My new knees were ten weeks old on Monday, but after the workout they got during Friday's physical therapy session and the swelling and pain I felt all weekend, I would have pegged them as only 6 or 7 weeks of age.
A lot of the pain and suffering was a result of me being lax vis-a-vis my exercise habits while off to Portland for 5 days. Yeah, I did some stretching and spent time on the stationary bike at the hotel, but it obviously was not enough.
This morning I had a session in the therapist's pool and things went pretty well. There's still some pain going up and down stairs even with the water providing some support, but walking on the submerged treadmill--mush of the rest of the workout--was relatively painless.
I'll be back on dry land for Friday's PT bu this time I will have two days of long exercise sessions done at home to support me. Hopefully I'll see some progress, I'm told insurance will only cover PT through the 16th (approximately three months).
******
The leaves around the Northern Tier are really starting to turn. There's lots of purples, reds and oranges showing up. The bright yellow of aspen and maple haven't really "popped" yet with the exception of a few trees here and there. If the weather continues nice, I may have to go back out to Leonard Harrison SP at the Grand Canyon to snap a few pictures.
The forecast is for clear skies the next few days and highs approaching 80 degrees by the weekend so, if you're a leaf peeper, this might be a good time to hit the road--or, if you're lucky enough to live in the midst of the fall bounty, take a long look around. I figure you've got about two weeks max.
******
Terry and I went out passed Wellsboro yesterday to a produce stand on Rt. 287 to pick up some Cortland apples. Bruce and Sue had brought about a peck of Cortlands with them when they visited a few weeks ago and apples were available at the farmers' market in Mansfield last weekend. We didn't do anything with Bruce and Sue's supply until to day when Terry baked an apple pie with a few of them. The apples at the farmers' market were a tad pricey for me but Pagomar's had the Cortlands for $17 a bushel. I'll turn them into apple sauce within the next day or two. Should produce at least 24 pints for storage.
We also took inventory of our canned goods. Plenty of relish, garlic dill pickles, regular dill pickles, peaches, strawberry jam, blueberry jam as well as some grape jelly still on the shelves alongside the quarts of tomato sauce. Since some of the pickles and jams are several years old, I'm hoping they aged well. I KNOW they will be eaten now that we're more aware of their presence.
******
I hear there's a government "shutdown" going on. From the list of agencies and personnel furloughed, all I can say is, "Good! Change the locks while they're away." And while they're at it, there's plenty more under the heading of "Czar" that could probably be slashed--permanently.
I also hear that today was the first day to sign up at the exchanges for Obomacare. Many of the websites designed for that have crashed. Talk about not ready for prime time! Whether because so many people are trying to sign up or are curious about whether they have to sign up; or because the sites were poorly designed, a crash is indicative of the whole ACA. From "We have to pass it to find out what's in it," to the myriad of broken promises ("If you like your healthcare, you'll get to keep your healthcare." "This is going to lower the cost of healthcare in America."), to the number of exemptions granted--illegally--by the administration, this whole thing has been one major screw-up.
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
From the Garden(s)
Having amassed numerous zucchini and cucumbers from our garden and Joe's, Terry went into cooking mode today.
First she baked up seven loaves of zucchini bread which will now be heading to the bowls of the freezer. Then she made up a double batch of sweet pickle relish. That gets canned in one cup jars and is in the process of being boiled as I type. We should get around a dozen jars to go on the shelf.
There are still plenty of cucumbers to deal with (thanks Joe!) and they will be turned into bread-and-butter pickles.
Meanwhile, the zucchini and cucumbers are still producing as are string beans. The onions are about ready to harvest and the beets will come out of the ground in a couple of days. There are a couple of green bell peppers that need to be taken off the plants before they weigh the poor things down. And tomatoes...if all those that set turn ripe we're going to be up to our whazzoo in cherry tomatoes, Early Girls and whatever the third variety is. Now that the ground hog has been hustled off to the pearly gates (or the fires of Hell, whichever) the tomatoes are doing just fine. And the lettuce is producing again, too.
Then there's the head of cabbage Joe gave us. That will be turned into stuffed cabbage and some will be eaten while the bulk will get frozen.
The eggplant were delicious, BTW. One got chopped up with onions, peppers, sausage, a little mozzarella cheese and a bit of tomato sauce. That was served on a bed of rice. One got sliced thin, breaded and fried. Add some tomato sauce and mozzarella on a bun and we got two meals out of it and a couple of slices got eaten along the way.
First she baked up seven loaves of zucchini bread which will now be heading to the bowls of the freezer. Then she made up a double batch of sweet pickle relish. That gets canned in one cup jars and is in the process of being boiled as I type. We should get around a dozen jars to go on the shelf.
There are still plenty of cucumbers to deal with (thanks Joe!) and they will be turned into bread-and-butter pickles.
Meanwhile, the zucchini and cucumbers are still producing as are string beans. The onions are about ready to harvest and the beets will come out of the ground in a couple of days. There are a couple of green bell peppers that need to be taken off the plants before they weigh the poor things down. And tomatoes...if all those that set turn ripe we're going to be up to our whazzoo in cherry tomatoes, Early Girls and whatever the third variety is. Now that the ground hog has been hustled off to the pearly gates (or the fires of Hell, whichever) the tomatoes are doing just fine. And the lettuce is producing again, too.
Then there's the head of cabbage Joe gave us. That will be turned into stuffed cabbage and some will be eaten while the bulk will get frozen.
