One Very Handsome Rooster. Two Very Beautiful Trees

Here we have a living specimen of Roosteria Walmartia. There are actually quite a few chickens living in and around the Walmart parking lot in Tallahassee. I hardly ever go to Walmart but I went today, looking for the shelf liner I like for the cabin. I am not a huge fan of the Pioneer Woman (probably jealousy but actually not) but I do love some of her shelf liner. 

This is the pattern I have in some of my own kitchen cabinets. It's a fine product. 
But Walmart is the only place it can be bought, as far as I know and since we are going up there tomorrow I was told by He Who Knows that we needed shelf liner so I went to buy some. When I parked and got out of my car I heard a young rooster crowing. I knew it was a young rooster because he had that learning-to-crow strangled gargle in his voice, unlike the full, rounded tones of the mature rooster's crow. So I went to find him and I did and I took his picture. 
Right there on Lane 5 at the Walmart parking lot right next to a palmetto. 

He had no flock with him, no females at all, so I imagine he is one of the young bachelors that are driven from the flock by the alpha rooster when the young'un gets old enough to know which end of a hen is the most interesting one. Eventually, there will be blood if the younger bird decides to challenge the older one. And most of them do. 
God I miss my chickens and watching how their society and culture work. 
But it can be disconcerting to hear a rooster crowing at Walmart and some people actually try to catch the chickens, thinking they'll take them home and adopt them, not realizing that chickens can fly, run faster than you'd think with those two skinny legs, and are pros at avoiding capture. Not to mention that these particular chickens are pretty darn happy living where they do. 
A couple got out of their car about the same time I did and they heard our handsome fellow too. They came over to see him and take a picture. They were amazed! I told them about the other chickens living in and around the parking lot and the woman asked, "But what do they eat?"
I imagine that besides the bugs and lizards and mice and plants and seeds that all chickens will eat, they often feast on whatever humans leave behind, both intended and unintended for them. They are probably extremely happy birds. And they must be nesting in the surrounding area where there are still grasses and trees. 

And that was the best part about Walmart today. 

They did not have the shelf liner. Check that off the list. I wandered up and down a few aisles, looking at things a house needs but that's so overwhelming. I did find a Lodge brand fake Le Creuset dutch oven which cost about a fifth of what a real one costs. I put it in my cart, not noticing until I was showing it to Glen that it already has a chip in the handle. And I didn't put it there.
Dammit. 

 

I had planned to get the few things on my grocery list at Publix but hell, I was already at Walmart and they do have a lot of groceries so I decided to make it a one-stop trip to town and got most of what I needed. Not everything. But they do carry some interesting items since they cater to people of different ethnicities. That's always cool. But it took me about as long as it would have taken me to drive to Publix and shop there because I don't know where anything is in the Walmart grocery section. 

I did not not go through self-check out, but instead chose "assisted" check-out which is fairly interesting choice of words if you ask me. 
"I don't need no damn assistance!" I can hear people saying as they scan their own items, bag them, and put them in their carts. My check-out lady and the woman bagging my groceries were having a deep conversation about whether or not it was worth it to drive all the way to Chik Fil A to get a lemonade. Not a word was spoken to me until I'd paid and was leaving at which point the checker said, "Have a great day!" 
"You too," I mumbled, and off I went. 

So yes, tomorrow Glen and I are going up to the cabin and Vergil and the boys are coming too. Jessie is working. Glen wants Vergil to check out the internet situation and try to figure out why calls from the house keep getting dropped. I think he really wants to show Vergil how much he's gotten done. I'm going to hang out with the fellas and boil the hotdogs, I guess. Also put in new shelf liner. There is a Walmart in Quincy, which is in Florida, about the same distance to the cabin as is Bainbridge where Glen got some of the Pioneer Woman shelf liner when he took Gibson up there and that was Gibson's job- to do some shelf lining. Glen has asked me to just please not say anything about it. I am sure Gibson did his best and his best will be good enough for that task. 
I haven't been to the cabin since before the Weatherfords left for North Carolina so it's been awhile. I, too, want to see what's been done. Glen says there are tools and stuff scattered around everywhere so I'm not expecting to get a sudden urge to move in. And there's still a lot to be done. 

I'll put in some shelf liner and I'll wash the new Fiesta Ware in the new dishwasher and then put the dishes up in a cabinet. 
Oh dear god, how I wish the thought of this gave me more joy. 

I CAN DO THIS! 

I've had half a martini so I'm feeling more optimistic about the prospect of being there again. Perhaps it would help me enjoy the cabin more by staying a little buzzed all the time. 

No. No, no, no. Wouldn't be prudent!
I might see how I react to gummies though. Legal as a Walmart bakery apple pie. 

Here are a few pictures from around here today.

