Share Your Day
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What's with the salad? Bet it will be "juicy"!!!!🙈😹
What's a pickled watermelon rind? The rinds are what my previous dog used to eat... the current one is smarter and only goes for the centre! 😛👍
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My internet went out for a bit around lunch, so i used it as a nice work break and spent an hour gardening. I got the rest of my peppers planted (I have somewhere between 30-40 plants), eggplants in the ground (just 3), and a few more tomatoes planted (8 so far, room for 3 more, then I have to start getting creative). Bit by bit it is coming together!3
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What's with the salad? Bet it will be "juicy"!!!!🙈😹
What's a pickled watermelon rind? The rinds are what my previous dog used to eat... the current one is smarter and only goes for the centre! 😛👍
It is a super foodz I tells ya! It will fix what ails!
It is basically what it sounds like. You peel the watermelon (easily the worst part of the process) and you pickle the rind. The recipe is akin to a sweet and sour pickle but to that you add ginger and red pepper flake or one of the probably hundreds of variations that exist by now.
This was my fist time doing a quick pickle and after 24 hours I am pleasantly surprised that the texture is pretty much there.4 -
I am exploring the world of sandal wearing. I have never really thought much about it. I can't say that my feet are ever that warm/hot and they seldom develop an odor. However, there is a niceness to having the extra air flow. I am not ready to spend chaco, teva, or keen kind of money on them but I am checking out some midrange options.
This started with the purchase of a pressure washer earlier in the year (just before I started to feel really ill). I have a pair of "slides" but they are super old and perfectly flat so they provide no support. I am not going to use it for more than about 4 hours on any given day but still that is a long time to be in wet shoes if I wear anything else I currently own. I have a pair of waterproof hiking boots but they are not designed to prevent water from above. Not to mention they are the most expensive footwear I own and I want to reserve them for actual hiking as much as possible so I get many years of use from them.2 -
I am exploring the world of sandal wearing. I have never really thought much about it. I can't say that my feet are ever that warm/hot and they seldom develop an odor. However, there is a niceness to having the extra air flow. I am not ready to spend chaco, teva, or keen kind of money on them but I am checking out some midrange options.
This started with the purchase of a pressure washer earlier in the year (just before I started to feel really ill). I have a pair of "slides" but they are super old and perfectly flat so they provide no support. I am not going to use it for more than about 4 hours on any given day but still that is a long time to be in wet shoes if I wear anything else I currently own. I have a pair of waterproof hiking boots but they are not designed to prevent water from above. Not to mention they are the most expensive footwear I own and I want to reserve them for actual hiking as much as possible so I get many years of use from them.
Birkenstock has some decent "beach" sandals - which are, I think, all plastic, but with Birkenstock support. So they are good for "wet" work. In the $50 range which isn't too bad for the great support.3 -
There are decent foam molded Birkenstock knockoffs with good cushion & arch support for wet environments on Amazon, $15 range.
I do love my Keens though, Newport sandals, got them as overstocks at reduced cost. I would highly recommend for extended walking / moderate trail hiking. They also last a long time, had current pair almost 10 years. I prefer the Keen due to covered toes for going out in public, but had Tevas in past too that were great.
My sandals, actually all shoes, must have arch support & must be comfortable in my book.2 -
I am trying out two pair currently. I have a pair of sketchers and a pair of camel crown. The sketchers are not going to work for wet work but I may keep them for casual wear. The camel crown are in the lead for pressure washing and fishing but I have a pair of crocs coming that are slightly more than the CCs but from the picture they do not appear to have any straps or surfaces that would absorb water. The CC's have straps that definitely will but I am not sure that is a huge deal.
I really do not have hiking in sandals as a consideration at the moment. If I did I would probably want to look at something more pricey and something with a closed toe. However, post hike is when I have used my slides the most and especially if more walking or hiking was to happen the next day.2 -
I love my Chacos. I have two pairs, each of which has lasted over 10 years. I love that when they eventually fall apart, you can send them back in to be re-soled or re-strapped (for $, but reasonable). When you are ready to make the plunge, highly recommend!
