Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
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What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
Joy H. wrote: "I love zucchini! Never had zucchini bread or lasagna made with zucchiniI love Greek lasagna, otherwise known as Moussaka. I love egg plant.
http://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/mou...
"The base f..."
Love zucchini. I've added it to my meat lasagne and have added to vegetable lasagne. Made zucchini cheese balls. A little messy - shred the zucchini then squeeze out all the juice - tasty. Made about 24 for family visit - took out of oven and gobbled up within minutes. (No, not in this heat - during the winter holiday season!!)
Jim wrote: "I made zucchini pickles today & scalded my hand while pouring out the boiling water from canning them. It's not bad, but it sure hurt for a while after I did it. Supposedly I can try eating them af..."Never heard of zucchini pickles - sounds interesting.
I too use cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese. Even when making macaroni and cheese.
Jim wrote: "Here's the Zucchini Bread recipe. I cut it in half a lot of times. It's pretty similar to the one in the book that came with the bread machine. I like it since nothing about it is exact.3 cups sh..."
A few years ago I made a zucchini bread - recipe from an old old cookbook. Not very good.
Your recipe sounds good. Will give it a try in the fall. Wouldn't dream of turning on the oven in this heat. Only have AC in the bedroom.
Nina wrote: "My grandson lives in Winters, CA that is very near Sacramento. We are hoping the fire doesn't reach his home. Last night his sister who lives near us called him and he said he heard the wind shifte..."I'll pray.
Joy, I accidentally deleted your review of the Galveston book and could you please post it again for me. Thanks.
back to work today. had all of last week off (only work wed, thurs and fri) and yesterday off due to the holiday.seems like a month! probably take me an hour ish to get back in the groove. :)
Nina wrote: "Joy, I accidentally deleted your review of the Galveston book and could you please post it again for me. Thanks."OK, Nina. See the link below. Let me know if you felt the book was unnecessarily long.
The Uncertain Season by Ann Howard Creel
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
BLURB: "The Hurricane of 1900 devastated Galveston Island..."
Linda wrote: "back to work today. had all of last week off (only work wed, thurs and fri) and yesterday off due to the holiday.seems like a month! probably take me an hour ish to get back in the groove. :)"
Linda, I know what you mean.
Linda, I'm working 2 days this week & it was wonderful having 5 off & the weekend coming so soon. I've gotten so many things done.
There were times when I wanted to say, "Get on with it." Then I'd get engrossed on what next was happening. I thought the characterization was very good as I felt I "knew" the three main characters and even the minor ones. There was definitely the Southern undercurrent to this story and only one real critique that won't make sense to others is that I wanted The Girl to finally speak.
It's still brutally hot here, 95 & humid when I got home. Since it was finally dry, I put 2 backpack sprayer loads on the lane. Actually, 1.5 on mine & the other half went to the neighbor's lane since she doesn't have anyone to help her take care of the place. One spraying rarely kills everything off, so in a couple of weeks I'll do it again & use any left overs on the kids' lane. I was dripping by the time I got back in the house. I fried up the 2 eggplants I bought from the farm stand a couple of days ago. They just have a stand by the side of the road with a 'lock box' (It has a plastic twist tie locking it.) for donations. I don't know what an eggplant costs so I gave them $2 for the pair.
Marg isn't feeling good, so I put a slice of tomato, a bit of onion, & some mozzarella on slices of eggplant & put them under the broiler for a few minutes for my dinner. It was a nice change of pace.
I tried the zucchini pickles & they're good. When I mentioned them to Mom, she said I'd had them before. Apparently her bread & butter pickles were cucumbers &/or zucchini. I never noticed the difference. Didn't with this batch, either.
Nina wrote: "There were times when I wanted to say, "Get on with it." Then I'd get engrossed on what next was happening. I thought the characterization was very good as I felt I "knew" the three main characters..."Yes, Nina it would have been satisfying to hear "the girl" speak. We never even found out her name.
I'm glad you finished the book, Nina.
RE: The Uncertain Season by Ann Howard Creel
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
BLURB: "The Hurricane of 1900 devastated Galveston Island..."
