Drinking Sunshine Each Day

I'm not sure why I foto'd my making of fresh orange juice today but as I looked out my sunny kitchen window while squeezing four huge oranges I realized that orange juice is like sunshine. It's sweet and bright and you just have to have it every day!
So, using my trusty old juice squeezer (that I found while dumpster diving 15 years ago and it still works!) I squeezed a glass containerful.  You may note that the glass container is a re-used pickle or salsa jar.  You won't find me tossing out such a useful wide neck jar that has a metal lid!  Another day I will make use of the pulp left over, keeping it stored in a baggie in the freezer with other citrus pulp leftovers from other squeezings. Once I have enough frozen pulp squeezings I will make marmalade with it or use it in some fruit compote or toss it on broiled chicken or something that cries out for orange flavoring.
Then, to finish off the oranges, I tossed the cut up peels down the sink grinder; I've heard that citrus fruits are good at helping keep clean these devices and keep the blades sharp.  Then, I poured us two ounce glasses of juice!  Delightful fruit of the earth!

My Most Trusty Kitchen Appliances

Everyone knows I'm pretty frugal and when I assessed recently my kitchen appliances I had to agree as many of them I got for free or low price and I keep them for as long as they work.  For instance, my $9.99 white Rival crockpot that I got at Walmart; this has got something heating or cooking in it just about every other day, from sauces to dinners to jams or soups. It doesn't have a timer so I just hook up a timer if I need to set it to start when I'm not at home. Who can not have a crock pot? Then I have this vintage Hamilton Beach juice squeezer. This I found in the trash one day when I was cruising by what was obviously a massive toss-out of someone's stuff. I've had it for 15 years already! It's squeezed a thousand oranges, lemons and grapefruit.  Who can live without fresh squeezed juice?  Then there's my Hamilton Beach hand mixer that was given to me by best friend in college who had received two of them at her wedding shower and gave me the extra one. And I went to college over 25 years ago, so you know this has made a lot of cakes, puddings and whipped cream! And where would I be without a blender?  This I use just about every other day for something.  My son has a disability so we grind up all his food in the blender at just about every meal he eats with us. I also use it to grind granulated sugar into icing sugar, or to make gravies or soups or guacamole. Due to such heavy use I burn the motors out on these every 12 months or so, so I go buy a new one. Interestingly, the price of these has not changed over my 30 years of cooking! They still cost between $20 and $40, depending on quality and sale discounts! Then, this past year I discovered the value of a food processor as a mini processor came free with the Oster blender I bought the most recently. I use this to make hummus and dips and grinding up larger quantities of food that the blender can't handle. Last, but not least, is a microwave oven that my mother-in-law gave to me when she downsized her kitchen. It's made by Samsung who I thought only made TVs! I know some people think these are bad for you, but the occasional re-heating of food or quick melting of something makes it a very efficient device. This particular model has a rotating plate in it so the food or liquid is evenly heated. This model of microwave also talks to me! Yup, after setting and finishing its timed cooking cycle, it beeps.  Then, if I forget to open the door within a few minutes, it beeps twice again at me, as if to say "hey, you forgot you're melting butter here." I have other appliances such as a coffee maker and a food processor and a coffee grinder -- all of which are just as old, or donated to me or bought on sale -- but I just wanted to share my most-used and useful appliances. Only these made it into this all-star lineup! How wonderful to have these! Look what electricity and manufacturing have wrought!

Watching the Gardening Flower

On Sunday mornings I usually have an hour or so to relax since we usually go to Church at 5 p.m. and this morning was no different. I sipped my coffee and watched my garden grow from the front porch and it was just a delight. The new rose bush has the brightest crimson flowers, the pink crepe myrtle is about to peak with its frothy fronds, the roses of Sharon are blazing away, the little red gold marigolds are starting up and even a few day lilies are still hanging about. An interesting smoky dark blue bird, slightly larger than a sparrow, hopped along the neighbor's fence with something wriggly in his beak, catching my eye due to his (her?) lovely color. There was an amazing breeze that swept into the tree across the street making the leaves rustle and rattle and making me think of rivers and trees. Feeling energized, I watered every plant that called out to me, "Me thirsty!" and then transplanted a few seedlings into bigger spaces so they could grow better, taking care to make sure I didn't rip my back out again. But it was glorious and sunny and stayed that way all day even when I went inside and cooked Sunday dinner.

Thirsty Bus Passengers

It's summer and I've had it with the large paper cups of slushees, slurpies, and other icy cold drinks people are bringing on the buses with them. Not only are they not supposed to do this as the sign on EVERY SINGLE BUS says this but they suck away through straws oblivious to the concerns of those around them that the drink might slop its way onto us next time the bus lurches to a stop or as they get up. I just don't want to deal with the person responsible or the cleaning bill. One woman put a LIDLESS paper cup of some foamy orange drink on the baggage rack and just left it there not in the slightest bit concerned about how the liquid was tilting and about to splash over every time time the bus turned a corner and slowed to a stop. Another passenger put her half filled (half empty?) paper cup of some sweet syrupy sugary thing on the floor. Of course, it fell over when the bus stopped suddenly. The liquid trickled its way across the bus floor towards my feet and bag. I pulled my feet up annoyed. When she got off the bus I told her off and she just glared at me like she had a right to have a drink on the bus and to leave it unfinished on the floor for someone else to pick up. Not a single bus driver has asked a passenger to put the drink away or drink it up before getting on the bus. So I wonder how the bus system thinks the requirement not to drink or eat on the bus is to be enforced. God only knows, that's for sure!

Lazy Bus Passengers

I was waiting for the bus on K street to my therapy session, disgusted by the litter left at the stop. Underneath the passengers' bench was the freshly opened peel of a large orange fruit, bright orange and pale yellow, curled up in coils, emptied of its juicy fruit center by whoever last had sat at the bench. A few feet over was a carefully placed Starbucks paper cup for coffee, straw poking out the top, and cardboard hot grip still clasped neatly around the cup. It was standing upright, obviously left there intentionally by someone else who had been waiting at the stop. So they think they are doing the right thing, not taking food and drink on the bus itself (the subject of another blog!). BUT what is so hard about taking one's trash away or putting it in the public waste bucket just a few feet away? Do these people think there is maid service, someone going around and picking up after them their moldering orange peels and discarded half-drunk cups of coffee? Who are these lazy bus passengers who must eat and drink at the bus stop and who can't remember to trash their trash? Don't they see that at just about every bus stop there's a trash bin nearby? It is too much! God save me from yelling at someone!