{"id":88929,"date":"2025-06-06T02:39:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T09:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=88929"},"modified":"2025-06-07T09:15:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T16:15:23","slug":"work-work-work-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=88929","title":{"rendered":"Work Work Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

We strolled the garden to see what would be in the next meal, and the cucumbers were coming on strong.\u00a0 These guys begin to grow slowly, and then they take off like a shot.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The morning garden inspection reveals we’d better get busy picking!<\/p><\/div>\n

Did You Know? <\/b> Cucumbers, despite being commonly used as a vegetable, are botanically fruits. They are primarily composed of water, around 95%, and are a good source of vitamins and minerals. Cultivation of cucumbers dates back over 3,000 years, with India being their origin. <\/p>\n

The phrase “cool as a cucumber” is based on the observation that the inside of a cucumber can be 20 degrees cooler than the surrounding air.<\/p>\n

Cucumbers were introduced to the Americas by Christopher Columbus\n<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s time for the morning walk, which Robin, our physical trainer, has organized.\u00a0 \u00a0We headed down the street, only stopping a couple of times for my lower back.<\/p>\n

\"\"

We are off on our morning mile walk with Robin.<\/p><\/div>\n

At the very end of Valencia, a lady was standing by the gate to her backyard, and she introduced herself.\u00a0 She asked if we would like to see her garden.\u00a0 “Garden,” she said, we said yes!\u00a0 Well, we walked in and were immediately transported to Hawaii!\u00a0 Her children used to live next door, and when they were there, the fence was removed and the two backyards combined into a paradise!\u00a0 (We did not take a picture from the ground, but here is a Google Earth image.)<\/p>\n

All three of us were flabbergasted!\u00a0 Who needs to travel?\u00a0 Just walk outside!<\/p>\n

\"\"

There were two pools, several waterfalls, Hawaiian-style palm buildings, tiki bards, and gardens all around, featuring beautiful flowers.<\/p><\/div>\n

We continued our walk and passed by the veterans’ home.<\/p>\n

\"\"

We like this house!<\/p><\/div>\n

We found flowers along our way; Mother Nature is truly creative.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The flowers were pretty.<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the houses was a tad in disrepair, but they had a good idea by placing conversation pieces in the pathway next to the curb.\u00a0 The house was cute, but for want of some paint and minor repairs, it would be very nice.\u00a0 To each is their own?<\/p>\n

\"\"

It’s a nice idea gone wrong.<\/p><\/div>\n

Inspiring & Philosophical About Walking<\/strong>:
\nA walk in nature walks the soul back home.
\nEverywhere is walking distance if you have the time.
\nWalking is man’s best medicine.
\nThe beauty is in the walking, destinations betray us.
\nIn every walk with nature, one receives far more than one seeks.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The girls made it home before me, and Mary got out the trike.\u00a0 She came back to get me, but we couldn’t figure out how to get my big butt into the small basket!<\/p>\n

\"\"

Look out, crazy driver.<\/p><\/div>\n

Today’s walk took us 1.1 miles.\u00a0 The small spot on the map, located in the lower left-hand corner, is where we wandered around the Hawaiian village and visited the owner.\u00a0 By the way, she knows us by the colorful lighting on the house and the holiday banners and flags we always have posted.\u00a0 We invited her to see our garden, so the next time we see her, she can be amazed at the veggies!<\/p>\n

\"\"

We overachieved.<\/p><\/div>\n

We then worked in the garden for several hours after Robin departed.\u00a0 The sweet peas were removed as they had run out their blooming season and were beginning to turn brown.\u00a0 Now, Mary cannot wear her gardening costume as there is no place to hide.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Well???\u00a0 Are you coming out?<\/p><\/div>\n

By 6:00 pm we were pooped out so it was time for dinner.\u00a0 We both showered and got on our jammies before cooking dinner.\u00a0 Mary fixed fresh green beans from the garden and made a terrific salad also from the garden.<\/p>\n

The master chef pulled out the filet mignons and let them sit, bringing them up to room temperature.\u00a0 \u00a0 After reaching room temperature, I rub in salt and pepper.\u00a0 Then comes the magic.\u00a0 I set the oven to 450 degrees.\u00a0 But before they go into the oven, I add olive oil and several pieces of garlic to a very hot frying pan; we used HexClad pans.<\/p>\n

The steaks are placed on a hot pan and left to sit on one side for three minutes.\u00a0 Searing is essential for a good steak.\u00a0 After three minutes, I turn them over and add two tablespoons of Irish butter (do not add butter early, as it will burn).<\/p>\n

\"\"

We are having dinner tonight.<\/p><\/div>\n

During the last three-minute searing activity, I ladled the butter and garlic onto the steaks.\u00a0 When the timer goes off, I move the steaks from the pan to the oven (next time I will remember to use hot pads).\u00a0 The steaks cook for another 4-6 minutes, and I check them to ensure they reach an internal temperature of 130 degrees, which is medium-rare.<\/p>\n

At 130 degrees, the steaks are removed and placed on a plate to rest for ten minutes, allowing the juices to reabsorb into the meat.\u00a0 Then I cut the meat into bite-sized slices and added them to the plate that Mary had prepared, which contained the green beans and baked potatoes.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Everything turned out perfect.<\/p><\/div>\n

We had a $22.00 steak that would cost us $100 easily if we were going out.\u00a0 We turned on soft background music and enjoyed ourselves with a glass (or two) of Two-Buck Chuck.\u00a0 \u00a0Each of our meals probably costs around $13.00, plus an additional dollar for the wine.\u00a0 \u00a0Taking my bride out for a $28 dinner was amazing (and romantic)<\/p>\n

I love to work in the kitchen with Miss Mary.<\/p>\n

May did apologize.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Indeed!<\/p><\/div>\n

After working all day, we were pooped out and hit the sack at 9:00 pm.\u00a0 I woke up to take Scout out at midnight, and the TV was on, Mary was out cold, and the dog was on a mission!\u00a0 We had a wonderful day.<\/p>\n

I thank the Good Lord every day for giving me such a wonderful life!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We strolled the garden to see what would be in the next meal, and the cucumbers were coming on strong.\u00a0 These guys begin to grow slowly, and then they take off like a shot. Did You Know? Cucumbers, despite being … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[229,5,233,230],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cooking","category-family","category-vegetable-garden","category-working-around-house"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=88929"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88951,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88929\/revisions\/88951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=88929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=88929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=88929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}