Holiday on the deck, baked tofu katsu

Memorial Day was mild and sunny, perfect weather for decking. Reading, dozing, listening to birds. 

Also being nearly dive bombed by a pair of crows who zoomed past at the exact moment I stepped out, missing my head by inches. I'm guessing a courtship dance, as I watched them in sync,  up and down the sky, skimming the fences.

And when I repotted the bigger coleus I broke off a couple of branches, coleus being brittle. It looks fine anyway, and the chipped teapot is back in service rooting the small pieces in water.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, 

here's a celery heart in water, ready to sprout for a bit of instant salad.

About the tofu sticks. I always get the tofu block very dry before slicing. And to bake, I just battered and breaded as usual. I preheated the toaster oven to bake at 400°f. 

Then I spritzed a flat shallow metal pan with avocado oil, arranged the sticks then spritzed them with a drop more oil, not much. Baked for twenty minutes, turned them over, ten more minutes. Done. And just as crisp as fried.

The rest of the uncooked sticks I covered and put in the fridge. Today I had a second helping and they were still crisp.  

They're pretty much fast food, and they've reintroduced me to the pleasure of dipping sauce. 

This morning wasn't exactly like a holiday around here. I took care of the recycling, and the garbage, three trips, swept the kitchen floor, reorganized the outside storage area, where I found a broken old garbage container, another trip to recycle. Shook out little rugs. Swept the front steps and the patio. I got my steps in.  Gardening was quite restful in comparison.

Happy day everyone, if you get the urge to rush about organizing and sweeping and tossing, lie down till it passes.

Ted sez 

This weekend 's entertainment

I started the weekend last evening with a viewing of one episode of Foyle's War, never fails. The acting is so good, and Horowitz -- such a great scriptwriter. I have three more episodes to go. One per evening.

I was really pleased about one part of this. I noticed on my library account that it was ready for pickup, and drove to the library without angst about getting in the car, driving etc , just back to feeling pretty normal about errands.

Then, this morning,  cool but sunny after overnight rain, I went walking, most of my aches from overdoing having left. I made it to within a couple of hundred yards of the pond, but had to conserve energy to get home. 

I saw this on the way, under a tree where I've seen robins. 

Maybe a robin's egg, right color. It looks as if the little occupant didn't make it out. I wonder if a bluejay raided the nest. But nature's so abundant, it doesn't do to mourn every loss.

And here's a chipped old favorite Chinese teapot in her second career rooting coleus seedlings.

I've been reading that Atomic habits book, which could have been a long essay, but there are some good concepts there.

One I noticed this morning. He says when you don't seem to be progressing steadily, as in my walk, the effort isn't wasted, it's stored. I really like that. It means I'm banking walking ability to draw on soon and get me to the pond. I don't have to push further every time. 

On which subject, I want to explain when I talked about weights yesterday, I didn't mean to trigger competitive feelings. I just named where I am. Larger weights than some people, smaller than others.

Everyone's different. One person gets enough resistance from four pounds as another might get from thirty. And experience counts, if you've been lifting for years or are just starting. 

But I do say whatever weight you use, please use weights designed for the purpose. Don't listen to people saying oh, start with anything, water bottle, can of peas. They're not designed for your hand the way starter dumbbells are.  

Dumbbells are balanced, with a center place to wrap your hand around. When you're starting, good form is important, to avoid injury. Your wrists won't thank you for many reps with a bottle or can. And I was advised to work in front of a mirror, to observe form.

Small weights aren't  expensive, so I don't regret buying weights meant for a hand to grip.  And if your hands are older and weaker, they'll thank you. Mine did. Just sayin. I passed on the smaller ones to another beginner a while back.

This is the end of today's dogmatic speech, stepping down from the worn out soapbox now.

Food today is about soup, toasted cheese sandwiches, tofu katsu, and whatever else I think of.  I'll bake the tofu sticks this time.

Happy day everyone, be yourself, everyone else is taken, maybe Oscar Wilde said that, maybe he just planned to and Marge Simpson got in first. Joke alert..