Japanese glory bower which I planted. Lest we forget- it's a different variety of glory bower than the one I hate and wish I could crop dust. I've had this planted for at least six or seven, maybe ten? years now and it has only shown up in one area and only a few of them, at that. Like two or three a year. It's a gorgeous plant and quite large. It stands over three feet tall, for sure. 
And that will give you some perspective on how big my beloved front-yard live oak is. 

Every time I look at this tree, or am in her presence, I feel humbled and awed. No, she is not a sequoia or a redwood but she is worthy of my adoration, I think. 

Here's another beautiful oak. This one not as old, probably, but with beautiful branches that reach out like the arms of an elder. The building it's behind is the church next door but due to the very oddly shaped lot we own, the tree is on our property. When the dead tree fell over this week, it left quite a gap in the boundary between us and the church and I noticed yesterday evening when the sun was going down that we were getting extra light in a very direct and bright way. And now we have a better view of the tree, too. 

Here we are.

Martinis, clean sheets...

Happy Friday.

Love...Ms. Moon

New News, New Beginnings

Lily had told me there was news going around about Publix opening a store in Bainbridge, Georgia by October and today, Lauren posted this picture on Facebook so I guess it's a real true thing. This is excellent news for anyone who may have just bought a log cabin on Lake Seminole on the Georgia side. Bainbridge is our address there, I think, but it's actually about eighteen miles away or something. Still, if I am staying at the house there for any extended period of time I won't have to depend on the Piggly Wiggly in Quincy or the Walmart that Bainbridge already has. Glen has been to that Walmart and he said it was pretty good for groceries including produce, and that shockingly, the employees were really friendly and helpful. I am sure this is because Bainbridge is a smallish town in Georgia which means that people often have decent manners and are inordinately friendly. I know this is a stereotype, but it is frequently true. 

I asked Glen the other day if there was any sort of convenience store near the house up there. He thought for a minute and said, "Not really." In a way this is like Dog Island where if you didn't bring it, you ain't gonna have it unless you hop in the boat and travel across the bay to the mainland. So very, very often when we've driven though rural areas with houses spread apart by miles, I always ask, "Where do these people get their groceries?" 
And I truly do wonder. Some of those houses have to be twenty miles from the next town. And now, here I am, wondering, where do I get my groceries? and knowing that it'll be a half hour drive to get them. Still, knowing that I can get them at Publix is heartening. 

I've spent a good part of the day in the garden, weeding. It hasn't been as hot today, below 90. And for a good part of the day it was overcast so I got a lot of weeding done. I pulled most of the zinnias because they're dying or dead. I haven't weeded the whole garden but I've got a good start on that. We need to mulch as quickly as possible because that will help to slow the growth of new weeds or at least that's the theory and the prayer. 
It does. It really does although the weeds do grow like...weeds...this time of year and nothing's going to prevent that entirely. 

I wanted to spend the day in the garden not just because the garden needs work but also because I have had an anxious day for no apparent reason. I do not have these days nearly as often as I used to before my doctor increased the dosage of one of my meds, so when I do, I am slightly baffled. Especially if I can't pin it on anything like an upcoming doctor's appointment or something happening with one of my loved ones. There is absolutely nothing going on that should cause me stress as far as I can figure but I suppose that is the nature of anxiety disorder- you don't need a reason for the brain to suddenly go off into a panic of unknown origins. Working in the garden did help and I am grateful for that. 

Mr. Moon just got home from his four days of work at the cabin. I know he's tired but he'll probably be back at it tomorrow, perhaps taking care of the dead, fallen tree. He told me he brought the chain saw home with him. I'm going to make us a shrimp salad tonight. He has been making salads for himself but I think his salads are mostly just an excuse to consume a large quantity of blue cheese dressing and I understand that. 
My sweet and sour tofu last night was OUTSTANDING! I did not fuck it up in the least. I really enjoyed it and will make it again soon.

Before I go, let me show you pictures that Jessie and Lily sent of their babies at their schools' orientations today. 

All of my children attended the same elementary school that Levon and August go to. As Hank pointed out today, we've had Kate Sullivan Crocodiles in our family for 43 years. 
Good god I am old. 

Maggie goes to a different school and here she is with the Bobcat, their mascot.

I think that's a bobcat. Maggie looks happy, doesn't she? 

She and August start fourth grade this year, Levon will be in second. I hope they all like their teachers and have good years. I love that these three all seem to feel some excitement about going back to school, to starting a whole new year. They're not too cool for school, I guess we could say. This attitude will not last forever as we all know. 

And this is life on a summer day in August in Florida. New beginnings for the kiddos, mamas and daddies stressed out at all they have to do to get everything ready for that first day of school, grandfather doing carpentry, grandmother in the garden, everyone going about their business as usual, dreaming dreams and facing realities, thinking of school days gone by, wondering what to make for supper, wondering what to make of this insane world we live in right now, living our lives much as we've always done in the midst of it all but knowing that everything we believe in seems to be in the process of being erased like a wrong answer on a math problem. 

