Grapes in November?



 

I'm happy to report I have completed

all my weeding and pruning!
 

As you can see I can even see my watering cans again!

They were covered by the neighbors Weeping Willow.
 

We had 3 major surgeries in the family with in 2 weeks,

 so priorities were majorly shifted.

Everyone came through with flying colors.

2 are still in the recovery process and will be for some time.

There is another surgery this month.

Praying this one will have the same outcome as the others.
 

 

These weeds no longer exist, Yay!



My last pile, finally...



Wouldn't you know as soon as I decide to finally cut down the remaining wild Sunflowers Goldfinches show up!
They're so quick and flighty I had a hard time catching photos of them. Not only did they blend in with the pile of pruning's but I couldn't get very close or they'd fly away. :-(

 

Back to pruning ~

One of the walkways before

 

 

After

 

 

Other side before

 

 

After

 

Gazebo before

 

 

After

  

 

Pruned as best as I could the neighbors Willow.

It no longer touches my roof.

If we get any major storms those large branches

I couldn't reach snap so easily. yikes

The walkways are cleaned up

and only needed to be raked

 

 

but we had a nice downpour for a couple of days

and wasn't able to get to do it.

 

 

 

Puddles!

 

 

Still need to get out there to rake leaves to top off

compost bed for the winter.

If I do, I do, if not oh well.

 

 

Enough rain to fill the birdbath!

We received almost an inch!

We need it so badly

My garden had such a big smile :-)

We've had sunny days since.

 

My Thompson Seedless is just a tad confused,

It has one long vine with baby grapes!!

 

And no I didn't miss pruning one.

 

 

We had our first light frost a couple of days ago.



C'mon Winter

I'm ready for you!

With the exception of raking the backyard,

I've got my succulents covered,

the Keets aviary winterized....

 

All is a go, wishing for a harsh and wet winter!

Midori Spring Ceremonial (GOLD) Matcha Green Tea Review #midorispring

 

We all know the benefits of Green Tea. I personally love Green Tea. But had never heard of this type of Green Tea. By this type, Midori Spring Ceremonial (GOLD) Matcha Green Tea, I mean, powdered. When I think of tea, I think tea bags.

When it arrived I was anxious to try this "new" to me tea. 

But first lets learn a little about this amazing product.

  

''Midori Spring’s Ceremonial Gold Matcha –

Ingredients
Organic and Kosher Certified, 100% Pure Matcha Green Tea Powder. Harvested from the finest tea gardens in Japan. Certified, tested, and tasted by 9th Degree Tea Masters to make sure each batch is perfection.  This premium product is Ceremonial Grade and is Organic (USDA, JAS) and Kosher (OU) Certified. We only select the best raw material from our tea gardens mostly from Aichi and Kagoshima in Japan and maintain the highest standards in production. Only the best and darkest tencha are used for Gold Class. Gold Class has a fresh, sweet, green-vegetable-like aroma and the colour is a vibrant emerald green – a trait only high quality Ceremonial Grade Matcha encompass.



Bodily Benefits
There are many immediate and long term health benefits when consuming Matcha.  Premium grade Matcha is rich in antioxidants, over 137x the EGCG levels that of regular steeped tea. Organic Matcha has been shown to help (1) Increase energy levels (2) Help reduce stress and improve mental alertness (3) Support metabolism and help with weight loss 4) Support immune system and helps reduce inflammation. (5) Help the body cleanse of harmful elements.

Third Party Certifications

USDA Organic Certified by NOP Via OCIA International Agreement, JAS Organic Certified by OCIA, OU Kosher Certified, VEGAN.ORG Certified. In addition, Midori Spring Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha is also GLUTEN FREE, GMO FREE, and contains no pesticides, soy, wheat of any kind.

Taste Profile

The quality is so high that it is primarily reserved for tea ceremonies for it’s full flavor, and health benefits.

Rich, smooth and creamy with a hint of sweetness when brewed traditionally. Gold Class is smooth, creamy, earthy and has a hint of sweetness. Gold Class can be enjoyed on its own or be added into smoothies and Matcha inspired recipes.



I was particularly interested in the reduction of

inflammation since I was just taken of Mobic

after being on it for years for torn rotator cuffs.

