@joeywyomingzone4

Hula hoop is so lovely! What a cheerful looking flower! I love bicolor roses in every shape and color, whether it's a color change, a deeper edge, a lighter halo, a contrasted reverse or stripes and splotches.

@strawchicago z5

I am not on any social media, and I think that is part of what keeps me happy. My online social life is limited to emails, skype/zoom, and a couple of forums for specific interests such as roses and gardening.

Sometimes I go and read things on Twitter or Reddit, which can be viewed without an account, and the degree of animosity I sometimes see on there makes me glad I have no part in it.

I think, unfortunately, online written interaction lacks all the subtle, real-time physical and vocal cues of real-life communication, and without them, people can sometimes get carried away and say things they would probably never say face to face.

I do kind of regret that the previous thread was deleted, there were some very personal stories there that explain why Magpie felt so strongly about what she wrote. Of course, it's your thread, so it's up to you! And I understand why you wanted the flaming taken down.

I can't agree with you more when you say "we will be measured by HOW WE TREAT OTHERS": we have to consciously strive for kindness in our relationships. In a few days, it will be Lent. A good time to remember that we all sin and make mistakes that we regret, but we can do better!

Here's a bean and rice recipe that I made for the past 20 years. It's Arroz con Pollo from Finecooking magazine. My blood pressure is very low since I use just a touch of salt or NO salt (the sausage is plenty salty) but double the spices. Beans is bland so some spicy sausage helps. In the past I used Andouille sausage but daughter doesn't like it hot.

In a Dutch oven pot, heat 2 TBS of oil on medium high heat. Saute 1 1/2 lb. chicken pieces until golden, about 7 to 10 min. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Saute 1 to 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage (pre-cut) about 3 min. Transfer sausage to a plate.

Using the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and saute 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped green or bell pepper, and 4 minced cloves of garlic. Keep cooking until veggies are soft, about 5 min.

Put chicken and sausage back into this pot, then add 1 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. turmeric .. cook until the spices become fragrant.

Add 1 cup crushed tomatoes & 1 bay leaf. Add 2 cups of pre-cooked rice, and heat on low until mixture is less soupy. OPTIONAL: add few cups of pre-cooked beans (black bean, red bean, or white bean). I ended up adding 5 cups of cooked beans (from the entire bag of 1 lb. dry beans) Daughter complained that the Italian sausage is too salty. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Below is an internet pic. of Arroz con Pollo from Food & Wine website:

Sounds delicious! I'll have to try that! Thank you for sharing the recipe :)

The best large frying pan I have for the past 25 years is very thick Circulon HUGE WOK. I can't live without it. I use it to fry large batches of egg-rolls. I use it to make barbecue pork ribs (simmered for 2 hrs.). I use it for stir-fry (even for 2 people). I use it for rice casserole like above recipe. It has a cover and it makes the best crunchy veggies stir-fry.

Last night I made the best chicken-stir fry with cauliflower & red pepper and tomato (took only 1/2 hour, including skinning and cutting up chicken thighs). I can see why the large-scale "China Study" showed all rural Chinese have super-low cholesterol level.

Stir-fry is a clever way of coating each veggies with a sweet & sour & salty sauce, which makes veggies taste so good. Plus lots of garlic and ginger is used in stir-fry, which lower cholesterol. The most RAW salad I can eat is 2 packed cups per day, but I can easily eat the entire head of cauliflower in a stir-fry. Plus I can add lima-beans or firm tofu in a stir-fry to UP the amount of plant-protein.

Circulon Elementum Hard Anodized Nonstick Stir Fry Wok Pan with Lid, 14 Inch, Oyster Gray. For $79 on Amazon.

I would like to try some cold frame gardening to have fresh food available for at least part of the winter. An article I read this morning about heart health listed some good candidates for cold frame gardening:

"A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which followed nearly 1,230 seniors for 15 years, found that the higher an individual’s vegetable nitrate intake, the lower their risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD) and all-cause mortality.

According to the study’s authors, “These results support the concept that nitrate-rich vegetables may reduce the risk of age-related ASVD mortality.” Research has also shown a diet high in vegetable nitrates helps prevent and treat prehypertension and hypertension (high blood pressure) and protects against heart attacks, courtesy of their NO-boosting power.

Vegetable nitrates shouldn’t be confused with the nitrates found in processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs, ham, and other cured meats. Dietary nitrates can convert into either health-boosting NO or nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic and should be avoided as much as possible.

Vegetable nitrates turn into beneficial NO while the nitrates in processed meats are primarily converted into harmful nitrosamines. The top 10 nitrate-rich foods that can help boost your heart health include arugula (480 milligrams of nitrates per 100 grams), rhubarb (281 milligrams), cilantro (247 milligrams), butter leaf lettuce (200 milligrams), spring greens such as mesclun mix (188 milligrams), basil (183 milligrams), beet greens (177 milligrams), oakleaf lettuce (155 milligrams), swiss chard (151 milligrams), and red beets (110 milligrams)."

