Weeds, Wildflowers and the Joys of Simple Entertainment

Work and school has been so busy that I haven't had a chance to write. Independence Day was really nice - not too hot, which was highly unusual. My niece and her two children are visiting so we all went out to the parking lot out back and north of our house which belongs to a small neighborhood church set off our fireworks. I was too busy lighting sparklers and what all for the kids to take any pictures, but my niece took some so I might see what she has. The fireflies were out in force and my niece's children were more interested in their magical presence than the fireworks being that they have never seen them before. I have to confess that I found my attention wandering their direction, becoming mesmerized by their dance as well. 

It's a simple form of entertainment, sitting and contemplating the little blinking lights while listening to the crickets and other night insects who sing. The down side of course, is the presence of mosquitoes. You have to be sure to douse yourself good with bug repellent to be out there or be prepared to suffer the consequences. A citronella candle works nicely for repelling mosquitoes, but it isn't a good idea while watching lightning bugs because the light interferes with them and their purpose of attracting a mate. The smoke from fireworks usually works for mosquitoes, but this time they were particularly persistent. Most of us came home with several welts on our arms and legs. Luckily, there weren't any injuries to mar the fun, but then we're pretty careful. Although, sometimes unforeseen incidents occur like last year when a small night work fell over and shot a few times with us running and jumping out of the way. The last shot went into the dry grass, and we had to scramble to put out the beginnings of a small grass fire. Nobody was hurt and no damage was done. It certainly could have been worse - last year someone across town set a tree on fire shooting fireworks too close to houses and vegetation and when the fire department showed up they needed access to the hydrant which was blocked by a vehicle. When the vehicle was moved, the driver, in his haste to get out of the way, drove into a gas meter and broke the line, which then had to be repaired and people were without gas for 3 days. So yeah, it could have been worse.

Friday was the day from Hell and then I had a rather intense assignment for Life Drawing which took me all evening. Saturday was rainy so nothing got done outside, but we needed the rain, so I'm not complaining. Instead we worked inside and later I made some cookies and for dinner we grilled brats when the rain cleared off. Sunday we spread mulch around the plants out front and hubby mowed and after we ran to Wal Mart and bought those .97 cent Westinghouse garden lights to fill up the gaps we had in our current lighting set-up. Later on hubby and I went for a ride on the motorcycle. It was just a quick ride, so I didn't bring my camera. Plus, it was too hot to stop and take photos - better to keep moving! I did enjoy the wildflowers along the side of the roads though, and wished it was cooler and I had brought the camera. Hubby calls them weeds, but I prefer the up-scaled version that our state tourism office calls them: Kansas Wildflowers. I don't know the names of them, but they are quite pretty. I'm sure some of them really are considered weeds, but they give the roadsides some character, I think.

Riding the motorcycle around the countryside is another simple form of entertainment for me. We saw a young doe trying to cross the road and we stopped for her and she went bounding across the road and over a fence, we saw rabbits,squirrels and birds and sometimes we see snakes. I can feel temperature changes in the wind while riding, and smell the different forms of vegetation as we ride a long. It's nice because hubby and I can think our own thoughts and still be together and occasionally our thoughts run along the same lines. 

Before it became a salad

I'm leaving you with a sort of before-and-after photo of my lunch; a shot of the avocado (before) and a shot of my salad with the avocado in it (after).

After it became lunch

I love avocados, but unfortunately they are so expensive...and much smaller than the ones available in California. I think we are getting the rejects here in Kansas. I remember growing up in SoCal with orange groves on one side of us and avocados on the other, and later when we didn't live with them right outside the back door, I could buy 4 for a dollar at the store - and they were huge! Now, I have to pay well over a dollar for an itty-bitty wanna-be avocado. It's just sad :(

Here's an avocado tip  for getting that pit out (just one of many): take your knife and thunk it into the pit and then twist - voila! the pit comes out and you can knock it off into the trash can. Also, to feel for ripeness don't use your fingertips - this will cause bruises. Instead, place the avocado in your palm and gently squeeze with the pads of your palm. If you don't feel any give, then it's not ready yet. To get your avocado ready sooner, you can place it in a paper bag in a dark drawer. If you don't have a paper bag, you still put it in the drawer, it just might take a day longer. There might be other tips, or even better tips, but these are the ones I used growing up and they always worked for me ;)