken for dinner tomorrow, as dinner is over today.
While he was gone the phone went and it was my brother-in-law from across the pond on FaceTime. Had a lovely chitchat about this and that, and caught up on what our families have been doing, and what we have both been doing. After about half-an-hour Gregg arrived home and he joined in. I think of my b-in-l as more like a real brother as I have known him since I was 13. After another half an hour it was time to hang up until next time.
For the rest of the day we pottered around. And that’s it for this week.
I hope you are having a nice start to your week, and wish you all a great day.
I think the mums look lovely where you put them. I did right away notice big bunny laying unconscious on his side. My thought is for you to put him underneath a shelf or something, so the squirrel cannot jump on his head. I'll have to try salmon your way. I put salmon in a skillet with some lemon juice, dill, and chicken broth , cover it and simmer for about 10 minutes. I have it and the broth over rice. I love the thatched cottage puzzle!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good thought Ginny and thank you for the salmon recipe, sounds delicious. Glad you liked the thatched cottage puzzle. I did too :)
DeleteI am glad that were able to take it easy during Gregg's absence. I suspect you NEEDED that good long sleep. Take care of yourself please.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sue, I had a very nice time and don't mind my own company. My body told me that I needed a good long sleep, that's for sure, lol! :)
DeleteLovely Mums. When I made salmon it was in the oven, small amount of garlic, Old Bay seasoning and lemon.
ReplyDeleteThank you my friend, and the way you make salmon sounds delicious! :)
DeleteI'm glad you're all back together safely again. You are the most talented cook around, Denise. Those mums are gigantic! Good gosh! Costco here is a madhouse too. We've been going to Sam's Club instead lately.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kay and I appreciate that. I get a lot of help, have to say :) I remember going to CostCo in Hawaii, it certainly was busy.
DeleteShops are closed over here..I love that green man!
ReplyDeleteThanks Angie :) and shops are closed? Do you mean garden nurseries?
DeleteYour planter will be useful for your plants that you put out on the deck area. I also saw chrysanthemums when I went to the supermarket for a food shop yesterday. I didn't buy a pot as hubby grows them. Ours are a deep red and are hardy plants to cultivate during the colder days of Autumn. Enjoy yours! Your Green Man sculpture is a fun item. Your 'impulse buy' will look good in your garden. :)
ReplyDeleteYour mums sound wonderful Linda, how lovely Mr. P. is such a great gardener :) Thank you! I think he will fit right in.
DeleteI love mums and they always brighten things up this time of year. That green man is very cool and quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ann, I love seeing all the mums around our neighborhood. I see a lot on everyone's front steps. Glad you like the green man too :)
DeleteLovely photos Denise.
ReplyDeleteAre those flowers you call 'mums' are they chrysanthemums because that's what we call them here in Southern Australia (chrysanthemums) and they are available for our Mother's Day in early May??
You have had a busy week.
Take care.
Hello Margaret, I believe mums are from the chrysanthemum family. I don't know much about them but mums seem smaller and more compact. I'll have to do some more research. How lovely you can get them for Mother's Day. Ours are a Fall flower. Thank you and you take care too :)
DeleteLove these AI generated images. So homely.
ReplyDeleteVery happy you enjoy them Roentare, thank you :)
DeleteI do the shopping in our house. I do it because it has to be done, neither loving it nor otherwise. If Costco is on the route I make sure I am there when the doors open. I have a list, organized according to the layout of the store, and shop only for what’s on the list. That way I can be in and out quickly without too much bumping carts with all and sundry. I once went on the weekend, mid morning, and it was an introduction to Hell, no less. I am quite sure I would starve before doing that again! It seems as though you view a visit to the garden centre to buy things (shopping) differently. It’s all shopping to me, Denise. A walk along the trail is a thousand times - nay, a million times - better!
ReplyDeleteYour comments gave me a smile David. It seems as though you and I view shopping on the weekend very similarly. And when all's said and done, I would much prefer to walk along a trail than shop, even more than a flower center which I enjoy :)
DeleteIt sounds as though you needed your sleep and it's good that you're keeping off your feet as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice that you see your son so regularly.
