A flavorful drink you could serve tomorrow while watching the FIFA 2026 finals. *The above image and caption was AI generated. I think its pictures are getter better each time I use it.
Cranberry Sangria
A Look Back: My Number Obsession
WordPress gave me a reminder of what I posted on this day in 2018, and I also had a post on this day in 2016. I found this post to be the most interesting.
I am no longer dreaming of numbers.
The picture and caption are both AI generated.
A Sangria Connection
I have been following the FIFA World Cup 2026. As many of you know, France is playing Spain tomorrow in the semi-finals.
I have recently posted about my experiences of eating certain foods in France when I was in my early 20’s. I also traveled to Spain with a student group when I was 16, and still in high school. My most vivid memory of that trip involved a dining experience. I had an alcoholic beverage for the first time in my life there. I drank sangria with dinner at a restaurant in Madrid. I liked the taste of it, but it made me feel unwell. (So much for my first experience with alcohol.) I should mention that it was legal in Spain for me to drink sangria with dinner.
Today, I decided to look up where sangria originated. My browser’s AI stated that it originated in Spain, and particularly in the Andalusia region which is mainly where the student group and I traveled on our trip. We landed in Malaga, then traveled to Granada, and then Seville, and ended up in Madrid. I have no pictures from this trip. I bought postcards. It was 1975 and cell phones did not exist.
Another interesting thing I learned today is that America was introduced to sangria at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Sangria was served at the popular Spanish Pavilion.
I was there at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Sadly, I have no memories of the Spanish Pavilion or of sangria. I was 5 years old!
In any case, I wish both France and Spain good luck with the semi-final game!
Side note–To prove that I was there with my family at the 1964 New York World’s Fair I will post a few pictures and hopefully I can link a past post about it.
https://movingforwardslowly.com/2023/12/10/worlds-fair-1964-65/
This picture you see is from this fair. It was in a post about the Chrysler Pentastar logo you see in this picture. The words I posted have disappeared. Only the picture remains.
A Surviving Flower
I was outside trying to cut back weeds and remove water from a couple of flooded places. The weeds are thriving with all the rain. As I was working in an area where I have an old large Hosta named ‘June’ that is often surrounded by weed overgrowth, my eye caught a spot of lavender color. I reached down and pulled up this flower. I planted this Hosta long ago since the name June is a family name. I don’t like to cut flowers from the garden, however, I knew its beauty would be lost where I found it, so I cut it and brought it inside.
I wondered where I could put it to showcase it. I remembered this rectangular Ikebana vase that I purchased from the National Museum of Asian Art many years ago. I was not using it and it was stored away. I got it out, and then I had to decide where to put it. I wanted a place that receives sunlight, and I thought of one of our bedrooms. This picture not only shows the beautiful Hosta flower and Ikebana vase, it also shows my dad’s ginger jar lamp that he made. This lamp was always in my family home as I was growing up. I think my dad made it in Hawaii, and that is where my brother was born. So, this lamp is older than I am. I think it was rewired at some point long ago. I posted about this lamp here on my blog many years ago. See the link below
https://movingforwardslowly.com/2018/06/17/my-dads-ginger-jar-lamp/
I posted this long ago and I have since moved the lamp to its current location. I could not get a good picture of the lamp when I originally wrote about my dad and this lamp. Today as I was taking a picture of the flower I realized I had a good picture of his lamp, so I thought I should link my original post about it.
A Lentil Education
I like to spend some vacation time exploring new foods and recipes. This summer is no exception. I have had lentils on my mind since I posted about tasting sea urchin in southern France when I was in my early twenties. The reason lentils have been on my mind is because I have a strong memory about lentils I ate in France when I was on vacation with my sister and her boyfriend. I decided I wanted to try and make them the same way. I have only ever cooked lentils by adding them to soups or stews. The cooked lentils I ate in France were not soft nor were they hard. They were served cold with what I think was olive oil and fresh lemon juice. When I tried to research French recipes for lentils, I was in for a lentil education.
It turns out there is a special lentil called French lentils. They are smaller and rounder and darker than the regular lentils I have cooked with in the past. I think this must be the type of lentils I remembered from long ago in France. I also discovered there are more varieties of lentils than I realized. I added the sushi rice because this was also a new discovery for me. I read an article recently that stated scientists tested different types of rice for arsenic. They mentioned sushi rice (which I had no idea there was such a thing.) They stated it had the lowest levels of arsenic.
I looked up where I could buy French lentils and it turns out that Mom’s Organic Market not far from where I live carries French lentils in bulk. I went there today and was able to find them. I also saw golden lentils and wanted to try them. My eyes surveyed their wide selection of dried bulk items and I found sushi rice! I had to buy some of it. How to make it is another lesson I learned today. I love the internet for looking up foods and recipes even though I have numerous cookbooks.
