THE GREAT TOMATO POST

I promise, there will be no complaining or whining in this post!  You've all been so dear with your pick~me~up comments and emails...at least I know this is the right place to come when I'm feeling blue!  Maybe I subconsciously feel the end of summer coming and all the joy of being outdoors and at the lake coming to a slow halt.  Certainly after last winter, most of us are regarding the cold months with apprehension.  But I'm good...just taking everything one day at a time and counting my blessings.  

So Layla may represent how I've felt these past few days, but actually, this is the mode she goes into when Tulo comes to visit, as he and son Jeff did today.  Yes, I had a visitor!  We sat on the patio and had coffee while Tulo and Milo wrestled in the grass.  Tulo is twice the size of Milo, but The Mi is very muscular and strong, and he's the "older and wiser" of the two so he dominates.  Very nice morning.  Rain is predicted later today and all weekend.  I'm starting to just ignore that little weather app on my phone, it's never right.  And the last big bang at the lake?  Almost everyone had to back out for various reasons.  MC's family is preparing for a baby shower for sister Katie, which I will be going to next weekend.  Another group of the family are doing some major landscaping during their time off from work.  And the rest, I shooed them off to do other fun things...it just has to be all of us, our big jolly family group!  I am suggesting a big fall get~together to go apple and pumpkin picking, and have bonfires...make some S'mores.  Yes!

Alas, no S'mores right now...I'm dealing with the tomatoes (still) from my neighbor.  And this doesn't count my own.  I have about a half dozen juicy red ones and the rest were green but I had to pick them because the squirrels are running rampant in the backyard.  It's walnut time and they are everywhere (the walnuts and the squirrels).  And they decided my tomatoes were pretty tasty, too.  So, the plants are in the composter (okay, I don't have a composter, they're in the trash.  That just sounded better).  And the squirrels are just making a mess with walnut shells.  

I made the Tomato Tart as I spoke of in my last post.  It was absolutely delish!  The Pioneer Woman is very laid back and offers many options when she posts a recipe.  She used small orange cherry type tomatoes in her recipe which are very cool.  If you've ever roasted small tomatoes, they are so good when they've popped!  So I am going to give you the low down on how I prepared this so you don't have to jump from link to link.

Saute 2 large onions, cut in half and then sliced, in 4 T butter. Keep the heat very low, be patient and let them caramelize, about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile slice your tomatoes...I just used my big old red ones.  You want about 3 cups.  Grate three or four different cheeses to equal 2 cups. I used Swiss,  Fontina, Monterey Jack and Parmesan.  These cheeses really make the tart.  The prepared pie crust is pressed into a sheet pan (I'll get to that), I used a large one and 4 of us ate only half of it.  So use a half sheet pan or 2 pie or tart pans (these would actually be prettier).  Sprinkle the cheese on in one layer, then the onions and finally the tomatoes.  I sprinkled some S&P on over that and about 2 t. garlic powder.  Brush the pie crust edges with a little egg/milk mixture and pop in the oven at 450 for about 15~20 minutes.  Shred some fresh basil over the top when you take it out.  Then let it sit for 5 minutes before you slice it in squares.  

It looks more gooey than it is, it's just all that delicious cheese.  And the pie crust saves it from tasting like regular old pizza.  We just loved it!

The pie crust is something I am saving for last because 1)  I LOVE making pies in the winter, and 2)  You can freeze the dough!  Yay!  Can you imagine making your dough all in one swoop and then pulling it out of the freezer anytime you want to fling together a pie, quiche or tart?  And this crust is tasty!!  It was sent in to Rhee by a blog reader and she wholly recommends it.  Here it is:

1 1/2 c Crisco Vegetable Shortening

3 c flour (I like King Arthur)

1 whole egg

5 T cold water

1 T white vinegar

1 t. salt.

