Here they are a couple of my favorite guys. Hubby still has his mustache in this photo taken about two and half years ago. The handsome fellow on the right is my brother. This photo was taken at our nearby Richardson RV park. When we get our travel trailer next year we will go again as it is like fifteen minutes from our home and sits adjacent to Fern Ridge Reservoir. There are lots of beautiful trees and each spot has a large green space. It is quiet and you can walk a short distance to the reservoir.
I was so hungry for pasta last night so I made a pot of turkey meatballs and used the last jar of our home roasted tomato sauce. To the that deep red sauce I added garlic, fresh thyme and fresh basil, salt and pepper. I just kept the sauce simple it speaks for itself. Then I added tender turkey meat balls and green olives. Served over spaghetti noodles and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I made each of us individual salads with creamy Italian dressing. I loved it as I had been thinking about it all day.......so funny how I get sometimes when it comes to food. I do not eat a lot but I certainly have my cravings!
We may be going for lunch today. Hubby is to call me at noon and let me know how things are going on the job site. If he is on schedule we will head out about two for a little lunch at one of our special places. That would be nice for the two of us as he is mighty busy and it is hard to tuck in fun things.
We have gray clouds this morning, a coastal influence. But they are to lift this afternoon and then we are getting into the heat again. I am going to be thankful however when Sunday comes around as it is to rain. Yes rain and I am thankful? Reason being as the weather man said the rain will help wash the tree pollen away. My eyes have gotten so irritated that I find myself packing a little wet wash cloth around in a little dish so I can pat them with this wet cold cloth when need be to help the itching. I am so tired of my eyes hurting......enough already!
I received a birthday card from a high school girl friend the other day. So I wrote her a letter yesterday. Seems strange we shared four years of high school and were close but it is now like writing to a stranger. We have not connected much for well over fifty years. That is a long time ago. When I picture her I see her in my minds eye as she looked in school. Tall and slender, long blonde hair, bright blue eyes. When she thinks of me she probably sees a dark haired, brown eyed silly girl like I was then.
It is funny the things I remember about her. It mostly has to do with spending time at her house. We stayed over night with each other quite often. I loved the potato salad her mother made. It was like a German potato salad(tangy) and I remember I always had seconds of that salad. I loved her bedroom she shared it with her sister before her sister went off to college. It was upstairs with a sloped ceiling and little bay windows. It was a sunny room and very cozy.
This gal was with me when I met my first husband. I remember that afternoon in the high school parking lot like it was yesterday. As I said it is odd the things one remembers.
I made the trip out to the farm yesterday. I takes me less than five minutes to go there. The day was so lovely and the farm smells like farmland. I love it. I purchased my weekly produce and strolled around the grounds a little while. They have goats and other animals and country items to look at. I should have not been outdoors that long due to my allergies but it is hard to leave once I am there. I came home and tenderly washed and stored my veggies in the fridge. Our salad was so good last night with tender butter lettuce, bright red radishes, sweet onion, juicy tomatoes and crunchy cucumbers.
I must now get on with my chores. If we do not go to a late lunch I will have to fly by the seat of pants today for an idea for dinner.
"Life is good, God is great and I am happy."
There is a song that goes, Beer is good, God is great and people are crazy! So anyhow my rendition fits me!
Have a good one.
This is the end fence of our little cozy back yard. We love to sit here in this area. Very private and so pretty with all the green foliage this time of year. I put little hot shots of red in wherever I can in our outdoor areas. I finished cleaning all the pea gravel and stones yesterday which sit at the other end of this ity-bity yard.
We had such fun afternoon and evening yesterday. Hubby surprised me by getting home early. It was such a hot afternoon and breezy but I just put up with the itchy eyes so I could get my outdoor chores done.