I'm thinking about buying myself a new notebook and a pack of pencils along with a brand new pencil sharpener. Remember the smell of pencil shavings? Remember raising your hand to get permission to walk over to the wall-mounted pencil sharpener in your classroom, taking as much time as possible to get just the right point without breaking it off? It was a skill, I tell you. 

Go buy yourself a new notebook if you'd like. Write something in it. Draw a picture. Color it in with crayons. Give yourself permission to remember. Don't forget to color outside the lines. Unless you are one of those people who likes coloring in the lines. That's okay. The color and the coloring are what's important. The world needs all kinds, especially now.

Love...Ms. Moon

Colors

The soft, lightweight muslin blanket I ordered last week arrived yesterday evening and I was excited to get it. Unfortunately, as I had feared, the color is more of a sagey-olive color than what was pictured online.

I do, however, like the weight of it and the fact that it's big enough to act nicely as a bedspread and actually, I think it would look very good in the guest room which is painted almost the same color green but lighter. It was not that expensive and so I believe I'll order another one of a different color for our bedroom whose walls are a very soft blue with just the merest suggestion of a lavender. Maybe not even a suggestion. Maybe just a vague idea. But I'm going to sleep under this one before I make that for-sure decision.

In some ways, I got nothing done today. In another way, I accomplished a huge task. Well, what I consider a huge task. But before I get there, I'll tell you that Lily and Jessie and all the kids met up for lunch (of course!) at the Mexican restaurant in Tallahassee that we like because we can sit outside and not bother anyone. It was the first meet-up of the sisters and the cousins since Jessie got back and so there was much to catch up on. The kids took up their relationships right where they left them a few months ago and so did Lily and Jessie. I pretty much knew most of the news from both sides so I didn't have much to offer but after we'd finished eating but still talking, Owen came around the table and sat down next to me and we had one of our good chats. Today we discussed teachers. The really, really good ones that can change your life. He told me about a few he's had, notably one science teacher, and I told him about my favorite college professor, the dearly departed Dr. Jones who taught American political history. I have written about him in years past. Owen and I agreed a teacher who loves the subject they teach and who has good teaching skills, can make you love the subject too. We all know this is true. 
And we agreed that some teachers just really should not be in a classroom. We did not elaborate on that subject though. 

I got no pictures from lunch. I have no idea why. Everyone was so busy talking and eating, I guess. But it was really fun and Maggie went home with Jessie and August and Levon for a play date and Lily took her big boys home so she could take a nap. She had to get up at three this morning to get to work to do some sort of inventory or something. So yes, she needed a nap badly. The boys probably did too, having spent the night at their dad's where bedtimes are not really enforced. They're not strictly enforced at Lily's house either but all of this is about to change since school starts on Monday. There are going to be some difficult mornings for a while before brains and bodies adjust to the changes.

And then I decided to go to a Goodwill a few miles down the road. I specifically was looking for dishes and twin bed sheets. Goodwill has gotten so expensive lately that it's not nearly as exciting as it used to be but it's not a bad idea to check things out occasionally. 
So I drove there and went in the store, got a little cart in an optimistic moment, and before I got ten yards into the store I found these.

They hadn't been put on the shelf yet and I grabbed them up and put them in my cart in the space of a breath. 
Now here's the thing. When we were in North Carolina, staying at the perfect house on the creek, the kitchen had Fiesta Ware just like this, in all the colors. Glen and I talked about how having dishes like that would certainly add some color to the cabin's kitchen and they are sturdy, too. When we got home, I did a little online searching and found that a set of bowls, plates, and salad plates for four cost right around $160.00. But in some sort of Goodwill glitch, I got 12 dinner plates, ten salad plates, and ten bowls for $40.00. 

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? 

Come to mama, you shiny, colorful things, you. 

There are colors in this collection that I've never seen in Fiesta Ware before. 

In a way, they remind me of zinnias- happy colors. 

So that is the big thing I accomplished. I got the dishes for the cabin and they are the exact ones Mr. Moon really wanted. He is so pleased. I am too, really. I feel like that was the biggest gift I ever got from the gods of thrifting. 

And speaking of Mr. Moon, here's the picture he sent ME this evening. 

Stove is in. He sent me the basic instruction sheet via text and I was not thrilled to learn that I can't use copper or some types of stainless steel which rules out the Revere Ware I was trying to put together for that kitchen. Oh well. At least I can use cast iron. And of course Le Creuset is just FINE but I'm not going to find that in a thrift store. Even the knock-off, copy-cats you can sometimes, but hardly ever find, are dinged up. 

