ODDS AND BODS FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 13TH, 2026

Good morning! I hope your day is full of peace and sunshine.

His companion says…

My mind says “Get up!”  My body says Forget about it.”

and with love and respect, their other companion says…

I’m up…but if you’re looking for bright eyed 

And bushy tailed, go find a squirrel.

Okay, enough of that.

“Today I’m going to be sensible and behave myself.

Stop laughing, it could happen.”

This week’s dream cottage has the tree of life carved into the door. How could I not live here?

The gate is perfect…

and I decided to paint my imaginary potting shed. 

I just kept painting in my imagination, so here’s my other shed. 

And not stopping there, here is a gate on the other side of the garden. 

Not stopping there, my imagination 

told me to paint this for the vegetable patch. 

I had to plant one but…

“For all you lovely people! - Garden Rules -

plant the seeds - wish for rain - listen to the birds - 

get your hands dirty - enjoy the beauty”

Time to get back to the house and get cozy…

It will be time to go to bed soon. Still a little chilly at night but that cozy fire will keep us toasty as the rain falls outside. My vegetable patch is very happy to get all that liquid sunshine. 

Time for fun with Food

This looks like a nice dressing.

Homemade Greek Dressing - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil - 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic minced - 1 teaspoon dried oregano - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

This looks very nice too.

Ciabatta - This iconic bread from ‘deesviral’ is known for its airy crumb, 

crisp crust and rustic shape. Simple ingredients and slow fermentation give it incredible 

Flavor - Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose or bread flour, 1-1/2 cups warm water - 2 teaspoons 

active dry yeast - 2 teaspoons salt - 1 tablespoon olive oil - Directions: dissolve yeast in warm 

water and let it foam. Mix flour and salt, then add yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir until a sticky 

dough forms. Cover and let rise 2 to 3 hours until bubbly. Gently shape into loaves on a floured 

surface. Bake at 425 degrees F. (220 degrees C.) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and crisp.  

This is light inside and crusty on the outside, and perfect for sandwiches - save recipe and follow ‘deesviral’ for more classic breads. 

Potato and Carrot Soup: 2 slices of bacon, diced - 1 onion, minced - 3 cups diced potatoes

3 cups water - 1 cup grated raw carrot - 2 teaspoons salt - 1/4 teaspoon pepper 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour - 3 cups milk - Cook bacon in kettle until golden. Add

potatoes and water, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Add carrot and

seasonings. Blend flour with a little of the milk. Stir into hot mixture and cook, stirring 

until slightly thickened. Add remaining milk and heat. Sprinkle with bacon. Makes 4 servings.

Same recipe below but without the bacon if you want to go vegetarian.

Now for dessert. A little hard to read so below are instructions not only for our overseas friends, but for us who speak the language and don't have the

eyes of an eagle!

Lemon Raspberry Bars: Ingredients: Shortbread crust - 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar - 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour - 1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon Filling: 3 large eggs - 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar - 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt - 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons) 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted - Raspberry Layer: 1-1/2 cups (180g) fresh or frozen raspberries 

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar - 1 tablespoon cornstarch - 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping: Powdered sugar for dusting - Instructions: 1. Preheat oven: preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

(175 degrees C.). Line an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20cm) baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhanging.  2. Make the Crust: In a bowl beat the butter and powdered sugar until creamy. Add flour and salt and mix into a soft dough. Press evenly into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 20

minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. 3. Prepare Raspberry Layer:

In a small saucepan, combine raspberries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat

stirring constantly, until thickened (about 5 minutes). Spread evenly over the crust.

4. Make the Lemon Filling: In a bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until smooth, then add flour, 

salt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Cook over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until combined.

Pour gently over raspberry layer.  5. Bake: Bake 25 to 28 minutes or until the center is just set and does not jiggle. Let cool completely in the pan, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.

6. Slice and Serve: Lift bars out using the parchment overhang. Cut into squares. Dust with

powdered sugar before serving if desired. Tips: Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. Store

in refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Time for a new word, just one, 

and for a change, it’s from a list of …

Seda - Female name of Armenian origin that means

spirit of the Forest.”

As this is winding down, I am going to leave you with a few wise words

“Observe and reflect, and become 

a little wiser every day - anonymous”

“My to-do list for today: count my blessings -

practice kindness - let go of what I can’t control -

listen to my heart - be productive yet calm -

Just breath - The Girl’s Guide to Loving Life”

Very important to remember…

You are loved!

and also very important to remember…

“Never forget you are a LIMITED EDITION. There is no one like you.

 and that is great.

Be proud of yourself for being unique!

Thanks for stopping by everyone

and have a great day!

(With thanks to Pinterest for today’s inspiration.)

THE RAPSCALLIONS WERE BACK...

We had been out for a couple of hours, rolled into the garage and I opened the car door, only to have a wet nose shoved in my face and had a large mouth gently grab my hand, this as I retreated because I just knew they would be inside the car. So, I managed to shut the door carefully but quickly. They arrived in complete and utter silence, apart from the sound of a few seconds of shuffling paws as they approached. They were very excitable, but I don't remember them barking this time, nor the last. Lots of zoomies with those tails.

We had not seen them in almost a month when they visited that first time. See them at this link if you missed it. Gregg told me to stay in the car as he didn't want them knocking me over, so I watched as he walked them across the road and, of course, I had to snap off a few photos. I was once again startled by their appearance but found myself very happy to see them again. These two were such bundles of energy and happiness, and you couldn't help but feel some of that transferred. I watched as they ran and played as Gregg walked them across the road. The neighbors were home fortunately. I don't know how they got out because they have a very high fence around their yard. Perhaps through a door into the house as the garage door was open. 

