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| Mangoes and Rosé Berries |
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| Rosé Strawberries |
Friday, being the first of the month, I made the traditional milkrice and some seeni sambol (spicy onion relish) for brunch. Then, I wrote my Balanced Life Goals review, which took more time than I thought it would! In between, I chatted on the phone with my half-sister, with aunt C, with friend R, and neighbor S. In the early evening, M tended to the garden and, in return for the box of Sri Lankan tea I gave him, earlier, he brought me some mangoes and a container of a type of pink strawberries called Rosé strawberries! Apparently, there is a Rosé raspberry, too, developed by the same berry growers! They were very flavorful although they looked under-ripe! Dinner was a hamburger, using a leftover patty and two bread ends in lieu of a hamburger bun; my version of a "special sauce" consisted of Miracle Whip, stone ground mustard, ketchup, and sweet relish! I thought it tasted very good! LOL. All in all, it was a good start to the month, I think.
Today (Saturday) has been another good day, except my daughter had another migraine, complete with visual aura; the aura subsided later, but, the headache lingered all day. I have told her to book an appointment to be seen by her doctor, just for a check up, since she hasn't had one since before the pandemic.
It was a cooler day with a high of only 86F. I washed another quilt, called and spoke with friend S (not neighbor S), wrote an email to a cousin in Sri Lanka, baked some cornbread using a boxed mix I had been given, put away the dishes that had dried in the dish drainer overnight, washed today's dishes, checked on the garden, crocheted for a bit, and watched some online videos. One video was about a Buddhist nunnery in Tibet; one video was about a type of Japanese courtyard garden called "tsubo-niwa". Brunch had been leftover milkrice and seeni sambol; dinner was another hamburger, using the last hamburger patty and two more bread ends. That is the end of all the leftovers from last week!
I am grateful for:
- M bringing me a new type of strawberries to try and the mangoes
- Working appliances and electricity to run them
- Online videos that allow me to virtually visit places and learn new things
- Phone calls, emails, texts, etc., which enable me to keep in contact with family and friends
- Leftovers and planned overs!
My joyful activities on Friday and Saturday include trying out new strawberries, gardening, crocheting, baking, chatting with family and friends, and watching videos.
Plans for tomorrow (Sunday) include more crocheting and relaxing.
How is your weekend coming along?
I have seen the rose strawberries in the grocery store and wondered about them. However, they are twice as expensive as regular strawberries, so I haven't gotten any. They do look under ripe, but it sounds like they are flavorful.
ReplyDeleteThey do taste good; they are supposed to taste like a glass of rose wine, but, since I don't drink wine, I wouldn't know! LOL. I'm glad I had the opportunity to try them, but, I imagine they do cost more than regular strawberries and I probably would not have bought them for myself. :)
DeleteI have never heard of or seen rose strawberries, but will be on the lookout for them. I like to try new to me foods.
ReplyDeleteThe weekend is here and most likely will be hot, so I anticipate some swimming and reading.
There are supposed to be rose raspberries, too, Anne. I hope you are able to find some to try. They are supposed to taste like rose wine, but, I wouldn't know (I don't drink wine or anything with alcohol in it).
DeleteWe have cooled off for the weekend; today's high is supposed to be only 81F and tomorrow's is 80F. I actually felt a bit cold, earlier in the morning! :D
How are your family in Sri Lanka coping with all that's going on there. I hope they are able to stay safe.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about the rosé strawberries ... I think the fact that they don't look ripe would put me off. It was kind of M to gift them to you though and it sounds like you enjoyed them.
Interesting viewing online! I had to look up the tsubo-niwa to see what it was, and also checked up on Buddhist nuns ... I've obviously heard of Buddhist monks but it had never occurred to me that there are nuns as well. Thank you for educating me on that subject!