Sigh.

We shall persevere and I need to learn how to use an induction cook-top. 

For all of you who suggested that I hire someone to come and deal with this downed tree while Mr. Moon isn't here, I thank you but that's not how our marriage works. All marriages have unwritten and unspoken contracts, I believe, which are silently written and agreed to over the years and which we generally abide by. Say what you will- that is how it usually works. And in our marriage, Glen is the one who handles the things like dead trees laying in the driveway. Of course I would love for him to hire someone to do it but that's not up to me. It's not an inexpensive service to pay for and he may want to do it himself, more for the fact that he can rather than any other reason and and I will let him make the decision. 

I think I might make some sweet and sour tofu tonight to change things up. I'm pressing the tofu, I've found a recipe, and now I'm going to go chop up some vegetables. 

Glen chops up trees, I chop up onions and peppers. 

This is what works for us. Y'all do what works for you. 

Love...Ms. Moon

My Yard: The Invasive Plant Capital Of The World

I personally find that photos of people, animals, flowers, and things like parks and rivers are the most interesting photos of all. I do love a good picture of food. Pictures of buildings can be fascinating too, if done right, and several bloggers I know definitely do them right. (Steve and Mitchell, I am looking at you. Or rather, your photos.) But pictures like the one above? 
Nah. What the hell IS that? I'll tell you what it is- it's a dead tree that fell over into our driveway. It was on the edge of our property, abutting the church's property next door. That whole border is now a huge tangle of wild grape vines. I think they're wild grape vines. They could be something related to grape vines called porcelain berry. Whatever they are, they have taken over that portion of the yard, climbing trees and cutting off growth just like kudzu does and yes, IT IS ANOTHER INVASIVE PLANT! 
Fuck me. 
So those vines pulled that tree over and I heard something that sounded more like a gunshot than anything but I didn't go look to see what it was because there are occasionally gunshots heard around here. I have a neighbor who likes to target practice, for instance. But this was just one very loud POP! Also, we're so near the railroad track and things happen on the railroad track in the name of repair and rebuilding that make a hell of a lot of noise. And there's always the back-firing of a car which also happens. 
So. Yeah. Whatever. 
But when I went outside, the first thing I noticed was that there seemed to be a lot more sky in that border of overgrown vines and trees and it was only then that I realized what had happened. 

Quite possibly I am not the most observant person in the world. 
That was a big ass tree. It's going to take a lot of chain sawing to get it into pieces that can be dealt with. This, thankfully, is not my job. 
I sent Mr. Moon these two pictures and he replied, "Oh hell."

That represents a whole lot of work right there. Hot, heavy work. Not a fun job at all. 

Perhaps I can persuade Glen to call in some help. I surely hope so. 

After I'd checked the situation out, I proceeded to do what I had planned to do which was to deal with some of the crap going on by the fence in the front yard. I'd noticed that there was some giant weed-looking plant growing up out of the azaleas which was not an azalea. I've been meaning to check it out and I finally did today, realizing that there was more than one. And the one in the azaleas was too deeply rooted for me to dig up. So I cut it down to the ground with my big pruners but in order to do that, I had to clear out some crocosmia which was covering up the base of the plant with its thick overgrowth. This is what the bed of crocosmia looks like out there. 

Remember when I "cleared out" that entire area last winter?
So. What was the giant weed? A camphor tree. And here's what the University of Florida Gardening Solutions website says about camphors:

"Camphor tree is an invasive species in North and Central Florida. Native to China and Japan, Cinnamomum camphora is easily recognizable by the smell of camphor."

But of course! 

I pulled the rest of the camphors I found, along with some of the Japanese rice paper plant I have been fighting for years which, at one point, was the main invasive plant taking over that area. Then I pulled up some sort of nut-trees, I think, in a related section. I had to dig those up. I did this by jumping up on the shovel, holding on to the fence with one hand, the shovel handle with the other, and rocking side-to-side, all the while thinking how funny it would be if I suddenly just fell over, shovel still gripped in my hand. 
Not really that funny but anyone watching me would have laughed. It would have been impossible not to. 
I did not fall over. 

I then proceeded to cut back some of the horrible thorn vines which also grip and climb and trail all over the same space. Here's what AI says about them: 

"There is a native green vine with thorns that grows in the Florida panhandle known as  green briar (Smilax). It can be a horrible plant. Vines growing everywhere, thorns tearing at your skin and cutting your clothes."

I would call that an accurate description. It, too, is invasive. I am wearing band-aids as we speak. 

It rained when I'd been working for about an hour which I took to be a sign I needed a break and when it stopped raining, I went back outside for about another hour, pulling more of the nut trees, the crocosmia, the Japanese rice paper plant, the Smilax. What fun! 
Oh, you know me. I sort of love that shit. Although it really is too hot to enjoy it thoroughly. I had hoped the rain would cool things off but it only created more of a sauna atmosphere as the water evaporated due to the now-shining sun and resulting heat. 

