Now this is very strange indeed another computer hiccup.
I cannot download photo's now in my easy to do format for this blog. Now to get a photo here it is a complicated procedure. Go figure? Why did things change? Sometimes I want to pull my hair out(but I will not as it is already thin).
So this photo after it finally appeared is the cabin we will be staying in while spending time at Crescent Lake.
It is larger than it appears and is perfect for two couples. One bedroom downstairs and a bedroom in the upstairs loft. A large kitchen loaded with amenities and adjacent dining room and good size sitting room. Best of all a covered porch equipped with a nice size gas grill, table and four chairs.
My daughter and her fiancee Doug will be joining us. We will spend the days at the lake and evenings playing games on the porch while grilling.
I certainly hope that all sign of mosquito's will be gone by the time we go. It is high country and cold at night so we are thinking that will be the case. The West Nile Virus is lurking about this year and they expect more cases before summers end.
Now mind you this area we are going to is known for the 'carry you away' size mosquito's. However they are more prominent in July and August than September. Regardless the bug spray will go along......just in case.
We are attending a wedding this weekend for our niece Holland. She is my husbands older brothers daughter. Seems she was just a little tot tagging along after her older brother. She is a very sweet gal and we wish her and her hubby much happiness.
It is another summer/autumn tinged day. Deep blue skies, warming sun and a small breeze of autumns breath. We were almost chilly this morning as we crawled from our nest. I slipped into my fuzzy slippers instead of my flip flops.
Tonight in our kitchen or I should say out on the deck I am preparing grilled prawns, onions, peppers and zucchini in the grill basket on the grill. The prawns are now marinating in Trader Joe's "Soyaki". We like this sauce. It is a combo of soy, teriyaki and ginger and few other interesting ingredients. I will serve this concoction over sticky rice and have a romaine salad with honey Dijon dressing. A simple but tasty summer meal.
I need to start the second stage of zucchini relish making at this time. Yesterday all the vegetables were diced and shredded. I added kosher salt to them and they spent the night hanging out in fridge. So now I will rinse them well and drain put them in a large pot and add the other ingredients, cook for a half hour and ladle into jars. This batch will make four and a half pints. Then I am done with relish I made a total of twelve pints this season.
So I best get on with my day many more things to accomplish before the day comes to a close and it is my time to plop in my chair and read a few pages.
Ciao
Yes this was one tasty dish we had it for two nights in a row. Just look at the color of that sauce.
I pick the tomatoes, core them put them on a cookie sheet and toss on a handful of peeled garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil and roast slowly until the tomatoes are starting to turn brown on the edges and all soft and roasted.
I then take them out of the oven and let cool. I slip the skins off and put the skins in the food processor. I then remove the skins from the processor and put in a deep heavy pot, then add the tomatoes to the processor and pulse until smooth. Add to the pot. Add salt and pepper, Italian spices and grilled or pan fried mild Italian sausage cut into chunks and slowly cook till all the flavors have melded. I actually made this sauce last year and froze it.
To the side I made a fresh salad with home made parmesan croutons, fresh garden tomatoes, cucumbers and sliced onions. I topped the salad off with fresh corn I boiled and cut off the cob in strips. I served the salad with ranch dressing. I was going to make creamy Italian but thought ranch sounded better at the moment.
The dinner was such a tasty tomato mouthful of flavor!
Today is quite breezy, the wind chimes are flying and tinkling. It truly does seem like fall is coming around the edges of summer now. I really do not mind but we have reservations for a few days at a cabin in the cascade mountains and plan on spending time by the lake. So it would make us mighty happy if summer would grace us with her company for a bit longer.
I picked blackberries yesterday from our own little property here. Hubby cut a lot of vines down early spring as they were encroaching on our side yard. However he did save some and the few he saved provided me with three cups of berries and more coming on. I had intentions of making a pie but somehow I kept nibbling at those sweet berries and in no time at all there was not enough to make a thing. But I did so enjoy them and hubby did too this morning with his breakfast.
I love the valley with all it's bounty. This time of year especially. The corn so sweet and juicy grown right here at our farms. The local apples, cherries, peaches etc are all going strong now. What's not to love?
I must now tidy my house and head out on my daily walk.