Your chrysanths are a lovely splash of colour and they flower for a long time, too.
Thank you Jan and we do enjoy seeing our son. If he and my daughter-in-law upped and moved further away, well, I don't like to think of it :)
DeleteThose mums are huge and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThe Green Man for your fairy garden is such a cute find.
Your salmon recipe sounds so easy and tasty! 😋
Love the photos, Denise.
Thank you Veronica Lee, I much appreciate your sweet comments :)
DeleteI love this post, Denise! What a good week. Home alone time can be very nice indeed, and even a little more special with a visit from your handsome son. (Great smile!) Isn't Trader Joe stuff good? I've never been disappointed and sometimes it's just what you need, when you really don't want to cook or make a mess. Love the mums on the bench, too. Poor Big Bunny. I hope he can be repaired, at least partially. What a wonderful look at your world -- I so enjoyed this!
ReplyDeleteSo glad Jeanie and thank you for such a sweet comment. I hope you have gotten over your jetlag, though I suspect it will be a while longer. I have never been disappointed with Trader Joe's either. I am happy we have one relatively close by. I agree on son's smile but then I am very prejudiced in his direction, ha! I haven't been able to get to the task of fixing Big Bunny's ear, but hopefully soon :) I am enjoying the mums very much and am keeping a close eye on those naughty squirrels ;)
DeleteDenise this is a lovely time of your life, thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteThank you Christine, you are very welcome. I take no day for granted :)
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteYour mums look pretty! It is nice to have the bird feeders set up where you can see your bird visitors. The salmon sounds yummy! I try to avoid shopping during the weekend or crowded times. Take care, enjoy your day!
Thanks Eileen and I am thoroughly enjoying my feathered friends again. I am a bit slow on reflexes though as I haven't been able to get any photos yet. Glad you enjoyed this salmon and we feel the same about crowded weekends. You take care and enjoy your day also :)
DeleteMums do brighten up your deck nicely. The Green Man makes me think of the Lord of the Rings and the Ents. I would have been tempted to purchase him! I'm glad that things went well and you had your people checking in on you while you were home alone. Glad Gregg's trip there and back again went well. We do enjoy a walk about at Trader Joe's but these days our nearest one is 70 miles away! Happy end of October to you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ellen and an interesting thought on The Green Man, I can see that :) Yes, I was well taken care of and appreciated them very much. 70 miles away? Reminds me when I was traveling and was looking for our regular coffee shop and Suri kept saying 500 miles, lol! That might be a slight exaggeration, but it was over a hundred miles! Happy end of October to you also :)
DeleteI only shop at 6 am at Walmart, and as early as I can at other places, and that is rare. glad your hubby had a family visit and fun and is safely home again. if I had someone to shop for me I would never put foot in a store. also need that person to be a cook, as I hate cooking more than shopping. I enjoyed your report each day of your days and the week, and my favorite photo is the beautiful one of your deck and the leaves make the photo special
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good time to shop Sandra :) Thank you for saying that about hubby and about the deck photo. I have to be in the right frame of mind to cook, though I generally enjoy it. Glad you enjoyed my daily goings on. I will continue them until everyone cries "uncle", lol! They might not be too exciting :0
DeleteFajnie odpisałaś jak miło spędzasz czas. Jesień można polubić gdy ma się wiele zajęć. Pozdrawiam i życzę udanego weekendu:)
ReplyDeleteDziękuję za bardzo miły komentarz. Bardzo to doceniałem. Życzę miłego zakończenia października i szczęśliwego listopada.
DeleteNice journal of your days Denise. I love hearing about your time when your hubby was visiting his siblings. Your meals sound good and quite tasty as always. I agree with you about shopping on Sundays. Once in a while it is necessary, but not a choice for us! Your mums look lovely on your deck. That's a very sweet photo of you all together! Great smiles all around!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Martha Ellen :) I used to only shop on the weekend when I worked. Now I like to shop mid-week unless I forget it's the weekend and turn up when there's a rush hour along each aisle ;) Thank you for mentioning our photo, we were having fun taking them.
DeleteI like simple cooking. Salmon at 400 degress for 15 minutes. White pepper. 🙂
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way to cook salmon Sandi, thanks for the reminder :)
DeleteA lovely post Denise.