I wonder if I could get a job with the state of Florida, working for the tourist bureau. I have a knack for making the state sound so inviting, don't I? 

Last night's supper was so perfect I'm going to do it again tonight. The salad I made with one of Vergil's mother's tomatoes and arugula and different basils from the garden along with some goat cheese because I have no mozzarella, was just about the best thing I've ever eaten. I've already been out to the garden to pick Thai basil, Mexican basil, African basil, and plain old Genovese basil which is actually not growing in the garden but in that bucket I found at the dump with holes already thoughtfully punched in the bottom for drainage. 

Also arugula and I have to plant more of that because it's time. At least by my accounting. 
The zipper peas are starting to ripen in the garden and I have picked a very few of those but there will be more. 

I intend to shell and cook the tiny amount I have and add those into the rest of the coconut rice with chicken. Heaven. 

I've also taken the trash today, speaking of the dump, and watered the porch plants. I've dug and I've pulled and I've balanced on a shovel. I've gotten rain-soaked and sweat-soaked. Hell, I even scrubbed toilets. 

Yes. I earned my salt today. 

I do so love that feeling. 
When I was in the garden surveying the zipper peas, plucking basils and arugula, picking a pepper here, a few cherry tomatoes there, and a a couple of tomatoes just showing color, I was overwhelmed with that feeling which only comes over me in my garden. A feeling I can barely understand, much less describe, but it feels a lot like contentment with some pure happiness thrown in for good measure.

Bed, too, will feel good tonight. 

Love...Ms. Moon

The Boys Are Back In Town

As I mentioned yesterday, Jessie and I had discussed a trip to Costco and we did get there, eventually. First Jessie wanted to take the boys to Target to get new lunch boxes and maybe new clothes. School starts in a week. I started out my shopping at Publix where I needed a few things. I picked up some items for Jessie, too, so she wouldn't have to drag the boys to more than two stores. 
I have to say I spend a lot less time at Publix and less money, too, since going on this medication. I no longer feel the need to roam every aisle, considering many different food options. I just get what I'm pretty sure I need and that's that. I have no doubt that my meals are far less exciting than they used to be but I try to keep things interesting, at least. Sometimes I do, sometimes I fail although Mr. Moon doesn't seem to be suffering. As someone I know who is also on a GLP-1 said the other day, "It's hard to figure out what to cook for supper when nothing really seems appealing." 
This is true but you know what? That is okay. I wanted to change my relationship with food and I have. 

But, speaking of food, as I so often do, Jessie finished up her Target shopping just as I was finishing up my Publix shopping and we met for lunch. The boys wanted Chow Time because they knew they can get a wide assortment of desserts there. Plus, they like the pizza and the yeast rolls with butter and the chicken on a stick and the fruit and the sushi. Well, August likes the sushi. 

I was so glad to see them when they pulled up and the boys voluntarily gave me little hugs which I appreciated with all my heart. We went into the restaurant, got a table, and went through the buffet to pick out our lunches. My stomach hasn't been quite right today and it feels like a kidney-stone related thing so I didn't feel like eating much. I actually tried the chicken-on-a-stick because all the grandkids love it. 
I was not impressed but at least it didn't have a lot of sugary sauce on it. 

There was a TV with sports things being aired on the wall behind our table. The boys were mesmerized. 

After the ice cream course of the meal, Levon was cold. 

I asked him if he'd like to sit on my lap to warm up but he said that no, he always sits on his mother's lap to warm up. 
Fair enough. That boy loves his mama. They both do. After he had regained a normal temperature, he went back for some chocolate pudding and a small piece of chocolate cake. 
I am not kidding you. 
And then we went to Costco where they ate one of every sample being offered, including the hummus.

They are walking eating machines. Human locusts. 
Growing boys.

So we had fun, or at least I did. Those boys can make me laugh so hard, even, as I have said, when I probably shouldn't laugh. Too bad. 

We bought our produce and our oat products and the boys ran down the long, long aisles. They didn't come anywhere near bumping into anyone. Jessie tried to control them but they were racing. Or doing something in the competitive game genre. She said to me, "I need to take them somewhere to burn off some of this energy."
"That's exactly what you're doing," I said. 
I may have gotten a small harumph. 

I took Levon to the bathroom and as we entered the ladies (I wouldn't let him go alone into the men's), a band of three ruffians who were about 11, 9, and 7, ran into the the men's. 
They were coming out at the same time we were and I swear to you, the kid about 11 said to me, "I like your dress." 
Excuse me? 
I said, "Thank you," and we went our separate ways. He was probably being an Eddie Haskell but even if he was, I would never have expected a comment like that from an 11-year old boy. 
He was still a ruffian, though. I know one when I see one. 

