Fall Planting

I can't wait to get back into the yard. I have fibromyalgia and I can't work outside in the intense summer heat, but in spring and fall, it is hard to keep me inside. I love to feel the weather changing and watch the leaves change color.

I am planning on revamping some of the bedding areas in the yard. I planted perennial flowers this past spring, but they did not withstand the Florida heat so I've purchased perennials that I know will do well and are also drought resistant such as liriope, day lilies and fountain grass. Yes, fountain grass will come back each year. I don't care what the plant stores tell you. If you plant it near the house and/or keep it protected, it will come back and stronger than the year before. I love purple fountain grass, it is beautiful planted with blue liriope. In the shadier parts of the yard, variegated liriope will do well too.

The Gerbera daisies in the front planter box have had a rough time of it this summer too. They need light but do not like our intense heat. I have babied them, fought off slugs and grasshoppers and now they are starting to perk up. Finally had a blossom on one of them and the darn squirrels plucked it right off. They tore all the petals off and left them on the front porch wall as if thumbing there nose at me. It must have been pay back for the cats terrorizing them at the window and on the back porch.

Today, I planted pots of herbs for the kitchen and breakfast room windows. I have seeds down for cutting celery, basil, chives, parsley, two pots of cilantro and two pots of Romaine lettuce. I love the smell of fresh herbs and the way they liven up my recipes.

We have a large raised garden bed outside the kitchen, next to the patio. The perennial herbs will go dormant in the cold weather so I potted up some mint and oregano and brought them inside. We love Italian and Mexican food. A fresh supply of oregano and basil are important for both cuisines and one can't make a good Mojito without some fresh mint!

The other morning a squirrel jumped on the back porch screen and was very surprised when two kitties jumped in his face. He hightailed it for the nearest tree and now spends his mornings barking and fussing at the  kitties that can't really reach him, but they sure can scare him. They enjoy their power!

We have a lot of activities planned for the near future. It is our 30th anniversary! We are going to a Bed and Breakfast thanks to our wonderful daughters and son-in-law who spoil us way too much. My birthday and my dad's are one day apart in November and that will roll us right into Thanksgiving. My favorite time of year. I hope everyone is as excited as I am about this time of year-enjoying life, love and family.

Blessings and Peace to all of you. Until next time....

Fall

The past few days have been a little cooler, even turned off the AC for a day! Any break in the electric meter running is a blessing. Now, we need some rain, please.

I'm putting out the pumpkins and Halloween stuff. I love this time of year. Can't wait to smell pumpkin pie baking, turkey roasting and hear family laughing having a great time just being together.

The cats love the cooler weather, windows open, breeze blowing. It makes them feel so good that they roll around on the floor in a tussle and chase each other through the house. Kids may be grown, but the cats can make almost as much noise and get into almost as much mischief! Oh thank heaven for noise and happiness.

Happy Fall Everyone!
Tammie

A Meandering Path

I've started to re-read the Gospels of Mary, from the Gnostic Gospels. It is a very interesting read and opens up many questions and avenues of study. I feel that studying the Bible is like diving into deep water, one is never sure what will turn up. I can read a passage one day and then go back to that same passage after some time has passed and find something entirely new and enlightening that I never noticed the last time I read it. A question that came up while reading the Gospels of Mary was about the son of Man which led me to study Adam which in turn led me to Genesis 5:1-2. I've read this passage numerous times in my life, but I never realized that in verse 2, the Bible says, "He created them male and female, and blessed them, and called their name Adam in the day when they were created."

The Bible says, "and called their name Adam". What does this mean? I've always been taught there was one Adam, one Eve, but this verse implies there was more than one Adam. Going back to Hebrew, Adam is usually translated as man, but Ha-Adam refers to all men and Adam refers to one man named Adam. So does this verse mean there was more than one man named Adam or is it referring to Adam and Eve as "man" collectively? Reading the whole second verse in context, it seems to me that male and female were both plural. Of course this would make more sense scientifically, since one man and one woman could not possibly sire the entire human race.

Realizing this could be what the Bible is saying does not make me doubt the teaching I grew up with it gives me more faith in what has been passed down through the centuries as a guidebook for this life and the next.

As a matter of fact, I started reading Genesis from the beginning and found something else that seemed enlightening. In Chapter 1, verse 26 it says, "And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth. 27 And God created the man in His own image, in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female. 28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it,..." To me this implies that he created man and woman plural before he created Adam and Eve. These men and women were to "fill the earth".