The eggplant were delicious, BTW. One got chopped up with onions, peppers, sausage, a little mozzarella cheese and a bit of tomato sauce. That was served on a bed of rice. One got sliced thin, breaded and fried. Add some tomato sauce and mozzarella on a bun and we got two meals out of it and a couple of slices got eaten along the way.
Monday, July 18, 2011
A Productive Day at the Aerie
Terry and I met with Joe for breakfast at Gramma's Kitchen this morning before we all went over to Murphy's Blueberry Farm to pick some. The mid-season bushes were loaded with juicy ripe berries. Joe got himself about 6 pounds and Terry and I combined for a little over 8 pounds of blueberries in about two hours of picking. Joe then headed home to near Jersey Shore and Terry and I went back to the Aerie.
With rain in the forecast, I picked string beans right after lunch and got over a quart. I also harvested three small cucumbers and half a dozen cherry tomatoes from our one potted plant.
Then it was time to do something with the blueberries. I got the fixin's and equipment out and processed seven pint jars of Blueberry Jam. We then put a quart of berries in the freezer and another in the fridge for breakfast cereal and ice cream topping and Terry took some out for muffins. She's set aside more for some blueberry buckle later this week.
Blueberry Jam
Blueberry Muffins
Late this afternoon, some rain did finally find its way to the Aerie. Heavy, heavy rain fell for over an hour and soaked everything. It fell so quickly that the ground had trouble absorbing it. There was a little rivulet of muddy water along the base of the slope behind the house. Runoff from the covered porch--the only area without any gutters--washed some of the stone I had there to slow it down out onto the lawn. Puddles formed in the garden where my heavy foot has packed the soil into hardened clay. And the bird bath over flowed.
You could almost hear the trees and lawn heave a great sigh of relief. This was the first measurable rain we have had since the late June. The concern I was starting to have about our well water supply has been eased considerably. There's still a chance of some more rain tonight.
With rain in the forecast, I picked string beans right after lunch and got over a quart. I also harvested three small cucumbers and half a dozen cherry tomatoes from our one potted plant.
Then it was time to do something with the blueberries. I got the fixin's and equipment out and processed seven pint jars of Blueberry Jam. We then put a quart of berries in the freezer and another in the fridge for breakfast cereal and ice cream topping and Terry took some out for muffins. She's set aside more for some blueberry buckle later this week.
Blueberry Jam
Blueberry MuffinsLate this afternoon, some rain did finally find its way to the Aerie. Heavy, heavy rain fell for over an hour and soaked everything. It fell so quickly that the ground had trouble absorbing it. There was a little rivulet of muddy water along the base of the slope behind the house. Runoff from the covered porch--the only area without any gutters--washed some of the stone I had there to slow it down out onto the lawn. Puddles formed in the garden where my heavy foot has packed the soil into hardened clay. And the bird bath over flowed.
You could almost hear the trees and lawn heave a great sigh of relief. This was the first measurable rain we have had since the late June. The concern I was starting to have about our well water supply has been eased considerably. There's still a chance of some more rain tonight.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Hard Boiled Eggs
Terry was just preparing some macaroni salad for tomorrow's Labor Day picnic and made this comment in reference to the hard boiled eggs needed:
"It always frustrates me that when I don't care what the egg looks like, it comes out perfect!"
These eggs, of course, will be chopped and diced into teensy tiny pieces and so do not have to come out of their shells in perfect condition as they would have to be for, say, deviled eggs. So, of course, they come out perfect.
This must be one of the Corollaries to Murphy's Law. Call it the Cooking Corollary for Hard Boiled Eggs: When perfect eggs are needed the shell shall stick to the egg like glue resulting in surfaces as cratered as the Moon. However, should one intend to dice and chop the egg, the shell shall slip off faster and smoother than a stripper's clothes at a Congressional cocktail hour leaving a surface as smooth and perfect as the finest ball bearing.
Ya'll know how to cook a hard boiled egg perfectly, of course:
1) Put the egg into the water, turn the heat on and bring to a boil.
2) When the water is in a rolling boil (a true boil) turn off the heat and cover the pot.
3) Let the egg sit int he hot water for exactly 12 minutes then pour off the hot water and rinse the egg in cold water.
Follow those three simple steps and the yolk will be solidly cooked and there will be none of that dark gray sulfurous stuff on the outside of the yolk when you open up the egg.
"It always frustrates me that when I don't care what the egg looks like, it comes out perfect!"
These eggs, of course, will be chopped and diced into teensy tiny pieces and so do not have to come out of their shells in perfect condition as they would have to be for, say, deviled eggs. So, of course, they come out perfect.
This must be one of the Corollaries to Murphy's Law. Call it the Cooking Corollary for Hard Boiled Eggs: When perfect eggs are needed the shell shall stick to the egg like glue resulting in surfaces as cratered as the Moon. However, should one intend to dice and chop the egg, the shell shall slip off faster and smoother than a stripper's clothes at a Congressional cocktail hour leaving a surface as smooth and perfect as the finest ball bearing.
Ya'll know how to cook a hard boiled egg perfectly, of course:
1) Put the egg into the water, turn the heat on and bring to a boil.
2) When the water is in a rolling boil (a true boil) turn off the heat and cover the pot.
3) Let the egg sit int he hot water for exactly 12 minutes then pour off the hot water and rinse the egg in cold water.
Follow those three simple steps and the yolk will be solidly cooked and there will be none of that dark gray sulfurous stuff on the outside of the yolk when you open up the egg.
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