May 24, 2009
· Filed under Apartment Gardening
My salad garden on the balcony is coming along nicely. I’ve had two more decent sized salads and today managed salad for two! The baby romaine, spinach, pak choy and red leaf lettuce plants came from the west HyVee here in town. It’s been a little tricky to keep them adequately watered as my balcony gets a lot of late day sun with it’s south westerly exposure, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. One nice thing about the plants being in a planter is that if it gets very hot and windy, I can just pull the box inside into the air conditioning for a while!
Here is a Polish inspired salad I made with beets, sauerkraut, salami and my lettuce.
For today’s lunch, I sauteed some sugar snap peas ( I wonder if I could grow them on the balcony??) and added them to the greens which made for a slightly warm salad….dressed it with olive oil and a splash of soy sauce, sprinkled with toasted Chinese noodles and served with chicken breast. Not bad!
May 20, 2009
· Filed under Just Joey Bits
Just reading an update on Susan E’s mother who wound up in the hospital with some serious stuff going on has made me think about health related things. I had a heart attack 3 1/2 years ago. Thanks to modern technology and very clear signs that is was a heart attack (and Steven) I got in and out of the hospital amazingly fast. I’ve been on various meds since then though and feel like I’ve been in a multi year nap. Luckily, I’ve been able to cut back on the meds, and now I feel like I am finally waking up…kind of like Gray Kitty here after one of her naps!
So where is all this going? I am just reminded this morning that health, good health, is kind of a subtle tricky thing. When you feel well, it is really easy to take it for granted… cut corners and try to get by with less than healthy eating and exercise habits, but eventually it can catch up with you, in a sudden and unexpected way. So everyone get out there and take a walk today, eat a nice healthy salad, and take good care of yourself!
May 18, 2009
· Filed under Weekend Reflections
No, this is not some new disease. If you have it, you know it, and you never quite get rid of it. Mine started when I was in college at Purdue taking Animal Science 101 and had to spend a few hours at the Purdue Dairy Farm helping with milking. Cows…..they just rock. What else can I say? Big, sweet, friendly, laid back animals in a variety of beautiful colors and patterns, I never tire of hearing them yank some grass and chew chew chew. It’s such a peaceful sound. Then there is the sound of lazy tails swatting flies, huge deep loving eyes and tongues that feel like thick tickley duct tape. I love the smell of cows, the way they move, the way they casually check you out and then go back to their grazing. I love their adorable ears. And baby calves….well don’t even get me started!
These pics are from 2007 on a Sunday afternoon trip to Picket Fence Creamery for one of their tasting days. And speaking of tasting….ICE CREAM…where does it come from? Cows!
May 14, 2009
· Filed under Green grass, flowers and such
I don’t understand why every year I forget how breathtaking spring is. In the winter, I yearn for it, I day dream about it, but when May comes around, my breath gets taken away again, as if it’s the first time all over again. I’m not working full time right now, and that adds to my feelings of urgency to fully take in this brief flush of new life. I have the same feeling when I look at the children in my meeting, so young, new, sweet but fragile; and, the closer you observe, the more amazed you become. I love to take close up photos of flowers, to get the veins in the petals, the stamens, the puffy yellow pollen. I cut these crab apple blossoms from the trees around my apartment complex. The close up shows how perfectly designed each blossom is and yet with one bump or gust of breeze, all the petals come tumbling off and the showy beauty disappears. That reminds me that it’s all about the seeds. The fragile beauty slips away, but the seed producing core remains and pulls all the sunlight’s energy into it’s important task. Knowing this helps me look forward to summer and not mourn spring’s passing too much. The leaves on the trees are growing bigger and stronger every day now, rustling in the breezes, the tree flowers are mostly gone and summer is slipping in.
May 12, 2009
· Filed under Weekend Reflections
I can’t wait to see these cuties in about 10 years! I wonder what they’ll be up to? 
May 11, 2009
· Filed under Apartment Gardening
You’ll probably be reading a lot about my little balcony garden this year…hope my passion for plants doesn’t bore you to death! My little lettuce garden is recovering nicely from the deluge. Steven’s letting me use his rotary tool for a while, and I got busy and drilled many many drainage holes in the lettuce box. No more drowned bok choy! I had my first harvests last week: a few (like three or four) leaves to add to a store ingredients salad, just to get my taste buds going, and then….mounds of fresh greens on an Omaha steaks hamburger! And I mean fresh….like picked at 4:30 PM and consumed at 4:45 PM. I just rinsed them off, wrapped them in a paper towel and let them chill in the frig to crisp up a few minutes…and voila!
May 2, 2009
· Filed under Family, Green grass, flowers and such
My sister sent me a May Basket…all the way from New Zealand! On your list of all the things to do before you left, I can’t believe you remembered May Day! Thank you dear sister!
The yummy sherbet colors in this bouquet, raspberry, lemon, peach, strawberry, grape, make it absolutely scrumptious! Kudos to Ames Greenhouse and Florals, two years in a row now!
My salad garden on the balcony is coming along nicely. I’ve had two more decent sized salads and today managed salad for two! The baby romaine, spinach, pak choy and red leaf lettuce plants came from the west HyVee here in town. It’s been a little tricky to keep them adequately watered as my balcony gets a lot of late day sun with it’s south westerly exposure, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. One nice thing about the plants being in a planter is that if it gets very hot and windy, I can just pull the box inside into the air conditioning for a while!