My husband has a pair of flip flops by Crocs that he really likes - actually a decent arch in them - I think they were in the $20 range.2 -
I was just wondering how much money we could save if we could talk to our future self's and find out what purchases work better and what were complete wastes of money. Without future knowledge though I pretty much have to take a reasonable stab at something and get "schooled". Once I graduate and I know what I like, what is most comfortable, and how often I use it then I can make better choices. Unfortunately there is no way I know of to get schooled other than to spend some money.
Footwear is tricky because both form and function are can be user specific. Function is most important but if I can buy something I like to see on my feet then, of course, I will.
I am finding that I am buying more specific occasion footwear now. My walking shoes don't do much for me when I need to stand for a longer period of time. Neither my standing or walking shoes are ideal for sitting or riding in a car for longer periods. I found a pair of cheap UA tennis shoes that I was not going to keep but when I put them on it was like putting on a pair of slippers. They were crazy comfortable and they slip on and off very easily. They are great for road trips or light duty like going out to eat but I would take bets at what mile of a hike they would absolutely fall apart. lol4 -
Some of my neighbors are grumbling about my latest de-landscaping project. I have removed two huge beds that framed either side of the driveway entrance. I mean huge. It took 4 trips with my large gorilla cart just to remove the rocks the lined it. Each bed had 4 small bushes, 1 large bush, about a dozen annuals and 6 perennials. There was also some little sculptures in it. Gone. All gone. Raked all the mulch off of it and seeded it for grass.
Why?
The person that installed it didn't do anything to the dirt. RED CLAY. There was also no landscaping fabric. To maintain this all summer I have to water every other day unless it rains and it 150 feet from the nearest faucet. The weeds are nonstop. Did I mention the red clay? All the effort that it takes to water and weed those beds and the flowers look PITIFUL all summer.
Any neighbor that wanted to help me maintain them could have had a say in whether I kept them.
They won't be too upset when I add the new landscaping feature I have planned starting in the fall. It won't be in that location, it will be somewhere I can tie on to the existing irrigation. It will also have the correct soil and landscaping fabric.
I am FREE of that train wreck. FREE!6 -
Some of my neighbors are grumbling about my latest de-landscaping project. I have removed two huge beds that framed either side of the driveway entrance. I mean huge. It took 4 trips with my large gorilla cart just to remove the rocks the lined it. Each bed had 4 small bushes, 1 large bush, about a dozen annuals and 6 perennials. There was also some little sculptures in it. Gone. All gone. Raked all the mulch off of it and seeded it for grass.
Why?
The person that installed it didn't do anything to the dirt. RED CLAY. There was also no landscaping fabric. To maintain this all summer I have to water every other day unless it rains and it 150 feet from the nearest faucet. The weeds are nonstop. Did I mention the red clay? All the effort that it takes to water and weed those beds and the flowers look PITIFUL all summer.
Any neighbor that wanted to help me maintain them could have had a say in whether I kept them.
They won't be too upset when I add the new landscaping feature I have planned starting in the fall. It won't be in that location, it will be somewhere I can tie on to the existing irrigation. It will also have the correct soil and landscaping fabric.
I am FREE of that train wreck. FREE!
So what maintenance free option gets to replace this? Asking for a friend?!
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Some of my neighbors are grumbling about my latest de-landscaping project. I have removed two huge beds that framed either side of the driveway entrance. I mean huge. It took 4 trips with my large gorilla cart just to remove the rocks the lined it. Each bed had 4 small bushes, 1 large bush, about a dozen annuals and 6 perennials. There was also some little sculptures in it. Gone. All gone. Raked all the mulch off of it and seeded it for grass.
Why?
The person that installed it didn't do anything to the dirt. RED CLAY. There was also no landscaping fabric. To maintain this all summer I have to water every other day unless it rains and it 150 feet from the nearest faucet. The weeds are nonstop. Did I mention the red clay? All the effort that it takes to water and weed those beds and the flowers look PITIFUL all summer.
Any neighbor that wanted to help me maintain them could have had a say in whether I kept them.
They won't be too upset when I add the new landscaping feature I have planned starting in the fall. It won't be in that location, it will be somewhere I can tie on to the existing irrigation. It will also have the correct soil and landscaping fabric.
I am FREE of that train wreck. FREE!
So what maintenance free option gets to replace this? Asking for a friend?!
