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Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category

Friday’s Fresh Five! (6/22/12)

Posted in About me, Creativity, Environment and Ecology, Gardening, Health, inspiration, Photography, Recycling, Style and fashion, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »

A mass of red Lady Bird poppies moves with the breeze and resembles lady bugs in flight. Bees buzz from flower to flower. In the background, water trickles over rectangular-shaped stones. The wonder that is the Central Garden of the Getty Museum surrounds me. Robert Irwin, artist and planner of this garden, wrote these words to describe this living work of art:

EVER

PRESENT

NEVER

TWICE THE

SAME,

EVER

CHANGING

NEVER

LESS THAN

WHOLE.

Robert Irwin 1997

But as I stand in this garden, his thoughtful words make me think about how they relate to moments, minutes, and my life.

#1 – Carrying a Torch

The Olympic flame arrived in the United Kingdom on May 18th. Since then it has traveled “through villages and cities, across lakes and mountain ranges, on foot, by train, on horseback, and through the air, from Cornwall to the Shetland Islands.” Follow it’s journey in this series of photographs from The Atlantic. 8,000 torchbearers will have had the privilege of carrying the Olympic flame by the time it reaches London for the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics – only 35 days away.

#2 – Breaking Point

A podiatrist once told me to buy “P-shaped or clown shoes.” Ha! Ha! Except he was serious. Did he realize how hard it is to find stylish clown shoes? For days, I have been walking around the house in a new pair of high heels that I bought for my son’s wedding. The idea of breaking them in before the big day is a good one, however, my splayed toes ultimately are not meant to be forced into pointy shoes! After some research I found a great post The Secrets My High Heels Are Hiding on the style blog Alterations Needed. The article suggests several shoe aids that ease foot pain as a result of wearing high heels and ill-fitting shoes. The author’s suggestions are good ones, particularly the slingback foot liners, as are some of the suggestions from her readers. For instance, taping toes 3 and 4 together makes wearing pointy-toed shoes more bearable. Even though my toes look funny while taped together, I think the technique helps!

#3 – Intolerable Beauty

Oil filters, Seattle 2003, by photographer Chris Jordan

Photographer Chris Jordan’s series Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption is both a sobering reminder of the wasteful, throw-away-world we live in and an example of art existing everywhere and in everything, even in the least expected places. Linger on his website a while and view the powerful photos of In Katrina’s Wake: Portraits of Loss from an Unnatural Disaster.

#4 – Re-purpose It!

Chris Jordan’s photos speak to us about our wasteful ways, so let’s find more ways to re-purpose things. I’ve saved Altoid tins and other metal candy containers for years and was excited to stumble upon these clever 15 Cool Crafts Made With Altoid Tins!

#5 – Peace
Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.
Unknown

Have a peaceful weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (5/18/12)

Posted in About me, Creativity, Entertainment, Gardening, Helping Others, inspiration, Organization, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Zoom! Zoom! Ka-Boom! Aggression rages outside my kitchen window – thanks to one particular alpha male. With all his speed and might, this guy slams his body into another male. Zoom! He’s back to his guard post. This mighty hummingbird perches protectively on a chain that supports a sweet nectar feeder. A few seconds later, he spies approaching invaders and darts off to give chase. I watch as other hummingbirds attempt over and over again to reach the feeder, but alpha-bird will have none of that. I sigh, “Come on guys. Why can’t we all get along?”

#1 – Love Those Hummingbirds
In order to learn more about this hummingbird’s aggressive behavior, I searched the internet for information. From the World Of Hummingbirds and How To Enjoy Hummingbirds sites I learned:

♥ Hummingbirds are the tiniest birds in the world and they are also the smallest of all animals that have a backbone.

♥ Because hummingbirds can rotate their wings in a circle, they are the only birds that can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways and hover in mid air.

♥ The bright flashing-colored feathers of the hummingbird’s neck is called a Gorget.

♥ A hummingbird’s brain is 4.2% of its body weight, the largest proportion in the bird kingdom.

♥ Hummingbirds are very smart and they can remember every flower they have been to, and how long it will take a flower to refill.

♥ Hummingbirds can hear better and see farther than humans, but they have nearly no sense of smell.

