Tuesday, June 25, 2024

It Is The Season Of The Phlox

 



That is exactly how far I've gotten on the Great Green Bean Project. I did have other things to take care of today before I got to that but honestly, I'm simply overwhelmed and I really need to let go of my insane desire to preserve all of the beans I picked yesterday. That really is not rational. 
When I got up this morning, I looked around the kitchen and said, "Well, I see the canning fairy did not show up last night."
And no. No he did not. I have no idea why I think the canning fairy would be male but I do. 

What you see in that picture is my bag of beans which is about 1/4 of the beans I picked yesterday and the colander is holding the beans I consider young enough to snap, the metal bowl contains the beans I have shelled, and the basket is what I'm putting my pods in and that will go into the compost. 
Here's how big and lovely the beans within the beans are.


I may try to blanch and freeze those and will them cook them the same way I cook my other field pea beans. They are just like dried beans but fresh and so take a lot less time to cook. I will cook a potful before I go to the trouble of freezing them to see if indeed they are tasty enough to go to the trouble of shelling and freezing them. 
I think they will be. 

One of the things I had to do today was continue with my tidying efforts. I just wanted my house to feel like my house again and as I often say, I equate this to a dog peeing around the perimeter of his space. I know, I know. That's uncouth. 
So am I.
One of the things I did was to put the new piece of bark cloth on the little dresser by my bed. 


It is perfect with the monkey lamp. 


I love my mama-baby monkey lamp. It is the last thing I see every night when I reach over to turn out the light. 

I also wanted to tidy because Candie was due to come this afternoon. One MUST tidy before the cleaner comes, right? But around noon I was done with what I felt needed to be done and got dressed and went to Tallahassee to go to Costco, Publix, and the library. The Diana book was due today and not renewable because it's just been published and I'm sure there's a waiting list. I enjoyed it but it was like all of Chris Bohjalian's books in my experience- good plot, pretty good writing, but there's always just some spice that's missing. And the ending of this one was tied up in a bow that was way too pretty and fancy in my opinion. Oh well, it did keep me interested and entertained. 

Nothing too exciting happened at Costco. One funny thing occurred when I threw a bathing suit into my cart that I've been looking at for at least two months. The thing I like about it is that it has no real bra situation going on. I am not putting on a bathing suit with a goddam bra in it. No way. And at this point in my life, I have very little pride and I know I'm going to look the way I look in whatever I wear so the no-real-bra factor is about good enough. I find the print non-offensive.


I love the way they sell those things on a woman-shaped piece of cardboard. An old guy (probably my age) was walking by just as I put it in my cart and he said, "That's you!" 
"You think?" I said.
"Oh yeah. You're gonna look good in that."
I rolled my eyes so hard it's amazing they're still in my sockets and walked on. 

Publix wasn't too exciting either. I got more canning jars. And other things, of course. I swear- except for maybe Mr. Moon needing more cereal and milk, I do not see why I'd have to go back to the store for two weeks. But of course I will. 

I came home and unloaded the car and Candie fussed at me because she would have done that and I said, "This is my job. I do this all the time." Candie is the most wanting-to-be helpful person I believe I've ever met. I will gladly bring in my own groceries and pay her to vacuum. 

This morning before I left, I decided to take some pictures of the blooming phlox. It is in brilliant bloom. 


This is the bed between the kitchen garden and the old shed. I love the combination of the palms trees with those flowers more than I can say. This is Florida, baby!


These are the ones in the little banana and everything else garden by the kitchen. 



And this is part of the original kitchen garden. When the house was built, it was traditional to put the kitchen separate from the house to cut down on the danger of fire (wood-fueled stoves and ovens, of course) and probably to prevent the house from getting so hot. 


The phlox growing behind the fence in the front yard. They cheer me there and I hope that people walking or even driving by will notice them and think, "Now that's pretty."

While I was taking these pictures, I noticed how the male sago palm is doing. 




