End of July

As you may recall we (I) declared this month to be a no spending month.  That has worked out well!  I goofed and bought a book for $1.09 that I thought was free.  Even accused Jim of doing it!   Oh well, the point is we only spent money on groceries, phone, TV and fuel.  Of course we dined out a few times but I think even that was cut back from prior months.

Of course Jim's recent procedure had us staying home and that helped with finances too.

We both have a habit of buying magazines, books and games because it's only money....but over a month's time it can add up.  I especially have a bad habit of buying cookbooks.  It's so easy to have them on the tablet!

I must refrain from buying and use what I have....

A couple days ago the owls visited again.  I apologize for these dark pictures but they didn't pose in the daylight for me

They were being harassed by a couple of mockingbirds.  It's fun watching the little birds dive bomb these owls!  But I think they were more concerned about me as I walked around the yard trying to get good pictures

At this point I think the owl on the left was bored

The refrigerator is still not working.  At this point I'm ready to order one from a dealer and let them install it.  We've done without the unit since Easter and I'm tired of living out of two coolers and the generosity of Sonsearae and Chris. I have food in their fridge and freezer. I'm not sure what needs to be done to get it running and I don't care anymore.

Despite the fact that we are in south Florida it's not as hot as I thought it would be.  Yes, some days are intolerable and the humidity can take it's toll.  But we almost always have a breeze here.  It's the rainy season and afternoon storms cool it down somewhat. We don't do much outside in the afternoon but the mornings are lovely with the temperature in the low 70's until the sun heats us up.

Crafting

I like playing with  paper.  The kits from Club Scrap make it easy to make greeting cards and some of you may have received one or two.   Or perhaps you'll get one in the future!  The kit I get is called Greetings to Go.  They come with instructions on where to cut and how to assemble the cards.

We had an uneventful weekend.  Some rain, some  sun.  We spend our time reading and playing games....

All is right in our world

Gratitude

It's almost the end of July.  We're in South Florida and when I stepped outside this morning it was 72 degrees and so quiet I could hear owls off in the distance calling to one another. I could feel the humidity, but it's moments like this that I don't mind getting up just as the sun is starting to warm the day.  The doves were cooing and a mocking bird flitted by.

Almost made me want to go for a walk!

Sometimes our lives are full of the mundane and every day chores.  But how can you not be grateful for quiet moments and perfect weather?

Peach Freezer Jam

 I came across this recipe awhile back and if I had a freezer I would give this a try!  Spend just a little time for some pleasure in the future!  Peaches are showing up in the markets  so go buy some and make some jam


Peach Freezer Jam

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped 
1 1/3 cups of sugar 
4 tablespoons Ball Real Fruit Instant Pectin

Directions

Place your peeled, pitted and chopped peaches in a blender and puree {or use a potato masher} and set aside.

In a separate bowl, stir the sugar and pectin together. Slowly add fruit and whisk together for 3 minutes until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Pour peach jam mixture in to freezable containers making sure to leave at least 1/2 inch head space to allow for the liquid to expand once in the freezer. Let jam stand 30 minutes before placing containers in the freezer.

This recipe makes 8 cups of peach freezer jam.

What kind of tree is this?

The other day I noticed our tree is blooming.  Nothing spectacular and maybe it will get more showy

It's quite tall and it isn't the only one here.  The white in the above photo is our rig

If you know what species of tree this is, please let me know

I'm leaning towards a mango...but the fruit is tiny..

More and More

Lately I've been thinking of finding a place to land....I think our traveling days are over.  Perhaps travel between two places?  Pick an area to explore during a season?

I don't know, what do you think?  Jim and I have talked a little about this but no decision has been made.  This past year we've had some medical issues.  I know, folks travel around the country all the time with worse conditions than we have.

We both like this area of Florida and we're here during summer which is doable for me.  I'd rather be in the mountains but I don't think we'll do that anymore.  The truck is 15 years old and our rig is quite heavy.

To refresh your memory, here are the pine cones all closed up.  We had a couple showers which kept them

pretty much closed up but after two days

they began to open up.

And here they are!

Jim had a procedure done on Wednesday and he's doing well.  He's almost on bed rest due to the nature of said procedure.  I think he's tired of being a couch potato but this will pass and hopefully he'll no longer be in constant pain.

It's just after 3:30 and the temperature is 89. Of course we do have some humidity here so the heat index takes it up to 95.  Generally it rains somewhere in the area but we haven't seen rain for a couple days here.  Yesterday Sonsearae and I were out shopping and had a thunderstorm mess up our plans.  But it's only water.

All is right in our world

raccoon

The other day when I stepped outside, opening the front door, I think I scared this little guy.  I heard what I thought was a squirrel scampering up the pine tree.  So I looked around and saw this raccoon climbing up.  I watched a little while and then went inside to make my coffee

Before I sat down to start my day I could see he was still up the tree.  Then I forgot all about him

Later, after I was dressed and doing stuff outside I saw he was napping in the tree!  Stretched out at the base of the limb.  He didn't seem to care that I was taking pictures.  Didn't even move

All is right in our world

Pine cones

How was your Independence Day?  We had a lovely meal with Chris and Sonsearae that included Grilled chicken, macaroni salad, corn on the cob, baked beans, some slaw and pickles.  I made lemonade because, after all, it was the 4th of July!  Sonsearae made strawberry shortcake and I provided brownies for dessert

No fireworks for us which is a good thing because it rained and I'm sure a lot folks were disappointed.  We watched fireworks on TV.

Have you ever noticed when it rains that pine cones close up?  I've had these three on the table since we got here and I'm fascinated that when we have a lot of rain they close up! The first picture was taken around 10 this morning.  It was a mostly cloudy day with some sun and light showers in the area.  We we gone for part of the day so I can't be sure if they got drenched again or just lightly wet.

Here they are just after 6 pm and as you can see they are still closed up.  The big cone on the right is from North Carolina.  When we drove south last year from Vermont I was pleased to be back in Pine country and picked it up as a souvenir.  

Check back to see what the pine cones do!

All is right in our world

It's July!

Can you believe it's July already?  The older I get the faster time passes...

We've decided to have a no spending month.  Obviously we'll buy daily living items but nothing extraneous.  No books unless they're free, no games for the computer or tablet.  No candy bars at the checkout....you get my drift?  If we don't need we aren't buying it.

We're not usually so extravagant that it's a problem, but since we've been mooching off of Sonsearae and Chris we have spent more than we should.  Mostly eating out, which we both like to do.  Today Jim is getting his new laptop, we've bought two cooling units for the fridge, had the wash machine repaired so it's time to cut back on spending and build up some reserve.

Around 2000 last night the wind picked up so we both checked on the weather.  Severe thunderstorm heading our way!  It didn't really get here until 2200, just as we were going to bed.  Had some rumbling, some rain...then the light show began!  Took awhile to go to sleep but once I did I slept well.

Any plans for Saturday?  We're having a cookout but no fireworks.  The menu will be BBQ chicken, veggie burgers, macaroni salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake and brownies.  Should be enough food for four people!


Don't Throw That Out Yet!

If you find a can or package of food in your cabinet that has recently passed the "best by" date, call the toll-free number on the product and ask the manufacturer's representative if the food is still good to eat without any significant loss of quality or safety. I have found in such calls that many canned products maintain good quality for many months after the "best by" date. It pays to make a call before you toss out a product.

All is right in our world