Choice Morsels

This is front yard boarder the lays along my property line with my neighbor. It's looked this pretty until just yesterday, when it got a little cold over night that put a dent in the Mexican Heather and some of the white Vinca, but the Marigolds persist. (Those are their solar flamingo lights, which look pretty at night.) And this is a shot of my front bed by the mailbox: That pretty light green plant with the magenta blossoms is a 4'Oclock called "Limelight." This is a fresh growth that sprang up in late September, I think. Here in Florida, 4'Clocks are perennial.  There are actually 3 of them in this bed; this one is the largest.  

    The Mama Kat question I'm doing is: Book Review! What is your best (or worse read)?        I joined a Book Club last year. We meet once a month at a local restaurant that allows us to come in at 10 am to discuss our book, then we order lunch. Everyone is 60 or older, I think--who else has free time to do a Book Club at 10 am?      I joined for 2 reasons:     1) Social Interaction. It gets me out of the house and around other people.     2) To Try Out New Books to Read. I'm fairly particular about what I read and the club is reasonably conservative in book choices.      Frankly, not every book choice has been fantastic , but I have two I consider the "Best Reads" this year. The 1st is non-fiction based on a historical event and the 2nd is fiction based on a historical event. I happen to like history, so I probably enjoyed them more then most of the other ladies, but I highly recommend both: Eighty Days by Matthew Goodman It's the year 1889 and two single femal

I have a nice row of Dwarf Marigolds & Vinca out front that all the bees & butterflies have been loving.  These shots are from about 2 weeks ago, while it was still mildly cool and sunny out. It's the same Bumble in both shots. There were numerous honey bees and this one large Bumble. It's a Brown-Belted Bumble identifiable by the furry brown stripes from waist to tail and the fuzzy yellow thorax. Bumbles are always completely fuzzy; Carpenter Bees have a smooth rear end without any fuzz.  

  Today's Garden Pic is a harvest of Sweet Basil & Greek Oregano laid out in dryer trays for drying! Temperatures outside are getting cool, so since the Basil will freeze and I only have the one plant, I decided yesterday to hop-to and get it picked for drying! The Greek Oregano I can get anytime as it's winter hardy here in Florida. So, I tray Basil & 3 Trays of Greek Oregano. Once dry, I separate leaves from stems, crush up the leaves with my fingers on wax paper, then slide the herbs into a recycled glass herb bottle. Since I had so little Basil, I combined them in one bottle labeled "Italian Seasoning." Consumer Reports tested a number of common commercial herbs & spice brands for arsenic, cadmium & lead. Popular brands including Walmart Great Value, McCormick, Spice Islands, 365 Whole Foods, Badia and many others for particular spices & herbs: basil, oregano, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, etc. The report is not encouraging. A lot of them