"The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog." - M. K. Clinton

"A dog can't think that much about what he's doing, he just does what feels right." - Barbara Kingsolver

"Because of the dog's joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift." - Mary Oliver

"A dog wags its tail with its heart." - Martin Buxbaum

"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog and is, in fact, the most precious and valuable possession of mankind." - Theodorus Gaza

"Why does watching a dog be a dog fill one with happiness?" - Jonathan Safran Foer

"The dog is a gentleman. I hope to go to his heaven, not mans." - Mark TwainGregg related this to me. He knocked on our neighbor's front door. No one came at first but then on the second knock their five-year old answered and he said, "Hey, your dogs are out." She turned and yelled into the house, "Hey, the dogs are out!" Dad appeared and said to the five-year old, "Hey, how did they get out?" Five-year old shrugged shoulders as the dogs ran back into the garage and disappeared out of sight. 

Gregg tried to calm them down as he was walking them across the road. He says they didn't acknowledge his deep voice commands of "Don't jump up!" or "Sit!" They saw him as their plaything. The second plaything stayed secured inside the car until first plaything came back and announced all was clear. But have to say, the arrival of those dogs sure gave us a lot of smiles.

Coincidentally and after telling our son about their visit, he called back two hours later and told us when he was out taking a walk with our daughter-in-law and her mom, they rescued a husky running in traffic. All he found was an 800 number on her collar that connected him to an answering service (a first for us), which he called. He gave them the number on the collar, his phone number and that he had the dog, and hung up just as a car drove by. It stopped and a lady shouted out that the dog belonged to her neighbor and was called Luna. Luna had a brother called Shadow she said, and offered to take Luna back to her neighbors. Hopefully Luna and Shadow were reunited soon after. Our son was still hanging on to her by holding her collar and he was glad the neighbor turned up. The dog happily jumped into her car. That was our dog-day!

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone,

and thanks for stopping by.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - THAI COCONUT SOUP

I found this recipe at Crockpot365 hosted by Stephanie O'Dea. It's an old one from my archives as I didn't make anything new this past week. You can find the original here. I checked and the link is still open. It was a good opportunity to use the crockpot, and I like preparing earlier in the day. Stephanie used a 6-quart crockpot. 

Apparently, I didn't take an actual photograph of our finished soup but did take one of the ingredients. There is a photo at the website, link above, so that you can see what it looks like.

Thai Coconut Soup

4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)

1 can coconut milk (if you opt for the light version, you may want to add a drop of coconut extract to boost the flavor - I did not do this as used regular coconut milk)

4 limes (3 juiced and 1 for garnish)

1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced into strips

4 ounces sliced shitake mushrooms, cut into quarters

1 large vine-ripened tomato, or 4 small medium, coarsley chopped 

1/2 pound extra firm tofu, cubed

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons red chili paste, to taste (you can use red chili flakes)

1 teaspoon sugar

1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Although there are several ingredients listed, this soup comes together quickly. 

Pour the broth into the crockpot. Add the juice of three of the limes and zest one lime until you get 1/2 teaspoon to add to the mixture. 

Stir in the sugar and fish sauce. Grate the ginger and add to the mixture.

Stir in the coconut milk. You now have your soup base. 

Add the red chili paste, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until you have reached the desired heat. I ended up using 1-1/2 teaspoons. You can always add more after cooking, so it's best to add a little at a time to get it to your own taste. You don't have to add anything if you don't like things too spicy. 

Add to the pot the cubed tofu, sliced sweet bell pepper and minced garlic. 

Next, stir in the shitake mushrooms and tomatoes.

Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or on high for 2 to 4 hours.

This soup is finished when it is fully hot and the flavors have combined nicely. 

Garnish with fresh lime slices.

Thai basil leaves would also be a nice addition, or cilantro. 

That's all. As always if you have any questions or your own suggestions, let me know in the comment section.

The full address is below in case you would prefer to copy and paste instead of using the link at the beginning of the recipe.

https://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2008/09/thai-coconut-soup-crockpot-recipe.html

Thanks for visiting and 

I hope your week is a great one.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

This is a photo I keep on our mantle in the family room of my Mother and me at my Christening in early 1951. Another I have shared before but when I looked at it again, I thought to put it up for Mother’s Day.  I still miss her dearly, always will.

“Half of the world  are women, the other half are their children.”

~Efu Nyaki~

I wish those who are celebrating and remembering their mothers, and also who are celebrating their own motherhood...

A Very Happy Mother's Day. 

Dedicated with love and hugs 

to all the Mothers who made us feel whole.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER

The birds say, "The woman of the house is letting her imagination fly again." "That it is," she says.

And that's how the cheetahs and birds go on a

Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder!

Have a great weekend everyone.

For our international friends to use my translation button on my sidebar.

Photo 1:

Hello there! How are you all doing today?

Photo 2:

He has a groaner for you and please don't say I didn't warn you.

Photo 3:

"Why don't catbirds play poker in the jungle. Can you guess? Too many cheetahs."

"Oh boy!"

Photo 4:

"I resent that, don't make me climb up there."

Photo 5:

"Uh-oh, I'm out of here. It's time for me to fly home."

Cheetah and Catbird Graphic:

"All's good, I can take a joke."

"Phew!"