This Weekend

 

Radish Harvest

This weekend went by quickly.

On Saturday, daughter harvested her radishes; they weren't very big, but, she didn't want them to bolt, so picked them all.  She also picked quite a few leaves from her arugala, kale, and mizuna plants. Then, she did some meal prep and cooking:

Radish, Apple, and Cucumber Pickles
with Japanese Pickling Spices (Salty)

Lemon & Pepper Cucumber Salad (Salt-Free) 

Salad Add-Ins:
(Cucumber and Radish for her;
Plain Cucumber for me since I don't much
care for radishes) 

Sauteed Radish Leaves

Stir-fried Mixed Greens

Sauteed Curried Green Beans
(Bonchi Thel Dala)

Steamed Broccoli

On Saturday afternoon, daughter's friend A came over for another cooking lesson; this time, to learn how to make chicken curry.  Daughter didn't take a picture of that, because she gave her friend part of the chicken curry to take home to share with her father and sister.  

I spent the afternoon knitting and relaxing while the girls chatted and cooked.  My friend R had planned to come over on Saturday afternoon to pick up her package, but, she texted me in the morning to say she couldn't make it.  I also chatted with cousin V, who is recovering from her shoulder surgery.

Earlier in the week, daughter and I had talked about maybe making some no-knead bread over the weekend, provided the yeat I had was still working (according to the packets, they expired in 2022!).  So, on Saturday evening, we proofed the yeast (the first packet seemed a bit reluctant to activate, but, the second packet was fine; we put both packets of yeast to the bread dough) and made ourselves a lovely loaf of no-knead bread, flavored with fresh rosemary leaves from the garden:

Rosemary No-knead Bread

No-knead Bread

I didn'tt have a Dutch oven so I baked the bread in an oven-proof glass bowl, with a pan of water on the lower shelf of the oven to create steam for a crusty loaf.  But, before the day was over, my daughter had ordered us a Dutch oven!  I think we will be making more bread in the near future!

Cooling on a Wire Rack

The aroma of the freshly baked bread was too tempting and we barely gave it any time to cool before we cut into it! 

Warm Crusty Bread

We had warm bread with butter fpr our dinner, with some chicken curry.  It was delicious.  

That was a busy Saturday, as, in addition to all the cooking and baking, daughter did a load of laundry, as well, and decided to start on a knitting project of her own!

On Sunday, I ordered and picked up some groceries.  This post is long enough, so I'll do a separate grocery shopping post.

In the evening, I called cousin N and spoke with Aunt C.  

Brunch had been some of the no-knead bread with the last of the lentil curry.  Bread and dhal is comfort food for me.  For dinner, I reheated the chicken and vegetables soup and added more spices and herbs to add more flavor to it and that worked!  We had soup with the last of the no-knead bread and that was another delicious meal.  

Bread Pudding

For dessert, I made a bread pudding, to use up a bag of bread ends/heels that I had accumulated.  Sometimes, I make croutons with the bread heels, sometimes, I make bread crumbs with them.  But, every so often, I make a bread pudding and it seemed like the ideal dessert for Sunday, after a weekend of cooking and baking.

This weekend, I am grateful for:

- Fresh produce from the garden
- Daughter doing this week's meal prep and cooking
- Daughter teaching her friend how to cook chicken curry

- Homemade bread
- Working appliances

The weekemd's joyful activities included baking with my daughter, chatting with family and friends, and knitting.

Plans for Monday include doing some household laundry (bed sheets, etc.), some housework (dusting/cleaning, etc.), watering the garden, and taking the trash bins to the curb for pick up on Tuesday.  

How was your weekend?  What are your plans for Monday?

Garden Harvests on Friday the Thirteenth

 

Wax Beans and Squash - The Squash Side

M planted some wax beans and squash in the same planting bed and the plants are flourishing.

The Wax Beans Side

On Friday the thirteenth, I picked the first wax beans:

Wax Bean Harvest

I am pleased with the amount of beans I was able to pick.  

I also picked some peaches:

Peaches (in a bowl of water to wash them)

These peaches were not fully ripe, but, they were not bird pecked.  I'm trying to pick the rest of the peaches before the birds get to them.

And I picked the two strawberries that were ripe:

Ripe Strawberries

Such a blessing to be able to pick vegetables and fruits from my garden.

