Angry Birds, Aging, Recipes, and More!

 Angry Birds: Birds in the front of me. Birds in back of me…..all charging! I guess it’s the result of nesting season. I checked my birdbox because I had not seen birds around for a while. I was surprised to see the mama bluebird was nesting inside! I was so surprised and pleased; however, now when I sit outside or take Rosie out back, we get zoomed by one of the couple. The bird in the front of the house is larger than a bluebird and even more aggressive. Their nest is in the bush surrounding my mailbox and he keeps careful guard of it. He has a curt chirp and Rosie has been grazed by him twice and me once… and that goes on all up the driveway!

Aging Quirks:

This is my avatar, which has also conveniently
filled in the creases and glammed up the photo.

Well, I showered Saturday   (6/19) night and as I was putting on face cream, I noticed that the left side of my face felt different. When I looked in the mirror, sure enough, it was swollen! It looked and felt different from the right side but there was no pain or discomfort. Happening on the left side of my face, it immediately rang an alarm. So what did I do? I Googled it! Everything indicating a stroke or bells palsy mentioned sagging skin/muscle rather than swollen. Tippy and I got met for brunch on Sunday morning and I asked her if my face looked funny – funnier than usual! She asked me to smile, etc. and everything seemed normal except the swelling. So, we had a nice meal and went our separate ways. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted a professional opinion, so l looked online for Doctor’s Care, a drop-in facility very near me. To my surprise, they offered a virtual visit, which is what I did. It took longer to fill in all of the required information than to meet the doctor. There was no wait time and he was professional. and knowledgeable. He felt it was not an indicator of anything more serious and more likely an infected tooth, which I had considered but felt no pain or bleeding. He said that if the tooth had a root canal, there would be no pain! He prescribed an antibiotic, which I picked up that day and began taking. Everything is fine now but I do miss that botox effect of the swelling filling in the crease by my mouth! It was a good look!!

Poor Rosie had a bad day, too. On Monday (6/21) morning, we were up and out at the crack of dawn – literally, and you know that isn't like us! We were just waiting for it to be light enough to see where we were going. She was up and down all night and I could hear her tummy rumbling from the bottom of the bed!! She ate a load of grass, which I always hate because I don’t know what chemicals are on it, but I couldn’t stop her. Promptly after entering the house, she threw it all up encased in lots of white foam. I immediately headed to the grocery store for yogurt, pumpkin, and banana and spent the rest of the morning making healthy doggie treats, which we shared with The Adorable Felix across the street. Rosie was not particularly impressed but Felix seemed to like them.

Chris, Lynn, and I went to our first in-person Liberal Ladies' gathering at the Port Royal clubhouse. It accommodated about 50 ladies, all of whom seemed very happy to be together again. Our speaker was the archaeologist from the Mitchellville Project, who was very informative and entertaining. The plan at this time is to resume general meetings in September if all continues to go well. 

Our Drinking Liberally group continues to grow and we are fortunate to still be able to eat outside due to the mild weather. It is hard to believe our mornings are still nice as we move into July!

Recipes: I’ve added new recipes to the Meatless Recipes page. They include –

Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder in process.
I used fresh corn rather than frozen and
it was delicious!

• ·        Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder – this was so tasty that I made another pot as soon as I had finished the first. There’s a lot of prep but it’s worth it.
• ·        Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Kale Quesadilla – I wind up adding everything but the kitchen sink!
• ·        Red Thai Curry with Tofu – close to when I order at Thai restaurants.
• ·        Sweet n’ Sour Chickpea Stew and Mexican Rice Bake from Sandi. I haven’t made the rice dish yet but it looks tasty, with all the good Mexican flavors.
• ·        Black-Eyed Peas Curry and Savory Vegan Collards. This is an instant pot recipe but easily adaptable to the stovetop.
• ·        Vegan Lentil Quinoa Loaf – a stand-by!
• ·        Stacked Roasted Enchiladas - my preference of the 2 enchilada recipes shown.
• ·        Spicy Vegetarian Lentil Samosas

Thanks, Sandi, for sharing your meatless recipes and I hope everyone will feel free to do so....and if you try any of those shown, let me know.

I’m reading/listening to Cicely Tyson’s autobiography, Just as I Am, which I highly recommend. She is a wonderful writer with a memory for detail. The reader of an audiobook makes all the difference and this one sounds like Ms. Tyson is telling her own story. Really enjoying it.

I hope everyone is well and able to enjoy the summer (or winter!) safely. Take care and let me know what you're doing.