Saturday, January 22, 2022

One new thing...


Ever since I thought of this idea of documenting new things, it seems that new things just keep presenting themselves.  I've started writing things down in a notebook so I can remember to share them here.

I expect many of these "new thing" posts to be short, and most to only cover one thing, but to make way for more new things, I’m going to be making some posts, especially here at the beginning, mentioning more than just one.

One of the Christmas gifts I received this year was a Chronological Bible from youngest son.  I’ve always thought it would be interesting to read through the Bible chronologically, and watching Hub read through one last year (and I think he’s doing it again), I decided to I’d like to have my own copy.  So I put this one on my wish list and got it:
 
I may be making another One new thing post on it when I finish reading it.  ;^)

I'm just realizing the glasses are also new.  I got them just last week, and I am enjoying something a little different than I’ve worn in years.  They’re bigger than anything I’ve worn since the 1980’s and I’m finding I like the extra space in the reading portion of the lenses.  

Ok, next...

When I was shopping last, I picked up some collard greens.  These are such a new thing to me that right there in the store, I got out my phone and googled how to cook them in case I needed to pick anything else up.  I know my mother used to cook greens when I was young, and they looked like the nastiest thing on earth and I’m sure I never even tasted them.  I decided it was time to change that.  So tonight I turned these:

 

Into this:

 


My apologies if that doesn't look very good.  I can't say this looks all that appetizing to me, but if you like greens, maybe it looks delicious.  I don't know.  I'm just documenting it.

Most recipes I found called for bacon, or ham hocks.  Well, I wasn’t willing to sacrifice expensive bacon in something I wasn’t even sure I would end up wanting to eat, and I didn’t want to sacrifice ham bones I have in the freezer (that I’m saving for ham and beans) for the same reason.  So I just pulled out a baggy of frozen ham chunks and cooked the greens with those.   It worked great, but I will say I should have not added salt when I was cooking.   It was all pretty tasty, but no one needs that much salt.

The verdict.  I’m glad I made them, but I don’t know why anyone loves them (like the many recipes I came across attest to).  Hubs, I could tell, is hoping I don’t feature them too regularly – if ever again.   Anyway… one new thing, easy to cook, and now I know we won't starve if collard greens are the only vegetables we're allowed to eat in the new world order...

And lastly…  who reading this knew that the IRS wants people to let them know when they change their address – and that they created a form for the purpose?

Of course they have a form for this...

I don't remember why this came across my path, but as I’m starting to worry about being on top of everything I’ll need for a fiduciary tax return for my brother’s estate, I came across this information online. 

I've asked a few people who I know have moved in recent years if they knew this form existed, and not a single person knew this.  So...  while I'm guessing most people don't know about this, and I'm not telling you you need to fill one of these out if you move,  the consensus of advisors online is that you should. 

I'm having to do extra things this year with taxes on my brother's estate, so I thought it a good idea to fill this form out since our new address is what we'll use for both our joint tax return and I'll use for my brother's estate tax return.

And since I think it would be a sad thing to leave you with an IRS form as my last thing, let me show you just one other new thing.

As hubs was leaving the house this morning he noticed a hawk on some bricks by the side of our house (forgive the fuzzy pictures):



Right after he took the picture, it flew to the top of the woodpile  behind it in the top picture.  I then spent 15 or so minutes trying to take a picture of it from the sun room, but my pictures were even blurrier, so I'll not trouble you with one of those, but when it flew off again, I went outside looking for it and found it on the other side of the white detached garage, sitting on the edge of a strawberry patch (which is one other new thing for me):


I know the pictures are terrible, but that was a most exciting thing today.  After hubs asked some birding friends to look at the pictures, getting different opinions, then after doing a bit of research online, I'm thinking it may be a juvenile Cooper's Hawk.  I don't know if we'll see it again, but it was pretty exciting to see it today!




Catch ya' later!

I think I've got 5 new things here...  Better start keeping track.


25 comments:

  1. Wow That's amazing five new things already, I love greens my favourite is spinach, I always have a bag of baby spinach leaves in the fridge and they are good for you. I love your pictures of the Hawk he came especially to say hello. xx

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    1. I use spinach in different ways - salad mostly, and in smoothies. And I enjoy sauteing spinach sometimes. I don't necessarily want it sauteed often, but sometimes I get an actual hankering for it. I don't imagine ever getting a actual hankering for collard greens. ;^)

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  2. I like your new approach to blogging. You're introducing a lot of variety, always good!

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    1. Thanks, Liz. The new approach was out of not being able to do my normal crafty things - which is largely what blogging has been for me in recent years. While do hope my hand heals up and I can get back to crocheting and stitching, I'm thinking this latest idea will be fun.

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  3. Five new things?! Girl, you are on a roll! I still feel like "old hat" over here. 😉

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    1. You are anything but "old hat", Cheryl. It's been very interesting to notice all the new things that happen, nearly daily - even on days when I appear to be mostly standing still. ;^)

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  4. The only way to eat collard greens is with bacon, as I recall. My paternal grandmother would cook them as such (and when you are young, the bacon taste pretty much covers up anything else.

    My guess with the hawk is that it saw something there that caught its eye - that something being food, of course.

    A Chronological Bible - what an interesting thought! I will look forward to how you go through this.

    I always find it interesting how, when I choose to take on a project like you have, how many opportunities present themself.

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    1. TB, the collard greens were pretty tasty cooked with ham, but when it came time to save the last few spoonfulls or toss it, I chose to toss it. I think it's a combination of the texture and something a tad harsh in the taste - bitter, I suppose.

