Monday, March 1, 2021

Flowers And Spinach And Stuff


 There you go. That's some lovely yellow jessimine (not jasmine) growing on a fence post. It's also called Carolina jessimine and is the state flower of South Carolina. (Hey Jennifer!) 
I did take a walk this morning. I took some eggs down to No Man Lord's and although I saw him and waved at him, he just went on in his RV and I left the eggs on a chair in his yard. I always figure that if I leave them there, I've done my job. Pinot was sitting in a different chair in another part of yard and he did acknowledge me and we exchanged greetings. I walked on down the road to El Rancho and saw the great, black cattle in the woods, far back from the fence. They had some sort of huge, heavy machinery on a truck trailer that it looked like they were preparing to use. Levon could have told me exactly what it was. 

The house that burned down now has its own RV in the yard. Now when I call these things RV's, I do not mean to say that they are anything that you would or even could take camping, much less glamping. They look like they were abandoned at the Done Forever RV graveyard and left to rot. The one in No Man Lord's yard doesn't even have a functioning roof unless he just likes the look of blue tarps. The one in the burned out yard looks slightly better but I sure wouldn't want to live in it. 
Buddha is still keeping watch out front. 

While I was walking I noticed that my left foot was hurting but it's been sort of doing that for awhile now. I figured it would stop once I quit walking but it has not and now I'm limping around and wincing. It's the heel area and I've done a quick perusal of the symptoms on the internet and it could be one of a hundred things. The feet are complicated bits of miraculous machinery and it's amazing that we get as much milage out of them as we do. (Haha.)
Whatever.
I have to go to the dentist tomorrow so I won't be taking a walk anyway.

Ms. Martha's mother-in-law's house has a bunch of violets blooming in the front yard. I plucked a few and brought them home and put them in a little bottle. 


Isn't that just the sweetest? I think I found that bottle in the yard here but I could be wrong. It almost reminds me of an ink bottle. Anyway, I love it. 

My hens are still blessing me with their abundance. Their favorite place to lay right now is in a nest they've made on the floor of the hen house. They keep it tidy and neat and free of poop. 


I found four more eggs in different places and I haven't even checked to see if Violet laid an egg in the fern pot on the front porch which is what she's been doing. 

The mulberries have changed overnight into this. 


A week ago the tree had barely, barely started to push green out of its little branch wombs. And look there- beginning berries. I want to tell the tree to slow down, honey, but it wouldn't do any good. It's like watching your baby girl put lipstick on for the first time. Wait! I'm not ready!

Spring is just going to happen and that's all there is to it. And it was hot today. When I got back from my walk I turned my turbo-industrial-strength-porch-fan on me but in the last hour it's started really raining and the temperature has dropped eight degrees. The next few days are going to be a little cooler and I sure hope I can take advantage of that and get some more yard work done. 

I suppose I've been in a better mood today. I can focus on the pain in my foot instead of my old lady moods. I sat on the couch and embroidered and watched a few episodes of Call the Midwife which was heaven for me. I swear to god- those midwives and nuns and nun-midwives sure can solve a lot of serious problems in forty-five minutes. I've started my supper which is going to involve YET ANOTHER skillet spanakopita. I have to look up that word every single time I write it. We're sort of addicted to that stuff. 


That's the spinach, leeks, and garlic part done. Now I just add the eggs, cheeses, spices, lemon juice and so forth and then make a pie out of it with phyllo and bake it. 

I guess I've squeezed all the words out of this day as best I could, not unlike I squeezed the steamed spinach before I put it in with the leeks. 

I hope y'all have had a decent Monday. Wish me luck at the dentist. 
Oh Lord. 
I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm only getting my teeth cleaned. But you know me- I'm still stressing out. 

Love...Ms. Moon 

34 comments:

  1. I haven’t been to the dentist since this pandemic hit. No-one’s putting their fingers in my mouth! Things may change when they decide it’s my turn for the vaccine.
    I do believe you are right about the ink bottle. I have several dozen. The violets are divine!
    Debbie

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    1. I put off going to the dentist for quite awhile but I've been twice now since the pandemic started. So far, so good.
      Aren't the violets sweet?

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  2. Glad to see you in a much better frame of mind today! That had to make the entire day move along better! You are such a sweetie ... you just do not need that grief! No one does!
    The dentist appointment should be a walk in the park if all you are getting is a cleaning!
    Be brave! ❤😊

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    1. And YOU are a sweetie for saying so. Thank you, Marcia.

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  3. Mother loved violets and planted the whole front of the flower garden in them. I remember their little purple faces poking up between the green leaves.

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    1. They truly are lovely. Have you ever candied them? My friend Kathleen used to do that.

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  4. Hi!! 🙋‍♀️ We have some yellow jessamine growing by our back fence, it's always among the first blooms of the year. And I adore little violets!

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    1. And now I will always think of you when I see it blooming!

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  5. VIOLETS! a fave! I really love violet creams, if you have never had one , oh my, it is like eating perfumed sky. You are generous with your eggs, I need some, bet if you walked up here your foot would be made better. Just a thought.