As far as I know, the family in Sri Lanka are coping as well as they can. Things like petrol, cooking gas, some medicines, and certain foods are in very short supply and everything is very costly. But, they are managing. Thank you for asking. :)
DeleteThe strawberries tasted good. I imagine they cost more than regular strawberries and I probably wouldn't pay the extra to buy them for myself, but, if I were to have a prayer gathering or something, I could see myself buying some as something special to serve. :)
I enjoy watching various online videos. There are fewer Buddhist nuns than monks and they are often not considered to be the equal of the monks which is most unfortunate. When I was a child, I wanted to become a Buddhist nun, but, my mother was not in favor of that idea! She told me I had to experience life before I could withdraw to a nunnery! :D
I've also come across female Buddhist monks in Japan, some quite highly regarded. (Just out of interest.) Nice gifts from M. I keep wanting to buy mangoes but they are always really hard so I leave them on the shelf. Haven't had a nice one for ages!
DeleteElla
According to what I've read, female monks are more accepted in the Japanese and Chinese Buddhist traditions. The Theravada Buddhist canon more commonly found in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, etc., have additional restrictions placed on female monks that are not found in the Mahayana Buddhist canon. In my opinion, those additional restrictions stem more from cultural traditions and not religious reasons.
DeleteAs for mangoes, if you buy the firm mangoes and leave them at room temperature in a paper bag (don't close the bag), they should ripen after a few days. Or bury them in a container of uncooked rice for a few days (I ripen avocados the same way).
The berries look awesome. Auras are so scary. I’ve only had them twice and both times a grand meal seizure followed (this is Akasha)
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you again, Akasha. :) The berries were very tasty. That fact that your auras preceded seizures is very scary! I hope you will not get any auras in the future!
DeleteI hope your daughter doesn't get any more migraines. It's as well to get checked out when she has been free for so long.
ReplyDeleteI've seen those strawberries in the store and I suspect they would sell more if they gave out a sample one occasionally! It's good to know that they are flavourful. I suppose it is no stranger than the brown tomatoes that I have been buying. They look odd but taste fine. We had some fresh regular strawberries today that I bought from a roadside stall from a local farmer.
Thank you, Bushlady; she felt much better, today, and did her grocery shopping and weekly meal prep.
DeleteThe rose strawberries are fine as a novelty item, but, probably not worth the price in terms of taste. Your fresh from the local farm strawberries probably tasted just as sweet if not more. :) Can't say I've seen any brown tomatoes in the stores, here, but, I remember M giving me something called a chocolate tomato that he had grown; probably the same thing?
I've never heard of rosé strawberries before and don't think I would buy them to be honest but interesting that you found them to be flavoursome. I do hope your daughter takes your advice and books a doctor's appointment, the migraine with the aura sounds very unpleasant and hopefully not to be repeated.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've heard of them, too, Eileen. Yes, I think my daughter will book an appointment to see her doctor; she needs to get her eyes checked, too, and probably get a new prescription for her glasses.
DeleteI've never heard of rose strawberries before. How do they taste compared to regular strawberries? X
ReplyDeleteThey tasted sweet and had a milder, less acidic flavor to me. I quite enjoyed them, but, I am not sure if I'd pay a lot more for them than for regular strawberries.
DeleteThat sounds like a productive day. I hope your daughter feels better soon and can escape from the migraines. I love the sound of the hamburger, especially the special sauce. You are so creative with food.
ReplyDeleteI was happy with what I was able to accomplish, Lyssa. My daughter felt better, yesterday, thank you. Glad you liked the sound of my special sauce! :D I always laugh at myself when I use bread ends/heels for my hamburger buns - because I don't normally like to eat them. But, they work very well as hamburger buns!
DeleteReading through the comments, I'm glad to read your daughter is feeling better.
ReplyDeleteYes, those new type of strawberries do look under ripe. I would've thought they would not be very tasty given the light color not knowing that is how they are.
You started the month off well finishing up leftovers :)
Thank you, Debra. My daughter is fine now, but, she managed to get an appointment to see a doctor for a check up; we'd like to find out if there is any reason for the headaches.
DeleteI should have photographed the strawberries with the container lid open, but, they did look more pink than red. They did taste good, though.
I was happy to finish the leftovers! It also meant I didn't have to cook a lot during the week! :D
"Rose" berries sounds like a gimmick to me - let's us know if not.
ReplyDeleteThey were tasty, but, I probably wouldn't have paid extra for them. :)
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