New Blogger Format

Today I'm typing on the new Blogger platform for the first time. I'm just hoping I can figure it all out. It seems everything works the same as before, but I'm mad they got rid of the spell checker icon. That actually happened some time ago, and one wonders why. In any case, this format looks tidier to my eyes, but I don't notice anything new beyond its appearance. Let's just hope everything works as it should. The new format appeared on my dashboard several weeks ago, and I reverted to the old dashboard. Then I received an email saying everyone would be forced to switch over sometime around July of this year (the date escapes me). So get ready, my Blogger blogging friends. Resistance is futile.

Not much got done yesterday. I spent the morning in the kitchen making dinner for last night. There was some fresh dill left over from a different dish, and I hate wasting fresh herbs from the grocery store. They're pretty expensive. One way to use the dill is in a Seafood Pasta Salad with Lemon-Saffron Herb Dressing. It's a family favorite and so Matthew and Mike gave it two thumbs up when I suggested it.

The only problem is that now I have a container of tarragon to use up after making this recipe. I suppose it's possible to fall into a fresh herb black hole, purchasing new ones in order to use up the old ones. Possibly there's no return from this. But I still had some dill, not to mention leftover sugar snap peas from a recipe last week, and so I tried something new in this Sugar Snap Pea Salad. It was pretty simple to make. It includes sugar snap peas, radishes, English cucumber, and arugula (although I always substitute spinach for arugula).

(image source)

The recipe is from Cook's Country, and you need a membership to see it. If you really want the recipe, email me, and I'll send it to you.

Before I go on, I'll say this new format is confusing me a little. So far, I've been able to figure everything out, except how to insert a picture using the "image address." I've only ever used this feature when I want to link to one of my own pictures included in an old post. It doesn't seem to work when I try to add a picture, and so I'm having to first download it to my computer (because I deleted the original long ago), and then upload it to the blog again. On the other hand, a "drag and drop" feature has been added, and that makes the "upload" a little easier. 

I get frustrated when things change on the computer, and so it's going to take some time to get used to this new platform. Also, I was trying to figure out how to left align, center, or right align the text. For that, you must click on the three dots indicated in the image below.

That opens up a new menu, and you can do several things there. For me, it's usually "left align" after uploading a picture. 

Also, to change the size of a picture, just click on the picture, which will bring up a menu that looks like this:

From there, click on the little pencil in the lower left-hand corner to bring up this menu, allowing you to make changes to your pictures.

Okay, so I'm sorry to be going on about this, and I hope it isn't boring you. I'm creating a little tutorial for myself as I go. Mind like a steel trap, you know.

All right. Getting back to yesterday...

Before I spent the morning in the kitchen, I worked some more on the most recent snowflake. My friend Wendy correctly noted that there is a lot more stitching in this one than in previous ones. It seems that way to me too. There's a lot to fill in with the long and short stitches, but a little each day will get the job done.

After that, I took a little walk around the garden. More poppies have bloomed, and there are four in bloom right now. I didn't notice I'd captured the bumble bee until I uploaded the pictures. Isn't it fun when you discover a little surprise on your camera?

More and more buds are appearing in this whiskey barrel. Including the ones already bloomed out, I counted 18 buds on this one plant alone. It should continue blooming for a while.

The first buds are appearing on one of the lavender plants. That can only mean one thing: Bees Knees cocktails are on the horizon. It'll give me something else to think about while I wait for the peony to open. (Update: the peony has not opened.)

Also, I noticed the poppy seeds I sowed directly into the greenhouse whiskey barrel are sprouting. Usually, I start these in little pots in the greenhouse. When we moved the whiskey barrel into the sunshine, I thought they might sprout right there.

I spent a little time wetting things down in the greenhouse. The kitties don't like to come into the greenhouse since there is a hose that sprays water, and kitties do not like water. When I turned to leave, I spotted them harassing the squirrels up on the wall where the junipers grow.

And this brings me to some sad news...sad for kitties...and for us. The coyotes are back. We haven't seen them, but we've heard them howling during the day twice this week. And this seems to be an annual event. I've read several articles about coyote "pupping season."  This has happened at least four year's running here at the Three Cats Ranch. What it means to us is that the kitties are confined to the indoors again, and they probably will be for the remainder of the summer. It makes me sad for them because they so love being out.

We'll still get Smitty out on his leash and harness so he can nibble on his grass and get some exercise. I have a new harness on order for Sadie, and we're hoping it'll be one from which she can't escape. It's coming all the way from Hong Kong, and it's taking its sweet time. When it arrives, the next challenge will be getting it on her, since anything that involves holding her down is like trying to saddle a bucking horse.

Okay, and so finally, after all the kitchen and garden duties were finished, I made my way into the sewing room to finish off the last of the Charm Stars blocks. I decided to make the last two in browns. They're all laid out now, and I'll sew them together today.

That will be today's goal in the sewing room. With those finished, I'll have an opening on my WIPs dance card, and so I'll probably get started on the second shop hop quilt. I think I have 12 fabrics to get me started, and I have a pattern selected. When I see how large the blocks are, I'll know how many fabrics I need to make a whole quilt. In the meantime, I'll use what I have, and then egg Mike on to make more trips to visit more quilt shops.

Okay, so I still have all my hair, even after typing a whole post on this new Blogger platform. To my Blogger blogging friends, I'll be curious to know what you think of it.