A JIGSAW PUZZLE COMPLETED FROM MY iPAD

It was a hot one today, 94 degrees F (35 degrees C). I didn’t go too far, just pottered around the house, a few chores and finished off this puzzle. It was a good time to get in the kitchen to make dinner and it was enjoyed by both of us. I will be sharing it on Monday.  

Here’s a weird photo for you. Can you guess what it is? Probably because many of us use it.

That’s about it. Definitely a short one. I wasn’t on here much. Looking forward to catching up with you all tomorrow. Time to call it a night.

DOGGY FIX DAY FOR WEDNESDAY, 5-19-26

It really is not like I go out searching for doggy fixes but if one presents itself, my cell phone comes out lickety-split and I'm snapping away. My thanks to the gentleman and his intrepid little traveler who made my day.

When I mentioned to Gregg that sweetie
here didn't look like he had a safety harness, he guessed that it really wouldn't be that safe if the bike toppled and the dog couldn't jump out. So, I wished them both happy and safe travels on their journey around the neighborhood. Thankfully the speed limit is only 25 mph and even lower when approaching the speed bumps. 

We also were not that close but because there were at times cars parked on each side of the road, it was difficult to pass where the road narrowed, and especially when there were other cars coming in the opposite direction.

Shortly after that, they turn right as we drove straight on. We both agreed that our sweet pooch certainly looked in his element, and was enjoying his ride.

Thanks for visiting and 

I hope your day is a great one!

"You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him."

~W. Bruce Cameron~

LAST SATURDAY WE MET UP WITH…

 one of our family whom we haven’t seen in over a year.  They were in town and called to see if we would like to meet up for lunch. We happily said yes and had a delightful time catching up. We met at this place, all looking for something informal where we could sit around talking for a few hours, without anyone kicking us out for wanting our table. We called on our expert (our son) who recommended Senor Ramon’s Taqueria in Reston (Virginia). It was the perfect place. 

Top, middle and bottom right were at the Mexican restaurant (we order at the counter and food is brought to us. It was perfect weather for sitting on their patio). Middle left was one of the Aztec designs on the wall of the restaurant. Top and bottom left is a different shopping area, the Reston Town Center which is very close just down the road. 

There are no photos of food this time and not sure what everyone ordered, but we enjoyed it. I do remember Gregg ordered tortilla chips and salsa for everyone to share. I had a sandwich (a bun loaded with roasted shredded vegetables - not too highly spiced - it came with excellent French Fries (they didn’t overload the plate and left you wanting more but I was very satisfied at the portion size.) There were also very tasty empanadas, again not too big or highly spiced, which I was happy about. We took those home and had them for supper. I don’t remember anything else, what their orders were. I guess we were too busy enjoying chatting.

  It really was a lovely time and we are looking forward to getting together at a half-way point next time, now that the weather is warming up.

That’s all for today. 

I hope your week is going well,

Thanks for stopping by.

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM CRUSTLESS QUICHE

Well, my quiche photos did not turn out the best. I cropped this one as best I could. Having finished off the quiche later I took more photos, but they were even worse. I do not know where my head was at that day! Not wanting to put you off, I'll just say if you go to the recipe site mentioned below, you'll get a better idea of how pretty this quiche is. It did taste excellent and my non-lover of cooked spinach gave it an 8 our of 10 which was high praise indeed. We served them with roasted green beans and a few cherry tomatoes thrown on the plate to brighten it up a bit. All a bit slap-dash but there you go. Onward!

I was immediately drawn to this quiche recipe when I saw that it had no crust. I used to make quiches all the time years ago, encased in pastry, but have been enjoying it without the last few times I have made it. You can find the original recipe here. I couldn't find the name of the cooking blog where I expected it to be, so I have taken the title out of the website address, Lily's Simple Recipes. You can see others offered at this link. 

I have added helpful notes from our host at the end of this recipe. You can go to the blog to read more.

Spinach and Mushroom Crustless Quiche

Servings: 4 slices

Calories per serving: approximately 300

From preparation to table: approximately 1 hour 10 minutes. (I only add this from the original recipe as a guideline as I go at my own pace.)

Equipment: skillet - 9-inch pie plate - mixing bowl

2 oz feta cheese crumbled

⅛ teaspoon salt adjust to taste

1 clove garlic minced

1 tablespoon cooking oil or olive oil

10 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry

8 oz mushrooms sliced into ¼-inch pieces

1 cup milk, preferably 2%

½ cup shredded mozzarella

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup grated Parmesan freshly grated preferred

4 large eggs room temperature

Preheat your oven to 350°F to prepare for baking that glorious quiche.

Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. 

Add mushrooms and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring until they’re golden and fragrant.

Add minced garlic and salt during the last minute, stirring until aromatic. 

Remove the mixture from heat and set aside.

Brush oil around a 9-inch pie plate. 

Spread the sautéed mushrooms at the bottom, followed by the squeezed spinach and crumbled feta for a delightful base.

In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, grated Parmesan, and black pepper until smooth. 

Be careful not to overmix for a fluffy texture.

Gently pour the egg mixture over the layered vegetables and cheese. 

Top with shredded mozzarella.

Place quiche in oven and bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until the center is set and reaches a lovely golden brown.

Once baked, let the quiche sit for 5-10 minutes. This allows it to firm up and makes slicing easier.

Slice warm or at room temperature.

Notes from our host

For a creamier texture use room-temperature eggs while whisking the custard mixture. It makes a noticeable difference.

The following are suggestions of what to serve with the quiche. 

A mixed green salad with a tangy vinaigrette.

A colorful assortment of seasonal fruits.

Serve with warm, crusty artisanal bread.

The host suggests a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc for a choice of wine.

Variations and Substitutions:

You can make this dairy-free: substitute the milk with almond or oat milk and use a dairy-free cheese to create a lactose-free quiche everyone can enjoy.

Add diced ham, cooked bacon, or shredded rotisserie chicken.

Mix in fresh herbs like thyme, basil, or dill to the egg mixture.

Substitute other vegetables like sweet bell peppers, zucchini, or sundried tomatoes.

Add red pepper flakes or diced jalapeños for more heat.

If you would like to make this vegan, swap out the eggs with a chia or flaxseed mixture (1 tablespoon of chia/flaxseed mixed with 2.5 tablespoons of water per egg), use dairy-free milk, and choose plant-based cheese alternatives.

Below is the full address if you prefer to copy and paste instead of using the link at the beginning of the recipe.

https://lilysimplerecipes.com/best-spinach-and-mushroom-crustless-quiche

I think I have covered anything but if I have made it too confusing or if you have any questions, let me know in the comment section and I will do my best to answer.

This is how it is supposed to look, just like a painting! 

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE. - HORSES IN VIRGINIA

Old photos I thought I would share again, going back as far as a couple of months after I started blogging in April 2008. In a couple of years, I will have been blogging for 20 years, starting with another blog - since closed but available for me to share with you when I haven't been doing much. I opened this one in 2016.

We often went for a ride on the weekends. We found these gorgeous horses and for the life of me, I can't remember where. Gregg to this day is great for following his nose and taking a road we have never traveled before. We don't have to ride long before we reach horse country.

Aren't they beautiful?

Just look at their expressions?

It just says, "I'm disgusted, where is my apple and the least you could have brought us were a few cubes of sugar? Don't come back next time without them!"

I would have loved to have fed them a few carrots, or an apple, or a cube of sugar. I didn't actually have anything but probably wouldn't have fed them. I'm not sure their owner would have been happy with me doing that, and I felt I was taking a liberty asking Gregg to stop the car so that I could take a few pictures. They ambled over immediately, for that treat maybe?

I thanked them for their company, and for the photos. Truly, I love these beautiful animals, and I so rarely get to see them now, except from a distance

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - A VISITOR!

The Froggies cousin was visiting from across the other side of the pond. No, not THAT big pond, the one at the garden. He hitched a ride home in the pocket of the mister of the house and hopped down onto the bird feeder as soon as he could. 

The froggies, at the pond couldn't be seen but were heard. They were very noisy and very chirpy to have such nice weather. Froggy 4 decided to join his cousins for a few hours. He recognized the mister as he liked to read blogs and saw his picture one day. That's how he knew whose pocket to jump into.

He was still very noisy and monopolized the conversation, but they didn't mind. Everyone was very happy to have him visit. Out came the best China, the kettle was put on and the teapot was filled with their favorite brew. They had endless cuppas and scones, but someone forgot to buy the clotted cream and jam. No clotted cream and jam for the scones? The horror! That's okay, Cappy the Catbird was very happy to be invited.

The Robins came by later when all was quiet and they missed the party, but there was always a kettle to put on.

 Out came the favorite brew from the cupboard, more happy talking took place. The sun was going down by the time they left. They had a long journey to get back to that fourth tree on the right, at least in Robin steps.