♥ A hummingbird’s heart beats up to 1,260 times per minute.

♥ A hummingbird baby is generally smaller than a penny.

♥ Most hummingbirds die in the first year of life, but those that survive have an average life span of 5 years.

♥ Hummingbirds are very territorial and will perch in trees, vines or bushes, between feedings to watch the area . . . and will attack other birds that might try to feed at their food source.

#2 – No Limitations
In another inspirational video from TED, activist Caroline Casey “tells the story of her extraordinary life” and “asks us all to move beyond the limits we may think we have.” Worth watching.

#3 – A Can You Can Hang

This repurposing idea from Brian Jewett is beyond clever. By attaching cleaned paint cans to a wall, he creates multipurpose hooks. A garment can be hung over the can, stuff can be stored in the can (I’m thinking keys), and something, like a scarf, can be hung on the can’s handle! Directions for this project can be found on Instructables. These can hooks would look great in a garage, an artist’s workshop, a child’s bedroom or playroom, etc.! There’s no end to creative ideas!

#4 – Yosemite HD
The talented combination of Sheldon Neill and Colin Delahanty, two young videographers, brings us this under-four-minute incredibly beautiful video of Yosemite National Park. Yosemite HD, a high definition, time lapse video, depicts the majesty of nature. Even if you’ve seen Yosemite with your own eyes, you’ll still want to see it through their eyes!

#5 – Every Moment
Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.
Thomas Merton

Enjoy every moment of your weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (4/27/12)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gardening, Health, Helping Others, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 27, 2012| 1 Comment »

Bending to the wind and rain, the rosebuds looked as if they were praying. The first bloom of the season is usually the best, but this year the roses in my garden tempted fate by making their first appearance during a storm. Days later, with the sun on my back, I walked through my garden and inspected the blooms. Several had irregularly-shaped petals and showed signs of water damage. Reflecting on these imperfections, I thought about the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, where there’s perfection in the imperfect. With that in mind, these stalwart roses had to be some of the loveliest ones I have ever seen.

#1 – Held Up

Thousands of tiny figures support the weight of a man in a thought-provoking art installation titled Floor. Korean artist Do Ho Suh positioned the tiny figures, with their arms held upward, under plates of glass. Check out the rest of the photos first and then consider the artist’s message. Are you a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty type of person? Do you think this piece represents support or oppression?

#2 – Hold On To That Hose!

From This Old House comes this article 10 Uses For A Garden Hose. Here’s another 10 reasons why you should not throw out anything, at least if it can be reused!

#3 – Spice Up Your Life!

Herbs and spices bring flavor into our diets, but many spices do more than that. According to an article in Eating Well, the spices listed below are considered eight of the world’s healthiest spices. Read the complete article to learn about the benefits of each spice.

Chile Peppers
Ginger
Cinnamon
Tumeric
Saffron
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme . . . wait thyme’s not on the list?

#4 – Morning Rituals
Some of my most creative thoughts, whether related to problem-solving or just ideas for projects and recipes, come to me when I am blow drying my hair. Having short hair, I’ve wondered if my creative productivity would increase if I grew my hair out. You know –  the longer the hair, the longer it takes to dry. A wise friend advised me to write down everything I am grateful for every night before I go to bed. It keeps life in perspective. And in the morning, upon her advice again, I write down everything that’s in my head before I even get out of bed. She calls it the “Morning Dump,” where you dump out all the thoughts floating around in your head and you start your day fresh. Along the same lines, of being grateful and starting your day in the proper frame of mind, comes an article called How To Wake Up Every Morning On Top Of The World from the website Tiny Buddha.

#5 – What Would Dorothy Say?
There is no need to reach high for the stars. They are already within you. Just reach deep into yourself!
-Unknown

Have a great weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (4/20/12)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Community, Creativity, Gardening, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »

This tree. This beautiful weeping cedar, a graceful perch for so many birds, is dying. It’s just a tree, I tell myself. But nonetheless, for over sixteen years, without any special wants or needs, this tree’s long, downward-growing branches covered with silvery, grey-green bursts of needles created an elegant archway into my garden. Now, it stands almost completely denuded. The arborist came last week, dug around, and shook his head while he uttered, “Probably some type of fungus. It’s a wait and see game, now.” Everyday, I go outside and look at this tree. I examine it for new growth – there is none. I touch the branches – needles fall slowly to the ground. I scratch lightly at the bark to see if there is any green underneath it – there is. There is still hope for this tree.

