Last week, I published the happy, exciting news of caterpillar sightings in our garden. I even found a chrysalis on the side of our house. I had never spotted a chrysalis before. How exciting!
The very next morning, I checked on the chrysalis. Everything looked the same. I was intending to check the chrysalis frequently, as I did not want to miss out on the butterfly as it was developing and breaking free to fly away. My son and I left the house for a few hours and when we returned I decided I should take a picture of the chrysalis. This I decided to do every day so that I would have a record of the butterflies emergence.
As I went outside, I noticed first the side of the house had been splattered with something. Then I looked at the chrysalis. Only the top part of it remained. At first, I thought it hatched while we were out. Then I realized it should have changed first to a dark color and then to a clear encasement. It was too soon in the process to have fully developed. Something had gone wrong. Had something gotten a hold of the chrysalis before the caterpillar had time to complete the process?
We will never know exactly what happened to the chrysalis. Unfortunately, things like this happen in nature all the time. It is hard for animals to survive in the wild. Predators, weather, lack of food, all sorts of things put animals at risk. My poor little Monarch.
There are still caterpillars on our plants. Perhaps I will be lucky enough to find another chrysalis in the yard and hope to see that one turn into a beautiful Monarch butterfly. I wish them all good luck.
Somehow, when picturing Joshua Tree National Park, I always thought of one lone Joshua tree. After all, if there were a lot of trees the tree would be plural, right? Oh how wrong I was. Joshua Tree National Park has more than one tree and is a vast desert.
One thing that overtook me about Joshua Tree (roughly 45 miles from Palm Springs, California) was how large it was. It seemed the desert could go on forever. It is actually made up of two deserts coming together to form the park. Below 3000 feet makes up the Colorado Desert or Eastern part of the park. The higher elevation makes up the Mojave Desert where the Joshua trees can be seen.
Skull Rock
When planning a trip to Joshua Tree, keep in mind the temperatures. We took our trip in December, which was a perfect time to go for pleasant hiking. Temperatures are in the 60’s Fahrenheit in December, dipping down cooler at night to somewhere in the 30’s. Spring is the most popular time of year at Joshua Tree due to the desert flowers in bloom. Summer would be the least desirable time to visit as it is a desert and the temperatures can get to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a bit warm to be hiking.
Joshua Tree has a lot of hiking trails and is a beautiful place to visit. At night the stars are plainly visible without any light pollution. If you want to see the stars at night pack a jacket, as it does get cold at night. There is nowhere to purchase food in the park, so pack a picnic and plenty of water. Be sure to pack a camera to capture this remarkable park. Happy Traveling!
It is a sunny July day in So Cal and we have spotted caterpillars on one of our plants. These are not the brown fuzzy caterpillars I enjoyed watching as a child. These caterpillars are stripped yellow, white, and black and will turn into Monarch Butterflies.
chrysalis
The caterpillars are busily eating away at the milkweed on our plants. However, I spotted another interesting little something on my way in the front door. Attached to the side of the house is a chrysalis. That means we have a butterfly forming inside this chrysalis. The caterpillars crawl away from the plant when it is time to form the chrysalis in a safe environment. According to research, the butterfly is developing inside the chrysalis for 9 to 14 days. Since I do not know how long this chrysalis has been there, I will have to keep an eye on it’s development. How exciting!
our butterfly plant
There are a few Monarchs fluttering about the garden now. It is nice to know that soon there will be more. As with the birds in our garden, if you give them what they need they will come.
The Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin is one of the most beautiful gardens I have visited. Full of interesting plants, colorful flowers, and fun sculptures, it is well worth the trip. Let me give you a tour…
kaleidoscope to view flowers – so cool!
The Rotary Botanical Gardens is developed into 26 garden spaces on over 20 acres of land. Some of my favorite garden spaces are the French Formal Rose Garden, the Sunken Garden, the Shade Garden, and the Japanese Garden. I also was delighted by the interactive kaleidoscope sculpture that allows you to look at flower petals through a kaleidoscope.
A view of the Japanese Garden
I went in the summer, however, the Gardens would be wonderful to see in other seasons as well. The plants are changed out for different seasons so there is always something new to see. Along with different seasons come different hours of operation. Be sure to check the hours and days they are open before making your trip.
The Gardens are a photographer’s dream. Tons of beautiful flowers, interesting backdrops, sculptures, and insects make it well worth the trip. Charge your batteries before going and be sure to allow time to take in the gardens. There are plenty of benches throughout the garden to sit and enjoy nature or to take a break.