B;In addition, I did two loads of laundry, put some more books back on the bookshelves, called the vet's office for a refill on Dancer's medication, and tended to the garden with M.

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- Fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden
- M's help with the garden

- Water for the garden

- Working appliances
- A relaxed day

Friday's joyful activity was spending time in the garden and picking some fruits and vegetables.

How was your Friday?  Are you superstitious about Friday the thirteenth?

Monday

 

"That was one small step for a squash vine..."

I thought the other squash vine (at the upper part of the photo) would be the vine to climb up the steps, but, it seems to have stopped growing!  Instead, a side vine made it to the first step, this weekend!   I think the 90F temperature brought on a growth spurt!  

Thank you, everyone, for your very kind comments on my post, yesterday.  I have always been a bit of a collector, but, I usually manage to keep the collections under control.  But, every so often, I look around and see that the collections have grown or there are too many different collections or remnants of collections.  Part of me loves seeing all the decorative items and many of them have memories associated with them.  The other part of me wants less visual clutter and fewer items on display!  I need to continually edit and curate my collections, I guess.  

M gave me a second mini pumpkin, so, I changed my display, today:

Centerpiece Version 2

The second pumpkin has a silvery grey, almost pale lilac color to it.  I like this arrangement, too, but, my daughter says she preferred yesterday's arrangement with the black candle holder contrasting with the orange pumpkin.  Which one do you prefer?

It was another sunny and warm day, today.  I walked around the garden, redid my centerpiece display, took the trash cans to the end of the driveway, and called my friend S (not neighbor S) to thank her for this:

Dinner, Compliments of Friend S

She had prepared meals for a mutual friend who has had emergency surgery and she sent me a share of it through her husband and daughter!  Rice, green beans, fish "cutlets" (the round balls - made with a fish mixture that is battered, breaded, and deep fried), young jackfruit curry, potato curry, cabbage, lentils, and beef!  There was a small container of yogurt, as well, which the manufacturers are calling "cultured cream"!  Friend S makes the best Sri Lankan rice and curries!  I had some of it for my dinner and there's enough leftover for tomorrow's lunch, too!  I picked a bag of curry leaves and sent it to S through her daughter.

I usually post my weekly meal plans on a Monday, but, I will post that, tomorrow!

Today, I am grateful for:
- Another sunny and warm day
- Kind blog comments
- Friend S sending me dinner (and her husband and daughter bringing it to me)
- Weekly trash collection services
- Being able to video chat with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was rearranging my fall pumpkin display!

Plans for tomorrow include spot watering the garden and tidying the dining area.

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?

Wednesday

Back Yard in the Morning Sun

The back yard looked so pretty in the morning sun that I had to take a picture, even though the colors didn't come out too well.  The Asian pear tree is in the foreground, with the plum tree in the center of the picture, the nectarine tree to the left and the avocado tree to the right (you can see the white pole that is helping to support it)

Lois Lane Mango, however, is not doing well, at all!  In fact, she is more or less dead!

Lois Lane Mango

    

However, the tomatoes are producing well!  The individual fruits are rather small, though, with some of them being the size of a large cherry tomato!  This is today's picking:

Early Girl Tomatoes

I woke up relatively early for me - 8:00 a.m.   I did a load of laundry (two handmade blankets, one knitted, one crocheted) and hung the items up to dry.  Once they are dried, I will put them away until they are needed again in the winter.  Then, I made a birthday card for a friend of mine.  Afterwards, I checked on the garden and picked some tomatoes.

M arrived later in the morning and did some tidying up and watered both front and back.  While we were out in the front garden, at least two people stopped by to look at neighbor T's house.  It is now listed online and apparently, there will be an open house this weekend.  One gentleman asked me about the neighborhood, if it was good, etc., and I said it was a good neighborhood.  I didn't mention the loud parties my other neighbors sometimes have!

I spent the afternoon and evening reading.  Later, I called friend R to check on her and video chatted with my daughter.

Brunch was a slice of bread with peanut butter; later, I ate the last blueberry waffle.  Dinner was rice and beef curry with peach chutney and vegetables.  

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:

- M's help with the garden
- Working appliances and electricity to run them
- The folding/adjustable metal clothes drying rack
- Tomatoes from the garden
- Phone calls, texts, emails, etc., from family and friends.

Today's joyful activity was gardening with M and picking tomatoes.

Plans for tomorrow include picking up my medications from the pharmacy and maybe making tomato chutney (unless it gets too hot - the high is supposed to be 90F/32C).