Looks to me as if he is almost inappropriately ready. And randy. 

And that was my day. I do have a question for y'all. I need help. Since I started giving Jack his pill in a tiny bit of obviously yummy chunks in gravy cat food and giving Maurice a tiny bit too, they have completely stopped eating their dry food. The same dry food they've always eaten. I mean...I'm afraid they'll starve to death before they eat another kibble of Meow Mix. I know I could try mixing in a little of the wet food with their dry food and see if they'll take that but I don't want to start with that sort of foolishness. I am not a cat short order cook and besides that, even the canned food at Costco is not cheap. 
Any suggestions? 
And please do not bother to tell me that if I were a cat, I would want the wet food too. I am not a cat although I understand that concept. 
I've ruined them. I knew this would happen.

Still hell hot here although it looks like instead of a high of 99 tomorrow we may be dipping into the mid 90's. Even that would help. People are falling out from this heat. Falling out, falling down, probably falling dead. I think about how this is not just a matter of our comfort and safety as humans but also a huge threat to our farms and fields and thus- our food supply. Of course this is a huge duh but the way it feels too hot for man nor beast is bringing the reality of it all home. 

Stay hydrated, my dears. 

Love...Ms. Moon

34 comments:

  1. Your phlox are so beautiful!
    I have no new ideas on what to do with all those beans! 🫘 Didn't we do this last year too? Green beans and bacon 🥓 in the pressure cooker ... That's how my Aunt Ada always made them!

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    1. Yes, I think we did do this last year. And probably the year before. Obviously, "live and learn" isn't something I do.
      My mom cooked green beans in the pressure cooker too. I'm not sure why. They really don't take that long to cook.

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  2. I hate to tell you this, but we made that same wet-food mistake with our dog Ginger when she got old, and after that she would never eat plain dry kibble again. Stick to your guns. Make them eat the dry kibble or go without. Trust me on this!

    Your phlox are so pretty!

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    1. I meant to say, only use enough wet food to get medicine in them. No more!

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    2. Jennifer- that's exactly how I've been doing it although I give Maurice a tiny taste too. We're talking like less than two tablespoons of the goop.

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  3. love the bathing suit..... and.....I think it's actually the season of beans rather than phlox!
    Susan M

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  4. Leave the dry food out. Give Jack only enough wet food to disguise his pill. Give Maruicio the same amount or less, just to be fair. When they are hungry, they will eat kibble. You have become the short order disher upper. Just don't cave.

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    1. That's what I've been doing. I give Jack about a tablespoon and a half with his pill in it and give Maurice about the same amount.
      Sigh.

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  5. Get Pill Pockets. They love the treat and no issues with their food.

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  6. the bark cloth is so damned perfect for you! Under the monkeys, beside your bed! It has never looked so good! PERFECT! The phlox is stunning all around your world! Such a beautiful place !

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    1. also , looks like the wooden block girl lost her necklace somewhere along the way?

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    2. Your flowers are the most amazing, Linda Sue.
      Yes. I thought that was what was going on- I found a bead in the blue moon box. I need to glue it back on, I guess. Do you have a picture of what it looked like before you sent it?

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  7. The phlox is so abundant and beautiful. We have the same worry with our cats. Do you leave the dry food out all the time? That works for us. I love that monkey lamp!

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    1. I do leave the dry food out all the time. And of course we never let them get empty enough to see the bottoms of those bowls because the cats assume that if we do, they'll never be fed again.

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    2. Well, that’s the pits. Our cats do eventually break down and eat the dry food. Well, Moose eats it all the time, but Dudo has to finally accept that no more wet food is coming.

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  8. That swimsuit is lovely but I get what you mean about the cardboard mannequin! Have you ever noticed that the mannequins in the windows of dress shops all have 18 inch waists and 6 foot long legs!

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    1. Of course. Some companies are using larger models in their online shops and in catalogs which is a step forward.

