CHRISTMAS DINNER

by Robin

You should know by now that we're not big on cooking the full turkey or ham for the holidays.  We had another seafood feast.



We headed over to Seafood Atlantic and picked up our salty delights.  We had originally thought about going for the mahi mahi but for $2/lb, we chose the yellowfin tuna instead.  The left side are middle-neck clams and bottom is Canaveral White shrimp, all caught locally.  We support our local fishermen!!

I have to say that it was mighty delicious.  We kept the portions small since we're all (Jack and I) are supposed to be dieting.  I think we did a great job of eating well and not stuffing ourselves.

Merry Christmas and Happy, Blessed New Year to you all!!
Jack and Robin

CHRISTMAS WEEKEND

by Robin

I thought I would share just a few highlights of the special moments from over the weekend. 

Sunday morning, I signed (deaf ministry) up at church and after we had a quick lunch, three of us set out to hunt for blue crabs.  My other son was home sick with a cold, so he was able to chill at home.



We soaked and soaked chicken necks in our nets but absolute nothing, nada, zilch was moving after that cold front that came through.



We even put out a couple poles and didn't lose a single shrimp to small pin fish or trout.
 


BUT, we had a spectacular sunset. No photoshop needed.  I had every color added by God.



After the sun had set, people came out to the pier to set up for shrimping.  They put these lights out and then watch the water.  When the shrimp run, they catch them in a dip net.  Very time consuming but a lot of people do it.



Christmas Eve was fairly uneventful.  I stayed in the kitchen cooking up a storm and watching after my son while Jack and my eldest went all around the water's edge to find crab.   They managed to find only 1 stone crab, no blue crab.  They measured & popped the claws and brought them home.  Thankfully they are in season if they're male, not females.

Christmas morning came and everyone opened up their gifts. 



My eldest worked very hard all semester to make straight-A's at the local community college for his dual-enrollment credits.  So, we had been saving a little bit the entire time to buy him his own computer.



For over 14 yrs, my husband has wanted to have his family crest framed and sure-enough.... I was able to pull it off and have his good friend do it (& keep it a secret).  What a great surprise!!  I wish I could tell you more about the crest & the significance of it but that would mean giving up my anonymity here and I can't do that.



Even the dogs enjoyed a couple treats & stuffed animals.  I think Captain is thrilled.  What a smile!







(I straightened my hair for the holidays!)

Here we are, coming up on our 20th anniversary very soon.  Merry Christmas!!

I will have to blog on some of the food I made on another day.

God bless!

A WHOLE NEW MINISTRY

I don't even know where to begin since it has been over 2 months since my last blog entry.  However, God has really taken me in a new direction with my service to Him.  Back in February, I felt the tug to begin Tuesday night praise band practice.  Much to my surprise, my mentor and friend who signs the services,who had an unexpected loss of her mother, turns to me and says, "I need help.  Can you be here Tues nights?"  

I knew right then that God was trying to clue me in with what He intended me to do on Tuesday nights.  Forget singing Robin, you're going to learn a whole new language.

From there, I practiced regularly with the group and on my own.  By Spring, I tried signing the music to a couple songs. It all felt very fast & abrupt.  I was not confident in my own abilities but if I have nothing else, I have trust in God.  So, I did it.

In summer, my mentor-friend was signing on her own (as the other lady was on vacation) and still very busy with her own personal life.  Since many, if not all the deaf, of the deaf in our church had seem to scatter away over the course of a year, I thought maybe it would be 'neat' to experiment with signing a service once without the pressure of somebody depending on me to actually interpret.  We had agreed that I would stay on the floor, in front of the chairs, studied his sermon the hour before and somehow, I managed to survive it.  I don't think the pastor finished his "Amen" and my crowd of supporters jumped to their feet to hug & encourage me.  It was quite an accomplishment that I could do all that with such little training.  God's accomplishment, not mine. 

Two weeks later, I continued in the sermon series and again felt elated.  It was done and I had survived. 