Start with your Crisco and flour.  Cut them in together with one of those dough cutters or use two knives like I do.  When it's nice and crumbly, add the rest of the ingredients.  Here is where I jumped the gun.  I thought the dough looked too wet so I added another tablespoon of flour.  No, no, no.  It will be fine.  I later had to add in water because it was cracking as I rolled it out.  Knead it on a flour covered surface, separate into 3 balls, flatten and pop into freezer bags and into the freezer.  For this recipe you will use all the dough after 15 minutes in the freezer.  If you are a smart cookie, you can just keep on making dough to your hearts content (since you've already made a huge flour~y mess on the counters and floor).  Then you'll be all set when those apples and pears and figs and whatever come in season this coming month! :)

Now on to the Great Outdoors.  These popped up in my backyard a few weeks ago.  Very pretty.  I planted lots of flowers seeds this spring, yet I don't know if perhaps these are something my neighbor planted because her stuff leeches over to my side and vice versa.  They are about 3~4 feet high.

I like seeing them sway in the wind.  Does anyone know what they are?

One last reference to my previous whiny post.  I mentioned I might join the gym again.  Well, yesterday I marched right over and did that.  Now I'm not trying to brag or toot my horn...if you just knew how much I hate to exercise, how in-athletic I am, coupled with a fear of commitment and regimens, you would see that this was a tremendous effort on my part.  Okay, a free tee shirt was thrown into the mix, but I feel great about it.  Not only did I rejoin, but I stayed and ran 2 miles on the track.  With my only exercise in the recent past being a lot of walking on vacation and planting flowers, I was quite happy.  My asthma makes me huff and puff, but otherwise I'm good. And by the way, that's dirt on my legs.  I came home and planted some lilies I had left over from the lake. :)

One last thing, because I was going on and on with the recipe, and some of you might have just skipped over it, if you have a ton more tomatoes as I do, toss them in a big pot of boiling water.  When the skin starts to crack, scoop them out into a strainer, let them cool, peel them and pop them into freezer bags.  You can chop them up beforehand as well.  Then you have a good months worth of tomatoes for sauce, salsa, chili, however you like them.  Maybe a tomato tart? :)

Have a great and safe holiday weekend!

Jane xx

GARDENS, TOMATOES & GOOD TIMES WITH GOOD FRIENDS

I felt I was doing a little picture overload on my last post so I saved these to show you the garden bed fully planted.  And yes, that's Layla sunning herself.  She looks like she's playing dead.  Anyway, I'm wondering if I should leave the rough edge as is so the plants just hang over it or if I should have a border.  I was thinking of flagstone.  It's so traditional.  Some of the bare areas are where I pulled up crabgrass and I have to reseed when it gets cooler.

This is The Husband taking a break after his hard work (and Layla, still sunning herself, the little diva!).  She isn't crazy about the mulch so she's not venturing too far which is good.  There is a flower bed just behind The Husband that you can barely see.  It's "his" garden, but he has relinquished it to me since nothing will bloom in it.  We aren't even sure what he planted in it.  So I hope to get some plants on sale this weekend and give it a go.  

My next door neighbors (at the lake) went away for a few days and told me to help myself to anything in their veggie garden.  I had a ball!  They must have 30 tomato plants.  This is from one picking!  And I have tons of green beans that I blanched and froze.  I've canned before, I used to make red sauce and salsa and my own version of V8 Juice, but I've found that you need a lot of tomatoes to yield a few jars.  I found a recipe here for a tomato tart so I'm going to give it a whirl today.  I've also been slicing them up to have with lunch and last night I made a mix of tomatoes, green pepper and zucchini, along with some herbs and a butter/bread crumb topping that I baked in the oven.  It was very good.  

