Spring Cleaning

Behind the waterfall. Cleveland Botanical Garden.

You may or may not have noticed that I took the weekend off.  (I’m not counting the scheduled post because it was scheduled.)  I’m going to be doing that from now on unless something so exciting happens that I absolutely must blog about it right away.  Most of today’s photos are from Orchid Mania.  I’m still sorting through them all.

I enjoyed the time off from my blog.  Because I didn’t have to make my blog company-ready (tidying up the place, putting out the good dishes, etc.), I had time to start catching up with those of you in my blog neighborhood.  I don’t think it’s possible to ever be truly caught up, but I think this method will help me stay in touch without spending too much of my life sitting at the computer.

Lots of things went on outside of the blogosphere, too.  On Friday evening, M and I went to Kent Stage where The Psychedelic Furs gave a concert.  It was fun.  Very 1980s.  I’m not too familiar with them or their music (I was too busy in the 80s to keep up with the music although I wasn’t completely out of touch).  One of the best parts of the concert was the guy across the aisle from me who was acting as if he’d never been to a concert.  He was so full of excitement that I thought he might burst with the joy of it all.  Given his possible age (I’m guessing mid- to upper-30s), he’s probably been to a concert or two, but he’s got something good going there.  Seeing and hearing something as if for the first time can be quite a joyful experience.  It’s something I should practice from time to time.

On Saturday M and I teamed up for a couple of projects.  We spent a good part of the morning chipping and shredding.  It was a gray and chilly day (near 40 degrees).  With trees that need pruning, thinned, or cut up because they’re dead or had to be cut down, we have plenty of chipping and shredding work to be done.  You might think chipping and shredding is fairly easy work.  Insert branches and twigs into the chipper/shredder and let it do the work.  But after ten or so minutes of this easy work, I was sweating and ready to get rid of a layer or two.  So long chilliness.  Hello hard work.  We would fill up the wheelbarrow with the resulting mulch which I took to the woods and shoveled out on the pathways.  My daily walks are making grooves in the woods.  I’m hoping the mulch will help.  I kind of like it.  It lends a little order to the wildness of our woods.  I’m sure there will come a day when I’ll decide I don’t like it as it takes away from the wildness of the woods.  Funny how opinions about such things swing back and forth.

Our other project was dinner.  We teamed up to make Barley-Stuffed Poblanos.  We altered the recipe to suit our tastes (adding more spices for one thing), and went easy with the cheese so we could use full-fat cheese with full-fat flavor.  As an occasional reader and subscriber to Cooking Light, that’s one lesson I learned well.  A little of something tasty and rich will go a long way and taste so much better than the fat-free and low-fat alternatives (which might have added salt or sugar to make up for the lower fat content).  Since I am not yet ready to give up cheese, I go for strong cheeses that don’t require much to have a big impact.

I’ve also been spring cleaning this weekend.  Some of it is taking place on the computer, clearing out old photos, making sure the stuff I want to keep is backed up, and trying to decide what to do with it all.  I’m thinking about starting another blog (yikes!) for the purpose of posting photos from my archives which I will eventually have made into a book of some kind.  At least that way we’ll have prints and a tangible way to sit and look back on past experiences.  Having prints made and putting together photo albums like the good old days isn’t working out (because we don’t do it!).  Perhaps gathering things together digitally to begin with will help.

Yesterday M and I went for a short hike (2.5 miles) on a relatively new rail trail that crosses Berlin Lake in Portage County.  It was one of those if-y kind of days with a mostly heavy cloud cover although the sun would peek out every now and then.  We also got rained on a bit, but not enough to be a bother.

Crossing Berlin Lake

That’s about it from the Bogs for today.  I’ll have a few more photos from the hike soon.  Thank you for stopping by.  And another big thank you to those who have nominated me for some more blog awards.  I appreciate the honor and recognition, but I will have to take a pass on them.  I just don’t have the time to jump through all the hoops meet the requirements.

Détente. (Two male mallards resting after battling over a female.)

Morning dew on the pansies. As seen on this morning's walk.

Related articles

• Spring Spins Me Round, Round. (rocketsound.wordpress.com)
• Cheese Party (casakcd.com)
• How to Use Mulch in the Garden (igrowvegetables.wordpress.com)
• Summer Gardening: Weed War 101 (thrivefarm.wordpress.com)

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