Saturday, June 17, 2017

slice of life mid-june

Most every morning, especially when the weather is hot, my breakfast is a nutritious, filling and delicious smoothie. I simply throw these ingredients into the blender in this order: enough Silk Unsweetened Almond-Coconut milk just to cover the blades, about a cup of organic frozen mixed fruit, a banana, a dollop of unsweetened plain Greek yogurt, a tablespoon of hemp hearts, a sprinkling of turmeric, and a handful of organic baby spinach. Takes only a few minutes to make and you could even pour this into a portable drink container to take in your car if you're going to work or an appointment, etc. in the morning. You can easily mix this up with different fruits, kale instead of spinach, add some flaxseed meal instead of hemp hearts (or, use both), or even put in a little unsweetened organic coconut for a tropical taste.


A little something new...a vintage find from last week ~
the yellow sifter in the middle of the china cabinet.


We attended the wedding of my friend's daughter last weekend. They made their own table decorations, which I thought were really pretty.


The wedding and reception was held at a nearby venue right on this gorgeous lake. One thing I love about the area I live is the many lakes.


This ginger kitty had been hanging around our house the past few weeks, driving my cats nuts when they saw him through the windows. I think he belongs to someone on the street in back of us, because he'd always run through the arborvitaes in the back yard to get to the houses behind us. With the weather being in the 90's this past week, I haven't seen him, so I hope that means the owners are keeping him inside. Which they should be doing all the time, anyway. 


All my plants are really taking off...
I can't believe how huge this red-veined sorrel got since last year. It was just a tiny plant when I bought it. It's also flowering now, which is kind of pretty. I'm not sure whether to leave it like this, or if I should cut this growth off. If it means those little buds are going to fall off and self-seed, then I suppose I should cut them. 


My Kentucky Pole Bean plant is growing about an inch every day now! I'm sure it won't be long before the pods start forming on the vines. You might recall from a previous post, that this "trellis" is actually my boy's crib springs. :-)


The cherry tomato plants are growing like crazy now, too.


And, the hostas! We have them all around our house, but this one astounds me every year with how huge it is. We've even divided it several times already.


Purple Salvia at its peak...


The tiger lilies in our front ditch have just started to bloom. They're such a pretty filler for an unsightly area, but once the blooms fade, the plant itself isn't far behind and then they look scrappy. That's the downfall to tiger lilies, but oh well. We enjoy them while they last.


Guess what else is in bloom now? Mulberries! Our mean next door neighbor has two huge mulberry trees on her property, one of which hangs directly over the south side of our house. That's where we have a lot of nice perennials, potted plants, and the patio. We just had her trees trimmed last month (and that was an ugly, horrendous story in itself) but still, these disgusting mulberries drop all over our patio. And the patio furniture. And all over the perennial beds. And into plant pots. They stink and attract flies. So, every day I'm out there sweeping up these mushy berries. I also had to move the two rocking chairs up against the house to protect them from the mulberries. I'd also love to get an outdoor rug for the patio, but it would get ruined.


Happy weekend ~ and happy almost-summer!



10 comments:

  1. Wow Melanie your garden plants are really looking awesome - love the sorrel with the red-veined leaves.
    That kitty must think your home is more inviting than is his/her home - and I bet it is!

    I'm with you on smoothies for breakfast - love mine and am adding things such as turmeric and coconut - and I like to get my fruits this way as I have trouble swallowing raw fruit.

    Hope your weekend is fun - we're on an impromptu road trip to the western part of North Carolina!
    Mary -

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  2. It's hard when your neighbor's mess spills unto your property, especial when the neighbor isn't someone you can have a comfortable conversation with. I feel for you. I have never seen a red-veined sorrel it is beautiful . . . is it ate-able, or do I have it confused with something else? Don't they put sorrel in some salad mixes? Love you yellow stiffer . . . very vintage and very cool :)
    Have a lovely Sunday.
    Connie :)

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  3. Too bad about that tree causing such a mess. THe wedding looks wonderful, ah young love.

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  4. Your garden is looking wonderful. It has gotten so hot here I'm melting. I am trying to keep our few plants going strong and enjoying them as best I can. Hugs!

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  5. I make a smoothie just about every morning in the summer! Sometimes in the fall and spring too.... I am just always on a smoothie kick. That looks so yummy! Love the antiques you have as well.

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  6. Your breakfast looks delicious. I am so lazy in the morning. I dump a container of Greek yogurt into a bowl of oatmeal and that's breakfast! I am sorry about your neighbors bush. That is not fair. You should be able to enjoy every inch of your yard...

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  7. So pretty. I love summer. :)

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  8. Sorry to hear about the mulberries still making your life harder. Your neighbor sounds like a piece of work. I have a neighbor who takes it upon himself to cut branches off my trees if he feels they're too close to the property line. We would be glad to do this for him if he would just say something. We would do it properly, in a healthy way for the trees, unlike him. He just hacks them off with what looks like it must be a butter knife, based on the damage to the trees. Sigh...neighbors. I loved seeing what you've been up to lately. Your smoothie sounds delicious and all of your plants are looking great. I have a couple of plants in my front yard that aren't long for this world and when they go, I'd like to replace them with some red salvias, which do really well in our dry climate. I hope you have a good week, Melanie.

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  9. Loved this Slice of Life post :) A little bit of everything! :)

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  10. Hi Melanie, I want to take your advice and start having a smoothie in the morning. Does a regular blender have enough power to make them? I'm sure everyone knows this but me. I'm having a nightly visitor to my cat's patio around 10:00 p.m. A male tiger cat slinks down the alley and throws himself against the cat patio walls yowling and hissing. My cat loves it, it is the most excitement she gets all day. She waits for him in the window. I love your happy yellow sifter and the graphics on it. Oh, I know what I wanted to tell you. My mother planted a mulberry tree near the patio at the house I grew up in Northbrook. The patio was always covered with purple droppings from birds and dropped berries. One day, decades later, when I was crossing the bridge in Richmond, I saw a mulberry tree and reached out over the side of the bride and picked a handful. They were wonderful. Sweet and juicy. My entire childhood, not one of us ever ate a mulberry from that tree back home. The next summer in Richmond, I went to the bridge to pick a pail of mulberries and someone had cut down the tree! It is always nice to see a blog post from you.

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