Sunday Puzzles: A Secret Code For May 29, 2022

 Happy Memorial Day Weekend. I used Memorial Day and our remembrance of those who have served as my quote source.  

DOA's Answer Key For the 5 22 22 Fallen Phrase

 I was within mere minutes of getting this Sunday Puzzle up and published. Very topical :)

Sunday Puzzles A Fallen Phrase for 5/22/22

 Good morning, here's a Fallen Phrase for week four of our puzzle rotation.

DOA's Answer Key for the May 15, 2022 Spring Rebus

 All I can think of these days are flowers and the garden so gardening is the theme.

Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas.

Elizabeth Murray

Sunday Puzzles: A Spring Rebus

 Good morning, it's Rebus Week!

Ah, Spring Vacation!

 

I didn't plan to not write any posts this last week, but it felt pretty good!  I am going to take the rest of May off, with the exception of the Sunday Puzzles on Sunday mornings at 7 and their answer keys up on Saturdays.

Writing my posts takes a great deal more planning and care and time than you can see from your side of the screen. 

Gardening, reading, and watching relaxing TV.  There's an inexpensive vacation!

See you back here Wednesday, June first. 

DOA's Answer Key for the Mother's Day Cryptogram for May 8, 2022

 Here's the answer, sorry I poofed the page I found the quote on :(    Some days are like that.

DOA's Answer Key For The May 1, 2022 Cipher Sunday Puzzle

 From our favorite puzzle source Project Gutenberg, a charming, fanciful tale from Nathaniel Hawthorne.  I'm pretty certain I've only read the Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne. It's a terrible, depressing story schools enjoy assigning. That's certainly where I read it, in more than one class.

Here, Hawthorne seems to enjoy the joys of a cozy spot indoors, on a rainy day. Click to enlarge Puzzle Answer.

Here is the full paragraph.

Pleasant is a rainy winter's day, within doors! The best study for such a day, or the best amusement,—call it which you will,—is a book of travels, describing scenes the most unlike that sombre one, which is mistily presented through the windows. I have experienced, that fancy is then most successful in imparting distinct shapes and vivid colors to the objects which the author has spread upon his page, and that his words become magic spells to summon up a thousand varied pictures. Strange landscapes glimmer through the familiar walls of the room, and outlandish figures thrust themselves almost within the sacred precincts of the hearth. Small as my chamber is, it has space enough to contain the ocean-like circumference of an Arabian desert, its parched sands tracked by the long line of a caravan, with the camels patiently journeying through the heavy sunshine. Though my ceiling be not lofty, yet I can pile up the mountains of Central Asia beneath it, till their summits shine far above the clouds of the middle atmosphere. And, with my humble means, a wealth that is not taxable, I can transport hither the magnificent merchandise of an Oriental bazaar, and call a crowd of purchasers from distant countries, to pay a fair profit for the precious articles which are displayed on all sides. True it is, however, that amid the bustle of traffic, or whatever else may seem to be going on around me, the rain-drops will occasionally be heard to patter against my window-panes, which look forth upon one of the quietest streets in a New England town. After a time, too, the visions vanish, and will not appear again at my bidding. Then, it being nightfall, a gloomy sense of unreality depresses my spirits, and impels me to venture out, before the clock shall strike bedtime, to satisfy myself that the world is not entirely made up of such shadowy materials, as have busied me throughout the day. A dreamer may dwell so long among fantasies, that the things without him will seem as unreal as those within.

 

Twice Told Tales

Night Sketches

Nathaniel Hawthorne

 

Sunday Puzzles A Mother's Day Cryptogram

 Happy Mother's Day to everyone! Sorry this is a bit small and a bit late.  Hope you have a lovely day.

In The Garden With The Vegetables (Spoiler Alert The Beet Did It).

 I must say after a long winter of reading and eating bon bons, getting a garden planted in spring is a lot of physical work. 

Hoisting trays of plants and dirt.

Using my trusty Groundbreaker to hack roots out of my raised beds so I can plant in them.

Moving lawn furniture around.

This week, I hacked out a place in Raised Bed One for two rows of fingerling potatoes. They were all sprouting like mad so I didn’t “chit” them ( a word that raises my hackles somehow so I more often rebel as not and don’t chit). Pictures when I find them. 

