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Woo-Hoo it’s Friday night!

If you think I’m out kicking up my heels and having fun…you’d be wrong!

I was in the kitchen until 9 PM processing apples!

Unusual for me and not a pending habit I assure you!

I think all the garden tenants got together and collaborated to finalize at the same time….just to watch me hustle!!

I took two days off this week,  so…when you play you get behind! This too shall pass! (it was worth it!!)
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Yesterday and today brought a good, refreshing rain…thank you, Jesus!

Gardens are a flutter with beautiful Swallowtails.

I’m a wee bit tired, but the stash of winter food is safely in place/we will be dining well!

Parts of the week in pictures.

Summer dining gets 5 stars for “Eating In Season.”
Summer
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Roasted Anaheim peppers.
peppers    peppers

Watermelon from my little patch!

When I take a day off? Sometimes I go to the Farmers Market! Haha

melon market
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New color.  butterfly
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apples apples Apples
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rest

Monday was an early start, a long busy day.
The grounds tour and work to be finished!
work

Do you find faces in the most unlikely places?😎
face

Judy Pink, the Ivy lives on!

Round and round it goes, from the kitchen to gardens to the kitchen and back again and again!

The few months of summer that bless us with gardens filled with over-flowing fresh, clean, and yummy foods…..keeps the body in shape as a side bonus!

It may not seems so, but the veggies are slowing down. Yeah, break time? I fear not….the fruit season is right on target and will soon be soaking up my time.

The blueberry crop was good and is now over.

Figs, apples, and peaches are promising. Some from our own trees and some from an Alabama farm that grows awesome stuff!

Isoms, do you know them?
Athens, Al. 24012 US-72
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The walking trail , clean and pretty.
trail     walking trail trail
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Monday’s stash…seed cucumbers for next year.
Alo-vera for the skin, always before and after and outside day.
monday
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Peachs, pears, Heirloom Cooking apple, Cortland/eating apple.

peach        apple     apple apple

Tuesday…7/19/22
Waiting for the rain!?
rain

Some things reach out and touch our innermost core…that’s real Bliss!

New colors, new varieties, new butterflies, all this bliss I found in the Zinnia bed today.

The butterfly…A Zebra Swallowtail, measures about 2-3/8—-3-1/2
The Zebra’s host plant is the old PawPaw shrub, not many of those left could explain why I never see more than one or two.
According to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Butterflies, they are prolific along the banks of the Potomac near Washington, D.C., and small rivers in Virginia.
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butterfly
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While the Zinnia seed packs were not true to the labeling…9 packs of Giants were 9 packs of regular and dwarf sizes, they are however very interesting…a few varieties
I have not seen, and one I grew in the past and lost touch with, it’s nice to be revisited!

zinnia zinnia

zinnia

1.  Purple Prince
2 and 3. Cactus Zinnia

New Sunflowers almost daily…

sunflower
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My favorite spot after a long day in the gardens and kitchen. (peaceful bliss!)
porch

What’s your Bliss?

Sage Hill’s facelift has been interesting, challenging, and worth it all.
(the last phase is coming, it started in September and will finalize in September)

There has been a lot that wasn’t pretty or interesting…breaking up concrete is nasty and something I just as soon forget!
I’ll just say it was a worthy decision and life is better on all levels!

Phase three (3) included the kitchen; new countertops, redoing solid oak cabinets to white-painted (inside and out), and installing soft close and easy racking inside. (all completed)backsplash
In the meantime….the staircase is next up.
Removing the carpet (the final bit of carpet will be history!
Rebuilding and either painted with a runner or bare wood? ( a decision does need to be made pronto!)

I’m loving the new look, it is finally coming together in a way that shows the bigger picture.

Throughout this entire process, I’ve tried to keep most elements in the style of Cape Cod. (a challenge for sure.)

Enjoy~your thoughts are welcome.

Pardon the cluttered counter, I was making Red sauce for the freezer.)

glass    full view

glass    end

end

“When Life Gives Us Lemons, make bread and know, the best is yet to be.”  -Bea Rigsby-Kunz

Wear it, drink it, eat it, bask in the bliss of lemon!

Style, Food, Travel
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Remember also, lemon is more than the fruit.
There is Lemon Balm, Lemon Basil, and Lemongrass.
Lemon Mint, Lemon Thyme, and Lemon Marigolds…who knew?

Lemon Zest-the best)
Lemonade-to make the day!
Lemon Meringue pie, who can deny?

Lemon
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Think bright, warm sunshine.
The Julia Child Rose, so deliciously Lemon yellow.