Straw, I tried to send you an email to your gmail account, but it bounced back.... it isn't yours.... it is mine.... I can't even email my daughter's gmail account.....

If I get it fixed, I will send a message.

Straw - for me it would be good without the beans. LOL BUT...it LOOKS delicious! Thanks for the idea about the wok....I wish I could eat your spring rolls!!!

Joey - of course, darn, none of those appeal to my poor pallette. Is that the right word? I do like butter leaf lettuce, but I always thought it was bereft of nutrition. Now I know better.

Today I'm making cooked carrots (tinfoil in oven) with a bit of butter and dill weed, butternut squash (cut in half with a bit of olive oil and cumin, nutmeg, thyme) and my husband and I share a small steak. Plus I'm toasting up the seeds. I love squash seeds roasted!!

Sharon: Feel free to message me through Houzz. I pray that your e-mail is not hacked. If I google "SIM swapping", I see below info: "When fraudsters succeed in these SIM swaps, all your calls, texts and other data are diverted to them. With a little ingenuity — such as sending “account recovery” emails to reset passwords — the thieves soon have access to much of your most private information.

The FBI says the number of SIM swapping scams has exploded. Last year, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center received 1,611 SIM-swapping complaints with adjusted losses of more than $68 million."

https://privacypros.io/u2f/sim-swapping/

Joey: thank you for that list of healthy veggies, I love them all, esp. Boston lettuce and spring greens.

Carol: Your dinner sounds delicious !! I love butternut squash and thanks for the info. about the seeds. I love any seeds: sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds are my regular snack when I'm hungry.

Oh that's terrible! There are so many people without morals.

Yes, any seeds in the squash family (pumpkins, butternut, spaghetti squash, etc.) have edible seeds and taste delicious roasted! Yes, it was a good meal. :)

I subscribe to Bible verses sent daily to my email. Today's verse spoke to my heart: "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. —1 John 3:18"

The above reminds to love myself in ACTIONS: cutting out man-made sugar and eat God-made sugar (red grape is plenty sweet).

Good news for Carol who don't like beans: My 69-year-old neighbor who lost 150 lb. in 2 years DID NOT HAVE any beans during that time, since beans has some carbs besides protein and fiber. The fastest way to lose weight is cutting out carbs, but beans is best for those on a "maintenance diet" or with a family history of diabetes like mine. I literally crave beans since beans is high in magnesium, which I'm genetically deficient in.

Losing weight starts with my mind: it helps me to think of red-grapes as God-made sugar, which is way better than a cookie.

The protein requirement for a growing toddler is WAY MORE than for a college kid. My daughter ate the most meat when she's a toddler or in grade school, and I heard another Mom said that her 5-year-old boy could eat 4 hot-dogs for dinner !!

Milk with natural-growth hormone in cows, is best for YOUNG CALVES or GROWING KIDS, rather than a 60-year old woman like me. An excerpt from below link: "Besides humans, no species drinks milk beyond their natural age of weaning or drinks the milk of another species. Cow’s milk is suited to the nutritional needs of calves, who have four stomachs and gain hundreds of pounds in a matter of months—sometimes weighing more than 1,000 pounds before they’re 2 years old."

https://www.peta.org/living/food/reasons-stop-drinking-milk/

Same with my stir-fry: I used 1/2 head of cauliflower and 1 big bell pepper. Husband chose all the meat in the stir-fry, he needs more protein for his muscles as an athlete. He runs 15 miles on Sat. and 10 miles on Sunday, plus work full-time and runs 6 miles week-day. Daughter also chose all the meat in stir-fry: she's 19 and needs more iron for her monthly period.

I want all the veggies in the stir-fry since I need the magnesium & fiber.

When my daughter was a growing kid, she loved yogurt. Now at 19 year old, daughter hates dairy, she has no need for milk with our hard-well water already high in calcium, and she reaches her maximum growth.

Oooh! I love pan roasted squash seeds. The only edible I grow is butternut, mainly to eat the green babies, but I always miss more than I intended and end up with a lot of big squash. I still have two from last fall in my garage

My Mom used to grow butternut in MI .. she mashed squash with just a bit of sugar, butter, and cinnamon. It was delicious and she lived to 93.

At 60 I have problems digesting whole-wheat (I become bloated like a pregnant lady). A friend informed me of the book "Wheat belly" written by Cardiologist William Davis. It woke me up as to why Dr. Campbell measured blood lipids of thousands of rural Chinese and found them having VERY LOW cholesterol and heart diseases, despite a diet of 70% white rice, 20% veggies, and 10% meat.

