Storms ~ New Blooms ~ Comforts of Reading

Nothing real exciting to post today.  First thing I did yesterday morning was check laundry, run the dishwasher and wash any remaining pots and pans.  If the storms took out the power, we have no running water.

Cell phones were charged, and water was put up for the animals.  Just in case.  Oil  lamps- check,  lamp oil - check, candles and matches - check, emergency lamp/radio - check.

I also decided not to do more freezer cleaning, and to not use both dehydrators.  I didn't want to risk a freezer that wasn't shut and cold, nor have any electrical issues with any outages.  Those jobs remain on the to-do list.

Early morning a steady rainfall began, followed by wind and thunderstorms.  

The temperature dropped and it was too chilly (and not safe) to read on the porch.  Soon, around noon the rain stopped and the sun came out.  Two o'clock arrived and guess what?  No rain nor a bad storm.  In fact, no rain the rest of the day, but it appears it'll rain today.

Before the rain arrived I took a few pictures of some colorful snapdragons starting to bloom.

I have a short Honey-Do list for my husband today. I have a few indoor jobs he could do, that won't require a lot of time.

Regarding reading...

I have not read an entire book in 2020, due to just feeling down, depressed and disgusted at what was happening in the world.

The past few days I picked up my newest book and finally opened it and read.  It felt fantastic.  I finished the book in 3 days.  A fascinating story of a woman growing up in Vietnam and moving to Ohio.  I met her at the flea market when we bought her book.  

Anyway, I'll be passing the book on to my Mom or whoever in the family who wants to read it.  One book in, one book out.   A fantastic read!! I believe my husband wants to read it next.

Storm and Random Tidbits

 

I hammered the tomato stakes in good, but decided not to start tying the tomato plants up to the stakes until the storms pass today.  I was in fear that if the stakes go down, the plants would go down with them.

Today's weather?  Possible thunderstorms, hail and possible tornadoes.

First coyote sighting yesterday morning.  It headed away from our property.

We discovered we still had a half of a quart canning jar full of home grown popcorn.  It was still good, popped almost all the kernels and was as delicious as ever.  I will be planting it again next year.

Broke my hoe.  They never last long.  It says 15 year warranty, but I have no idea where I bought it, nor saved the receipt.  Tomatoes got weeded anyway.  We have 62 tomatoes, but two may not make it.

New blooms in the flower beds.

Santa Fe Chicken Fajitas and Chit-Chat

 Santa Fe Chicken Fajitas

1 lb. organic boneless chicken breast, sliced in thin strips

1 red onion, sliced thin

1 organic green bell pepper, sliced

1 organic red bell pepper, sliced

1 organic orange or yellow bell pepper (optional if you want more veggies), sliced

3/4 cup home canned salsa (or picante sauce)

6 Tbsp. organic lime juice

3 cloves garlic, minced (we use home grown)

2 tsp. organic chili powder

1 tsp. organic oregano (we use homegrown and dried)

1/2  tsp. organic ground cumin

1/4 tsp. natural smoke flavoring (optional, see note)

Salt

Black pepper

1 Tbsp. organic olive oil

10 homemade tortillas

Mix everything in a bowl with lid, except the tortillas of course.  Marinade the ingredients for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.  We like to let it sit overnight.  You can then cook the chicken and veggies in a pan or in a grill pan on the grill.  Top tortillas, and any toppings you'd like.

Note:  Natural smoke flavor typically contains a color added.  There are so many Youtube videos on how to make your own flavoring, but sometimes I just add a drop of molasses and vinegar and grill the fajitas. I have also found organic smoke flavor online.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The weather has had us yearning to go camping, and we even joked about putting up the camper out in the "back 40" this week.  However, the forecast changed those spontaneous plans.  A storm is brewing up and heading our way tomorrow.

I had so much to put away in my chaotic kitchen yesterday that my fitbit was reading over 10,000 steps by dinner time.  I got word that Wal-mart had put a clearance price on their mulch, so we headed up to the Big City to check.  Nope.  We came back home with one bag to mulch Daughter E's butterfly bush.  We needed a few items anyway, so the trip was not a waste of gas.

Our mower guy nicked the butterfly bush with the lawn mower and it both irritated me and made me sad.  I'll be making sure the bush is surrounded enough with mulch to keep the mower far away from it.  I asked my husband to make sure he mentions it to him next time he is here.

My clothesline was full yesterday, so first thing today is the remaining laundry and getting it on the line.  Porch clean ups are in order, while we wait for the garden to produce a harvest.

I also have a to-do list for in the kitchen again today.  My list remains for stocking up the freezer, until I begin cleaning it.  I hope to get one shelf done today.

I already woke up to gritting my teeth after seeing my kitchen sink.  I already started charging Daughter K rent due to her horrible housekeeping skills.  I reminded her twice last night to put her dishes in the dishwasher.  Guess where they are at?  In the sink.  She'll be 22 this month.  As hard as I try and change her ways, I can only hope she is better when she moves out with her boyfriend (which may happen this year).

