Lovely Color Change

In this part of the country we are gently transitioning into the next season .  The colors are slowly changing on many plants .  I find it so enjoyable to watch the changes that are so unique to this time of the year .  I don't think the other seasonal changes at other times of the year are quite as spectacular . Even though Spring Time is very dynamic .

This Magnolia Stellata "Royal Star" is very close to the brillant Euonymus Alatus "Burning Bush" and presents a beautiful contrast of colors .

Oh , how I love my Pansies and they sure like the cooler weather .  Even though today is a bright high 70 degree day . 

The loveliness of the the Gerber Daisies and Zinnias continue .

And, the stunning White Chrysanthemums have joined the party !

Do you have Squirrels in your gardens ? We have them year round and I enjoy their chatter and acrobatic antics .  But , I do not like it when they dig up my recently planted bulbs - - - - - even when I have tried to protect my precious tulips and daffodils with netting.  Of all the nerve of them ! No , No , No !

I have not been able to get a nice photo of these little visitors as they move so fast !

(google image)

They don't only go after my bulbs .  They have been busy digging holes all over the garden .  Which is OK with me .  Sometimes hiding walnuts they have found and acorns that are all over the garden .  They also have dug out a total of 4 of my pansy plants that didn't recover .   Don't warn them - but - I sprinkled a little something that sometimes deters them !!!

Is has been a beautiful day and I have spent a lot of time outside puttering in the garden .  I had a little better night getting some sleep .  Using the Hemp Balm regularly on my right knee. Seems to help . Still listening to my soothing music for most of the time .  Good for my psyche and physical discomfort .  Not living in a vacuum , still know what's going on in the world .

Take Care ,  Keep the faith in what you believe !

Mary

Bone On Bone

Sounds awful , doesn't it ?  I was not surprised . Much more severe on the right knee than the left !  My Orthopedic evaluation was at a newly opened 8 Million Dollar Medical Clinic about 15 minutes from my home . The new facility is great and beautiful with all the latest diagnostic equipment .  And , the staff is very good and certainly seem very happy to working in such a nice facility .

Look - even an Electric Car Charger Station . How is that for serving the public in this small rural area?

Back to Bones ! Additional x-rays were taken at request of the surgeon.  When she came into the exam room she told me that a Total Knee Replacement for both knees was the treatment recommendation .  Even though I was expecting that , it was very hard for me to hear . The surgeon was exceptionally pleasant and we had a very in depth discussion of the situation including Rehab center and in-home health care and physical therapy.  She said the Minimally Invasive Surgery was not an option .  We discussed the ramifications of Covid 19 and in her opinion there probably will be a serge at the end of the year .  Surgery of the right knee only is scheduled for December 1 at the local hospital where she has been on staff for over seven years .  I will start physical therapy as soon as it can be scheduled to develop improved muscle tone which will help in the recovery .  She said that in her opinion I was a very physically fit person and young !!! WOW !  And , recovery would be only about 2 months . And , if I desired , the left knee could then be scheduled .

 

So , there we have it , all "the Nuts and Bolts"!  The reality of my situation is becoming very real and I will have time to properly prepare for the surgery .

The weather has been wonderful .  Truly , Fall weather .  This is the view from my dining room window !

I am going to have a bowl of Squash Soup and Oatmeal Casserole Bread for dinner . I had never heard of Casserole Bread . Do you know what it is ? It is described as a no-knead bread that is slightly sweat , thanks to molasses and oatmeal that gives it a nice chewy texture . And , baked in a casserole dish .  Of course , it can be baked in a loaf pan and even a cast-iron skillet .

After resting somewhat after I got home at 12:30 PM (appointment was at 9:45 AM) I decided to make some casserole bread .

This is after all the ingredients are mixed and ready to sit and rise for an hour .

This is after the dough is "punched down" and put into The Casserole to rise again for 30 minutes . It rose to the top of the dish quickly and before the 30 minute time frame !  But , into the oven it went .

