FLOWERS - SPRING STARFLOWER

Wishing you all 

A Very Happy First Day of the Month. 

These were growing like a carpet in a lot of yards 200 miles south of here. A very pretty flower, identified as Spring Starflower, also known as Starlikes and Mexican star (Ipheion uniforum).

It is a low-growing, hardy perennial bulb native to South America, specifically Argentina and Uruguay.  

Often one of the first signs of spring, it produces dainty, star-shaped flowers that emit a sweet, honey-like fragrance. 

A very pretty flower! I usually see violets growing in the grass instead of these, a very welcome sight too.

Thanks for stopping by and as always, 

I hope your day is a great one.

SUNDAY-3/22/26 TO SATURDAY-4/28/26

Weather forecast for this week, from Tuesday, 3-31/26 to Saturday, 4/4/26.

Sunday, March 22nd, 2026: I have written a blog post about Gregg's second birthday celebration with our son and daughter-in-law, so don't have much to add on that. I will share a couple of photos of those beautifully frosted window partitions and the old-fashioned wall lamps.  I loved those!

On each side of the photo below you can see the horse brasses which seem to be a standard fixture in the old pubs. I was curious so looked them up online. I remembered some of it but not all. Originally, they were used to decorate the harnesses of heavy working horses, such as Shire and Clydesdale horses, during the 19th and early 20th centuries. I believe they may still do that for special events. Earlier than that, when these were introduced in the 18th century, they were believed to be amulets that protected horses from "evil spirits" and the "evil eye". Designs like stars, suns and crescents were common "lucky" symbols". Going back to the Romans, they also used similar amulets on their horses, but I don't think the two stories are related. A great read of their history can be seen at this link if curious.

This week has been one of those weeks for me and I didn't write anything down so all this is off the cuff.  

Monday, March 23rd, 2026: it sprinkled. I woke up shivering. It went down to 32 ° F. - 0 °C that night. We didn't have the heat on because the house had felt relatively warm that day. We didn't go out.

Tuesday, March 24th, 2026: we went over to Wegmans for a shingles shot for me and a tetanus shot for Gregg. Nice pharmacist again, we've had him before. No problem with the shingles shot except for a sore arm for a few days. Gregg had no problem. I didn't feel any flu-like symptoms we were told about, and he didn't either when he had his. He is all sorted out now as his was done last month, the last one being a couple of months ago. I still need a shingles booster in two months, and also need a tetanus shot which I will get next week sometime. These were recommended by my doctor on the last visit. After we were finished in the pharmacy, we walked around the store and bought a few items. 

We did go to Walney for a quick visit to see if the daffodils were blooming. I didn't want to miss them. There are little pink flags blooming also. They must be getting ready to replant or dig up old ones.

Wednesday, March 25th, 2026: Gregg and son went over to Annapolis today. I elected to stay home. They sent me photos and this is one of them. It depicts Alex Haley, a life-size bronze statue and a prominent landmark in Annapolis. The memorial honors the arrival of Alex Haley's ancestor Kunte Kinte at the Annapolis City Dock in the 1760s. The sculpture, designed by Ed Dwight, shows author Alex Haley reading to three children, symbolizing the passing of history to future generations. You can see it at the head of Annapolis Harbor if ever you are in the area and would like to take a look. I remember watching the miniseries Roots back in 1977.

Thursday, March 26th, 2026: today was a get up and go day when we took son to Baltimore/Washington International Thursgood Marshal Airport (BWI). We had a couple of hours sleep and set the alarm for 1.00 a.m. We picked son up and thankfully they don't live too far away. I took 4 soft pillows and two throw-rugs and settled down in the back for the one hour plus road trip. It would have taken a lot longer if it weren't for the time, hardly any traffic and thankfully it was easy going.

 

Son drove there. They were both bright and perky chatting away in the front, me not so much. I slept for 20 minutes. It was an enjoyable drive, and we always welcome something that gets us out of our routine.  

By-bye to son and off back home we went. We were almost home when Gregg said, I think our local McDonalds is 24 hours, I'm hungry, let's go have a breakfast. I looked at him and said something like you've got to be kidding right? No, he wasn't. Fortunately, not that far from home by this time. He said, take a picture. I took a picture. What can I say? I absolutely could not focus!

We rolled into the drivethru. Their main building was closed. I was still trying to offer him pancakes that I could make when we got home. No, the only place he wanted to go to when he walked through the door, was straight to bed. Okay, so there we were at 4.30 to 4.45 a.m., in the parking lot having a car picnic a little earlier than we normally do. There was a van in the other lane (in the drivethru) giving us a mildly curious look and I gave him an equally mildly curious look back. Didn't even offer my usual cheery smile as he looked away. He was tired too no doubt. And yes, when we got home, we went straight to bed and slept in a lot later than usual. Son called five hours later letting us know he had arrived and that he had had a good flight. 

