Summer, Gardens and Salad

I visited with my doctor and she said I am looking at a lazy summer.  She said I probably won't be feeling myself till Fall.  After she said that, I felt that order for a lazy summer was coming from the Lord.  Well, my summer does indeed look like it is going to be a lazy one.  The Lord has put the reigns on as most of my girlfriends are going places so I have no one to play with.  On top of that, my strength is not entirely back.  It feels good to have this free time to be lazy. 

I did have a girlfriend come stay with me for a few days while Mark was away in Germany on business.  That was a very fun time.  One day we did some gardening together.  Gardening with a friend is really fun.  We cleaned up my back deck and made a potted garden.  My deck turned into a little paradise and we had some meals out there with the awesome view.  Fun!

We also visited the Denver Botanical Gardens during her stay.  Here below are pictures from the gardens.

 This pic works well as wallpaper for your computer.

Loved these pale pink cabbage roses.

Another fun thing about summer is fruit and salad.  Since I still have to watch what I eat I have been trying to be creative in the kitchen.  Below is a summer salad recipe made up by yours truly.  You may like to try it out and tweek it to your taste. 

Nectarine Salad
Organic Mixed Greens
Ripe nectarines
Balsamic vinegar
Glazed chopped pecans (found in the produce section of my grocery store)
Crumbled Feta cheese
Brianna's vinaigrette dressing (or extra virgin olive oil)
Slices of roasted turkey, chopped

I make this salad for lunch.  What I usually do is slice up a nectarine or two and put the slices in a plastic storage container with a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar.  I shake the container so the vinegar coats the nectarines.  I let them sit at room temp to marinate.  I then go and do my chores or run errands.  When it is time for lunch I make the salad.  First, I load a salad dish with greens, sprinkle on the Feta, then chop up the turkey and put that on.  Next I spoon the nectarines on top and then sprinkle on the glazed pecans.  Then I drizzle on either Brianna's dressing or just plain olive oil.  If I use plain olive oil I salt and pepper the salad.  The taste of the glazed pecan & nectarine together is heaven.  You can also do this salad with strawberries instead of the nectarines.  Either way it is yummy.  Enjoy!!