As Fall has come and almost done, I have found myself in a signing rotation at church and getting challenged constantly.  Last month, I had the "10-40 Window" and suffered through countless statistics that numbed my brain as well as my fingers.  In a few days, I will have the honor is signing the various names of God.  As you can see, God is stretching me to my limits each and every time.  Sometimes I cry when I feel like a failure but my mentor-friend (Pam) won't let Satan discourage me.  I know she prays for me and she encourages me so much.  I'm forever grateful for her deep understanding of the fragile woman's mind needing constant reassurance. 

Until today, I only had had one conversation with a deaf person.  He was an Uncle to a church member (& friend) who was visiting from another state.  It was all short-lived and I felt like I needed more.  Why has God put such a desire in my heart to love this language and need more of it? 

And then today,  it was supposed to be a normal day of schooling, shopping and then getting right back home.  I left the house at 1pm not realizing how starving I was.  I pulled into McDonald's for fries and a drink.  I can't stand McDonald's but insisted I needed fries.  I have no idea why, but then I found myself ordering the chicken sandwich combo.  Why?  I don't even enjoy eating cardboard chicken.  Then, some other customer's question caught my attention. 

"Are you in line?" said the man.

The man behind me pointed to each of us in an order, never speaking a word.  Was he deaf?  So, I signed to him, asking him that.  And he said, "Yes."  I asked him if he needed help ordering and he did NOT.  This was not his first trip to Mickey D's.  He had his paper ready with his order on it.  Ok, excuse me and I minded my business the rest of the time. 

I get my order, get in my suv and start munching on fries when I see 2 black garbage bags at the little outdoor table.  Oh my.  He was homeless.  It has to be his.  How did I miss the signs of old clothes and full beard?  I mean, we have a lot of bikers and beach bums, BUT, this sweater wasn't even good enough to be in the thrift store.  kwim?  I sat there, munching my fries.  My heart was breaking.  He came out the door and sat there at the table, with his back to me.  A whirlwind of thoughts and questions came to my mind.  How awful it was to be homeless but to be deaf and homeless.  It seemed like too much.  I called Pam and told her about my situation.  She thought she knew the man and had talked with him before too.  She prayed with me to do whatever God called me to do and we hung up. 

I sat there munching my fries in contemplation.  I saw the man bow his head.  I thought maybe he was praying & blessing his food.  I was wrong, but that's what I thought at this moment.  He was enjoying a sundae.  I was still freaked out on the atrocity life had dealt him while I was grabbing more fries.  And the light-bulb went on.

I didn't buy the sandwich for me.  I wasn't even hungry for that.  I was supposed to give it to him.  It was like a no-brainer as I grabbed it and locked up my car.  Where does this ridiculous boldness come from?  Next thing I know, I'm having lunch with a deaf, homeless man.  We made small talk.  He did not want my chicken sandwich, saying he was full.  He even offered his sandwich to me.  We talked about how he looked like a fisherman.  And then the brick wall hit.  He was clear that he rejected God, Jesus and the church.  Three times he told me.  So, we finished up small talk and he brought out a paper to me that said that he was asking for donation.  I had no problem giving him some of my extra.  I thought about going cheap on him but then I realized how ridiculously blessed I was with a roof over my head and plenty enough money in the bank to buy all the useless cardboard chicken sandwiches I wanted.

I came back to him and asked him for his name.  Brooke Reid (if you feel led to pray for him too), born in 1959.  When I gave him the money, he gave me a hug.  I thanked him for the conversation and told him that while I knew he didn't like God, I would still pray for him.  He politely nodded his head.  I walked away with my doubly-rejected chicken sandwich.  Why did I take that thing with me?

I headed down the road and could not get all this out of my head.  I shopped and yet it would not go away.  I listened to Christian music and he was in every song.  I don't know if I did enough.  I don't know if God wanted me to do more.  Why am I not satisfied that I offered him food, threw him some money and honed up on my ASL skills?  God, why do I feel so helpless?  Shy of bringing him home for food, bath & a bed, I don't know what else I could have done without Jack's protection of being with me.  I can pray.  I can pray for Mr Reid.  And so can you. 

Tonight, it will be about 58 degrees with very little moon and the winds are picking up.  Mr. Reid will be outside snoozing on the ground.  Goodness, I hate camping on the cold, hard ground.  I don't think I could bear the thought of him in the rain.  Thank you Lord for not making it rain tonight.  Thank you Lord for giving me a burden to pray for somebody who really needs you.  Thank you for giving me the gift of sign language so I could reach out to somebody who rarely gets to 'speak' to another person. 