Dr. Campbell wrote the book "The China Study" ascribing a vegan diet to health, but the truth is Chinese EAT VERY LITTLE WHEAT. Modern wheat is bred with high gluten and starch content, and heavily sprayed with pesticides.

My neighbor who lost 150 lbs. to be 180 lb. at 6'2" and 69-year-old got all his blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol to normal by cutting out sugar and flour (wheat), but he ate limited oatmeal, corn, peas, and potato. His diet is heavy in lean meat and veggies, with only 2 TBS of cheese per day and no other dairy products. He was previously diabetic.

My family was from Vietnam, with a diet of ZERO DAIRY and ZERO WHEAT. Heart disease, osteoporosis, hip replacement and cancer were rare in Vietnam, but diabetes (too much rice), and stroke were common. Stroke was from very salty meat and pickled veggies due to lack of refrigeration. Right before my Mom died at 93, she had a blood lipid test with normal cholesterol, compared to ALL her 12 children having high cholesterol. Mom never eat dairy products and her main starch is rice, rather than wheat. Below was my Mom in her garden, she was active weeding a few months before her death. Only an expert gardener like Mom can grow flowers that tall in a cold zone.

What a lovely picture of your mom! Those sunflowers are exquisite!! Have you ever made your own roasted sunflower seeds from flowers you've grown?

Joey: The pic. was of my Mom taking care for my sister's garden in CT, zone 6a. I grew sunflowers before but I didn't take out my seeds since RAW sunflower seeds are cheap at local health food store. I roast sunflower seeds in a toaster/convection oven at 275 F since I don't like salt in seeds.

I grew sunflowers once, but never again since they are messy. I'm a neat freak. It occurs to me this morning that I spend at least 1/2 hour per day cleaning my house, and I should spend just as much time cleaning the inside of my body (blood vessels and gut lining). I constantly wipe my white kitchen floor with rubbing alcohol, and I would NEVER think about spilling sticky stuff like sugary juice or butter on my floor on purpose.

I like my floor to be squeaky clean, and I SHOULD DO THE SAME for my gut and blood vessels. My body is more important than my kitchen floor.

People think that once they reach a certain weight, then they are done with healthy eating. I did that when I was 43. Back in 2005 It took me 1 year and daily running on the treadmill to lose 25 lb. to reach 97 lb., but I gained back the weight fast when I baked an apple pie with butter crust. Funny how all that effort in eating tons of RAW veggies and running 1 to 2 miles per day was undone by just an apple pie !!

Now I realize that maintaining a healthy weight/body is DAILY work like cleaning of my house. I need to eat daily fiber (fruits and veggies) to mop out the gunk in my gut and blood vessels. I should not douse the inside of my body with sticky sugar nor a wad of butter. I don't do that to my kitchen floor, and I won't do that to my gut & blood vessels either.

I love the picture of your mother with the sunflowers....

I have a few sunflowers planted.... it took me a long long time before I grew sunflowers..... I spent my childhood chopping them out of my daddy's bean field..... I could not imagine growing a weed on purpose..... but I look at them and remember those times fondly.... I never thought of that as work.... I actually enjoyed being out in the fields.... to me it was more fun than sitting around the house.

Does anyone have a good recipe for frozen shakes.... most of the shakes that I find use bananas as their thickening agents.... my daughter is allergic to bananas.... I prefer the thick kind of shakes, because of the feel of them.....

I found I can only grow the smaller sunflowers.... the tall skyscrapers do not hold up when we have gale winds.

I love planting herbs for the butterflies.... and I always eat a bit when watering

I started a pineapple from a top.... normally they do not start for me.... but I finally got one to grow.

Here is my Too Ugly

And lastly, last year I saw a youtube video on how to pollinate a frangipani tree.... and I now have seed pods on it..... I am excited... I have been enjoying growing roses from seed and now I can't wait to see what these frangipanies will look (or smell) like

That is a great picture of your mother Straw! So nice to have pictures of our loved ones doing things that make them the happiest!

I can imagine that seeing her enjoy it must have played a role in sparking your own love of gardening and perhaps she passed on some valuable gardening advice!

My mom enjoys it too, but we have different tastes. She has no sense of smell whatsoever, (she says she "burned" her nose back when she used to smoke) so she doesn't care much about a plant's fragrance, she likes the visual aspect and the plants that attract bees and butterflies whereas to me scent is a key criteria. To each his/her own!

If you like healthy bean-based recipes, here is one for a Maltese bean dip called Bigilla.

