That was the first time I thought about covered bridges but now that I am in the south I see them regularly. Now this is what I see when I travel the byways of Alabama.

The Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge is a county-owned wooden covered bridge that spans Crooked Creek in Cullman County, Alabama, United States. It said to be the second longest covered bridge in Alabama.

The Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge, more simply known as Gilliland's Covered Bridge, is a locally owned wooden covered bridgethat spans a small pond near Black Creek in Etowah County, Alabama, United States. It was moved to Noccalula Falls Park in 1967.

The Waldo Covered Bridge, also known as the Riddle Mill Covered Bridge, is a privately owned wood & metal combination style covered bridge that spans Talledega Creek in Talledega County, Alabama, United States. Located behind the old Riddle Mill, now a privately owned restaurant.

Fly me to the moon

Let me sing among those stars

Let me see what spring is like

On Jupiter and Mars

Recently I was reminded just how much I enjoy exploring space. It made me think about how I access information about space and nature. I found that I have become an app junkie. I can find just about anything I want for a small fee or for free.

I love my apps. Who doesn’t? I have a few interesting apps.  I love to visit them regularly. I am fascinated by space and nature and probably have more apps about these two subjects than I need to. Anything that is about space or our earth gets my attention.

My favorite is Star Walk. You can point your iPhone or iPad in any direction and you can see what stars, constellations and satellites you are looking at in real time. It is important to note if you want to use this one it cost $2.99 and requires 3GS/4/4^th gen IPod touch for motion tracking. But is well worth it, I find it is the prettiest way to explore the universe.

These are the apps that I enjoy that are free. Cosmic Discoveries is supported by the American Museum of Natural History. It contains about 1,000 images of space. Take a trip across our universe with stories about galaxy clusters.  Keeping me out in our universe I then go to the HubbleSite. NASA invites us to help choose the world’s most popular Hubble images by voting on the pictures. You can use the pictures as wallpaper or gather Hubble facts that you are curious about.

I love visiting Google Earth. All of us probably have visited Google Earth at one time or another. It shows you just about anywhere on the planet including your own home! Project Noah is a mobile app that helps nature lovers (like me) discover their local wildlife and assist budding scientists in research projects. But frankly, I am curious so I just want be able to ask questions about my environment. It has three areas to use in research. Spottings: Get a photograph and look for interesting facts about your site project. Location-based Field Guide: One of my favorite parts of this app is that you can look at plants or animals and look up information about them. And Field Missions allows users to contribute to ongoing research projects while enjoying exploration.

I am naturally a very curious person. I always want to know, why? When the Internet came about it was the answer to my world and any questions I have.  At any given moment I can get online and get answers for just about anything.

Who hasn’t heard that phrase, “there’s an app for that”? And there is! What are your favorite apps? I would love to hear about them.

Note: The apps that I am sharing here are primarily to be used on the iPhone or iPad. But other smart phones offer options that have comparable apps to be had.

 
And! I know I can truthfully tell my doctor I am watching the salt! Stayed tuned for a recipe of chickpeas, cumin, Spanish paprika, chili powder and EVOO. This is to be baked on parchment paper to taste. Doesn’t it sound yummy?

Okay! Here is the marinade or rub (or what my tall guy affectionately refers to as a “paint”).  I think you will find it a pleasant addition to your recipes.

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp powdered garlic

¼ tsp dried mustard

1 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp basil

2 tbsp finely ground dry coffee

2 tbsp fresh ground (fine) black  pepper

Enough EVOO to make a rub or a “paint” and cover both sides of the steaks.

Let stand at room temp for at least 15 minutes.

LEFTOVER NIGHT
3 oz linguine
3 oz pumpkin linguine (fresh)
small pack portabella baby mushrooms
8 stalks asparagus
6 top rings from the top of a red, orange and yellow pepper (left over from cutting the tops for stuffed peppers)
1 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp smart balance

In a sauce pan, cook pasta according to directions (I cooked both kinds together). In large skillet put oil and smart balance, slice shrooms, cut asparagus into 1″ pieces, cut peppers into small bites, sauté all together and add salt and pepper to taste.
Put pasta in bowls, smother in veggies. YUM!

But alas, I need to gather up the shovels, rakes, spade, the handsaw, pruning shears and hand tools. A good old wet cloth will do the trick to get the debris off. A putty knife can be use to remove clay and dirt that can be found in crevices. The pruning shears will need a good sharpening now before I am in need of using them. Okay so when the tools are all clean and dry it is the time to dig out some WD-40 for the metal parts and maybe some linseed oil for the wooden handles.

The chainsaw, leaf blower and mowers are now in good condition which my husband made ready last week. However, the John Deere needs to be taken in for its tune up. And I also have a smaller chainsaw I use along with a hedger that both need a look over. But no sooner had he finished the mowers I noted I needed to dig out the old lawn clippings on their blade to get ready for the season. And I was reminded that the trimmer may need the string replaced.

These are not the “fun” projects of gardening but they are the necessary part. I can’t tell you how great it is when the pruning shears are ready and I start out to clear winter pruning. In my area this is the time to start pruning, clearing the landscape to get ready for the season. I live in Zone 7 but in many places you are still under snow. Lots of snow and the plants are nestled underneath safely waiting for the spring thaw. So this is a great time to get the tools ready.

I love gardening because it is the closest I can get to the earth. I love the fresh air, the plants and the sounds of mowers in the distance as life begins to renew itself. But right now it is too cold to do too much so I will make sure the tools are cleaned up and ready for the spring season. I can almost hear them gently saying, “thank you”. What about you?