“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we are curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”  – Walt Disney                                                          Source: “Brainy Quotes”

One of the unexpected benefits of this blog is that it has given us is the motivation to try new things. Every week, we try to think of interesting content to share. This has had a very positive impact on our lives. In the past, we might have said, “We should do this”. Now we say, “We will do this and put it on the blog.” Today, we share some of the new things we are doing and trying. And hopefully, you will be inspired to try some new things, too! (No pressure!) So here are some new things for the garden, a new vegetable we tried, an inexpensive craft, and two new creative tools/toys we have acquired.

NEW GARDEN ADDITIONS

Hummingbird feeder

Inspired by Kevin’s sister Christine, this year we added a hummingbird feeder to our patio garden. We have never had one before but thought we would give it a shot. We were thrilled this week when Kevin saw our first hummingbird at the feeder. We heard that the feeders also can attract butterflies and are hoping to see those, too. The garden continues to be a great learning experience which brings color and joy into our lives.

New plant varieties

Last year, we grew cherry and beefsteak tomatoes for the first time. We were successful with the cherry tomotoes, netting a few dozen. The beefsteak plant yielded only one tomato, and we determined that type of tomato was less suited to container style gardening on our small patio. This year, we are growing 2 varieties of cherry tomatoes – Super Sweet 100 and Husky Cherry Red. New to our garden this year are peppers. The first bud on our Shishito Sweet Pepper plant is the featured photo at the top of today’s blog.

As we’ve been sharing this spring, we planted some seeds and they seem to be coming along nicely. We’ve begun transplanting the seedlings. The marigold plants are doing especially well. It will be interesting to see by how many marigolds and pansies we get, as well as how much basil we end up with as the summer goes on.

TRYING A NEW VEGETABLE

We are adding some new foods to our repertoire, and this week we chose celery root. Pretty huh? Here is a recipe we tried from Martha Stewart that was very good:

http://www.marthastewart.com/314078/celery-root-and-apple-slaw

One change we made was to grate the celery root and apple rather than cut them into matchsticks. Unless you have great knife skills and patience or a tool with which to make matchstick cuts, use your grater!

MAKING SOMETHING NEW OUT OF SOMETHING OLD

We buy t-shirts as mementos while on vacation, but because they are so well-loved, they get worn a lot and become worn out. It comes to a point when you can only repair a t-shirt’s underarm holes so many times! Then what? One idea which works well is to frame them. The re-purposed t-shirts become artwork for the home and special reminders of our wonderful trips. Roy’s Cape Cod t-shirt looks great in an inexpensive white frame. Simply cut the image or words out, center and tape it to the cardboard that comes with the frame.

 NEW CREATIVE TOOLS/TOYS

Thanks to our income tax returns, we have splurged on a couple of things we have wanted for a while. These will give us a chance to learn a new skill and to improve on an old one.

Camera: We love to take pictures and a few weeks ago, bought a new camera, an upgrade from our very functional Canon which was being held together with duct tape. The new camera is loaded with lots of great features and is a little intimidating. It’s going to take a while to learn to use it fully, but that’s part of the fun!

In a similar (more extreme) vein, we bought a guitar! Roy has always wanted to learn to play and we got a good deal on one which came with a whole series of DVD lessons. Right now, Kevin is focused on learning the basics of the new camera while Roy has begun the guitar lessons. We are going to do our best and enjoy the challenges!

OBSTACLES

Of course, when trying new things you are going to encounter challenges and obstacles.         For example, we discovered that the DVD player on our hard drive is out of date and would not play the guitar lessons, and that cutting celery root into matchsticks can be tedious and time-consuming. But trial and error is part of the whole “new thing process”. It is a learning and growing, and in the case of our hard drive, updating, experience.

TRYING NEW THINGS IS GOOD FOR YOU

Click on the link to find out more!

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/10/learn-something-new-your-brain-will-thank-you/

BE OPEN TO NEW THINGS

We encourage you to be adventurous. Try a new hobby, craft, sport or food. It’s good for you and keeps life interesting!

Enjoy

Roy and Kevin

For many, Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff to the summer season. It’s a 3-day weekend for a lot of folks who celebrate with beach trips, BBQs and picnics. This week, we are sharing an idea for an indoor picnic that also can work outdoors and includes a few suggestions for easy and delicious picnic foods. We share this week’s garden update and, of course, make note of the real reason for Memorial Day, a chance to honor those who have served in the armed forces, past and present.

PARLOR PICNIC

Kevin’s family used to enjoy what his mom Irene called “parlor picnics,” when the weather or time restraints (we have to work until 4:00 pm on Memorial Day) did not make an outdoor picnic feasible. It’s picnic foods enjoyed in the living room. As his sister recalls, “sitting on the floor – hotdogs in hand”. We take that idea a little further and make our living room more festive by adding a checkered tablecloth, some floral decorations and the flag centerpiece.    (See photo at the top of the page.)

In most cases, Memorial Day and Fourth of July decor are interchangeable – double patriotic duty!

Here are some delicious foods for the occasion. They work great for our parlor picnic, or any outdoor gathering!

EASY OVEN-BAKED BBQ CHICKEN

We don’t have a grill, but we enjoy BBQ chicken. Here is a tasty version you can make in your oven. Easy and good!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

You will need: Chicken, chili powder, your favorite bbq sauce.

This method can be used on small or large batches of any cut of chicken, with or without skin. Skin-on thighs are pictured. Adjust amounts of chili powder and bbq sauce to suit your taste.

Sprinkle chicken with chili powder. Bake for 1/2 hour. Coat each piece of chicken with                   2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce, bake another 1/2 hour. Enjoy!

MICROWAVE CORN ON THE COB

Make corn on the cob quickly and easily in the microwave! Trim 2 ears of corn top and bottom so that they fit on a microwaveable plate as shown below (left). Microwave the corn on high for 6 minutes. One ear of corn will take about 4 minutes. Let sit 2 or more minutes before you open. To keep from burning your hands, use a paper towel to remove the hot corn husk and silk. Add your favorite toppings to the cooked corn. We like to spray ears with buttery spray and sprinkle with hot sauce or parmesan cheese.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE

For a simple, quick patriotic dessert, top store-bought sponge cake dessert cups with fresh sliced strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream! Delicious!

One of our go-to quick crafts is making a coffee can vase using appropriate decorative paper to cover the can. We cut a hole in the cover to keep the flowers contained. A simple and fun craft!

GARDEN UPDATE                                                                                                                                    

Our garden is beginning to take shape. The seedlings continue to grow and Kevin planted our tomatoes and peppers. We were surprised yesterday to see we already have a tomato!

And away we go!

THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

“All we have of freedom, all we use or know, this our fathers bought for us,                               long and long ago.”                                                                                                                                          – Rudyard Kipling (Source: inspirational quotes and quotations.com)

MANY THANKS.

Of course, the real reason we celebrate Memorial Day is to pay tribute and give thanks to all those in the armed forces who have fought, and in many cases have given their lives, to insure our freedom. We are very grateful to the men and women who sacrifice so much to keep this country safe. If you have a chance, attend a parade or other event in your area to honor our servicemen.

Click on the link below for an informative video about the history of Memorial Day.

http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history

Here are pictures of two of our favorite veterans, our fathers, William J. Drew (left photo), and Warren Wollschlager, shown with Irene and their attendants on their wedding day.

“How important is it for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes”                    – Maya Angelou (Source: Quotegarden.com)

Thanks to all who serve – past and present.

Roy and Kevin