After hubby came through the door we had a ice cold beer in hand and headed outdoors to our little back yard. Honey put the sprinkler on the grass where it just barely touched our toes. The beers hit the spot and he went to shower off his workday dust and we headed down the street to his sis's as our niece had just arrived home from Europe she has been gone almost a year. There was a big crowd assembled in Liz and Joe's back yard. Joe was making very impressive margarita's in honor of Cinco De Mayo. So we spent a couple hours trying to catch up with Sarah which was not easy as everyone was vying for her time. Then on home to make chingalingas. I made these often when we were first together over thirty years ago. You mix shredded chicken with chopped green chili's a little red pepper flakes and green taco sauce. Roll them in warmed flour tortilla's and secure with a toothpick then deep fry and cut into chunks and dip into sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Very tasty indeed. So we feasted on a platter of those little darlings. We sat in our little backyard early evening and listened to the birds and watch the night seep in. Then we each sprawled on our individual sofa's and listened to Pink Floyd and watched the lava lamp do it's thing. Just like we did years ago. Fun :)
Sarah will go back to Switzerland Saturday and continue her nanny commitment until August 1st. Then she goes directly to Edinburgh Scotland where she is enrolling at Edinburgh University one of the best in the world. There she will get her masters degree and also take advanced studies to enhance her chances of landing a high paying job in the UK. She is a very smart girl and only took the nanny job as she had just completed four years of college and felt she needed a reprieve. While doing her nanny duties she has taking classes in German. She does not let a blade of grass grow under her feet!
My husband left early this morning and so here I am once again filling my day. But I have a busy day today. Laundry once again, a trip out to the farm for the weekly produce, office duties(always when we are busy) and whatever else I have time for there is plenty to do.
Tonight we are going to have the chicken pomodoro as we decided at the last minute we wanted Mexican fare last night.
I will be making my menu today also for the following week. I am going to share this recipe as I will be making it in a few days. So easy and simple and so perfect for summery weather.
Pasta with fresh tomatoes.
3 medium ripe tomatoes
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh basil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. red pepper
1 lb. uncooked pasta
1.4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients except pasta and cheese in a covered container in fridge for 2 to 24 hours.
Prepare pasta as directed on package drain(I like to use penne pasta or radaitore)
Immediately toss with the tomato mixture. Serve immediately and sprinkle of parmesan.
This is especially good with juicy just fresh picked tomatoes from your garden.
That will be a while yet however. So I will get tomatoes on the vine from the farm today.
Well with all I have to do today I had better get to it.
Ah..... it is Monday after all a work day.
Later.
Tonight in Zo's Kitchen I will be serving up Chicken Pomodoro. This is one of our fave meals and it is quick and nice enough for company.
Chicken Pomodoro
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded into cutlets.
salt and pepper
all purpose flour
nonsitck spray
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1/3 cup sliced scallions
Season the cutlets with salt and pepper then dredge in flour. Coat a saute pan with nonstick spray and add oil and heat over med high.
Saute cutlets on both sides. Transfer cutlets to a platter, pour any fat from the pan.
Deglaze pan with vodka away from heat return to heat and cook until nearly evaporated.
Add broth and lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side about a minute until done. Stir in cream and tomatoes heat through. Serve cutlets with sauce ladled over and sprinkle with scallions.
This recipe is so good and rice is the perfect accompaniment Put any remaining sauce over your serving of rice......yummy, do try it and enjoy.
What a wonderful Sunday!!! A perfect day. There may be a breeze later but right not a stir. I was out early this morning to tidy the deck and water flowers. I did some touch up spray painting on the birdhouses and old milk can. I have planned on doing this little chore for several days now but the wind has been up, not conducive to painting.
The house is now tidy and the day calls to me. Hubby was off early this morning as he is running behind now because of that power outage yesterday. If he can manage a couple long days he may have a short day Wednesday. If so we plan on going out to lunch.
There will be no fishing trip Thursday now as he has picked up another job in that time frame. As we always say work comes first and when it is busy we must make the most of it as there are times that are dreadfully slow. We will get that little boat in the water at some point.
I am missing my husbands company today. Sunday's I like to do nothing much but we have fun cooking, playing games etc. But today will be one of my choice entirely.
There is a small triangular space at the corner of our back lawn and in that space is pea gravel and colored glass stones and shells from the beach. I must remove all but the pea gravel and clean out the dead leaves and wash the glass stones and shells and replace them. So I will do that little project today.
The coming week is to be a little cooler but still lovely for May. Actually it was too hot last night in the house. I did not want to run the air conditioner though it probably would have helped my itchy eyes. But I dislike starting the air any sooner than need be.
