Skip to main content

Okra, Buying Flowers, and International Tea

 *Trumpets blasting, herald walks down a red carpet* The first okra of the season has arrived! Fresh from the garden, the perfect length, and oh so beautiful! Mind you, it's literally one single okra. The okra has been a bit of a puzzle the past few years. I used to grow okra that would get really tall (the plant itself, not the produce). Sometimes it would almost be 6 feet tall (1.8 meters). But the past few seasons the okra is downright short, maybe just a foot and a half tall (.46 meters). What's that about? Has this happened to anyone else? 

Earth100, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Not my okra, just a picture from the internet. Isn't it beautiful?

Naturally, when I get enough okra in, I'll be eating fried okra, the indisputable king of all okra dishes. Recipe is here if you've never made it or heard of it before. Some ranch dressing, fried okra, baked chicken, and a glass of sweet tea. What more do you need in summertime?

*****

Now for a picture of the Mystery Sampler:


See that wing? It's much trickier than it looks, believe me. Glad I don't encounter any dragons in the garden, I prefer my dragons in my cross stitch :)

Moving on along to Paris Market:


I'm really close to the very bottom of the chart! You know, the more I stare at it, the more I realize that I have arrived at a flower stall. Pink and white flowers plus their green stems. This popped into my head when I thought flower stall:

*****

Mostly, I'm a coffee drinker. When I do drink tea, more often than not it's a nice cold glass of sweet tea, but I also really like a cuppa Earl Grey tea (look at me I'm Captain Picard!) 

Saw this video the other day and I had to share it. I had never heard of a London Fog before. Canadians are very creative! And it looks so pretty too. Of course, a little known fact about me is that I'm addicted to Bubble Tea. Taiwan, you are incredible for inventing such an amazing beverage. Also, what the heck is an Arnold Palmer? Specifically the name, not the beverage itself. I've had that drink plenty of times, but where I'm from (American South) we've always called it swamp water.

How about you? What tea do you like?

*****

On a final note, it's Memorial Day here in these United States. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gloomy Weather Reading, Phoenixes, and a Promo Code

  Photo by  Alessia Cocconi  on  Unsplash It’s a very stormy, overcast kind of day at the Castle as I write this post. It wouldn’t take much to make me think of books I love, but doesn’t a day that makes you stay inside just make you want to read? A few years ago, I read the Phantom of the Opera. While I had seen the Emmy Rossum movie adaptation, I had never read the book, so I didn’t know what to expect going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was fantastic, and a real page-turner! While I do have that book as a paper-back, I’m really enjoying reading with my Kindle. I can stay up late (as late as I can before I fall asleep face first into my pillow) and hear the owls hooting or the traffic driving past my window in the distance. If the weather stays as dark and gloomy as the weatherman says it will, then I foresee reading to the sound of thunder and rain as well. What’s not to like about that? It would be absolutely unacceptable if I mentioned the Phantom ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Secret Doors, a New Chart, and a Tree

  Photo by  Stefan Steinbauer  on  Unsplash Do you know what I've always wanted? A secret door. And not just any secret door, but a secret door that looks like a bookcase. How cool would it be to wander through your house, and make a detour to your secret reading nook, that's nestled behind your secret door? I've heard that they sell them at places like Lowe's, so who knows, maybe one day I'll get one. It would be the perfect addition to the castle! While I don't have a secret door (sigh!) I do have a new listing in my Etsy shop. Behold! Here's a smaller sized, Irish inspired cross stitch monogram sampler. Motifs included throughout the design are classic Irish themes such as a shamrock, a harp, flowers associated with St. Brigid, Celtic knots, and Celtic bands. Perfect as desk or home decor to display your Irish pride. Great present for Irish friends or loved ones. In the pictured model above, the initials "A.Q." have been stitched. In the chart t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Friday Update: Halloween Moon Edition

Halloween Stitching Time!  For the most part, Cross Stitch people fall into two camps: seasonal stitchers, and non-seasonal stitchers. After pondering this question for a bit, I've decided that I'm firmly in the seasonal stitcher camp.  Bearing that in mind, you can imagine how excited I am about my Halloween wip 👻🎃 It's been awhile since you've seen this one, so allow me to re-introduce you to Trick or Treat Moon   Stunning. Found it in this magazine, Cross Stitch & Needlework, October 1996: This issue has an absolute ton of amazing Halloween and Fall charts. If Halloween stitching is something you like, then this magazine is a must have.  I think I started this one two years ago. Maybe last year... Anyway, here's my progress so far: That checkerboard border is so much fun. It stitches up really fast. Zooming in on that purple blob on the right: Yes, that is a cat. It may not look like much now, but just you wai...
Post a Comment
Read more