Towards the end of the day we drove over to Walney Pond. This is where we saw that vehicle with the lovely southwestern art. I didn't take too many photos, but we spotted these two very large fish swimming nearby. There was a young man fishing on the other side and he was after these. 

Canny fish knew where he was though and kept well away and hidden under the wooden walkway that goes over one end of the pond. We watched this mini drama unfold, and as soon as the young man moved to the other end of the pond, these two came out and started swimming in plain view.  Fishing is allowed here, though I had no idea there were fish this big. They were at least three feet long.

It was a very pretty sky and we enjoyed our visit, even though it was shorter than normal.

Very quiet, there was the young man and a couple sitting on a bench on the other side. They yelled across to the young man, pointing to location of the fish, but no sooner he moved their way, they went where he had been a few minutes earlier. It certainly was interesting to watch. 

The turtles were sunning themselves on a new man-made island. We looked at them for a few minutes but decided it was time to leave.

Friday, March 27th, 2026: it was a grey day, we didn't do much and stayed home.

Saturday, March 28th, 2026: cauliflower and cabbage stir-fry. The only reason I remembered this is I asked Gregg what he had written in his end-of-the-day log, to give me a memory jog. This was all he wrote and my memory apparently is still asleep on its way to Baltimore.  

I hope to do a better job next week.

Thanks for looking and

have a great day. 

I hope your sun is shining.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - EASY BAKED COD WITH LEMON

Today’s recipe comes from a blog called Imagine Living, recipe found here. Much enjoyed by both of us. In the directions it says to allow time for the cod to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Easy Baked Cod with Lemon - serves 4

For the cod: 

4 cod filets (about 6 ounces or 170 g each)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 lemons (1 for juice and 1 for slices)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

(There was a suggestion for trying a gluten-free breadcrumbs for a crunchy topping)

Preheat oven to 400°F. (200°C.).

Make the marinade by adding the olive oil, juice of one lemon, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix well to blend.

Place the cod filets in a baking dish. Pour the marinade over them and make sure they are well coated. Do this for a good 30 minutes before baking, if you have the time.

Place the baking dish in the preheated oven for at least 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cod flakes easily with a fork.

Remove from oven and sprinkle parsley all over the fish to serve.

A very easy and delicious meal. We served sautéed mushroom, green beans and mashed potatoes on the side, along with a slice of lemon to sprinkle over the cod.

I highly recommend visiting the original recipe for any tips I haven’t written down, also to see other recipes. They also have a lot of variations we can use. The full address is below, for you to copy and paste if you prefer doing that to using the link at the beginning.

https://imagineliving.blog/easy-baked-cod-with-lemon

Thanks for looking, have a great day and 

Bon Appetite!

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - GREGG'S SECOND BIRTHDAY MEAL AT THE HAWK AND GRIFFIN 3/22/26

Today I am only going to write about Gregg's second birthday meal. This is one where happily our daughter-in-law was able to join us. I will write the other days for the week and publish it this Tuesday, the 31st.

Sunday, March 22nd, 2026: it was the Birthday Boy's celebration-2 today (actual birthday being on the 18th), but first son came over for his Sunday morning visit and left three hours later to pick up his Sweetie. 

That afternoon we arrived at the restaurant at a busy time, and couldn't find a parking spot at first. It turned out that the football match was on (soccer), and this was a big draw. Gregg squeezed into a spot right next to the fish and chip van. I didn't realize they had one and judging from the phone number on its side, it could be rented out. 

Gregg left to see if he could find a table, as reservations were for 10 people only they said but as he had to wait, I think this is the reason we were able to reserve one for the four of us - just guessing here. They told him the game had just finished and people would be leaving by the dozen. No sooner had he told me that, then parking spaces started opening up and we were able to slip into a closer spot. We had arranged to meet with our kiddos here. No sooner had we parked the second time, they rolled into a spot a couple of places from ours. Perfect timing! 

Hawk and Griffin is our closest British Pub that we go to, again not often but have enjoyed previous visits since its opening in June 2021. It is a great place to take company. The staff is always pleasant which is a big factor when deciding if we are going to revisit anywhere. Fortunately, it is very rare that we are not satisfied with either food or service or restaurant. Both are excellent at the Hawk and Griffin. The link to their website is here. 

A picture taken in 1877 of a group of recruiting sergeants hoping to recruit young men for the army. The explanation I found here, notes that they were outside a pub somewhere in London. 