This is very simple to make and great with table water crackers or carrots or celery or anything you enjoy your usual dips with:

1 lb dried broad beans
2 sprigs parsley
1 head of garlic crushed
1 chili pepper
a dash of Tabasco or use cayenne pepper
1 tbsp of mixed marjoram & mint, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp olive oil
(I like to add a dash of lemon juice for a bit more zing, some people also add capers... There are many versions!)
Soak beans overnight and replace water the next day, adding a bit of salt.
Bring to boil and keep simmering until beans are soft. Drain the beans and mash them lightly. Pour olive oil on top and add the other ingredients and mash them all together well untill you get a creamy sauce.

Enjoy!

@sharon2079

Congratulations on the pineapple!! That's great!! I would love to try growing pineapple too... Do you have any tips about what worked for you to get this one to grow?

"Too Ugly" is too cute! I love her!

And congratulations on the frangipani pollination too! Very exciting to have baby frangipanis to look forward to!

Straw - that's interesting that you crave beans and you're magnesium deficient. I can't think of any food I crave now, since I don't crave sugar anymore. I used to crave ice cubes when I was a teenager. I had about 6 each day. Guess I was deficient in iron. Wow! Your mom was still fit and active in her 90s!!! What a wonderful way to age gracefully. Unlike my mom who is 86 and needs her oxygen tank, is very overweight and can barely walk down the hall. I'm so glad I'm losing weight. I've started eating porridge and find that I really like it. I have to have a little brown sugar with it though...so I thought I shouldn't have it more than twice/week.

Stephanie - I didn't know that green squash is edible. So you like the taste of them better if they're unripe?

Sharon - no, sorry, I don't have a recipe for thick smoothies. I love the picture of your yard...looks so serene. :) :) You grew a pineapple!! I hope the fruit is wonderfully sweet! Let us know how it tastes. :) :) I think that's so beautiful that you have monarch caterpillars in your yard...so nice of you to grow food for them. I just looked up their range in Canada...and they do range here!! I've never seen a monarch caterpillar or butterfly. I had no idea we had them. :) :) I've never heard of frangipanis...that looks so unusual! Show us what it looks like when it opens. :)

seaside, Whenever I cut the tops off the pineapple they never grew. I had a friend who told me to twist the top off and I did.... that was the first and only time it grew.

Another name for frangipani is plumeria. It is a small fragrant flowering tree.... it is what the people in Hawaii use as a lei to put around ones necks. What you see above is the seed pod, not the flower getting ready to open.

So I went to the optometrist today to have my floaters checked. Doctor said that it's vitreal fluid that has dropped down, but there's no tears/rips. I have to go back in 4 weeks to recheck. Other news is that my optic nerves are good. But, my field of vision has decreased (retinitis pigmentosa)...so my left eye sees only 30%. That eye fails the test for driving. So she tested me for both eyes together...and I still failed. So I can't drive anymore. Field of vision angle legally is 120 and mine is 70. Thank goodness my husband is retired to drive me places. It feels weird and unsettling to not be able to drive anymore. But...Don's been driving me everywhere anyway. so.... We were in Chapters, and I picked up a book, and opened it to a page...and the words "blind spot" popped up!! LOL I have huge blind spots in my vision....what are the odds that I would pick up a book, open to a page and read those words. Weird.

You carry on in a lovely way with all of your challenges, Carol. Take good care of your husband and I hope things stabilize for you. You deserve a break.

Carol: I'm so sorry to hear about your eyes. I'm praying for your eyes. Will post more pics. to cheer you up. I'm been pondering the questions you e-mailed me recently, will e-mail you back soon.

Sharon: I love all the pics. you post of your garden and all the exotic plants you grow: pineapple and lychee and plumeria. Reading your post is like traveling to amazing Florida itself.

Seaside: I love and appreciate your bean-dip recipe very much. Marjoram and mint are my fav. herbs. Will make your recipe once I cook a big batch of white beans. I always put white beans with barbecue pork, but I'll freeze some to make your fantastic white-bean dip to go with rye crackers.

Today is the first day that I go out to work in the garden .. temp. got up to 50 F.

@strawchicago z5

I've never tried making Bigilla with white beans, but why not! The original recipe actually is with tic beans, but since those can be hard to find elsewhere they are usually substituted for broad beans. I guess it can be interesting to experiment with different beans and see! I hope it will turn out nice for you.

We are finally expecting some heavy rains this week after a much drier than usual winter. Of course this shows up on the forecast right after I just gave my plants a thorough watering yesterday...

I usually leave my roses on the bush until they need deadheading, but I thought why not try a bouquet before all that rain ruins my Iceberg flowers?

It doesn't hold a candle to your gorgeous bouquets Straw, but I enjoyed making it!

@rosecanadian

I hope there is a way your doctor can help improve your eyesight! I am glad to hear your husband is being supportive with the driving and that you have such an affectionate and protective canine friend in the house! Praying for your health.