That's how it goes at this week's Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder.

Thanks for flying in and 

hope your wings aren't too tired. 

For our overseas friends to translate the photos, 

using the translation widget on the right.

Photo 1

"I am very nosy but who is that?"

Photo 2:

"Hello over there. Join us, we are having tea!"

Photo 3 and 4: 

No words.

 

GREEN SPRING GARDENS NEAR THE PONDS ON THURSDAY, MAY 7TH, 2026

This is another favorite place we like to walk, as I have mentioned many times before. The ponds are down the hill from that flat area of the gardens, where we normally go. We used to make a loop at one time, where we would park our car, and start from the flat area, walk down a very steep hill (which is on the other side of the green area and not the one in the picture above though it's steep enough), cross a small bridge and make our way towards the ponds from the opposite end, and then go back up the hill (above photo) to the parking lot. Nowadays Gregg drops me off at the bottom and I have been wanting to go back to this area for a long time. 

There is a road with an electronic barrier for a private home opposite this part of the garden, so we can't park. However, there is access for pedestrians to get to the ponds.  I'm just very happy to be back there and I like looking at the private garden also. The birdhouse has been a fixture there for years.

There are three ponds, two large ones and one very small pond which we often forget about. Not next time! I have already showed you the first one covered in algae, and the turtles. I will mainly concentrate on the second pond this time, with perhaps a few of the first one I shared. 

We were able to sit in the gazebo for a little while. Usually it has others enjoying its shade. The carpet of algae looks like grass in this photo. We saw a fish jump, creating a large circle opening of clear water, and then just as quickly it closed up.  There was a cardinal sitting on the rail as we approached. You will see a little small red in the middle. No time for a decent photo. He was away into the trees.

Below you can see the interesting patterns it created. 

I took a photo of Gregg who was very interested in them too. I share quite a few of his photos here today. Neither of us have ever seen this much algae on the pond before. It looked extraordinary and wondering what it's doing to the turtles and to the fish and any other life in that pond. Hopefully with aeration and the water fountain, it will be a different story when we go back.

On our way to the second pond...

We walk around and I took photo of the only Canada Goose I saw that day. I was wondering if this one's mate was on a nest somewhere hidden. If you look on the left you can see another turtle resting on a log near the water lilies.

I also took photos of a few plants and flowers getting here.

The new growth leaves of the Black walnut was the first thing that caught my eye.

Above is the Golden alexander. I have put a link on all the flowers and plants for more information. Just click on their names.

The glossy ridged plant above is the August lily.

The plant on top of the August lily is called Cleavers.

Above is the Sawtooth blackberry and next...

The Ohio spiderwort was my favorite of the day. 

but on second thoughts I think it ties with the Siberian iris. 

Just a thought. If anyone thinks I have the ID wrong on any of these, please let me know. I would be happy for you to do that as I want to get things correct. 

One last look at our Canada Goose and the turtle.

That's all from our latest trip to Green Spring Gardens until next time.

Thanks for looking and I hope your day is a great one.

TEACHING THE LITTLE ONE YOGA...

 and being ignored.

Recently we returned to Green Spring Gardens to walk around the ponds. We were surprised to see the green algae covering the first pond, but the turtles were out and about. 

I have seen the stretched-out leg pose several other times. I read that it is how they regulate their body temperature and absorb essential nutrients from the sun. It's called basking, where a turtle climbs out of the water onto a log or rock to soak up heat and light. It has been called 'turtle yoga'. 

By spreading their legs and widening their feet, turtles increase the amount of skin exposed to the sun, allowing them to absorb heat more quickly and efficiently. Sunlight also provides vital UVB rays that help turtles produce Vitamin D3. It is necessary for them to process calcium, which maintains a strong and healthy shell. 

As ectotherms (cold-blooded animals), turtles rely on external heat to fuel their metabolism, support their immune system, and aid in digestion. Stretching helps the turtle's skin and shell dry completely, which is necessary for proper shedding and helps eliminate external parasites. When a turtle feels safe and comfortable in its environment, it will "sploot" or fully extend its limbs as a sign of complete relaxation.

I am very thankful to be able to find all this information online. I have always enjoyed seeing turtles my whole life, another wonderful part of nature.

I am wondering how green algae affects them? I will be finding out about that soon and in the meantime, if any of you have any knowledge of such things, I would be very happy if you care to share.

Thanks for looking and 

I hope your day is a great one.