Oh dear , look what is happening ! My Casserole Bread "runneth over" !

Probably because I used pizza crust quick rise yeast because that is all I had .  I should have watched it closer !

I took it out of the oven to soon because it was spilling all over and it wasn't baked through .  Oh , it had such potential of looking like the beautiful pictures of others and tasting great with my soup . It was sooooo under baked .

(King Arthur Website)

Oh well , tomorrow is a new day and new adventures .

Hope you are all doing well .

Mary

Another Goodie

First off - - - the pain in my right knee and leg and foot is almost unbearable .  I don't see a pattern . Sometimes it is not bad but most of the time SO painful and debilitating.  The ice packs help and small periods of activity interspersed with rest and elevation of my legs makes life bearable . Finally , went and got the ordered x-rays and it was tortuous besides having to wait a long time !  Well, got that off my thoughts so now let's get on with  life .

Hobbling around the kitchen when I can ! 

I don't think I have ever prepared Hungarian Stew . So , a  couple days ago I did this .

This is Porkolt (a flavorful stew) Made With Pork .  I had intended to go out a little further and made Galuska (Hungarian Dumplings) to serve with it . But , I had too much pain . Galuska sounds so exotic . But , when I read the recipe I was surprised it sounded so simple .

The stew is so easy , just a lot of chopping and cutting . Sour cream can be stirred in just before serving . But , I like it served on top .  And , of course the stew can be served on top of wide noodles or rice instead of Galuska .

I forgot that I have this nice mandolin vegetable chopper , slicer , dicer , julienner.

It made quick work of dicing 2 large onions .  That's a lot of onions and could mean a lot of stinging in my eyes . But , no tears with dicing this way .  And , it literally only took seconds to dice after readying the onions .  It looks like there are "a zillion different" slicers on the market and opinions .  This is the only one I have and it works great for my needs .  

How could I forget about this very useful and fun gadget ?  I guess because I haven't used it since I bought it quite a while ago .  Maybe,  I am starting to have an 😉 "old memory" !

Hungarian Paprika is a featured spice for this dish .  It is a sweet paprika which differs from regular paprika which is hot . You need tablespoons of sweet paprika verses teaspoons of hot paprika . 

It is so nice to have yummy homemade food in the freezer . And , it is much healthier and flavorful .

I have been having a great time in the kitchen .  It challenges me some and posting on the blog gives me some creative time .

Still , a little color in the garden . Not much but there are some beautiful Autumn colors here and there .  Even though I am hobbling around I have still been going out into the garden to do a few things to keep it presentable  and watered so the plants don't die .

UNFORTUNEATELY , "The Workers" did not work out in helping me with my home maintenance and garden upkeep !  They are not the least bit detail oriented .  Because of my knee/leg pain ,  I did not walk around the house after the debris was blown off the roof last week .  Later when I was able and walked around the house I could hardly believe my eyes with the amount of mess at ground  level . And , I had been specific about ground level cleanup .  And , the surrounding flower beds were a mess with leaves , pine needles and the shedding short needles from the cedar trees .  There are ways of blowing the roof off without this undesired result . There are other reasons for my cancelling further work but I won't go into detail . Back to "square one" .

It is so difficult to find help and as a senior single woman living alone I have to be cautious about anyone entering my home to do inside repair . I must call references (and more than one) in the future .  The few people that I know well enough in the neighborhood to ask , don't have any suggestions .  I'll keep working on it .

 I still do not have my generator connected so I can "just flip a switch" .  I have purchased a 20 lb. propane tank that weighs 37 lb. when filled .  Which means I could not lift it from the trunk . I asked someone who was walking by if he could remove it from my trunk and he and his wife were very helpful .  My area is a desirable area for people taking daily walks . They drive and park in parking lots and then take their daily walks around the neighborhood .

Planning to be back soon .  My garden grown Acorn Squash is ripe !

Mary

Is This An Important Science Project

   

Or What ? 