I’ve been using my camera rather than my iPad which continues to inch toward death.

I did use it today to take a picture of Raised Bed 3 which has three kinds of peas, five shallots in a row, a large number of red onions in a row, and three lettuces I purchased last week while plant bingeing.

Why yes, I did over plant those peas. This bed is a target for creature attacks. It could all be dug out by morning. For sure if there’s an undetected rabbit in the yard, he will get those lettuce.

Needer, rabbit boy. I planted only three lettuce here and the others from the packs are off the ground in pots. The lone strawberry I purchased so far is in a pot. The three beets I purchased are in a big bowl that I can move into a shadier spot if need be.  I saw a recipe for pickled beets this morning by chance. Grow, little beets, grow!

First Line Friday May 6, 2022

 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1532/1532-h/1532-h.htm

What’s Cooking May 5, 2022

 I love the cabinet in this picture. It looks like it has plenty of storage and charm but doesn’t take up much space. 

My original plan for Mother's Day was to order pizza and work in the garden all day.  We are now having a roast chicken, corn, rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy and coleslaw. Cupcakes and cookies for dessert.

How oddly difficult it is to find a roast chicken recipe that doesn't have you somehow stuffing or loading on lemons.  Lemon and chicken aren't a flavor match for me.  I think in my head it's like a mini turkey.

 

Reading through a number of recipes I decided to follow most of the directions for Dinner Then Dessert's Perfect Simple Roast Chicken.

 

https://dinnerthendessert.com/perfect-simple-roast-chicken/ 

 

Starting out your chicken at 425 then dropping to 375 after 12-15 minutes seems a consensus to seal in the juices.  Trussing the chicken sounds awful, but it apparently helps the baking process by holding heat in.  She mentions lemons but I'm ignoring that. What fun things we learn while cooking.

 

I find myself putting adorable little kitchen charms in my China cabinet. Not so many as this.

I hate to be that person who finds recipes and immediately tweaks them, but in the case of macaroni and cheese, I've tried so may variations and none are very flavorful, no matter how nice the cheese I use is.

So, Baker By Nature's "Extra Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese" had great ingredients, but I really like my macaroni and cheese baked, so I didn't make it on the stovetop.  

 

I halved the recipe, and used Penne Pasta which I'm favoring for mac and cheese these days. 

I didn't have whole milk and used 2%, and used Havarti cheese I had on hand rather than Fontina.

This is the delicious, tasty, creamy mac and cheese I've been searching for.  I would just cut the cayenne pepper back in half once more, to 1/8 tsp, as it is quite "warm" at 1/2 tsp.

May The 4th Be With You

 Enjoy the day, you will.

Book Notes May 3, 2022

 Coming this fall, the sequel to Terry Brooks Child of Light.

Read Louise Penny's most recent newsletter:

https://mailchi.mp/louisepenny/2022may-newsletter

 

I placed my votes this weekend for the Anthony Awards which will be given out at Bouchercon. Very exciting!

Congratulations to the Edgar Award Winners!

https://crimereads.com/mwa-announces-the-2022-edgar-award-winners/ 

 

No book review today!  I'm enjoying Robert Jordan's Lord of Chaos, but am still early on. It will be ready next week with two other books, so we'll make up for lost time.

Gardening Goals For May 2022

 

There are many other fine details, of course.  Perennials will also go in pots briefly (I hope) until I'm certain there isn't a rabbit in the yard this spring to devour them.

It goes without saying that weeds need to be under control by month's end as well, because if you go into June with them, you'll never catch up.

I was looking at some older pictures of my garden and there are always a few things I'd like to do again:

Find pink daisies!

 

I should use my DOA in The Garden "logo".  I need a new "DOA" skellie to dress up for the garden. The one above had a large floppy head.  

I gave my sister 99 percent of my daylilys, and now I'd like to collect a few again.  I looked for a couple of varieties I had particularly liked and no one has them.  Many nurseries I used to order from are no more.  I will keep looking.

 

My garden hasn't been quite as cute, the last couple of years.  I need it to look more like this.

 

I need to find a caladium for this pot :)  Miss that Beagle Boy in the background.

 

I've had this in the house waiting to freshen the paint for quite awhile.  Isn't it so sweet?