Sheila - thanks!! I don't really deserve a break, because I have so many riches around me...especially family. My husband would anything for me...and he's more than I need. :) :) But thanks for the thoughts...I really appreciate it! :) :)

Straw - thanks! :) :) My niece and my sister (both have PRPS1) are having the same problems...mine is just more advanced as I'm older. If blindness stays away...then I'm happy. And I don't think I'll go blind. :) :) Thank you for your prayers...I really appreciate it. And as to the questions of near death experiences I asked you...that's okay. The panic I was feeling has dissipated. :) So no worries. Thank you for thinking about it. :) :) We got up to 50F today too!! Didn't get to go for a walk, unfortunately...but we'll go tomorrow...snow and freezing weather again. But, then, I can walk further when it's colder. Sot that's good. I'm so glad you got to work in the garden!!

Seaside - My goodness!!! Those are STUNNING Icebergs...the best I've ever seen!!! SWOON!!! And I'm glad you're getting much needed rain. Roses really appreciate that better than tap water. :) Thank you for your prayers!! I gladly and thankfully accept prayers. :) :) Maybe all these prayers will stop my RP from progressing. :) :)

Carol: I believe in prayers. Through prayers that I met my husband at a running club at 32. Even if God doesn't answer a specific prayer to MY WAY, He provides an alternative, or a way of comfort. I pledge to post more pics. so you eyes can enjoy.

Seaside: Thank you for posting that bouquet, I enjoy it more than my bouquets. Mine are bit gaudy, and yours is cozy & subtle like a peaceful painting.

Sharon: To thicken frozen shakes, I put pre-cooked beans (tiny beans are best, such as yellow or green split peas, red lentils, or tiny red Oriental beans). The best smoothies I "drank" were the thick Oriental types made with such beans, plus coconut milk. It fills me up due to the fiber and protein in beans.

Some people thicken their smoothies with nuts. I tried that and it took few extra minutes in the blender. Pumpkin seeds provide progesterone. My daughter was moody in junior high with her period, so I grind up pumpkin seeds with soy or flax milk in a blender, plus cocoa powder and honey, and that made a delicious and thick milk shake. I did the same with pecans, but it took longer to grind up. I don't like bananas nor pineapple in smoothies, both flavors are too strong, and best eaten as whole fruits.

Some pics. of roses that make me happy. Below is Queen Nefertiti, so stingy that I'm excited with each bloom. It's very thorny thus prefer dense soil and fast drainage:

Early fall gives the best explosion of blooms in my garden. From the below, large orange Crown Princess Mag. is a heavy bloomer for the past 10 years, the scent is delicious (almost as good as Versigny) if I UP the pH. Small whites are Cloudert Supert (amazing fresh baby powder scent). Gaudy bi-color is Double Delight, the scent is 1/4 as good as Cloudert Soupert. Big bi-color (left red/white) is Neil Diamond. This never make me happy since it's so wimpy as own-root, and scent is gone once picked for the vase.

Below Young Lycidas made me happy for the 1st year, but it died in the 2nd year in my zone 5a. I realize that such wimpy rose needs fluffy soil and fast drainage. Lesson learned. Young Lycidas scent is better than Madame Isaac Pereire, and occupies 1/10 the space. Young Lycidas would be best for the pot since it's so small. Rabbits here can eat this bush in one bite.

News today changes my strategy of cooking for my family, see excerpt from below link: "The study used data from more than 470,000 British adults between the ages of 40 and 70. On average, they spent around 11 years reporting data about their eating habits. Researchers from the University of Oxford found that the overall cancer risk was 14% lower among vegetarians and vegans compared to those who ate meat more than five times per week.

Participants who ate meat five times or less per week still had a 2% lower risk for developing cancer, while those who ate fish but not meat had a 10% lower risk.

Men following a vegetarian or vegan diet had a 31% lower risk of developing prostate cancer (those who only ate fish still saw a 20% decreased risk). Additionally, eating meat five times or less each week reduced colorectal cancer risk by 9%

Researchers also found that post-menopausal women following a vegetarian diet had an 18% lower risk of breast cancer, which researchers think can be tied to the vegetarians typically having a lower body mass index, or BMI."

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/eating-less-food-could-lower-232512189.html

Many of my neighbors have cancers. No cancer history in my parents & 11 siblings (Vietnamese diet consists of mostly rice & veggies, and only 10% meat). My husband's family has cancer history. Recently I make lots of stir-fry with veggies & some meat. I wish I had done so when my daughter was young. Now she picks out the meat from stir-fry, and leaves veggies alone.

