Friday Food 06-12-20

My very kind neighbors, the John family, continue to tempt me with delicious Indian food.  The other evening I enjoyed a meal and had leftovers for the next evening.  

Mariam calls these Indian cutlets, but they are more like flat meatballs.  About 2-1/2" long and 1/2" thick they are made of ground beef and some veggies and spices. 

This is sort of like a stew and they have served me a variation at almost every meal.  This one was especially tasty and contained mango, jackfruit seed, moringa leaves.

Mariam called this Indian greens.  They tasted like Swiss Chard combined with finely grated carrots and spices. 

And the distinctive Indian rice which is more coarse than the Bastimati that I usully cook.   Mariam told me there is a market across from the Fullerton PO that sells Indian ingredients.  Whenever I feel comfortable going out of my regular area I will check it out.  

#   #   #

Plants in the neighborhood 06-11-20

As my memory wanders away from me I try to remember plant names by repeating them to myself when I see them as we walk.  Some just don't come back, or maybe I didn't even know them in the first place! 

This liquidamber pod fell from the tree onto a hedge of morning glory vines.  Odd, but pleasing combination. 

A just opening agapanthus flower. The outer sheath peels back and out pop all the individual florets of the full bloom. 

This resembles the silver sword of Hawaii, maybe the same family, but I can't find the id.   It is quite a large plant, probably spreads to 30" wide.  Flower stalks are about 36" high and the new flowers bloom at the top as the previous ones dry up. 

Here is just one flower blooming on top of the dried out blooms. 

This is one of the aloes, but not aloe vera, the most familiar of some hundreds of varieties.   The flower stalks grow up to seven or eight feet tall.  The spiky leaves are rough and hairy on the edges.  We see this everywhere these days; in yards, along roadsides, parking lots, street medians, it is a very popular landscape plant.  The flower stalks and flowers are more red than in this picture.  The seed pods are large and many form along the flower stalks.  

I tried the new Blogger, but couldn't figure out how to write a post!!  There is nothing that I can see that says "new post".  Anyone have any advice?

#   #   #

Wordless Wednesday 06-10-20

This should be Wordless Wednesday, but Blogger won't let me post any pictures.  What is with that?  I have some lovely shadow images lined up and no way to show them.   We are under threat of switching to the NEW Blogger later this month, so I suspect this is a further threat to get us all to change now, rather than later.  Guess I am forced to do it.  However, in case I don't appear again soon, you will know I am working on it.  Be safe.  Keep well.  Love, Del and KoKo

Below are changes made using the NEW Blogger.  Not easy and not very satisfactory either.  Life is change.  And computers are change BIG TIME.  

Agapanthus

Some guy honked at me for being in the parking lot lane.  Can you imagine!

The circles on the sidewalk are also shadows, cast by a fanciful upper fence of wire "wheels" and spokes. 

And I seem to always notice the shadows of Agapanthus - don't know why this compulsion to take their pictures over the years.  

#   #   #

ZOOMING! 06-09-20

This morning Surfside Quilters Guild held their first ZOOM meeting on the regular meeting day and time.  And 107 members checked in!  It was so wonderful to see those familiar faces and hear those familiar voices.  Thanks to everyone who came!  Some of us need to learn a little more about ZOOMing, but generally it worked well, I thought.

I don't understand how the member views are arranged.  President Mary Arter remained in the upper left corner of my screen the entire time.  And my view was right next to hers.   Because I clocked in early?  Or does my image move around on the screens of others?  We had an educational presentation by Jean Impey on the printing of fabric as done by Hoffman Fabrics.  It was mostly about making batiks, which I found very interesting.  She works at Hoffman and used professional slides from their archives.   We also presented our outgoing president, Monica Shafer, with her president's quilt which reflects her love of all things Hawaiian.  Good meeting.  Hope to see you all next month. 

#   #   #

Bird Watching 06-08-20

I don't go bird watching these days, mostly because I can't stand for long.  And bird watching requires being silent and very still.   I do watch from my car and I was amazed today when I backed out of my driveway and saw an egret walking along the bushes in a yard across the street.  I have seen them in yards and gardens, but not recently.  Since there was no traffic I just followed him as he walked and flew across the street to a more enticing yard.  At one point he found a snack and swallowed it whole, and, I presume, alive.  I imagine it was a sunbathing lizard.  

He is almost on the front porch at Donna's house. 

He strode along stretching his neck into the Lily-of-the-Nile. 

This is a video, but I don't know how to make it move.  Sorry. 

I had my cell phone camera on and set it for video, but when I looked later I only had three seconds of video and a bunch of still images.   Guess it is time for me to take some "how to use your phone camera" classes.  In case he comes back. 

By-The-Way:  Today was Ruth B. McDowell's birthday.  Hope it was a special day, Ruth.  

#   #   #

Weather 06-07-20

We are having mild "June Glooms" this year.  Although it is muggy, it is not the solid overcast we frequently have during June.  However, it seems that it is hotter.  Starting tomorrow the month will be in the mid to high 80s and this coming week will rise to the high 90s.  I'm not ready for summer.  I seem to have missed spring.  

The view northwest at the end of our street. 

And another view of the sky. 

#   #   #