In all of life's trials, God still calls us to do His work and stay focused on him.

Happy Thanksgiving to you & your family.
Robin

AUGUST! - What didn't we do?

by Robin


We went scalloping mid-August!!  And we had a very successful trip.  BEST FAMILY VACATION EVER!!!



My men with their loot on one trip down.  We made several trips down until we filled the 5 gallon bucket.



And no trip would be "best" without our best fuzzy friends, who were kept cool with their own personal battery-powered fan. SPOILED!



We made it all the way home and I noticed a rip in the tire on the right.  What?  There was a 6" rip of tire, exposing the metal treads.  A few days later, this is what we saw.  Both tires were about to blow and yet, God was there who kept us safe.  I thank Him for our safety.




My Jack went in for surgery last week on his rotator cuff, only to find out the MRI lied.  However, he did have severe bursitis and so the dr hollowed out his joint area.  Who need those last few millimeters of collarbone?  Not him!!  Brave man.  I know that was a painful recovery. 

We were blessed that God gave us a second brilliant mechanic in the family.  Simon Peter and I were able to hitch up the boat, move it and put the right side on jacks. And he totally removed those tires, took them to the store to have them re-rubbered (? I'm sure Jack will correct me here.) and then put them back on. I am so grateful that he's willing to do hard work.


As for the garden, here is a sampling of what I would pick at the end of August.  I have sweet bell pepper plants that will produce several peppers at once.  I'm loving the fresh, pesticide-free produce.  The bugs have disappeared, at least for now.



Oh and I cannot forget to mention this cutie-pie.  Andrew had his braces put on.  Where has the time gone?  This is MY BABY!  He'll be asking me for keys before I know it.



He's advancing through 7th grade.  We pack up our books and sit twice a week at the local community college library and we do all our subjects.  It's been the biggest blessing in disguise to spend 8 hours of devoted time on him. Don't misunderstand me, it was HIS biggest blessing.  Originally, the thought of having to sit & wait for his brother was unappealing.  God had such a sense of humor. The first day, people were paparazzing him thinking he was the youngest student on campus.  Now, they hardly give him a 2nd look. The attention was funny and it made him like going to college. The pay-off was that we ADD-proned folks had nothing to do but focus on a pleasant time of learning together.  Our little back table feels like our little hang-out.

When we're home doing school, his favorite subject is the science experiments.  Here is his first one where he examined different densities.




Back to my big boy and my okra TREES!  Last time we measured them, they were 9 ft 3".  I think they're over 10 ft by now. Time to go measure again. Thank goodness the production is finally slowing down.  I have 3 full gallon baggies in the freezer.  I've fed friends and family until we're okra'd out.



While picking okra one day, I was pleasantly surprised to see this hiding behind some leaves.  A ruby in the garden.  What a precious gem to my soul to see that I had a different color in the garden.



Here is my red pepper a week later when it was photographed for my harvest that day.  I should also add in here that my guys ate their fill of jalapeno poppers (w/ cream cheese & wrapped in bacon).  This are very mild jalapenos and so they are a big hit. 



I've got some foodie photos for the near future.  I have very little time these days especially with playing Nurse Nightingale, Professor and Chef but I'm thankful that my night was quiet to get this much done.

God bless and I pray God is treating you well.
Robin

SCALLOPING

by Robin

I've neglected this blog a little too long this week because I've been extra chatty on our Fishing blog (http://www.robinsreports.blogspot.com/).

Our family is going to have a quick family get-a-way on the other coast.  In 2009, we had a very unsuccessful scalloping trip over in the Gulf.  We hit a pile of rocks, ruining our propeller & the water was kicked up & dirty.  We hope to redeem ourselves this year.  We're praying to score some wonderful shellfish and maybe do some over night & morning fishing the next day out in the Gulf.  Then, we'll eventually retreat to a hotel room to get cleaned up & sleep well. Monday, we're hoping the weather will continue to hold out for some snorkeling in the springs.  Oh, did I mention, we're bringing the dogs with us!  What an adventure.