Straw - I remember when I first met my husband, I thought that I would marry him if I went out with him. I knew it deep in my bones. When he asked me on a date, I had to really think, because I knew this wouldn't just lead to dating, but to marriage. I love the deepness of the yellow rose behind Queen Nefertiti!! Gorgeous!! In your 2nd picture I love the mixture of bloom sizes!! Really brings the bouquet together!! I'm a sucker for big gaudy blooms, so your ND and DD really sing to me. :) :) But it wouldn't be half the bouquet without the different bloom sizes...:) :) :) I love the blooms on your YL!! Mmmmmm :) Thank you for showing us your roses!!

My husband keeps telling me that as we age we still need protein...so skipping meat isn't the best...reducing the amount is better. But best, I assume, is having beans for protein. I just hate beans.

Carol: I love that story how you could tell ahead that he would be your husband. You have fantastic intuition. The deep yellow rose behind Queen Nefertiti is Golden Fairy Tale (has a peppermint scent once aged).

In the Bible Old Testament thousands of year ago, Exodus 16 tells of Manna (cereal flakes) for breakfast and quail for dinner: "The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. " Exodus 16.

I follow the above example and it works for best sleep. For breakfast I have high-fiber (bran cereal flakes) with walnuts (Omega-3) and reduced sugar cranberries. I can go for 5 hours long fast with such breakfast. For dinner I MUST HAVE meat, otherwise I can't sleep well. There's a study that proved having good protein for dinner helps with sleep, so Carol is right.

In the past I had 2 toast and 2 eggs for breakfast, and I get hungry within 2 hours due to lack of fiber & fat and bread always make me hungry sooner. So high-fiber cereal and substantial fat (walnuts) helps to curb hunger for at least 4 hours after breakfast.

Below bouquet has Carding Mill (orange), Evelyn (right pink), left red is the Squire (lasts 5 days in the vase), middle red is The Dark Lady, and smaller right pink is Sonia Rykiel.

Here's a different view of the above bouquet showing Lavender Crush in the middle, and Peter Mayle is the large deep pink.

Straw, you grow some beautiful roses!
Carol, miniature baby green butternut are very similar to little zucchini and used in the same manner. They have a nice nutty flavor and denser texture so I like them much better than zucchini. I grow them since it is the only way to get to eat them. I have never seen them sold even at the farmers markets

Straw - I have 2 pieces of toast and 2 eggs quite a few time per week. :) :) I'm really starting to love having large flake rolled oats in the morning. Really fills me. I always go right to your The Dark Lady blooms!! I love them!! Another favorite is your Peter Mayle!! I love your Carding Mill blooms...what a fabulous bouquet!! :) :)

Stephanie - oh! I had no idea!! They sound adorable....cause I imagine they still have the shape of butternut squash? Adorable! I love squash zucchinis. :) :) They're great raw or in stir fries.

Stephanie: baby green butternut sounds yummy. People fry the yellow flower of zucchini blossoms. Someday I should make fried green tomatoes.

Carol: Agree with you that oatmeal (soluble fiber) fills me up more. Toast, even with high-fiber bread like Ezekiel makes me hungry fast within 2 hours. But SOLUBLE fiber as in nuts, beans, or oatmeal fill me up longer. Here's from Google News today March 4:

"Starting your day with a high-fiber meal such as oatmeal every morning could slash your risk of developing Alzheimer's by more than a quarter, new research shows.

The research, which tracked 3,739 adults for 20 years, found those with fiber-rich diets were less likely to develop dementia. The healthy volunteers ranged in age from 40 to 64, and filled out surveys that assessed their dietary intake between 1985 and 1999.

Those in the study who ate the most fiber had a 26 percent lower dementia risk compared to those participants who ate the least. And the link was most pronounced among those who ate more soluble fiber, which in addition to oats is highly concentrated in peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts. One possibility is that soluble fiber regulates the composition of gut bacteria."

https://bestlifeonline.com/alzheimers-oatmeal-news/

Some roses that made me happy:

Upper bud is Princess Charlene de Monaco (delicious pear nectar, better than Jude the Obscure). Big pink is Savannah, scent is nice, but lesser quality than PcdM.

Orchid Romance is extremely thorny and guards my window from break-in. The scent is almost as good as Comte de Chambord.

Below James Galway (pink) has way-better carnation scent than Pretty Lady Rose. Deep purple on right is Munstead Wood (blackberries and rose scent):

Nuts with both soluble and insoluble fiber, plus fat & protein keep me from being hungry longer. I can easily do a 12 hour fast (overnight) if I have nuts like sunflower seeds prior to bedtime. Plus sunflower seeds have melatonin which helps with deeper sleep. Found the below from msn.com today:

"Almonds have twice as much calcium as milk

Gram for gram this is absolutely true – McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods (the official guide to the nutrients in food used in the UK), shows that 100g of almonds have 240mg of bone-building calcium, while semi-skimmed (2%) milk has 120mg per 100g (3.5oz)."

