Choice Morsels

  For Garden Pics today I have a shot of my a drainage project in-progress: This is my back patio that we expanded with pavers a good many years ago. Having studied the flow of water around the house with these many rains this year, I decided this area needed a better drainage conduit. This only required me pulling up the outer row of pavers, digging a narrow trench that is angled the proper direction and filling it with drainage gravel and pea pebbles. This is as far as I got, since I ran out of rock. Since we'll be busy this weekend, I'll have to finish it up next week sometime. I also have an interesting picture of a paper wasp nest: This one is attached to an Amaryllis leave curved under a pot next to my Pampas grass. I had no idea it was there until I practically bungled into it. I'd decided to trim up that Pampas earlier this week  and the Hot Poker behind this pot, when I noticed quite a few bees flitting about.  I stepped back and they settled down

Greetings!  Last week of August!  I can already feel a change in the weather--we're finally going to have a dry week! Yay! Will give me a chance to work on resolving some rain flow issues around the yard. Today I mowed and worked on removing grass from my shady rain garden area. It's nice St.Augustine grass on that side and I moved what I dug up to a bare ground location that needs grass. (My lawn is actually a hodge-podge of southern grass types.) Today's Good Eating recipe is one I found on Pinterest that I plan on trying this week: Ultimate Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Bars! I'll be making it tomorrow for Tuesday Bible Study at the Lighthouse Airman Center on base and the Air Force kids love devouring ooky-gooky sweets like this! The basic ingredients are: 1 batch chocolate chip cookie dough (made or bought), 1 pack of Double Stuff Oreo's & one box of Family Size Brownie Mix for a 10 x 13 pan. Line a 10 x 13 pan with wax paper sprayed with oil spray

I don't know what it is about ol' Darth, but he certainly seems to lend himself to many humorous scenarios! Behold:   Darth catching up on a little current reading:   Darth & Storm Troopers attired for a stage musical:     Darth and his light saber facing off with Dr. Who and his screwdriver:     And finally, the ultimate face-off:  Darth Vader meets Dark Helmet from Spaceballs!   All pictures found on Pinterest. Enjoy and come back Monday for Good Eating!

  The Mama Kat Prompt today is:  "Tell us about your 6th grade teacher." I actually had two 6th grade teachers who split teaching various subjects: Mrs. Daglish and Mr. Denny, who was also the principle. Now Mr. Denny taught the math segment and he was at war with the "New Math." It was 1968. I attended a rural elementary school where 1st first through 6th grade were still being housed in the same building. (No junior high back then.) There was just one 6th grade class in one room consisting of about 35 students and we stayed in that room together all day except for recess.  New Math Long Division In those days, mathematics were taught by a method called "The New Math."  I'd learned how to do long division using this New Math method in 5th grade, which looked something like the example to the left. In chart-like fashion, the answers were arranged down the right side of the problem rather then along the top and any fractional rema

  Disney is closing down their " Pirates of the Caribbean On-line Game " effective Sept 19, 3013.  Until then, all play is unlimited. So, if you'd like to play free , you have a month to do so. We used to like to play, but Disney just stopped putting anything new into it over a year ago and it stopped being fun for our higher level characters.  Sad, too, since I've had my pirate avatar character since the game started around 2007.  I think Disney is more interested in their Marvel and Star Wars franchises at this point and Pirates of the Caribbean is somewhat old hat now, even if another film gets done and I don't know if that's certain. Last I read, Depp has grown discouraged about recent film projects lack of success and suggested leaving acting altogether might be in his future.  Today's Garden Pics are of two most recent garden additions: A Stokes Aster & Ponytail Asparagus Fern. (Photos here aren't mine) Stokes Aster's ar

Greetings!  Today's Good Eating Recipe is one of my absolute favorite side-dishes: Sweet-Sour Cucumber Salad! I think my first introduction to it was in a Japanese restaurant. Since then, I've often made it. I like it plain or German-style with sour cream. First: Basic Sweet-Sour Cucumber Salad 2 large reg. cukes peeled or 1 large English Cuke, which can be left unpeeled.  Optional:  About 1/2 of a medium size, sliced thinly, any color. 2 Tbsp of either apple cider vinegar or Pompeian Pomegranate Infused Red Wine Vinegar.  1 Tbsp either sugar (or Splenda) 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt Directions: About 30 minutes before serving, slice your cucumber into very thin slices and put in bowl. Slice onions thin, too, if you use them.  Put slices in bowl. Mix vinegar, sugar and salt and toss into cukes. Cover and put in frig. Toss again in about 10 minutes, then one last time just prior to serving. Makes 3 to 4 servings as is. German Style Sweet-Sour Cuc

