There is a lot of truth in that one!!!
We scared the blazes out of the rooster this morning! It was before 6:00 am, and Mary and I looked over the fence and yelled, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” The rooster almost laid an egg! We giggled, thinking….. the yoke was on him!
We ambulated through the garden and found the bush beans going mad. They get to be 18″ tall and, if properly harvested, will produce for three months.
The beans are looking good.
Many garden pests dislike these little flowers called Marigolds. These flowers are colorful additions to landscaping, but they have a distinctive smell that repels mosquitoes and other garden pests, including squash bugs and tomato worms. Marigolds contain a natural compound used in many insect repellents.
They secrete alpha-terthienyl from their roots, a chemical that inhibits the development of nematode eggs. If you plant them in advance of other crops, root-knot nematodes won’t be able to build up in the soil.
I saw an antelope the other day. First insect wedding that I had ever attended.
They keep the bugs away!
This little guy was so happy to be out and smiling at the world. Picking the flowers for bouquets won’t harm the plant, and it will often give the plant a new surge of life and the energy needed to create even more blooms instead of going to seed. We pick flowers in the morning when the dew is still on them for the best results. This is when their fragrance is at its sweetest.
I mentioned to Mary I wanted to plant some light bulbs! She asked me why, and I responded, “I always wanted my own power plant”.
The armona is breathtaking.
Look carefully, and you will see a tiny zucchini about to be born. If we let him grow, he will get to 36″ long and weigh ten pounds.
It’s True: One day, two zucchinis, who were best friends, were walking together down the street. They stepped off the curb, and a speeding car came around the corner and ran one of them over.
The uninjured zucchini called 911 and helped his injured friend as best as possible. The injured zucchini was taken to the emergency room at the hospital and rushed into surgery.
After a long and agonizing wait, the doctor finally appeared. He told the uninjured zucchini, “I have good news, and I have bad news. The good news is that your friend is going to pull through. The bad news is that he’s going to be a vegetable for the rest of his life”.
Baby zucchini is being born.
I heard some suspicious noises, and it had the distinct sound of a pair of scissors that emanate from barber shops. Poachers! I thought of poachers. Where is Scout when you need him?
As I wandered over to investigate, I discovered Mary was making a bouquet for the doctor’s office we will visit today!
We once watched a documentary on the hidden life of apple poachers. We were not sure if it was legit, but it shook us to our core.
Picking the flowers for the nurses at the doctor’s office.
I mentioned that she should give them thirteen sweet peas, and Mary wondered why. This will explain my logic.
After our coffee by the firepit and walk through the garden, we cleaned up and dressed for our visit to Dr. Kline. We waited a bit in the office before going in. When they called my name, Mary jumped up and started walking. I, on the other hand, not to miss an opportunity, slowly got up, raised my hands, waving them as if I could not see, and ambled forward in a staggered manner. The nurse looked quite worried; her expression priceless!
My internal laughter erupted, and I had to laugh. I go the dreaded “Mommy Look” from the young lady! I was in trouble again, and I hadn’t made it to the examination room!
The results, you ask? 20-20 vision in the right eye. The pressure was 23, and we all were happy. Our eyes are filled mainly with a fluid called vitreous humor. Another fluid called aqueous humor is toward the front of the eye, just behind the cornea. Aqueous humor drains from the eye as equal amounts of new aqueous humor refill that space. Normal eye pressure would measure between 12 and 23 mmHg (millimeters of mercury).
If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. If you have 20/100 vision, it means that you must be as close as 20 feet to see what a person with normal vision can see at 100 feet.
We departed the doctor’s office at about 1:30 pm after making arrangements for the next surgery on the 17th; I can hardly wait!! My eyesight will be like a teenager’s before we head to Mexico for Mary’s birthday!
Mary suggested we stop by Jan’s and bring her some goodies. We did exactly that; she got turkey pinwheels and some leftovers from last night’s stir-fry. We visited for about 45 minutes before heading home.
She put in an order for another mincemeat pie!
Mary was hungry, so we started dinner at about 4:00 pm with Mary murdering her artichoke she got from Donna yesterday. She clipped and I chopped off the top and bottom.
Quite a cutup!
Donna does NOT cook them; she lets them go to flowers!
OK, they are pretty, BUT they are also good to eat!!
We had some Fennell in the garden, so we picked it, but it was not enough for dinner.
We will grow these again next year and give them plenty of space!
I hopped in The Silver Fox, and I adventured to Albertson’s, knowing they usually had Fennell on hand. Right on the top of the shelf was several large Fennell bulbs and they looked to be fresh!
Look delicious, but how do you use it??
In the Middle Ages, fennel was hung over doorways to ward off evil spirits. So, all is not lost if our recipe fails; we can sling it over the doorway! Or, I can go outside and stand on the porch all night long; same effect!
Three beauties jumped into my basket and came home with me… along with some other goodies! Mary sees me coming in from the market and just shakes her head; it’s OK, I love the rattling sounds she makes!
Ready to be carved up.
Using the big knife, I removed the stems carefully. The stems are too fibrous to be usable. The bottoms were washed, and I peeled them much like an onion, slicing them into short pieces and placing them on a paper-lined baking sheet.
Slice off the tops and the bottom.
Olive oil, salt (several different kinds), and pepper, and we were ready to rock and roll. Into the oven at 375 degrees for twenty minutes. The bulb can be eaten raw or cooked, and it’s tasty, roasted with oil and salt, and sliced thinly.
We opened the oven, sprinkled parmesan cheese over the top, and gave it another five minutes; the cheese added a crunchy taste to the Fennell.
It is seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
The Fennell was a fantastic addition to the stir-fry. It was sweet, and the anise taste/smell had disappeared.
So good!!
After dinner, we watched the last episodes of “The Diplomate” and were informed that another season would soon follow.
We also watched “The Family That Preys Together” Summary: Two families from different walks of life learn to work together.
Before hitting the sack, we watched “The Glass Castle” Summary: The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly.
Mary worked on her boxes, and I started to collect and pack Easter away in preparation for Mother’s Day.