Mr. Moon is back up at the lake house, of course. It was pouring rain this morning so his plan to buy and haul sheetrock to the house was not to be but he said he could go buy the lumber for more firring strips and take that up there, and perhaps get the new dishwasher installed. 
"And maybe the stove!" said the eternally optimistic man of all trades. 
I sent him off with leftover chicken and sticky rice and fruit and he probably grabbed some other stuff. I hope so. He'll be spending tonight there and I think his stay may extend until at least Wednesday. So it's me and Maurice again which is fine except for the fact that Maurice is being pretty scarce these days. I'm not sure what she's doing. She does go and snuggle with Glen in the mornings when he's in his chair and she also comes to remind me that it's time for her morning treat of a little wet food because OBVIOUSLY I FORGOT AGAIN! but she hasn't been sleeping with us. This is all okay because I still have a small healing puncture wound on the top of my left hand. 

Sigh. 

And here's a picture of such glory that my kitchen can hardly contain it. 

These are tomatoes that Vergil's mama grew in her garden and as you can see, they are varied and they are heirlooms. Our tomatoes are done or almost done but in North Carolina, they are obviously at the peak of coming in. I'm about to go pick some of the summer arugula I planted, along with a variety of basils to make a little Caprese-inspired salad to go with my own portion of chicken and coconut rice. 

Despite what I just said a few paragraphs ago, I am still quite interested in food. Just sort of in a different way. 

Which is probably a very good thing. 

Love...Ms. Moon

A Recipe And So Forth

 To begin today, I will post the recipe for the Sticky Coconut Chicken and Rice that I made last night. I thought it was excellent and honestly, pretty simple to make. 

Sticky Coconut Chicken and Rice- New York Times cooking app

4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each cut into two equal pieces

1/4 cup neutral oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups of short grain white rice

1 3/4 cups of chicken broth

1 (13.5 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk

1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup roasted cashews, coarsely chopped

3 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro

Hot sauce for serving

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon of oil, and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

Step 2

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Working in two batches, brown chicken, turn halfway, until no longer pink, around 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

Step 3

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the ginger and the garlic to the empty pot and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add rice and stir until evenly coated in the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the cilantro and hot sauce. Stir to lift up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Arrange chicken on top along with any accumulated juices from the plate and bring to a boil over high.

Step 4

Cover and bake until all of the liquid is absorbed, rice is tender, and chicken is cooked through, 25 minutes. Scatter cilantro over the chicken and rice, serve in bowls with hot sauce. 

***************

Now, let me say that I mostly followed the recipe although of course I didn't get out my measuring spoons for the salt and pepper or oil. Also, I did not cover the chicken in oil and salt and pepper before putting it into the pot to brown. I merely used some avocado spray in the pot before putting the chicken in and salted and peppered as I felt necessary. Feel free to do what they said or whatever you want . 

Next, I used jasmine rice which isn't exactly short-grained. Use what you have. I got my ginger, garlic, chopped peppers, and scallions all ready to go in the pot before I started cooking which made the whole process faster. I also had the chicken broth almost to the boiling point when I added that in and I used the Better than Bouillon chicken broth because it is great. I added paprika (regular, not smoked but whatever you want) and some cayenne pepper when I had all the ingredients heating before covering and baking. Also, I used the lower fat version of coconut milk and that was lovely. I used both red and yellow peppers, and I used more scallions than the recipe called for. No problems. 

The rice truly did cook entirely in the 25 minutes it was in the oven. So don't lose track of your time there. And I did serve it with the cilantro but don't use it if you don't like it. Hot sauce was on the table which it generally is anyway, and also, I squeezed a nice amount of lime juice over it all before I served it. And oh- I didn't use nearly a quarter cup of oil and the oil I did use (besides the avocado spray) was olive oil. 

And damn, it was good. 

I think you could do this with chickpeas or some other vegetable substitute for the chicken if you wanted. Better than Bouillon makes a great vegetable broth too. Frankly, I could see doing this with seafood, too. 

And that is my Sunday gift to you. I would have just taken screen shots but I have an unreasonable fear of being sued by the NYT's. Not sure that writing it out would prevent that situation though. 

Today has been very pleasant. It has rained on and off all day and the temperature is about ten degrees lower than it has been. Upper eighties instead of upper nineties and that makes a big difference. 

I was going to do more cleaning up and weeding in the garden but every time I thought about going out, it was raining again so I got distracted and did other things including doing a little rearranging of the pantry. I put my canning kettle and my pressure canner away in a closet which made a lot more room. It's still messy and messy-looking but it is better. Trust me. 

I ask you to trust me a lot, don't I? 

