Summertime. Eat Local.

Memorial Day.  The day that we are supposed to stop and give thanks to those that serve and protect our country, our lives and our families.  I did read several facebook posts and tweets about thanking the brave men and women that risk their lives to keep us safe, most posts were about the shore, bbq’s and a day off.  A great big thank you to all past, present and future military!  Thank you for protecting us so we can continue to live footloose and fancy free!

All across the country Memorial is the “unofficial” start to the summer season.  A time when travel is high, generally to a beach related destination.  Well, this gypsy is not real keen on crowds, so she took the weekend off from traveling and opted to stay home and prepare the gardens for her family to enjoy while she is away all summer.

Oooh, did I peak your interest a little?  Me being away all summer means one thing… Lots of adventures to write about!  And many interesting facts for you to read.  Well, they might not all be true facts, but by the time they get to you, in my head they will be.  I have been known to embellish a story from time to time.  But it is ok.  I come from a long line of embellishers.  My grandfather is the greatest embellisher of them all; he always says, “say it today, believe it tomorrow!” 

Now, back to the original thought process; gardens.  Summer time is a great time to easily eat healthy, fresh and local.  What could be more local than your own back yard?  If you are on the ball you can start planning your garden in February and plant seeds for as cheaply as 99 cents a package and you get a ton of seeds.  But if you are busy and just don’t have the time, toward the middle to end of May you can safely plant outside store bought plants.  I like to plant all organic and heirloom varieties when at all possible.  That way, I know that they are truly chemical free and unaltered.  The organic plants will cost you a little more, but the harvest is much better.  The tomato plants I purchased were about $5.00 each, which will yield tons of fruit.  In the peak time for tomatoes, you can buy them for about $2.50 a pound in the store.  So, planting your own is really quite cost effective.  The same goes for all veggies and herbs.

Here is a list of what I planted so far this year:

• 3 types of tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Green Beans

• 

  vegparadise.com

   

• Potatoes
• Acorn Squash
• Red Bell Peppers
• Poblano Peppers
• Basil
• Parsley (actually came back from last year)
• Oregano
• Chocolate Mint
• Spearmint
• Cilantro
• Lemon Thyme
• Thai Basil
• Rosemary
• Lemon Verbena
• Sage
• Chives

I am looking for suggestions on other veggies or herbs to plant.  What do you suggest?  I have a limited amount of space that needs to be utilized most effectively. 

Gardening is also a great activity to get the kids involved in.  It could be a real learning experience and fun for the whole family.  Just think how rewarding it is to actually eat the fruits of your labor. A little too much? 

In other news this week...

•  While digging up the garden I found a GI Joe!  Good Luck omen?  You might not think so, but I beg to differ.. A little later in the day the ice cream truck stopped by and offered me a treat.

• I am embarking on a vegan challenge with a friend.   Wish me luck.  I can do without meat, but cheese!  Oh cheese!  How will I live without you?  I will post yummy recipes when I come across them if y'all are interested.
• I am also taking on a fitness challenge this month.  Check out http://queenmum-queenmum.blogspot.com/ for some inspirational and slightly intimidating awesomeness.

Thanks for stopping by for the gypsy times report. 

This week’s message… Love, Laugh, Grow!

Been There, Done That...

A gypsy is described as a person who has an inclination to move from place to place.  This time the inclination took this gypsy to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.  While a very interesting trip, I am sure not likely to return any time in the near or distant future. 

My cousin Carrie joined me on this trip and we loaded up the car on Friday evening and headed north.  Bea, Carrie’s GPS calculated us to arrive at 11:06 PM.  Well, we all know that GPS’s do not take into consideration traffic, road construction, accidents or pit stops.  However, we did make good time until we were forced off of the interstate for a so called accident just minutes from the border.  General courtesy is if you make someone get off of the highway to detour, provide signage on how to get passed why a detour is needed.   Don’t just drop ‘em in some town named Tonawandas and expect ‘em to know where to go.  After a few scary back allies, we were once again headed to the border.

After making it across the border with minimal questioning and to our hotel, we settled in for a good night’s sleep.  Saturday morning we were anxious to get exploring.  But not until we had a somewhat adequate breakfast at the River’s Edge Café, where we were the only guests, so we had the waiter’s undivided attention.  With every sip of water, he was there to refill our glasses.

We headed the five kilometers or so to the falls to start our Niagara Adventure!  Now, some call me cheap while others call me frugal, I call it sensible.  We pulled into the parking lot and it was $20 to park the car.  I had no intention of paying that much to park when we can park at the hotel for free and take the people mover shuttle bus (we just had to get our passes first). 

