Beginnings Of Bento Box Lunches

I don't know why but I can eat tons more carrots if they are shaped like flowers. Here is Day One of Bento Box. I am using a Mr. Bento. 1. Oatmeal 2. Steamed rice with cooked pork (cut from baby back ribs) and carrots, lightly steamed 3. Cut nectarines, dried apricots, fresh blueberries 4. A soy hard boiled egg, one Bubbies pickle, two cherry tomatoes, and a teeny container of soy sauce (has the red top and it's in the shape of a fish).

Note that Mr. Bento is four containers that stand vertically inside a Thermos type container. Either it's a hot meal or a cold meal. I put hot water in the oatmeal right before I left for work. The residual heat kept the rice dish warm.
They call it Mr. Bento for a reason, I told The Mister. He opened his wide mouth like the wide mouth type Thermos that holds four separate containers. I told him - That's a lot of food. He made groper-type mouth movements. What a brat! Day two of Mr. Bento lunch: shown here only two dishes. 1. Teriyaki chicken with Shitake mushrooms and broc 2. (not shown) steamed rice 3. (not shown) plum slices, blueberries, dried apricots 4. hard boiled egg with salt and three cherry tomatoes.
Day three of first week of Bento Box Badness ( and my last day of work for the week ) I used my Hello Kitty Bento Box. Very very cute! Two layers tall with dividers (must not let food touch) and comes with chopsticks too. Bottom level: string cheese, croutons, blueberries, dried apricots. Upper level: cut off the bone teriyaki chicken (Yum!), two cherry tomatoes, and one hard boiled egg (I forgot the salt. boohoo). All served cold.

Lessons learn.

1. Do not mix brassicas with anything in a container. Must be separate because they emit a gas that is not good for appetite.

2. Oatmeal doesn't really work.

3. Slice the pickle.

4. Cold blueberries will make crisp croutons soggy.

5. Don't forget salt or utensils, silly.

6. Bento boxing is fun!

Zucchini Still Life On Granite

The Testimonial

I have let the mocking bird eat my strawberries growing in the half barrel. I knew that he or she was after them from the start although I denied (to myself) that this could be true. This fact became obvious when little green berries never became big red berries and the bird could be seen jumping in and out of berry barrel.

But the birdie didn't know about the rogue plant under the old artichoke, and today I spotted a red dot from afar, and indeed six berries were picked with gusto.

I washed and arranged and clicked. Then we ate.

"Melted in my mouth," he doth proclaimed!

Macro Monday: Hollyhock

Hollyhock going to seed - up close and personal.

Join in the fun Macro Monday at Lisa's Chaos.

The Garden

It's been an odd year for the garden. I have wanted to do a lot of things out there, but didn't. It was too hot, and I was too lazy, and I really did need the sleep. So I didn't get up before the heat of the day and pull and put and plant. I remembered to water most days but that was about the extent of activity, besides harvesting zucchinis.

Yesterday I went out to take a few photos and noticed that finally the tomatoes are ripening. The corn is a little taller. Hollyhocks have gone to seed. Brussel Sprouts are hanging in there, which I can't hardly believe with all this heat! Catnip and Oregano are flowering. And it is August and I still have flowering Sweet Peas. Lovely!

One huge surprise was the tomato raised bed. Originally I planted tomatoes, hot peppers, eggplant, and watermelon. The peppers never grew. It was like they were stunted. The eggplants did fabulously and the bunnies devoured them. The watermelon was always a sick yellow color. I was going to pull up the whole lot saved the tomatoes and start anew, but as I said I need my zzzzz's.

The pepper's decided to flower anyway, so now I have these itty bitty peppers to pick, and the watermelon looks like it turned the corner and wants to grow.

I want to put in a fall planting as I will probably get four more months of suitable weather before the freeze. Anyone out there doing a fall garden?