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?

Ending June, Starting July

Garden Flowers

The first half of the year is over and done with!  The second half of the year has already started!  Seems to me that the year is just whizzing by!

The vet called me on Friday afternoon to go over Dancer's blood test results.  His blood pressure was a little high, she said (well, of course it would be, he was upset about having to go to the vet's in the first place and was hyperventilating in the car!); she understands that it might be due to being at the clinic and it was not high enough to be over concerned.  She will want to check his pressure in about 6 months.  But, his thyroid levels have not improved and so, she wants to increase the dosage strength.  She said she will call in the new prescription to the pharmacy and I suppose they will let me know when it is ready to be picked up.  In the meantime, she wants to see him again in a month from when he starts his new medication.  

Gardener M was here on Friday evening to tend to the garden and he fertilized the fruit trees and watered the garden.  He also brought me two tiny new plants - a striped aloe ("Because your aloes are thriving") and a dwarf jade:

New Aloe and Jade Plant

They are sharing a 2" square pot, right now, but we will pot them up separately, later.  

June ended on a nice warm note (finally!) and July started out with summer like temperatures, with a high of 90F.  I started off the day in a long sleeved shirt and switched to a short sleeved blouse in the afternoon and the socks came off, too!  You know it's summer when I go barefoot!  Today's high is only 84F and I still have my socks on!  

On July 1st, I made milkrice and seeni sambol as is my custom, picked some red roses for the altar and the mantel, and lit incense to cleanse the air. 

After brunch, I did a load of laundry (sofa dust sheets, the towels Dancer lies on, etc.) and recovered the sofas with the spare dust sheets.  I  fluffed everything in the dryer, on air/no heat, for 10 minutes to get any Dancer fur out of them and then, hung them up to dry.

Later in the evening, I watered parts of the back garden and picked some chillies, green beans (two kinds - flat Italian and round French), and a handful of blueberries:

Garden Harvest

The tomatoes were picked on Friday, when M was here.

My cousin R called me on Saturday; she has recently retired from being a special education teacher and is planning to go to Scotland for a few weeks (her husband is Scottish and they have a house there, as well).  She was calling to let me know that she has been cleaning out her closets (again) and has a bag of clothes set aside for my daughter and me!  She wanted to know if I wanted to pick up the clothes now or wait until she returned from Scotland and I said I'll pick them up later as I'm sure she is busy getting ready to leave, later this week.  I still have all the clothes she gave me at the end of last year!  Some of them have become favorite pieces of clothing.  I will have to declutter my closet to accommodate the new clothes!  What a blessing, though!  I will share the clothes with my daughter, of course.  

While I was out watering in the garden, I missed a call from my oldest half-brother.  He lives in Sri Lanka, but, he is visiting his daughter in North Carolina, having made the trip to attend his oldest grandson's high school graduation.  I called him back, later, but, due to the time difference (they are three hours ahead of me), his daughter answered the phone and said her parents were already asleep.  I said I'll call back in the morning.  Afterwards, I called my half-sister and chatted with her for a bit.  She lives in southern California, so we are in the same time zone.

This morning, I woke up extra early (a little after 6:00 a.m.; after going to bed after 3:00 a.m.!) and called my half-brother, just as his daughter was leaving the house to pick up her son from somewhere (the phone number I had is her cell phone and of course she needed to have her cell phone with her).  We agreed that her father would call me once she had returned home.  He called me within the hour and we had a little chat.  My half-brother is 16 years older than I am and according to my mother, he was the only one who could soothe me when I would cry as an infant.  He was sorry he couldn't fly out to the west coast to visit my half-sister and me on this trip.  But, he said he's planning to return next year, for his granddaughter's graduation and he's planning to visit us on that trip.  It will be nice to see him, again.

I decided not to go back to sleep afterwards.  Maybe this early morning rising will help reset my sleep schedule!  

I changed my bed sheets this morning, washed the flannel sheets and the top quilt and remade my bed with cotton sheets.  I have two sets of flannel sheets and two sets of cotton sheets, but, one of the cotton fitted sheets is extremely worn and threadbare.  It's not torn (yet), but, you can see right through it!  I think I might have to buy a new set of cotton sheets this summer or see if I can turn a mistakenly delivered full sized fitted sheet  (way back at the very beginning of the pandemic, when a store included a sheet set I had not ordered with my order and they said to keep the sheets when I called them about it) into a queen sized fitted sheet!  I've done that, earlier, with another full sized fitted sheet, by cutting it and inserting a panel.

