Category: Seasonal

Food for Father – Summer Solstice 2026

Salad plate
Beef ribs, Yuca, and Corn on the Cob

Before this weekend I had not used my Big Green Egg outdoor cooker in 2026. I have been too busy cleaning and organizing inside and outside, trying to make this summer as enjoyable as possible.

The duo of Father’s Day and Summer Solstice occurring on the same day seemed like the perfect time to start my outdoor cooking adventures.

At Food Lion the other day I was looking for some type of beef to cook. I was amazed to see Beef Ribs! The meat department worker was right there putting out meat, and I exclaimed to him, “I can’t believe you have beef ribs. I have never been able to find them before now. I remember my parents preferring to cook beef ribs instead of pork ribs.” The meat department worker responded, “we occasionally get 1 or 2 boxes of them. I put out 6 packages this morning and now we are down to 2. Sometimes one person will see them and buy all of them. Next time you shop here, if you don’t see any, ask the butcher to look in back.”

I decided to also pick up 3 yuca roots (also known as cassava or manioc.) My mother used to make it frequently since her husband was from Paraguay. She would boil it. I have never made it until this weekend. Peeling it and cutting it up is a chore. Then I just covered it with water and boiled it, and drained it. It turned out just like my mother’s. I chose yuca over potatoes or bread because the glycemic index for it is very low, and as a matter of fact, all this food has a fairly low glycemic index. My husband was diagnosed with adult onset diabetes several years ago. He has been very good about eating the right food ever since then. He thought the beef ribs were a little too fatty. I loved them! They were slow cooked at low heat, so the meat was very tender. I used a dry rub for seasoning.

Happy Father’s Day and celebrate summer!

Juneteenth Flowers

Today is Juneteenth and my official start to summer break.

My garden is showing off many colors this year. The featured picture shows a few.

I have many white Asiatic lilies and an abundance of Going Bananas daylilies blooming. The dark Asiatic lily is only one plant with several blooms.

I have several other flowers blooming now. Some are new additions and others have been with me for many years.

I am patiently watching some Sweet Purple asparagus beginning their first season of growth. I was so busy that I planted the crowns at the tail end of what is acceptable. I will not be able to harvest any until their 3rd season. (They are a perennial vegetable.) It is a learning experience for me. Across from them in another raised bed I am growing 3 types of beans: cranberry, lima, and goldilocks yellow. They are doing well.

I will end with showing you a cranesbill hardy geranium I planted in a big planter.

The picture is not the best, however since I already posted a picture of a beautiful annual geranium, I thought it would be nice to show a perennial geranium.

Palm Leaf Patterns

Seamless pattern of green tropical palm leaves on light background
Pattern of dense green and brown fan-shaped palm leaves overlapping
I thought it would be fun to experiment with the image generator again. The palm patterns on my clothes are more varied than these examples,and some are more suble than others.Though,I really do like this new image generator.

Saturday morning before others were awake I started to reorganize my closet. It started with me trying to locate a new top that I have rarely worn. I could not find it, so I kept looking deeper and deeper into the closet, and in the process brought forth my spring and summer clothes, and pushed to the back the winter and fall clothes. One advantage or disadvantage to getting older is that I have had more time to accumulate clothes. I do periodically go through and do some purging, but not as frequently as I should. Unfortunately, my closet has not gotten any bigger.

The whole process took more time than I thought it would especially since I had interruptions with helping my family when they woke up, and now I am feeling unproductive since I have not gotten outside.

One interesting thing that I noticed is that in recent years I have acquired more clothes that have a variation of palm leaf patterns. As a matter of fact, my favorite garden pants, which I frequently wear at home, are made of a soft cotton with palm leaf patterns all over them. The colors are cream, celery, and sage.

Subconsciously, I must really like the palm leaf. It has good symbolism across many cultures and religions. And also, palm leaves were used in antiquity for writing manuscripts.

Hopefully, tomorrow I will be productive outside in the garden. The rest of today I will devote to doing laundry, and of course taking care of my family.

Oh, When the Ants Come Marching In…

Today is the vernal equinox or the start of spring, though I do not need a calendar to know that spring is upon us. I have been seeing the signs of spring all this week, (even with the crazy temperatures we have been witnessing.) First I saw some yellow crocuses beginning to rise up and bloom, and then I saw my diminutive iris blooming by our mailbox, and then just yesterday I noticed the tulip magnolia tree near an entrance to my school beginning to show an increasing number of pink buds.

Yesterday I noticed to my dismay the small black ants wanting to come through the radiator in my personal bathroom. We have an older home, so we have a few places where every spring I can reliably see the tiny black ants wanting to seek new territory inside. They are easily eliminated and pose no problems once the season is in full swing. They are a sure-fire beacon of the change of season.