ReplyDeleteI had salmon the other night served with cauliflower and broccoli cheese ...
Though I say so myself it was delicious :)
All the best Jan
Thank you Jan, I appreciate that :) Oh that sounds so good, I will have to try that. All the best to you also :)
DeleteLindas imagenes de Halloween. Te mando un beso.
ReplyDelete¡Gracias! Me alegra que hayas disfrutado de las imágenes de Halloween. Te mando un beso.
DeleteI meant to buy some mums but forgot! These are terriric!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenn, I was a bit late buying them myself this year :)
DeleteI love the squirrel looking in at you...I can so picture that. They know who takes care of them! I love watching birds but don't dare put anything in our backyard since Copper thinks it is his domain. My daughter loves salmon...I am not sure how she fixes it. And Copper totally loves it. But he loves a lot of stuff...
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean Rose, when we had our Bridgette it was the same thing. I can imagine how much Copper would love salmon. I know Bridgette would have done. I still miss that little sweety :)
DeleteI meant to say, I avoid shopping either day of the weekend if possible. I always have...even when I worked, I would go at night rather than face the crowd on the weekend. I sometimes go now, but with my daughter. If I REALLY want to look and shop, I go through the week.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the pot the dark mum is in...and I like both it and the yellow ones.
I agree, it's something I have never enjoyed. It's nice to pick a time when you can just meander. Glad you loved my new pot and dark mum and yellow mums. I am really happy with them :)
DeleteYou certainly had a busy week for just being at home, Denise, which is all well and good. Luckily, we both enjoy salmon and also bake it sometimes with soy sauce=, other times with olive oil and minimal seasonings. Our other favorites are shrimp and scallops, also good baked. Looking is more my favorite than actual shopping. We do a grocery store run once a week and stop at a local BJs every few weeks.
ReplyDeleteIt was busy considering Dorothy. That's nice that you both enjoy salmon. I sometimes use soy sauce. I enjoy finding a recipe that is a little different, but when I don't feel like fussing much, it's just plain old salmon which always tastes delicious! :)
DeleteEnjoyed your week review... I love that you are never bored and have so many interests. That's living your best life (as my grands would say). NYT Cooking has some really good quick and easy salmon recipes if you have access to that. We try to do something different each time as we eat a lot of it. Same with shrimp which is on tonight's menu (I don't know how yet, something will strike me before it's time to cook. I hope.) Costco overwhelms me -- Bill likes it, so we are very similar. Also -- we try to do nothing on weekends unless it's with our kids or those few friends who still work. Let the people who have to work M-F have their weekends -- we can shop or do outside entertainment on any other day of the week just as well! Weekends can be for cooking, vegging at home (or cleaning house if we must ;>)
ReplyDeleteBrowsing through my back blogposts and saw your message Sallie. Sorry for this long delay but I am very glad I didn’t miss you entirely. Thank you very much for such a lovely comment :) I don’t have access to NYT but every now and again, one will pop up from somewhere or other. Shrimp is always a winner. Yes, CostCo overwhelms me. Definitely our hubbies are very similar :) we try not doing this kind of thing on the weekend either until we forget it is the weekend. That has happened, lol! Yes, cleaning house if we must ;) Have a wonderful end to the month my friend.
DeleteDenise, that tree with the face is so special and delightful, and I have one very similar to it that I found in the garden section recently. It has a special meaning to me, and it is a beautiful tree. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Thank you Sheri and you are very welcome :) How lovely that you have something similar, and having its special meaning is a blessing. Happy weekend to you my friend.
DeleteHow cheerful those garden chrysanths look at this time of year. They will be perfect to brighten your patio.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Gregg enjoyed time with some of his family and you also had a gentle leisurely week catching up with other family.
Amazing what reactions paintings can invoke in people. That lady made me smile!
Thank you Beverley and I very much appreciate that :) I love the flowers, though they have faded considerably in these colder nights. I agree about the lady. She made me smile too as I could truly understand where she was coming from. Happy weekend to you my friend and after reading your comment just now, you will be especially in my thoughts. I will keep checking back with you too.
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