That's not to say that I don't need help in the other areas also ;)

How to brew

Midori Spring Ceremonial (GOLD) Matcha Green Tea

  

Traditional Method
What you need: Matcha Bowl (Chawan), Matcha Whisk (Chasen), Bamboo Scoop (Chashaku), Small Sifter
1. Warm up matcha bowl and bamboo whisk. Place whisk in bowl and fill 1/3 of bowl with hot water. Let it sit for 1 minute, discard water. Dry bowl with clean cloth or paper towel.
2. With the bamboo scoop place 2 scoops of Midori Spring Matcha through a small sifter into bowl to avoid clumping.
3. Pour 2oz of hot water (162-169°f) into bowl and whisk briskly in a “W” motion until fine foam appears. The whisk should not scratch the bottom of the bowl.
4. Sip and Enjoy!

Quick Method
What you need: Bowl or mug, Small Wire Whisk or Milk Frother, Teaspoon
1. Place 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon of Midori Spring Matcha in mug, avoid clumps.
2. Pour 2oz of hot water (162-169°f) into mug and whisk briskly in a “W” motion until fine foam appears. Can use a small wire whisk or milk frother.
3. Sip and Enjoy!

I used the "quick method" which was very easy to make.
I have to say the bright green powdered tea made
 me automatically think healthy.
I used the smaller amount of powder, I would rather have it taste mild than to be overwhelmed and not want to try it again.
I was unable to do the “W” motion 
as suggested due to the constraints of the bowl, 
so I placed my whisk handle between my palms
and rolled it back and forth briskly.
 It worked great foaming up rather quickly.
 I, personally, didn't taste the ''hint of sweetness''
 but it did taste good, not bitter.
It did have a creamy, earthy tone which I quite enjoyed.
I look forward to trying it stronger next time.

I think it's very interesting that you ingest the whole tea leaves instead of just the steeped water. It makes sense that the benefits would be stronger. 

 

Midori Spring Ceremonial (GOLD) Matcha Green Tea is available on their website and Amazon

  

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free or a discounted  price from Life and Food .  Regardless, I only recommend products or

services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Last of the Summer Blooms and We're in the Paper



Just a glimpse of the end of Summer blooms

before I started pruning everything in site,

which I just finished up.

Took much longer than anticipated.

I had to go off my Mobic (anti-inflammatory)

for my torn rotator cuffs.

Labs didn't come back so favorable,

been on it for years. It was a Godsend.

It was helping more than my shoulders.

My whole body has aches and pains I never had before.

My fingers ache like crazy,

making it difficult for all my Christmas projects.

But I've just been pushing through,

what else are ya gonna do, it's gotta be done!

Enough of that, lets enjoy these last bloomers

Morning routine:

Feed dogs

Give Katie meds

Let Mama in front door

(she could go around back through dog door

but we seem to be the cats doormen at their beck and call)

This particular morning I got sidetracked

cleaning house and forgot to let her in.

A few hours later I opened the front blinds

and who is sitting in my window box?

I think she watched too many Mervyn's commercials...

'Open, open, open'

On another note:

Our town had a discount pet shot clinic

and our weekly paper photographer

was there for all the 'excitement'.

It just happened Mama was the only

 one that needed shots,

(all the rest had theirs in the Spring shot clinic).

Wouldn't you know Dean snapped one of M and I

and chose to place it in the paper.

Oh joy, we looked our best, NOT! LOL

Fun times in OUR little town.

source



Happy Halloween!!!! Paint'em Pretty, Snuggle Halloween Mission and More! #TeamSnuggle #BearDen #Halloween



Stopped by Fantozzi Farms on the spur of the
moment a few days prior to T's surgery.

T and C shot corn cannons at trash can robots.



Made hole in ones with each shot!

No idea there were prizes - Pumpkins of course!

Guess we're carving this year!

My carved pumpkin for

Snuggle Bear's Halloween Mission

T's Vault-tec

C's Flandre Scarlet

Orange Glow by ? missing label (sorry)

With what little time I had, I threw on some pretty orange polish and used black craft paint for the spider and "spider eyes".

Fine point black marker for the webs and top coated with

Sally Hansen's Megashine.

We never got our decorations up outside

but I did get my nails done at the last minute! ;)

 

   

 



Paint'em Pretty ~ N.Y.C. Metallic Nail Enamel



251A, Metallic Nail Enamel by N.Y.C.

Nice light pink color with tiny sparkles that flicker in it.

2 coats did the trick topped with 1 coat of

 my fav top coat Sally Hansen's Megashine.

 I was short on time, not a big surprise there,

I added a decal of white flowers with green leaves 

to my accent nail which made for an innocent look.

Add some color to your life!