Radically Retired

Tag: Friday Freestyling

  • Friday Freestyling … A Healthy Trade Off

    Friday Freestyling … A Healthy Trade Off

    Morning golden hour is the best time for me to catch photos.

    I’m a very early riser, so heading out just after the sun comes up isn’t a difficult feat.

    I don’t go out at that time regularly, but when I do, I’m always rewarded with peace, little to no vehicle traffic when crossing streets to get to my trails, and then that glorious, energizing, early morning sunlight.

    When the sunlight gently caresses the trees, the flowers, the river, and the walking paths, I have a hard time keeping up my walking pace because I want to stop and photograph every sun-kissed scene that catches my eye.

    Yes, the light is distracting from my purpose of walking for exercise. The stops to enjoy and try to capture on my phone camera what I’m seeing with my eyes, keep me grounded in the present and appreciative of the beauties in nature.

    I see that as a healthy trade-off.

  • Friday Freestyling … Reflection Perfection

    Friday Freestyling … Reflection Perfection

    On recent morning walks, there has been virtually zero wind. This is a rarity in these parts.

    Besides adding to the comfort and the peacefulness of my morning power walks, the reflections on the river have been outstanding.

  • Friday Freestyling … A Fave Sammy

    Friday Freestyling … A Fave Sammy

    Do you shorten the word sandwich to “sammy”?

    In favour of lazy lingo, we’ve done this for ages.

    What’s your fave sammy?

    Ours is the home-made BLT. We prefer home-made because we can be sure the bacon is thick cut, lower fat, and warm. There’s just something about this crunchy, soft, savoury, tart, warm and cold, combined meat and salad sandwich that satisfies so many sensory food experiences at the same time.

  • Friday Freestyling “Muse-ical”

    Friday Freestyling “Muse-ical”

    Do you use photos to guide your posts?

    Sometimes, a blogger will write that they’ve run out of ideas for a post, or that their writing well has run dry.

    Something that always works for me is to review my thousands of photos.

    There’s almost always an idea amongst them.

    Yes, I take lots of photos. I’ve done that since I was a teenager and was gifted my first camera.

    Photography to me is a magical hobby where I can explore the world either close up or from a distance. Looking for subjects while I’m out for my walks, while we’re out for a drive or on vacation, or even when I’m just hanging out in the house keeps me grounded in the present.

    Almost all of my photos are time and date stamped, so they’re also the diary of my life.

    Whenever I wonder about a future blog post, I just go to my Amazon photos and start browsing. Before too long, a photo or group of photos (from the over 8,000 I have stored there) will turn on a lightbulb and away I go.

    My photo muses lead the way.

  • Friday Freestyling: Muffinality Tests

    Friday Freestyling: Muffinality Tests

    As I was cutting my freshly-baked muffin for sampling (I sample everything I bake), I wondered if the way I cut and eat my muffin says anything about my personality.

    I was greatly amused in my research because other bloggers and instagrammers have already broached this subject – no doubt tik-tokkers have too, but I don’t use that platform. There are also many muffin personality tests that come up with Google research on the subject.

    Who knew that how you cut and eat your muffin, as well as your preferred kind of muffin says so much about who you are?

    My all-time favourite is the wheat bran muffin, and this one isn’t even listed in the type of muffin/personality list. I wonder what that means? Wheat bran is unheard of where we winter in south Texas, so I take a winter’s supply of it along each fall.

    Apparently (according to one blogger), the way I cut and eat my muffin indicates that I’m a realist and am getting things done. That post also says, that as a 50-50 person, I don’t care much about food except that it’s for fuel. Hmmm. And I thought I cut it that way because it’s more aesthetically pleasing on my plate.

    What’s your favourite muffin and how do you cut/eat it?

  • Friday Freestyling … One Dish Delish

    Friday Freestyling … One Dish Delish

    Over the past couple of years, I’ve become intrigued by the simplicity of sheet pan meals.

    These easy-to-prepare creations are limited only by what ingredients you have on hand, your imagination and the oven temperature.

    My most recent attempt used farmer sausage, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and onions. While the oven pre-heated to 425° F, I cleaned, chopped, and cut the veg and sliced the sausage. I then just tossed it all into a bag and coated everything with a mixture of olive oil, herbs, and spices. From there, the mixture got spread out on a parchment paper lined, rimmed, baking sheet and baked until veggies were fork tender. (Approximately 1 hour)

    Because carrots are more dense than potatoes, they take a bit longer to bake. Next time, I may cut them into thinner slices to compensate for this.

    All in all, the meal turned out tasty and hubs-approved.

    Because the pan was large and I couldn’t think of appropriate props, the dish was challenging to photograph. I decided that fill the frame was the best option.