So true!
We were terrible today; we did not arise until almost 7:00 am! Scout slept in, so he did not act as our alarm clock!
Someone stole our mountain! The fog was heavy again this morning, so we lit the firepit, hoping to get rid of the mist; alas, it did not work! The fog stayed around for another hour, meaning we stayed in the house until the sun came out.
The day started at the firepit!
Our family is posting Easter pictures, and we loved this one of Jon and Colleen in New Hampshire. I cannot believe my grandson is almost thirty-five; where has the time gone?
Grandson Jon and our daughter Colleen
We planned out the day, and it involved WORK! Mary mulched the flower garden after weeding it. She planted some flowers in the front yard and assisted me in placing the guava tree.
I planted Mary’s Pineapple Guava tree, which we got at the Home Depot yesterday. Using the powered auger and some elbow grease was not too difficult to do!
Question of the day! Does it need a mate?
Did You Know? Pineapple guava trees are both beautiful and bountiful, yielding a tasty fruit that is guava-like in taste and appearance. Also sometimes known as feijoa, Acca sellowiana is not the same as a common guava tree (Psidium guajava), though they are both part of the Myrtaceae family.
You can grow pineapple guava as a multi-stemmed shrub or prune it as a small tree with a central trunk. It features silver-green, oval foliage that remains evergreen for year-round interest. In the spring, bright, showy flowers appear. The pink and white petals surround spiky, bright red stamens. These sweet-smelling, vibrant flowers attract various birds and are edible for humans. Pineapple guava trees are slow-growers, ideal for containers and small spaces.
I got a message from George Lee. He is so proud of his granddaughters, and rightly so; they are cute as a bug’s ear. He knows Robin quite well, and we are trying to get the four of us together. He was assigned to my group from the financial department, and he did a fantastic job even though my reputation for being, let’s say, “direct” preceded me.
We will visit our friends next week at the LA Farmers Market. George and I have been friends since the 1990s.
It was late in the day, and I had to run to CVS Pharmacy; Mary went with me. I picked up my Praulent and then fought the wheel all the way home; the car wanted to stop by Home Depot again!
Arriving home, Mary went harvesting in the garden. I had to decapitate the broccoli so she could stir fry (which was amazing!) The poor broccoli lost his head in the process!
I moved my latest gift from Santa to the backyard. That sucker was heavy!
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More space for certain veggies!
Broccoli leaves can be prepared the same way as kale, Swiss chard, or collard and mustard greens.
The skin of the broccoli stem tends to get more rigid and more fibrous the farther away from the florets you get, but if you’re roasting your broccoli stems in a hot oven, you can usually leave most of the skin on, slice them, and be on your merry way. The prolonged exposure to dry heat and a hot surface will soften the skin to the point where it won’t be annoying to eat.
Before he met the Guillotine!
But if you put your stems into a stir-fry, cook them in something like a frittata, or blanch them for a dipping scenario, you should peel them. If they’re being cooked for a long time, leave the skin on, and if it’s just for a few minutes, peel it. And if you’re eating the broccoli stems raw—which we highly recommend—peeling and chopping or slicing thinly as possible is non-negotiable.
Peeling broccoli stems is easy. It goes exactly as you’d expect it to go. Run a peeler down the sides of the stem until the darker green skin gives way to the pale green, almost-white flesh. (Sometimes, if we’re working with a broccoli stem that is especially gnarled or bumpy, we find that using a knife can be easier than using a peeler. You do you!) That’s all you need to do. Presto change-o!
Off with his head!
We had a fantastic stir-for dinner, all directly from the garden (except for a small piece of checked needed for protein). I have been warned, “Do NOT come home with a chicken coop!”
We finished a James Cagney movie about Admiral Bull Halsey and the Battle of Guadalcanal. It was a documentary and was well done!
Did You Know? The Gallant Hours depicts the crucial five-week period in October–November 1942 after Admiral Halsey (James Cagney) took command of the beleaguered American forces in the South Pacific Area. That period of combat became a turning point in the struggle against the Japanese Empire during World War II. The story is told in flashback, framed by Halsey’s ceremony of going on inactive duty in 1947. (Note that officers of five-star rank never retire. American five-star rank is a lifetime appointment with full pay and benefits.)
Unusual for a war film, The Gallant Hours has no battle scenes. All the fighting takes place off-screen, and there is an emphasis throughout the film on logistics and strategy rather than tactics and combat. Fundamentally, the film becomes a battle of wills and wits between the dogged Halsey and his brilliant Japanese counterpart, Admiral Yamamoto (James T. Goto, who was also the Technical Advisor for the film). For dramatic effect, the secret mission to kill Yamamoto is made contemporary with the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Yamamoto was killed over Bougainville five months later, in April 1943.
We were tired, and we crashed by 10:00 pm. Tomorrow we have PT and lunch with Bill and Bob at the Elks.