On another subject— I saw my first hummingbird in our garden late this afternoon. My husband saw it first and called my attention to it. It was in clear view of our kitchen window. I purposely planted two new cardinal flowers to attract the hummingbirds to a location where we could easily see them from inside. The spaceship rose cardinal flower is pictured below. The other cardinal flower is just beginning to bloom in the past couple of days.
A Joyful Return to 2026
I have been on hold several times today with the same company trying to get through. Each time I have given up because of necessary interruptions. The last time I was on hold I was walking around my kitchen, and when I looked outside I could not believe my eyes. There next to the Crocosmia Lucifer I spotted the first Gladiolus of 2026. I was out there earlier today and nothing was open, and then suddenly I see 4 blooms open. Amazing! I went outside and there are many gladiolus of this same color showing their colors now. I guess the rain we have been getting is fueling their growth.
I will try calling the company I am trying to reach early tomorrow morning.
Wish me luck.
Flashback to 2018
As I have been cleaning and organizing our home and going through cabinets and closets, I have been finding all sorts of interesting things that I had forgotten about. When an item is found it brings back memories. I ran across this chalice still in its box in a china cabinet. The charity partnership between Stella Artois and Water.org that was going on in 2018 motivated me to buy this chalice. When Amazon.com had the Smile option where you could have a percentage of your purchases go to the charity of your choice, I explored the participating organizations and that is how I was introduced to water.org.
I do like the beer Stella Artois, though, I rarely drink these days. I definitely thought at the time that it was a worthy promotion for water.org and Stella Artois. You should check out the Stella Artois website. They are an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Stamps and Feathers
The USPS issued a new stamp yesterday. I read this in the news this morning, so I went to their website to check it out. I ended up buying a sheet of 20. I like the way the feathers are arranged to make the date 1776. This got me to thinking about some recent feathers I have found in my garden this summer.
About 2 to 3 weeks ago I was looking out my kitchen window, and I wondered where the hawks have been going these days because I had not seen any in a couple months. About 3-4 days later I witnessed a hawk visiting our garden. It was smaller than any I had seen before. I guessed it was a young hawk. You would think I would be a hawk expert by now, but I am not. I cannot determine whether the hawk was a Cooper’s Hawk or a Sharp-Skinned Hawk. The Sharp-Skinned is the smaller of the two, however, a young Cooper’s would be smaller than an adult. I was very excited when I found a feather in my garden that must be from the hawk I spotted. He has visited a few more times since the first sighting. I will show you the hawk feather with a dove feather, and 2 catbird feathers. All are from our garden.
Update on 7/9/2026 -- The hawk was back today. It was sitting on the old raised bird bath. A very heavy solid bird bath that looks like stone, though because of the worn look on the bottom of the bowl makes me think it is a composite of materials.
I got a better look at this hawk through binoculars; and because of where it was sitting, I could judge its size better than previous sightings. The hawk has no red or rust coloration, possibly because of age. I also got a good look at its talons (claws) They did not appear nearly as big as other hawks I have seen. I also got a better look at its tail feathers, and they looked more squared off than rounded. I am becoming more convinced that it is a relatively young sharp-skinned hawk. The yard was clear of all other birds, so it is still capable of frightening the other birds. (Sorry, no pics) I would have to already be in the yard with my camera in a hiding spot to capture a good picture. Its visits are too irregular, and I am too busy inside to spend time doing this.
The reason I was able to capture this picture is because I already had my camera set up on our deck with a long lens before the hawk came hunting. It was pure luck, and as I recall it was my birthday, so I had taken the day off work. My husband and I later traveled downtown for some sightseeing, though I don't think anything we saw there was as exciting as what I saw at home in the morning.
Cheers to America on her 250th Birthday!
Stay alert and do not drink and drive. We are home for the night watching the festivities downtown on television.
Let the Celebrations Begin!
I was planning on an indoor dinner celebration before the extreme heat arrived. I went outside early this morning to give water to areas in my garden. Already it was hot! I am so glad that I am not cooking outdoors today or tomorrow. All food will be prepared inside. I already have cooked a big pot of hearty seafood stew using a variety of vegetables with jumbo shrimp and catfish. I will be making a big fresh salad with lots of red including: radishes, red cabbage, red pepper, and tomatoes. Of course their will be green such as red leaf lettuce, cucumbers, and avocado on the side. My favorite salad dressing will be made using a Good Seasons Italian packet. I am getting ready to make for the first time Anthony Bourdain’s Rouille to spread on toasted organic sourdough bread.
The table is partially set. I put out the big pot with the seafood stew in it for this picture. More preparations will be done today.
I included a flower spotlight for today- Rudbeckia hirta -- Lion's Cub.
I hope anyone that might read this has a fantastic Independence Weekend!
JULY 4th Update: a couple food pictures.
movingforwardslowly 