Minty Fresh!

Aaaah,Wild  Mint! When I was a child growing up on MacArthur Road, it grew  in our yard and in the woods behind our house.  Our Mom would pick the leaves and toss them into salads, and add them to her  glass of iced tea.  We on the other hand, would rip off a leaf, sniff it, chew on it, and spit it out onto the ground. Gross, I know, but we were little kids and little kids do that sort of thing!    A couple of months ago, my husband and son returned from a local nursery with organic soil in preparation for the vegetables that were to be planted in  late  May. They also  had purchased a small plant that I  did not recognize.  "What is that, Justin?," I asked. "Smell it, Mom," he said. It smelled like mint but not the type I was accustomed to from way back when. He told me it was Grapefruit Mint. I was aware  there are many varieties of mint, in fact my friend Christine has an assortment of mint plants  in her yard.  Of course I immediately went to my laptop to Google information on this particular mint. Grapefruit Mint  (Menta x piperata citrata) Does well in sun and/or partial shade     Suitable for growing in containers  Attracts  birds,  bees, and  butterflies.  Height of 18" - 24" Flowers bloom late summer/early autumn Flowers are light blue to blue-violet in color and fragrant.  A hardy perennial Can be used dried or fresh  Use in Summer drinks and  fruit salads  I remember making sun tea years ago when my kids were little.Have you ever made sun tea? It is quite easy! All you need is a glass pitcher or jar. Add water, drop tea bags in, cover to keep the insects and other critters out and set in the  hot sun for hours...Let cool, add ice cubes...Presto, there is your sun tea! The other day I decided to test out out the grapefruit mint leaves. I randomly picked off  a few leaves, and  rinsed them off. I placed them in a glass Pyrex measuring cup and filled it with water. I set the measuring cup out on the deck and just let it do it's thing, soaking up the sun. A few hours later, I went outside to check on my concoction. The leaves had sunk to the bottom and the water had evaporated a bit. I removed half of the leaves and poured the rest of the liquid into a drinking glass and set it in the refrigerator for about an hour. I added ice cubes, gave the water a quick stir and offered the glass to Justin. The response I received was a positive one. Even without sugar it was absolutely delicious and refreshing! We are supposed to get a few days of rain, so it looks like I will  be trading the heat of the sun  for boiling water on the stove, and make a pitcher of Grapefruit Mint Tea for the family to enjoy.  :)

Airing Out the Laundry

When I was growing up in the burbs of Massachusetts, it was a common sight to see metal swing sets in the back yard.  I know we had one and spent hours playing on it, pumping our little legs in hopes of reaching the sky. Our Mom would hand us sheets of waxed paper for the metal slide. We would vigorously rub the metal till we deemed it slippery, taking turns running up the steps and speeding to the ground, sometimes landing on our bottom!

I also recall a grey aluminum monstrosity that resembled a tree in some of the yards on our street. It was an outdoor dryer used for hanging wet laundry. We did not have one in our backyard for my mother thought they were quite an eyesore. In fact she said they were downright ugly. I did not see what the big deal was because they were a source of amusement for us because you could spin them around and around...

Years later when I mentioned the old-fashioned dryer contraption to my husband, he had no idea what I was talking about. He grew up in Brooklyn, and lived in an apartment. His mother would hang laundry out to dry on a clothesline  attached to a pole in the backyard to  the next building. 
I grew up with a washer and dryer in my house until I moved to an apartment in Queens, New York. I had the not so pleasant experience of going to laundromats.  When we moved out to Long Island, it was a joy to have a laundry room of my own!  

 A couple of years ago Tom had an idea. Why not string up a nylon laundry rope from tree to tree in the backyard where the kids swing set used to be? I agreed because it was not in plain view since it was in the corner of the backyard. Besides conserving energy for the environment , we would be saving money from the evil  bloodsucking Long Island Lighting Co.( LILCO)during the warmer months.  Oh, and  what a treat it is to gather  fresh laundry dried by the sun and wind from a clothesline in my backyard.

It seems everything came full circle, right down to getting our kids a traditional metal swing set similar to the one I played on as a kid in the backyard.  We purchased a swing set when Marissa was two. Here is a photo of  five year old Marissa, and Justin, age two having a grand ole time before dinnertime.

Of course Justin wanted to be just like his big sister and loved the slide.I got such a kick out of it because it brought back great childhood memories of my own.

Even though wooden swing sets were becoming popular, we decided to take the metal one with us when we moved to a larger home five miles away.  The kids continued playing on the swing set during every season, running out back even when there was snow on the ground. 

Taking a break from swimming in the pool, and playing on the glider...

So many old-fashioned traditions from  the late 1960's are considered retro today, but I see many as common sense, and unlike my Mom, I will continue to air out the laundry in a corner of the yard where our kids once played.  ;)

Walk This Way

Hooray for real spring like weather!. Usually we jump from Winter smack right into Summer, but thankfully most of  Long Island has been fortunate with many lovely spring days. The temperatures have been warm to cool, the breezes have been absolutely refreshing I was pleasantly surprised when the azaleas bloomed in my yard. It just got better and better seeing everything turning green again.

                                                         

 Sure we had a few days of rain, but April showers bring May flowers...and what do May flowers bring besides more rain here and there? Me wearing my sneakers and  taking long walks with friends. It is a totally economical form of exercise.

Aaaaah, walking... No gym membership needed, just get on out into the neighborhood and go! The benefits of walking for me alleviate much stress accumulated from my day at work and things that may be on my mind in general, called LIFE. 

 Walking with buddies is psychologically uplifting and a great way to catch up on "stuff." A brisk walk of one hour flies on by when one is engaged in conversations and  taking in the sights with others.

You never know what critters you will encounter on an outdoor trek in town. Besides ducks, turtles, Cardinals, and Robins, I have seen some cute kitty cats and dogs in people's yards. That always puts a smile on my face.


We recently took a walk on the Nature Trail at Cedar Beach then  continued on the beach itself. For those of you unfamiliar with Long Island Sound, It is a mostly rocky beach so  unless it is low tide you are walking on small rocks rather than sand. Great for the thighs  and butt!

                                     
At the end of our walk we stumbled upon  something very special.
As you can see someone took great care in creating such a lovely  tribute. We wondered who made it and for whom. Stranger still, was a bouquet of flowers placed on the bench to the left of the heart. I wonder if the person that made the rock heart sat patiently with the bouqet of flowers in his or her lap waiting for their love. Did they ever show up? Or did they just forget their flowers? What do you think?

                                        
As I finish up  this blog, I am saddened that the weather man informed our area this spring weather has reached an end for now,  because tomorrow and  the next day will heat up with temps reaching 90!! I sure hope he is correct about next week's weather back down into the 70's because I would like to go walking and see what I can find on my journey! I wonder if that heart wll still be there...