My cousin V called this morning (cousin R's sister) and we chatted a bit.  Later, former neighbor T called.  So, the month is off to a good start where family and friends are concerned, with many phone calls!

Plans for the rest of the day include cooking the tray of chicken I bought (planning to make a curry).  I cooked all the hamburger patties on Saturday night and had one for my dinner, with the end slices from the previous loaf of bread substituting for a bun.  I kept one hamburger patty in the fridge for another meal during the week and froze the other eight burger patties for future meals.

As we start July, I am grateful for:

- Phone calls with family, especially my half-brother
- Cousin R offering more clothes
- The garden harvest
- Working appliances
- The warmer temperatures!  

July joyful activities have included speaking with family and friends.

How is your weekend coming along? How is the weather where you are?

  

Happy First Day of Summer!

 

First Green Beans Harvest

Wednesday was Summer Solstice!  I celebrated by harvesting the first green beans!  Flat Italian bush beans and round French bush beans.  

M and I picked the last of the peaches, today.  There weren't many and the birds had got to most of them!  But, there were a few good ones and I gave a few to M and I'm hoping to send the rest to my daughter.  Two of her friends (my late friend A's two daughters) are planning to drive up to spend the weekend with her and celebrate one girl's birthday.  They have offered to take a few things up to my daughter and I am sending a care package - the peaches, a small container of blueberries, a couple of jars of peach jam, a couple of jars of peach chutney, and a couple of jars of canned peaches.  I have a jar of jam and a jar of chutney set aside to give to the girls, too.  

Later, I cut up a few more peaches and canned them, too.  

In the evening, neighbor S called and asked if I'd like to have a few fruits and vegetables that she has in her refrigerator as she and her daughters are off on a nearly month long trip to Europe and she didn't want the food to go to waste.  I said I'll take them.  She and her daughter N brought me a bag filled with apples, carrots, onions, a bell pepper, celery, some individual containers of ready to eat overnight oats, a lemon, a small carton of milk, and one egg that they hadn't been able to use up!

Groceries from S

I will not need to go grocery shopping for fruits and vegetables!  I cut up the bell pepper and froze it.  I will probably freeze the celery, too.  

I did a load of laundry, too, and cleared the dining table (I had kept all the items I was using for jam and chutney making on the table for easy access).  All went well until I accidentally dropped a jar of honey on my toe!  It smashed my toe and it hurt!  It could have been worse, though, because it was a glass jar!  Thank goodness it didn't break and cut my toe!  Even so, I felt very sorry for myself, with a painful toe!  I iced it, but, it still throbs!  

Today, I am grateful for:

- A sunny, warm way 
- The peach harvest
- The first green beans
- Neighbor S giving me more food!
- The jar of honey didn't break and cut my foot!

Today's joyful activity was picking the last of the peaches!

Plans for tomorrow include tidying up and organizing my kitchen cabinets so things don't fall on my feet and smash my toes when I go to get something out!  

How was your first day of summer?  Did you do anything special to celebrate summer solstice?  What are your plans for Thursday?

A Slow Start to the Long Weekend

Rose

Lately, Dancer has been waking me up early in the mornings (around 6:00 a.m.), either demanding to be fed or by throwing up near my bed.  On Saturday, however, he let me sleep in, so much so that, when I woke up, I worried if something had happened to him!  But, no, he walked into my bedroom and greeted me with a stretch before he started meowing for breakfast.  I opened a new can of tuna and he ate some.  I'm glad I stocked up on tuna when it was on sale!

I had my cup of morning tea and spent the rest of the morning saying my prayers, listening to some chanting of blessings, and replying to blog comments.  

In the afternoon, I sewed on the quilt I'm repairing and watched some videos.  Later, I watched the news and knitted a little bit.  But, I felt like I should be doing something different, it being a long holiday weekend and all, but, I didn't know what.  In the end, I just went outside and walked about a bit in the garden.  

A couple of weeks ago, I knocked over a big bottle of coriander seeds and half the bottle spilled out on the kitchen floor.  I swept up the coriander, but, I didn't want to put it back into the bottle and I didn't want to throw it out, either.  So, I scattered some in a pot and scattered the rest under the avocado tree.  The ones under the avocado tree haven't done anything, but, the ones in the pot are growing!

