I Fried Some Eggs, Including the Free-range Hen's

 I wanted to check the yolks on the free-range eggs I received.

Notice the egg on the left with the darker yolk.  That's the free-range egg.  I thought I would make a couple eggs once-over-lightly to compare.  The one on the right is my store-bought large egg.

The other good thing about the free-range egg, the yolk is larger compared to the white albumen which is great for me.  I love the yolks but do not care for the whites of eggs.  And yes, if you look closely you can see that the egg on the left, smaller but yellower, is the free-range egg.

As for taste, I think they are about the same with maybe the smaller egg being a bit tastier but that could be wishful thinking on my part.  My palate is not my best feature.  

So when it comes to eggs my friends, if you can get farm-fresh, I would say you have a winner.

I Received Ultra-Fresh Eggs

 When my daughter came to visit two days ago, she brought along some very fresh eggs from her neighbor.  I was thrilled to get them.  Free-range hens eating good food and living a good life make for better eggs in my opinion.

Here they are, the two on the right.  The one on the left is a Large egg from my grocery store.  The two on the right are the fresh ones.  Smaller, probably a medium size, but so lovely and I'll bet they have brighter yolks and taste a bit fresher than the large one.  I shall find out tonite when I have them as breakfast for supper.

Please note that the date on the photo is incorrect.  When I put in a new battery I obviously entered the wrong year this month so this and maybe a few others, are dated off by one year.  Oops!  I have now corrected the date for any future photos.

Thank you so much for the fresh eggs daughter.....and generous neighbor.  I shall enjoy them.

Corn on the Cob in Husk

 I love being able to cook a meal quickly.  I found out how to microwave a corn on the cob in its husk and its was easy.  So here are my instructions in pictures.

 Place corn on the cob in your microwave, in its husk.  Set dials on HIGH for 4 minutes.

Remove from microwave with towel or pot holder.  Its hot!  Place on cutting board.

With a sharp knife, cut thru he cob about 1 row into the bottom kernels.

Your corn should look like this.  Now you have to remove the husk.  I found an easier way than peeling them off by layers.

Slice into your husk with about a 2 inch slit near the end.  You can grab all the layers at once and pull them off the corn.

Butter your corn and salt to taste.  Its quick and easy.

Another simple way to enjoy food.  Hugs.  S

Grill Your Hot Dogs Without a Grille

 I don't know about you, but I prefer my hot dogs grilled rather than boiled or steamed.

I found a simple way to do this indoors without a grille.

You can easily grille your hot dogs on the stovetop...I won't eat hot dogs that are not grilled.  Here's how........

I score about 9 or 10 slits about 1/8" or a bit more deep with a sharp knife, on two sides of a hot dog.
Place them on a plate in the microwave for about 45-50 seconds.  I just want them to heat thru.  They will curl a bit and weep, but that's ok.
While those are heating take your hot dog rolls and brown them in a dry non-stick skillet. I do not butter the rolls. You do not want the skillet greasy for the hot dog grilling.
Remove the rolls and add the heated hot dogs to the skillet.  Again, no butter or grease.
Place the dogs in it.  Let them brown a little on all sides, turning the dogs as they cook.  They will turn brown and curl a bit in just a minute or three.
When they are done to your liking and hot right thru, place them in your buns. Top with your favorite toppings.

I had my son pick up some Nathan's all-beef franks this week.  They are the only kind that do NOT give me any indigestion.  I plan to have my own little party tomorrow with frozen French fries as a side dish.

Here it is in photos:

Score the hot dogs with a sharp knife, about 9 or 10 times across on two sides of dogs.

Brown your unbuttered rolls in the ungreased skillet.  You do not want the skillet wet for the rolls or the hot dogs.

Here are the hot dogs out of the microwave oven.  A bit curled and warmed thru.

Grill your hot dogs in the skillet turning often til they are your desired doneness.

Serve them as desired.

Easy Peasy and they taste great!

