Tough letter. Tough subject. Lots of head-scratching.
A Plant - Queen Palm
I'm beginning to learn the names of some of the varieties of palm trees in this area. One of them that everyone repeatedly says not to plant, is a queen palm. Apparently it isn't resistant to freezing temperatures, so planting even a small to mid-sized queen palm in one's yard can be a risky venture at $1200 to $1500, and more, per palm! Thus far this winter we haven't experienced such freezes, but I've been told that during the winter of 2010-2011 temps fell below freezing eight times! We'll be admiring beautiful queen palms, like this one, in others' yards.
Nightime - LaQuinta Inn
Last Saturday night we went to Orlando, to Universal Studios where we saw the Blue Man Group - a fantastic show! (I haven't laughed so much in a very long time.) As we left the area, a cluster of restaurants and motels/hotels, we passed this LaQuinta Inn. Needing this photo was an excellent reason to try out the "nightscene" setting on my new Canon Powershot S100. Even in the car, on the move, I think it turned out pretty good.
Something Healthy - Quinoa
I learned this is pronounced KEEN-WA. These are the seeds of a grain that's related to beets, spinach and tumbleweed (of all things!). All this according to Wikipedia, of course. Quinoa is a good source of fiber; good for cholesterol; low in sodium and fat; and is gluten-free. Healthy yes, but I wonder what it tastes like!
Something Quick and Quilty
I blogged about these in December. They're quick-to-sew earbud pouches that are just the cutest things, and so practical! They make great gift, especially if you know a hard-to-buy-for teen or young adult. Credit for this pattern goes to Erin Erickson. You can find her tutorial here.
Whew. I'm so glad the letter Q is done for the year! It was awful. But on the good side, the rest of the letters should be easier, right? Maybe. We haven't done Z yet. Linda
The letter I'm dreading is X!
ReplyDeleteYou found a very nice collection of Qs.
Not too keen on X either, Love your nighttime 'Q'!!
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in Shanghai, we had lots of palm trees in the estate where we lived. Every winter, they were completely wrapped up against the freezing temperatures and they seems to survive even snow. But of course I don't know what kind of palms they were. Although I have never cooked Quinoa myself I had it a few times at a friends house (she suffers from celiac disease) and it's really yummy. Thanks for reminding me of those lovely earphone pouches as they have been on my to do list since I saw it here on this blog. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteI too have a friend who is gluten intolerant and we have eaten quinoa when she's around! LOL! Love the ear bud pouches ! You did well with Q!
ReplyDeletePhew! Well done with Q! I know exactly how you felt for this challenge because I experienced the same anxiety/thrill when I was part of the original Scatterday game. That motel was quite a find, and I just knew Quilty had to appear somewhere LOL. I have had quinoa once and it tasted like ... nothing!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your Qs. Far more interesting than mine. Thanks for the tip about the ear bud case. I'll look that one up.
ReplyDeleteYou made "Q" look pretty easy!! Erin's ear bud pouch is definitely quick and easy, and comes out great! I've made up a few and they were fun.
ReplyDeleteHehe You did a great job with Q :D
ReplyDeleteWow $1500 for a plant which is unlikely to survive the next cold snap is a daring exercise. I agree with you I too would be admiring other people's palms.
ReplyDeleteQuinoa is not so bad. My daughter cooks it in the rice cooker and once cooked mixes through some roasted vegetables and adds a light dressing.
ReplyDeleteQuite delicious.
Come to my house, Linda, and I will serve you Quinoa salad! My favourite type is the white which tastes a bit like couscous, though the red and black are quite good too. When you cook the little grains, they pop open and have a little white curl around them - fascinating ... healthy, and yum!
ReplyDeleteQuinoa is like rice or couscous, it takes on the flavours of whatever you have with it. Great night pic from moving vehicle.
ReplyDeleteQuinoa is like rice or couscous, it takes on the flavours of whatever you have with it. Great night pic from moving vehicle.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos and ideas for Q, thankfully the next letter is not z or x.
ReplyDeleteYou did well! Q would be very hard, what about x and z though? Do you have to do x? Quinoa is a nice base to salads. It quite similar in taste and texture to couscous. I only realised last month that it was Kin-wa, I'd be pronouncing phonetically!
ReplyDeleteWell done - Q was so hard this week. Great photos
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that palm was call a Queen Palm. I've seen them in Queensland and the Northern Territory of Australia, but didn't know what they were called. We've been to the Villages in Florida, and loved it!
ReplyDeleteQuinoa's great! I often use veggie or chicken broth in place of water when I cook it and then sub it anywhere I'd use rice, or mix it with sauteed veggies and feta and stuff into green peppers for roasting… It's also great in soups. :-)
ReplyDeleteNice job tackling Q, by the way!
Quinoa Recipes: The Complete Cookbook For The Grain Free Diet
ReplyDeletejust bought this one free for Kindles
Great lot of Q's and great ear pod holder.
Quinoa is awesome! Just use instead of rice, like the others mentioned. We even made some with some chicken broth, froze into 1-ounce pucks and give to the baby - she really likes it!
ReplyDelete