      It is very interesting how often I'm recognizing new things right now. I'm sure some still pass me by, but pretty regularly, as I'm doing something it occurs to me that I'm doing (or experiencing) a new thing. It's like when we drove a red minivan, I was always noticing red minivans, when they weren't on my radar at all before we owned one.

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  5. Collard greens...maybe I could try some in a smoothie...maybe. Okay, that's highly unlikely. I have never had them so I really should not be so disparaging.

    The hawk is pretty interesting, especially way down low like that. Hope he's cleaning up some mice or something.

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    1. Well, having had them, and seeing them take an hour to cook to something I considered digestible, I can't imagine blending them into a smoothy. I do think some people do, though. He was either interested in mice (that do get into the detached garage), or the birds at our bird feeder. He (or she) can have all the mice it wants, but after talking to a friend who has observed a hawk taking out their song birds, I'm now hoping that's not what "birdwatching" will become here. :^(

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  6. That Bible is cool. We took a Biblical Timeline course a xouple of years ago and found it very interesting to see what books went where in the timeliness. As for collard greens....I have 1 recipe using them that I love. It is an African (Kenyan) recipe and uses ground beef. Actually in Kenya they use goat but that is kind of hard to find here in the states. I like your new spectacles. How exciting to have a little hawk come visit you. Even more exciting to have strawberries growing. I really like your new thing blogging idea.

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    1. Thank you, Marsha. Years ago a Catholic friend took her and myself, and all our kids through a Catholic course that was basically a timeline from creation to Christ. It was very instructive. The course you took sounds similarly enlightening.

      The hawk looked mammoth to us. Nothing like the ones that perch on top of electric posts we fairly often see. I'm really looking forward to seeing fresh strawberries later in the year. I've never grown them, or tended them, or done anything other than pick out the nicest plastic clamshell of them. :)

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  7. I don't love collards but I can eat them. Now, turnips I loathe. My mother liked both and cooked them regularly when I was growing up. Jeff likes both but I do not cook them. Occasionally he does:) My mother always said fresh greens picked after a frost were the best...
    I read a chronological Bible a couple of years ago. It took me a little longer than the year. I found I needed to read a little New Testament along with the OT to encourage me, so I kept two bookmarks in it and didn't always follow the dates but read a little from each along the way. It was one of the best things I ever did.

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    1. That's how I feel. If someone served them to me, I'd eat them without problem. I'm thinking they must be an acquired taste. I can see how doing other Bible readings alongside chronological readings would be a helpful thing to do. And I'm not even telling myself (anymore) that this will get done in a year. I'm not saying I'm behind, but the sticky note bookmark hasn't quite reached mid-January yet. I wish it didn't have dates at all. It's not like dates are necessary for something like this. Ah well... It will do the job.

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  8. You're going to wear me out with all these new things! But seriously, I like the idea of a chronological Bible. Hope you'll enlighten us more on this, even as it becomes "less new." For example, is Genesis still first?

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    1. I'll try to remember to do that, Bob. I do believe the story of Job enters the picture before Genesis is done, but other than that I haven't looked ahead to see where the chronology of events differs from the traditional order of the books of the Bible.

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  9. One day I'm going to invest in one of those bibles - but I know it will take me a little bit longer than a year to read it. I just recently completed reading both the old and new testaments and it took me nearly three years from start to finish. Mine has explanatory notes on each page so that makes it take longer than perhaps it normally would.
    Never had collards because I don't think they're available here - although maybe they are and I just haven't noticed.
    I'm enjoying your new things series and look forward to seeing what else you discover.

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    1. I will tell you, Mary Anne, the text is very small in this particular book. I put it on my WL based on reviews. If I had been able to see the text, I probably would have gone for something larger, but I'll manage this one. I just didn't know.

      I do think, even in the States, that collards are a more southern thing. Indiana isn't considered south (except by Michiganders - and possibly you Canadians), but there is a strong southern influence in many parts of Indiana - especially south of Indy.

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  10. I'm going to jump into the challenge with you, Becki, and just wrote a "One New Thing" post!

    I've read through the chronological Bible a couple of times and really do enjoy it. I just tend to get a little bogged down when Kings and Chronicles are in parallel columns -- at least that's how mine is set up.

    Never tried collards but I would be willing to! The way you fixed them, they look delicious.

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    1. Oh, Mrs. T, that will be so fun. Heading over to your blog to see your "New Thing"!

      I'm glad the picture didn't turn you off of trying collard greens. :)

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  11. I've been able to get my girls to eat different greens from the bag of Power Greens we get at Costco which has chard and kale in it. Did you have to verify your identity with the IRS? My husband had a heck of a time during the weekend because his monitor wasn't working right for him to Zoom with an agent; he was cussing as he tried twice, waiting about two hours each, until he finally tried with his phone and then it worked. During the first wait I was buzzing hair, LOL.

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    1. Re identity for IRS - oddly, the only thing the form asks for is a SS#. And I had to show evidence that I am the personal representative for my brother's estate.

      Computers can be so frustrating.

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  12. Thanks for visiting my blog. I almost decided to quit blogging, but came back after a short break. Now to get a comment from a what I consider a 'new' friend, I know I did the right thing. I will be following your blog, so you can expect to hear from me again. Wishing you God's richest blessings.

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    1. I'm so glad you're going to continue blogging, Ruth. I found your nature photography beautiful. You inspire me to try to improve my skills. Glad to find you and am thrilled that you'll stop in here - anytime you like! 😊

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  13. Wow that's a big hawk!!! I was never a fan of any greens, cooked that is. I can't even eat cooked spinach unless it's kind of hidden in soup or lasagna! I do love fresh greens though. Good for you for trying!!

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