Busywork

My husband has been driving himself to medical appointments (!) while I work around the house. Outdoors, I’ve exhausted myself in the pleasurable endeavor of vegetable garden preparation. Recently I knocked down two annoyances.

The easy one was getting our portable electric car charger mounted on the garage wall; that’s bothered me for years. Replacing a toilet seat proved more taxing but I’m happy it’s done.

The seat should remain tightly in place,
and I like the chromed hinges...

 

 
How are you doing these days? Do you have any fun seasonal plans? -

Tips and Tricks

I have become a real fan of fresh fruit, whether in a smoothie or whole. By happenstance, I learned that pineapple juice is an excellent preservative. I’d bought some to make homemade sweet and sour sauce. It turned out okay but my crab Rangoon wasn’t worth the effort. Grapes, apple slices, banana bits, and what have you stay fresh in the refrigerator with a dose of the sweet/sour nectar – for over a week! I also learned that black cherry Kool Aid powder gets everywhere, yet putting the water filled (or empty) pitcher on the fridge door shelf contains the annoying dye.

Outside the kitchen, I learned that hummingbirds don’t need their sugar water dyed red. And powdered sugar is bad for their health; they don’t need the cornstarch additive.

Remaining on the outside, where I’m now enjoying a lovely evening, I’ve discovered that I can legally own a flamethrower. Flame’s a great poison free weed killer. For now I enjoy using my little butane torch purchased for cooking use.

Still in the garden area, one of the best things I ever did was take a free course on pruning woody plants. You want to cut at the branch bark ridge, especially for trees. Otherwise, they can become diseased or even dangerous from sudden breakage. A local arborist calls this method ‘Treevorkian’, per Dr. Kevorkian’s infamous legacy.

On a funny note, years ago I purchased a pot of what the garden center called ‘snake plant’. He could tell me little else about it. After moving the withering, tropical looking plant to a shadier region I know have a spreading monstrosity that, while beautiful, shoots up stinky flowers – cadaverous smelling. Right this moment I see three shoots from where I sit. Hence I will never try selling this house in April or May. ~grin~ A contractor almost gagged one spring. Heh… And the same goes for prickly pear cactus. A single pot has overtaken parts of my yard.

Outside the home, my little town needs a lesson. Please mark a closed road before resients drive blocks out of their way. There are exactly two intersections allowing entrance and egress. And while I appreciate the infrastructure improvements, not knowing which way to go is annoying. It’s a first world problem, for sure, however this adds stress I don’t need.

My husband’s surgery was an apparent success – no cancr cells detected around the surgical sight. Therein lies another tip. If you require general anesthesia, know that a paralytic is included. This restricts bathroom activity, shall we say, and taking steps pre-op make the tummy region much more comfortable days after.

Forgive me if you’ve read any of this stuff here before. I appreciate you stopping by. Connecting with awesome bloggers keeps me sane.

Did you know that any cacti species are a Midwestern United States native?

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I Did It Again

Yesterday I decided to use a up handful of frozen strawberries by covering them with a thin layer of semi-sweet chocolate. In past using Baker’s chocolate I would set the microwave for thirty seconds on high, stir, and repeat until getting the desired consistency.

Still foggy from my little respiratory infection, I decided to just set the oven for a minute. Just as the timer began beeping I turned around and saw smoke billowing out of the microwave.

Oh, no, I thought, not again. Opening windows fast as possible, I asked my husband for help with the smoke alarm. My handy stepstool didn’t give me high enough reach. But he just sat there, watching me scramble, saying he didn’t hear any alarm.

“Right!” I hollered. “And I don’t want to!”

He remained sitting on the couch, unconcerned. I’m thankful my measures proved adequate and we didn’t get another visit from the local fire department. I wish I’d photographed my chocolate hockey puck. Let’s hope I can get the burn marks out of the microwave.

It still stinks - baking soda should help.

Did you know chocolate could char? Do you ever wish you could hire a home cook?

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Latest Lessons Learned

I need to start numbering these lessoned learned episodes. ~shakes head~ Anyway, back in 2019 our lovely Chevrolet Volt got scrapped due to a collision. If we’d known better, we’d have collected the cargo net since our gorgeous 2017 Volt (electric hybrid version 2.0) lacked this surprisingly expensive little luxury.

Hence when our last microwave oven died I knew enough to retain its glass turntable. It’s a nice item to switch out when our latest and greatest unit needs cleaning, which leads to another lesson.