Have a great day enjoy summer's bounty!!!!!
Ciao.
What a tart! What a visit! What a family!
Let the good times roll. What a amazing time I had at my daughters home.
We were busy doing fun things, out for lunches a little shopping a little gambling. And lots of backyard time sitting with our feet in the small pool to keep the 103 degree heat at bay. Glad for the shady gazebo and shady parts of the deck and most of all the air conditioned house.
I also saw my grandson and met his gal friend and visited with my son. I meet two of my daughters fiancee's children and spent a lot of quality time with my youngest granddaughter. So to me the trip was filled with family and happiness.
I was very tired when I returned home. Too much of everything wore me into a frazzle but a happy frazzle.
The good thing about coming home is coming home to my loving husband. We do miss each other even if it is just a few days.
He got home early the day I arrived back home and we spent the afternoon catching up. We sat on our small private back deck and drank spritzers. They were so refreshing in the heat. We grilled steaks later and had sides of potato and peppers baked in foil pouches on the grill and sweet juicy corn on the cob. A very nice homecoming indeed.
I have been catching up on house chores. The washer is humming away as I type. In the past two days I have cleaned the kitchen and family room hardwood floors, gave the furniture a quick waxing. I have cleaned the deck, tended plants and the garden, caught up in the office and grocery shopped. After I post this I will finish what needs doing.
However there will be time later today to sit in my now clean living room and read my current book. I have not touched it for almost a week so I am more than ready to start turning pages.
Tonight in Zo's Kitchen I am making linguine with the last of my roasted garlic tomato sauce from last years tomatoes. To that I am adding grilled mild Italian sausage pieces, farm peppers and onions.
A romaine salad with Cesar dressing and freshly made Parmesan croutons with creamy Italian dressing will round out the meal.
I leave you with this thought.
If you have not seen your family for a while make an effort to get together. Put family first, be kind, be respectful of one another and most importantly give a heart full of love. It is so worth it!
These are hubby's pickles. He loves making them. They are one hot fix with all the hot peppers loaded inside this huge jars. I am taking these two jars to the kids, they both love hot anything!
I do not have time to be posting today but will take a moment or two.
I am in the process of getting ready for my little trip and I must get at making that quiche directly.
I have cleaned my car throughout this morning inside and out. It sorely needed it.
It is to be another ninety degree day today. So all the outdoors chores were done early. It is very nice and comfortable in the house now with the air going. I am not going to like the electric bill.
Did not sleep well last night I do not know what the problem was. Went to sleep quickly as I always do but then woke in about three hours and it was difficult shutting my mind off. I hate when that happens as the things you think about are not important just disjointed thoughts rattling around in your head.
I talked to my brother this morning while taking my walk. He is doing fine. His new trailer is mostly set up inside now. He is enjoying it. I wonder when I will be able to go see it and spend time with him.
Life is so busy.
Well I had best get at frying the bacon for the quiche and get on with my day.
Enjoy yours.
Yes our pepper patch is coming along fine. We have lots. We planted several varieties. This heat of the past few days has really brought them on. Hubby is a happy man!
The tomatoes are doing well now also. They got such a slow start we have been hoping for the best.
I have been busy today getting ready for my little trip to see my children. Even though they are only a little over a two hour drive away I do not see them as much as I would like. Life is just to busy for us all it seems.
The weather is going to be hot, hot! I am happy they have air conditioning.
I am making a spinach and bacon quiche to take to my daughters. It has Swiss cheese and lots of cream in it. It is very good and rich. I thought it would be nice to have on hand for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even a slice for a snack with white wine. I always like to take something when I go somewhere. I hear we are having a grill Thursday night and my grandson Seth and his girl friend will be there. That makes me happy I love seeing my grandson and I have not met his gal friend. I just do not see enough of my grandchildren either. I guess I am whining. But I do so enjoy all their company and love them to pieces.
I just stepped out on the deck a few moments ago to check the temperature. It is at 89 degree's. It feels plenty warm out there. It is nice on the deck though as part is sun and part is shade. So I usually bounce back and forth between the two. I can only tolerate the hot sun for so long then must get into the shade. That was not the case when I was younger. I was always a sun nut. It is almost what I lived for. I would race to get the house chores done so I get outside and tan.