#1 – “Staying” Green

Planet earth is counting on creative people to save it. Smart concepts such as this “Urban Hotel” illustrate my point. Although you would expect solar-power and rain water recycling systems in these hotels, a unique feature of this concept are the bicycles in the rooms. The bicycles can be used for exploring surrounding urban areas or used for exercising inside the rooms. While exercising, the bikes convert “the bike’s pedaling into kinetic energy to power the room and any extra energy is used to deduct rooming costs.” Make sure to click on the link to view all the features of this earth-friendly concept!

#2 – The Green Gift

My neighbor came to visit the other day and she brought with her two gift bags. One contained my birthday gift and the other one contained another kind of gift. The bag was filled with empty toilet paper tubes. She remembered a comment I made about how I compost toilet paper tubes and paper towel tubes. After collecting several tubes, I cut them open, flatten them out and then feed them into my paper shredder. They add much needed “brown” organic material to my compost bin. There are many other items around the house that can be added to compost piles. TLC’s article on 75 Things You Can Compost, But Thought You Couldn’t is a good refresher course for those of us who compost. If you haven’t started composting, please consider it. It’s an easy way of redirecting some of your garbage away from landfills and back to the land.

#3 – When Chefs Get Bored

What do chefs do when they are bored? I don’t know the answer to that, but I would imagine they play with their food! Check out this series of food art photos and see that creativity knows no bounds in the kitchen!

#4 – To Market, To Market

What could be better than going shopping? What about shopping outdoors in the fresh air and sun? Most farmers’ markets carry more than just produce. I love walking up and down the rows of stalls looking at and sampling the fresh seasonal produce. I also enjoy visiting the stands that sell olive oil, soap, honey, hand-crafted and fresh baked goods, plants and flowers. I always make sure to bring my own bags/baskets, cash, and, of course, my camera. For more tips, visit Recyclebank’s 10 tips to Shop Smart at Farmers Markets.

#5 – The Tao of Pooh

“Say, Pooh, why aren’t you busy?” I said.
“Because it’s a nice day,” said Pooh.
“But you could be doing something Important,” I said.
“I am,” said Pooh.
“Oh? Doing what?”
“Listening,” he said.
“Listening to what?”
“To the birds. And that squirrel over there.”
“What are they saying?” I asked.
“That it’s a nice day,” said Pooh.
“But you know that already,” I said.
“Yes, but it’s always good to hear that somebody else thinks so, too,” he said.

Benjamin Hoff, author of The Tao of Pooh

Happy Earth Day! What about this? Do one thing every single day that is good for the earth!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (3/2/12)

Posted in Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gardening, Health, inspiration, Photography, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

In the depth of winter, when most garden plants look ho-hum, camellias, with their perfectly-shaped glossy leaves and their delicately-layered blossoms, add incredible beauty to our lives. Don’t let the shorter days and the stay-inside-weather prevent you from recognizing and appreciating their winter perfection. Everything on earth has a purpose, even camellias.

#1 – Purposely Repurposing
The party’s over and you have plastic cups lying around all over the place. They’re headed for the trash bin, right? Well, what about this – what about using them to construct a hanging lamp? This lamp and many more creative ideas appear in the article Most Popular Repurposing Tricks of 2011. Not into hanging lamps? What about making a lunch box from a plastic milk jug or creating a home security device from an old webcam?

#2 – The World We Live In
The world we live in is an amazing place. By checking out this series of photos, discover sights around the world without leaving your desk. All the photographs are interesting, but I was most intrigued by the Danxia landform.

#3 – Stick To It!
Need help deciding which type of glue to use on a DIY project? Go to Design*Sponge’s post on adhesives. Glue descriptions and an easy to read chart take the guessing out of what glue to use where and when. There’s even a recipe for making a natural glue at home – a DIY glue for your DIY project!

#4 – Fat Fighting Fiber!
Browsing the internet the other day using StumbleUpon, I “stumbled” across a health article titled “Fiber Supplements – Which One You Need?” The article points out the difference between insoluble and soluble fiber and describes the types of fiber used in supplements. Did you know that fiber supplements that become viscous, help your body in two ways? They not only help you to stay regular, but they also help to lower your blood cholesterol.

#5 – Life is a Contact Sport
Life is a contact sport, but it should never be played without joy.

Based on Senator Robert Byrd’s quote about Ted Kennedy, “He believed that life was a contact sport but that it should never be played without joy.”

Have a lovely weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (1/20/12)

Posted in About me, Community, Gardening, Helping Others, inspiration, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »

It was so cold outside that the birds looked all puffed up in their little down jackets. For me, dressing up like Nanook of the North and going out in the freezing cold at midnight is not something I like to do, but the weather forecaster on T.V. said, “There’s going to be a hard freeze tonight.” Difficult as it was to leave the warmth of our home, my hubby and I got out our bin of burlap pieces and clothes pins and went outside to cover our frost-tender plants. While I was outside draping and pinning, I thought about all the homeless people trying to stay warm on that cold, cold night. Shame, guilt, and sadness struck me. Here I was protecting plants when people – men, women, and children – were freezing in the night.

#1 – Ways to Help the Homeless
If you are looking for ways to help the homeless, but don’t know where to start, check out these links:

Donate Old Gear to “Homeless Gear” & Help Keep the Homeless Warmer on Cold Days
35 Ways You Can Help the Homeless
Homeless Teens: How to Help
How YOU Can Help End Homelessness

#2 – Reduce Food Waste
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli offers six tips on how to reduce food waste. And remember that some of the food you waste also can go into compost piles. Want to start a compost pile, but don’t know how? Read Earth Easy’s article on composting.

#3- Date a Girl Who Reads
In the essay below, Rosemarie Urquico espouses the many reasons for dating a girl who reads. I loved it when I first read it – how could I not, since it’s all about reading and writing! Supposedly, it was written in response to Charles Warnke’s You Should Date an Illiterate Girl. Make sure you read both pages of Mr. Warnke’s piece.

You Should Date a Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes, who has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she has found the book she wants. You see that weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a secondhand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow and worn.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas, for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry and in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who read understand that all things must come to end, but that you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

#4 – Repurposing
A while back, I wrote about Pinterest, the online pinboard. Many, many great ideas on numerous subjects can be found on Pinterest boards, but I especially like the ones that display truly creative ways to reuse things.

#5 – Do Something For Someone
“You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” ~John Bunyan

Stay warm!

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Pumpkin Flower Pots

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gardening, Holidays, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 18, 2011| 1 Comment »

It all began this morning after I spotted a pot of unruly Corkscrew Grass sitting on a shelf in a grocery store. I thought to myself, “That would make a great head of hair for something.” Then in a Martha Stewart-moment, I turned my shopping cart around and went outside to find a head, or a pumpkin to be more specific. After selecting three “perfect” pumpkins and taking them home, the five-year-old in me began sawing away at them with no special design in mind. That’s not to say, though, that I didn’t have a purpose in mind. With a pumpkin carving saw in hand, I cut classic sawtooth edges around the tops of each pumpkin. And after a gentle tug on each stem, the lids came off to reveal a stringy mass and a cache of seeds. I imagined this must be similar to what a neurosurgeon feels after he’s removed a piece of skull and gets his first look into the brain!

Although a session of pumpkin carving interrupted my morning schedule, I felt very satisfied after I put my three pumpkin flower pots on my door steps. Nothing ingenious or original about this project, but the look of autumn has finally come to my house!

Pumpkin Flower Pots
Materials:
Pumpkins
One plant for each pumpkin
Tape measure
Push pin
Knife or pumpkin carving saw
Bowl for seeds
Wood excelsior, optional

Directions:
1. Wash and dry exteriors of pumpkins.
2. Decide which plant will go into which pumpkin.
3. Measure diameter of the top of each potted plant container.
4. With tape measure, center the number of inches of the pot’s diameter across the pumpkin top. Using a push pin, poke holes in the pumpkin to serve as a cutting guide.
5. Carefully cut a sawtooth pattern around the top.
6. Remove lid and scoop out seeds. Save the seeds for roasting or making Pumpkin Brittle.
7. Clean inside of pumpkins thoroughly. Using a spoon’s edge, scrape the sides of the pumpkins interiors until all stringy fibers are gone. Put that stringy stuff into your compost pile!
8. Cut a hole in bottom of the pumpkins, around the blossom spot, for plant drainage.