I need to stop running the microwave oven without donning eyeglasses. ~sigh~ Jezebel wanted her morning arctic char, stomping on me with her shaky geriatric little kitty feet to the point I felt bad and scurried out to the kitchen (hence, no eyeglasses).

She doesn’t much care if her refrigerated food is warmed, yet I decided to do so. I still don’t know how it happened, but my intended four second runtime went on far past that. Opening the door I found an explosive stinky mess. I should have used our domed splatter guard. ~sigh~ On the bright side, our scrubbed microwave oven looks brand new.

Are you a big user of a microwave oven? Do you own any sort of splatter guard for it?

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My Saturday Surprise

Yesterday I ran a couple of errands and decided to go through the car wash. I took the Cruze days before while the Volt remained encased in road dirt. The relative warm temperature and sunshine changed my mind; I drove home and hooked up the garden hose. It would save money, I thought, as well as give me exercise.

I couldn’t have been more wrong on that first point.

Before I even got started, a man approached. Solicitors annoy me, but what he said got my attention. We went around to the back yard where he’d noticed overgrowth from his company truck. The full scope shocked him so much he went to get his boss while I spoke to my husband. We agreed to the price as long as I received documentation.

I signed our agreement and, to my delighted amazement, the owner said they would immediately get started (!) and likely finish the same day (!!).

Sorry, but I can’t help sharing yet another horror movie quote. ~shakes head~ In “Evil Dead II”, the character Sarah meets two locals on her way to her parents’ (evil possessed) cabin and they make a deal. The fellow offers to carry her bags for “a hundred buck” before seeing Sarah’s huge travel trunk.

Ugly, yes; but I have a clean(er) slate...

You see, these groundskeepers had no clue the tangle of vines awaiting them. Even the boss joined in, which isn’t normally the case. They worked for at least five hours, taking turns to rest as exhaustion set in. Exorbitant as the fee might seem (a staggering $2,000 USD), I don’t regret it. Thank heaven we will not end up strangled by this debt.

The Virginia creeper was killing every one of my trees and shrubs, including a honeysuckle I forgot existed, bent beneath the other vine’s massive trunk. Now it won’t be such an uphill battle cleaning up surrounding areas because (unfortunately) Virginia creeper sets roots wherever it touches. So I still have my work cut out for me, as they say. In fact, I should work a little each day now.

This is what they hauled up...

To reiterate the difficulty level, I saw one fellow all but collapse against their truck when I peeked out front and later learned about their numerous falls on the steep slope. Bringing the guys some bottled water, I asked how they manage such heavy labor. “We all have kids, and kids are expensive,” said one of them. I had to laugh.

Can you believe they went on to another job after that? Isn’t it heartening to find ambitious young people?

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Lesson(s) Learned

My husband and I continue listening to a podcast called “Stuff You Should Know” while out and about. The other day we heard a shocking tail about Newport, Kentucky. Across the state line from Cincinnati this virtual suburb boasted a small population in the 1930’s. For whatever reason, illegal casinos popped up and, of course, mobsters moved in.

Long story short, a young Frank Sinatra entertained along with many others until Las Vegas became the go-to din of iniquity. One huge venue called The Beverly Hills Supper Club in Newport turned into a legitimate business in the 1970’s. Alas residual mobster activity continued and mysterious fires sprouted among various nightclubs. Refusing offers to sell, this business man apparently fell victim.

Unlike normal sabotage operations occurring on a quiet Sunday morning, this devastating event took place on a Saturday night. And those thousands (!) enjoying celebrations such as weddings, or just a simple night out were the ultimate victims. Hundreds died yet authorities prevented investigation by bulldozing the place within days. I’ll let you learn more if interested by checking this out. I’m shocked never to have known about this beforehand as its impact upon the city remains, including litigation over proposed development on what many consider a sacred sight.

I mentioned this tragedy to my older brother-in-law, curious if he’d heard this news during his young adulthood in Northeast Ohio. He had not. On a side note, he volunteers at his house of worship’s security team. What prompted my tell is that he and needed to cut short the brothers’ weekly video chat for a fire drill.

In a true ironic twist we endured our own sort of fire drill that very afternoon. I’d been cooking a blackened chicken recipe but didn’t notice smoke building up until our smoke detector sounded. A representative of the home security called and we promptly assured him no assistance was required. He chuckled at my self-deprecating joke before notifying our local fire department.