I doubt there is a 100 percent maintenance free option. In the fall I will start putting in a large landscaping island which I am calling "the bean" because of the shape. It will be a fair amount of work considering I have to bury a hose, add probably 4 scoops of dirt plus 2 scoops of compost, add landscaping fabric, install the irrigation sprayers, and line with rock. It will need a large stone feature, and the bushes planted in the fall. The rest can wait until spring.
What I should not have to do is water it, and the weeds will be largely controlled by the fabric. I am thinking of putting all the annuals in planters that sit in the landscaping so the only time I have to plant something in the ground after the initial effort is if something dies.
I have a master gardener friend who is always saying that the worst mistake you can make is to add more landscaping than you want or have time/ability to maintain. I have been embracing that this year. One of my neighbors has been going the other way and adding more and more. They also just got back from an extended vacation and greeting them is a weed fest. That is the part that I do not want anymore. I understand there will be upkeep but I don't like knowing that if I decide not to do it for a few days it all goes south in a hurry on me. To me a yard that has less but is maintained is nicer looking than a yard with a large number of flower beds and stuff everywhere that is out of control.
My "bean" project will be ambitious but it is a compromise with my wife and if I do it all right it will look awesome without the same level of burden.
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I don't have a good relationship with weed(s) 🤷🏻♂️😇2
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I can’t grow any kind of plant….considering my grandparents were farmers and I still own a large working farm in Indiana, it looks like I could grow something!2
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I went to two separate grocery stores, came home, had lunch, moved the laundry over, and started two crockpots full of meat. Then I had a nap. Got up, made dinner, and cleaned it up, and now the meat is ready to pull, so I'll do that once it gets a little later and the world cools off a bit.3
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I finally got the rest of my garden planted today! I have about 40 pepper plants and 20 tomatoes. I ran out of garden space, so had to expand some tomatoes to the side of the house. I have about 4 eggplants, 2 kinds of zucchini, some broccoli and cabbage, and some little gherkins. Only about 10 feet of green beans this year though...I ran out of space and I regret this (I like to grow enough to can). I have a few watermelon and cantaloupes in the ground too.
In the railing planters on the deck, I have a ton of herbs - cilantro, tarragon, oregano, parsley, (no sage - it died out this year), rosemary, thyme, garlic chives, chamomile, lemongrass. I also have several planted with lots of salad greens - mostly arugula, some spinach, mustard greens, and some other mixed greens. We've been starting to use the greens for salads and it is so nice!
Finally, my favorite, I have 4 full planters of different mints. Peppermint, apple mint, strawberry mint, lemon balm, and new this year, ginger mint! I love having fresh mint iced tea, so the more I can grow the better! I'd like to expand it a bit more next year too...
Oh, and the cats have an entire planter full of catnip. They are basically high all summer.
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I finally got the rest of my garden planted today! I have about 40 pepper plants and 20 tomatoes. I ran out of garden space, so had to expand some tomatoes to the side of the house. I have about 4 eggplants, 2 kinds of zucchini, some broccoli and cabbage, and some little gherkins. Only about 10 feet of green beans this year though...I ran out of space and I regret this (I like to grow enough to can). I have a few watermelon and cantaloupes in the ground too.
In the railing planters on the deck, I have a ton of herbs - cilantro, tarragon, oregano, parsley, (no sage - it died out this year), rosemary, thyme, garlic chives, chamomile, lemongrass. I also have several planted with lots of salad greens - mostly arugula, some spinach, mustard greens, and some other mixed greens. We've been starting to use the greens for salads and it is so nice!
Finally, my favorite, I have 4 full planters of different mints. Peppermint, apple mint, strawberry mint, lemon balm, and new this year, ginger mint! I love having fresh mint iced tea, so the more I can grow the better! I'd like to expand it a bit more next year too...
Oh, and the cats have an entire planter full of catnip. They are basically high all summer.
Wish I lived near you! I only have a balcony that I can use for container gardening. Your garden sounds epic!2 -
I finally got the rest of my garden planted today! I have about 40 pepper plants and 20 tomatoes. I ran out of garden space, so had to expand some tomatoes to the side of the house. I have about 4 eggplants, 2 kinds of zucchini, some broccoli and cabbage, and some little gherkins. Only about 10 feet of green beans this year though...I ran out of space and I regret this (I like to grow enough to can). I have a few watermelon and cantaloupes in the ground too.