The admission to The Rotary Botanical Gardens is reasonable and they have events and classes throughout the year , so be sure to check-out their calendar. One can also have meetings or weddings held at the Gardens. How nice that would be! On the way out, do not forget to stop in the gift shop. A nice selection of garden merchandise is available for purchase.
So, if you like gardens and find yourself in Wisconsin, be sure to stop by Janesville and enjoy an afternoon at the Rotary Botanical Gardens. You can bring a lunch and have an enjoyable meal on their terrace. Remember to stop and smell the roses.
It’s the little things in life that can bring enjoyment. Stopping to smell the roses, watching ducks swimming in a pond, seeing a rainbow, and watching kites flying in the sky. Why not bring a little enjoyment to yourself and others? Let’s make a kite!
I tried making paper kites when I was a kid. We would cut old sheets to use as tails. Sadly, my paper kites never really flew. They usually just bounced along after me on the ground as I ran around the yard. This could be due to poor kite design, lack of wind, or just not knowing what I was doing. Who knows?
In college, I took a fabric design course in which we had to dye fabrics, tie-die fabrics, batik fabrics, and stitch fabrics. After we had finished our tie-die fabrics, the professor gave us instructions to turn our fabric art into a kite. Cool! What was even cooler was that this kite actually flew! The kite flew so well in fact that I didn’t have to run around the yard to try to get it in the air. Wow!
The sled kite that I made is quite simple and inexpensive to make. I think it makes a perfect first kite as it is so simple to get up into the sky. It also rolls up to a nice portable little bundle. So let’s get started!
Finished Sled Kite
Sled Kite
What you will need:
newspaper
black sharpie marker
yardstick
tape
material (to fit the pattern size you make)(white muslin to tie-dye/or cotton pattern)
thread
needle
scissors
thimble
straight pins
tape measure
iron
ironing board
2 wood dowel rods size 36″ x 3/16 (cut to size)
coping saw
pencil
small piece of sand paper
tie-dye kit (optional)
kite string on spool with clip
fishing swivel (optional)
The first step is to make a pattern for the kite out of newspaper. Take two pieces of newspaper a tape together to make one large piece. Next take a yardstick and decide how long the kite will be. The number should be easily divisible by 3. I choose 27 inches. Take your marker and mark a line 27 inches. Then cut along this line.
Mark line at 27″ Cut at line
Now that you have this you will need to make a grid on your paper. The grid will be 3 squares by 2 squares. Each square should be the same size. Since I chose 27 inches….3 goes into 27 nine times. I will have six squares that are 9 inches. Cut along outer edge.
Make Grid
Now take your yardstick and place it diagonally on the top left square from bottom to top and draw a line. Then place your yardstick from the top right of the same first square to the bottom right square of the last square of the top row. Draw a line. Cut on these two diagonal lines. This is the kite pattern. The bottom edge should be placed on the fold of the fabric. It will be a mirror image when opened.
Mark diagonal lineMark second diagonal lineCut at diagonal lineslabeled kite placement guide
Here comes the creative part! Fabric choice! My suggestion would be something bright and eye-catching. (Pale blue or white will not be exciting in a sky of the same color.) This is where tie-dying comes in….take white muslin and tie-dye the fabric to your liking per box instructions or buy a fabric with a pattern already printed. Such materials to consider would be any light cotton such as a batik print. Once the fabric is chosen, fold the fabric to fit the pattern piece and pin the pattern to fabric with the fold edge (in my case the 27 inches) on the fold of fabric and cut fabric. (Do not cut the edge with fold.) When the fabric is open it will be the entire kite.
Take the fabric and fold over the fabric 1/4″ on one side, press with iron and then fold again to make a 1/2″ hem. Using a slip stitch, hand stitch the side in place. Repeat for all sides of kite leaving a small gap on the ends of the top and bottom to insert wooden dowels.
Slip stitch hem leaving space for dowel rod to be inserted
Cut wooden dowels with coping saw to fit in hem pocket in top and bottom of kite. Sand the cut end of dowel and insert into hem pockets. Tack in place to kite material with thread by using needle to whip thread around the dowel about three times and at three equal distances along the rod.
