COLD DARK ROOM

[Kristoff]

Unless it’s my 4yr old!!! He’s starting to get better but LAWWWWDDDD!!! Last year was the first year I got a decent pic with Santa Clause[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Santa Claws can be really scary... [emoji848]

 

[Kristoff]

Good morning! Cold, dark, rainy, windy, yucky morning here....but it was predicted, so we did get a lot done during the week. A recap... Monday - cutting down big ine tree sawing up, and moving to the wood chopping area; Tuesday - more tree limb clean up, followed by house trim painting; Wed/Thur - more painting and perennial garden trimming; Friday - lawn raking, bagging, then over-seeding.

Today - some green grocery shopping for kale, dandelion and a few winter squash.

Can you actually buy dandelion?

 

[Kristoff]

Good luck with your day?

I needed it, thank you!

 

[Kristoff]

Enjoy your wedding. Had a busy morning. Went to the garden centre for some fertilizer for my hibiscus tree. And bought a strawberry bush. Took some more photos of my gang. I can't help it. I will share one with you. The rest are in my normal thread. View attachment 255359

“Enjoy your wedding”? Ahem, @EllieMay?

 

[Kristoff]

Our one Kayaking Group also sent out their call for photo submissions for their 2019 Calendar (sound familiar)? I’ll spend a bit of time looking through some of my pix and submit a few... Their requirements are a lot less strict.

• the photo should include a kayak(s) OR
• a great scene taken from a kayak
• the photo cannot include the bow of the person taking the photo

No megapixel requirements? [emoji23]
Good luck. I don’t know how in the world you’re going to be able to choose only a few!

 

[Kristoff]

Can you guess which blonde is mine [emoji1312][emoji1312][emoji1312]

The tall one with long legs, of course! [emoji173]️

 

[Kristoff]

Back from the International grocery market with lots of greens, some honey, Korean honey/ginger tea, dandelions, kale, zucchini, celery, onions and a few more things.

Ogh, a treat for Sully too.

View attachment 255371

In Turkey some people eat the opuntia fruit. I saw it sold in the bazaars.

 

[Kristoff]

The answer is mostly -

• First I give them a good washing, then take a serated type knife blade and rub it back and forth on the pads which pretty much cleans those up on the pad surface.
• Then I take a smaller paring knife and cut off the edge all around the pad, then snip the bottom off.
• By now, I’m done with spine removal and I chop them up into inch squares or so.

Entire process very fast.

Here are some pix of the process

Pad with Spines

View attachment 255376

Washed Pad and Scraped

View attachment 255375

Edges Trimmed Off

View attachment 255377

Cut Up & Ready to Serve

View attachment 255378

Maybe Elsa and Kristoff would have liked it better if I had served it that way. Neither were very keen on opuntia. But they had clover, dandelion, and plenty of other weeds to choose from. And Elsa was always on the lookout for cat poop... Silly girl.

 

[Kristoff]

That is the fruit of the opuntia plant, called tuna.

I didn’t know it was “tuna” in syrup that they were selling in the bazaar! [emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Kristoff]

I was assembling all the greens and veggies for tortoise feeding this a.m. and thought, "Why should the tortoises get all the good stuff?" So I got out my pork neck bones and browned them, then set them into the stew pot in chicken broth with onions to boil for a couple hours. When I came in from outside just now I added vinegar and sugar to the pot then a whole bunch of collard greens. My lunch will be ready in another hour! The neck bones aren't ideal for this use as there are too many small, sharp bits, but the butcher didn't have any smoked ham hocks.

Here in my area our first frost usually comes right around Halloween. But so far our night temperatures have been lower 60s and upper 50s (F). It doesn't feel like it's going to drop down into the 30sF in just a couple days. the day temps are still in the 80s.

All I have left to do to winterize the plants is take several into the backyard greenhouse, then wrap the front porch (where the jade plants and a few euphorbias live) in plastic. The plants on the porch aren't all that cold sensitive, but they can't have any frost on them or they will die.

Man, I'm hungry!!

I’m also hungry when I read your description!! I usually use a sieve if the bones have many loose pieces when I’m making a stock. Then I add the veggies and whatever else. Yum!

 

[Kristoff]

@Bee62 I was wondering how Cowboy Ken got a picture of you. He posted this on the pretend chat thread:

Hahahaha!!!

 

[Kristoff]

Hold on here. We too only have electric yet people tell me all the time that I have Gas!

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Kristoff]

Good evening all. It’s 11pm here are we’re just back from a jazz concert. American musician Curtis Stigers was performing in our town... someone reasonably famous in Tonbridge for the first time ever!

I’ve caught up, but must turn in for the night now.

The clocks go back an hour for us tonight so, in theory, we get a lie in tomorrow.

View attachment 255392

Oh, finally it makes sense now! [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
Hope you had a great night out!

 

[Kristoff]

Send some to Germany. I think Linda in England would take some heat too.

And me! And me! *jumps up and down*

 

[Kristoff]

I am sending to all of you who are cold right now.

It’s supposed to arrive tomorrow. In the meantime we even had a bit of snow. It came suddenly and disappeared quickly but I’m still scarred by the experience.

 

[Kristoff]

10:41 pm here and we are just back from the wedding. Beautiful country event. It was held at a lake pavilion and gorgeously decorated.
View attachment 255399View attachment 255400View attachment 255401
Off to bed now! Sweet dreams Roomies...

That pretty girl is your copy, much like Kathy’s daughter is hers! [emoji173]️

 

[Kristoff]

What a busy day. Good luck with the kiddies party. If it was me I would be hiding away in that big pumpkin house.

I was tempted, believe me! [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Kristoff]

Good Morning All
Today is Stephens birthday so we have spent the morning out with the family.
And my hibiscus tree seems to be recovering. So hold thumbs it carries on doing well.
Enjoy your Sundays.View attachment 255413

Happy birthday to Stephen! Hope you had a great time together!

 

[Kristoff]

That is by far the coolest pumpkin patch I’ve ever seen. And I would have picked Hans Christian as well... how Neat!!!

It was cool and FREEZING! A beautiful place, but VERY expensive, and the season for a LONG outdoor party (5 hours!) wasn’t the best.

 

[Kristoff]

Thank you Carol.. they represent me well. It’s hard watching my daughter change so fast now ... I’m a wonderful mother of children but i struggle with the balance of parenting and friendship at her age. I don’t want to let go of my baby!!!

It’s thanks to your parenting if she’s ready to leave the nest more and more now. Soon she’ll have the whole big world to explore. But she’ll always have you, and you’ll always have her, even if sometimes she would be too overwhelmed with the rest of her life. You’ve got it, Mama! [emoji173]️