Adam was not created until Chapter 2, verse 7, then Eden was created and Adam was moved there. Eve was created in verse 21 from Adam's rib. Why are there two separate creations of man? Why is God plural, who is with God, is God one being or a collection of beings? In Revelation 3:1, the Bible says, "...These things says the One having the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars..." What or Who are the seven spirits of God and the seven stars? The "One" is of course referring to Christ.

I read a book once called, Tiger's Fang. It is a book from the spiritual study called Eckankar. This book made a lot of sense to me and relates somewhat to Revelation in that man can leave his physical body and travel with enlightened spirits or guides on the spiritual plane to learn. In this book, the traveler met many faces of God whose personality, if you will was related to the level or plane. This is my understanding anyway and I did read it many years ago so please forgive any misrepresentations of this spiritual path. I definitely do not mean any disrespect to its followers. The point that I am trying to make is this: could the seven fold spirit of God be something like that? Do we see the face of God that we need to see for our level of spiritual development?

I believe the Adam singled out for the garden of Eden story was the first incarnation of a soul that was to become the Christ. (I have been studying for a long time and many, many things and experiences have lead me to believe in reincarnation-not a big leap for some, but huge or impossible for others) On that note, I will leave this post for you to ponder...:-)

Peace be with you,
Tammie

Down a Different Path

I'd like to add a new topic to this blog while keeping some of the other stuff thrown in for good measure. The new topic will be my research into religion, mainly, early Christianity. I will make comparisons between religions occasionally. I have been researching this for a number of years.

I grew up in a Christian family, but I’ve been seeking answers to my questions about God most of my life. The church tells us that we must take everything on faith, but that is not a satisfactory answer to me. There are answers, the Bible itself instructs us in Matthew 7:7-11, “7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (King James Version)

I hope that if you are also searching that you find something here that may help you. If you want to leave a comment or ask a question, please feel free to do so. I welcome discussions and new insight.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tammie Lynn

Italian Night

I'm nearly finished with my rug. I will post pictures when it is blocked and on the floor. It is turning out quite nicely, I think! The colors go well with our new paint. I plan to start my next thread miniature after the rug is done.

The garden is finished. I still have some herbs left that are in good shape, parsley, oregano, stevia and mint. The basil and cilantro have gone to seed. We have one cayenne pepper that is still producing too, but the tomatoes are done, it is way too hot for them to set fruit. Allen's citrus trees are doing well. The Chinese Honey has over two dozen fruit, but it is small and may need to be supported before the fruit is ripe.

We had Chicken Cacciatore and Garlic Cheese Mashed Potatoes for dinner, it was pretty good. I used some Pablano peppers donated to me from my daughter's garden, which added a nice spicy flavor. Tomatoes are so good for you, it doesn't matter if they are canned or fresh and we have them often. Here's my recipe, if you are in the mood for Italian !

Chicken Cacciatore
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, browned in about 2 tablespoons of Olive oil (Extra Virgin, first press is the very best). Remove chicken to a plate and add 4-5 seeded and sliced fresh Pablano peppers, 1 onion, diced, and 1 clove minced garlic to the pan with a little more Olive oil. Saute' over medium heat until soft and onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Add two 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, 1- 6 oz. can of tomato paste, salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste and about 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon Oregano, 1 teaspoon Basil, 1 tablespoon Parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Shake in about 1/4 cup of Parmesan/Romano cheese, a splash of red wine and stir well to combine. Place chicken breasts in sauce, cover and simmer for at least an hour until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender.

Mashed Potatoes
Wash 4 medium to large red-skinned potatoes and cut up into a saucepan. Add water to cover and salt to taste. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, let simmer for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from heat, drain and return to pan. Add about 1 cup of whole milk Ricotta Cheese, 1/4 cup of Parmesan/Romano cheese, black pepper and garlic powder to taste, mash, adding a little half and half, canned milk or whole milk until desired consistency and cover with lid to keep warm.

Plate potatoes and spoon chicken cacciatore over top, garnished with some fresh Basil leaves. Serves 4-6.

Enjoy!

The Fun Stuff

Now that I'm home I get to do the things that I enjoy which are crafts and cooking. For dinner tonight I made fresh tomato soup with tomatoes grown right in our backyard. It's a great light dinner in this hot weather and it's healthy too.

