Garden Couple

[Taken June 11, 2013 in Nashville, TN.]



Proud Pet Owner

How could I flush this buggy-eyed guy down my toilet and into my septic tank?  My nephew says he's a "raichu."

I have become one of those pet owners.  You know the type.  The ones that won't stop talking about their pets.  The ones that want to show off their pets' pictures.  The ones that are a little bit obsessed with their pets' habits.  The ones that you would like to tell to find a life outside of their pets.

My other goldfish.  He loves playing with the bubbles made by the air stone.

Okay, I'm not that bad, but since coming into my five fishes, I can't help but be concerned about their environment (i.e. is the water too cold, is there too much ammonia in the water).  I'm also finding myself watching them swim and noticing their individual characteristics.  I also can't help but want to share "stories" of my fishes.

My two koi fishes.  They often swim together, along with the raichu as a school.

I promise I won't go on and on about my fishes, but I think it's normal.  This is the first time I've intentionally owned my own pets.  My family have owned plenty of pets in the past, but those pets belonged to my siblings.  Even though these fishes came into my life by "accident," I have intentionally decided to adopt them as my pets.  I guess I can understand how some people can stare at their dogs, cats, or chickens for hours.  So far, I have found my fishes to have a very calming effect and I actually enjoy just watching them. 

I have no idea what kind of fish this is.  He's often a loner and loves to swim, swim, swim.

I hope I'm not boring you yet.  Do you have any pets?  If, yes, what kind of pets do you have?  Are you just as concerned with your pets as I am with my fishes?

My Fishes

When my younger brother moved out of my house earlier in the month, he not only left behind a huge mess, but also some fishes.  According to my nephew, my other brother originally left a goldfish for my younger brother, who in turn left behind that goldfish and other fishes for me.

This is the only "before" picture I have of the fish tank.  It's not the lighting that's making the water look murky.

After my brother left, I was a little bit negligent because I forgot about the fishes for several days.  Then my nephew reminded me that he wanted the fishes, so I went and checked on them.  I saw that the tank had no filter, it was only filled half way with water, and the water was a murky brown.  The fishes were moving around sluggishly and I didn't need to be a fish expert to know that it was not a healthy environment.  But since my nephew wanted the fishes, I thought to leave the situation alone until he could take the fishes home.

 

Well, the situation didn't get any better.  Obviously, the tank didn't get any cleaner.  Due to my hectic schedule, the size of the tank (it's either a 40 or 50 gallon tank), and the lack of transporting such a huge tank to his house, I thought it was best to keep the fishes (a mix of koi and goldfishes) at my home.

The water's not as clear as I would like, but the fishes seem happier.

I took great care to learn about the basics of keeping fresh water fishes, and I sure learned A LOT.  The most important thing I did was to properly change the murky brown water to something other than murky brown.  Right now, the water is still a little bit cloudy, but it's definitely a lot better.  I'm noticing that the fishes are swimming around a lot and they seem a lot "happier."  

My ultimate goal is to create a healthier environment for the fishes and to get clearer water that isn't cloudy.  I still have much to do but I'm happy that MY fishes seem a lot happier.  I can't believe how invested I already am in these fishes.

Do you have fishes?

Cheese Stuffed Zucchni Flowers

Last summer, I introduced my nephew to cheese stuffed zucchini flowers.  At first he turned his nose up at the brown looking concoction, but once he took a bite of it, he never stopped asking for it.  Even in the dead of winter, he asked if I could make cheese stuffed flowers and I had to tell him "no."  As I explained to him, he has to wait until summer when the flowers are in bloom.  Only then, can he delight in this delicate cheesy goodness.

Most people will use squash blossoms, but zucchini blossoms are just as good.  Last summer I intended to grow and use squash blossoms, but my squash plant didn't survive.  Instead, I got three zucchini plants, so I used up as many of the flowers as possible (see my July 14, 2012 posting).  This year, I didn't even bother trying to grow squash plants and chose to grow two zucchini plants.  Overall, using the flowers in this way is a win-win situation because if I don't use the flowers, I'll end up with too many zucchinis throughout the summer or at the end of the summer.

So, the following is my generic "recipe" for cheese stuffed zucchini flowers.  I apologize for not having specific measurements, but I didn't want to make the recipe fussy.

 

Zucchini or squash blossoms

Shredded cheese (preferably mozzarella, monterey jack, or some other white cheese)

Basil leaves, torn into pieces (optional)

Milk

Flour
Oil (for pan frying)

 

1.  Gently open up the blossom, being careful to not tear it.

2.  Stuff shredded cheese into the flower.  Be careful to not overstuff and tear the flower.

3.  Add the basil leaves to the flower and add a little more cheese if possible.

4.  Gently twist the top of the flower closed.  (Just know that the flower's top won't fully seal or "stick," but you are trying your best to keep the cheese in.)

5.  Dip the flower into the milk, then dredge the flower into the flour.  Tap off any extra flour.  Repeat this once more.

6.  Set the flower on the side.  Continue filling up and flouring the other flowers.

7.  Pour about 2 tablespoons of  into a pan.  Put the pan on medium heat and heat up the oil. 

8.  Put the stuffed and dipped flowers onto the pan and pan fry the flowers on both sides, for about 45 seconds to one minute per side.  The flowers will get crispy and dark looking.

 

Enjoy!

 

I hope you try making this at home.  If you do, let me know how it turned out and whether you like it or not.  Have a wonderful day.

Such a Quaint Seating

[Taken on July 22, 2013 in Minneapolis, MN.]