However, we were too late and a fire truck pulled up. Zack, leading his emerging responders, asked if he could double check inside our home. I agreed, apologetic while expressing an understanding that we’d receive a bill.

“No, don’t worry,” he replied. “There’s no charge involved.”

As if we needed more proof of Jezebel
being deaf, she did not react until
the very tall fireman Zack
stood behind me.

I later surmised the silent young people in uniform might have been on a convenient training mission. At any rate, I again confessed that my chicken was definitely blackened and received more laughter. After ascertaining our safety and making sure we didn’t need anything, Zack took down my name and number for their report. I, in turn, asked their names because they were so professional, polite, and thorough.

Have you ever pulled this type of embarrassing stunt? Isn’t my brother-in-law's volunteer work laudable?

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Silly Updates & Sillier Quirks

Reading that several blogging friends never tasted pet food reminded me of a funny story. Perhaps ten years ago I was visiting my parents and felt a wee bit peckish. Not wanting to be a bother, I spied a snack container and decided to snag a few nibbles.

Gah! Were they dry. No doubt you’ve guessed that they were dog treats. My mother enjoyed a good chuckle.

As for the equally unpalatable gnocchi, it turned out wonderful. I made pesto using Thai basil and chopped walnuts which, along with wilted baby spinach and a few other ingredients, disguised the dumplings’ texture while the recipe also provided a side dish every bit as good as what I used to order at our local Bravo! Italian Eatery. In fact I enjoyed a small bowlful just this morning.

My quirks are things I never really recognized until reaching my 50’s. One is a bad habit – unplugging an appliance by its cord rather than the sturdier plug. So far I haven’t short circuited anything but the practice could be hazardous. Funny enough, I think it’s because my torso and arms are both a bit shorter than average. This makes reaching the back wall above a countertop a tiny bit awkward, especially with my overall weight gain. ~sigh~ I’ll try breaking this (let’s face it) lazy tendency before any household equipment succumbs.

Another personal glitch made itself known at the cinema Sunday afternoon. This one developed in my youth, perhaps during school activities. In a nutshell, during any lengthy event I begin wishing it to end. Regardless how much I’m enjoying myself there is a point I’d rather be at home cataloging favorite memories. Tomorrow (I hope) I’ll share what film we saw and my experience.

Do you agree that gnocchi’s rather unfortunate shape gives sauce a clingy surface? Are there any movies you would see at the cinema?

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Overdue...

I’ve been busy acting as what I like to call a ‘suburban homesteader’. On a fixed income, seeing prices skyrocket across the board, my husband and I are determined to thrive. Increasingly over the past two years I tried to learn something new such as a recipe or household technique. My latest, most stringent efforts have gone toward a cleaner and tidier home. ~rolls eyes~ He does the research, buys me cool and useful items, even lending a hand when needed. Yesterday he stirred a simmering South Korean style sauce while I cut and sautéed vegetables, fried eggs, and prepared noodles.

My New Favorite Cookbook

My rice paper skills are improving, as have my homemade bagels. Now I’m attempting to root a Thai basil stem. It elevates my spring rolls to a taste level beyond what mint leaves provide. The windowsill might be too cold but why not try?

Veggy, Rice Noodle, & Peanut Sauce
Spring Rolls - Yum

Last Night I Made Bagels...

... for Our Homemade Lox

Still Looking Good for Now, Perhaps
Using an Old Cat Treat Cannister
Added Some Protection (?)

We also have enjoyed outings here and there. Between Christmas and New Year’s we visited a local brewery based on 18th century technology. The food was not really worth the cost but our two different beers tasted amazing. I’m just a little disappointed their decorations weren’t better, even if understatement fit the period. I expected a big elaborate Christmas tree with all the available space. Oh, well.

A Banquet Room, I Think - Lots of
seating below my angle from
the 2nd floor mezzanine

Our Modern Day Brewers Use Gravity

I Liked this Old Timey Touch...

Before the big freeze hit I took a drive, then a walk. Some folks have the cutest inflatable decorations. I delighted one homeowner by asking to take a photo and discovered an old Boy Scout park called Camp Hook. A rare owl sighting delighted me no end.

Look at this Spaceship and Hot Cocoa
Complete with Marshmallows

‘Whooo Goes There?’
Sorry about the Contrast

Complete with Fishing Dock,
Lake George is tiny,
 more like a pond.

Have you ever seen an owl in its natural setting? Have you ever been member of a youth scout troop?