Yes, Jim, it's been brutally hot here for what seems like a whole week. And it's been humid as well. It knocks the stuffing out of people.
Jim wrote: "Linda, I'm working 2 days this week & it was wonderful having 5 off & the weekend coming so soon. I've gotten so many things done."Yes, with a few extra consecutive days off a lot of tasks can get done!
Going back to work - I reviewed some of my materials before getting back in the work groove. Luckily I have my passwords written in a "hidden" file otherwise they may have been forgotten.
Jim wrote: "It's still brutally hot here, 95 & humid when I got home. Since it was finally dry, I put 2 backpack sprayer loads on the lane. Actually, 1.5 on mine & the other half went to the neighbor's lane si..."Dinner nice and light and garden fresh. Yummy
You're right, it was a nice change of pace. I highly recommend getting a password manager such as LastPass. Not only does it make remembering passwords much easier since it is a portable database of them that you can access anywhere by remembering only one password, but you can put notes in for security questions.
Jim, you know I think this was mentioned by you in the past and I did make note. However, I did not take action. I'm putting "LastPass" on a post it note. This will get my attention!!
Thanks for this information. Very helpful.
Want to say hallelujah - temps have dropped down to 80. Still much cooler outside than inside (log home retains temps).
Opened all doors and most of the windows when I came home from work today.
Tomorrow, our employer is having a pig roast. About 30 years ago (yes, I'm not a kid) an employer had a pig roast for employees on the beach. Current employer is having a pig roast at their home.
I could do without the pig roast, although could smell very tempting! What I am excited about - they have blue bird nesting boxes in their yard. I love the Eastern Blue Bird such a pretty bird. These birds don't come up to my neck of the woods.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/E...
The temps are down here, too. I have about 2 dozen bluebird houses up around our fields & half a dozen pairs in them. Another half dozen are taken by tree swallows & the rest have sparrows who get evicted regularly. It's one of the things I do while riding Chip around the fields.I loved pig roasts. We used to have one every summer. I usually got to help dig the pit & later, when I was older, stay up & build the fire. That was pretty much an excuse for all the men to drink a fair amount. The next morning we'd get up early, put a bunch of green corn stalks on top of the coals, then the pig wrapped in burlap, & more corn stalks. Then we'd put in a layer of sweet corn still in the husk covered by more corn stalks & finally topped by a foot or more of dirt. Early that evening everyone would show up with their best salads, breads, & desserts. The corn & pig were dug up & we'd feast well into the night. Great time! Haven't been to one in 15 years. I miss them.
Went to one pig roast and some of the best tasting meat ever. I also love corn roasts; even had that on the pier in Chicago.
Hello, hope everyone had a Great Independence Day Holiday!Five of my neighbors joined me and we had a great early supper---chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, and hot rolls!
Also birthday cake for one of the ladies and banana cream pie!
Good fireworks later as well!
It's 59 degrees this morning! Feels cold after the mid 90s with high humidity that we've been suffering under. The windows are wide open. Love being able to hear the birds waking up.
Mary J. that food sounds right up my alley. Although we had a good supper on the Fourth I would have enjoyed yours more.
Finally cooler here for a couple of days before the ninety five and up degrees return. We are six inches below normal rainfall; starting drought times if we don't get rain soon. Leak in our ceiling from our last rain, however and in spite of my husband looking in the attic for possible holes in the roof it was to no avail. Roofers coming Monday and we'll see what they find.
Good book, "How It All Began," by Penelope Lively. Easy read; good characterization of people in small English village but could be people anywhere.
NYT came to Kansas City with a two page spread praising us especially for the new streetcars; free to ride. Only place in the country you can ride free according to the Times. They gave notice to the opera, art museum, performing arts etc. fun to see through the Eastern eyes.
Today didn't seem very productive, but I was busy the whole time. I got the last of the wool spun up & dyed it today. That takes forever since I can only do one skein at a time & I had 6 at 30 minutes each. It came out OK, but I'll need a lot more for the afghan I plan to make out of it. I'll have to keep my eye out for a good deal on more wool.This afternoon I thought I'd use up a bunch of zucchini, so I made up 5 loaves of zucchini bread. I only used one large one! Still, they came out really well including the one for my daughter. Hers didn't use regular flour, but spelt & a gluten-free flour. I mixed them as she thought that would taste better. We'll see. The loaf looks good.
