Sweet Potato, Spinach and Kale Salad 

                                                                             Cooked

                                                                                Raw

                                                                               Raw

 Chop up the sweet potato into small cubes. Mix in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour onto a cooking sheet and bake until done. I use a toaster oven for this. Let it cool. 

In a large bowl, mix the chopped kale, spinach, and sweet potatoes. I add unsalted roasted peanuts, but you can also add pecans or whatever nuts you choose.

Mix up the following dressing to your taste:
Balsamic Vinegar
Honey or Maple Syrup
Coarse Grain Brown Mustard
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Another Goddess Basket

To the Goddess Isis I make this basket
May the spiral dance shape it the way I ask it.
With magic needle from ages past,
Bless this basket and make it last.

Mice That Bite

My friend, Elaine, has four cats under the age of 2 years. She keeps her sliding glass door slightly open so they can go in and out. As a result, the cats drag in everything imaginable. Birds, chipmunks, snakes, insects, lizards and sometimes mice. Elaine prides herself in trying to save the lives of these poor victims, which often is not a good idea. The other day, one of her cats brought in a mouse. After chasing the cat down, she captured the mouse and was attempting to put it outside. The mouse had other ideas and promptly bit her on the index finger. She had to pull him off her finger with her other hand, and the mouse promptly bit her in the other index finger. These were puncture wounds and rather deep. Being late in the afternoon, she was advised to go to Kroger Pharmacy in Clinton so she could get a Tetanus shot.  Not sure what kind of diseases a mouse bite could transfer, but the pharmacy bit her as well to the tune of $57.00 for the shot. I know it's not funny, but it still makes me laugh.

The Raymond Community Garden

Earlier this year, I tried my hand at growing 30 tomato plants in the community garden. I planted them in May, after raising the seedlings to where I could transplant them to the garden. Alas, I planted them too close together. I guess I didn’t realize just how large they would become in such a short amount of time. Back then, they looked so weak and lonely that I tried to group them together. As a result, there were tomatoes, but mass confusion ruled. I’ll know better next time. 

This fall, I tried my hand at greens, and it is a bonanza! The seeds jumped out of the ground after 4 days and have been growing and flourishing ever since. I planted Turnip Greens, Mustard, Collards, Kale, and Rape. I couldn’t be more pleased. Mother Nature has rewarded me for my efforts. Greens are a staple here in the south. Most everyone knows how to cook up a mess of greens, and they are so nutritious! Some years ago, when I was living in California, I cooked a pot of greens and my guests thought they were lawn clippings. Whoops! Wrong culture! When I returned to Mississippi, that was the first thing I looked for in the grocery store. Now the community and my friends can share in the bounty this winter. And they’re organic!

Kitty Come Home

SeeKitty, my 17 year old cat failed to show up for breakfast about two weeks ago. I searched and called for her for days. I checked the streets to see if she had been run over, opened all the sheds in case she got locked in. I even crawled under the house to search, but to no avail. I haven’t been able to write about her until now, and as I write, the tears fill my eyes once again. Her sweet little face, her beautiful green eyes, and her bob tail... it breaks my heart. She is sorely missed. We had a bond that grew closer each passing year. At her age, she seldom left the yard, and now there is an empty bench that reminds me each time I go out the back door.

SeeKitty was a feral cat and I remember it took almost a year for her to make contact. I never attempted to touch her, and eventually, she became curious as to why I didn’t. I let her touch me first before I ever tried to pet her. As a result, I was the only one she would allow near her until later in life. Eventually she accepted my friend Elaine who lives next door.

I suppose I will eventually take in another rescue kitty, but for now, I am still grieving.

Bay Lee Bird

This is a photo of a Cockatiel deep inside of a Snyder's Sour Dough Pretzel box. She doesn't like sharing and we often bicker over who gets the most pretzels. 

Flowers For August

                                                                Wild Clematis in the Side Yard

                                                           Red Cypress Vine in the Back Yard

                                                        Chrysanthemums in my Kitchen Window