I also moved my jigsaw puzzle operation into the library, out of the dining room, mostly because I just want to spend more time in my library. It's a sin not to. The card table the puzzle is on is not exactly a library-worthy piece of furniture, but la-di-dah. I also culled a few more books and of course that feels good. 

Overall, it's just been a pleasant, sweet, loving day. For once, Mr. Moon has taken a day to mostly relax and he certainly deserves that. Needed it too. 

And on top of all of it, the Jessie/Vergil family is back! They got home safely last night and that makes me feel more settled somehow. I love knowing that all my chicks are close enough for me to get my arms around and I love and appreciate it so much. Maybe Jessie and August and Levon and I will go to Costco tomorrow! Hurray! 
I know. I'm ridiculous. But it is the simple things.

One thing that could be considered as sad is that I dumped all my sourdough starter today. It was taking up room in the refrigerator and looking nasty and I haven't made sourdough bread in quite a long time so...out it went. I created that starter out of thin, yeasty air, long before covid, and so I do feel a little saddened. However, I know that I can create new starter from that same air-yeast. All I have to do is make meals for it and it will tell all of its yeasty friends and they will eventually gather, eat, and start creating the miracle all over again. 

So no big loss. 

Unlike what happened to Jacqueline Kennedy's rose garden or what's about to happen to the East Wing of the White House. I swear to god, sometimes I just have to laugh. As bad as I think Trump has been and will be, he just keeps coming up with new shit that I never even imagined he'd dream up in that perverted, ignorant, narcissistic, sick, cruel, twisted, sad, demented, racist, sexist, completely uninterested in tradition or history brain of his. 

Here's some zinnias.

Love...Ms. Moon

Water Therapy

Remember the boat Mr. Moon drove to Texas recently to buy? Well, up until today, he'd still not put it in the water so this morning he asked me if I'd like to go on a little boat ride down the St. Marks River with him, get a little lunch too. 
Although that particular activity had not been on my bingo card for today and although I was still not in the best of moods, I said yes, I would. This was an important thing to him and I knew that. 
St. Marks is not that far from here and we have made the drive many times. I packed some towels and extra clothes and he got the boat trailer hooked up to his Pathfinder, and off we went. 

First things first though. I absolutely had to say a few things to him. To try and make him see, without him feeling threatened, that there were issues important to me that were not being dealt with and I needed his help in them. Mostly this is about this house. The house we live in. It needs a lot of work. For many reasons, that work has been put off and the problems mostly ignored although that's really not possible at this point. 
He listened. He agreed. He is going to call a contractor on Monday. 

And so my soul felt better. This is something we have discussed before but I think I needed to present my feelings to him in a slightly different way to make him understand how serious I am. And he did and as we drove through the planted pines and wild Florida swamp and over beautiful rivers, I think we were both eased and felt more at peace.

We stopped for lunch in St. Marks which is a fishing village, basically, that has become known for its marina on the river of the same name. There's a giant palapa restaurant on the water that I know I've discussed before and even posted pictures of.

The food was, as always...decent. 
We sat facing these signs.

The one on the right drove me slightly insane the entire time we were there. I am NOT a snob when it comes to correct usage of language but that was annoying as shit. 
We saw no alligators but they did not lie when it came to the birds. Grackles dove onto any french fry or lettuce leaf they could get their beaks on. 

And then we drove down to the marina where the boat was put into the water for the first time. Or, the first time since Mr. Moon has owned it. Here's a picture of it right before we smashed a bottle of champagne over the bow.

Hahaha! 
It is such a reasonable size and so much easier to handle than the very big boat he just sold. 

I think he likes it. 

We only went down the river for a short distance. It was hot but when we were moving at some speed, the air made it tolerable. Most of the little trip though, was done very slowly as many stretches of the river are posted to use idling speeds due to manatees. And that is a very good rule. 

Here are two of the pictures I took.

Cypress trees and their knee-roots.

A leaning palm. We saw many downed dead trees from a storm we had last year. Was it Helene? 

We did not see much wildlife. We saw many new docks, built since we were last there. We saw a man backing his boat into the water on a ramp under a bridge and then the boat coming loose from its line and floating off. We stopped to help but he swam out to it and got it to shore. It wasn't a huge boat and it was aluminum so that helped.
All in all, it was a peaceful ride. 
And I should have worn sun screen. I know it. I even brought some so no excuses. 

We'd wanted to go swimming but the water just did not look inviting. It was brown and reedy and so Glen decided to try the Wakulla River which enters the St. Marks but after a while at idling speed trying to reach it, we decided we were hot and tired and turned around. The Wakulla and the St. Marks both empty into the Gulf of Mexico, not very far from where we were. So, back to the marina where Glen did his magic (as far as I'm concerned) trick of driving the boat onto the trailer, aiming it perfectly to center right over the what-ever-you-call-that-thing-the-boat-has-to-go-over-to-be-winched-up-tight. 

