Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Zucchini Harvest and More Clothing Challenges on Tuesday

The First Zucchini

Today, I harvested my first zucchini!  It practically doubled its size in a couple of days!

Harvested Zucchini
I didn't cook it yet.  I think I have enough to try cooking it a couple of ways.  I found a recipe for baked zucchini, but need to buy parmesan cheese for it.  In the meantime, I'm thrilled to bits about my zucchini harvest!

This morning, getting ready to go to work, I found it a bit of a challenge to find an outfit to wear.  Things I tried on either didn't fit or didn't coordinate with other items!   A black skirt with a blue floral design fitted, but I didn't have a black blouse to go with it and the blue blouse didn't really  match.  The brown pants were too big and so were the old black pair (haven't hemmed the new pair, yet).  Eventually, I settled on my black skirt (the same skirt I wore to lunch with my friend on Saturday) with a salmon pink blouse, and topped it with a black cardigan:

Tuesday's Outfit

Which, as can be seen from the picture, was a slightly different shade of black from the skirt, as it is an old cardigan and faded after much washing:


Different Shades of Black
In the meantime, I had this little pile of discarded clothing on my bed:

 (Spot the Dancer!)


The pile has 3 skirts (which fit, but don't have a blouse to match), 2 pairs of pants (too big), 2 or 3 blouses (too big) and a jacket (too big).  I will be putting aside everything except for the skirts. 

These are the possible combinations I've picked to wear to the doctor's and then, the office, tomorrow:  the skirt is, again, something I sewed with fabric in my mother's stash.

Combo 1: skirt with blue twin set

Combo 2: skirt with cream knit top

Combo 3: Combo 2 worn with the cardigan from the twin set
Combo 4: Combo 2 worn with a navy cardigan
All depends on how things fit and look when I try them on, of course, but I am thinking that combo 4 looks the best.  What do you think?

After I came home from work, I harvested my zucchini, returned phone calls from aunts who had called, and spoke with my half-sister who called.  I called to see if I need to report for jury duty on Wednesday, and was told no. Which means I can go to my doctor's appointment on Wednesday morning, after all.  Still later, I video chatted with daughter.  

Today, I am grateful for:
- Didn't have to report for jury duty today
- Don't have to report for jury duty tomorrow, either
- I can go to my doctor's appointment, tomorrow a.m.
- The first zucchini harvested from the garden!
- Phone calls from family

How was your Tuesday?  Have you harvested anything from your garden, yet?  What are your favorite zucchini recipes?

20 comments:

  1. Nothing like the first pick of the season. I'm sure you will enjoy eating that zuchinni.

    I think the last combo is the best also, but all are good to add some variety and to stretch your outfits.

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    1. The last combo is what I chose to wear today. I will try the others over the next few weeks. I haven't tried the zucchini yet, but I will in the next day or two.

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  2. The salmon pink blouse really pops with your black skirt and cardigan.

    I think it depends on how your mood is regarding the choice of combo looks. I like them all but combo 1 is a very gentle look, combo 2 is for when it is very hot, combo 3 and combo 4 very similar with combo 4 cardigan having a little more "pop". Hard to vote but I think I like combo 1 best.

    Hope you get some good news at the doctor.

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    1. Thanks, Sandy. The pressure and sugar levels were good today and I have a "pre-op" appointment with the doctor for next Monday to get the medical clearance (I was hoping I'd be able to get the medical clearance today, if my pressure reading was good, but I think they quite forgot my initial reason for these doctor visits!) I am shaking my head, but it's OK.

      I wore combo 4 today, but I will try combo 1 next. :)

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  3. I like them all, but my faves are 3, followed by 4.

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    1. Thank you, Joy. I wore combo 4, today; I'll be trying the others over the next few weeks. :)

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  4. Mmm baked zucchini with parmesan sounds delicious. I love the salmon top. The colour description reminded me my favourite ever coat when I was a teen was a salmon coloured padded one. I loved it.

    Glad you're able to keep your appointment with the Doctor I bet that's saved a lot of kerfuffle trying to re-organise things. I'm surprised you have to do jury though as you're still under your medical team. Surely they realise your appointments are more important at the moment and worrying about them clashing is something you can do without.

    At the risk of of tempting fate - how's the tooth? xx

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    1. The tooth is OK so far, *fingers crossed* I didn't get the medical clearance yet (I think they forgot the original reason for my visits!), so I have an appointment for a "pre-op" consultation with the doctor (I saw the Physician Assistant, today), scheduled for Monday. In the meantime, the PA told me she has seen the results for the abdominal ultrasound and although it didn't show any signs of blood flow to it, she is going to put in a referral for a biopsy, just to allay any concerns I might have. I appreciate that.

      Technically, I am not under active treatment since I am not having any chemo or radiation currently, and I am considered well enough to go to work. Otherwise, I could have obtained a doctor's note (they'd have to fill out a part of the form) and submitted that for consideration of an excuse. My medical appointments will be something I'll have to bring up when I go in person, if called to serve. Normally, one is supposed to reschedule them if called to serve, but, I am hoping they'll be more understanding and accommodating once I explain my special circumstances. They are desperate for jurors, I think, and since my employer pays for all days of jury service, they like to have people like me! I seem to get called every other year at least!

