HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - ACTS OF KINDNESS…

“Acts of kindness remind us that humanity shines brightest when extended to the voiceless. Compassion is the truest strength.”

~Author Unknown ~

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - BLUE JAY AND HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND

Tinkerbell was not impressed. She said Blue Jay is away with the fairies again.

Thanks for stopping by friends.

Have a great weekend!

For our international friends to translate.

1st Photo: It's quiet around here. I am not used to this.

2nd Photo: It's just me and my imaginary gecko friend, Tinkerbell.

3rd Photo: Tinkerbell? That's all you could come up with?

4th: Photo: I'm great company. I offer snacks. At which Tinkerbell said, oh boy!

Tinkerbell was not impressed. She said Blue Jay is away with the fairies again.

5th Photo: Not a bad place to be on a Saturday Morning at the birdfeeder.

DUCKLINGS AND CO.

 These are from my archives. I have been looking at a lot of old photos lately and thought to reshare. I have a lot of fun observing all birds. On a small pond I found three little ducklings with their parents.

I am easily distracted by ducks!

Hello little ducky, hello there little friend. It's so nice to meet you.

Something I read once, I can't remember where. "Immerse yourself in the outdoors. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person."

I am just a 'girl' who likes ducks. Okay, not so much a girl these days. I have moved forward many, many years. I am an older lady who absolutely adores ducks.

Oh ducky, I love you!

Ducky love is recognizable in any language.

Whoever said that was a wise old duck!

Ah well, rub-a-dub-dub, it's time to go scrub the tub.

Thanks for visiting and 

have a great day everyone.

GRATEFUL FOR...

~Grateful for Each Season~

I cherish each season, its rhythm, its grace,

Though summer’s thick air I’d rather not face.

Still, butterflies dance and the flowers unfold,

Bees hum through gardens in sunlight and gold.

Fall comes like an old friend, steady and true,

With crisp morning air and skies painted blue.

The trees wear their colors like gowns spun from flame,

And warmth lingers softly, though chill stakes its claim.

Then winter drifts in with a hush and a sigh,

As nature curls up beneath blanket and sky.

Woodsmoke meanders through twilight’s cool breath,

A whisper of comfort, of stillness, of rest.

Spring stirs the silence with blossoms and song,

New buds awaken, where dreams have grown long.

Birds wing their way home from journeys afar,

Their voices like lanterns, their flight like a star.

Through heat and through frost, through bloom and through bare,

I’m thankful for all that the seasons declare—

Each one a chapter, a gift to behold,

A story of life in its colors retold.

(Photo and Poem via Copilot with prompts by me. I wrote all my favorites about each season and asked it to put my words in poetry form. The image I asked for all seasons in one watercolor.)

FAME IS...

"Fame is a bee, it has a sting - ah too it has a wing."

 by 

Emily Dickinson 

written in the mid-1860s.

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (12-10-1830 - 5-15-1886) was an American poet. Little known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, into a prominent family with strong ties to its community. You can read more if you click on her name above.

AN OLD TRIP TO PARIS IN 2014

I have been going through my old blog and found photos from a family group trip we took to France in the summer of 2014. We stayed in Paris for a few nights and then moved onto Normandy. 

 

This is a place I was drawn to, just down the road from our hotel. We passed by every day while we were in Paris. It is the Fontaine Saint-Michel at the Place Saint-Michel (1858 to1860). It depicts the Archangel Saint Michael slaying the dragon. You can click on all the links for more information. 

I took a quick shot of the Gendarmes making their rounds.

 The Notre Dame Cathedral and the River Seine.

 The two of us.

There are pedicab cycles for a tour around Paris, or you can rent your own electric bicycle.

One of the many restaurants we passed by where we had a meal. I can't remember much of it except that it was a crepe and I am sure it must have been delicious. 

It is a city I have always wanted to go back to but haven't made it yet. Life has slowed down for us quite a bit these days, but it's fun to look back at these photos.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great day.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW - 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

We had a cool-ish start to the day on August 21st, 2025. It started out at 65 degrees F. (going up to 75). Still not wanting to put the oven on, and yet fancying a hot meal, I looked at our semi-retired slow cooker/crockpot beef stew by Patty at The Kitchn. You can find the original recipe at this link. A little early for beef stew as normally I don't make one until the Fall, but it was really excellent. I also always recommend you visit the original recipe to see the tips that are given. I will look forward to going back to see the other recipes.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew – 4 to 6 servings

If you are serving 6 people, the calories work out to approximately 506 calories per person.

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 4 hours on high – 8 hours on low

This recipe does not require you to sear the beef and deglaze the pan. The best meat suggested for the slow cooker is boneless chuck roast.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 medium yellow onion

4 medium carrots

2 medium stalks celery

1 pound Yukon gold or red potatoes (about 3 medium)

2-1/4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast or beef stew meat

 

2 dried bay leaves

1-1/2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving (optional)

 

Place 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker and stir to combine.

Dice 1 medium yellow onion (about 1-1/2 cups). 

Peel and cut 4 medium carrots crosswise into 1-inch-thick rounds (about 2-1/2 cups). 

Cut 2 medium celery stalks crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about 3/4 cup). 

Cut 1 pound Yukon gold or red potatoes into 1-inch pieces.

Trim off any large pieces of surface fat from the chuck roast, then cut into 1 to 1-1/2-inch pieces. Transfer to the slow cooker and toss to coat in the flour mixture. 

Add the vegetables and 2 dried bay leaves.

Place 1-1/2 cups beef broth, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce in a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the beef and vegetables and stir to combine. Give everything a stir.

Cover and cook until the beef is very tender, 6 to 8 hours on the LOW setting or 4 hours on the HIGH setting. 

Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed. 

Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley leaves and more black pepper if desired.

What did we think? It was excellent! This isn't the first beef stew I have put on here, but each one we do seems to be 'the best'. Today we gave this one a 10 out of 10. When my dear other half came into the house after being outside, he said he couldn't wait to try it as the aroma was great.

I used the high setting for four hours and the meat and vegetables were cooked perfectly, meat was tender and veggies were just right (for our taste). 

The only thing we did to the broth today was add a cup of red wine (recommended on a cooking show years ago). I do this every time we make a meal that requires beef broth, and it gives it that added richness. We followed the recipe in every other way.

If a thicker broth is preferred, we talked about adding a little more flour next time. I said yes, Gregg said he would keep it as is.

He thought we should add more broth in the beginning, but I said we ought not to. Admittedly I could see his point but once the vegetables and meat had cooked down, there was plenty of liquid left.

Neither of us had any bread as we are trying to cut down on carbs, but rolls, crusty bread or cornbread would be a great addition. 

There were cobs of sweetcorn in our supplies, so we cooked one of those and ate it as a side.

I always try to add the address of the original recipe website below, for you to copy and paste, in case you don't want to use the link. I might sometimes forget but not today.

https://www.thekitchn.com/slow-cooker-beef-stew-recipe-23619698

Thanks for looking, 

have a wonderful week and... 

1. 
   

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - JIGSAW PUZZLES FOR THE BIRDS

A few jigsaw puzzles I have completed on my iPad, done over the last few months.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a great weekend.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER- THE SHEEP WERE BUSY

In the meantime, busy needles were clacking, with sheep knitting sweaters for winter.

And that's how it goes on a Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder! It isn't just the birds who are welcome here.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

For our international friends to translate the above photos.

 Photo 1: 

Hello Mr. Goldfinch, so nice to see you. It has been several months since we last saw you.

Thank you, it is good to be back.

Photo 2:

Did you know you have sheep in your garden? They keep saying winter is coming.

Photo 3: 

It was cooler today but it is still August. It also rained like the Dickens.

I am so confused.

Photo 4:

Did you know it takes five sheep just to make one sweater?

I didn't even know they could knit!

That's a real groaner!

OUT AND ABOUT

 I thought I would do a shorter version of our around and abouts from last week. I have numbered each photo in the corners.

No. 1 & 2: Gregg fancied an ice cream. He recently found a place in Vienna, which is about a half-hour ride from home. They make theirs on the premises. This is our second time and we again ordered a couple of scoops of their coffee, one of the best coffee ice creams we have ever had. It is a fun place. In another section of the shop, they have shelves of items that you can paint, and there are get-togethers to do just that, as you can see from all the people sitting at the table. 

No. 3: As for me, I fancied a coffee on the way home, so we went through their drive-thru. I take photos of everything as you probably know by now.

No. 4: We noticed this couple riding along at a steady speed on electric bicycles. Gregg is very interested in them and said to take a photo so that we could see the make. I took several because the grass was high, but I finally got one with the make branded on the side. He is very interested in the ones that fold, so that you can put them in the trunk. Can I see myself on an electric bicycle knowing that I can easily fall out of my shoes, mentioned several times before? Not really but he has not given up yet. When I said as much, he is now looking for electric tricycles for me. Okay my Sweet, don't hold your breath. Am I being a tad naughty, yes but I honestly don't see it happening. I should add, stay tuned.

No. 5: I noticed the shadows on my dog figurines, thought they looked really interesting. See the last sentence in No 3.

No. 6: About 30 years ago I bought this little fox trinket box. He looks a bit cross, but I still enjoy him. 

No. 7 & 8: over the last few months we have been watching this large structure being built. Every time we passed by, we had a guessing game as to what it was going to be. Finally, a sign appeared. Neither of us thought of dogs. Those pups are going to have plenty of room to move around but he who is wide eyed with shock, wants to know where do the cats go?

You can enlarge my collage for more details.

Nothing too exciting but a good week. I hope you had and are having a wonderful one.

A FLOWER OF THE COTTON PLANT

This post was originally written in 2011. In more recent visits I haven't seen this plant, so I am glad I have these to remember them.

Sharing again from my archives, this is the flower of the cotton plant. I was very surprised when I walked through the garden near the visitors' center at Walney to find these pretty blooms. I was even more surprised after discovering the blooms were from a cotton plant. I had never seen one before and in pictures had only seen those fluffy balls of cotton before they are harvested.

I have since learned that there are several species of 'wild cotton' (cotton that grows uncultivated in the world). They have been found in Australia, Africa, Arizona, Central America, Lower California, Brazil, Mexico and other tropical countries and islands.

Because of problems with their refinement, they are not economically feasible to use. Through genetic assistance and breeding, today's cottons have evolved from these 'wild' sources and are more processing friendly.

Currently there are five prominent types of cotton being grown commercially around the world. They are Egyptian, Sea Island, American Pima, Asiatic and Upland. Because of their need for a long, sunny growing period with at least 160 frost free days, they are grown between latitudes 45 degrees north and 30 degrees south. The major producing countries within this region are the United States, People's Republic of China, India, Pakistan, and Republic of Uzbekistan. Also, Brazil, Australia, Egypt, Argentina, Turkey, Greece, Syria and other produce significant but lesser amounts.

In the U.S. there are 14 major cotton growing states that produce Upland Cotton. They are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Some cotton is also grown in Florida, Kansas and New Mexico.

American Pima Cotton is grown in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. All these states form a region in the United States called the Cotton Belt and have three things in common, lots of sunshine, water and fertile soil, very important to growing a good cotton crop.

I found all my information and a lot more at this website.

Thank you for visiting and as always, I hope you have a great day.