This morning hubby opened the doors to get the night air into the house and I still have the blinds closed to the sunny windows. We have four ceiling fans in this house and I have them all a whirring. That will help some.
I will go now and enjoy my Sunday and make the most of a day of my life. I am so fortunate to be healthy and live a good life with a husband that adores me and family and friends that love me and I must remember to always be grateful and be happy in my life.
A photo of my grandson Tyson last summer. I just heard that as of today he has his national EMT certification. Way to go Ty! He needed this to be qualified for the PFD. This also opens the doors to many other opportunities for him.
Tyson is so level headed, solid,centered,caring and understanding that he will make a great EMT.
This is a grand day in Eugene and here I sit in the house because of the tree pollen. There is just enough wind that it is stirring everything up. My eyes have been stinging and itching for days now. They are getting so sore from scratching and rubbing them.
There are a few things I still want to do outside however so I will probably just suffer the consequences. Actually my entire face itches and also at my hairline. My hubby does not have the itchy eyes but he has a raw and scratchy throat. Tree pollen count is very high now and I am more than ready for this stuff to be gone!
Hubby called earlier and has landed another couple of jobs. This is going to be a very busy month for him working practically every day. We can certainly tell the economy is picking up and house sales are doing well. A healthy housing market is what drives our business installing and refinishing hardwood floors.
Speaking of my husband he just now called. The power is out where he is sanding a new hardwood floor he installed. He is out in the Mohawk valley it is windy there like here and it is an area where there are a lot of trees. So there is more than likely a tree over a line and as it out in the country it could be a while before the situation is rectified.
This will make a mess of his schedule if he cannot complete the sand today as he is booked tight with jobs now one right after the other. I surely hope the power is restored ASAP.
My and daughter and her man are at Belknap Springs this weekend. My husband and I have been there more times than I can count. We went quite frequently in our RV while living in Bend and here in Eugene. Now that we have no RV we have went but once. We really do not care to stay in the rooms at the lodge as there are only microwaves and small refrigerators. There is no where close in the area to eat which makes it difficult. The cabins have kitchens but they are not on the river. Where we camped was just adjacent to the lodge and right on the river bank. I am hoping next year we will have our travel trailer and go again there to that beautiful area. There are many trails to wander about on and a hidden secret garden with waterfalls and pools, picnic areas with tables, flowers and exotic trees and plants abound.
Well the wind seems to have died down a bit so I am going out to finish up a project.
Have a lovely weekend. I know the sun in the northwest is smiling on us all this weekend.
Ciao
Today I am preparing baked potato, ham and leek soup. I still have one small package of Easter ham tucked in the freezer and must use it up.
Soup sounds easy on the tummy and I cannot ignore the fact that I have almost twenty pounds of potatoes sitting in the pantry. Will I ever get through them? That is the question.
Here is what I do for this tasty potato soup. I make potato soup in about a half dozen ways depending on what I have in my pantry and fridge.
Select six large russet potatoes or more depending how large of a pot of soup you wish to make.
Bake the potatoes, cool, peel and cut into pieces. Set aside.
Dice pre-cooked ham set aside.
In the soup pot add a dollop of butter and drizzle of olive oil. Add 3 ribs diced celery and two leeks sliced white and light green parts only. Saute until celery is tender. Reduce the heat and add the diced ham, the potatoes. Add equal amounts of chicken stock and half and half. Use as much or little as you like depending on how thick you like your soup.
Season with salt and pepper and whatever seasonings you prefer. Slowly heat until all is hot and well melded. Do not scorch.
Serve in deep bowls with a spoonful of sour cream grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
I will serve with a hot crusty sourdough boule.
Our taco's last night were yummy. It was joint effort. I made the Louisiana red beans and rice and hubby made up the ingredients for the taco's. I browned the meat with onions and taco sauce and he fried the shells. Dinner was made in no time!
We were both very tired last night and went to sleep early. I was told I fell asleep sitting up with my mouth gaping open......good grief!
Hubby had worked hard on his two days off. All the gravel was spread, all area's weeded, garage apron hosed and cleaned, lawns mowed and edged. A big day!
Today my husband is off installing a hickory hardwood floor and I am cleaning house and doing laundry and catching up on paper work. Feels like a Monday instead of a Friday.