Since I had the stove going, I made Eggplant Parmesan for dinner. It was easy since I'd already fried up the eggplant. Just layered it with Ragu spaghetti sauce & cheese. In between times, I did other short chores & got to read more of my book. Yay! It was nice having time to do that.
Our power flickered a lot until the wee hours, but at least we had it. The rest of the road still doesn't. It pays to be nice to the utility guys. They had to replace & add a pole where it goes across our land & they had easy access, something they fight with many others about, apparently. When they did the new hookup, they put our line on a separate circuit from the rest of the road since it was available & we lose power far less often now. We lost power from 4pm to 8pm & got it back just as I was about to bring an extension cord into the house. I opened the door with it in my hand & the lights came on. Magic?
The winds were fierce until the wee hours. Twice we got an inch of rain in 15 minutes. The flickering power meant the UPSs were beeping on & off which terrifies my dog, Lily. At some point last night she jumped out & ran down to the kids' house. They, like the rest of the road, still don't have power, but it was quiet. Erin just called & they came up for breakfast. They also brought Lily home so I fed all the dogs.
Josh took the generator down to their place to run their fridge & freezer. Unless the power comes on soon, the neighbor south of them will probably use it too.
I don't know if any of you have older relatives that you don't/can't see often, but we have Marg's 85 year old Aunt Irene up in WI. She has no other relatives save for her 2 nephews & Marg. When a letter to her was returned as undeliverable a while back, we found out the only contact we had for her, a social worker, was bad.So we've been trying to find out what happened to her. No obit, so we figured she was alive. HIPA insured that the couple of people we knew to contact wouldn't tell us what happened to her. The other organizations (Adult Protective Services, ombudsman, & police) wouldn't look for her for us. I finally wound up googling nursing & assisted living homes & calling them as if I expected to talk to her. The 25th try out of my list of 30 told me she was at lunch.
Whew! Marg finally got her on the phone, but she didn't know who Marg was. Hung up on her once. We're going to push a little more to find out what sort of shape she's in & Marg might go up there during fall break. Sad.
Actually, I am the older relative; ninety one and everyone in my family knows pretty much daily what I'm up to and of course I am lucky as my live in computer husband is here to help with my computer mistakes. Sorry about your wife's aunt. It must be quite troubling. Good luck in finding ways to help.
It's good to have family when you get older, no doubt about it. I feel sorry for Irene, but we asked years ago if she wanted to move down near us & she wouldn't do it. Her nephews rarely contact her, so it's been just Marg & I for 20 years since her husband & Marg's parents died. I've only met her a few times, so she's really on her own.
Nina wrote: "Good book, "How It All Began," by Penelope Lively. Easy read; good characterization of people in small English village but could be people anywhere."https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Another book which looks good!
Jim wrote: "I don't know if any of you have older relatives that you don't/can't see often, but we have Marg's 85 year old Aunt Irene up in WI. She has no other relatives save for her 2 nephews & Marg. When a ..."She is lucky to have you - such perseverance making all those phone calls.
Jim wrote: "It's good to have family when you get older, no doubt about it. I feel sorry for Irene, but we asked years ago if she wanted to move down near us & she wouldn't do it. Her nephews rarely contact he..."I work for an agency that provides services (private pay) for seniors. Many people have no relatives or relatives who live out-of-State and they live alone and some of the elderly have dementia. Families hire our agency to provide services to their relatives. Very heartbreaking. I enjoy this job as we provide a much needed service (companionship, light housekeeping, making meals, food shopping and more).
Glad Aunt Irene is in an assisted living facility getting care, staff to keep an eye on her and some socialization.
We're going to see what options we have with her care, Linda. Apparently we're not on any lists as next of kin, although her old social worker knew about us. I told Marg to try the ombudsman's office to see what help they could provide.
