Keeping with the theme from my last post, A Look Back and a Look Ahead, I am re-blogging a post from this day, August 8th a few years back. I laugh every time I see these pictures of the goats and their moving ears! My look ahead for the day is a moon rock of sorts; I am preparing for the next full moon. I have been having fun with round ice molds, edible luster dust, and a trip to the Virginia ABC store.
The low ball/rocks glass I picked up long long ago at a thrift store. I bought 8 of them. I cannot remember how much I paid for them, however, they had to be very inexpensive for me to buy them at the time. The only reason I bought them is because my elementary school mascot was the Roadrunner, and back them I had some occasions to use the glasses. I found one suitable to use for my moon rock cocktail experiment. I used two small bottles of HYPNOTIQ because one would not cover the round ice rock. I played around with the edible luster dust. (It comes in six colors.) I used silver and gold. I named the drink a roadrunner babe. 🙂
The post you see above with a new baby robin still in its nest is from August 8th 2023, though I believe the picture was taken before that date. Anyways, WordPress shows me throwback editions when I open my home page and there exists posts from the same day on previous years. I can decide it re-blog it or not. The title is so positive and the picture is so cute that I decided to re-post it.
Currently I am still reading Caribbean by James A. Michener. I am about 20% through the book. It is thick, and I do enjoy it, though, I am often distracted by others, so the going is slow. I am learning a lot of history about this part of the world. This book is a library loaner. I have recently purchased two more of his books that are not available through our library system.
I also purchased and received today an interesting book which I hope to share with others. It is a book for anyone, though the target audience is younger readers since it is a graphic novel. Graphic novels are so popular with the middle school students that I know. The book is The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds.
Since a movie has been recently released by the same title and based on the same original story, I was interested in getting my hands on a book that would be easier to read than Homer’s epic poem. I have linked the website for the author/illustrator that takes many classics and adapts the story in a graphic novel for younger students.
The smallest okra is 5.5 inches and the largest is 7.25. I think I waited too long to pick them. More are developing, and hopefully I will pick them before they get too big. I read that if you don’t pick them between 2-4 inches you risk them being too tough. If I pickle them this might be a problem, though if I cut them up for a stew I think they will be okay. You live and you learn. 🙂
I decided to cut them up and saute them with some minced tomato. This is an easy way to cook okra. You can see what the inside looks like if you are unfamiliar with okra.
I added a picture from today (8/4/2026). The biggest ones were a little tough compared to the smaller ones. I went out today and picked two more before they got too big. I remember eating them fried and added to soups from my university cafeteria days. The smaller ones were delicious and the bigger ones did not taste bad they were just too stringy for my tastes. I relate this to spinach because I love baby spinach but when it gets bigger I do not like it as much. It all depends on how you cook it. I will grow it again next year, and the season is still ongoing for more experimenting.
This picture of a Great Blue Heron was taken by me at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia many years ago. Recently in the news was their annual pony swim which was held last week, July 29th.
Last night I finished reading the book The Origin of Ava written by Annie Lampman. One of the main characters in this book was Dr. Avanthe Estmund, PhD, Professor of Ornithology (study of birds.) She loved all birds and many of the birds she mentions live in Ecuador which was a country where some parts of the book took place. She was originally from Idaho and grew up around the North Fork of the Clearwater River on the Nez Perce- Clearwater National Forest. She was particularly close to a Raven named Persephone. I will not tell you more since I think you should read this book. It follows three main characters that overcome overwhelming obstacles in their lives. It clearly demonstrates “the redemptive power of nature, time, and chosen family.” It is a book of fiction.
I chose to use the picture of the Great Blue Heron in this post because I wanted to honor all birds. This bird was not mentioned in the book.
I only have two weeks left before I go back to school. There is time to read another book or two. I looked up all the books written by James A. Michener and chose my next book to read. I have placed it on hold at my local library. I should pick it up early this week. It might take me all of the two weeks to read it with everything else in my life that I will still need to do, though it is much shorter than his first book I read.
This book was published the year I was married. Plus I was born on an island in the Caribbean sea.
James A. Michener is so detailed in his writing that I just might learn about some birds that live in the Caribbean. If not, I am sure I will learn some new things. He mixes lot of facts into his fiction.
