There goes the diet! (and how to fry oysters)

Have you ever noticed that as soon as you think about dieting, then something comes into your house to challenge that plan?  Case in point, world famous extra small Hood Canal Oysters!  We like them fried, that is not too friendly to the waistline along with tarter sauce.  Of course I had to have blue cheese dressing on my salad.  Oh well... I will try harder today.  The thing is, we will not purchase oysters any month that does not contain an "R" in it.  That means no oysters for May, June, July or August.  They are soft and mushy and spawning those months. This is the last month that we get to enjoy them until next September so I am not going to feel too guilty.  If I had the time, I would just go out to the canal myself and sit on the beach with some lemons and my trusty oyster shucking knife and eat them raw on the half shell.  I have pleasant memories of doing that more times than I can count.   If I had time to kill, I would be out there right now!

The easiest way to fry oysters is just to take some flour and add your favorite seasoning in one bowl, and some egg wash (just a beaten egg with a Tablespoon or so of water) in another.  I then dredge in the flour seasoning mixture, then into the egg, back into the flour and into a pan of hot oil (but not too hot).  I just pan fry on both sides until golden brown which is just about 2-3 minutes on each side.  That's it!  

Last night after eating I thought a quick 3 mile walk around my favorite forest paths would help settle some of the guilt from eating fried foods.  Look at this root ball clump and how nature is re-claiming it.  When giant douglas fir trees come down in a wind storm, they have very tall root balls taller than you and me together standing on each other's shoulders.  

The wonderful thing about living in a rain forest is some of the cool things I witness while walking.  Look at the thick moss on this tree and from that, ferns begin to grow on the tree itself.  It is quite beautiful to look at don't you think?

And there are many types of moss.  Look at this long and hair moss that grows from the tree limbs here.  Isn't it beautiful?

While I was out walking this trillium was just asking to have it's photo snapped.  The sun came out for a little bit and this trillium was growing right in the middle of a split tree trunk that had 3 trees growing up and they were all mossy and green.  Smack in the center was this trillium and the sun came beaming through the forest cover to illuminate this one flower.  It was more beautiful in real life. 

Wild woodland violets are starting to bloom on the forest floor and cover it with a happy blanket of little yellow flowers.  I imagine being a little tiny woodland fairy or something frolicking about when I view them. They sure are a sight and just make me feel happy inside.

A sure sign that spring is here, is not the weather because it is stormy and cold with sun breaks... but instead, passing by the ball fields are groups of various baseball teams practicing for their summer leagues.  It is rather fun to sit and watch the kids clumsily play and miss catching the ball and miss hitting it with the bat when it is their turn to go up to bat.  I am sure with practice they will get better. 

Today I hope to continue to work on my crochet project so I can get that put up soon.

Until next time.........xxxxxxxxxxx

First circle to square pillow complete.

Last night I finished off the first of several pillows to go with the bedroom set I am making for my bed.  It will go with the flowers in the snow blanket I completed not too long ago.  I am covering a couple of full sized bed pillows with this design.  Then I will do something different with another bed sized pillow to contrast these and then make a few throw pillows to contrast as well.  I want to break things up a bit when it is all said and done.  Here is the front side of the pillow.  

This is the back side of the pillow.  It buttons together to keep everything enclosed and also so I can slip off the cover easily for washing.  I added the scallop so the pillow can be sitting on the bed in either direction and still be cute.  I am excited to get it all finished so I can see it all together.  I hope I can get this all done before spring is over with!  I am going with the cream color as the main color on all of it and then adding splashes of color all over.  I am using up the last of my scraps and there are more again because recently my neighbor gifted me with a huge box of even more!  I don't know when I will start to play with all that new yarn I just purchased.  I want to finish all this off first. 

On my walk yesterday in the forest I noticed that the forest is coming alive with color.  You have no idea what I had to go through to get this shot of skunk cabbage!  It was a sorry sight for sure to be seen.  I am glad nobody was along for the walk and got to witness me crawling over and under all kinds of mossy, wet, fallen forest debris and through a swamp that burp with each spongy step.  Then all around me through the corner of my eyes, big crawly things bobbing up and down through the wet and stagnant swamp water.  But... I did manage to capture a shot of swamp cabbage flower.  There were a lot of them out there but I wasn't about to continue to trek through the swampy portion of the woods.  All sorts of bugs were landing on me and making me itch so it was time to move on. 

There were stands of native Trillium all through the forest.  They are such cheerful flowers.  The blossoms are large and bright along a contrast of 12 inch high stems.  As they age and mature and start to fade, they will take on a pink color.  

Speaking of pink... The salmonberry blossoms are in full bloom.  They are simply beautiful.  I can't wait until later in the summer when the salmonberries are ripe.  They never seem to make it home when I do pick them as they get eaten straight out of the bucket when I am wandering through the forest.  These are native to the region that I live in and are not a widely known berry around the world.  When they are fully ripe they range "salmon" in color to redish in color

All in all, it was a great day and I got a lot of walking time in, followed by some hooking time in the evening.  

I hope everyone is enjoying spring time weather for those of you in the northern hemisphere.  This weekend is supposed to be fabulous and warm where I live.  It will be time to spend the weekend out in the gardens preparing the flower and vegetable beds again.  I must finish up with all the winter weeds so I can have fun out there.  

Until next time......xxxxxxxxxx

Nature's Gym

Right across the road from where I live there are a lot of nature trails.  I go here instead of paying for a gym membership with a monthly fee.  I see people drive all the way across town, to walk on a treadmill when this beautiful spot of hundreds of acres of forest is only about a mile from the gym.  A few miles down the road from here there is even a bigger forest... but this one is right here.  

The paths go up and down hills and twist and turn.  There are a lot of forest paths to choose from. I get in the zone and can go for hours.  I like to do two loops on my favorite trails which is about 6 miles. 

It is pretty dense until you reach the far corner on the other side, of which there is a beautiful view of the mountains once you reach a clearing.  Today they were hiding behind the clouds a bit but you can still see them. 

Once you turn that corner you are well on the way back home again.  I can go here rain or shine.  Even when it is pouring rain, I do not get very wet at all because the canvas of the trees helps to keep the big drops of water from falling on me.  

Today was such a wonderful time out in the forest.  I try to go as often as possible.  I did start to slack a little with going here but I am aiming at going at least 5 miles a day once again out here.  It is so much fun to be out in the fresh air and seeing snippets of woodland creatures here and there.  If you go early in the morning that is the best time to see them, as they are all out gathering their daily meals after a long rest all evening. 

I just wanted to share a little snippet of my daily life and where I go...

Until next time... xxxxxxxxxxxx