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    2. Glad the tooth seems to be OK and the biopsy sounds a good idea - I think I'd want to cover as many bases as possible as well.

      I really hope they are considerate of your position Bless. You must be on some sort of jury service list! I'm just being inquisitive now but how many times have you actually ended up in court and what was your longest stint? Touch wood I've never been called and don't know anybody who has been either. I've probably just tempted fate there. xx

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    3. Suzanne, I've lost count, but I believe I've been on some 6 or 7 juries, so far. Both civil and criminal. I think the longest went on for a couple of weeks. One case, they estimated would take several months, but I was excused as a potential juror and I was glad!

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  5. Look at that glorious zucchini! I'm so envious as I've never succeeded in growing one here. The plant usually dies of powdery mildew before it can set fruit :(

    I use zucchini in zucchini bread, chocolate cakes (you can use it shredded instead of oil, if I remember properly) and currently in my morning omelets. There is a gadget they're selling now called a spiralizer that lets you make "spaghetti" from zucchini. I haven't tried it but my daughter bought one for her stepmom at Christmas last year, as the step mom wanted one. I've heard that since the Christmas craze, they've been easy to find at garage sales and thrift stores. I might just try one if I spot one at a thrift store.

    I'm not actively gardening this summer but I harvested a bunch of serrano peppers from last year's plant (and the new one that grew after I left some peppers rot in the bin) and a couple of eggplants from the Ichiban plant that I've had for a couple of years and that refuses to die. Now that it's raining every day (finally!) I've spotted some bean plants that regrew from beans that never germinated last fall! They're pole beans so it's a good thing that I super procrastinated and that the poles are still in place.

    Good luck with the rest of your garden!

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    1. Thanks, Nathalie. Zucchini bread is my favorite way to eat zucchini! I had some powdery mildew, too, because I had the sprinkler on and the leaves got wet. They can't get wet - one has to water from the bottom, without getting the leaves wet. Might be hard to keep the leaves dry if it rains frequently. I saw your harvest on one of your recent posts. Good thing you left the poles in place - I'd call that advance planning! :D

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  6. Hi Bless, I like combo 2 best for your climate. I would be way too hot with any of the others. ;)

    I love zucchini. I just made some zucchini with shrimp and served it over rice for my dinner tonight. I am hoping my plants will produce well for me this year. I ended up buying the ones I had for dinner tonight.

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    1. Debbie, combo 2 is what I wore when I got into the car to drive home. My office is air conditioned and I feel too cold to be without a sweater, usually.

      Oh, zucchini with shrimp sounds interesting. Did you just saute them together? Hope your garden does well and you get lots of zucchini and other good things.

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  7. I really like clothing combinations 3 and 4. So nice to have options for changing things up. My favorite zucchini recipe is a Zucchini Casserole using Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix, grated carrots, sour cream, onion, and cream of chicken soup. I've also changed it up a bit by using half zucchini and half squash. A very tasty dish!
    https://www.google.com/amp/www.food.com/amp/recipe/zucchini-casserole-466309

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    1. I tried on combo 4 today and wore it to the dr's appt. and the office, afterwards. I'll try the other combos over the next few weeks. Thank you for sharing the recipe link. I've no idea if I'll have more zucchinis from the garden, but if I do, I'll be looking for different recipes!

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  8. I have to confess. I have been reading your blog postings each day, but I have not been making any written comments. I make verbal comments, but you can't hear those. LOL.

    So happy that you have a harvest from your garden. I haven't even planted a garden yet, and the longer time goes on, the more I am thinking that I may not even put one in this year. The yard is just too much for me this year without adding more to my "To-Do" list. I am thinking that perhaps I will take my roto tiller to the small engine repair guy down the street and get the machine in working order. Then perhaps I will use it to till the garden and keep the weeds plowed under this summer. I am also tempted to take soil from this raised bed to use on my flower beds that I want to maintain. Then next summer, I will bring in a good load of garden soil to replace and amend the soil I remove this year. Still thinking about it.

    I also am enjoying the Fashion Show. Since retiring, I have culled my wardrobe down to a very few basics. My "uniform" is now mostly blue jeans and T-shirts. I am liking everything you have put together so far.

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    1. Always lovely to hear from you, Susan; I know you've been busy. Just do what you can, this year, with the garden. I didn't plant any vegetables, last year and the year before, it was one lone tomato plant that didn't survive. This year, the beans and the okra are not doing well, at all, but I am pleased with the squash and the tomato plant is still alive!

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  9. I also like combo 4. Pleased to hear we both agree. Great minds!

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    1. Great minds, indeed! :D I still have the skirt and the light blue twin set (stretched out and too big!) but, the cream knitted top and the navy blue cardigan developed holes and were tossed (I darned some of the holes in the cardigan, but, kept finding new holes and gave up!)

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