9.  Either take the plant out of the pot and plant it directly into the pumpkin – recognizing that after Halloween, you are going to plant the whole thing, pumpkin and all, into the ground – or position the potted plant, plastic pot and all, into the pumpkin. If you find the pot does not fit, take a sharp knife and trim away some of the pumpkin flesh on the inside.

10. It’s optional, but I elected to put a little wood excelsior between the edges of the pots and the pumpkins to soften the look.

Update: These pumpkin pots will last longer if you spray the interiors with a disinfectant like Lysol before placing potted plants inside them.

Enjoy!

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An Amaryllis For Marty

Posted in About me, Aging, Gardening, Helping Others, inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 12, 2011| 3 Comments »

In a disarray of discarded plants and flowerpots, a neglected, but tall and proud-looking amaryllis caught my eye. Surprised by the sight, my heart rapidly filled with emotion – first sadness and then happiness. With its sturdy, solitary stalk and two huge Christmas-red blooms, this plant reminded me of a dear friend I once had. Her name was Martha, but I knew her as Marty.

About ten years ago my daughter and I volunteered to paint fingernails at an assisted-living care center for senior citizens. Walking through those doors that day we could not know how our lives would change. It was fate. Of all the women in the room we could have helped, my daughter chose the feisty, diabetic, and wheelchair-bound Marty.

For six years, we regularly visited Marty at the center. In an attempt to make her life better, we brought her books to read and movies to watch, as well as holiday decorations to bring cheer to her room. And whenever we went on vacation, we made sure to bring back a souvenir for our friend. As many a great time we shared with her, we also endured difficult ones. Witnessing her decline from an opinionated and independent woman to a bedridden and silent one challenged our spirits, but never our commitment to her. Towards the end, we braced ourselves whenever we entered Marty’s room. One thing was for sure, though, no matter what physical condition she was in, Marty’s bright blue eyes always lit up when she saw our faces and we, in turn, always tried to smile, covering up any alarm we might have at seeing her situation.

Four years ago, in the month of November, the phone call came – Marty was gone. After hanging up the phone, I looked at the potted amaryllis bulb that sat on my kitchen counter. It was to have been Marty’s Christmas gift and my daughter and I had been eager to see the expression on Marty’s face when we presented it to her. Sadly, I picked up the plant and carried it outside and placed it amongst a pile of old flowerpots. I stood there remembering an earlier Christmas that Marty received an amaryllis from her son and how she spent the following months marveling at it. After the giant blooms faded, she had asked me to take the bulb home and replant it for her. Regretfully, I never had the opportunity to do that, because the plant, pot and all, disappeared from her room. That’s when my daughter and I decided we’d buy her a new one  –  one that she’ll never see.

Following Marty’s death, bad weather ensued, months passed by, and soon the plant was completely erased from my memory. Then one gorgeous early spring day, when the warm sun beckoned me out to the garden, I walked over to my garden shed. That’s when, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a patch of bright red. There in the heap of garden rejects was Marty’s Christmas gift! A magnificent red blossom, in all of its glory, was swaying in the breeze and calling out, “Don’t forget about me.”

Every year since Marty died, the amaryllis has bloomed. And today as I stand here and admire its beautiful spring offering, I can hear Marty’s soft voice say, “Isn’t that something!” Picturing Marty’s face and thinking about how she graced my life, I reply, “Yes, Marty, it most certainly is!”

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Using Lemons – Ordinary and Extraordinary Ideas

Posted in Creativity, Entertainment, Gardening, Health, In The Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on March 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Picture smooth, thin-skinned, lemons swaying seductively in the breeze. They temp you with their fresh fragrance and their bright eye-catching color. Heavy with juice, that begs to be released, the luscious fruit cry out “Take me! Use me! Squeeze me now!”