😀
   

It feels a bit silly watching this ONE ACORN SQUASH grow when there are so many wonderful blog photos with squash over growing their boundaries that their owners established .  And , they are looking for ways to use the bounty that their garden has produced!

Oh Well , I'll keep watching my acorn squash ! 

Return in about a week and I should be done with this little adventure in my garden . 

It is almost impossible to imagine that our world affairs could get any worse !  But, we know it could . Let's all generate a bounty of positive energy and pray for better times .

See you soon .  Everyone take special care .

Mary

The Changing Season

The mornings are brisk with the thermometer reading around sixty and the freshness of a new day is invigorating especially following the preceding months of unimaginable dreadful weather conditions.  In the last few days we have been given air quality that begs for taking a nice deep breath of fresh air.

The colors in the garden are dramatically changing to clothe the bright greens with gradual shades of amber .

This sight from my dining room window of this Euonymus Alatus - "Burning Bush" slowly transforming into a bright crimson red is always the first harbinger of Fall .  And, it is the first sight that greets me in the morning when I open the curtains .  There is something about it that always brings excitement to my day and puts a pep in my step .

I have noticed a small seedling at the base of the plant and I think it is suitable for transplanting !  Now , I just have to decide where to plant it so that it will get lots of sun like "the mother plant" .

Not long ago I tossed some Zinnia seeds haphazardly in a sunny spot with not much thought if they would bloom this late in the season .  And , what a lovely surprise .  I know their reputation is note worthy and many bloggers have spoken of their bright cheerfulness !  And - - - now I have some of that cheerfulness .

WOW ! About the time I think I have the new Blogger format figured out , I get slapped in the face with total frustration !  I am finding that there are quite a few websites available that I find are helpful.  Https://too-clever-by-half.blogspot.com/ helps me in moving images around !! Thought I would share .

Wishing you smooth Blogging .

Mary 

Couldn't Believe My Eyes

 Surprise - Surprise . 

Looks like we got a mama squash !

No baby bump on this guy .  He will probably fall off in no time .  

We will follow along day by day .  Gardening sure has it's level of excitement .

I don't believe I ever showed you this Peace Pole .  Love the sentiment .

And , the colors are great along with the color of my house .  When I saw it  - it was a done deal . Had to buy it !

My house sits on the corner and this is the side of the house that is viewed most from the street .  The house is kind of nestled under a lot of trees . Thus , the bright color is somewhat muted by all the towering green trees . I don't think this house color would work very well if the house sat out in the open .  Maybe , a little to bright !!! 

The front of the house at the front door does not have any windows to show you the blue shutters . The front door is around to the right at the patio entrance . 

The color says it all . I call it "My Happy House" !

Peace Be With You .  

Mary

Where Are The Females

 Look at all of these handsome Male Blossoms on my Acorn Squash!

They are falling off the the vine by the way side left and right just waiting for some ladies to pollinate with . I'm learning that it is not unusual for the first blossoms which are male to drop off .  Squash plants have both male and female blossoms growing on the same plant . The squash plant will produce more blossoms and supposedly will be a mix of female and male blossoms . The male guys will still drop off and the gals will grow into squash !

Another reason for no squash (which I think is the culprit) is lack of pollinating insects such as honeybees . I haven't seen any bees in my garden for months ! Nor have I seen any bumble bees since spring time .This has been becoming a problem in the US for quite some time now . I guess it's a tossup as to what the results will be with my squash .

The Zucchini Squash continues to slowly produce one squash after another giving me just enough time to cook or bake with , when it gives me another squash .  So well behaved !

A little Friday night cooking for ME.

Cheesy Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast

That's Ooey Gooey Mozzarella cheese and a delightful seasoned rub on the Chicken . Along with Royal Blend Rice that is Texmati, White, Brown, Wild and Red Rice . Texmati is a hybrid between basmati and regular long grain rice .  

Oh , and the Parsley is from my garden . 😀

Wish you could join me for dinner .  We will have Wine too !

Hope your weekend goes well .

Mary