Our first adventure was the Maid of the Mist.  We put on our blue poncho that turned out to be not so water proof and boarded the boat and headed toward the falls.  It’s a good thing I bought myself a waterproof camera…  We then Journeyed Behind the Falls and experienced Niagara’s Fury.

After our day of adventure, we spent the evening exploring Clifton Hill and Fallsview tourist areas.  And indeed they were.  I can safely say that I never want to witness that again.  To put it into perspective, it is like Seaside Heights, Atlantic City and Ocean City, MD and a little Vegas threw up and it landed at Niagara Falls.

Sunday morning we headed back to the tourist area to find some breakfast.  $40 later we were two very unhappy customers.  The Clifton Hill Family Restaurant has terrible service and the food had zero taste.  Seriously.  There was no flavor to the eggs benedict.  How is that even possible?  It was like we were asking the waitress to commit murder when we had to ask for a glass of water, twice.  We should have stuck with the River’s Edge Café where the water was free flowing and we had undivided attention.

We finished up our Niagara Adventure pass with a White Water Walk were we witnessed class 6 white water rapids.  We thought that they should have launched a kayak every 15 minutes or so, so we could see how dangerous they really are.

After a refreshing ice cream cone we headed northeast to Niagara on the Lake.  This was much more to our liking, a cute little town with unique shops and restaurants.  We had a pleasant dinner on the patio overlooking Lake Ontario at the Niagara on the Lake Golf Club.  After dinner we strolled around the Botanical Gardens until the mosquitoes got the better of us.

As we were settling in for our final evening in Canada we started to hear loud noises.  We decided it was either fireworks or warfare.  We were going for warfare since the bangs were getting louder and closer.  I finally ventured outside to see that it was fireworks, in the back yard of our hotel.  I am not sure if the people setting them off actually knew there was a building there, because, there is no way they should have been that close…

Needless to say the trip to Niagara Falls was an experience; I am not likely to return anytime in the near or distant future.  Been there, done that!

Smell the What?

In our busy schedules these days very few of us will deviate from the norm.  We take the same route to work every day, have the same boring lunch, get the kids to activities, get the kids to bed, watch the same boring TV, and go to bed to then start the whole process over again in the morning.  Is this actually living?  Sure we are breathing, and functioning but isn’t life too short not to stop and smell the roses once and a while?

Now, I know that everyone is on a tight schedule and can’t be late for work. How many of us actually pay attention to where we are driving anyway?  We are so busy making phone calls, sending texts, checking facebook, thinking about what we are going to do about dinner, or daydreaming about the vacation that we probably won’t get again this year.   But, isn’t there a road that you always wanted to go down, just to see what’s there?  A store you always said you were wanted to check out?  There must be items on your bucket list that you would love to start crossing off.  Let’s face it, we’re not getting younger.

Well, there is no time like the present.  Make today the day!  Take a deep breath, look around.  You might just be surprised at what you see.  You will probably be surprised at what you smell as well.  Breathe deep enough to smell the slight scent of the dewy lilacs on the crisp spring morning.  Turn off the iPod long enough to hear nature’s music.  Put down the phone while you are driving and look around.  Even though you take the same route every day, you might be pleasantly pleased with what you actually see when you take the time to look. 

I know I sound like a crazy lunatic ranting and raving about the beauty of the world.  But it is beautiful and not many of us realize how beautiful it is.  That is why I strive every day to do one thing that I’ve never done before.  I might take that side road on the way home, go in the new restaurant for lunch, plan a trip to far off lands, or hike the trail that scares me a little.  

I dare you to try something new today.  You won’t be sorry!  Or, maybe you will be, but you won’t know until you try and at least you took the chance.  Start chipping away at that bucket list.  Sleep with your window open so the song birds can be your alarm clock.  

 Breathe. Look.  Love.  Laugh.  Live!

Gypsy's Need Culture, too.

May 5^th, Cinco de Mayo, Kentucky Derby, Full Moon (in Scorpio no less!), Super Moon, and my Mama’s Birthday!  What could be better?! 

This Gypsy girl headed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art with Mom and Aunt for a fun filled day of culture.  What?  Even Gypsy’s need some culture!  Now, I am sure most of you know this fab museum, but probably from the movie Rocky.  We all have a dream of running up the steps out front, but how many of us actually want to go inside?  Well, there are three floors and over 2000 years of creativity busting at the seams.  From Modern and Contemporary Art to Asian Art to early and recent European Art; there is definitely something here for everyone. 