Rose

The list goes on, so don’t be shy, seek and find and embrace….all things Lemon!

The benefits are beyond measure.
The taste beyond gourmet.
Bliss, of the lemony kind!

Bog

Early Morning Rising!
The grounds are just waking up, overcast and cool! New blooms everywhere, no signs of critter visitation.🧐

The Bog is grounding if you sit still and listen.
The stillness creeps into my head, then tugs at my heart, which speaks to my day’s agenda!
Worry about nothing, pray about everything!

A heart at peace gives life to the body. -Proverbs 14:30.
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Join me?

Bog Bog

Herb-Compatability

Bea Rigsby Kunz - Herb Compatability

Just a brief summary of herbs that pair well with certain foods. This is by no means a hard and fast rule…I’ll be the first to try new blendings of taste that may seem a little out of the norm. Some work out and some don’t. But do be bold, work out your likes and dislikes, it’s all about your personal taste.

(Fruits)

Lavender:
Most of the Mint family, Sweet Violet, and Thyme. Thyme can be used in almost every dish you can imagine. (with its delicate clove-like flavor.)

(Meats and Fish)

Basils, Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram, Coriander (Cilantro)
Dill, Fennel, Garlic, Sage, and Tarragon.

(Sauces, Soups, and Stews)

Basils, Oreganos, Thymes, Horseradish, Hyssop, Lovage, Sweet Marjoram, Flat Leaf Parsley, Tarragon, and Burnet.

Bea Rigsby Kunz Her Compatability

(Vegetables)

Both cooked and Raw.

Thyme, Tarragon, Rosemary, Flat Leaf(Italian)Parsley, Garlic, Dill, Chives, Chervil, Borage, and Basils.

Most of the herbs above you can work into bread and breakfast dishes that include eggs. Dill, Chives, and Basils are delicious stirred into egg dishes.

Fennel adds an awesome taste to Apple pie!

And of course, good healthy teas can be brewed from almost any herb.
Some of my favorites are:

Sage and Apple Mint Tea.
Chamomile Tea
Rose Scented Geranium Tea
Lavender and Lemon Balm Tea
Peppermint and Thyme Tea.
Jasmine Tea.

And the list could go on and on.
Herbs are the most versatile ingredient you can add to your kitchen. It’s just a matter of taste.

So jump in, give it a try, I promise you’ll have great fun and your tummy and your taste buds will love you forever!

4 old-timer herbs that aren’t as well known as most culinary herbs today.

(Lovage, Chervil, Burnet, and Borage)

(Borage)
Goes back to ancient Celtic times. Soldiers drank it in a wine before battle to give them courage.
It has a cucumber-like flavor, the leaves and flowers can be tossed into salads and vegetables. The stems can be eaten raw like celery. It’s best used fresh, does not hold up well to drying.

(Burnet)
Was popular in Elizabethan England. Used in salads and vegetables. Sprigs can also be popped into white wine spritzers.

(Chervil)
Is of course one of the “fines herbs” very much used in French cooking. Has an anise flavor, can be used in place of parsley. Great on vegetables. When adding to a cooked dish, never cook it for more than 10 min, it will turn bitter if cooked too long.

(Lovage)
Was used by Psychics in the Middle Ages.
Has a celery flavor but holds up better in cooking than celery. It’s wonderful in potato salad and on poultry.

read
Eat well, drink a lot of water, move, move, move…connect with nature, have verbal exchange every day about the blessings in our life…..and read good books, stay informed of life around us.

Doesn’t mean we block out the negative, in fact, it is just for the opposite effect…fuels the mind and body to face the demands of whatever is thrown our way.

Stay strong, claim your faith constantly, speak kindly…and carry a big stick!!
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https://www.theepochtimes.com/self-proclaimed-revolutionary-eggs-on-capitol-intruders-as-he-records-them-publishes-video_3649617.html?utm_source=pushengage

December And Its Bliss~
bliss
Dress pretty, smile from the heart and hug with intention~


December is overflowing with Blissful moments and things….

Textures, smells, sounds, and views…the feel of a fresh cut Christmas tree, the smell of kitchen aroma’s ( from cornbread to gingerbread )
the sound of bells, chimes, and stillness of the cold winter day…and the landscapes of beauty everywhere we look.

Please, let us not forget to share all of these Blissful gifts with those among us who may not be as blessed to have access to the same.

Peace On Earth, Goodwill Toward Men…is worth striving for.It’s beginning to look, sound, and smell…a lot like December ~