A while back I wrote a short piece called Got Lemons? for a Friday Fresh Five! post that started me thinking about this fabulously versatile fruit. If your lemon tree graced you with a bounty and you’re trying to figure out what to do with them, you’re in luck. I searched the internet and created a list of thirty ordinary and extraordinary uses for lemons. If you are fortunate enough to have Meyer lemons, which are slightly sweeter than regular lemons, there are some wonderful culinary suggestions to try. Limoncello, anyone?

Using Lemons – Ordinary and Extraordinary Ideas

1. Make homemade lemonade with this basic syrup recipe: 1 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water. Dilute syrup to taste with water or soda water and add ice. For added flavor, include a bit of chopped crystallized ginger or fresh mint leaves or some fresh fruit.

2. Highlight your hair by mixing the juice of one lemon with one teaspoon of salt and apply to your hair with a comb. Get out into the sun for a couple of hours. Because of the drying effects of this mixture, do not use this too often.

3. Infuse your favorite olive oil with Meyer lemon peel: Warm a cup of olive oil and the peel from 2 lemons over very low heat for 15 minutes, then allow to cool for half an hour. Strain and pour into a bottle with a stopper.

4. Exfoliate and clean your feet – mix up some lemon pulp and brown sugar and rub. Rinse and moisturize. Repeated use of lemon juice can whiten toenails that have been yellowed by nail polish.

5. Roast quartered slices of Meyer lemon with olive oil, rosemary and whole shallots; serve simply, with slices of grilled bread.

6. Sooth a sting by mixing the juice of half a lemon with water and apply to area.

7. Stuff the cavity of a chicken with lemon and onion wedges before roasting it.

8. Freshen up your dishwasher by placing half a lemon onto one of the spikes before you run a wash cycle.

9. Squeeze the juice from lemons and freeze it in an ice cube tray; once frozen, store the cubes in plastic bags in the freezer.

10. Freeze lemon zest. Zest lemons before juicing them; freeze zest in a small, plastic bag or a small, airtight container. Use in salad dressings, soups, roasts, pasta dishes, seafood, dips, baked goods and more!

11. Make Meyer limoncello by steeping lemon peel in a bottle of vodka for two weeks. Then strain the infused vodka, mix with simple syrup and more vodka, and bottle the result.

12. For the perfect cold remedy, add the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of cayenne to a strong pot of tea.

13. Make a lemon candlescape: Cut lemons in half crosswise. Cut a small bit off the ends to create flat bottoms. Carefully ream out juice; scrape shells clean with a spoon. Place a small votive or tea light in each shell, carefully set in a pretty bowl, fill with a small amount of water, and light candles.

14. Relieve dry and achy hands by massaging them with a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil.

15. Make Meyer lemon vinaigrette with extra virgin olive oil, Meyer lemon juice, a splash of champagne vinegar, sea salt, cracked black pepper and a little lemon zest.

16. Slice a few lemons and put them into your bath with a sprinkle of lavender and rosemary.

17. Perfume your sugar bowl by stirring strips of lemon peel down into the sugar.

18. Dry lemon slices for decorations or potpourri: Cut lemons crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Leave any seeds in place. Discard ends. Place on wire rack in baking sheet. Dry in 170-degree oven 4 hours. Remove; leave on rack to air dry.

19. Rinse your mouth with lemon juice and then swallow it for longer-lasting fresh breath. The citric acid in the juice alters the pH level in your mouth, killing the bacteria that cause bad breath. Rinse with water after a few minutes, because long-term exposure to the acid in the juice can erode tooth enamel.

20. Make a lemon Bellini with Prosecco, Meyer lemon juice, a little simple syrup and strips of peel.

21. Hollow out the interior of whole Meyer lemons, fill them with Meyer lemon ice cream or lemon sorbet. Freeze.

22. Ant-proof the kitchen with lemon juice. Squirt lemon juice on thresholds and window sills. Squeeze lemon juice into any holes or cracks that the ants are entering. Scatter small slices of lemon peel around door entrances. Ants do not like the lemon fragrance and will not enter your home. Lemons are also effective against roaches and fleas. Reader’s Digest suggests a mixture of ½ gallon (2 liters) of water and the juice and rinds of four lemons. Wash the kitchen floor and the counters with this mixture and watch the insects leave.

23. Make a dipping sauce for grilled fish or shrimp from Meyer lemon juice, fresh chopped cilantro, basil and mint, minced garlic, ginger and chilies, and fish sauce.