My niece Chris told me one time that she used to watch me when I was a teen and she was little girl living next door to us on the farm. I would come out of the house with an old quilt and spread it out by the water spigot facing the sun of course. I would smear myself with something greasy she said and spend the afternoon, turning this way and that reading True Story magazines. When I was thirsty I would grab the ladle hanging off the spigot and have a cold drink of water. She said I fascinated her. That warms my heart as she is no longer with us as she passed away three years ago this coming Thanksgiving. There is still a wound in my heart probably will always be.
Tonight we dine on chili dogs. What chili dogs? Did you think, that is gross? Well sometimes we crave a little junk food. I do buy National Hebrew wieners however. They are kosher with cleaner ingredients in them and have a very good flavor. We like our chili dogs with lots of sweet onion diced over the top and much grated cheese and hot sauce of course. Can't wait lol.
Well I am off to clean the inside of my vehicle and do a few more things before my hot tired hubby walks through the door.
Hope you are having a nice day and managing to stay cool.
Later.
My sis in law Liz and I went berry picking this morning. Our dead end street has a nice bunch of vines that are loaded with plump berries. No one picks them so we were happy to fill our buckets.
So I had enough to make the Best in West Cobbler plus stick a bowl in the fridge for snacking. The cobbler is in the oven as I type. The house should starting smelling of warm oozing berries and crispy crust soon:)
I was an early bird this morning. After hubby went out the door to the job site I watered the lawns, put Miracle Grow on the garden veggies and took care of my plants. Tidy'd the house, did some laundry and went berry picking and made the cobbler. It is one pm now and when I finish here I am on to other projects. I want to accomplish much today.
I leave for my daughters sometime on Wednesday. I am looking forward to spending some quality time with her. I talked to my son this morning and I will be seeing him for a short but sweet visit. The weather is still going to be hot while I am there. So daughter and I will lounge around the pool. I always love saying that. Considering the pool is a kiddie pool. But still I am not telling a fib. Really it is quite refreshing to sit with ones feet in the cold water, or better yet put a sand chair in the pool!
I for one will be happy with the election is over. I am so tired of the trash talking. Enough already. That was not how elections were run when I was a young person. The concern of the public was to hear the issues and what bills and programs would be initiated if your candidate won. What is going on now is no better than gossip in the high school hallways. Be adults and state your causes and quit the back talking!
Closing ceremonies for the Olympics this evening. We will watch and I am happy to say they are ending. We have been faithful watching every evening as we do like them. But now we need to get back to our regular viewing schedule we are so behind on everything.
Well this was a nice reprieve in the middle of my day. So now back to work for me. Usually on a Sunday I am self indulgent but not today!
Later.
No photo but I should take a photo actually so you can see what a mess the street is outside my living room windows and front door. I have to keep the shades down on the windows as cars are parked along our sidewalk and sometimes partially in our driveway!
The neighbors are having another one of their so called "Estate Sales". Let me ask this, can you feasibly have an estate sale over and over again? There is just as much if not more junk now than when they had the first sale. So something is going on here. We are thinking they are buying others junk and then re-selling it. This is the second weekend in a row they have had a sale and the first one was last month. Is it legal to do this in a neighborhood every weekend? This neighborhood is not zoned for business. The sales start early Friday morning and continues through Sunday evening.
This is normally a very quiet street and area. We border the country, the streets are wide with very little traffic. That is why we like it here.
When these sales start the traffic is like a main street in downtown Eugene. Just constant throughout the day.
What should we do? Nothing and just be invaded the rest of the summer season? Believe me I am not a trouble maker but should this be reported if it continues? I am not the only one living on this street that it is offending.
Where do these folks come from to buy this crap? Seems most of the Eugene and probably a lot of Springfield people have already been here. Did they find so much good stuff the first time they had to come back for more?
Believe me when I look out my door at what they have stacked on their tables it mostly consist of clothing, plastic items, toys, and just plain old junk that should be headed for the garbage can! Pickle jars please......those should go in recycle! I do not see the allure.
So another day of sun that will not flood my home because I cannot open the shades. Another day without my front door opened to the screen door so I can get a nice breeze flowing through the house.
Darn......... I do feel better though I just had to vent. But enough already!