Cutting dowel rodTack dowel in place to kite with thread
Cut a piece of kite string about 2 yards long. Thread one end into the head of a large needle and stitch to farthest side point on kite. Then stitch the other end of the string on the other side of kite and thread through plastic clip,. (If the kite string does not come with a clip/ring you can use a fishing swivel. Attach this to your kite line.
Stitch kite string to farthest point on kiteThread through plastic clip on kite spool
Find a safe place to fly your kite. This should be away from traffic, power lines, trees, storms, etc. Be sure to pick a windy day. The windier the better. Some places are naturally better for flying kites. Usually places close to the bay or beach are great places to find the perfect wind.
Face away from the way the wind is blowing. Hold the kite in the air by where the strings meet close to the ring. When you feel the kite catch the wind, give it a little more line until you slowly let it go higher and higher. Adjust the line if it does not feel tight enough or begins to drop by reeling the line in a bit.
Have fun and go fly a kite!
(Be sure to send me a picture if you actually make a DIY Sled Kite!)
My latest home grown pineapple top is ready to be planted. It will, in turn, produce another pineapple and shoots for more pineapple plants. The family tree is growing.
My latest pineapple was picked on June 27th. I twisted off the top and placed it in a glass jar with water in order to establish it’s roots. Today, I was happy to see that the roots were coming along nicely and I am ready to get my pineapple top into the soil.
pulling off bottom row of leaves/ white roots coming in
First, I pulled off the bottom row of leaves that were looking a bit brown. This is normal and it is perfectly fine to pull off a row or two of leaves. In doing so, it gives a little more body to plant in the soil as well. My pineapple top is actually quite small, as home grown pineapples tend to be smaller than those purchased in the store. Next, I take a small clay pot and fill it with potting soil and put the roots and bottom into the soil. I am sure to put a wire cage around the pot as rabbits will be interested in the pineapple tops when they are little. Once grown up a bit the cage can be removed.
freshly plantedbehind cage for protection
I will keep the new tops nice and moist until they are established a bit and then cut back on the watering to once or twice a week. Pineapples do not like to be over-watered. Now I wait. Hopefully, you will see a post from me in the not too distant future of a pineapple being ready to harvest. Aloha!
I LOVE Hawaii so of course I love the ukulele. I have never played an instrument before so I thought I should learn. A bucket list thing. Also, if you have read my other blogs, you know I like pineapples. So why not learn on a pineapple ukulele?
I must make a disclosure that I am not in any way musically inclined. I can not carry a tune. I would not make the auditions for America’s Got Talent or even come close. I am not learning to play the ukulele for anyone else. I am learning to play the ukulele to challenge myself. However, I am perfectly happy with not being sensational at this or any other instrument. I will be the first to admit that it is not my calling. Just because I am not sensational does not mean that I can not enjoy trying, so that is what I am doing, just having fun.
I am a two song gal. I have two songs that I can kinda make sound pretty decent, especially if you are not too picky. Those songs are: Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver and America the Beautiful. I play them over and over and no one in my family has complained. My husband did give me a ukulele lesson book. Was this because he thinks I’ve got potential or because he thinks I seriously need help? Perhaps he was just being sweet. In any case, thanks for not complaining. I guess this book has helped me. I was a one song gal until I opened it.
So, even if one is not great at something, it does not mean that they can not enjoy it anyway. We do not all have to be perfect at what we do. Although who knows, maybe some day I will be a three song gal.
It is summer and the garden is producing all sorts of goodies. We have vine green beans growing taller than me right now. Time to harvest and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
I like to pick my green beans before they get too large. In my experience, the larger the bean, the tougher the bean tends to become. Very large green beans are not tasty, so be sure to keep an eye on them and pick them when ready. Green beans should snap and sound crisp. If not, they are probably too large.
Once the beans are picked, I wash them in water and lay them on a towel to dry. Then I snap off the ends, leaving one long bean. They can also be snapped shorter if preferred. Now they are ready to be prepared.
Green beans are a very versatile vegetable. They go with almost any entree and are simple to prepare. There are a few different methods of preparing green beans. Baking, roasting, blanching and shocking, boiling, and steaming and sauteing are some options to consider.
Roasting green beans can be done by mixing green beans with a drizzle of canola (or other) oil, and seasoning of choice, and spreading them onto a baking sheet. Pop the sheet into a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Green beans can also cook alongside a roast of meat in the oven.
