Welcome!

This is a blog about everyday life. Food, gardening, photography, and nature. What you won't find are pictures of lots of people.



Please leave a comment so I can pop over to your blog and visit!


Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts

Monday, June 24, 2013

Random Garden Photos

Feast your eyes on these........

I SOOOO wish I remembered what these bulbs were called.



Squash Blossom!


The most beautiful bean blooms..


The Enchanted Onion Forest!
 (I admit I only added this picture so I could say that.) 
Say it with me!
THE ENCHANTED ONION FOREST!!!


Peppers and Beans




My First Dahlia


Baby Black Eyed Peas




A Columbine lurks amongst the pole beans.  Can you find it?
 Have a great day!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Frday Fences

Linking with Tricia at Bluff Area Daily :

Osage Oranges on Pisgah Pike
Woodford County, Kentucky

This is a take on a James Archambeault photo, so please do not copy.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Barn Charm

Linking with Tricia over at Bluff Area Daily .

I gathered some photos on my trip home for Thanksgiving.


Tobacco in Barn Meade County, Kentucky
 Since it is that time of year when people start stripping tobacco I thought I would feature a couple of barns with tobacco.  Years ago everyone who had land had a tobacco patch.  Many a family had their Christmas  off of the money when the tobacco (or toobacker as they say) sold in late November and December.  Now its hard to even find a barn with tobacco and even then it isn't much.





The last two photos were of a different barn.  These aren't the traditional barns and the tobacco is really small, but you get the idea. 



I love the musky aroma of tobacco curing in the open air.  Hand rolled cigs from tobacco like this doesn't stink either.  Imagine that.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Friday Fences

Linking up with Friday's Fences today.


Working Farm at Sunrise
Breckinridge County, Kentucky

 We have a toofer today!  Two for one photo for all you barn lovers and fence lovers out there.  And for TexWis girl ~ this shot was taken while "vehicular fencing".

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Okra Dental Floss

Although my little okra patch in the yard has quit producing since Fall is upon us, the dogs still seem to enjoy it.




Peabody, in particular, is partial to it.



Sometimes he lies there in his own little okra forest. 



Then he will forage for a discarded okra pod. I usually just toss them on the ground when they get too big and tough to eat.  Okra grows very quickly.  Sometimes an inch per day!



First he crushes the pod and eats all the seeds.  Okra is very fibrous and if it is fresh it has a (excuse me) snotty gelatinous liquid inside.  This is why most people don't like it.  They, obviously, don't know how to cook it.  Frying it or adding some vinegar to the stew transforms the offensive slime into a thickener.  Today Peabody got an old pod but he still enjoyed it.



You talkin' 'bout me?



Yes I am.  I am telling the world how you use okra for dental floss!



After crushing the pod and eating the contents Peabody starts at the tip and  begins to shred the pod into its fibers.



He pulls it through his teeth from one end to the other!  It must feel good to his gums.



I snapped this shot (above) while he left to chase Uno who had a toy.  Then after much chewing and pulling it looks like this:



Uno traded his toy for a go at it.




If you have ever had an old dog you will know they teach the pups!



Hey!  I want the toy and the okra!!
At the end the okra pods look like this:




How is that for getting the optimal use out of okra?  Eventually it will be composted but there is still a couple of half hearted flossings left!!

Friday, September 16, 2011

A Day In The Life

Come and spend the day with me! 


Arrive at work before dawn and boot up the computer.  Check Blogger and see what my fellow bloggies have been doing. 


Storm Sewer Pipe Profile
Gotta get oriented for work.  If you've ever wondered where the water goes from a road with curb and gutters this might interest you!  If you cut right down the middle of the road and  look from the side you can see the pipes.  That would be the white lines.  The dashed green is the existing road and the red/orange is the future top of the asphalt.  The little white rectangles sticking up are the boxes that open into the gutter to collect the water.


Later I feed Bobbi.  It is a rainy morning and as it turns out no one shows up.  I work all morning and only one person stops by my desk.  Work is a very solitary experience for me.  I like that too.



Lunch!  Remember the pickled radishes?  They are very good with kale.  The red stuff is hot sauce.
I eat and remember I have to run and errand.



Guess where I'm going?



I have to return "Wild Fermentation".  Someone else wants it now or I would keep it awhile longer.

I pick up a couple of books.



I have used the public libraries in every place I have ever lived.  We have a fantastic library system here in the USA.



Back at the office I have a few minutes to look at my new books.  How could I pass up a crock pot cook book with PLASTIC covers.  It just screamed  I'm durable!  Use me!  Winter is coming!  It did not disappoint either.  And the Moosewood book.  I own most of them.  That and the Joy of Cooking are the only cookbooks I use with any regularity.

Oh LOOK!  They dedicated the cookbook to me! I love you Moosewood Restaurant!



Back to work.


Pipe Cross Section
I have to redo the entire system because I didn't get the new manual.  Oh, they put them in the empty cubicles where NO ONE works, but not mine.  Oh well, I'm glad I caught the error before I was done.
The dashed lines from left to right is the existing box in the median.  The solid lines portray the new pipe to be attached.  Into the Manhole it goes!  (Engineering has lots of personifications like breast walls, toes, crowns, etc)



The water changes direction at the Manhole and flows to the curb box inlets downhill until it gets to the ditch that will take it down to the creek.  Pipes Pipes and more PIPES!!

I have a visitor after lunch.  I call him Richard the Lionhearted.  My first and only visitor of the day.  Midafternoon there is an announcement that there is turtle pie in the kitchen!




We are celebrating an old employee's birthday.  Not all of us get this treatment!  I almost forgot to take the picture.  This has to be the most decadent dessert ever.  Chocolate, ice cream, sugar coated nuts, caramel and whipped cream.

I work all afternoon and almost get back to where I was the day before when I discovered the error.  Sigh. 

Home and time to start supper.  Had a request for chili.  Sorry but no pictures of the finished product.  I got distracted.



While the ground turkey thawed I tilled the back garden where some kale will go later.  I had all but abandoned it earlier this summer.



Back to the chili.




I sauteed some peppers and onions then added some chili powder and garlic.  Then I dumped it in with the ground turkey to which I added a dash of Kitchen Bouquet.  Gave it a stir.  Added some hot chili beans and a small can of V8 juice and the usual salt and pepper.  Nothing fancy. Mild.  I will add jalepenos to mine.

Outside!  Time to check the front.  Swing and have a beverage.


Kale is looking good in the jar.


Picked the squash.  Played with Uno and his Birdie the neighbor gave him.



I thought you might enjoy seeing and okra bloom.  It is a member of the hibiscus family (I think).  The okra and squash grow where the dead maple was removed.



Back in to check the chili.  On the way I look up.


Remember the rusty mailbox?  This isn't it but it I have one just like it.   These are old old boxes.



Chili is fine.  I move 2 gallons of wine from primary fermentation to the carboys and fit an airlock.  I'm done for the day except to sit and swing until dark.


Good Night!  It was a good day!