Check back with us next week.  I bought a nice little Nikon underwater camera just for this trip. For now, I leave you with these two silly boys who thought it would be nice to help me test out the camera.



God bless!
Robin

OKRA vs TEENAGERS

I may have found one thing that grows faster than weeds and teenagers.

Okra.



I'm 5' 1", plus my arms are raised.  I'm not sure how big that makes them but I will get a tape measure out soon and figure it out. And to think, I was worried because they were planted late in the season. I picked 8 okra today, 6 on Thursday.  I see gumbo in my near future.

God bless,
Robin

Mid-Week Catch-up - VBS, Hives, Garden

By Robin

Just a couple quick comments.  We're in the midst of VBS.  And VBS is in the mist of all the rain.  Could it possible cause any more chaos than it did on Wednesday?  Thankfully, the rain stopped in the middle of VBS today (Thursday) and so that seemed to brighten my morning.

On a sidebar, I've never seen so many wild children as I have this year!! 

HIVES:  Andrew still has hives but we're controlling them much better with a non-drowsy adult version of Benadryl.  The night seems to be the worst time for them popping out. 

GARDEN:
Okra are producing like mad.  Grabbing about 6 every other day.  I even pickled 3 jars of okra.  Mostly, I freeze them back or use them fresh.



Peppers are developing wonderfully.  This is my best producing plant, by far.  I has 7 on it at one time.  I could only photograph 4 in a single shot.




BUT, that Garden #1 has weeds that require my full attention one day when we're not in 110% humidity & 120% mosquito armed forces. Here is proof. 




Must run.  My kids are waiting on me to go bowling, yet again.

God bless!
Robin

THAT'S HOW WE ROLL.....

by Robin

Our summer is just rolling by so quickly.  I have no idea what happened to June.  We spent the month raising money & preparing for camp and then it was over and July had arrived.  Somewhere in there, we took braces off one child & schedule an appointment for braces to be on the other.  One day, we had 20 kids over for a party.  Life keeps rolling on....

So, we wanted to go to Sea World for their fireworks on 4th of July, but a bunch of thunderstorms rolled in and we stayed home for a quiet holiday.  But, it wasn't long before we were rolling down the highway and headed to Orlando and see Shamu.  Be sure to check out our photos in the link provided below this picture.  I took some really nice pics of the dolphin.




Sea World pictures

Also, in the midst of this fun, was some sickness.  The night before my father's major surgery, Andrew gets sick with vomiting.  Not fun, especially since he didn't make the bathroom.  As you can imagine, that was my job to clean up.  Mother's get awesome responsibilites because that's how we roll.

And, well, a few days later, as we're walking into Sea World, Andrew mentions that he's itching on his wrist.  Ahh-hmmm.  Yep, seen that before.  It happens to me when the dog licks me.  A couple hrs later, "Wow, looks like he's getting acne on his face."  Hmmm.  Was that there earlier?  By nightfall, he takes his shoes off and is itching them.  They look a tad swollen.  Oh boy, I certainly understand with walking miles in that heat.   And then, he takes a shower (once home) and comes out in a towel......... he's covered in hives!!!  Oh no!!  Bad mom.  How did we miss connecting the dots? (figuratively speaking, that is)

We spent the next 24 hrs trying to control it with Benadryl but inside, my Mommy voice couldn't wait for the Pediatrician's office to open Monday morning.  Meanwhile, our minds raced to find a culprit.  Food. No.  Detergents. No.  Soap.  No.  Wait.  Maybe.  Axe body spray.  Ding, ding, ding. 

Monday rolls around and instead of three of us heading to VBS, I drop off my volunteer teen and two of us head to the doctor's.  Good thing we did because it wasn't the Axe body spray.  I learned today that when you have head-to-toe hives, it isn't topical - that's systemic.  So, next, we began ruling out things.  The hives were not connected to the vomiting. Timing was wrong.  We did a strep test and that was negative.  Next, not one, but two docs listened to his lungs and heard wheezing in the right one.  What? They gave him a breathing treatment, he coughed, waited and they listened again.  Crackles.  Not good but at least we had our culprit. 