The owner also has another place not too far up the road, The Pure Pasty Company, and that place opened in 2010. You may remember my posts about our Cornish Pasty car picnics in the parking lot over the years. Their pasties are a 10 out of 10, authentic. The owner is originally British and his claim to fame is being the first American bakery to win at the World Pasty Championships in Cornwall, England. 

We settled into our booth, no waiting as we were seated straight away. We started looking at the menu while having a good chat. It is always fun to be with our son and daughter-in-law, and we love their great sense of humor. Case in point this photo when son was teasing his mother, interestingly pointing to items in the menu. I actually remembered my reading glasses so didn't really need any help, but he insisted, pointing to the items he thought I would like, saw my eyes narrow and I looked up as he burst out laughing. I didn't teach him that just in case you were curious. And I wouldn't have put this in except that I love those teasing, happy expressions on their faces. I was trying not to burst out laughing as I rolled my eyes and shook my head in mock horror, while trying to take their photo. Looked at Gregg who also had a twinkle in his eye. Then I got back to what I wanted to order. They always keep us laughing when we're with them, these two.

I told him he was a naughty boy. Not really, all in good fun.

I've never tried Guinness but son seemed to enjoy. His Sweetie and I had a Pimm's Royale...

which was prosecco and strawberry. My Sweetie rarely has an alcoholic drink and was very happy with his coca cola. What he was eager to try was the fried bread which was offered as an appetizer. We all shared a piece. It was excellent, not greasy at all. He used to love having this when he was on an exchange tour with the Royal Navy in England, and whenever we went back, would order a full English breakfast and fried bread was always part of that. I don't know how they fry their bread or what they cook it in. I would love to ask next time we go in. Probably a trade secret though.

Our son remembered the Scotch Eggs from our last visit, which we also shared. They were as delicious as we remembered them.

Our daughter-in-law ordered the cottage pie and the three of us had the same thing, fish and chips which you can just make out in this photo. Again, all excellent and absolutely no calories!!! Today at least!

Lastly, and I can't believe we didn't take a photo, we ordered two Sticky Toffee Puddings, they shared theirs and so did we. If you ever get the chance to order one, and I'm sure our British friends know what I am talking about, please do. Ours came with a scoop of ice cream. You can check out a recipe I found here if curious. It has the closest look to ours.

Anyhow, I will leave you with their motto, which has become one of my favorites.

"There are no strangers here, just friends you haven't met yet." 

There you go, there will be a little more on the pub next Tuesday, along with the other days we have experienced this past week. 

Thanks for dropping in and 

I hope you all have a great day!

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - IT'S RAINING, IT'S RAINING, THE OLD BIRD IS MOANING...

 

Uh-oh! Groaner alert!

And uh-oh, mirror alert, unexpected visitor!

He's really friendly but hungry and had me tell you he is a vegetarian. He just heard about all the birdseed around here when he was passing through. The birds agreed to feed him and welcomed him to their table.

Thanks for dropping by, even though it is still raining groaners around here.

But we all know that's how it goes on a 

Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder.

Have a great weekend everyone.

For our international friends to translate by using my sidebar widget.

Photo 1: 

"You have got to be kiddng me. It's raining again? There goes my new hairdo!"

Photo 2:

"It's raining again? Where is the mirror?"

Photo 3:

"What did one raindrop say to another?

Two's company, three's a cloud."

"Oh boy!"

Photo 4:

"I am very cute yes?"

"Back away and drop the mirror!"

YESTERDAY I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I WOULD BE COMING ACROSS THIS BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK

It was on a vehicle in the parking area when we visited the pond. I noticed it as we were leaving. There was no one inside and I thought I could take a few photos without disturbing anyone. 

The main artwork on the hood was that of an American Indian on a pinto pony. 

The man is shown in a ceremonial pose with arms raised and head tilted back towards the sky. He is holding a ceremonial staff in one hand.

I would like to have had a conversation with this very talented artist, but its occupants were most likely taking a walk in the woods. Below is a close up of the spear on the side. The same design was on the other side also. Seeing this lovely artwork made our trip to the pond even more enjoyable.

Thanks for looking and 

I hope you have a great day 

and weekend.

A FAVORITE PHOTO OF MINE FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR - DAFFODILLS

For oft, when on my couch I lie,

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with 

Pleasure fills, and 

Dances with the 

Daffodils.

Many will recognize that this is the first verse of William Wordsworth's 

famous poem. You can read more about its history in you go here.

 That should have read ‘the last verse’ which I actually knew but there you go.  

Thanks Kay!

My favorite icon lately! 

I have a feeling you will be seeing her again.