Tuesday, 6.30.09 good things, goood things

Pardon me while I show off:

Good morning everyone! I was AWOL for so long that I have a bunch of catching up to do. I wasn't just sitting around eating bon-bons for 2 monts or so....really. Above is the back corner of my yard. The gate here used to live between my house and garage, but it was kinda rotten and falling apart so I had a new one made. I didn't want to throw it in the garbage or burn it, so I nailed it to the post in my back yard and it is becoming a trellis for a pink clematis. It's really pretty, I think.

I love roses. I have about 8 rose bushes around here. This is a long-stemmed red. Too bad the varmints have been nibbling the leaves. I think I have them at bay now. I also have dianthus in there and mint and yellow cone flower not yet blooming.

This is a climbing rose. Leaves are dusty from my bit o' pesticide to kill off the nasty gnawing bugs that were eating the plant. I propped this guy up with a tomato cage so the blooms are visible. Love the colors here - it's like a firey sunset

This is one part of my zucchini madness. I have about 10 plants out there right now. I just picked the first zucchini of the year today. It'll be part of lunch. the ferny stuff on the left is cilantro going to seed. I need to cut it back. The seeds will fall off and germinate. I have stray cilantro everywhere.

In review:

Well, day one went pretty well. I survived the pelvic. The new doc is all over the exploration of WLS idea, so that makes me feel rather good. Never fear, I am still going give it the old college try again to lose weight and feel great every day. Food-wise yesterday was okay. I really wanted a big fat double Wendy's burger, but I didn't give in to that. Instead I sauteed onion and grape tomatoes with salmon kab0bs I found in the freezer. It was good. Lunch was BBQs that I had made last week - the rest went in the freezer. I made a salad for supper with the salmon from my own garden lettuce. I confess to using bleu cheese crumbles with Catalina dressing, but I LOVE bleu cheese and need to use it up. I think the bleu would be okay w/out the catalina...I know, I know. I brewed peppermint tea from mint I picked from my own garden. It is awesome and will become a daily staple. I even drank it without sweetener - I have me a fierce sweet tooth these days.

This morning I walked the doggies in a light rain. I'm having oatmeal with peanut butter for breakfast. Lunch will be salad. I'm supposed to go to Madison for a ball game with my brother and to Outback Steakhouse...not sure where that stands right now since it is supposed to rain. The Mallards do play in the rain, so I still want to go. If we eat before, I won't have to eat ball park food like I did at the Brewers game. I will look up the Outback menu and choose wisely ahead of time.

And - more pictures!!!

This is our current guest in the "guest house" (aka garage). I call her garage cat:

She's really little and had to have been someone's because she is quite tame and loving. However, she is not fixed and is in heat. Figures, right?

This is garden before:

This is the garden now from a slightly different angle, but holy cow! I never expected it to grow like this. I have about 90 tomato plants in 45 hills just stuffed in this space. There are probably 20 more plants scattered around in other flower beds. Some were free, couldn't say no.

Well, I better get my carcass going. I have to clean this place and do scads of laundry. Plus it's time to brew up some mint tea.

Make it a great day, people.

linda