I'm also making a large crocheted rug for our living room. It is so pretty and I can make a 60" diameter rug for under $30.00. I think that's a pretty good deal especially when I get to pick the perfect colors to match our living room decor. Crochet rugs are fast and easy to make with worsted weight yarn and a large crochet hook. Many patterns are available such as: Stylish Rugs For Every Room - Crochet Patterns

I've been crocheting for about 35 years. I make miniature crocheted animals also known as amigurami (See all Stuffed Animals Craft Books). These can be tedious, but I plan to share my own patterns and pictures  here later and perhaps a crochet tutorial too. If anyone has questions about crochet, rug making or amigurami, please feel free to post your questions. I'm always happy to help if I can.

Oh and here is my soup recipe if you want to make some of your own:

Fresh Tomato Soup

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, sliced and cut cross-wise to make pieces about 1/2 inch long
6 large vine-ripe tomatoes or 10-12 smaller tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil, thinly sliced
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups whole milk
3 T. butter
4 T. flour
1-6 oz. can tomato paste
dried basil
Italian seasoning

Saute' onions in olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat for about 10 minutes, add garlic, chopped tomatoes and bay leaves, stir and let simmer for about 10 more minutes. Add chicken broth, cover and let cook at a hard simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter, add flour and cook over heat for about a minute. Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk, cook over medium low heat for about 5 minutes to begin thickening. Set aside.

When tomatoes are finished cooking, break them up with an immersion blender, and add the milk, tomato paste, dried basil, and a pinch of Italian seasoning. Let cook over low heat until thickened, taste to adjust seasonings and serve.

Well, time to go. Koali is screaming for his dinner, literally. He is sitting in the chair next to me, mouth wide and as close to my face as he can get emitting obnoxious mewling noises. Okay, not so obnoxious as extremely adorable. See you soon!

Home Again

Well, I'm home again full-time. The fibromyalgia has succeeded in causing me to be unemployed. For those that don't have it, I hope you never do. For those that do and understand the great amount of pain and illness this condition causes, I'm sorry. Remember on the bad days that this will pass and become more bearable. Another good thing I guess, it isn't life threatening; it only makes you feel like you might rather be dead on some of those really bad days!

The up side is that I have more time to work on my research. Fibro and working didn't leave me much time that I felt well enough to do any research, any house cleaning, cooking or any of the other things a wife should do or at least help with. I'd love to turn my research into a book or even just an article that gets published. I have had some poetry and a short story published in very minor publications, but it's something anyway. For now, I'm happy continuing my research, which I am finding extremely fascinating and I'm staying in touch through my blog and Facebook friends.

While enjoying the seeking and finding aspect of my research, I have become frustrated recently without a good method of organizing my finds. It's easy to jot down something wonderful and inspiring, but I desperately need a way of locating that tidbit of information when I want it later. My desperate search for a solution has brought me to an amazing little tool called Azz Cardfile.

What prompted my search for a card file program was a useful tool that I've carried with me from computer to computer, called cardfile. I believe it was originally a Microsoft add in; I've quite forgotten at this point, but it was always handy for addresses and contact information. The drawback to my old cardfile was that the cards were small with very limited space and it does not function on my new Windows 7 computer.

Azz Cardfile is awesome. It will not only open my old cardfile documents, but it can also be used for so much more than an address book/rolodex. This powerful little program is a great way to store my notes. I place everything under it's particular heading (card name/index) and it becomes easy to find, easy to cross-reference and easy to organize all of my notes. I can group cards or create an entire new file depending on my personal preference. Please check it out, it's free to try and I'd love to hear back from you what great things you use it for. It would be a great recipe file too! Here's the link: www.azzcardfile.com .  Remember, I'm waiting to hear your ideas!

Until next time, peaceful travels!

Will we reach civilization again?

We planned our trip for three weeks. Everything was packed and ready to go. Meds, cell phone, wallet, all packed in a plastic zip-lock bag, water and healthy snacks packed in a knapsack. We had one truck parked at the end of the run with dry towels and clothes for after the trip. The other truck was loaded with kayaks, paddles and life vests and headed for the start of the run. The morning was cool, air smelled fresh and dewy and we all felt the zing of excitement as we stood poised next to our vessels on the boardwalk waiting to load into the cool, clear water of Juniper run.

Okay, it wasn’t that romantic. There were lots of eager kayakers/canoers crammed together on a boardwalk that was created without much thought to the traffic that packed it. There were people trundling over sized canoes on makeshift carts going towards the water and people coming from the water after unloading their vessels returning the carts for others to use at the beginning of the boardwalk. We all were pushed and shoved backwards and forward trying to reach the small extended areas of the boardwalk that allowed for two-way traffic. People were already sweaty and smelly from the frustration.

The park ranger, aka: Sergeant Grouchy was barking orders to everyone and confusing the line-up of canoes that were meant to be launched as a group and he didn’t want any argument. The river goers tried to cooperate with each other when he wasn’t paying attention. Finally, puddles of sweat and bruised toes later, we were on the river. It wasn’t peaceful either, there were experts and novices alike crowded onto a run that should have been rated at least Intermediate. Juniper only has one section of small rapids, but the obstructions are numerous. There wasn’t much clue to the treacherous path we were embarking on based on literature supplied by the park.

After playing bumper boats for fifteen or so minutes, traffic began to thin. One curve after the other awaited us coupled with low hanging trees, and  barely submerged logs that had fallen into the river. The overhanging trees and branches concerned me because of the reputation snakes have for climbing up them and then falling into passing boats. I don't like snakes.

Our daughters were with us and I didn't want to freak them out so I kept the fear of snakes to myself and my eyes wide open. About half way through the run or about 2 and 1/2 hours in, we rounded a right curve then an immediate left curve with chest-high overhanging branches. The current was moving swiftly and I'm trying to watch for snakes, trying to make sure my daughters are still okay and trying to help my husband navigate the sharp turns while avoiding as much tree limb as possible, then it happens, I look up at the next tree rushing towards us and there nestled just above our heads is a huge water moccasin. I stick out my paddle to snag the shore and stop our rush ahead, forcing the canoe with our daughters and the other kayak in our party to stop.

They wonder what is going on until I point out what is sitting just at the end of my extended paddle. We can all see the snake clearly. It's eyes are wide open. We can even see the bony ridge above the snake's eye determining that we are indeed dealing with a venomous moccasin versus the harmless water snake. It's way too close for me. The girls are hollering for me to move my paddle, but I tell them to go on under the branch giving the snaky part as much wide berth as possible.  If the snake starts to move, I plan on bashing it with the flat end of my paddle. Probably won't kill it, but it won't do it any good either and should make it decide not to fall into any of our boats, at least that's what I hope!

We all clear the snake safely, but now I am so ready to be done with this trip and safely back in the truck on the way home. I love time spent with my family, but we're all tired, hot, grouchy and now afraid the next snake or gator encounter won't go as well as the first.

We are the lead kayak and a few twists and turns later, I see what looks like rapids ahead. I am thinking really, no one warned us about rapids. Okay to those of you used to white water stuff, these were kind of tame, but still, we are novices. Hubby and I maneuvered through safely shooting out the end of the rapids. Next, comes our son-in-law in a single kayak followed closely by both of our daughters in a tin can canoe.

The water is still rushing us forward and we've gone partially around another curve before I can snag a (snakeless) branch to hold us still while waiting on the rest of our party. All of a sudden, we hear a blood-curdling scream which I know is my oldest daughter. Then paddles and some debris comes floating by our kayak. We are able to grab all but one paddle which was retrieved later by a very kind kayaker.

I'm all panicked knowing my daughters are in the river so like any mother, I start frantically paddling to get back to them against the current. Our son-in-law is trying to calm down his wife, my oldest, as she is tangled in underwater logs and still screaming. Need I say that she hates black water with icky, slimy unseen things as much as I do. The youngest is swimming towards us to get to shallower water.

She's very upset because she did not put her cell phone in the plastic bag opting instead for her shorts pocket. The cell phone is still drowned on the bottom of the run or floating around in a gator's belly. My husband jumps in to help our son-in-law grab our other daughter and then to haul a now water-logged canoe to shallower water. It took all the strength they could muster to empty the canoe and make it able to float. Finally, we're underway again with four very wet, unhappy, angry people.

We kept on for another 2 and 1/2 hours without any further mishaps or snake sightings and arrived safely, more hot, more tired and more grouchy than at the half way point, but we were very glad to be out of the water and on dry land again.

I was annoyed at the boy scout leader that was letting ten year old boys play in the river at the exit ramp. I guess he didn't understand the big signs that said "Danger, no swimming, or wading due to strong currents and the other sign that read, "Beware of Alligators. I guess he didn't know what the picture of the animal on the sign was or maybe he didn't take the responsibility of someone else's children seriously. I don't know, but he also didn't listen to the news reports about the alligator attack that occurred at this same exact site the previous year.

I've lived in Florida all my life, but I still don't like some of our wildlife and I do try to give them the respect they deserve and demand. I said a little prayer that afternoon, thanking God for getting us back safely and another for the guardian angels over all those little boys to be ever so more alert that day and keep them safe.

Until next time, wishing you a safe ride!

Picture Time

It has been such a beautiful Spring here in Florida. Seriously, I've lived here all my life and Spring is usually one day long, if that. The end of winter goes like this, February 28, 30 degrees, March 1, 60 degrees, March 2, 85 degrees and then it's Summer!

I've been enjoying this time of year so much that I have to share some of it with you! Hope you enjoy too!

Full Moon

Another Shot of the Full Moon

Blue-violet Hydrangea (extra special because it was a gift from Mom and Dad!)

Knockout roses-Double Red and an Antique red rambling climbing rose

Inca Lily

Back of our new house

Live Oak, Bench and Hydrangea-my favorite spot in the whole yard!

Koali on his favorite spot!

Until next time, I wish you a peaceful journey...



House Life, by Koali

Koali here again just to let you know that the humans we live with finally got smart and moved us into a house. It's about time. How many times do we have to run up and down their bodies, claws extended, in the middle of the night before they finally get a clue that we aren't happy!

We have a porch with big windows and a kitty climbing tree with two perches so we can watch the birds and feel the breeze. We have an entire room just for our potty pan. I knew we were special, but this might be over the top. Shh! Don't tell our humans I said that, we're enjoying this life!

We have lots of toys, two of our toy birds even chirp. It almost sounds like the ones outside the porch windows, but the toy bird doesn't taste very good. I wish our human would let us out, but I guess that isn't going to happen. We get shooed away from the doors every time we even get a little close to them.

Went to the vet last week for a checkup. What a joke! You know our human pays this doctor lady to hurt us. Imagine that! She poked us, stuck things in unmentionable places and then she jammed us with a needle, not once but twice. It was awful. To top it all off, we were sick the next day. I told Scooter the doc was poisoning us, but he didn't believe me until he nearly died. Tammie had to run him back to the doctor to fix the poison.

I didn't go on that trip, but he told me all about it the next day when he started feeling better. It seems Doc had to give him a couple more shots to counteract the poison shots. Scooter is feeling better now. Doc even sent some wet food home with him. Guess that's supposed to make us forgive her. Didn't work, food was crap. Had to talk Tammie into getting out the good stuff. We only like Blue Buffalo , it is awesome, better than human food. Keep that quiet too or there won't be any left for us. Tammie is too easy, she'd do anything for us. We've been giving her clues to buy us a water fountain! I'll let you know when we get one!

Taking a Breath

Wow, I can't believe it's been nearly six months since I posted. Shame on me. We are nearly settled into the new house. Of course there is still much to do, but I think that is how it is with homes. I've been busy painting, cleaning and working in the yard as much as I can. I did have to go back to work part time to help us out. That's been tough as now I am very limited with the work I can do at home.

To stay at work even part time, I have to be careful, as the doc says I have to know my limits. I work three days a week, go to bed when I get home, take lots of meds and rest for at least three full days of the four that I have off. It's not fun, but it is getting us by.

The yard is starting to shape up nicely. We've planted violas, dianthus, Inca lilies, spider lily, azaleas, irises and some grass plugs to fill in the areas that are showing the years of neglect the most. The main attraction in the front yard is a twenty foot dogwood that nearly fills the front yard. It was gorgeous just a few weeks ago wearing it's coat of white fragrant flowers. Now it is covered with new, bright green leaves and the yard is carpeted with dying blossoms. Spring just doesn't last long enough.

The back yard is adorned with a giant live oak. The branches sweep down trying to touch the ground and under this beauty, we have a nice shade garden. There is Aztec grass, a white iris, bugle weed, marigold, a pink-flowered bulb that I can't remember the name of and beautiful red-leafed dwarf canna lilies. I also threw in some caladium bulbs. Not everything is up yet, but it will be soon. Under the tree is a concrete carved bench that my daughters bought me for Mother's Day several years ago and next to it is a beautiful hydrangea in a lovely shade of violet-blue. It is called Hydrangea macrophylla 'Mathilda Gutges'. It is so pretty, I hope it does well planted where it is.

The raised bed garden is so pretty with Romaine lettuce, squash, peppers, strawberries and various herbs. Everything cooked with the fresh herbs tastes so much better, marinara sauce comes alive with fresh basil and oregano. There is spearmint for tea and the occasional Mojito too!

We're trying to plan a short trip in our tent in the coming weeks. We will be taking along a portable air conditioning unit. I'll let you know how that works out. Until next time...Peace to you!