Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Monday's Happenings

 

The Pole Bean Plants

Yay!  The pole bean plants are doing what they are supposed to do and have started winding their way up the fabric strips supports!  Some are going up the bamboo poles, as well, but, that's fine, too.  A few others are still searching for something to hold onto, but, hopefully, they, too, will find a fabric strip or a bamboo pole.  M is also happy to source a few more bamboo poles if I decide we need more.

It has been another sunny and warm day, today.   It might have been a few degrees cooler than it had been over the weekend, but, it was still above 90F and I was feeling the heat.  So much so that, at one point in the afternoon, I took off the pair of knee-high compression socks I was wearing on doctor's orders (after my blood clot).  My feet do swell when it is hot (or I have been standing for any length of time), but, it was too hot to wear them!  I did put them back on, later, after it had cooled down a bit in the evening.

Today, I stripped my bed in the morning (I still had flannel sheets on!) and remade the bed with cotton blend sheets and pillowcases for the summer.  Then, I did two loads of laundry including the flannel bed sheets.

By this time, I was hungry for brunch and the easiest thing to make was a cold cuts sandwich, with the last slice of bread (as opposed to the bread ends or heels as some people call them).    I had some peach compote as part of my brunch and it was delicious (and cool and refreshing).

In the afternoon, I took a short nap!  It was made shorter by the fact that former neighbor T called, and then, my daughter called, and my aunt called!  After which, I decided that I had napped long enough and watched some news and had a cup of tea.

Afterwards, I took the trash cans to the curb, watered the front garden, and watered the back garden, again.  The poor raspberry canes were looking a little stressed by the heat, but, I hope they will revive. 

I also picked more peaches; these are perfect, unbruised ones and one or two of them aren't quite ripe.  I am leaving them on the kitchen counter overnight with the intention of canning them tomorrow morning.  I don't think they will spoil overnight.

Although I made my weekly meal plan earlier today, by the time I finished watering the garden and picking peaches, I didn't feel like cooking rice and warming up curries.  Instead, I decided to have breakfast for dinner - sliced fried potatoes, two slices of ham cold cuts lightly sauteed, a scrambled egg and peach compote for dessert.  It was just right!

Breakfast for Dinner

Today, I am grateful for:

- Ceiling fans and the electricity to run them
- More fresh peaches from the garden
- Phone calls and emails from family and friends
- Water for the garden
- Afternoon naps

Today's joyful activity included spending time in the garden and taking an afternoon nap!

Plans for Tuesday include:
- Canning peaches
- Bringing in the trash cans
- Tidying the kitchen
- Doing another load of laundry

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?  Are you managing to keep cool during these warm days?



20 comments:

  1. That's so good your pole bean plants are winding their way up the fabric strips. It's so hot here too and I couldn't face sitting out in it yesterday but I had some Magnum white chocolate ice cream sticks in the freezer which was a lovely treat. Your breakfast for dinner looks delicious. We call the bread ends crusts here and the fried potatoes we call them potato scallops but I think my mother used to dip them in batter which were even more tasty :)

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    1. Yes, the pole beans don't care if it is a string or a piece of fabric! :D Your ice cream sounds like the perfect treat on a hot day!
      Thank you, Eileen; sometimes, breakfast is just right for dinner! I, too, used to call the bread ends, crusts, but, I've read that people call them heels, as well. Your mother's potato scallops would have been very tasty! Here, there is a dish called scalloped potatoes, but, it is a type of casserole with milk and, often, cheese.

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  2. I too have beans. And cucumber. The weather is too hot, so I ordered a shade cloth for the raised bed. Right now, I have a tarp over it, and I take it down when rains.

