My granddaughter received a bouquet
of roses that were so beautiful,
that I took a picture to remember them.
****
Well, as you can guess, for these last
two months, there hasn't been much
happening in our veggie garden.
The weather was either too hot
or too rainy.
But we did manage to harvest
some sweet peppers
and herbs.
****
These months were also
reminders of some solemn
occurrences in our country.
It started with the deaths of
Dolly Parton and Tim Curry.
Two beloved icons of American
pop culture.
Then we noted the 25th
anniversary of
September 11th.
I was on that fateful day
of terrorist attacks on
American soil.
It was a 2nd attack on the
twin towers that 1st happened
on February 26th, 1993.
We thought that it
wouldn't happen again, but
terrorists took almost 3000
lives on 9/11.
There have been estimates of
collateral damage of subsequent
deaths ranging around
25,000 more related to physical injuries
from dust, debris, trauma and
mental health issues.
Then on 1/2/2025,
right here in New Orleans,
it happened again.
14 lives lost.
Upon researching this,
I found that there have been
over 2,600 terrorist attacks
in the U.S. since 1970.
Some of these have been domestic.
but the mass casualty count has
been about 3,500 souls.
It leaves me with a profound
sense of impotence.
Can we really prevent any
more of this happening?
Can we find those capable
of causing this and fix it?
I think not and that saddens
and frightens me.
I pray that it doesn't happen again.
🙏
***************************
Eggplants and a bunch of sweet peppers.
Another small harvest
The herb garden.
Basil, Stevia, Thyme. Oregano and Mint.
Mary's Garden
Basil
Succulent blooms
Orchid blooms
Beautiful!!
I've been dehydrating most
of the veggies and
all of the herbs.
Then I blend them into powder
that I use in cooking.
I made my own paprika
from the red sweet peppers
and a bit of liquid smoke.
That turned out amazing!
I made 3 containers of Veggie stock
and put them in the freezer.
I'm trying out a new idea
of herbed salt.
It's just what it sounds like,
dried herbs in salt.
We did the infused olive oil
but prefer to use the herbs
alone and then add the oil.
It keeps the olive taste intact that way.
We are also making vanilla
extract by slicing vanilla
beans and immersing them
into vodka.
It usually takes about 3 to 4
months in a dark spot, before its ready.
We've done this several times
now and it works great!
The CEO ordered Madagascar
beans from Amazon.
It was cheaper that the grocery.
******************************
Also, a few milestones.
Oldest son's 47th birthday!
And...
Our youngest grandson
was off to college
😢
Packing the car
Something to be grateful for.
A recommendation.
This bread from Aldi is amazing!
Everything Sourdough
It's yummy
********************************
💗💚💙
