GONE WITH THE WIND/GUSTY STORM

The weather forecast said rain … but nothing was mentioned about high winds.

And man (!), did we get them!

A howling storm blew in around 7:30 p.m. and blew things around pretty good:

Storm blowing in and ripping the ‘For Sale’ Sign off the post next door.

Trees being shaken; and our Bird House & Bird Feeder were shaken too.

Hummingbirds braved out the storm.

Wind chimes were blown around – I hope they stay put and don’t get blown into the windows.

A howling wind blew through here like a forlorn banshee. It could be heard very clearly through the closed windows ...

The ‘For Sale’ Sign on the property next door was blown away … gone with the wind.

The door wreath I made 2 decades ago for the 1st house we bought in Longview, was torn off the door hook and blown to the ground – I retrieved it; still in one piece, and it is inside drying out now.

I hope I do not wake up to total chaos tomorrow.

And I hope the hummingbird feeders do not get broken - they are glass feeders.

The houses are pretty tight in this park – things could get dicey for everyone.

OVEN FRIED FISH FILLETS Recipe

I haven’t had fish in a while … Bob would eat fish under protest … and I haven’t really felt like cooking for the past 5 months.

I cooked up a storm the first week after his graduation, mostly for something to do to keep me from flying apart: and I portioned those meals and froze them – taking them out and reheating them when and if I felt like eating a full meal. Usually all I wanted was a fast sandwich, so those frozen meals lasted until last week.

Now, they are gone … and I actually feel like cooking again, and eating more than a quick sandwich.

So.

Nothing fancy … just delicious home cooking ;-)

Tonight, I am baking a fish fillet and a foil-wrapped veggie packet. All but the potato and fish came from my garden – and the breadcrumbs are homemade from start to finish too because they are ground dried homemade bread heels. Maybe next year I can grow my own spuds too. I got a late start with my garden this year due to more home repair and maintenance projects, and the potatoes I ordered had been sold out; maybe better luck next year ;-)

Anyway …

This recipe comes from my ‘Southern Living/Cooking Light’ Cookbook I bought at a garage sale a few years ago. The veggie packets are my own concoction, and I put them in the oven to cook about a half hour before I put the fish in the oven:

OVEN FRIED FISH FILLETS ~serves 4

1 pound Flounder (or Sole) fillets * 1 Tablespoon reduced calorie Mayonnaise * 6 Tablespoons fine, dry Breadcrumbs * 2 Tablespoons minced fresh Parsley * ½ teaspoon Paprika * Vegetable Cooking Spray * lemon wedges (optional)

Coat fillets with mayonnaise. Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, and paprika (I used frozen minced parsley, so I added the parsley to the mayonnaise). Dredge coated fillets in breadcrumb mixture:

Arrange fillets on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake at 450-degrees (425-degree oven for glass cooking dish) for 12 minutes or until fillets flake easily with a fork:

Fish rolled in bread crumbs and ready for oven.

Serve with a lemon wedge. About 140 calories per serving.

==FOIL-WRAPPED VEGGIE PACKET ~serves 1

Cut a large piece of foil and fold it in half to strengthen it. On one half place 1 Potato cut in wedged ‘fingers’ * 4 small baby Carrots * ¼ cup quarted Onion pieces. Drizzle with Olive Oil and herb seasoning of choice:

Carefully fold opposite end of foil over veggie pieces and crimp edges securely so juices to not bubble out and run all over the oven:

Cook in a 425-degree oven for about 40 minutes.

LOW IMPACT WORKOUT FOR SENIORS

As I mentioned yesterday (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/get-out-and-walkabout-day.html), I am serious about getting into an exercise routine; so this morning I did a search for online low-impact exercises, and found this one – which is really pretty good, and pretty low impact.

I skipped the dance routines because I just can’t concentrate on them right now (widow's brain fog): simple, basic, mindless exercises I can manage … like the weight lifting and the physical movements.

And the LAST THING I want to envision while going through the paces is john travolta! Just hearing his name wants me want to barf. Seriously.

Maybe I will eventually want to do the dance routines, but right now is not that time.

I am definitely feeling the burn – and that is a good thing ;-)