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  9. You could try pouring a little boiling water over the dry kibble and see if they will eat it. Makes it smell terrible to us, but I guess they like it and it is then soft for them too. ( obviously let it cool first !!). I used to do this for my previous dog when he wouldn't eat.

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    1. I think that might only work for dog food.

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  10. Wonderful phlox!
    Wet cat food is a curse and good luck trying to wean it off them. I went the hard way, no food but kibble, and my cats went straight to the neighbours who of course found me cruel and provided choice selections. Which resulted in - well you can imagine.
    I am trying to think of a store here that would sell bathing suits and lettuce.

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    1. Those cats of yours! Cats really have no loyalty, do they?
      I was in Costco. Girl, they sell everything. EVERYTHING! From fine jewelry to televisions, to Apple products, to all the foods, to small equipment, to carpets, refrigerators, stoves, supplements, clothes, toys, kayaks, tents, plants, pet foods...
      Everything.

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  11. The bean situation arises every year! And the phlox is beautiful, never any complaints there.

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    1. I swear and declare that next year I am going to plant the beans further apart thus having fewer plants.

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  12. Cats are cats. Ours has taken to yowling at the top of her lungs every morning at around 4am, can't tell you how much I enjoy that. Bagheera gets a spoonful of wet every night at suppertime, otherwise, just kibble. She seems ok with the compromise.
    I can't buy a bathing suit without trying it on. I have small boobs, thick waist and long legs.
    Your phlox is beautiful but you need to stop planting so many beans woman:)

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    1. Bagheera needs to start sleeping in her own outside home. That is RUDE! But at least she handles her treat correctly.
      I tried this bathing suit on. Nope. Too small.
      See my comment above to Boud. Fewer beans next year. I swear to god.

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  13. Hold out, no cat has ever starved when there is kibble available. Even though they will tell you otherwise.
    Cheers Peter

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    1. They do tell me otherwise. Even Jack who barely talks at all has taken to vocally demanding wet food. I do not give in except for the little bit I give him his pill in.

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  14. I love the bark cloth on your table. If you have more, I'd consider some nice draperies framing your favorite window view. Your phlox are fantastic. Are they self seeding and spreading? The more the merrier. They stand nicely without staking and for me that is huge. Consider making baked beans to use up your huge supply. (Boston Baked Beans made in a bean pot (with bacon) and baked for hours are delicious with grilled sausages or hot dogs.) You found a great bathing suit.

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    1. Favorite window view. Hmmmm....
      I'd have to think about that. I do have bark cloth being used as curtains in some of my windows.
      The phlox certainly do self seed. I brought over a few plants from the house I used to live in. A neighbor had given me some of hers.
      Boston baked beans sounds good.

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  15. That monkey lamp is wonderful, as is the bark cloth -- and yes, they go so well together. I'm sure the guy at Costco meant to be friendly but I can't imagine why someone would say something like that to a complete stranger! I passed a woman on the street today wearing a great (and not revealing at all) dress and I considered complimenting her on it but it seemed like she might find it creepy coming from me, so I didn't. It's sad we have to think about these things. Those phlox seem very TALL.

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    1. He was just some old geezer. For whatever reason, he didn't really offend me. I didn't get a freaky vibe. I was wearing a brightly colored dress so maybe he figured that I'm just that sort of woman. Who knows? But you are exactly correct- it's a thin line we have to tread when it comes to compliments these days. A few years ago I was wearing my favorite Cozumel Blue dress in Publix and a guy said, "What a beautiful dress!" and the way he said it was so sincere that I still remember that fondly. So perhaps it's okay to say something like, "What a great dress!"

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  16. Pill pockets are good advice! That plant--yikes, very randy. The swimsuit is beautiful. I definitely need some support up top but hate the look of a bra in a swimsuit. I rarely swim but if I have to, I own two 30+year old black tanks. :)

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.