    The photo of your dinner made me want to have fried potatoes for breakfast. :)

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    1. A shade cloth is a good idea! I would like to try growing cucumber, but, so far, I haven't planted any! Maybe next year. I tried growing bitter melon, but, the plants died in the heat.
      Fried potatoes are good any time of the day or night! :D

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  3. My beans are growing up their poles roo

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    1. Yay! This is only the second time I'm growing pole beans, so, I'm eager to see how they do. :)

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  4. I haven't had breakfast yet, and your picture of your breakfast-for-dinner is making me really hungry. :)

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    1. Oops! Sorry, June! I hope you enjoyed your breakfast! :)

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  5. Those bean plants didn’t waste any time at all. Excellent.
    I love to cook eggs when everything else feels too complicated. They always satisfy. I wonder if my husband will want to join in the cooking once he retires. He was always a better cook than I, but hasn’t spent much time in the kitchen for the past few years. During the pandemic, I had no commute and had hours free each day and that’s when I (belatedly) expanded my skills, tried new recipes, and grew more food.
    A quiet Tuesday here. I have been on the phone with my sisters, finalizing our plans for the cruise in 20 days.
    My older daughter and her husband both hate hot weather so they are just working, waiting for cooler temperatures.
    My younger daughter is working a double shift today. I can’t believe she’ll be finished in a week. Now her plan is to visit us, then spend some time with friends before she leaves Philly, then drive cross-country by herself (with only her cat for company). Sigh.
    It’s a little bit cooler in the Bronx today, but it’s predicted to get hot again tomorrow. 😊

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    1. It's exciting to see the bean plants growing! M might have to get me some taller poles at this rate!
      Scrambled eggs are my go to quick meal, on toast if I have any bread, or with fried potatoes, if I don't have bread. I'll make an omelet if I don't have either bread or potatoes!
      Well, maybe your husband and you will share the cooking. :)
      I thought your older daughter was going to accompany your younger daughter on her drive cross country? I guess plans have changed? I hope your younger daughter has a safe drive.
      Enjoy your slightly cooler day; it's a bit cooler, here, too, with a high of only 87F. :)

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  6. It's good to see that you have intelligent beans who understand why there are fabric strips there! Phone calls during nap time are time to give up trying. I hope you got enough of a nap. My MIL had a system when she took her afternoon naps. She would put down the blind in the front room, and anyone planning to drop in would wait until the blind went up again! I don't think people phoned much back then.

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    1. Yes, they are intelligent beans! I suppose I could always turn off the volume on the phone when I take a nap, but, I never think to do so. I like your MIL's system to let visitors know she's not available for visiting! When I was growing up, people never called ahead to let you know that they were stopping by; for one thing, not everyone had a phone and for another, people claimed they felt insulted if someone called ahead, that it was too formal!

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  7. Good that the beans are getting so well established. When you say "pole beans" ... are they runner beans or climbing French beans, or something else? I suppose I could look it up. I'll do that now!
    Mine are doing ok and most have clung onto their bamboo canes.
    Ella

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    1. I guess they are a type of runner beans, as opposed to bush beans, which do not climb. The package identifies them as "Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans" and they are supposed to be an heirloom variety.
      Glad to hear that your beans are doing ok. At least the slugs and snails didn't get to them!

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  8. Good that the bean plants are doing what they are supposed to!
    It's been quite hot here since we got back. I prefer the cooler temperatures. It was nice when we were up north, not too hot and not too cold.

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    1. Yes, it's good to know that the fabric strips are working! LOL. I've been hearing about your high temperatures and the rain some other places are having, in the news. I hope it cools off a little bit for you so you can feel more comfortable. :)

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  9. I think you would need a nap after all those phone calls :)
    Fingers crossed you managed to get the peaches canned in good time. Xx

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    1. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that people call to check on me, but, I was trying to take a nap! LOL.
      I did get the peaches canned! :)

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  10. Those bean poles are perfect. I think you're going to have a good crop of beans.
    Oh gosh - yes it was time to take off the flannel sheets. I bet it was nice and cool when you slipped into bed that night.
    Yum - your breakfast for dinner looks delicious.

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    1. Some of the bean vines have climbed to the top of the poles and are waving around in the air, looking for something to hold onto! M is going to try and bring me taller poles! No beans, yet, though.
      Yes, it is definitely time for the summer sheets.
      Thank you! Dinner was very good, that night.

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