Good Morning,
The sun is out and that is what woke me this morning. Then I started hearing Mabel on the roof...yup, I'm pretty sure she is mostly back to normal...and bringing deer ticks inside. I had a bit of an issue yesterday morning. I got dressed and went into the bathroom. Thank God I looked in the mirror and noticed a deer tick on my shirt! Got it off (using a tissue) and flushed it down the toilet. Then I went back to the bedroom and started to make the bed and holy crap - there was a deer tick on the sheet. No joke. We treat Mabel (Frontline), but ticks still get on her. They don't burrow though...instead they fall off in the house. I have to be constantly vigilent and it's exhausting.
Meanwhile, back to the patio roof. Mrs. Robin was not happy. She has a nest in our wisteria right by the patio roof. Poor Mabel must have given her a scare (and perhaps traumatized her young ones). Nature can sometimes be quite cruel.
Big news: Yesterday I graduated from Physical Therapy. All done! Passed with flying colors!!!
Yesterday Bonnie and Zhongren came over to harvest bamboo shoots from the back of our woods. Fletch had looked a few weeks back but did not see any. Yesterday they got a lot though. They were in long pants, hiking boots and sprayed themselves with bug spray. Hopefully they did not get any ticks. Fletch and I stayed on the patio. Bonnie showed me how to peel the outer layers off the shoots, then you can slice them and cook them! They left us some of what they dug up:
You can see (click to enlarge) that the one on the right has been partially peeled and there are several empty peels in the picture. This is so interesting to me and I can't wait to try cooking some this weekend. Bonnie says she par-boils or blanches the shoots in water, then sautes them in oil (she said regular, but I may try sesame oil) with a little fresh garlic and ginger. They were delicious the time she fixed them for us.
The other day I mentioned that I had made a corn and pinto bean salad last weekend. This dish is so simple, quick and delicious, so I thought I would share the recipe with you.
Corn and Pinto Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 2 Cups fresh or frozen corn (I used a can of corn)
- 1/4 Cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- Fresh cilantro chopped
- Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Lime Vinaigrette
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 Tablespoon Agave or Maple syrup
Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl. Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together and pour over the salad. Let stand 15-30 minutes to allow the vinaigrette flavors to permeate.
It is quite tasty and keeps well. We had some of it for lunches this week as well as last night's dinner (and there is still some left!).
Time to run my Thursday reports. A little later this morning Fletch and I are heading out to a local nursery for some plants. Can't wait for that!
Hope your Thursday is a good one.
That salad sounds delicious! The others in my family aren't big bean eaters, though, so I'd have it all to myself! I know I've eaten bamboo shoots in Chinese food at restaurants, but I never thought of growing and harvesting them. I'll be interested to hear how yours turn out!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe. I'm adding it to my arsenal for sure.
ReplyDeleteIs Mabel amenable to brushing? My cats simply detest it. They are indoor only, thank goodness. I wondered if you ever brushed Mabel outdoors before bringing her in sometimes when ticks are an issue.
Somehow I never connected bamboo shoots in Chinese food with actual shoots from bamboo! The ticks do seem especially bad this year. John and Justin are both on doxycycline. That salad sounds delicious and I will be making it this weekend. Thanks for the recipe and congratulations on graduating from PT!
ReplyDeleteThis is just fascinating (the bamboo shoots... not the ticks). The ticks... oh boy. I just can't even. I am ever on tick patrol of Sherman when he comes inside, fortunately I have never found one. But I live in fear. Mabel, you need to stop being a tick magnet, girl!
ReplyDeleteWe have tons of bamboo but I never knew how to harvest the shoots! Very cool. The recipe looks delicious--I love cold corn and beans! Naughty Mabel!
ReplyDeleteI found an Lone Star Tick crawling up my front door yesterday. Talk about freaking out....I nearly lost it. I want winter back. I can't deal with bugs this year.
ReplyDeleteWe treat Zoey for ticks and heartworm too. We never had to do that for Chloe. Once in a great while we would find a tick on her at the lake but it was rare. I think the farther east you go in the US, the worse they are. I don't like bugs at all.
ReplyDeleteThe bamboo shoots are really interesting. We walked through a bamboo forest in Japan a couple of times. You can almost "hear" it growing. I love bamboo, not only to eat, but since it grows so quickly it makes great floors, etc., because it's so sustainable.
I hope the birds survive until take off. Mabel is only doing what comes naturally but it's still sad.
Have a lovely Thursday Vera, and congrats on your graduation. You're in the right time of year for it too! :-)
Blessings,
Betsy
I love a good corn and bean salad but have not tried this dressing--will have to once the corn comes in. Glad you're done with PT!
ReplyDeleteIsn't frontline supposed to kill the tick? I'm confused.
I am up before the sun rises ever single day...but I get a lot of reading and thinking done this way :) So happy your extended family visit you while your son and daughter in law are away!
ReplyDeleteJust checking in and glad to see you graduated from PT. Hope the back continues to improve! <3
ReplyDelete