Everything sublime is as difficult as it is rare. Baruch Spinoza

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Duck Soup

We had a low in the fifties overnight. It's a mild day, both temperature and humidity. Seemed like soup weather to me. This was made with duck stock. If you haven't had it, duck stock is rich with a depth of flavor. Perfect for simplicity.



 
It was also mild yesterday so I mowed. The first time since mid-May. All there was to mow, other than in some shaded spots, were weeds. The grass is dormant. This is unnerving.

Lighter note.....zucchini and summer squash are producing. I got one eggplant yesterday, which along with zucchini, became a tomato sauce using my last batch of roasted tomatoes from the freezer. We will be eating a lot of zucchini for awhile. Bill brought us four larger zucchini yesterday which I will stuff and bake. I stopped growing peppers years ago, as well as cucumbers, because Bill supplies me with plenty. He also brought me a few of those yesterday. Soon the preserving season will be upon us, a time of year I greatly enjoy.

Mark saw the urologist this week and I am happy to report he is still cancer free. He is seeing the dermatologist today and I hope he is clear of any skin cancer. I know anyone can get it, but the fair completion people seem to be more susceptible. I am what my son, who is fair complected, calls "swarthy". I don't sunburn much, either.

I think I've covered a few topics. Soup, climate change, produce, preserving and then cancer. Not to omit "swarthy". Has a ring to it.

8 comments:

Boud said...

I thought this was going to be about the Marx brothers. Actual duck soup, though. Bit hot here for soup, more yogurt weather.

Very happy about Mark's good health results up to now. Yay him. How are you doing? Pretty good, if you can mow, I'm guessing.

Sandra said...

Boud, you got my joke! Our extreme heat and humidity is over for the near future.

Yes, Mark is doing well. He had two precancerous spots that were frozen, otherwise no problems. I ride when I mow, the lawn is about an acre. My mindset is better. Brain fog lifted and depression is mostly under control. Pain and poor mobility are the same. That said, feeling better mentally makes the rest of it more tolerable.

Lori Skoog said...

First of all, good news about Mark! What I would give for a night in the 50s and if we are lucky, a cold front should be on the way tonight. Glad that you felt well enough to mow....I mow about an acre too and love doing it. I am mowing the pastures once a month and will be starting that soon. Nice that you have a neighbor that supplies you with veggies so you can keep making those superb soups.

Sandra said...

Lori, our pasture mower needs work but Bill hasn't got to it yet. I'm still using his mower for the lawn. He's had some health issues so he gets cut a break. We are in a moderate weather pattern for the week. It's been brutally hot. Bill is my green grocer!

Far Side of Fifty said...

I am not "swarthy" and must wear a long sleeved shirt and a hat when out for long periods of time in the sun. The cool is delightful...it may have frozen a bit up North as it was 33 in Goodridge yesterday. 42 here. I love my riding mower...I am doing four areas now...did one yesterday that took me 90 minutes...if I do them all the same day I get real tired.
I have not tried Duck Soup...:)

Sandra said...

Far Side, I prefer olive tone skin to swarthy. That's my son being a smart alec. Mark heard on the radio that MN is #3 in the country for skin cancer. He asked his dermatologist why. Because most of the population is from Northern Europe. I could have told him that! I am so enjoying the cooler weather.

Val Ewing said...

We had 49 degrees here yesterday and a nice day to open the windows and air out the house.
We mowed the dust--er, the yard of some weeds last week but just the worst portions of it. I voted to leave it.
The plantain is sure thriving in the drought as are certain weeds.
My flowers are all stunted but the squash I planted seems to be thriving.

Good news on Mark and it is great that you felt like mowing!

We had some droplets here but no real rain. It has gone north or south of us.

Sandra said...

Val, I am enjoying the break in heat. Dust is right, I was covered in it after I mowed. The weeds, wild grapes and raspberries are growing like they are on steroids. The Softwood forest is winning the battle. My little bit of vegetables are watered so they are doing well.

It is good news for us that Mark is doing well.