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    1. I've never had a violet cream. My goodness! Like I said before, Kathleen used to make candied violets. They were so pretty.
      Okay. If I start walking now, you could probably expect me to deliver eggs around, uh, 2028. I better take my hens with me to ensure freshness.

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  6. Your homemade Spanokopita is making me hungry, I Love that stuff too, usually get it at my fav Greek Restaurant tho', have never tried to make it from scratch, I lack Culinary Jedi skills. It's fascinating to hear about the Neighbors, here the City Zoning would probably Fine them, they're pretty strict about derelict vehicles especially being on property that would be eyesores or perhaps safety hazards to the occupants if they're too substandard. The same with most Homes, they'll condemn it if it's not really habitable, but then I often think, they're displacing the Poor who might not be able to afford to live elsewhere... so I do feel quite conflicted about such things.

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    1. Gosh. You know, I never thought about zoning and those old wrecked up RV's. Around here it seems like they won't mess with you if that's your only option for shelter. Yes, they are eyesores and also dangerous, I'm sure. But what are these people going to do? Not like the county's going to help them.

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  7. Violets, you lucky thing! Good luck at the dentist.

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  8. I'd love the recipe for that pie. Do you put the phyllo sheets on the bottom as well or just the top?

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    1. As you now know, the sheets are laid across the skillet and folded over at the top. It's a phyllo pie!

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  9. I had to look up "spanakopita " and " phyllo" as never heard of them. I assume that phyllo is what we would call filo pastry... pronounced" feelo" !! You can buy it ready made though I have never used it. I love your little bottle with the violets. I have quite a collection of small glass bottles that I used for rooting cuttings in.

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    1. Yes. Same-same. We say "feelo" too.
      Have you ever had baklava? That's a Greek dessert made with that pastry, honey, and nuts. And butter. It is heaven.
      I use little glass bottles for rooting plants in too!

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  10. Now that's a great idea for the spinach I have in the freezer. Great. Thank you.

    And I never knew jessamine was different from jasmine. The stuff I learn in here

    I hope your foot gets better. Maybe heel spurs. Maybe sponge insoles..

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    1. Yes! Make a spinach pie! You will love it. One box of the pastry makes me four pies. I keep it frozen and cut the rolls of it in half.
      Or you could make your own pastry, of course. And I learn a lot from you, Liz.
      I was thinking heel spurs too. I should do some more research.

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  11. I'm sure the dentist WILL be fine! The jessamine is beautiful. I'm not sure I ever knew what jessamine looks like, though I have heard of it. I think I always thought it was just jasmine spelled differently.

    I love your descriptions of your walks and your neighborhood. I always feel like I'm there!

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    1. "Jessamine" may very well be a variation of jasmine. I do not know.
      You can walk with me anytime, Steve!

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  12. Love the violets. And the spanakopita sounds good, too.

    If I had to guess on the cause of the sore foot/heel area it would be Achilles tendinitis. Sometime set off by too much walking. Don't overdo (not that you feel like it when it hurts); rest is important if that is the problem. I let a foot tendon (peroneal) issue go on too long and ended up shredding it (added Achilles tendinitis to the mix, too)...had to have surgery and the recovery took a long time. Hoping rest will do the trick for you.

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    1. Oh Lord. I do not want to shred anything in my foot. I will be careful. Thanks for the warning and sorry that you learned the hard way!

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  13. We have been watching seasons of Call the Midwife that we missed. Season 9 is on its way to us from the library. Is there a Season 10, do you know?

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    1. I think there are only nine seasons and from what I've read, the prospect for a Season 10 is a bit gloomy. Let's hope though!

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  14. that probably is an old ink bottle. I have several here. I'd love to have some of those dark purple violets. mine are blooming profusely in the yard (what arctic freeze?) but the range from pale to medium blue. and I have to go to the dentist today so they can take a new impression for my three front crowns. don't know why or why they can't just use the impression they have again, guess they couldn't darken the others after all. anyway, not happy.

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    1. I have a lot of white violets in my yard (oxymoron?) but the deep purple ones are so much harder to find.
      I hope your visit to the dentist went okay.

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  15. Sorry your foot is bothering you. I swear ever since I turned 70 last year it has been one shitty ache or ailment after another. Did I tell you I fell down while walking last week and bashed my nose and skinned my knees? I haven't been able to get out for a good walk since but at least I am mobile again and I did not break anything. Jeez. Seeing the flowers in your post helped perk me up - Thanks!

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    1. Things really start to crumble when you turn fifty, from what I experienced, and then accelerate from there. Just sucks. SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS! You didn't tell me you fell. I'm so glad you're okay. That sounds horrible. Be careful, woman!

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  16. I hope you're feeling better tonight Ms Moon. But you know what, I just love your No Man Lord stories. You really should write a book!

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    1. As Elvis Costello said in the title of one his songs, "Everyday I Write The Book." It's a lovely song.

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  17. In a weird way, spring sometimes fills me with nostalgia that feels like sadness. I look out my window and see the first buds on bare branches and realize I have been sitting at this window for a year now, and am watching the second spring from inside my house. Wow.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.