Its now September

 Not much happening in my neck of the woods (or town).  Its getting cooler, which I love.  Temps are mostly in the low 70sF daytime and sometimes the mid 50sF at night.  Certainly not weather for growing some of the summer veggies but great for the cool fall crops like lettuce, radishes, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli and cauliflower.  

I just wanted to check in.  I am not very busy these days.  My movements are limited but I do my laps every day and exercise my legs, arms, hands and feet to some degree.  My laps are up and down the hallway several times a day.  This pandemic is limiting, but so is my age and health.

I hope to get back to some quilt projects soon.  I have tons of material and supplies, so I do not have to get out to shop for anything to keep me busy.  That's a relief with all our limits these days.

My last checkup with my cardiologist was a good one which always makes me happy.

I hope everyone has tried to enjoy their new lifestyle in one way or another.

Good luck to you all.  Hugs, Me

Chair Yoga for Seniors

Yes, Yoga for Seniors.  If you cannot get down on the floor for any reason, older bones or maybe medical issues, this may be your answer to stretch those muscles and get more limber.  Everyone has a chair in their home.

This video shows how to do exercises at two levels so that you can choose which would work for you best.  Some of us are more flexible than others.  

But if you need to stretch your muscles, easily and slowly and get back into being more mobile, this may be the way to do it.  Always check with your doctor first to be sure its OK with him/her that you do these exercises.  If you get tired, go no further.  Your body is your temple and it will tell you what you can handle.

I will be trying this routine, hopefully on a daily basis.  I started today and it feels good.  Also, there are videos to help with back pain that may be helpful to you.

Try this one if its pain relief you seek.  It may be helpful.  Of course, all of our bodies are different, so one can only hope that we find relief somewhere out there and yoga may be the way to find it.  I hope this can help you.

Have a good day.

I Took A Walk Thru the Back Garden Today...

.......and it is beautiful.  Its been awhile since I took photos but today I brought along my camera when I went to take out my trash.
I also took a couple of pics of the Canada geese that are returning to swim around the waterfall.

A view of the geese swimming near the ledge.

And above they are out of the water and drying themselves.  They like to graze on our back lawns when they are hungry.  I'm thinking that round
swirl of water in the foreground may be our resident snapping turtle checking out her possible menu.

Above you can see the dirt parking lot where fishermen park when they fish in the reservoir that you can see behind the metal fence.  Beyond that it drops down into the flowing river.  The Snowball bushes are doing fine this year and getting bigger.

These are Black-eyed Susans in the forground with their yellow petals.

There is a blue birdbath among the flowers this year.

Above are the potted veggies that our resident gardener puts up every year.  There are tomatoes and cukes here.  The tomatoes are starting.  When I go past I give the branches a little shake to distribute the pollen so they can grow more tomatoes.  Its a tip I learned years ago when I was starting out as a home gardener.

Echinacea or what's known as purple cone flowers are doing well.

A few yellow lilies nodding in among the flower bed.

A vast array of flowers in these raised beds.

This is the pathway, different view.

This last is the flower box at the end of our property.  Across the road you can see the garage which was a former fire station but it moved to larger quarters near the police station about 4 miles down the road (to the right in this photo) about a year after I moved in.  Its only used for storage these days.

What are our days like here lately in Southwestern Maine you ask?  Well, like most of the country we are getting very hot weather for us.  High 80sF scheduled for the next couple of days, maybe even hitting the dreaded low 90sF on the thermometers.  Sunny and bright for the most part.  Luckily I, like many of you, have A/C so I do not suffer from the heat.  I bless the persons who invented the first ones and have since improved upon them.  What would we do without our air conditioning.  At least we who live in Maine can enjoy our evenings when the temperatures often drop to high 60sF or low 70sF which cools us off nicely.  I can turn of the A/C in the evenings and be very comfortable to sleep.
Right now I am enjoying a Ginger Ale Float.   Soooo refreshing.

I hope you are all staying comfy and not taxing yourselves.  Those that can enjoy the oceans and lakes, do so with care and distance and stay safe.
Have a good day.