Mind-blowing food facts you'll struggle to believe are true (msn.com)

Straw - thanks for the info on dementia...I'm going to share this with my husband. Alzheimer's runs in his family. His dad died from it. But it was the vascular type...so we're hoping my husband just has to keep the weight off and be fit.

I've got to get back to eating almonds.

Gorgeous roses!! Really brightened my mood....thanks, Straw!! Savanna is a real looker! Another favorite is your James Galway!!

One of the many looks of the wonderful Chartreuse de Parme. I may have lost this irreplaceable rose due to pH problems last summer.

This is a scentless rose that was supposed to be Tahitian Sunset. Now I'm thinking it could be Chicago Peace...any other ideas?

@rosecanadian Carol I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you are having with your eyes. Praying for peace and comfort for you and that they won't get any worse so that you can still enjoy seeing.

They are especially yummy like this or a little smaller. But really, you can eat whatever the ripeness. For winter storage they need to be fully rip though. I have two large ones left in my garage.

Carol: I treasure that best pic. of Chartreuse de Parme ever. You did a great job feeding your roses to get those frilly petals (a hard task to achieve). A good sub. is Young Lycidas (plant is small for the pot).

That second pic. looks like Chicago Peace to me. That's the main attraction at nearby rose park. I'm a sucker for zillion frilly petals .. posting the below to decide if I should order zillion of petals from David Austin, or with less petals (cheap bare-root hybrid tea for less than $10 at local stores): Below red is The Squire, 7th-year-own root.

Below large bloom (4" across) is Princess Charlene de Monaco, 5th-year-own-root.

Below is own-root Pink Peace, I might get Gabriel Oaks next since this has more petals.

Below is Sweet Promise, a French Romantica, it died after I moved it, I miss its apple-blossom scent.

Joey - thank you so much for your prayers. :) :) I really appreciate it!

Stephanie - man, look at those stalks/vines!! They're like pumpkin stalks!

Straw - Thank you!! Of course, the most strongly affected rose from the mess I made last summer is my favorite rose. I repotted it...so maybe it will survive. Yes, I grew Chicago Peace a few years ago...it really did well for me, but I gave it up

because there was no fragrance. It got a lot pinker than this faux "Tahitian Sunset" does. But it sure could be CP.

My favorite of the bunch is your PCdM!! Super beautiful!! Then it's Pink Peace (I love it's fragrance...smells like Fruit Loops to me), then I love your The Squire. And lastly Sweet Promise. I think I like the frilly petals more than the packed. :) :)

Stephanie: thanks for that wonderful pic. of your butternut squash. I once sliced butternut squash and roasted in the oven .. so fragrant but they stuck on the tray. Roasting veggies at high temp. make them caramelized and smell so good, but it takes so long for butternut squash to become tender in the oven.

A shortcut is to put butternut squash in a pressure cooker with very little water. It's like concentrated goodness. I accidentally put too little water with potatoes in a pressure-cooker, which made it brown at the bottom, but that was MY BEST mashed potato ever !!

Some of my best cooking came out of accidents, like the time I roasted leeks & celery & onions in oven at 400 F while prepping a turkey .. I slightly burnt the veggies but that made the MOST WONDERFUL gravy !!

Carol: I lean toward zillion of petals since we get hot summer near 100 F, and roses lose petals in such hot temp. Do you have pics. of your Zaide rose bush? How's the scent on Zaide?

Joey: Yesterday husband burnt all the rose branches (pruned in 2021) to make biochar. I topped 1/4 of my roses with biochar. Right after that we got tons of heavy rain. Calcium is slow to move down, and topping roses with biochar (rich in soluble calcium and potassium) helps roses grow new canes. Most of my roses die to below 6 inch. in zone 5. Below is my brick-pit to make biochar (homemade fertilizer):

Seaside and Sharon: Thank you for sharing about your garden in my threads. I learn lots from your bush-shots, which rose forum and HMF rarely post. Also learn from you as we discuss on health. Bush shots (even with no blooms) are more useful than close-up blooms.

I start a new thread after I see Sharon's valuable comments being hidden due to this thread being too long. I invite everyone to share their roses with bush beauty OR constant blooming OR winter hardiness in below thread. THANK YOU.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6241171/roses-with-bush-beauty-constant-blooming-and-winter-hardiness

I have To go back and read this entire thread.! Carol, I'm so sorry to hear about your vision. Are they able to do anything about it at all? It is great that your husband is able to drive you. Straw, the above chicken and rice would be wonderful with chickpeas. Also, I wanted to comment that I don't post pictures anymore because all of mine were hacked and it is too depressing to take more. I lost all of my beautiful pictures when my roses look their best and my house Looked good also. I hope everyone read my post about being hacked and has backed up their pictures to another Flashdrive and not just the cloud Or google drive.