Early this morning when I looked out the kitchen window I saw the wild cherry in our backyard showing a spray of opened blooms. They have suddenly appeared, almost overnight it seems. The popular cherry blossoms downtown around the tidal basin are showing their signs, though I am not sure what stage they are in at this point.

Here are a few pictures of our backyard wild cherry tree blossoms.

I am off work today because of Eid. 
"May this Eid be a reminder to carry kindness, gratitude, and generosity throughout the year."

Snow Shadows

Smile

As I was drinking my chocolate macadamia nut coffee topped with marshmallow whipped cream, I saw tree shadows dancing across the snow as the wind stirred up their tempo.

Turning the page on my Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening calendar 2026, I see the “Leaves that Please” of February. Tonight the full Snow Moon will rise, and tomorrow the question of the day will be : Did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?

I think he will!

Snow Day 3!

This is how I am feeling today — worn out from baking cookies.

My husband shoveled our driveway yesterday. He said it is like blocks of cement out there. The temperatures outside have been varying between the mid single digit range with wind chill at zero or below, and when it warms up it reaches the low to mid 20’s. I have stayed inside cooking and baking. At least we have been well-fed.

I received a Spring 2026 catalog from Vermont Bean Seed company recently. I shopped for seeds and indoor grow lights yesterday. My intention is to give vegetable growing another try. I have been reading up on planting asparagus from crowns. I first read about growing asparagus last year in a Martha Stewart article. I learned that asparagus is a perennial vegetable, and this interested me since I have experience growing many perennial flowers. Yesterday, I ordered some asparagus crowns, a Sweet Purple variety. I hope to do the preparation work early spring. “Hope springs eternal…” (This is a partial quote from Alexander Pope 1733.)

Thinking about spring helps to weather the winter pauses. I hear there is the possibility of another winter weather system coming this weekend.

Stay warm and don’t hurt yourself shoveling!

Winter Rain – Birds and Beavers

I will not bemoan the rain. It brings life to the pond and thirsty ground.

Looking out my kitchen window at the rain, I can see a gentle mourning dove take a dip among the bent-over dried cattail stalks, using them as a flotation pad. The grey and white juncos are all about enjoying the rain. Winter is when they visit my garden.

The thawed out ice in the pond and fountain makes the water more accessible for all.

While doing chores inside I ran across a 1989 five cent Canadian coin among the knick- knacks in a drawer. On one side is engraved a master builder beaver. This made me wonder how our local beavers (at Beaverdam Reservoir in Ashburn, Virginia) are faring this winter?

While attempting to answer this question with an online search, I discovered that the world’s largest beaver dam in the world is located in Canada. “Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest national park in Canada… having one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world- the Peace Athabasca Delta.” This quote is from the website: parks.canada.ca They claim it can be seen by satellites in space.

Now I can understand why the beaver is engraved on their coin, though, my original question about our local beavers remains unanswered.

Hello January!

I have not made any resolutions per se, though, I would like to remember to buy flowers more often to brighten the table on the cold winter days ahead of us.

Yesterday I made https://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/quakers-chewy-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies. To the left of these flowers sits a jumbo size Mason jar full of cookies I made from this recipe. The nuts was an optional ingredient. I added chopped pecans. I found my favorite wrap around bib apron the other day, which means I don’t have to change my clothes to cook and bake, so I hope to do more baking through the winter.

Early this morning I woke to a light dusting of snow outside. I hope the winter brings some beautiful days of snow, and yet not too much to cause big problems for travelers.

Let us celebrate the season for it is part of nature’s cycle!

Don’t Knock the Shoebox –From Dollhouses to Nativity Scenes, and to Habitat Dioramas

Recently I saw an online news headline which used the phrase "shoebox size" to describe the size of a home. It was being used in a denigrating way to mock the size of a home. This got me to thinking about all the uses of shoeboxes. Then I remembered seeing students make habitat dioramas using shoeboxes. I started to research the use of cardboard boxes in different types of crafts. I was amazed at all the numerous websites that show examples of cardboard box crafts. I decided to ask the AI image generator on my WordPress resource to generate an image of a "shoebox nativity scene", next a "cardboard shoebox dollhouse", and lastly  I asked for a "shoebox habitat diorama." Above you can see the images it produced based on these prompts. I especially like the use of an old worn out shoe in the outdoor habitat diorama. This made me laugh.

Many school holidays will be beginning soon, if they have not already started. I think making shoebox nativity scenes to teach about the birth of Jesus, or dollhouses to give as gifts, or habitat dioramas to teach a little science, are all great ideas of ways to spend quality time with your children, friends, nephews, nieces, or neighbors. This might make a greater childhood memory, and have a greater impact on their creativity, than simply buying something.

Anyone who uses the phrase "shoebox size" to describe a home is a snob. Maybe they need to do a little research on all the creative ways to use and enjoy a shoebox, and be grateful for what they do have. (This a just an older lady's advice. Take it or leave it, but don't knock the size of a shoebox size home, at least not in a public forum.)