Coriander Seedlings

If they continue to grow, they could be harvested as cilantro leaves.  If I leave the plants to continue growing and they flower and form seed pods, then, I will be able to harvest some coriander seeds!  

Tomato "Early Girl" Plants

The two tomato plants have grown well and have flowers and at least one cluster of baby tomatoes!  They need more sunshine than we've been having, lately, but, I hope we'll get a good crop of tomatoes, this year.  

Speaking of crops, this is Saturday's harvest:

Saturday's Harvest

The single leaf at the top left is one of two lettuce leaves that I picked from one of the bolted lettuce plants; I had already given one of them to Dancer, as he usually likes lettuce leaves, but, today, he didn't want it.  I froze the broccoli side shoots, the pea pods, and the blueberries.  I need to reorganize my freezer, again!  

I checked on the peaches, too, but, they are not ripe enough to pick, yet.  Which is fine with me as it gives me a little more time to prepare!  I have the canning jars already, but, might want to get some fresh vinegar and ginger, garlic, etc., for chutney making, with my next grocery order.

In the evening, I called and spoke with friend R and emailed a couple of friends.  Later, I video chatted with my daughter.  She had gone grocery shopping in the afternoon and had found some good deals on produce.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Dancer let me sleep in and he ate a bit of kibble from a newly opened bag
- Access to the internet
- The garden and all the lovely plants growing in it
- What I am able to harvest from the garden
- The electric space heater

Today's joyful activity was picking blueberries and a few vegetables from the garden.

Brunch had been the last bagel, toasted, spread with cream cheese.  Dinner was a small bowl of my homemade chicken and vegetable soup with the last piece of Armenian bread, followed by a piece of fried fish, rice, and salad, and the last of the fresh strawberries for dessert.

No special plans for Sunday; it's supposed to be another cooler and cloudy day.  I'll finish cleaning my kitchen (it was the cleaning area of the week) and probably continue with the quilt repairs and knitting.

How was your Saturday?  Any special plans for Sunday?

 

Monday

Monday's Harvest

I had my regular check up with the oncology nurse, today, and the blood test results were mostly good, especially the cancer markers.  My weight had crept up instead of down, which was disappointing, but, my blood pressure was very good.  I mentioned the pains I've been having when walking and the minute I showed her where the pain was, she told me it was sciatica!  I was afraid of that!  She showed me two stretching exercises to do before walking; I hope they will help.  I will follow up with my primary care physician when I see her, next week.

My appointment was in the afternoon, at 1:00 p.m.  In the morning, I called the clinic to confirm the appointment, watered a few of the plants in the front garden with water I had collected (usually, while waiting for the water to warm up when showering, etc.), cleaned up some Dancer messes, and did a load of laundry.  By noon, I was on my way to the appointment and I arrived at the clinic 10 minutes before my appointment.  I was pleased to see that they still required people to wear a mask, but, half the people in the waiting room were not wearing their masks properly (wearing it with the nose exposed or below the chin doesn't really do anything!)  I had to wait for over one hour before I was seen by the nurse practitioner.  Afterwards, there was another short wait while the office staff refilled the printer paper tray and changed the ink cartridge before my paperwork for the next appointment could be printed (lab request order, etc.)  It was past 3:30 p.m. when I got home!

I ate a bagel with cream cheese for brunch (after I got home), did a little quilt repairing, and took a two hour nap on the sofa!  I was tired from my appointment, I guess!  

Afterwards, I cleaned the litter box, swept the bathroom, took the trash cans out to the end of my driveway for pick up in the morning, picked blueberries (unfortunately, I accidentally broke off some unripe berries, too, but, I kept them except for the greenest ones) and a handful of snow peas, did the dishes, fed Dancer and Mama Cat, and had soup noodles for my dinner.  

I didn't do a meal plan for this week, yet.  I'll probably do that, tomorrow.  I didn't do my regular Monday cleaning, either.  Another thing to be done tomorrow.  Tomorrow's to do list is getting long!

Today, I'm grateful for:

- Access to medical care
- Having medical insurance
- The blood test results were mostly good
- A safe drive to the clinic and back
- Afternoon naps

Today's joyful activity was picking blueberries.  

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?
 

