Monthly Archives: June 2011

Lukey Loves Watermelon

Posted by Lesley on June 28, 2011 1 comments

Real life is crazy right now, and my blog life is suffering…sorry.  Still, I had to share something that only takes a minute and has been making me very happy lately – the revelation that Lukey loves watermelon!  The same dog who manages to identify and spit out a dime-sized piece of lettuce when devouring the butt of a sandwich likes watermelon!?!  I’m shocked. 

He ate a tomato out of my sandwich once, then I thought he liked tomatoes.  Turns out, he only likes tomatoes covered in mayo.  I gave him a bundle of chicken and spinach, and the spinach leaves floated like feathers down to the tile as the chicken slid down his throat.  I hate to even reveal this vulgar side of him, but he’ll eat poop before he’ll eat a grape.  I’ve tried, bananas, apples, zucchini, pretty much anything except onions and peppers.  But if it’s not covered in meat or something disgusting, he doesn’t want any part of it…until watermelon.  Oh, Lukey…I’ll be sorry for you when summer ends.

Tropiflora’s Summer Plant Sale

Posted by Lesley on June 23, 2011 1 comments

First let me say that I have never been to this plant sale, but I’ve heard it’s phenomenal.  Why I haven’t been, I don’t know because this is their tenth year.  A guy I work with goes every year with his wife; he said the selection and prices are both worth the trip.  He lives down in Venice, but it’s not very far from me.  Tropiflora is located between 301 and Tuttle at 3530 Tallevast Road in Sarasota.  They’re advertising “Thousands of Bromeliads, Orchids, Succulents, Ferns and other exotic plants, many at liquidation prices.” The sale runs tomorrow and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Click on and print the coupon below, and you can save $5 off $25.  Have fun!

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Posted by Lesley on June 22, 2011 2 comments

John’s about to walk in with our take-out, so I just went to set the table.  That lizard is still there.  Although repositioned, he’s still at the same chair and everything.  Just one more for dinner, I guess.  I’ll let you know tomorrow if lizards like pizza.

Florida Living

Posted by Lesley on June 22, 2011 None comments

It wasn’t just Luke begging for breakfast this morning.  A baby lizard pulled up a chair at our dining room table.

Father’s Day Picnic at Fort De Soto Park

Posted by Lesley on June 19, 2011 None comments

It’s Week Eight, and this picnic series may never end.  Each week is better than the last.  It’s either a date with John or family time with all my boys.

It’s quickly become my favorite weekly outing.  No matter where the table sits, there’s always good food and good conversation – no emails, iPods, phones, or laptops allowed!  Today the place was Fort De Soto Park, and lunch was chicken cordon bleu sandwiches.

A park with grills can really step up your picnic menu.  In the same time it takes to assemble a cold ham and cheese sandwich, you can prep a lunch worthy of dinner.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwiches

  • Layer a slice of ham and a slice of Asiago cheese on top of a chicken cutlet.
  • Roll up the cutlet and secure with a skewer.
  • Sprinkle with Montreal Chicken Seasoning.
  • Pack up and find a grill.
  • Serve cooked roll-ups on sandwich buns.

Lunch was first; next up was exploring.  The park is big, its own island where the Gulf of Mexico meets Tampa Bay.  Cooper and John headed over to the 1,000-foot Gulf pier to do some fishing, while I took Lukey over to the dog beach to cool off.

When you’re only a foot tall, even the relaxed tide of the gulf can be a little too much.  It took about six tries to get Luke past the bubbles of the water’s edge, but his seperation anxiety eventually took priority over his water phobia.  By the time he got to me, he was so frenzied that he had transformed into a wind-up doll.  Even when plucked from the water, his little legs never stopped paddling.  It’s possible that if Luke was a person, he’d be seeing a therapist.  Even the other dogs were too much for him.  But in his defense, there were a lot of dogs.

For the most part, he was staring at me or rolling in the sand solo, but Luke really could have mingled more.  For how many dogs were on the beach, it was incredibly calm and enjoyable.  When we went to the dog beach in Venice, it was chaotic.  I didn’t feel comfortable even sitting on the beach.  The dogs were running back and forth in a pack.  Within 10 minutes of settling in, our bag was looted by a Cocker Spaniel.  All the dogs were peeing everywhere, but one Golden Retriever was alone in diggng the shoreline into Swiss cheese.  I was stung by a jellyfish at the beach once; this was worse.  It never occured to me in a million drops of dog drool that I’d ever see another dog beach again, but this was a completely different experience…still, my flip flops stayed on.