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A Head Shaking Moment

In 1994 we moved into this house. From day one I never liked its window treatments.

I bought or in some cases sewed replacement curtains long ago. We had the kitchen renovated in 2011 and yet I still allowed that hated overlong cord on the kitchen blinds to remain. Its length got steadily yuckier through the years despite my efforts to keep the thing out of the way.

That resolution alone should have been easy enough. But wait… the cord’s too long? Ummm… ~smacks head~ Cutting away dirty string and reattaching the scrubbed pull handle solved everything. It looks so much better.

 

Do you think the smallest ‘first world’ annoyances linger because they intrude so little in our daily lives? Should I replace that old fashioned pull handle with something more modern and interesting?

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Ups & Downs with a Water Sprite

I like to joke about our evil water sprite. But it wasn’t funny when my husband announced that we received a city water bill for just over seven thousand, five hundred dollars.

Yes. The estimated bill came to $7,500 (US) plus. I almost choked. Thank heaven, an understanding city worker discovered that a newly installed electronic meter reset to zero and somehow compounded our reading. We owe under $100. Whew. We were grateful for the quick resolution and our advocate’s joking attitude lightening the stress.

This ‘sprite’ can bring good things, too. Heavy rain brought a visitor seeking shelter.

I like how the toad first rested in the pot I placed...

... and settled between my frog statues

Who's a Pretty Toad?

 

More First World Problems

On April 24th my husband asked if I’d spilled water near the bed. Half awake and remembering no such thing, I dismissed his complaint. Maybe one of the cats tried to toss up a hairball. But later I noticed the wetness spreading.

Quiet panic ensued. Had my 29 gallon aquarium sprung a leak? Every millimeter felt dry including outside the tank, inside its stand, and the surrounding carpet. The mystery continued and my pile of wet towels grew, as did a funky smell I wished was imaginary.

Around midweek my husband asked me to drain the tank and move my last surviving spotfin goby to my idling ten gallon aquarium. Fearing the move would be fatal, I stated my case and requested a reprieve. He agreed while asking that I apply a piece of tape showing the current water level.

I’m lucky to have a smart guy. A minuscule water drop led me to the electric pump I’d unplugged without removing its attached air hose. This created a vacuum.

Duh… By the next Sunday I’d dried and cleaned the stinky stain. Hurray! I thank Nature’s Miracle enzymatic cleaning solution.

On another note, I’m having issues online. My own blog declares I can’t sign in after having posted. ~scratches head~ Not surprising, this is the same error I receive trying to comment on others’ posts. I’ve tried various tips and even switched browsers but I’ll figure it out. I’m not dumb.

Still, other failings made me feel rather frustrated and useless. I found redemption when a neighbor needed a friend.

Have fruitless days left you feeling pointless? How do you recover a sense of self worth?

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My Syrup Returns the Favor

Ginger cookies.... Mmmm...

On the same day as my moldy maple syrup discovery I decided to bake molasses ginger cookies. After assembling, measuring, and mixing all dry ingredients, the butter soft and stand mixer ready to go, one missing item became glaringly obvious. We were out of molasses.

Of all things, I thought. And once again I wasted time and effort by jumping into action before gathering every ingredient.

In a strange twist of fate, real maple syrup makes a respectable molasses substitute. As an added bonus, my husband found and implemented another Internet tip on stopping a stand mixer from bouncing up and down during use. The racket is awful and that movement can damage attachments.

A simple screw adjustment does wonders.
Here is the Youtube video.

If you don’t now, would you ever consider owning a stand mixer? Did you know there are KitchenAid stand mixer attachments for use with fruits, vegetables, and even meats?

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Diet Sprite

I feel so fortunate that we live in a comfortable home among nice neighbors. For whatever reason, however, this ranch style abode with a walkout basement has flooded more times than I can count.

Two separate water heaters failed, both dumping their entire contents. Another time the cellar toilet broke. I even failed to unhook the garden hose our first winter here. At least that waterfall could be turned off.

Some of the less destructive incidents, not all confined to downstairs, are mindboggling. One drinking water tote sprung a leak after being mysteriously crushed (?) and a jug of distilled water long stored beneath the hall bathroom sink dripped out through a sudden (?!) pinhole. We even have reverse issues like the seldom used bathtub faucet that stopped flowing.

We named the culprit a water sprite and know it could be worse. Referencing my title, no events left a sticky mess.

There are scars. Half the cellar carpeted, ragged edges resulted from being pulled up several times. A crack in the brick chimney foundation (!?!), at last detected and repaired, left lingering mildew concerns. And we weren’t the first to suffer, it would seem.

I wish my laptop skin dragon could come to the rescue...

Can you believe someone left a roll of Christmas wrapping paper beneath the stairs to camouflage some water stained drywall? How did the home inspector miss that? And who carpets a basement anyway?

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Bottled Up, Boxed In, & Unbridled (Joy)

Please forgive any errors. I'm trying not to spend so much time nitpicking. :) In the long run who cares anyway?

In a perfect example of First World problems our built-in kitchen soap dispenser is a pain to refill. From above it is slow and the removable bottle is tucked way up behind both the right hand sink and garbage disposal. Removal is easier than replacement and I did it without thinking so I had no choice but to finish the job I twisted into all sorts of contortions and worked up quite a sweat. Sweet Polly ‘supervised’ all the while. Her super soft distracting cuteness made my task all the more difficult. At last I succeeded.

Minor lingering aches and pains are another win. I count that as an unplanned workout!

I also needed to do some laundry loads without letting cats into that cellar room where we store various potentially toxic paints and such. My first attempt at engaging Terra and Polly in play succeeded until my steadily speedier basement approach met Terra’s racy intervention. Her equally fast sister and she followed me back down the upper hall whereupon I shut them inside for the few precious minutes needed.

A win. Right? Not quite.

Upstairs I let them out but could not enter the room. Entry had been blocked by a narrow box I’d stashed behind the door. ~shakes head~ Fortunately I managed to push away the obstruction without pinching my arm (or worse).

How can one not laugh at these cat antics? And can you believe Jezebel tolerates their craziness with minimal hissing despite their manic efforts to engage her in play?

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Unintended Upgrades

I can hardly believe it's been so long since I posted anything. And I sure got behind reading others' blogs. ~shakes head~ Time is just flying by these days.

And on that note we've lived in this house since 1994 (!) and have replaced a number of things both inside and out, some multiple times like the water heaters that always flood our basement. LOL In an odd chain of events following replacement of our kitchen faucet we have seen multiple small (thank heaven) kitchen appliances suddenly need replaced.

I believe this trend started when the nonstick coating on my sandwich press start to peel. Then our steamer quit working shortly before I noticed rust behind the inner coating of our microwave oven. Yikes.

I found a Toshiba unit recommended by two different sources and we've been very happy with its greater power and neat features. Meamwhile my husband found a multi use six quart GoWISE USA 12-in-one electric pressure cooker. I had no idea it's comparable to the Instant Pot friends kept touting. We've been happy with everything we've used it for: soft boiled eggs (super easy to peel), perfect jasmine rice, and even banana bread (cooked in a bowl, it looked funny while tasting great). I'm looking forward to trying a pear jam recipe.

My husband cooks an egg
(or two or three)
in this daily!

Soon to be delivered is an air fryer/toaster oven. It seems we're finally catching up with the times. ~grin~ I'm so thankful my guy is good at finding reasonable deals.

Do you have many kitchen gadgets? What do you think is, or would be, most useful in your home?

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Harbingers of Spring - & - Learning to Accept My Power Animal

There is no doubt that flowering trees, shrubs, and perennials tell us summer is nigh. Inside our home the annual earnest ant invasion began. I am happy to say that applying fresh caulk upon the kitchen window ledge seems to have solved the problem. I discovered this trick a few years ago and much prefer this solution to using poisons.

Discovered on an afternoon walk

Another creature that likes our home are centipedes. They tend to appear in high numbers during early to late spring and again in autumn. I’ve mentioned these insects before and apologize if you’ve read these same stories.

At any rate, my husband remains oblivious to their presence while I see them almost every day. Years ago a particularly obnoxious crop of these creepy crawlers gave me close up and personal attention. One found its way onto the bedspread and trundled right toward where I lay stretched across the mattress with my journal. Another got inside an unlatched DVD case and fell down the front of my blouse when I picked it up.

Ugh…

I am trying to intellectually embrace these beneficial hunters. They are fast, strong, and nocturnal. What’s not to like? And it’s impossible to know how many harmful insects centipedes have spared us. My instinctual disgust does result in crushing a specimen here and there.

Have you ever witnessed a housecat gleefully fling a centipede about? Can you suggest how I might overcome my revulsion?