In the railing planters on the deck, I have a ton of herbs - cilantro, tarragon, oregano, parsley, (no sage - it died out this year), rosemary, thyme, garlic chives, chamomile, lemongrass. I also have several planted with lots of salad greens - mostly arugula, some spinach, mustard greens, and some other mixed greens. We've been starting to use the greens for salads and it is so nice!
Finally, my favorite, I have 4 full planters of different mints. Peppermint, apple mint, strawberry mint, lemon balm, and new this year, ginger mint! I love having fresh mint iced tea, so the more I can grow the better! I'd like to expand it a bit more next year too...
Oh, and the cats have an entire planter full of catnip. They are basically high all summer.
Wish I lived near you! I only have a balcony that I can use for container gardening. Your garden sounds epic!
I love container gardening! I've usually been less than successful at it though, because eventually it gets hot and I get lazy about watering. Actually, since I was stuck working from home last summer because pandemic, it was the first time I was able to keep my railing planters alive all summer because I was home to water twice a day!
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Sigh…all of my vegetables and fruits grow in the grocery store!…I envy people with green thumbs….I do not have a single house plant!2
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If it's any comfort, Connie, the only things I grow are flowers. I don't do houseplants cause 3 cats, and I can't commit to vegetables. Roses, on the other hand, I'm good with. I plant them and make sure they get watered most days and they give me pretty flowers!
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AlexandraFindsHerself1971 wrote: »If it's any comfort, Connie, the only things I grow are flowers. I don't do houseplants cause 3 cats, and I can't commit to vegetables. Roses, on the other hand, I'm good with. I plant them and make sure they get watered most days and they give me pretty flowers!
Yellow roses are my favorite flower….this is beautiful!…love it!3 -
That's a Peace rose, which are my favorite. You don't see it so well in that picture, but the outer petals are pink and blush to yellow at the center.
Unfortunately, that's from the old house. I have to get a new Peace rose and plant at the new house. (sigh)3 -
Those are beautiful!! I love roses that with that sort of color gradient in them. It looks like a big flower too!
I inherited a pretty pink rose with our house. It has bloomed every year, but every year something eats away at its leaves and I haven't been able to figure out what. I've been trying to fertilize it this year to hopefully build up its strength against whatever is eating it. I probably should water it more too.3 -
I had a great day…took a break from swimming and played Betty Crocker almost all day!….started out cooking skinless chicken breasts for salad tomorrow…made egg salad for husband and myself a roast beef wrap on flatbread for lunch.…made a huge bowl of Low calorie 4 Bean salad, and a tossed salad for entire family….baked a loaf of Skinny Banana bread and made a tuna casserole!…I didn’t leave the house the entire day!….tomorrow I have errands to run and need to get back to the pool….but I really enjoyed myself today…
“ one of the greatest joys is preparing good food for people you love”
Who would have ever guessed that eating healthy could taste so good!4 -
I was thinking of that as I was driving past a whole bunch of takeout places while thinking about whether I should try to cook Laurie's spicy cabbage.
At the same time (because you know my brain hamsters are weird that way), I was thinking back at the beginning of the first lockdown when I used lack of access to eating out to actually lose a few additional pounds (which I did not keep off by the way!) whereas so many of us actually gained weight, many no doubt because of the use of food delivery services.
It brought to mind something I like to say about Caribbean lobsters (and other shellfish): part of their self-defense is that it takes work to eat the suckers!!!!
Even though I thoroughly enjoy preparing food, more often than not, it tends to be easier to control portions of food that I've prepared at home versus takeout or eating out.
Maybe in a few years this will change and I'll find it less of a challenge but for now it remains the case that preparing the food bolsters my anti-overeating hamsters! Not always but most of the time! 😛😇2 -
Maybe you can find a good way to prepare your overeating hamsters!! 😛
I would love that recipe.2 -
You're going to become a hamster eating vegetarian!?!?!? 4:10am and I am jus wrapping up the rebuilding of a failed raid array and then heading home... maybe before the first people show up! UGH.1
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You're going to become a hamster eating vegetarian!?!?!? 4:10am and I am jus wrapping up the rebuilding of a failed raid array and then heading home... maybe before the first people show up! UGH.
Well that sounds like a whole heck of a lot of fun!
Would I eat my overeating hamster? Maybe.
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My IBS is flaring. If it doesn't resolve soon someone else will be handling dinner, not me.6