Although it is rare, a rash or hives can be associated with the microplasma pneumoniae bacteria (or was that virus?).  AKA - walking pneumonia.    How did this slip in?  No fever, cough (until a single one on the drive down to the office), listlessness, bronchitis or anything else remotely resembling pneumonia.

As we rolled back towards home, I was in full re-play over the past 48 hrs.  Was there anything we could have done differently?  What signs did I miss?  The answer was simple.  It was silently growing in his lungs, next to his already compromised heart.  If God had not allowed the measles to sift past His mighty hands and be a nuisance to us in the flesh, we would not have known about the silent pneumonia.  It was the biggest blessing of the day.

And this blessing, window of wisdom, gave me so much to consider.  How many times has God placed nuisances in my life to wake me up out of my routine? Or protect me?  One day, I was suppose to go walking but my morning didn't go right and I stayed home.  Next thing I know, there are helicopters and a SWAT team in my neighborhood. Later, the whole country would learn of a mother who shot her 4 children before turning the gun on herself.  Once, a family with a rambuctious boy in the pew ahead of me was doing a workbook.  She later put me on the path to homeschooling.  Years ago, Jack applied for a job at the Space Center and was denied all but one nasty position of cleaning out the fuel tanks.  He passed and stayed with his job (still current job).  How much heart-ache did God save us with that one small disappointment?  I could go on, but you get the drift.

Sometimes, we have to roll with the punches to get God's best out of this life.  I'm glad that "this" is not my home.  My home is waiting for me in heaven where we will have no pain, sickness, tears or Satan meddling with our lives. 

God bless,
Robin

OKRA-DOKRA

by Robin

We had a nice little okra haul this morning.  I also noticed that I have several jalapenos all developing! Yeah.



My plants are now approaching 5 ft tall.  I have no idea how I'm going to pick them when they get over 6 ft.  I've never had plants get this high before!  It must be the horse manure we put in the ground.

Happy Gardening,
Robin

3rd Annual Homeschool Pool Party 2012

Every year, we've hosting a party for our homeschooling friends.  Mostly, it started as the church group.  After I noticed those many of those folks weren't coming (probably because we left that church), I decided to open it up to all our new friends.  Hello bluegrass, bowling, movie and street friends!! 


(Here is Mr. Personality himself!!)

We had 20 kids in attendance.  Fed 5 adults and a couple more floated for short periods while picking up or dropping off kids.  Jack came late to the party because work held him up.  And me. 

I have to say, that is went relatively smoothly.  Very little broke and/or was abused and nobody got hurt, which is ALWAYS my goal.  We even had 2 sleepovers.
First, we started with pool time.  WHIRLPOOL!!!



Then, we kept food simple (since I was mass cooking) with hotdogs, chips and fruit.  Then, more pool time.  As the sun was setting, we brought the kids in for movie & popcorn time.  The older group of 12 watched "The Climb" starring Ned Vaughn.  The younger group went to see "How to eat Fried Worms."   And then we had 3 who chose to do chin-ups on the swing-set.  Go figure. 

Eventually, everyone moved outside to the fire pit and enjoyed s'mores. Twenty years from now, these guys will still be like brothers with my boys.  I just know it. They walk in the door and call me 'Mom'. 



Thank you to my good friend, Amy, who was my 2nd pair of hands and eyes. Thanks to all the Moms who prepared or bought some food to feed 27 people. 

This year was epic!  Next year, Super-Epic!!

God Bless,
Robin

Discipleship Camps

by Robin

Part of the reason why I gave my blog the title of "Raising Fishermen" was because we live near the ocean and we love to fish.  But, the main reason was because I recongize that my kids are not just my own.  They belong to God.  God has given them to me for a time to raise them and steer them towards what He is calling them to do with their life. 



In the spring, my eldest was able to attend the discipleship camp called DNow.  It was an extended weekend where they could pray about God's direction for their lives.  Many teens surrendered their life to Jesus, as Savior.  Some found which path they were praying about for college.  Some learned to discipline themselves in their personal time with God.  Here is my eldest, Simon Peter, in his devotion time.



My youngest, Andrew, is at the Centri-Kids discipleship camp this week.  This is his 2nd year attending the same camp.  I love this and so does he.    He is left of center, top row, in the green shirt.  They're having their devotion time.

