Wednesday Warmth, Apples, Etc.

 

Twas a very warm night.  

I think we waited until morning to get down to 69. We're already back to the 70s so not a lot of cooling off in the past 24 hours, 'cept for in the car. 

The good part about the warmth is that I planted some more carrots and lettuce a few days ago. 

The seeds should germinate and little plants should start appearing soon. 

The bad part:  almost too numerous to mention.  No rain.  Dried up crispy grass.  Tell me why the weeds still grow without water and while baking. More dust and dirt.  Dead leaves and other riffraff all over the place. 

For one who's fixated on having a nice-looking lawn, these conditions do not make me happy. 

It's hardly worth starting the lawnmower, except maybe to chop up a few leaves and decapitate all those ugly weeds that keep rising out of the crispiness of baked, brown grass. 

This has to be one of the uglier times of the year, but a few hardy and determined posies and shrubs, including daisies, still keep producing some color.  So, it's not all bad.     

Applesauce is always on the list. 

The "list" includes food items which are best when one is going through unfun episodes with Colitis. 

I'm surprised that applesauce is considered a safe food for such times, but I'm willing to give it a try.

The experts say:   Applesauce is easy to digest and is a great choice for a colitis flare-up. 

While it’s naturally low in fiber, it’s also hydrating, which is important if you are having  diarrhea and is a great source of electrolytes.

I know from past experiences that eating an apple would set me off almost immediately, but it's possible that removing the skin makes all the difference.  Same is true with baked potatoes and chicken and, of course, eggs!  Those shells would be hard on anyone's tummy.  

We'll see.  

For now, I decided yesterday that it was time to have some homemade applesauce on hand, so I drove to Bonners Ferry and The Gathering Place in hopes of finding some cooking apples.  

https://www.thegatheringplaces.com/

While driving into the parking lot, I saw a sign for produce, but also noticed that the doors were closed. 

Luckily, I walked into the Bread Basket Bakery and then next door to Sharon's Store where the clerk told me that, yes, they did have a big bin of apples through the curtain behind the check stand. 

So, I walked on, looked for a box and filled it with Gala apples from Yakima.  To make sure these apples were good for making sauce, another clerk asked Siri on her cell phone.  

"Yes," they're good for sauce," she soon told me.  

So, with apples loaded in the car and after driving for a while around the valley and along the old highway through Deep Creek, I came home and started peeling. 

It took just six of those big beauties to make enough for several servings of lumpy and very tasty applesauce. 

So, I'll make some more and preserve it for my winter supply. I've always loved homemade applesauce, and knowing that it's good for what ails my gut makes me like it even more. 

Plus, another staple on the "good foods for colitis" list is rice, and I hate rice. 

 

Some leaves that have dropped to the ground are pretty. 

Happily, my roses are still putting out some colorful blooms. 

And, the morning sky on these dry, warm days is often stunning. 

If you want to go to a horse show and win some money---even without a horse---here's your chance. 

Participants will “chuck” or “throw” their ducks from outside the agility ring. The duck closest to Momma Duck will win 50 percent of the total money collected.

 Distance will be measured with a standard tape measurer. Winner will be decided by the official Duck Judge. 

Judge’s decision is final. 

Happy Wednesday.