This and That: A Blog

  Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 674 1. Let's embrace it shall we? What's something you recently forgot to do? Is your memory these days more like a sieve or an elephant?  I think my memory is pretty good, maybe not as good as the proverbial elephant, but I can't remember the last thing I forgot.  That might be a bad thing, forgetting what I forgot.  I think remembering well is to do with my answer to number 2! 2. Share a trick/strategy you have to help you remember things you need to remember.  I make lists. Not lists on my phone, actual notepaper lists.  Grocery lists.  To-do lists.  I also have a real paper calendar taped to the side of my refrigerator.  I can clearly see when someone has an appointment so I don't plan something for the same date and time. 3. What's your favorite fall vegetable to cook with? Do you prefer your fall veggies roasted, blended into a warm soup, or fresh in a crisp autumn salad?  I don't care for the stric...

 J is the stamp letter this week for Sunday Stamps .  J ackrabbit (there are six kinds of j ackrabbits, which are not rabbits at all, but hares, this one's a Black-tailed) USA 1987 J ellyfish (black sea, a Giant Pacific j ellyfish also called a black nettle, not from the Black Sea at all) Bulgaria 1961 J umping Spider  (the smartest spiders, they learn from experiences and problem solve) USA 1999 K is next week.  

(You may recognize the Halloween spider shadows from 2024, but these are the 2025 spider shadows!)

 I was given a butternut squash, which I turned into a "pumpkin" pie.  Did you know canned pumpkin isn't really pumpkin?   The USDA allows canned pumpkin to include any strain of squash from the Cucurbita genus that resembles pumpkin in flavor, color, and texture.  "Pumpkin" is actually just a cultural and culinary label, not botanical.   Mickey is the only dog I've had that didn't like pumpkin, others would eat raw pieces.  He also dislikes carrots.  It's not pretty, but pies don't need to be!  Yes, it's a homemade crust.  If it's one thing I've learned over the many years of crust making it's this, always use Crisco, never a store brand. The last Salad Bush cucumber became snail or slug food. They come and eat a little more each night.  Honeybees enjoy the prostrate rosemary... while a Common Checkered skipper prefers the black-eyed Susans. Borage is having another generation before the frost, which comes in October.  No...