The Mama Kat topic for today is, "Share a time you wanted to punch someone in the face." Maybe it wasn't so much that I wanted to punch her as throw a glass of water in her face.  A few years ago, while we were at large missions conference at a hotel in St. Louis, we had breakfast with a slightly older couple who are part of the same missions organization. We were just loosely acquainted, but since we both live in Florida, it was supposed to be just friendly connecting.  Now the wife of that couple, whom I'll call Sue for story purposes, is a professional, clinical counselor. Now I happen to know that one of the rules of counseling is the "3rd party rule," which means you keep conversation focused on the person in front of you ; not on someone else who isn't physically present. I would expect a trained counselor to know that. Apparently not. I'm an introvert. The first conference mini-meeting we attended began with an ice-breaker that in

Butterflies are an fascinating, amazing creatures that transform magically from a lowly caterpillar into a glorious butterfly. It reminds me of Psalm 139:15 where it says " my frame was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret..." For, indeed, butterflies are made in secret.   I posted pictures of the green striped Black Swallowtail caterpillars in my parsley a couple weeks ago. A few days later, they were ready for the next stage and each set off to seek a hidden, secure location. Of the 3 in my parsley pot, one got away without my seeing where it went, but the other two I directed to the leafy shrub by my A/C unit. Interestingly, both chose to secure themselves on small branches on the outer-most edge of the shrub, where I could see them easily. I believe that was deliberate on their part, so as butterflies it would be easy for them to dry their wings and fly away. I did notice that about the caterpillars---their methodology appeared both urgent and calcula

   Greetings! I'm pleased to say I got to see and take photos of the newly emerged Black Swallowtail butterflies! Those will be Wednesday's Pics!   Today, however, is Good Eating Monday and I have two items to share: #1) An Iced Tea-Making Tip from Pinterest for Better Tea:    Add 1/4 tsp baking soda to your steeping tea, let steep normal time, then put in gallon container and fill with cold water. Sweeten it if you like. (1/4 tsp per gallon.) I tried this and it made excellent iced tea! What the baking soda does is remove bitterness common to tea.   #2)  A basic seasoning recipe for Taco meat, so you can skip the pre-packaged pack. The advantage is a tastier meat with less salt. Measurements are approximate and you can adjust to taste.   For 3 lbs of ground chicken I used: 1 med to large green bell pepper, finely chopped 1/2 cup red onion, minced 2 tsp salt 4-5 Tbsp Chili Powder 4 tsp cumin 4 tsp turmeric 2 tsp Hot Mrs. Dash 1/2 cup mi

Greetings! Today's "finds" include a shirt I designed and a funny Pinterest pic.  My hubby asked for an "I Love Jesus" shirt, but they're are literally tons of shirts that say that---either with words or hearts, so I said, "I'd have to think of something different." What I came up with was a "word search puzzle" format. Those puzzles you search for words in a grid of letters? So I devised my own grid with "I Love Jesus" embedded in red.   Visit my store @ Bevstuff   to see lots more Christian Shirts! I Love Jesus Word Search Puzzle Shirt This Pinterest Pic gave me a chuckle. It's referencing the current Almond Joy ad campaign about palm trees popping forth when you eat an Almond Joy.

I'm slow getting to this today--it's nearly 5 pm, but there's been a thunder shower hanging overhead for the past hour and I didn't want to be on the computer while lightning was going on. Today's garden pic is of my unique Hydrangea: Two colors on one bush! Blue blossoms appeared earlier this spring on stems from middle to rear of shrub and, presently, front-edge stems are bearing pink! I obtained this particular  Hydrangea as a rooted cutting from flower shop I used to work at. Someone else had snipped it from a pink hydrangea, and, long story short, I ended up bringing the cutting home. I planted it in the bed opposite my front door, where it flourished and grew large. First blooms were pink, then the next year, were mysteriously blue. I thought my acidy soil had caused it to revert, then this year it bloomed both blue, then later pink. Mystery solved! It's both colors! Surprise!  Other Hydrangeas I have: I have 2 lavende

Well, got my car fixed. (You may remember the battery warning light came on last Wed.) The alternator was failing and had to be replaced. All good now. Worked out at Y this morning, then worked outside some more when I got home. Our routine termite service inspection is scheduled for tomorrow, so I was doing some clean up around edges of the house. Also widened the bed around the Pampas grass in the back yard, where rain water tends to stand, and added Agapanthus (Liy of the Nile) in a ring around it's front. ( I don't think it will mind a little extra water on rainy days.) It's the first of several rain garden modifications. Today's Good Eating Recipe is a favorite veggie side-dish: Sauteed Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts! The picture is just for show; it's not how this recipe will look. I like to cut my sweet potato into discs, then  into 1/4 inch strips and that's what I recommend. This is a great, healthy side dish for any meat entree! Ingre