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  My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| I don't know what sent me in this direction. But I decided I haven't had a family blowout in a while, so I invited them to my house for Sunday dinner. At first, I wanted just all beef hot dogs with decent side dishes. Then it hit me about a shrimp boil. I can't afford this, and it is so much work the day of serving! But I'm committed. I looked up the recipe, and it reminded me of the jambalaya that I made once for a Duck Dynasty theme. So I looked further. They are not the same, but are very close. Gumbo, seafood or shrimp boil, and Jambalaya are very close. They all start with green pepper, onion, and celery. You choose two of 3 meats: chicken, shrimp or lobster, and sausage (andouille preferred, kielbasa will do). Gumbo is soupier. Jambalaya has rice cooked in it. The boil has red potatoes and short ears of corn. It's all low country, because it is Southern and mostly Louisiana based. Crayfish is optional in all of them. I am not a crayfish person. I have made my shopping list. I still have to have hot dogs for the picky children in my family. If they all come, I'll have 9 children, maybe 10, and 7 adults, counting me. There's a precedent for two spouses not showing up. And the maybe 10th is a 15 year old boyfriend who can't be separated from my great niece. So I have to clean house, and plan my cooking schedule, since I have a 9 am meeting Sunday and have to clean up after Communion, making me a little late getting home from church. I have to prep the bread the day before: cut off the crusts and cut in small cubes to place in storage bags until Sunday morning. For side dishes, I will make homemade coleslaw on Saturday. I will make garlicky mac n cheese ( I will have ingredients ready so I can throw them in the pressure cooker/air fryer when I get home from church. The vegetables will be ready to go in the pot on the stove. I just have to clean my hands and start tossing in. The boil takes about an hour. We decided mid-afternoon, so I will make it okay. If they have to wait, okay. I have to wait when I go to their houses. One of them might bring dessert, and one might bring fruit. So that will be my Labor Day celebration. It might the last shindig this old lady does for the whole family. They have their own things going on these days. I want it to be memorable. |
| One of the things I've noticed this year is the abundance of moths, bees, and other bugs I don't recognize. Coneflowers aren't the most spectacular beauties, but nature's little critters love them. My butterfly shrubs are full of some purple and blue moths or butterflies. My marigolds and wildflowers are a buzzing with critters. The deer sheer off the hostas, lillies, and glads. Deer do not eat basil, irises, or peonies. Oh, they crave tulips, but ignore daffodils. The rose of Sharon is a fast growing shrub with beautiful blooms. Nothing eats that, but the bugs love the blooms. You can prune that shrub as much as you want; it's probably impossible to hurt it other than digging it up and burning the roots. It's a very hardy shrub. On the other hand, you never want to plant bamboo or voodoo plants. They are very invasive and will take over a vast area. They are worse than weeds and morning glory or the ivy that kills your trees. I have never been good with hydrangeas or roses. Yucca plants have sharp leaves that will cut you. Pretty doesn't have to mean nice. So, I put on my Off and tell myself that I'm doing my part for Mother Nature by feeding her critters, no matter how annoying they can be. (Hornets hurt the most.) |
| I was surprised to discover from The Grumpy Gardener that every 12 years, our growing zones go one mile further north. So, if you live in the southern part of growing zone 7, you may actually be in zone 8 next year. We can be a little riskier in planting earlier than usual or planting less hardy species. However, you may have to be careful about diseases or pests that come with warmer temps and increased humidity. It's always a puzzle to me about planting early enough, but not too early. And what about late planting? Some of my seed didn't come up, so I tried to plant later, and nothing came of that either, despite the heat and sunshine. I know from prior experience that planting melons or onions too late will produce nothing worth harvesting. Another puzzle is when is a seed too old? I harvested seeds from dwarf marigolds and planted the following year. But two year old seeds didn't work. Same with coneflowers. I was so excited to have seeds from my flowers producing a year later. Packaged seeds don't last long. Possibly they are old when you buy them, despite the labels. This year, I refused to spend money on new plants or seeds, so I have been disappointed and now don't have my usual array of flowers. I did splurge on some dark color iris bulbs yesterday, but I won't see those until next year, if I'm still around. They will have to go in the ground with the blue irises I inherited from my grandmother. Experience has shown me that begonias can reproduce when you least expect them. And geraniums (I love to smell them) produce new plants around the base of the stem! I'm going to figure out how to preserve them. I have sage plants and chives that are over five years old. They're all in pots. One of the things I love about the plants is the smell. I love fiddling with the sage, and smelling my hands when I'm done. The geraniums give off a fragrance as soon as you touch them. I have grown basil and dill, when I was buying seed. Same thrill smelling them as I worked with them. I'm still learning about deadheading irises, peonies, petunias, etc. I wish I had known more when I was younger. I have to coat myself with mosquito spry to go outside for more than 5 minutes, but I love growing things. Now I have the time to do this stuff, and my health is failing, I do what I can and take breaks. With a longer growing season, and time to water, maybe I'll learn a little about gardening before it's too late for me. |
| It's the petty things that drive us crazy. Now my ice maker has quit making ice. The box is completely empty. I looked it up online and took all the simple adjust/test steps. None worked. The water line is not stopped up because cold water still disperses from the freezer door. I didn't realize I depended so much on ice. Without ice to slow me down, I am drinking more cold water. (I am restricted for medical reasons, and ice chips was a way around that).I have been checking the freezer way too often, hoping it was just a fluke. I will have to go buy some ice, I guess. I wish I still had an old-fashioned ice tray. I've tried freezing small amounts in plastic cups. The last appliance repairman I had come to my house did a lousy job and charged a lot of money. So I will rant and rave until I can't take it any longer. How did our grandparents ever get by? |
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These days I just have houseplants and one lonely portulaca that came up by seed and has bloomed this past week. I've been "home" for three months and the plants have responded well. But, I long for Thailand.
. Isn't it funny how we take things like electricity and plumbing for granted... until we don't have them. Happy for you!