I hope to get some time to "surf" the internet for some alternative recipes for baking walleye vs. frying it.  I'm trying to watch over my husband's sugar intake (breading is bad for him).  I found one already, but it uses boxed potato flakes and white potatoes are on the list to avoid.  I may try it with parmesan cheese though.

I hope your summer is returning to normal, and things are well for you all.  I do appreciate your comments.  Things here are coming back to life.  It was so nice to see our friend's bar completely full of people and even a birthday party going on (they have wonderful food there). Farmer's Markets are going on everywhere, so I hope to make it to one for vegetables we did not plant this year.

What sitting down to read a book did . . .

 

Monday was a very busy day, and there was much that didn't get done, however I boiled eggs.

Daughter K came in the house from running errands, and I had just put the eggs on the back burner with the lid on and timer going.  I literally was so exhausted I went to the front porch to read for the first time in a long time.  I typically don't read in summer with the garden work, but I wanted to take a break and not crochet or knit either.

I came back inside after reading for an entire hour and the timer was going off.  One hour later.  Daughter K was upstairs and couldn't hear it.

I felt so frustrated that I let that happen.

I do not regret sitting and reading.   The yolks were not that green either, ha ha!  I later got dinner baked, but I forgot how enjoyable reading was.

Woke up to the most gorgeous weather.  I asked my husband, "why is the weekday weather always the best weather for camping, and come weekends it's not?"  Just for kickers, I checked the campground and there was one spot left this coming weekend.  I then checked the weather?  Guess what's coming this weekend?  Thunderstorms.  Urgh.  We joked about camping right out back next to the fire pit after that.

I think we'll be taking more motorcycle rides during week until the garden becomes crazy busy. We took off on one last night with gorgeous weather, and we slept great.

My kitchen is a bit chaotic, so it's on the to-do list first thing today.  Dinner will be easy - grilled Santa Fe Chicken Fajitas.  I prepare them in advance and marinate overnight.  I just dump it into a grill pan and wa-la!  I will get the recipe written up soon for you.

Strawberry Vodka and a busy Monday

I started some strawberry vodka.  It's good too, and it's nice to have an adult beverage in the winter (this recipe lasts up to 6 months in the fridge, and tastes better after it sits after straining).

I had a lot on my plate yesterday.  Boy oh boy.  I had to water everything first (garlic was bone dry),deadhead flowers/roses. I had laundry to do and hang outside, bake a breakfast bake, wash dishes, get oregano out of dehydrator, marinate chicken/peppers, boil eggs, freeze strawberries....make dinner.  Long day for sure.  I also made a pitcher of spearmint/green iced tea.

Breakfast - sausage, sweet potatoes (organic Hannah ones), garden green pepper, garlic, thyme, salt pepper, eggs.  It was so creamy with those sweet potatoes.  Yum!

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

We've had a few days of fog here lately.  We are moving into a cool down weather-wise.

Saturday we got the entire rose bed weeded, weed whacking done, and mailbox flower bed planted.  We also planted an ornamental apple tree that was growing in one of the beds.

Yesterday was beautiful.  We finished up outdoor garden work, showered and took off on a motorcycle ride.  We went to a new town and a local eatery.  Delicious, but not cheap.  We'll go back, but to try their breakfast next time.

Once home, we made a fresh strawberry pie, and played cards on the porch with adult drinks.  Great day for some R & R. 

Today I'll be joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

The weather . . .

80's, slight chance for rain, sunny

On my reading pile . . .

On my TV . . .

Heartland (long series for sure)

On the menu . . .

-Salmon Romanoff, green beans, fresh strawberry pie
-grilled fajitas
-walleye, not sure on a side yet
-leftovers

On the to-do list . . .

-water garden
-bake a breakfast casserole

-dehydrate oregano

-boil eggs

-freeze more strawberries

-laundry

-sweep front porch and get more furniture put out

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating . . .

Working on the XL hot pad in this color, still crocheting water balloons too, and getting some yarn back on the knitting needles.

From the camera . . .

More snapdragons are blooming, but I am a bit disappointed that they are mostly white or yellow.  I hope they produce more color as they continue to bloom.

Something fun to share . . .

Fun for us anyway...found another Mom and Pop eatery to take a motorcycle ride too.  I'm so happy we found new rides to take this year.

On my prayer list . . .

A young girl named Annabelle with health issues, Daughter K who got tonsillitis

This and That

I finally got to our post office.  Well, the one that is closer than our town post office.  It's only open 2 hours and day and quite a struggle to get there when they are open.

New blooms in the flower bed.  The roses that are blooming were planted in memory of Daughter E's boyfriend that passed.  They were gifted to her and planted in the flower bed.

Work resumes in the vegetable garden today.  The rain has stopped and watering by hand is needed.

Yesterday we had a nice visit with my Mom and gifted her some strawberries.  She was tickled pink for our appearance and for the berries.  We retired our evening with playing cards on the porch and grilling burgers.