What are you talking about????  Have you lost your mind????

That’s right.

You start putting away those $1 bills at the age of 20,

and they will be worth $10, a piece, when you are 50 years old.

So, $500 saved when you’re 22 years old will be worth $5,000 when you’re 52!!!!!

Ooooooooooooo!!

Think about it!

If you save only $500 a year from ages 20-30, you will have $50,000 in the bank when you’re 50!

Start saving…

if not used instead of reading the book!

Cliff Notes are amazing!

But they haven’t always had this reputation…

they were heralded as tools for cheaters when I was in school.  Kids would forego reading the book assigned to them in English class, grab the cliff notes and write the book report or essay or take the test based on the knowledge they gleaned from these.

Nowadays, I’m sure that the information kids can gather from the internet would give them a much more complete synopsis of the books they read than Cliff Notes.

I wanted to talk about the merit of Cliff Notes today.  There are a lot of books out there, mainly classics, of course, which when done reading leave you perplexed.  Did that mean what it seems to have meant?  Did I miss something?  What did this symbolize?  What was the author really saying?  What was the point???

I have tried to pick up at least a couple of classics that I have never read or have forgotten that I’ve read to read each year.  And at the end of some of the books I read, I find myself stumped.  Wondering if I’ve missed something.  Wondering why it was soooo highly acclaimed.  What makes it a classic.

And this where Cliff Notes comes in.  They break down the book, chapter by chapter, and tell you in full detail what the author is saying, trying to say, and hiding.

They would be wasted if only used to cheat on your book report, as they just skim through the book to highlight the most important sections.  What these little gems are priceless for is to decipher the book you’ve just read that’s left you going “huh?”

Cliff Notes are your ‘A-Ha’ moment!

This orzo is a cinch to make and most importantly, it is a hit with everyone….and I mean even those in your family who just don’t do zucchini!

Let the savory adventure begin!

Start with a large sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil.  To the oil add 1 finely chopped yellow onion, 2 cloves minced garlic and 2 large zucchini, grated finely and squeezed to drain excess liquid.  Sauté until onion becomes translucent and zucchini is cooked, about 4-8 minutes.

While cooking add 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves,

1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano leaves,

and a generous pinch of kosher salt.

Cook 1/2 of a package of orzo pasta according to directions, to al dente.  Drain.  Cool in bowl.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

To the orzo, add the cooked zucchini mixture.

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.  Stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bon Appétit, Ma Chérie!

 

Confession:  I am the one whose lower torso and legs are the only parts of their body you can see when you walk by the dairy case.  My upper body is leaning over the milk containers in the front of the dairy case to reach the ones in the back with the later expiration date!

I believe in eat fresh & eat local.  So I try to make sure that whatever ingredients I buy are the freshest.

I’ll let you in on a little secret about markets and freshness dates – most markets try to get you to buy the products that are due to expire soon.

Therefore, they put the older products within arm’s reach on the shelves.  And they try to camouflage the freshness dates, so that you are in the dark about what’s fresher than what.

Here’s a little tip about how to figure out which package of bread is the freshest of the bunch!

The plastic tags that hold the cellophane bag closed.  Next time you go shopping, note the different color tags on each of your favorite loaf of bread.  The colors signify the freshness date.  Take a close look at each of them…

“Use by” or “Expires” is clearly marked with a date.  Now check the other bags of bread in the section.  See how they’re all different?

Now you know!

This is my old pair of sneakers.  Their sole purpose in life now is to serve as a comfy vehicle for my feet should they decide they want to work around the yard, go on a nature walk with my Little Beach Rose, etc.  They are still a part of my shoe wardrobe because they are my everyday sneaker.  Whereas I have a pair of sneakers that are exclusively my running sneakers.

Here’s why I retired these former running sneakers, prematurely.  And here’s how you can avoid the untimely demise of yours!

I always used one foot to pull off the sneaker on the other foot, like this…

 

and then this happened…

and that, my friends, is the end of the story.  And the end of these sneakers as a running shoe.  Kaput.  Finissimo.

Longer lasting shoes?  Shoulda taken the time to bend down, untie my shoe laces, loosen the laces, and gently slide my foot out of each one!

Shoulda, woulda, coulda……story of my life!

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

– Stephen Covey

 

 

If you’ve ever tried to grow your cucumbers by letting the plants trail on the ground, you’ve most likely encountered the giant cuke bulb!  You know what I mean, when your cucumber grows into this type of ball and gets all yellow and the skin is really tough and the whole thing is inedible.

That’s because it didn’t have the vertical space to…..wait for it……grow vertically!

Not only does it add a lovely height to your garden beds, but a cuke trellis ensures that your cucumbers and pickling cukes have the space they need to grow long and straight.

It’s not more than around $30, depending on the size of it and can be found at most gardening supply centers and through many catalogs.  Here’s just one example…

 

 

Here’s how you know when your garlic is ready to pick…

You’ve already trimmed off the garlic scapes and the stalks start to turn brown.

Using 2 hands on the stalk, as close to the ground as possible, pull straight up.  Hard.

Yum!

Now how do you keep all that delicious garlic from going bad?  Here are some ideas…