Friday's Activities

Voodoo Lily 

I took another picture of the spent voodoo lily, today.  Even the spadix is hanging down, so, I doubt if there will be any seeds.  The leaves, too, look like they are drying up.  Looks like the plant is just about done for the year.  But the flower was lovely, wasn't it?

Elsewhere in the garden...

Peaches Ripening

The peaches are starting to ripen!  The individual fruits are on the small side, this year, but, I am looking forward to fresh peaches, soon!

Meanwhile, the blueberries are ripening, too!

Blueberries

As I mentioned in yesterday's post about having garden produce to pick, this was today's garden harvest:

Friday's Garden Harvest

Snow pea pods, a few broccoli side shoots, and blueberries (not counting the blueberries I ate while picking these!)

Washed and Sorted Out

I washed everything and sorted them out.  The blueberries were bagged up and frozen to be shared with my daughter when she comes home next (whenever that might be; probably not before Thanksgiving).  The broccoli and snow pea pods went into the fridge drawer, to be cooked over the weekend.  

I also received more food from neighbor S, today - cookies, baklava, cheese filled puff pastries, and two slices of pizza.  Her mother-in-law's funeral will be next week; meanwhile, family and friends calling on them to condole are bringing more gifts of food than they can eat, so she's distributing the extras.  I will share some of the cookies and pastries with my friend R and gardener M.  I also froze some of the cookies to share with my daughter.  

Brunch had been a bagel with cream cheese; dinner was the two slices of pizza that S gave me.  I had a cookie with my cup of tea in the evening.

Housework included cleaning out the fridge drawers: took everything out, washed the drawers, relined them with paper towels, and put everything back.  There was one dried out lemon that I put in the compost bin.  I also cleaned the shelving unit in my bathroom - it is a plastic shelving unit with 5 shelves.  I took everything off the shelves, removed the old wax paper I had used to line the shelves, washed the shelves, relined four of the shelves with recycled white paper that had been used as a filler in a package I had received and the fifth shelf with some leftover wrapping paper as I ran short of the white paper, and put everything back.  I checked to see if I could declutter anything, but, didn't find anything I wanted to declutter.   Items I store on those shelves include a package of toilet paper, the first aid kit, a box with Dancer's flea prevention medication, brush, and flea combs, a box with disinfectant wipes, a box of disinfectant sprays, and a basket of spare toiletries.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- More treats from S!
- Garden harvests
- A working freezer
- Phone calls and emails from friends
- What I was able to accomplish in terms of housework

Today's joyful activity was picking blueberries.  I have three blueberry bushes growing in containers and they are providing me with some tasty treats!

M wasn't able to tend to the garden, today, and asked if he can do so tomorrow (Saturday) morning, instead.  So, plans for Saturday include, tending to the garden with M, finishing up the bathroom cleaning, and tidying the kitchen.

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for the weekend?

Sunny Wednesday

Broccoli Harvest

We harvested the broccoli, today!  There were two stalks (heads?) of broccoli - this one and a smaller one on another plant.  I gave the smaller one to M and he ate it right then and there and declared it to be delicious!  LOL.  I brought my one inside and washed it, then, put it in a vase of water.  I will cook it tomorrow.

In addition to the broccoli, I harvested a handful of snow peas.  And we planted the sweet potato I had rooted.  

It was a sunny day with an afternoon high of almost 70F.  I walked again, for a total of 20 minutes, with a brief rest after 15 minutes.  

I spent the afternoon knitting and watching videos.  Later, I watched news and chatted with friend R; still later, I video chatted with my daughter.

Brunch was an egg salad sandwich; dinner was rice, chicken curry, and mango curry.  I had a fruit salad for dessert, made with a banana, half a large apple, two mandarin oranges, a handful of raisins, and some cashews.  There's leftover fruit salad for tomorrow, as well.  I didn't write down a meal plan, this week, but, I had taken out a packet of frozen chicken curry, earlier in the week, and I think I will make a stir fry, tomorrow, with leftovers for another couple of meals.  It should work out just fine.

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:

- The broccoli harvest!
- M's help with the garden
- A warmer afternoon
- Time to relax
- Being able to video chat with my daughter

Wednesday's joyful activity was knitting.

Plans for Thursday include doing some laundry and more knitting.  

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?

Cloudy Monday

Pink Rose 

Monday was mostly cloudy, with the daytime high in the low 60s. 

I managed to walk for 20 minutes, today.  I did 15 minutes and then, 5 additional minutes.  Needless to say, I feel very happy with myself.  

