Annie DeMoranville

Monday Menu: Sparkling Fruit Refresher

glass with straw filled with fruit drink

I was on the phone with a friend and he was going through a coffeeshop drive-thru. He said he had ordered a mango-strawberry lemonade. As it was ridiculously hot here, it sounded perfect.

Only thing is, I’m not fond of paying $5 for a small drink. I’m funny like that, LOL. So I decided I needed to make my own.

I’m not a fan of really sweet drinks, so I modified it to be more fruity, less sugary. You can adapt easily. Substitute lemonade or orange juice for the sparkling lemon water.

Strawberry-Mango-Passion Fruit Refresher

Take equal parts of frozen:

Furry Friday: Birthday Boy Got A Bow Tie

Blue Great Dane in a snazzy blue bowtie in the yard

Jasper turns 10 this week. He’s as goofy as ever. Slowing down just bit, sleeps a bit more. But morning zoomies are still his routine and daily walks are a must. And taking care of his girls, kitties and of course, Nora.

The Evolution of TJ Wilde: Run Aground, Pt 2

Once it was established who TJ was running from and where she was running to, there were many other questions to be answered. The problem was, I didn’t want to write a novel. I had just left my job and opened my own business. There was soon to be a Great Dane puppy arriving, and house hunting…and life. A novel was a commitment.

But TJ would not remain silent. And then Colby showed up. If I were to get any peace, the road ahead for them had to be written.

TWO

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. – Michelangelo

Climate Solutions: Regenerative Landscaping and Community

I’ve been running a series on regenerative landscaping on another blog and asked folks to send me their garden stories. This one was one of my favorites:

Two weeks ago, there was a knock on my door. As I could not see anyone in the window, I knew who it was. My six year old neighbor, still too short to be seen in the door window. He was holding a bucket with three large Shasta Daisy plants. From his garden to mine. Three years ago, he brought me three small salvias from his garden, which are now a sprawling section of salvia in my yard. I named that section after him.

Huge Transylvania Salvia, with salvia garden behind

Another friend brought me a little plant and said, “hummingbirds love this, but you’re going to hate me if you plant it.” She was right on both counts. Transylvania Salvia, a non-native plant, it spreads like the weed it is. Luckily, all it takes is decapitating the seedlings and they go away. Otherwise, I might just hate her for that invasive nightmare. But the hummingbirds sure do love it.

Showy Jupiter’s Beard, always a butterfly haven

Furry Friday: Cats Being Silly, Again

Tuxedo cat under a sawhorse in the grass

Reggie has claimed the sawhorse as his own playhouse. He hangs out under there, uses it like a balance beam, and occasionally sleeps under there. Silly boy.