While I am not one to stand around and read all the plaques, I am fueled by the beauty of the art; it nudges my creativity so to speak.  If I see something I like, I tend to linger a bit longer, maybe even read the plaque.  Many of you might not have known, but I dig Asian Art.  My first stop was to the top floor to absorb the tranquility of the Japanese Teahouse.

After meandering around a bit, I headed down the Grand Staircase and out the front door to conquer the steps.  Actually, I went out to take some pictures of the skyline and the steps… It was quite a dreary morning and the clouds were hugging the tops of the buildings downtown; a pretty neat sight. 

 After a day full of culture, we headed out to celebrate Mom’s birthday and the Kentucky Derby.  Here is where gut instinct comes into play.  If you have one, go with it.  My first initial pick for the Derby was I’ll Have Another, but instead after spending the day getting cultured, I went with Creative Cause.  Had I gone with my gut instinct, I would have been $7.00 richer!  Oh well, I had another… mint julep and Corona, it is after all Cinco de Mayo, too... and it didn’t seem to matter as much.  Besides, no one could see me crying anyway under my giant hat!

Make A Wish!

So, the moral of today’s story… Don’t be afraid of culture and go with your gut!

Interesting May 5^th facts:

• The first Three Stooges short, Woman Haters, is released – 1934
• The government of South Africa declares Afrikaans an official language – 1925
• Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread - 1809

A Mystic Adventure

No one likes to jump in the car and go more than this girl.  So, naturally when the weather started getting nicer, I go itchy feet.  Where would my first stop of the season be?  You may have guessed it, Mystic Connecticut!  A spur of the moment trip, if you will.  I woke up on a sunny Saturday morning and said to myself “I don’t feel like wasting another beautiful day sitting around saying, I wish there was something to do.”  I took matters into my own hands…

 

So, I threw some clothes in a bag and filled my water bottle and jumped in the Kizashi and headed north.  With the iPod keeping me company with songs ranging from The Avett Brothers to Zeppelin, it was sure to be a good trip.   The sun was shining and traffic was almost nonexistent and a short three hours later I was cruising around downtown Mystic. 

Downtown Mystic is full of tiny stores full of things to tickle everyone’s fancy.  From toys to camo and shoes to ice cream, everyone is sure to be happy.  How can you not in such a cute little town.  Have you seen the movie Mystic Pizza?  It looks just like that…

After perusing downtown, I headed to Mystic Seaport for a giant dose of history.  You all know I tend to get a little seasick, so I was slightly apprehensive about climbing aboard the Tall Ships and peaking around.  But, you all know I also like a good day of exploring, so aboard I went.  I had nothing to worry about.  These Tall Ships were large enough and the Mystic River was calm enough that my tummy never swirled!

While I was there I took in a very informative presentation at the Treworgy Planetarium.  I learned how to locate many stars, planets and other celestial objects in the night sky.  For those of you who don’t know, I love me a starry sky!

 

 

The time is starting to get a little later in the day and I needed to find me a place to lay my head for the night, or at least grab a shower…  For some reason it was an unusually busy weekend in Mystic and many places had no vacancies.  So I headed to the next town, Groton, CT. where I found an adequate place to call home for the night.  The front desk attendant was very helpful and not bad to look at either.  He suggested Hub’s Clam Shack for dinner.  Well, this run down ice cream shop looking place had what could quite possibly be the best lobster bisque in all the world! Mad props for Hub’s!

After my belly was full and my face was clean I headed the 20 minutes or so to the Mohegan Sun to try my luck in cards and a couple slot machines.  Well, lady luck wasn’t on my side this night.  Although, it could have been much worse!

Interesting facts about the Mohegan Sun:

• ·         The second largest casino in the world.
• ·         Owns the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.
• ·         SolToro Tequila Grill has 80, yes eighty types of tequila in stock!
• ·         Three casinos with 300,000+ square feet of gaming space

o   Casinos  of the Earth, Wind and Sky

Sunday morning, I enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before heading to Mystic Aquarium.  At the aquarium I was able to get up close and personal with a beluga whale, communicate with African penguins and pet a shark and a stingray.  There was an amazing display of jelly fish, and you thought the ones at the beach were scary!  Sea Lions sang for their supper and jumped through hoops to get it.  I also got to journey 12,450 feet below to explore the Titanic, the newest exhibit at the aquarium. All and all a very interesting visit.

Before jumping back in the car and heading the 3 hours back to reality, I decided to check out Olde Mistick Village.  I meandered along the brick walkways and window shopped at nearly 40 unique boutiques ranging from art to zapatos.   I purchased some caramel sea salt chocolate fudge and headed home.

 

Be sure to check back for the more adventures of jessethegypsy!