Sunday, October 7, 2018

Watching The Sky At Dusk



The sun has been going down much earlier, now that it's October. I love to sit out on the porch at dusk and observe the colors of the sky.  They shift and change shape, like a movie.  It's such a beautiful and active scene. I find that I can take the most artistic photos at that hour. The one above is of my neighbor's house.  I took it the other night  when we were expecting a storm, but we didn't get any rain. I used to live there when I was thirty-three.  At that time it was a very old and simple cabin. I used to look at my current house from the window and think, "I wish I could buy that little cottage and live there by myself. It could be so cute."  My neighbor  and her husband built the home in the photo  from the ground up; I think it's very impressive.  


I am still harvesting zucchinis from the garden. I love how green they are. I've been boiling them in a small amount of water, and then serving them with butter, salt, and pepper. Yesterday I made an old fashioned casserole with tortillas, green chiles, cheddar cheese, and a couple of cans of cream soup. The recipe isn't very healthy, but I love the taste.   I got the recipe from one of my neighbors. It was popular during the 1950's. It seems that I like everything that was in style during that time. I sent the recipe to my mom, and she used to make it, too. My father and brothers loved it.  It reminds me of her. You layer everything, like a lasagna.

yesterday's hike

I am slowly adjusting to the Birkenstock sandals. Instead of wearing them for such a long time, I  just put them on for a couple of hours each day. It's made a huge difference. Thank you to those of you who commented about them. I appreciate your input. I did some more research, and plan to give myself two weeks to break them in slowly. My feet feel relieved today. As a dancer, I tend to push my body, and had I done that with these shoes, it would have been torture for my feet. I have a feeling that these will become my favorite shoes, in time. 

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11 comments:

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    1. Thanks Angela. I think so, too. That's the view from the front porch.

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  2. I’ve heard that Birkenstocks are very comfortable. You’ve certainly had a bumper crop, they’re not cheap in the shops here, so it’s good when you can grow your own, always tastier too xx

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    1. Hi Cheryl, Each day they are feeling better. I just need to be patient and give them that two weeks of break in time. Yes, the zucchini are so delicious when grown at home. They taste completely different than the ones you buy at the grocery store. Kind of like oranges...

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  3. I also love watching the sky. It is undoubtedly because I am a pilot. Cooking with cream soups is not very healthy, but oh-so-tasty! I have 2 family favorite meals that use cream soups and both are from my grandmother. Chicken and rice is one, the other is a slow cooker beef and onion dish. That is good news about your Birkenstocks. It makes sense that it might take some time to mold the insoles.

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    1. Hi Anita, Oh, I didn't know that you were a pilot! What an exciting career. My mom used to make a chicken and rice dish with cream of mushroom soup, too. Hers had cooking sherry and a package of Lipton Onion Soup mix. It tasted delicious, but was full of preservatives...

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  4. Beautiful sky and lovely hike! Your casserole sounds very comforting. We can't all live by the ocean (for example) but we all can live by the sky! My old saying...lol...and the sky is wonderful! The zucchini looks good...simple salt, pepper and butter, that's the best. Andrea

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    1. That is very true, we can all live by the sky. The early morning is also a gorgeous time to watch it. It's like a live painting.

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  5. Just discovered your blog this past weekend and am thoroughly enjoying it! Blog name escapes me at the moment (it is fairly new to me, as well) but your comment was regarding the first egg laid by a new hen. :)

    Birkenstocks: Definitely ease into them slowly. The heat from your feet and body weight will help the footbeds conform to your feet. If you develop any issues with your feet or balance, be aware that the footbeds will conform to those changes over time, as well. It sounds as though you are on the upside of your physical issues. Congratulations on making good decisions and working hard to rebuild your body!

    While I have a very different lifestyle, I have been working on simplifying my life for the past few years. It is an ongoing process! Following the journeys of others with similar goals is helpful to keep my goals in perspective in our consumer-oriented world. It isn't a matter of not consuming, it is more a matter of maintaining reasonable balance. :)

    By the way, I bookmarked your body butter and tuna casserole recipes. Probably will not attempt the body butter until March or April--too many projects already on deck. As you noted, sometimes we just need to slow down! I am learning that. I hope to try the tuna casserole later this month when it is cool enough to use the oven. We went from summer to winter in less than 24 hours (three days of rain with temperatures about 30F degrees lower), returned to late summer, switched back to early winter, and... Not sure where we are now. Early autumn? This weather is giving me whiplash! lol

    Thank you for sharing your journey with us.


    Taja

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    1. Hi Taja, Welcome, and thank you so much for commenting. I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying the blog. I plan to make that tuna casserole this week, too. I hope you like it. It brings back childhood memories. Thank you for the tip on breaking in the Birkenstocks. Yes, my healing from the bilateral hip replacement surgery has been dramatic. It is a huge relief to be out of pain, and able to exercise and enjoy the outdoors again. Thank you for the encouragement.

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  6. I love to watch the sky too, Stephenie. I find it really peaceful to sit out on our verandah and watch the colours and clouds. Meg☺

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