Now, it's not all prayer & Bible study.  They have plenty of good  physical activities that develop character & courage.

 

Below, Andrew is in yellow and doing a water sport called Wet 'n Wild.



It is my hope that eventually, we will be able to send them on missionary trips - domestic or foreign.  But for now, they're having a great time learning more about being men of God.

Blessings,
Robin

GARDEN UPDATE - POST-TS DEBBY

by Robin

I thought I'd keep the blogs going as long as the computer was working well and my days are quieter with my son gone. 



Debby dumped a lot of rain on us and the ground softened.  Add a bit of rain and these okra plants were doing their best to topple.  (Actually, one did but it is out of frame!)



Simon Peter and I ran out there between rain bands and we moved the bean fence from the middle of the garden to the front side to hold up the okra. Great decision.  I'm sure TS Debby won't be the last tropical storm to roll by this summer.  Meanwhile, I'm thinking I may need to buy a couple more cages for the peppers.  I cleaned out some weeds and dead kale, as well.



My tomato garden (above) is dying.  I may as well pull up the drip irrigation lines in the mid-section and till that too. I'll try to keep the romas & cherry tomatoes for as long as possible.



Here is another good place to till (above).  Remember how full this was about 6 wks ago?  (below)



I had a great spring crop.  Nothing to cry about even with it gone now.  I was blessed with 75 cucumbers, 17 squash and countless meals of beans & kale.  Time to let it rest and start again in 2 months.  I will be looking at all sorts of broccoli & cauliflower seed for winter.


Oh and this little guy is still around.


Happy Gardening,
Robin

MY LITTLE MAN

by Robin

He's gone to discipleship camp this week.  Twenty-two kids and a few brave adults left out Monday morning in tropical storm weather to take the kids for a week of learning about the Bible and discovering what God is calling them to be or work on.  Andrew went last year and came back so much better than when he left.  He felt that he was suppose to work on his attitude and ... he did for a few months. 

As hard as it is to let him go again,  I look forward to the young Christian man that will come back to this house and be on fire for Jesus. 



Love you!!

GARDEN REPORT - RAINY SEASON IS HERE!

Oh my.... where do I even begin on the garden?  God has taken us from our drought into the rainy season in a matter of days. As I type this, TS Debby is giving us a soaker sure enough to ruin what's left growing out there.

Ok, well, let me go through with what's going on in the pictures.  This pic was taken late May and as you can see, I had a GREAT crop of Big Mama Roma tomatoes about to turn color.  One by one, they were disappearing on the fence.  I've always known the squirrels to take a couple through the year, but once we got to something like 20, I had had it!  Let's just say, some of my little tree rats are with Jesus in their mansion of a nut-filled tree.  As of late June, I have yet to eat one stinkin' decent Roma tomato from my bushes.  They're still hanging in there, too, inspite of the heat. 


Here is garden #1.  The zucchini produced one nice zuke before they died out.  It wasn't so much a leaf death as it was a rotting of all the blooms from all the rain.    The cherry tomatoes, filling mostly the back, are still alive but not as full as they once were.  I am picking a ton of red cherry toms off them, but I'm afraid the full sun & heat are pushing them to their limits.  We shall see if they survive all this rain too.  I have been spraying them for spider mites but only 1x/wk.  We still eat off the herbs & onions every day.




Well, this garden is a disaster... doing okay.  The entire backside is DONE.  Once the nights went over 70 degrees, everything died out.  I harvested what I could, keeping some seeds and freezing the rest. The peppers are producing but very slowly.  I put on that Epsom Salt spray 4x now  (approx every 10 days) and I'm thinking I will quit that.  My last bell pepper looked funny.  I seem to have 2 chocolate pepper plants.  My first jalapeno is on its way.  The kale is alive, most of it, anyhow.  I give some away because I cannot eat it all. The okra is small here but as of the 24th, it is a serious 4 ft high and producing best of everything out there.  Again, I'm harvesting & freezing back for my winter soups.  Jack calls them my Okra Trees. I'm thinking I may go out there later today and tie them to a fence.  These winds from TS Debby is making them lean over. 