Blanching and shocking green beans is done by placing green beans into a pot of boiling, salted water until just tender (about two minutes). Then the beans are drained and put into a bowl of cold, ice water for two minutes. The ice water stops the beans from cooking and helps them maintain their lovely green hue. Now the beans can be used in a cold salad or can be sauteed in a pan with oil, butter, and garlic for a nice crisp bean.
To steam beans, place them in a skillet partially covered in water, cover with lid and boil for 4-5 minutes. Then drain and saute the beans with butter and oil until tender. This will take another couple of minutes. Season and serve.
Boiling green beans is another option. Place beans in a pot, partially cover with water, place lid on pot. Bring the water to boil then turn the burner to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Season and serve.
Seasonings that work well with green beans are salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, grated lemon peel, sesame seeds, pesto, basil, onion, bacon, etc… Have fun experimenting with flavors that appeal to the palate and work well with the dish it will accompany.
Years ago, I took a hands-on pasta making class at a local cooking school. I did so because making pasta seemed overwhelming to me and I was not sure I could do it on my own. However, pasta making is actually very simple and fun to make.
While making pasta from scratch does take longer than opening a box of dried noodles, it is well worth it. It tastes fresh and takes less time to cook than the dried pasta you get at the store. Plus, flavors can be added to the dough to give it a unique taste. Tomato paste, spinach, herbs, etc., can be added to give the pasta color, texture, and flavor. The pasta will be so tasty that heavy sauces will not be required. Fresh tomatoes or a butter sauce compliment the pasta quite nicely.
How does one go about making homemade pasta noodles? First, a pasta machine is required. The hand cranking kind works fine. Mine is an Atlas brand from Italy. Most kitchens will have everything else that is needed. Ingredients are also probably something most people will have as kitchen staples.
The dough can be made in a large mixing bowl. Dry ingredients are put in and a well is made in the center to hold the liquids. Liquids are gently mixed in the well until all dry ingredients are incorporated with the wet. This is then kneaded until smooth and let to rest for ten minutes. The dough is now ready to run through the pasta machine. It’s that simple!
Here is the recipe I use:
Homemade Pasta
1 1/4 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
8 tsp water
1 tsp olive oil
In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a small bowl stir together egg, water, and oil. Pour into well and mix with flour mixture.
Sprinkle kneading surface with flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic- about 8-10 minutes. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough in half. Roll dough flat enough to fit in setting #1 in pasta machine. Pass dough through setting #1 four times, folding the dough after each pass and sprinkling with flour. Then roll dough once through settings 2 through 6 sprinkling with flour after each pass. (Do not fold dough on settings 2 through 6.) Repeat with other half of dough.
The dough is now ready to make into noodles. Add the noodle cutting attachment to the pasta maker and pass dough through to cut into noodles. Additionally, if you desire ravioli or lasagna noodles, they could be cut at this stage instead.
Cook pasta in boiling water for about 6 minutes, until floating and done to your liking. (Homemade pasta should not be overcooked. ) Top with your favorite sauce.
Recipe serves approximately 4 persons. Recipe can be doubled.
It’s summer and a great time to plan a vacation. Perhaps the perfect time to visit a national park. Wouldn’t Yellowstone be lovely this time of year?
My family and I set off for Yellowstone National Park in late June (we just got back). I checked the weather before leaving so I would know what to pack. I was expecting it to be on the cooler side but was blind-sided on our last day at the park when it started to snow. Snow in June! Really!
I spoke with a park ranger who greeted us with, “Welcome to the first day of summer”. I asked him if the weather was typical for this time of year. He said that it could snow every month of the year in Yellowstone due to the elevation. Oh!
Luckily, the day before, we traveled on a road that was now closed for the day due to the snow. On that particular road we had been lucky enough to see four bears. Timing is everything at Yellowstone.
Now for a few tips for having a good time at Yellowstone. First of all, be patient. Unexpected traffic delays can occur due to animal sightings by motorists. Also, it takes time to spot the animals you are hoping to see. Second, be flexible. Weather may close roads and rerouting your agenda may be necessary. If you are staying outside the park, you may want to consider stopping somewhere to get a picnic lunch to bring into the park. It is not likely to be around a restaurant at the time of lunch, although there are places to eat in the park if you plan for it. However, just in case you get stuck in traffic, be sure to have plenty of water and some snacks to tie you over. Lastly, be sure to prepare for all types of weather in the park. Remember, it can snow every month of the year in Yellowstone.
Another Day with Julie 