 

I can't even regularly park a Prius properly between the lines at Publix. 

On the way home we stopped at the Wacissa which is very, very near the turn on the back road we take to St. Marks. We didn't dawdle there, we just jumped in, cooled off, and then came home. 

I am glad I went with him. I think it meant a lot. And the river and the trees and the marshy banks were a balm I needed. 

When we got home, an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly was having its way with the phlox. 

The boat which is so much easier to unpack, wash off, and clean than the old huge boat is back in its proper place in the garage and I have some sticky coconut chicken and rice in the oven. I saved this recipe a long time ago and finally, I am making it. I hope it's good. Anything with ginger, garlic, coconut milk, and roasted cashews is bound to be a little good, right? 

I'll let you know tomorrow how well that theory holds up. 

Meanwhile...

Love...Ms. Moon

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

For those of you who were rightfully confused about the article on snakes in Florida which mentioned Lake Seminole, thinking that the location of Mr. Moon's cabin is in Georgia, let me explain- lakes do not observe the borders of states and thus, Lake Seminole is in both Florida and Georgia. And the location of the log cabin is indeed in Georgia. 

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the lake.

 I should point out that snakes do not recognize state borders either. 

I should have been more clear. 

Anyway, today has been blahdeblahdedah. Know what I mean? I've been good for nothing, at least as applies to attitude. My first mistake was getting on the scale because Friday is the day I weigh and as I've said, weighing, even if only done once a week, gives me anxiety and brings out more emotions than any numbers on a scale should bring. I'd only lost half a pound and although I KNOW GOOD AND WELL that half a pound is fine, we're still headed in the right direction, slow is good, shut-up, Mary! and so forth, it was still a little discouraging. At least I'm not crying in my cottage cheese about how hard I've worked and with such puny results because I'm not working hard at all. I'm just eating what's good for me and a lot less of it because that's what I feel like. 
Sigh.

So I did the usual Friday stuff. I washed the sheets and I gave myself my weekly dose of Zepbound. I have to say that I am getting pretty good at filling up the syringe, jabbing it into my thigh, and pushing in the whatever-you-call it to dispense the medication into my personal body without any pain at all. This should not be a surprise, seeing as how I used to be a nurse but stabbing/jabbing someone else is not quite the same as doing it to myself. So there was that. 

To cheer myself up I did some retail therapy and ordered us something I've been wanting for awhile which is a very, very light muslin blanket for our bed to use as a bedspread. There are a list of reasons why I think that's going to be a good thing but no one needs to hear them. I hope the color of it is as pretty as the picture which is something like this.

I've never even heard of this company but what I'm paying for the blanket makes it a pretty risk-free situation. 

And then Glen and I went to Monticello to get our rug and have lunch. We ate at a place which was NOT the Mexican restaurant and it was okay. I had a salad, Glen had a shrimp po'boy and it looked good. I was being a bit of a shithead as to attitude (I told you) and it's all about Glen leaving and coming back and leaving again and coming back and...

Well. You know know. 
And also, of course the log cabin, the lake house, the dock that came with a house, which I still have so little interest in and which Mr. Moon is so thrilled to be working on, putting his own blood, sweat, and tears into it because he loves it and he is doing everything he can so that I will find it pleasing and a place I'd like to spend time in.

The higher me, the me that is the most loving and understanding version of myself understands his need to be doing this and knows that I love him because he is the man he is and that man does love what he loves and that he is proving to himself that he is still capable of working like this, making a dream come true while he still can. 

But the part of me which dwells among the bitchy, the selfish, the self-centered, the self-absorbed, does rise up and shout the sweet part of me down and force me to be less than engaged and loving. 

And you know, that's really not fair to me. I can be all of those things, the good and the less than good. And who among us cannot? 

But it's an issue. I won't lie. I doubt we're going to get divorced over it but we need to figure it out. 

We got the rug and somehow got it into the house, into the library because I want it in a climate-controlled situation. The thing weighs approximately three hundred pounds and of course the dolly is in Georgia. A garden cart was involved. 

After that, I swept the house. Every room except the library in fact. The vacuum cleaner is in Georgia too but that's not a big deal. I hate to vacuum with the burning heat of a thousand suns. 
Although I haven't done it in so long that perhaps I might not hate it as much now. Who knows?

And now, martini being sipped. Fish planned for supper. Clean sheets on bed. Cardinals on the feeder. The rain we had cooling things off at least a few degrees. 

Baby sea grape leaf after rain. 

It has grown so much this summer. It is a slow process but to me, infinitely worth the patience and care it has taken to grow it from seed.

I need to remember that. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 
Love...Ms. Moon