Fort De Soto Park
3500 Pinellas Bayway S., Tierra Verde, FL 33715
Park Office (727) 552-1862
Campground Office (727) 893-9185

The Power of Pentas

Posted by Lesley on June 14, 2011 2 comments

It could be the bright red color or the stars filled with nectar, maybe it’s the landing pad that’s created from all those little stars.  Most likely it’s the combination of all three that make Pentas the most sought after flower in my garden.  Butterflies can’t keep their proboscises out of them.

I love them because even in the heat of summer when all the other leaves and petals are curling inside themselves to escape the sun, pentas are still perky.  And any flower that is a friend of a butterfly’s is a friend of mine.  The bees like them too.

Pentas are perennials in Florida but annuals in other parts of the country.  They’ll grow up to 4-feet tall, a fact that eluded me until I planted two in full sun.  They dwarf their shaded counterparts.  Ideal growing conditions for pentas are under full sun in moist, well-drained soil. 

Even Parking Lots Offer the Opportunity to Picnic

Posted by Lesley on June 12, 2011 None comments

We didn’t splurge on the $17 times three for admission, but we still spent the afternoon enjoying much of what Selby Gardens has to offer - a waterfront view and a variety of plants and trees.  Good thing there were no picnic tables left at Marina Jack or I would have never thought of this spot.  Just beyond the parking lot for Selby Gardens is a surprisingly serene spot overlooking a canal and totally shaded by exotic trees.  

Maybe in other cities parking lots are drab, barren slabs of concrete, but this Sarasota lot is complete with a wood bench, so it’s basically a miniature park.  Luke and I have been there before because it’s a stop on the recreational trail that runs along Sarasota Bay.  Even when not visiting Selby Gardens, it’s nice to walk the sidewalks outside.  The plants are marked the same as they are inside, and sometimes there are plant displays outside the horticulture building.  

Today’s most talked about tree was the Sausage Tree, more formally known as Kigelia pinnata.  The large orchid-type blooms hanging from the branches are what caught our attention initially, but then we remembered the tree from our visit to the Edison Estate.    

We couldn’t figure out the connection between the common name and the tree until we spotted some fruit hanging.  They look like giant sausage casings and are apparently quite dangerous.  The fruit can weight up to 15 pounds and have not only knocked out car windows but animals and people too.

Lunch was as good as the spot thanks to an old and new menu favorite.  The old favorite, ham and basil pinwheels, are an appetizer I make for parties because they’re such a cinch.  Spread cream cheese on a tortilla and top with raddicchio, basil and Black Forest ham.  Roll, cut and done.  The new favorite, Daily’s Daquiris, are a freezer to cup insta-cocktail.  I said it in my last post, and I’ll say it again…it’s going to be a long, hot summer.  Daily’s will be helping me get through it.

{this moment} Brothers

Posted by Lesley on June 10, 2011 None comments

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. -Soulemama

It’s an Acorn

Posted by Lesley on June 9, 2011 1 comments

It was down to a lakota or an acorn, and the mystery squash turned out to be an acorn squash. 

The squash was plucked yesterday morning and by the time I got home last night, John had already split it wide open and eaten half.

He baked it with a little butter and garlic, but it would have been just as tasty plain.  Acorn is my favorite of all squashes because of its sweetness.  I savored every bite.  There are a few carrots left in the ground, but after that, our garden is closed up for the summer, so are most of the local farmers markets.  The downtown Sarasota market stays open on Saturday mornings, but many of the vendors take the summer off.  The selection is just not the same…it’s going to be a long, hot summer. 

Plant Shopping Locally vs. Walmart

Posted by Lesley on June 7, 2011 None comments

The scent of Star Jasmine left the garden a few weeks ago, which makes me very sad.  The fragrance is so potent that two small climbers blanket every inch of the garden, and you don’t have to tickle your nose with petals to take it in either.  The minute the back door opens, the smell strikes. 

Now, a little over a month after the full-blown bloom of the Jasmine vines, there is a regular Star Jasmine plant blooming in the corner, completely scentless.  WTF?  It’s a cheeseburger with no cheese.  So now guess where I bought this particular plant – Walmart, of course.  They get me every time with their bargains.  I bought that one and a Gardenia at two for ten dollars.  The Gardenia is also big, beautiful and scentless.

Above is a five-dollar bell pepper plant bought from a vendor at King Family Farm and Market.  She owns and operates a local nursery nearby and grows for our gardening zone.  There are peppers ripening every day and more just starting to grow.  The peppers alone would cost more than five dollars at the grocery store without a plant attached. 

A plant should be healthy not root-bound.  They should smell good if they’re supposed to and be grown for local conditions not mass markets.  The next time I’m in Walmart, I’ll try to exercise some constraint and avoid the Garden Center.  Here’s a list of my favorite local plant sources in Sarasota and Manatee Counties: