Book of the Week

I just finished the book, "Minding Frankie", by Maeve Binchey.  I love it, as I've loved all of her books.  This one is part of a series of stories about a group of people in Ireland who live in the same neighborhood.  It deals with day to day problems that we all have, but the best thing is that it is a story about people who care about, and help one another.  I know this is the way people are meant to live, and it is sad that in the media, we are always reminded of the worst in people.  If you want a shot of good old caring and compassion, this is the book for you.

Sprinkling Cans

To keep our garden in peak condition, we try to fertilize every month or two.  We use Miracle Grow, and I add 2 tablespoons of the powder to a 2 gallon sprinkling can of water.  I love sprinkling cans----they are so nostalgic.  I have many, but some are so pretty that they stay in the house as decorations.  There are those attachments you can use with a hose, and Duane is very proficient at using them for the lawn, but I prefer a good old fashioned sprinkling can.  I do use Bayer Rose and Flower fertilizer for the roses because it not only fertilizes the roses, it keeps the aphids and other bugs off.  The sprinkling can in this photo was a gift from Adam and Melissa, and except for this picture, it stays in the house.  I love it!

ANOTHER EASY RECIPE

Roasted Cornish Hens and Grapes (or you can substitute bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  On a rimmed baking sheet, toss 1 1/2 lbs of mixed red and green seedless grapes with 8 shallots or small onions.  Add 6 sprigs of thyme, stem and all, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil all over with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Mix with your hands.  Use 4 cornish hens, or 4 chicken breasts.  Tie the legs together if you are using hens.  Nestle hens or breasts in the grape mixture.  Utilize olive oil on the bottom of the pan to also oil the hens or breasts.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and some additional thyme leaves.  Roast, basting poultry occasionally with pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the leg or breast registers 160 degrees....about 40 minutes.  Yum......

A "Friend" in My Garden

Duane and I saw the gopher snake again today.  This time it was in the shade on the side of the yard.  I really want to get used to seeing it, and to view it as our friend.  After all, it has some of the same goals that we do.....getting rid of ground squirrels, mice, bugs, rattlesnakes, and of course gophers.  So, we've named him "Hector the Inspector" partly because Duane is an Inspector of Record for California.  Hopefully he will keep inspecting and ridding our yard of unwanted pests.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was fantastic for me.  I still can't believe that my children are having Me over these days.  Adam and Melissa hosted the celebration, and Heather and I were the guests of honor.  I think I should now call Adam "Emeril".  His cooking is superb!  Not only did we have the best tri tip roast ever, but the appetizers (made by Melissa) were out of this world.  I hope to post the recipe for their smoked jalapeno peppers soon.  The ambiance was perfect too, with music from their new ipad selections.  Of course we can't forget that the grandkids were there too.  Cute little Maddie made me the best stepping stone ever for my garden.  Thanks to all for a wonderful day!

More Mothers....

Here are some of the best.....After Uncle Rick from left to right we have my Aunt Tillie, my Maternal Grandmother Augusta, My Mom and My Aunt Jo.  In the front we have my cousin Barbara, Aunt Jo's daughter who is very special to me too.

Happy Mother's Day!

A tribute to a great lady who was like a mother to me in many ways, my Aunt Jo.  Here she is with baby Heather in 1974. 

Remembering Special Mothers

My Mom with sister Darlene in 1956 on Wooddard Avenue in Chicago.

Sister Darlene with Heather, and Me with Chantelle at Grandma's farm in Koleen, Indiana.

Heather, me and Adam about 1988 at the Shirlmar house in San Dimas, California.

At Heather's graduation from Cal Poly, 1997.  I was so proud!

Heather, with Reese and Maddie on Mother's Day 2010, love, love, love them!

My sister Darlene, with her daughter, Chantelle in Belize for Adam's wedding.

Melissa with Kevin and Lindsey's baby, Peyton.  A "natural" mother for sure!

Tasty Marinade

Here's a great all purpose marinade for grilling steak, chicken or pork:

Mustard-Soy Marinade

1 tablespoon dry mustard                           
1/2 cup water                                            
1 cup soy sauce                                         
3 cloves of garlic minced
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of bourbon or whiskey

Mix mustard with a little water to make a paste, then add other ingredients.  Pour over meat which is in a glass dish or plastic bag.  Marinate in refrigerator for one or two hours.  You can baste meat with it too while the meat is cooking. 

PONDS in the GARDEN

In 1999 I was sent to a class for the bank where I was employed.  I was there for 3 days, and when I got home, to my utter delight, I had a new pond in my back yard.  Adam and a couple of his friends dug it, filled it with fish, frogs, turtles and plants, and went up into the mountains and brought back some huge rocks to place around it.  It was so pretty!  Unfortunately, when we built the new house, the pond had to be dismantled to make way for a swimming pool.  All of the wildlife was saved and placed in a friend's pond, and one of the frogs had grown to be quite a large specimen.  Now that Adam has his own house, he put a pond in his backyard.  Problem is, the dogs use it like a pool and love to eat the plants.  We had all sorts of visitors to our pond too, like a blue heron, and a bear, and lots of other animals and birds used it for a water source.  One of the prettiest sights were the dragonflies in all sorts of colors like orange and blue.

Tomatoes and Peppers

Planted our 3rd and last raised bed today with tomatoes and peppers.  Looking forward to big crops!  The lettuce and radishes we planted have kept us in salads for a month now.  Looks like we'll have kohlrabi and beets soon.  So much fun to go out and see what we can have for dinner.