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Helpful Hints – or – Peculiar Pointers (depending upon your viewpoint)

Almost every day lately I discover tiny, simple tricks to cut down the time and energy spent on mundane tasks. Or preserve items, as it were, such as cilantro. I just love those flavorful leaves on foods like this home cooked Thai style chicken and mushroom soup.

Chicken broth infused with lemongrass,
while a splash of very stinky fish sauce
brings surprisingly great umame!

But I find the delicate herb turns brown fast despite refrigeration. Then it occurred to me that removing the stems, bagging and sealing the brightest greenery, preserves its fresh flavor.

Sorry about the glare...

Overall, my husband and I make a great cooking and gardening team. With chores like laundry I tend to be on my own. And it’s a minor annoying when he becomes impatient to show me something on television while I rush putting away our clothes.

Yesterday, I thought about his occasional aid in hanging shirts. He’ll stand by the bed and toss me individual items. Instead of dragging him off the couch, I brought my T-shirt laden vanity table bench close to the closet. And voila! It went so much faster.

A Temporary Laundry 'Table'

Another pet peeve is biting insects. I know many can relate. Some of us seem to be tastier than others. Years ago I discovered a handy Sportsman’s stick repellent that makes it easy to target my most vulnerable bits of skin (elbows, wrists, calves, knees, and ankles in particular) without inhaling poisonous aerosol sprays.

The only bother with it is the top screws off but the product itself needs to be held in place, which isn’t easy with my small hands. Instead of struggling this past weekend, I tucked a cotton ball in that bottom well. The electrical tape holding the ‘stuffing’ in place is easy to remove if more cotton is needed.

30% Deet!

Are you a popular menu item in the insect world? If you suffer, have you tried a Deet infused product such as I swear by?

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Birds Nesting, Earthworms, & Moles - Sorry, No Pictures...

I have been spending a fair amount of time gardening since the YMCA closed. And as the title suggests, there have been some interesting sightings.

What I first thought to be an American robins nest turned out to be that of house sparrows. Sad to say, they are an invasive species, often overtaking endangered Eastern bluebird nest boxes. I don’t have the heart to destroy the eggs, though, as a dear friend and bluebird enthusiast would recommend. So we’ll see this through and wish them the best.

On another note, earthworms are prolific in our yard. That’s a good thing, a major sign of healthy soil, but as my husband pointed out is also a lure for moles. They have seriously torn up our yard over the last two years. His prophetic statement led to a more startling discovery.

Wheeling our lawn mower onto the driveway yesterday, I saw a dozen or so earthworms writhing on the dry sun-washed concrete. The sight blew my mind. Then I spotted a mole scuttling through its fresh tunnel adjoining our driveway. The worms, apparently, fled (?!) the danger. Flipping them onto a spade using a plant tag, I dropped them onto a raised plot free of mammalian activity. Within a few minutes the creatures had burrowed to (I hope) safety.

Should I destroy those birds’ eggs, despite the fact our area isn’t suitable Eastern bluebird terrain? Is it so different from me sticking poison mole bait into the fresh tunnels? Some moral ethics are a real modern quandary, aren’t they?

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‘Buyer’ Beware

Decades ago I bought a small potted cactus, assured by the garden center employee it would thrive. Boy, did it. I now have not one but two separate garden patches that will take over concrete if given half a chance.

This color combination reminds me of sunrise and sunset.

Above is a past image of the prickly pear’s gorgeous flowers. From what I had to cut back yesterday, this year we’ll see a bumper crop.

The entire plant is edible, and nopalitos was a favorite specialty at an area restaurant. But I am a chicken about handling them myself. It’s not the visible spines that get you. Rather, one needs to be careful of the tiny barbed glochids. Those things detach easily, lodge in your skin, and are near invisible if not for the fortunate red coloration of my particular species.

Yesterday I set about the annual chore of cutting back encroaching pads. The roots actually drag soil onto the pavement as the plants grow. I scraped up and saved as much dirt as possible, boxed up the discards, sealed it with plenty of packing tape, and wrote notes of caution about the contents. This spring I decided to have a little fun and added a sign.

I figured we all need a laugh right now.

To my shock, a regular scavenger driving by slowed his old truck, stopped, backed up, and took the box. I called out a warning, to which he assured me he wanted the spines to detour animals invading his garden. Okay… What more could I do?

Did you know Ohio flora included an indigenous perennial cactus? Have you ever eaten or at least seen nopalitos on a menu? Does your local grocer stock edible canned cactus?

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