Straw - you're making me so hungry with leeks, onions making gravy, etc. :) :) Zaide was really nice. It was very fragrant. It died in the GGDO....daughter left garage door open a few years ago. I remember that I really loved this rose...that it had a special something to it. But it doesn't look that great in this picture. :) :) A lot of my pictures were lost when my computer died. I did have more pictures of Zaide...but this is all I have left.

This picture isn't loading for some reason...I'll try again. Oh well, it's not opening up.

Vaporvac - thanks so much. :) :) I'm good. :) :) I can still see pretty well, and I don't worry about the future too much. :) Oh, that IS depressing to have lost all of your pictures. I lost a great deal of mine. Pictures I'll never get back. I can't seem to let that go. They're only pictures, for heavens sake...but they did mean a lot to me. So I get it.

I don't think it is silly to lament the loss of pictures. I had pictures of my dad I will never get back and also I lost all of his voicemails. These are things that are not replaceable. At least we have our memories.

I have two Zaide and love this rose. It does black spot, but probably due to its less than perfect positioning. It is a very large rose here With a lax growth habit and I could see it being grown as a short climber. It's an amazing bloomer extremely hardy rose with a lovely lovely fragrance. I'm surprised you haven't tried it again!

Yes, that is sad. Pictures of your dad, and his voicemails. Darn. Those are irreplaceable. Yes, we have our memories. I remember that we had made a tape of my Grandmother (couldn't speak English) singing in Slovakian. We lost it, and we'd all love to have it back.

I certainly would try Zaide again...if I could get one. Haven't been able to find one again. I always thought (of all my roses) it had that special thing...grace? I did love it. :)

That is too bad about your grandmothers voice. Regarding Zaide, this is a rose I tried to convince Ingrid to buy as it Does have that special grace. It's hard to see in pictures and I think she thought it would be too modern instead its Anything but.🙂

Vaporvac - thanks. :) :) Yes, there's just something extra special about Zaide. I'd get it again in a heartbeat. :)

Vaporvac: thank you for the info. about Zaide's scent, I didn't know about the scent until you informed me.

Carol: Thank you for the bush-shot pic. of Zaide, I need such tall rose to avoid the bunnies here. Also thank you for setting an example of eating RAW walnuts daily. The nights that I snack on Walnuts & low-sugar dry cranberries before bedtime, I have the BEST SLEEP and most vivid dreams thanks to the Omega-3 in the walnuts.

Carol, we should form a "jolly walnut eater" club besides being the "Firefighter died on me 3 times" club.

OMG STRAW- those bouquets! i dont even have 1/4 of the amount of roses you have!

my first crush hands down is my favorite with honeymoon as a close 2nd.

here is honeymoon. im a TOTAL sucker for that cream-blush-pale pink thing going on.

Monique: I'm in awe of your honeymoon variation in colors. How's the repeat on Honeymoon? How's the scent of Honeymoon? Thank you.

I saw the thread on Kordes and BenT in Texas reported that Madame Anisette rose gives a spring flush, then stingy afterwards. So glad that I didn't buy Madame Anisette. I have too many old garden roses blooming in spring, but my fall flush is scant. Lagerfeld is a big bloomer in late fall, but that own-root is in decline (too old).

Well we have a sort of dead spot in july- august from the sweltering heat, she repeat blooms but slows in summer- but her and my new dawn (on the same trellis) both still bloom during the heat without issue - the bloom timing is just much slower and more sporadic. believe it or not though they hold up to heat.

i find ALL my kordes roses grow the best for me in my climate- i have had a few hybrid teas that bit the dust. much more disease prone IMO

im surpised- i had a hard time finding information about honeymoon it is a sort of unicorn plant- i dont personally know anyone else who grows her. mine is own root and still trying to get feet- this will be her 3rd season (those blooms were from year 2), so i think she is still developing a scent- she had a very subtle (but still noticable, but i had to stick my nose in a bloom) fruity— apple like scent. (i am defindefinitely partial to fruity scented roses).

i messaged you actually on your louisiana swamp rose- i am wondering if its peggy martin aka katrina rose?

Oops that was someone else i messaged, sorry straw!

jusy learning to navigate around the forum here i been a lurker but just posted today on the rose thread lol!

Straw - I also need someone to join the "I kill every clematis I try to grow" club. :) :) I've given up on them. I could grow them at my old house...but not here. Speaking of walnuts and things being healthy...a hack that I like for cooking is to add chopped, cooked spaghetti squash to everything. I made hamburgers today with lots of spaghetti squash in them. :)

Monique - oh your Honeymoon colors!!! It looks like you shone a pink light on a white rose...what a lovely effect!! Your 2nd pic of Honeymoon is to die for!!! SWOON!!! I'm really happy you decided to post...you're contributing so beautifully!! Thank you!