It is a another stellar day here in Eugene. Woke to bright sun sneaking in through the slats of the wood blinds. So this afternoon I hope to do some more things outdoors. My bird houses need another coat of red paint as well the old milk can I keep on the back deck. And I must put new potting soil into the ceramic pot I place every summer on the front steps to hold the bright red zinnia's I plant.
So with all that to do I had better make haste.
Do have a lovely May 3rd. I love the month of May, the lush surroundings, the warmer weather and everything so fresh and newborn.
Till tomorrow.
Flowers from my daughter, just lovely. Yellow roses and daisies.
I received many calls and an abundance of birthday greetings on FB. It truly made my birthday special.
Of course hubby treated me like his queen all day and evening. A very good birthday indeed!
Now back to the daily routine.
I have the washer a whirring and am catching up on household chores.
Hubby is out spreading the last of the gravel he had delivered. Then he will mow lawns and edge them.
He is starting another round of jobs tomorrow.
Last nights dinner was good but the best thing was that creamy silky chocolate pie. We both finished off the evening by having a small piece with the last dredges of red wine in our glasses.
Tonight for dinner we are having taco's and red beans and rice Louisiana style.
Tomorrow I am going for more books. I am sure I will finish the one today I am currently reading. It is an amazing book full of intrigue, interesting characters and certainly a page turner. So that is my plan for after my to-do's are out of the way. I want to read and relax as I am rather lazy today.
The next day my husband does not have a job we are taking the pickup and little boat and going to Fern Ridge crappie fishing. Hubby is so looking forward to taking his little boat and wanted me to go on the first trip of the season. So I will ride along in the Little Jack as we call it. The seats are decent though I may tuck in an extra cushion for comfort. I will not fish but read and just gaze at the scenery and birds. This is a huge bird watching area we are going to.
Of course I will pack us a yummy lunch which we will enjoy at the little day park there. So a small adventure for us.
I will leave you with this quote.
I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use to be anything else.
Sir Winston Churchill
May 1st 1942 I came into the world at 12:15 a.m on a Friday, weighing 7lbs 9 oz. I was born in Chehalis WA. my family was living in Vader WA a little tiny berg. Dad and Mom moved there from the east coast to be near my Dad's mother. My Dad bought a entire city block and moved into the best house in town.......well there were not many....laugh. It was a cute house with big front windows and lots of wild roses a deep wide porch and pretty yards. My brother Jack was already 12 years old. My mother and my father were very gorgeous people. They looked like movie stars. When I was two we moved to Portland and then when four we moved to the farm at Goble where I lived until I was eighteen.
The photo above was taken on a typical weekend at our farm. My Dad's brothers would bring their families out. I had four boy cousins we were all born within a couple months of each other the same year. In this photo I am the little girl to the left of the photo standing between my aunt Lila and uncle Albert both seated on the ground. My father and mother are standing behind us and then my uncle Roy and wife Aliene and their two children Patty and Joey.
Sometimes all of my uncles, aunts and cousins would be there for the weekend. Dad had four brothers all living in Portland so at times it was a full house and barn full at our farm. My folks always had bunks set up in the big old barn usually for the men but sometimes the kids.
Good memories of a loving family that I will always cherish.
Back to the present. Today is a wonderful day in Eugene. We woke to bright sun and the sky is flawless today. After I finish this post I am going to get my to-d0's out of the way and go to the deck to set it up for our fun filled day. I am looking forward to those strawberry marg's as hubby makes them so special.
I need to make my chocolate pie this morning. The rubbed seasoned steaks have been hanging out in the fridge doing their thing since yesterday.
I am going now to write in my journal, my wishes, goals and plans for the coming year as well as my gratitude's. I do this every year as it centers me.
So off I go to enjoy my birthday day. I am so happy I am still alive and enjoying life! I have many things to be thankful for and I do so appreciate my life.
Here they are a couple of my favorite guys. Hubby still has his mustache in this photo taken about two and half years ago. The handsome fellow on the right is my brother. This photo was taken at our nearby Richardson RV park. When we get our travel trailer next year we will go again as it is like fifteen minutes from our home and sits adjacent to Fern Ridge Reservoir. There are lots of beautiful trees and each spot has a large green space. It is quiet and you can walk a short distance to the reservoir.