Afterwards, I watered the back garden and picked a few more pea pods.  Tossed another soccer ball over the wall, too!  

Remember the self-seeded broccoli growing in the back garden?  Here's how they looked back at the end of November, 2022:  

Self-Seeded Broccoli Seedlings: November 2022

Here's how they looked in January 2023:

Self-Seeded Broccoli Seedling: January 2023

They had grown by March:

Self-Seeded Broccoli: March 2023

I peeked inside the plant later in March for the Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt:

A Peek Inside the Broccoli Plant

And here it is, today:

Broccoli Stalk/Head: April 2023

I will wait until Wednesday to pick it, when M is here to do the honors.  Two of the other broccoli plants have much smaller stalks of broccoli; the plants are smaller, too.

Later, I did two loads of laundry and hung everything up (inside the house) to dry.

In the afternoon, I sewed on the quilt I've been repairing.  The repairs have been completed:

The Repaired Triangles Quilt

There are 14 rows of 40 triangles per row; so, 560 triangles, plus 28 half triangles at each side.  I replaced 237 full triangles plus at least 20 of the half triangles!  Where there were several pieces torn in a sort of cluster, I covered them with a hexagon and there are also two larger triangles to replace four smaller triangles.  It would have been faster if I had just sewn a new quilt top, but, it was satisfying to repair the quilt, one piece at a time.  What will I do with my afternoons now that the quilt has been repaired?  I've one less excuse to procrastinate on some housework and paperwork!  LOL!

In the evening, I watched the news, took the trash cans to the end of the driveway, and started the car.  I cooked rice for dinner, warmed up a package of frozen chicken curry, and made a cucumber salad to go have with it.  Brunch had been one of the yogurt flat bread/roti I had made when I made the "pizza" with some katta sambol from a jar.  Katta sambol is a mixture of onions, small flakes of Maldive fish (a type of dried fish), lime juice, and red chili flakes, all ground together.  I usually buy mine already prepared from the Sri Lankan store, but, it can be made at home, too.

For dessert, I made one of my famous dump cakes, using a can of fruit cocktail which had passed its best by date:

Fruit Cocktail Dump Cake

Afterwards, I washed what felt like a mountain of dishes and tidied the kitchen a bit.

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- Being able to walk for 20 minutes

- Water for the garden
- Roses and snow peas and broccoli

- Working appliances

- What I was able to accomplish

Today's joyful activity was completing the quilt repairs.  

Plans for tomorrow include putting away the laundry and tidying the house a bit.  

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for the rest of the week?

 

Sunny Thursday

View of the Back Yard (Thursday)

Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments on March Balanced Life post.  

Another View of the Back Yard (Wednesday)

The weather is improving and we are having sunny, warm spring days.  Often, though, the house feels cold in the mornings and I have started sitting outside in the sunshine to read my morning prayers.  Depending on where I place my chair, I have a slightly different view.  

Today, I spoke with former neighbor T in the morning.  Afterwards, I walked in the driveway for 15 minutes.  

Later, I did a bit of weeding in the back yard and picked some snow pea pods and lettuce.  

Garden Lettuce Salad 

I've been enjoying salads with the lettuce I pick.  Today, I called neighbor S to ask if she'd like to have some lettuce and she said she'd like some.  So, I took her a head of leafy lettuce I picked this morning and she gave me some cookies and candies in return!  

Cookies and Candies from S!

Yum!  She also said that her mother was cooking Easter dinner and she will bring me a plate!  How kind is that?!  

In the afternoon, I continued to repair the quilt.  I have replaced all the obviously torn pieces and yesterday, I washed the quilt and dried it.  Then, today, I inspected it, again, and noticed that there were a few other pieces that had small holes and obviously worn out areas.  So, I have cut out additional pieces of fabric to replace those worn out pieces.  

In the evening, I watched news and knitted.  I have finished knitting the front and back of the sweater; need to start on the sleeves, next.

After dinner (leftover stew), I called friend R and we chatted for a bit.  Daughter is experiencing disruptions to her internet services so we spoke on the phone instead of video chatting.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Sunny, warmer days
- Having a garden
- Sharing food with neighbors
- Phone calls and emails 
- Quiet, relaxed days spent sewing and knitting

Flowers on one of the Succulents

Plans for tomorrow include ordering some groceries and tending to the garden with M.

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?