Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Friday, July 26, 2019

Enjoying a lazy day

I have done very little today, and don't really feel bad about it.  I tried to repot some of my aloe vera which I let grow way too big.  I had dirt all over the place when I finished the job.  The job  still isn't finished actually, because I have another aloe plant that needs to be repotted.  I have to find a better place to do it than my kitchen countertop though.

My house is situated perfectly to avoid the worst of the sun, as are most houses in Sacramento.  I believe I talked about this in a prior post.  Sometimes it's hard to find a perfect spot for a houseplant because of this placement.

Speaking of houseplants, I'm running over with coleus, which is one of the most beautiful plants I have.  I bought two of them in very large pots which I placed on either side of the front door.  The afternoon sun was brutal to them, so I've brought them indoors.  I've also taken off some of the growth and started them in other pots.  I may never get the dirt from under my fingernails, and I have coleus in just about every room of the house!

I just had the nicest nap.  Instead of falling asleep in a chair or on the sofa, I came in and took my nap on my bed.  Rocky follows me everywhere, and he is still sleeping over on his side of the bed! 

After a great supper of - you guessed it - zucchini stir fry,  I'm still not tired of it.   This time it was a little mushroom-heavy, because I decided to use the rest of the mushrooms from the box I bought.  They are still good and fresh, but I know they wouldn't last for long.  I have two small zucchini left, but I notice two yellow squash on the plants that I will pick tomorrow.  By the end of the harvest I probably won't want to look at a squash for a while!

Is another weekend upon us already?   Tomorrow is predicted to be 105 degrees, and Sunday 106!  I will be staying indoors as much as possible this weekend.  I have a lot of yard work piling up, but it will have to wait.

Have a good weekend, and stay cool!

11 comments:

  1. Rocky always has to go with Jim when he goes in to lay down for his nap. And Jim always wakes up before the Rock does. He loves to sleep on the bed. Your temps are right up there with ours. We, too, will be staying inside most of the time this week-end.

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    1. The heat is brutal! When the dog doesn't want to go out, or goes out and is back in 2 or 3 minutes, you know it is not comfortable out there!

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  2. Yes same temps are right there too and lots of nasty humidity.
    So far the only plant I have bought was a basil to add to my salads.

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    1. I guess we are fortunate to not have the humidity, but hot is hot! I tried to grow roots on fresh basi from the grocery, but wasn't successful. I planted seeds from a packet but nothing ever came up. I will just buy basil when I need it unless I decide to try again.

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  3. Crazy weather patterns, when you are a lot warmer than FL!

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    1. But as they love to say out here, "It's a dry heat". Dry might be more comfortable, but you can sit and watch your skin dry and shrivel up!

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  4. I needed to do so many things this weekend but the three digit temperatures did me in. I could feel the hot sun hitting me in the back as I was hanging my clothes to dry.

    When I saw the weather report I immediately thought of you could not believe you were hotter that Del Rio.

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    1. We finally got a break today and although it is still hot, we're not scorched. I can't believe the difference we feel when it goes over the 100 mark.

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  5. Wish you'd consider sharing your pie crust recipe; mine 'stinks'!

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    1. It is all in the feel of the dough and I could show you very easily. But for a one crust 8 or 9" pie: 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp shortening or 1/2 cup lard. (My grandmother always used lard; my mom and I always use Crisco. I realize Crisco sort of got a bad reputation as being unhealthy, but since I always only use it for pie crust I find it works perfectly. My sister uses butter and her crust doesn't compare to mine). N 1 cup all purpose flour; 1/2 tsp salt; 2-3 tbsp cold water. I don't exactly measure the water but add very small amounts at a time until the dough can be formed into a soft ball.

      Cut shortening into the flour and salt with a fork, until the mixture is the size of small peas. Sprinkle in water 1 tbsp at a time, tossing with a fork until all flour is moistened and pastry doesn't stick to side of bowl. You can always add a few more drops of water but you can't take it away if you add to much - this just takes experience. Make the pastry into a ball and then flatten on a lightly floured surface. Roll pastry about 2" larger than the pie pan, so you can have enough to overhand the edges. I trim the edges so they are smooth and then flute the edges with my fingers. For a baked poie crust (for chocolate cream pies) bake crust at 475 until lightly browned. Before baking take a fork and poke the tines all over the bottom and sides of the pie pan so that the crust won't shrink while baking. For an apple pie, or similar, pour filling into crust and bake asll together. This recipe is one I've used from just about the first Betty Crocker cookbook, and it's just about how my grandma made it. As I said, with practice you can tell by the feel of the dough whether it will be too short (i,e., too much shortning), or too dry. Either way will be difficult to roll out. You can write me, Caddie, if you want to share how our pie crust recipes may differ.

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    2. Please excuse all the typos in my reply. I don't look at my fingers when I type, and this new computer's keyboard must be slightly "off" from the ones I've always used. I hate it when I send out something with typographical errors!

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