I miss my water lilies. We had to totally clean out the pond this spring because the cattails had taken over. It was a mess to clean out, so I am skipping water plants this summer. Next summer I will probably put one in, and closely monitor cattail invasion. Without pond plants there have been very few dragonfly sightings.
Here are 3 pictures taken today of an Ironweed native plant named “Southern Cross”. It is just beginning to bloom. I purchased it out at the historic Abernathy & Spencer Green House & Garden Center in Lincoln, Virginia
My camera card is full of pictures, some I had never downloaded and really looked at. I chose one to highlight today. It is a picture of a North American Green Tree Frog that I took at Huntly Meadows Park in Fairfax County, Virginia. For more information about the frog look here: https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/amphibians/frogsandtoads/green-frog/index.php
Since I am not an expert, I am just guessing that it is a North American Green Tree Frog. I provided a link so that you could make your own determination.
Since the full Buck Moon is today/tonight, I did a little research on historical events that have happened around the full buck moon in July. I was surprised to see that the Apollo 11 Moon Landing was close to the full moon (not exactly on the full moon). They listed other historical events, though none appeared to have happened exactly on the day/night of the full moon. I did not do extensive research.
This is one of my favorite t-shirts. I wore it yesterday
I saw the buck moon last night and it was so lovely, it looked full even though it was only almost full. I hope to see it again tonight.
Cranberry bean update– I picked my third full bowl of the beans this afternoon. I have made 2 soups so far…soon to be 3. 🙂
Update 7/30/2026 –5:26 PM-– I did see the moon last night! After I had cleaned up everything for the day and turned off all the lights, I had the thought to check to see if I could see the moon, and sure enough it was front and center skimming the tree line directly in line of my kitchen window. I went outside and right on the threshold between inside and outside I got a beautiful full view of the Buck Moon. Light wispy clouds were hugging it and some moved across its surface, though none could dim its brightness and its beauty.
I have been thinking about Sangria since I posted the recipe of Cranberry Sangria that I found in an old cookbook. I have to admit that I normally stay away from red wine because I am sensitive to it. I discovered online that some people make sangria with white wine. I found a recipe titled Refreshing Sherry Sangria. This recipe intrigued me because since finding the recipe card for beef stroganoff that used sherry, I remembered that my father liked to drink sherry. The only sherry that I have used in the past was cooking sherry that I used with a lamb recipe. I decided that I should get a better quality of sherry to drink and see what is was like. If I didn’t like it I could use it with cooking certain foods.
In the recipe I found online it called for 1 bottle dry white wine (they recommended Sauvignon Blanc). The second ingredient was 1/2 cup Fino or Manzanilla sherry. The fruits it listed were 2 peaches, 2 lemons, and 1/2 cup green grapes, halved. It listed simple syrup and mint sprigs. Well the day I was buying ingredients the selection of peaches was not to my liking and I ended up buying only one. I could not find fresh mint in the grocery stores. (I used to grow it long ago. Maybe I should consider growing it again.) My daughter ate the peach, and I decided that I could do without this ingredient. I like experimenting. I was not going to make a big batch for myself. I got out one wine glass. I used the recipe simply as a guide. I decided to add cranberry juice for taste and color. The word sangria derives from the Spanish word sangre (or Portuguese sanque) meaning “blood”. The Blood Orange syrup was to honor the name and color of the original sangria, and I already had purchased it months ago for something else. I added the triple sec syrup to add sweetness . At first it was not to my liking, however, after I added 2 orange slices and several halved grapes and let the drink sit for awhile, it tasted good. I ended up finishing the drink with no ill effects to my health. I had a good nights sleep. I will continue to experiment.
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.
This is not a great picture but you can see that this variety of cardinal flower is more pink than red. The other cardinal flower that is just beginning to bloom is a true red. In any case, our hummingbird visitor went to both of them.
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.
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.
A collage of Swallowtail butterflies in my garden.The barn swallow also has the distinct forked-tail.
I found the swallowtail butterfly collage I put together long ago. I no longer do collages. Where does the name 'swallowtail' come from? I read somewhere that it is named after the barn swallow bird because they both have a forked-tail. I cannot vouch for the validity of this, however, I like this explanation.
I decided this post needed an audio addition. So, I went looking for an appropriate tune, and discovered the traditional Irish jig fiddle tune named, Swallowtail Jig.
movingforwardslowly 