Stretching the Canvas

Please don't laugh, but I made my frame a bit too big.  :(

This is the painting, stretched onto the frame.  It looks great if you don't look closely.

I'm off by a half-inch on each side.  I was hoping to wrap the canvas around the frame so that the picture would have the "gallery wrapped canvas" look, which is considered more professional looking.  Basically, a "gallery wrapped canvas" means that the staples are on stapled onto the back of the frame and not on the side.  So, when a picture is hung, the staples don't show. 

This was how I wanted the painting to look like, withe the staples on the back.

 Unfortunately, I made my frame a bit too big and I had to staple the canvas on the sides, not on the back.  There are several ways to fix this so that my picture can have that gallery wrapped look (e.g. create a frame to put around the painting or I can rebuild another stretcher/frame and restretch the paiting), but at this point, I'm just too tired to care.  I'm okay with hanging it up and enjoying the painting for awhile.

This was how it turned out, with the staples showing on the side.  So sad!

It was not an epic fail, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted it too.  Oh well, I live and learn.

What have you done lately that wasn't an epic fail, but didn't turn out the way you wanted it too?

Finishing the Bones

Once upon a time, not too long ago, I wanted to take up painting.  I wanted to not only learn how to paint, but also to build my own stretcher bars to create a frame for the canvas to be stretched over, so that I could create my own canvas for painting.  The stretcher bars and frame are the "bones" that provides the structure for a canvas painting.

At some point in the last two years, I purchased a really huge painting (I believe it's 5 feet x 3.5 feet).  The painting was sent to me in a tube, rolled up, which is a really great way to save on shipping (if one had the knowledge of creating the stretcher bars/frame and knowledge of stretching canvas).  It was up to me to build my own stretcher bars/frame and stretch the painting onto the bars.  Yes, this is a very involved process and some might just forgo the costs in favor of a painting already stretched and ready to be hung.  Yet, I guess I like learning and doing things the "hard" way.

I started out building my stretcher bars about two years ago.  At the time, I had purchased the wood, nailed quarter-round strips of wood onto one-inch pieces of wood, and then properly sized the one-inch wood to fit this painting.  Unfortunately, I didn't have all the proper tools to finish it off.  Finally, yesterday (seriously, two years later), I was able to screw in all the wood together, along with several braces to finish off the frame.  It took lots of time and lots of trips to the store, but I got my frame done.  Now all I need to do is with stretch the painting over the bars.

If you're interested in creating your own stretcher bars/frame or stretching your own canvas for painting, I'd suggest the following inspiring blogs/posts on the internet:

http://www.diehlart.com/the-art-of-making-a-painting/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7iRiF1k7s4

Friday's Quote: Douglas MacArthur

"The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself."---Douglas MacArthur

 

I am a very lucky person.  I've been lucky in that I still have my health, my parents, my family, and a wonderful life.  These are things that I believe I have been granted from God (the universe, destiny, or call it whatever you like).  I am lucky and grateful.

I also recognize that some of my "luck" that I have in my life (e.g. jobs, education) have come from opportunities that have opened itself up to me and taking a chance, from taking the path that is less traveled (even knowing ahead of time that I will travel that road only by myself), from working hard and believing in myself and persuading others to believe in me.  Now, I don't know if this "luck" is better than the God given luck, but it is still quite wonderful.

I encourage you to go out and make your own luck.  I don't promise that it will be easy and that you will enjoy the entire journey.  Yet, I will say that at the end of the journey, you will be greatly rewarded in some way and you will better appreciate the luck that you've made for yourself.

What luck have you made for yourself?  What do you consider to be the best kind of luck in your life?  How have you been lucky in life?

Eating Fresh

I can't emphasize how much I love eating fresh fruits and vegetables from my garden.  For the last month and a half, I have been enjoying various goodies from my garden.  First, I was harvesting onions, mint, radishes, and young pea plants.  Now, it's mizuna greens, lettuce, zucchini flowers, cilantro, dill, and raspberries (in addition to the onions and mint).  I love how fresh everything tastes and that I don't have to buy so much produce from the store.  I'm also loving the fact that I'm eating more of what's in season, and more acceptable of eating more seasonally.

Are you eating more seasonally?

Yumminess For Sale

[Taken July 6, 2013 at the J4 Tournament in St. Paul, MN.]

Stillwater Bridge

Taken on July 7, 2013.

Almost a year ago, I visited Stillwater, MN.  I was just there this past weekend and was so surprised to find how how high the Mississippi River was.  I knew that due to the large amount of snow we received this past winter, the river would be high, but I had no idea that the river would've flooded over the entire pedestrian pathway.  I guess I just needed to see it in person to fully realize how high the river was.

I hope you had a great weekend.

Loneliness

I don't know if it's seeing people that I shouldn't be seeing or talking to old friends that I once knew.  It might be the fact that my only sibling in Minnesota will be moving back to California or it could just be my emotional time of the month.  Regardless, I've been feeling very lonely lately and I don't know how to make that loneliness go away.

Other than when I'm at work, I spend much of my time alone.  I don't intend to, it just works out to be like that.  Yet, I want to clarify that being alone doesn't equate to being lonely.  I actually do enjoy the time I have to myself.  I'm not always lonely when I'm by myself, but I do get lonely sometimes.   I know that much of the loneliness stems from inside of me.  I think being around others distracts me and takes the focus away from the loneliness, and it doesn't make the loneliness go away.  I think my loneliness stems from some of the bad decisions I've made in my life.  I guess it's just something I have to work on.

I've been trying to meditate more often.  Of course, I'm not doing a great job at it.  I guess I just need to figure it out.

Do you get lonely?  What do you do to stop feeling so lonely?