posted Mar 7, 2011 2:47 PM by Julie Tatro
In my last post, quite a while ago (I'd better get cracking if I want to be a serious blogger), I pondered on my grapefruit tree. Well, there will be no pondering today, just good eats! The fruit is ripe and absolutely delicious. Better yet, the air is scented with the blossoms of the next crop of grapefruit, tangerines, navel oranges and honeybell oranges that are growing around my neighborhood. Here's the latest picture and a wish that you could smell the flowers.
|
posted Jul 16, 2010 5:37 PM by Julie Tatro
From orange blossoms, time moves us to grapefruit. I have a grapefruit tree that shades my patio. It's a beautiful tree that sweetens the air with fragrant blossoms each spring and delivers 6 inch white grapefruit that's sweet enough to eat plain each winter. Not knowing a whole lot about fruit trees when I first moved into my current home, I got concerned that first late-spring when I would find dozens of tiny green fruit strewn on my patio. Was there something wrong with the tree? Was the weather not right for it this year? Am I going to miss the fruit in the winter? No...mid-summer, there was the answer. Dozens of 3 inch fruit still on the tree. Somewhere along the way, the tree is triggered to drop some of its fruit so that the resources can go into producing fewer, but big, sweet fruit (that the fruit rats also enjoy...grrrr).
That's the nature of this fruit tree. Obviously, it is also a reflection on a type of business development. Put out a bunch of flowers knowing many will come to fruit, evaluate which fruit has the best chance to grow into the healthiest ones, put the resources to them, and let the others go.
Now, what's the lesson in the success of the tree across the yard that has 3 kinds of grapefruit spliced onto one trunk?
Three-inch green grapefruit well on their way to 6 inches of golden sweet-tartness
|
posted Apr 3, 2010 8:30 AM by Julie Tatro
Happy to see that the orange trees and bees made it through our rather cold winter. It's a beautiful day in St. Petersburg, and the fragrance of the citrus trees is so refreshing. We have several fruit trees in the neighborhood, including a little navel orange tree just outside my front door and a huge grapefruit tree by my back porch, which still has some fruit on it.
Another treat that comes this time of year is the orange blossom honey. As you can see in the pic, the bees are on duty, so I'll be on the lookout for some fresh honey at our local farmer's markets. |
posted Mar 29, 2010 6:57 PM by Julie Tatro
[
updated Jul 15, 2010 10:20 PM
]
Well, Spring is settling in around west-central Florida. Great time to get out the bicycles for some fair weather riding.
This past weekend, I got out my hybrid and headed to downtown St. Petersburg to see (mostly hear) the Indy cars in town for the Honda Grand Prix. After a few minutes of peering through a gap in the fence near the last turn and soaking in the sounds of those highly tuned motors, I headed south. Not sure of which way I was definitely going to go, I saw one of these symbols on the road...
 This is an example of the marks placed by the cycling clubs around town to guide riders. So, I decided that with plenty of daylight left, plenty of water in my bottle and a general idea of where potential bathroom breaks could be had if needed, I would see where this ride would lead.
It started out pretty familiar, taking me down a street close to where I used to live. The trees lining the road are starting to get their foliage back after this hard winter, so there was plenty of shade. The trail took me past some beautiful waterfront properties, many for sale, and down to a waterfront park. This park is where a ferry, prior to the bridges, would leave Pinellas county and go across the mouth of Tampa Bay to Manatee county.
The trail then took me past an area of town known as "the pink streets" (I'll snap a picture of those for you next time...they really are pink) and through a quiet neigborhood I have not been in before and back onto a familiar road for the last leg home.
I'm looking forward to exploring more of these trails around town this spring. There are some nice places to ride whether you trek along at 12 mph with a friend or join the experienced group riders for a thrilling 20 - 22 mph ride through town. |
posted Feb 14, 2010 7:18 AM by Julie Tatro
[
updated Feb 14, 2010 8:06 AM
]
'Tis no one's fault the blossom fell
from the height of it's stretch to the sun
'Tis no one's fault the petals, once fragarent
now lie pungent on the mud
'Tis no one's doing that before it fell
the bees delivered pollen of green
'Tis no one's doing this blossom
received pollen of another's breed
This blossom simply followed nature's laws
laid in the seed from which it arrived
'Tis no tragedy the blossom made not its
own seed before it died
'Tis only the laws of nature that
the flower even existed I am thankful for the morning glories that carry us through the winter
'So why then are the doings of
nature to be so resisted?
I am more than the blossom as of
my life and love I am aware
But the laws of time and nature,
the blossom and I share. |
posted Jan 9, 2010 12:27 AM by Julie Tatro
At the end of the pier is the see beyond the sea
Stand upon the beams
Strike the dissonant chord
Soft will the song of eternity echo to me
posted Dec 23, 2009 8:11 AM by Julie Tatro
The arts...part of the humanities, sources of divine experiences, political pawns, topics of financial controversy, connections to our cultures and communities, explorations into the cultures and communities of others, vehicles for health. Whatever the arts may be at any given time, because they are a defining characteristic of being human, they also reflect the human experience. Which of the arts and humanities best reflect and express the genuine you?
|
posted Dec 18, 2009 7:14 PM by Julie Tatro
[
updated Dec 18, 2009 7:40 PM
]
We have had some pretty windy days around St. Petersburg lately. Makes running a little more work...depending on which direction you are going, of course. And, if you are on a bike, you hope the wind is at your back on the way home. If you're on the golf course, remember to adjust your club selection.
The other day, I was out for one of my training runs at Ft. Desoto, and it was a windy day. Heading into the 11mph wind, though, I had some distraction. One of the several local groups of kite boarders were out making the most of the weather. I've always enjoyed flying single-string and stunt kites, so maybe...
|
posted Dec 11, 2009 5:14 PM by Julie Tatro
[
updated Dec 11, 2009 5:38 PM
]
1 roll Jimmy Dean Low Fat Sausage
1/2 Tablespoon fennel seeds
1 jar pasta sauce (I prefer the less sweet ones like Publix Premium...also less expensive)
14 oz. container low fat ricotta cheese
16 oz. brick of low fat mozarella cheese, cut into chunks
8 oz. brick of low fat mozarella cheese, shredded
1 cup parmasean cheese
Cleaning HintOven Cleaning Hint - Don't let anything fall into the bottom of the oven!! Put your casseroles on an old cookie sheet in the oven, so if anything bubbles over the edge of the dish, onto the cookie sheet it goes.
Cook the noodles with a little olive oil until al dente, drain and set aside.
Fry the sausage with the fennel until the sausage is completely cooked, set aside
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In an 8in x 11in (medium sized rectangular) casserole, spoon about 1/4 cup of sauce on the bottom
Layers:
First - 5 noodles, 1/3 sauce, 1/2 sausage, 1/2 chunked mozarella, 1/3 parmasean
Second - Same as the first
Third - noodles, remaining sauce, shredded mozarella, remaining parmasean
Cover with foil, bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 - 15 minutes until cheese is nicely melted.
Let it cool for about 10 - 15 minutes before serving |
posted Dec 7, 2009 8:15 PM by Julie Tatro
The Tomkats are a big band that perform in and around St. Petersburg. Their steady gig right now is at the Blue Parrot on Monday nights from 7:00 to 9:30. You can hear them play just about anything from the standards of the 30's and 40's to big band arrangements of Michael Jackson, the theme from "The Flintstones" to holiday favorites. These musicians are top notch and several are known for their solo gigs as well. Come out and hear these guys and sometimes a lady (on the trombone) lay down some phat grooves and sweet ballads. (I'll be sure to get a pic of the rhythm section next time). |
|