24. Lemon juice is a mild alternative to bleach. Soak colorfast garments in a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice for ½ hour prior to washing. Lemon juice is much safer than bleach for whitening delicates.

25. Top blueberry pancakes with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and grated Meyer lemon zest.

26. Remove tough food stains from your cutting board by rubbing with lemon juice and baking soda. This will also kill germs and freshen the board.

27. Remove warts by applying lemon juice to the site daily until the wart falls off.

28. Potatoes, rice, and cauliflower will stay white by squeezing a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice into the cooking water.

29. Make those dull aluminum pots and pans sparkle. Rub the cut side of half a lemon all over them and buff with a soft cloth. For copper pots, rub them with a paste of juice and salt; rinse well with clear water; dry with a clean, soft cloth.

30. To clean cheese off of a grater, rub half of a juiced lemon over the grater.

For more information about lemon usage, read the original articles from which these tips were collected:

LA Times

Hippy Shopper

Gomestic

Reader’s Digest

Crunchy Betty

Local Foods

Cooking Junkies

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (2/11/11)

Posted in About me, Entertainment, Gardening, Holidays, inspiration, Photography, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on February 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The sun bathes my skin in warmth as I tend to the rose bushes in my garden. The hard work of pruning is finished, but I am far from done with my work. To receive gifts of magnificent blooms, such as the heavenly one in the photo taken last year, the bushes need a little more TLC. What living thing on this earth does not benefit from a little extra love?

#1 – How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
Instead of buying Valentine’s Day cards at the grocery store, try doing this for each special person in your life. In your own imperfect handwriting, make a list of all the reasons you love him/her. At the top of your paper write Twenty Reasons Why I Love You and begin your list. Obviously 20 is just a number used as an example. Don’t stop at 20 if you have more reasons why you love this person. Think about what this person does that makes you smile or laugh. Consider the ways this person allows you to be yourself. Write down how you feel when you are around this person. What does this person bring to your life? You get my drift. What better Valentine’s Day gift than telling your special people what is truly in your heart!

#2 – Kiss Me Pink
Like to sip on cocktails, but, for whatever reason, don’t want the alcohol? DrinkAlternatives.Com has a list of Non-Alcoholic Mocktails Recipes that you’ll want to check out. Here’s a recipe from the list that would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day brunch:

Kiss Me Pink Mocktail
Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup sparkling cider
* 1/4 cup cranberry juice
* 1/4 cup pineapple juice
* whipped cream

Recipe: Mix sparkling cider with pineapple and cranberry juice. Top with whipped cream.

Garnish: Add a small lime slice and a maraschino cherry on top.

Serve: Champagne flute

#3 – Best Movies to Watch on Valentine’s Day
I love watching chick-flicks and all I can say is thank goodness I have sons who like to watch scary or deep, dark, action movies with my husband. Here’s a list of movies more to my liking – Better Homes and Garden’s Editors’ Picks for 30 Top Romantic Movies for Valentines Day:

1. When Harry Met Sally
2. Pride & Prejudice
3. Pretty Woman
4. While You Were Sleeping
5. Sleepless in Seattle
6. An Officer and a Gentleman
7. The Notebook
8. Bridget Jone’s Diary
9. Bull Durham
10. Casablanca
11. The Sound of Music
12. Shakespeare in Love
13. Sense and Sensibility
14. Overboard
15. Dirty Dancing
16. Say Anything
17. Rebecca
18. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
19. Ghost
20. Love Actually
21. Notting Hill
22. Moonstruck
23. Somewhere in Time
24. Emma
25. Room with a View
26. The Fabulous Baker Boys
27. Love Story
28. Dr. Zhivago
29. Always
30. The Thorn Birds

#4 – Romantic Destinations
Want to get away to a romantic destination for Valentine’s Day, but can’t? Take a look at these photos of some of the most romantic travel destinations courtesy of the Global Grasshopper. Oia and Venice are as romantic in person as they seem in the photos. I’m sure, though, they would have been a whole lot more romantic for me and my husband, if we hadn’t taken our kids with us!

#5 – Imagine Love
“It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love or how you love, it matters only that you love”
— John Lennon

Have a simply lovely weekend!

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