Free Food!

The past several days have been rainy and gloomy, but this morning the sun came out!
So with some time on my hands, I'm going to go foraging for some free food.

The stinging nettles pictured above are helping themselves to my veggie garden spot. I've always battled these plants in the garden. But in early spring they are very tasty. Once steamed they have absolutely no sting. Nettle Tea is supposed to be very good for you.
I won't go into all the health benefits, most people will turn their noses up at Nettle Tea.

Nettles as fresh veggies are another great spring benefit. Once cooked or steamed you can eat them with a dab of butter. Don't think of them as nasty weeds, think of them as free food.

I like digging up leeks or wild ramps too. They are a wild onion. I'm going to dehydrate the extras this year to use in soups and stews this winter.

And today I'm going to wander around in the creek bottom and search for wild parsnips.

These are those nasty plants that cause burns when they are flowering.

Of course there is another free food that will come with the nice spring weather but Morel Mushrooms won't be out for at least a month or so yet.

Lamb's Quarters will show up around my birthday and I can't wait for a taste of those either.

Foraging is a lot of fun and if you know what you are doing, you can get grab some free food along with your exercise!

Killing me softly...

Okay nothing is killing me.
Really.

That old song "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack popped into my head this morning.
My stuffy aching head.

What is the worst thing that can happen to a person who normally never gets a cold?
A head cold that is in the sinus cavity. My face literally hurts.
I would love to rip it right off.
My eyes burn, the teeth hurt, the nose is plugged tight.

It feels as though my head is in a fog and my thoughts are lost 'out there' somewhere.

Hot tea has been my main go to drink. It seems to help. I like the herbal teas by Celestial Seasonings. The Sleepytime Sinus Soother with some honey is what I've been drinking. I know the cold is pretty serious when everything tastes like cardboard.


Rich had eyebrow/lid surgery on Tuesday morning to lift the drooping lids out of his eyes. Who would have thought such a thing was possible years ago? Apparently the lids were blocking up to 30% of his vision.

He didn't want to look at me but I took a shot anyway. The swelling was considerable and settled under his eyes.

So here I am with a fogged head, burning eyes, and sort of feeling sorry for myself with a cold.
I have to do all of the chores at least until Tuesday. Rich has weight and physical restrictions for a week.

I do have to say that getting out into the fresh air is probably the best thing for me. It takes my mind off from being miserable.

Don't feel sorry for me...I can feel plenty sorry for myself. Other folks have it much worse than I do. My stepdaughter has walking pneumonia, yikes!

More Tea please!