I fertilized my grass heavily with potassium and phosphate
Jim wrote: "We're going to see what options we have with her care, Linda. Apparently we're not on any lists as next of kin, although her old social worker knew about us. I told Marg to try the ombudsman's offi..."A good start, Jim.
Ah, a nice cool day. Overcast. Good day to get things done around the house and do some errands. Need another night light - like to keep one in the master bathroom. Tomorrow, may go kayaking, fishing and have a picnic.
Mom is sitting around with her broken leg & it's driving her nuts. She can't put any weight on it & has been reading until her eyes are going to fall out. At least she has a lot of friends dropping by. One of them bought her a new set of all-terrain wheels for walker so she can get out of the house on to her patio & another couple took her out to dinner. Lots of people bring by meals & share them with her.A couple of others figured out & tested a way for her to get upstairs. She can go up on her butt, but at the top of the stairs there wasn't any way for her to stand up into the walker, so they brought in a mounting block (used to get on horses) & now she just keeps going up couple more. That gets up high enough to turn & stand up into her walker. She's tickled pink since her bedroom, office, & only bathtub is up there.
Oh, sorry about your mom, Jim. How did she break her leg? Not fun to sit but how good to have friends and neighbors who come to help. And ingenious ways to help at that. So who said "Life isn't easy," was so correct. I wish her a speedy recovery.
She opened the gate for a tractor with a mower, Nina. The mower picked up a chunk of wood & tossed it into her left thigh a couple of weeks ago. Broke her femur & I didn't find out about it for 3 days - the day she was scheduled for surgery. She also drove herself back to the farm in the Gator before getting a lift to the hospital. Typical of Mom.
Your mom reminds me of my husband after breaking his leg after jumping out of a tree drove himself for one hundred and fifty miles back to our home in the city from our lake cottage with his broken leg. Part of the trip was six miles over gravel roads. Your mom is a trooper.
Jim wrote: "Mom is sitting around with her broken leg & it's driving her nuts. She can't put any weight on it & has been reading until her eyes are going to fall out. At least she has a lot of friends dropping..."Mom certainly has a great support system. Wishing her well.
Work this afternoon. On way to work stopping at a bowling alley to get my bowling ball repaired. Bowl Tuesdays - and my new bowling ball got a knick. This bowling alley is known for poor lanes. Bringing ball to the "other" bowling alley where I purchased the ball. He'll fix for free. A good guy.
I'd go to the "good" bowling alley but its 15 miles from my house. The bowling alley where I've bowled for the last 12 years or so is only 2 miles from my house. Makes a BIG difference with winter weather.
P.S. I'm bowling quite well with my new bowling ball. Got a 163 and a 156 (last game was only 105). Overall a good night - except for the knick on my new ball.
The city has crews trimming between our parking lot at work & a stream this week. I borrowed Marg's pickup & filled the bed with walnut, cottonwood, cedar, black locust, cherry, & red mulberry at work today. Some of the cottonwood logs were big enough that it took 2 guys to load them. I passed out a few bowls & got top notch service from Asplundh!:)
Sounds like lots of winter fires ahead.
Bowling alleys here in our area seem to be folding because of lack of interest in this pastime with young people. My husband used to bowl with his business friends and I did with my church group. I wonder if there are any of those types around any more. Have a fun time Linda. Go bowling..
Hard for an active person to sit..When my husband had a broken leg our little granddaughter would take a flying leap across his leg without hitting it but he was quite nervous she might. He would finally excuse himself and go to the bedroom saying, "I am tired," Whereupon she would say, "He's Mister Always Tired."
Nina wrote: "Sounds like lots of winter fires ahead."I don't have a fireplace. It's for turning bowls.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Educated (other topics)Pride and Prejudice (other topics)
Moby-Dick or, The Whale (other topics)
The Count of Monte Cristo (other topics)
War and Peace (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Tara Westover (other topics)Ann Howard Creel (other topics)
Ann Howard Creel (other topics)
C.W. Gortner (other topics)
C.W. Gortner (other topics)
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Nina, we've had a lot of differen..."
We do the same Jim - put the feeders out in April and take them down in October.