While I don't have a picture of it, my new herb garden is finally taking off with all the rain.  I'm going to like it closer to the house and surrounded by a walkway.  Even my asparagus is doing well.  It is an experimental year, but who knows... they look good.   I'm also desperately trying to get my dill to reseed and take off.  It germinates but not too sure about taking off.

God bless and keep looking for my blogs this week.  I'll have to free time with all this rain & one child gone to camp.

Robin

SUMMER

by Robin

It's summer.  What can I say??  Movies, Beach, Bowling, Beach, Camp, Room makeovers and soon to be tropical storms! 

I promise to get back to my blog soon!! With pictures too!

MANATEES!!!!

by Robin
I have to do some blog catching-up!  Jack had 2 weeks off of vacation and while the seas were blown up the first week, there were 3 opportunities to boat-fish the second week.



We took a river cruise with some neighbors that are from the north and had never seen manatees.  It was great to show them a little piece of our world.




We went through the Haulover Canal area, which is famous for manatee sightings.  Also, we saw plenty of dolphin, water fowl and hawks.




Be sure to also check out the video of the manatee cow nursing her baby.




Blessings, Robin

GARDEN, VEGGIES & MORE

by Robin

It has become a daily chore as to figure out how to eat or preserve each day's worth of produce coming out of the garden.  Best problem to have in the whole wide world!  It is a huge blessing to have an abundance of food, which is what we hoped for when we created the second garden.

First, let's talk yellow squash.  We're up to 16 squash to date.  Many were frozen back with slices with my mandolin.  Several were grilled by slicing long and seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper and Old Bay seasoning.  Yum.  And then, the other night, the kids asked for fried squash.  I haven't fried anything for them in a while.  So, here was that result. 




As you know from earlier posts, we picked over a dozen cucumbers one day to turn them into Bread -n- Butter pickles.  We're up at 54 cucumbers to date.  I've also jarred hot, garlic, and dill pickles.  I must say, those Bread -n- Butter pickles are the BEST.  Store versions cannot touch the depth of flavor with all the mustard & celery seeds in these.  And the onions packed in are just as sweet as the pickles.  Delicious.



And now that I have been able to keep the dogs off the cherry tomatoes, I'm getting quite the harvest of them.  I did a little research and decided to split my batches up to experiment.  Supposedly, you can freeze these like berries and then add them to soups later.  Ok.  I also cut up a batch to put into my homemade spaghetti sauce.  Very yummy and nice addition.  And then this batch, I cut in halves, drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper and put into the oven at 350 for nearly 2 hrs (I had to turn it off and run an errand, so it sat longer with residual heat stuck in the oven).   They look dried, much like a cranberry or raisin.  The same thing can be accomplished with a dehydrator, but I do not have that.



They're waiting in the frig for me to eat them.  I also suffered a mild gallbladder attack over last weekend, so those had to be put aside.  Let's skip that little memory....

My eldest is cooking for class credit and so he was able to make the guys a Buffalo Chicken Dip which is a recipe that came from a neighbor.  It is quite easy that even a teen can do it.  One pack of cream cheese (or more) goes on the bottom of a casserole dish.  Then, use some leftover chicken, broken up in bite-size pieces, for the next layer.  Then, cover with Buffalo Sauce or Hot sauce.  Top with a good helping of shredded cheddar cheese.




Makes for a hearty snack for those who aren't watching their cholesterol.  LOL




Here are a couple more garden pics.  These were taken right before Jack treated the plants with Ortho bug killer spray.  Even though it said it was safe to use on plants, it has nearly destroyed several of my crops.  I'm so sad about this.  We were trying to kill the fleas amidst the rows and now, I'm seeing what else it killed.  It didn't even touch the fleas, by the way.  AWFUL product.  Worst of all the products we used on the market.



Here is a little trick for your kale crops.... Don't pick the entire  plant when harvesting.  Only pick the largest of leaves and allow the plant to keep producing for several more week. I thought kale was a cold weather crop but it is thriving just fine in the Florida heat.  I'm shocked, really.  The worst part is the consistent care to keep the aphids under control.



Here is my new addition to the garden.  Zucchini plants, which are now blooming.



Have a blessed weekend,

Robin