Choice Morsels

It's a nice sunny day, slighty warm and I walked around with my camera collecting photos.  I have these two to share today: A pretty shot of one of many Vinca's blooming around my house in various beds. This one is in the front bed by the driveway. They come in a natural variation pink ranging from very light to very dark and also plain white or white with a pink center. They self-seed profusely, so I just move them around in the spring. The range in shade from plain white to a broad range of pinks from very light pink to a deep magenta. Because they do self-seed so profusely, I just keep the pinks. Cuppa Chicks: My favorite succulents growing in a teacup planter in the shade with a couple moss-covered lava rocks! Such a pretty blue green with hints of pink!  The porous quality of the red lava rocks attracts moss, so I like adding them to the planters of Chicks along with some pea gravel for texture.

I'm not doing a Mama Kat today. I didn't have any ideas for any of the listed prompts---but I had s omething more interesting happen--- I received an email from Warner Bros. Studio's Content Coordinator requesting permission to use one of my Zazzle card designs as a prop on the New Murphy Brown TV series airing on CBS, Thursday night s. They'd already purchased oneand included a scan of it along the permission form they needed me to sign and send back, so I'd know what they were asking about. It was this one: Bejeweled Dragonfly Thinking/Praying for You Postcard I was so astonished and also honored to have something I created selected for use on a TV show! Of course, I signed and returned the permission promptly. This postcard is an inspirational get-well, which seemed an odd choice for a secular TV show.  So, I read up on the show's synopsis : Murphy Brown is about an ethical and honest journalist trying to navigate through the chaotic and poli

Today's photo is a picture of the 4 bags of things I got in the mail this month to plant: I did the green bag today: it had two special color Coneflower roots in it. First, in the morning I put the roots in a bowl of tepid water to hydrate, then in the afternoon, I planted them in the bed out by the mailbox. I also had 3 Blue Festuca Grass I also planted today. I dig the holes and use In-Ground Miracle Gro Garden Soil to pack little plants in, so they get a good start. Since the ground doesn't freeze here, these things will spend the new few weeks getting established, then will winter over. Coneflowers are good for fall planting in this zone. In the other bags: Grape Hyacinth bulbs  Silver Shamrocks Snake Iris, which is for a container.

Today's recipe is a Pinterest slow cooker recipe I tried, loved, then completely forgot I hadn't posted it yet! It's on my "Pinterest Recipes I've Tried Board" at my Pinterest . It includes some recipes I tried and didn't think good enough to post here, so you might enjoy perusing it. So here it is, just in time for cooler fall weather: Slow Cooker Chicken n' Dumplings Ingredients: 1 med to large onion, diced 1 can Cream of Celery Soup 1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Parsley 1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning 3 or 4 skinless boneless chicken breast. (however many comes in your favorite brand pack) 1 cups low sodium chicken broth 2 cups frozen mixed veggies or peas & carrots, defrosted 1 package Gnocchi (for easy dumplings) Salt & Pepper to taste Optional : Portabella mushrooms, chopped Directions: Oil spray or line your slow cooker and set to High. Salt & Pepper chicken brea

Today's Mama Kat prompt I've chosen the option to write about something "creepy"---in this case, something creepy-cool: The Indianapolis Children's Museum Guild's famous "Haunted House!" It was started by the Children's Museum Guild in 1964 in order to raise funds for special projects & exhibits and housed in a large gingerbread-looking two-story house in front of the museum called the Dreyer Building. I remember Mother taking us there as children in the mid-60's. We waiting in a long, long line of people that wound from the parking lot to the front, then, once inside, we wound through two stories of scary fun! Volunteer Guild members dressed as witches strolled along the line, greeting guests.  Inside, this Haunted House was painted black and on the floor, we followed a trail of glow-in-the-dark footprints that guided us on our creepy journey from room to room, upstairs, then down. Each room held a spooky theme and more disg

I finally started feeling better yesterday after catching a bad bug that put me under the weather last week. Today I got out to plant the little potted plant I got in the mail last week. I kept it by the window in a tray with a tiny bit of water in the kitchen till I could finally get around to it. It's a flowering plant that stays in a small mound that looks a little like an aster I bought in particular for my front bed by the mailbox I'm planting with ground covers and such. Today's Garden Pics: Sweet Basil full of blooms draping out of a container and a sea of purple Lantana! This area is adjacent to the area by the mailbox. It ed ges a parking spot we built into the yard for my car. Close-up Of Bee on the Sweet Basil: I believe this is a carpenter bee, judging by the smooth tail section. Numerous Honey Bees were out there, too. This is the garden project I was digging in today: It's just on the front side of the Lantana &

The center of Hurricane Michael came ashore 100 miles east of where we live. The west side of a hurricane is the best side to be on: less rain and a bit less tumult. We watched TV all day. The near-by Air Force Base sequestered all their Airmen to the base and generally closed down except for essential operations.  As did the whole town. A patter of steady rain started fairly early in the morning, then was mostly windy with strong gusts from 9 am to 2 pm, then done. I think I heard a pine cone hit the roof with a loud "whack" 4 or 5 times. Where we live, that was it. Here's some post-storm shots from around my yard: There's mostly just a heavy scattering of small pine branches, pine needles, bay tree leaves and pine cones in the back yard. That's actually typical of just about any thunderstorm that passes through. The strong gusts of a tropical storm, however, usually reek havoc with my Pampas grass fronds: I'll have to trim all those off th

For Mama Kat today, I'm just posting a fall picture of a Spider Lilly that bloom this time of year. Next post will be Wednesday!

The weather is beginning to cool slightly. I noticed my tomato is looking more robust, greener and more flowers. The French melon has gotten a second wind with new growth and I even saw a baby melon. Today's task was finally hedging the Gardenia topiary & trimming the growth extensions on the Azalea's in the back yard. Today's Garden Photos: A Female Ruby Throat Hummingbird sitting on the clothesline between two pine trees, guarding the nearby feeder from other Hummers.  A different one rules the roost from day to day. Sometimes up to 4 will chase each other, fussing over it.They migrate south to Mexico for winter.  A Honeybee Enjoying a Flowering Weed My neighbors border was full of these tall weeds with daisy-like flowers. Looking it up online, I learned this is weed is called a Shepherd's Needle and it's edible--boiled, steamed or sauteed.  Also pretty. The Bees love it!

Today's recipe comes from Fresh Thyme: Warm Pear & Brussels Sprout Salad. Fresh Thyme is an organic grocery chain. I don't have where I live, buts there's one in Terre Haute, Indiana and I get a kick out of visiting it with my sisters whenever we're there, visiting. It's a little pricey, but they have free coffee daily (in small cups) and you're allowed to sample a piece or two of the bulk chocolates & candy.  Fresh Thyme also has their own free magazine by the door with recipes and I picked one up. This recipe comes from that. Having tried it, I suggest using Real Bacon Bits instead of bothering with cooking bacon and adding either a Tablespoon to individual servings or adding a 2 - 3 Tablespoons to the recipe during cooking.  Also, instead of raw Brussels, I purchased 2 bags of plain frozen Brussels, because they're younger, more tender and cook more quickly then raw.  I just thawed and sliced them in half. It was just easier.  (Photo