We got home from our week at the lake on Friday night and were up early Saturday morning to head to Madison, Wi.  It wasn't hard to do at all since my bag was packed and all I had to do was switch out some clothes.  It was about a three hour drive from Chicago.  We were meeting Cindy and Dan from Applestone Cottage and they chose a restaurant on Capitol Square where we had a beautiful view of the Capitol Building.  A huge farmer's market was going on and there were so many enticing shops and restaurants.  As you can see it was pouring rain and of course, we didn't have umbrellas.  :(

We met Cindy and Dan at a restaurant called The Old Fashioned Tavern & Restaurant.  It was delicious, with a wood burning grill and a huge selection of Wisconsin's famous beer.  It was so great to see Cindy again, we get together once a year you know, last fall we were in Cedarburg, Wi.   The rain ultimately put a damper (!) on things.  After lunch we managed to make it down about 2 streets, ducking into pubs and shops to dry off a bit.  Cindy took me into one of her favorite shops called The Soap Opera where I bought three fancy little guests soaps that smell incredible.  And that was my one and only purchase on the whole trip!  The Husband was a happy man.  

All four of us stayed here and we loved the whole place.  There is a good picture of it on my last post.  There were several common rooms where you could relax, watch TV, talk, have a snack or a glass of wine.  The owners lived in a separate home on the property, which by the way, is 50 acres!

This was the general theme, but not overload.  I made sure I got a tour of the kitchen (I'm a kitchen freak when I go to B&B's).  The breakfast was fantastic...a starter of what was like baked apples, oats and granola with a sweet yogurt topping, followed by blueberry pancakes, ham and individual ramekins of baked eggs with spinach and cheese.  Of course I left my camera (IPhone) in the room!

After breakfast we had a nice walk around the property.  There were goats and lambs that wanted nothing to do with us, and this llama, which The Husband thought had taken a liking to him, but was merely lumbering over for a drink from a water trough.  

The couple grow their own organic veggies, herbs and fruit.  I thought this was such a pretty garden, and that's the potting shed further down.  I must have taken a dozen shots of this.  After showing The Husband, I asked him if my request for him to build me a potting table seems so outrageous now!

Here's Dan and Cindy.  They took us to the Monona Terrace which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and looks out over Lake Monona, which is huge!  I didn't know that Madison had one lake on each side. Lake Monona to the east, and Lake Mendota to the west.  This is the Lake Vista Cafe on the rooftop where we had refreshments and talked and talked and talked some more before it was time to get on the road.  It's a shame, but we didn't get a picture of the 4 of us together.  I do know that the next time we go to Madison, we'll stay more that one night.  There was so much to see and it really is a beautiful city.

Now on to some general rambling.  :)

I'm lonely.  Sad, listless and lonely.  The Husband and Abigail are at work all day now and I pace around looking for things to do.  Since it has been raining and storming for days on end, I've only gotten a little weeding in and not much else.  I have to schedule the carpet installation and finish disassembling the family room.  I'm in no hurry because I will just be skirting around things piled up in various rooms until I schedule.  And I have no idea who is going to help The Husband move the heavy furniture or where it's going to go, but I have decided to isolate myself from that problem.  Don't you love that?  That's my new way to deal with stress...mentally isolate myself from things.  It works!  And in addition to the above, all of the wires and gadgets to the TV and Computers have to be unhooked so of course I don't want that to happen until the last thing left to be done.  Sigh.

Daughter Abby got a teaching job at a new school and started the next day.  She was elated!  She got the phone call an hour after her interview.  She is teaching sophomore (10th grade) English at a high school.  This academy is just two years old and the pictures she has shown me are incredible.  All glass and stone and landscaping...very different from the very old schools that she has taught at here previously.  She came home after her first meeting with the department and announced happily, "I have to wear the uniform  blazer everyday and there is a teacher's lounge with a Keurig machine.  Squeal!"  Well, the blazer will cut down on adding to her work wardrobe although I did help fund a trip to Banana Republic. She does have a long day though, she's up at 5:00 a.m. and home at 5:00 p.m.  I've taken pity on her and I straighten up her room and bathroom every morning (I have nothing else to do).  The Husband thinks I'm crazy but I think if I do this for awhile, maybe she will realize that everything goes more smoothly if you are organized.  Maybe not.  And I have too much time on my hands.  I'm seriously thinking about joining the university gym again so you know I'm desperate.  

Have I mentioned that I invited a small group of family members up to the lake for the holiday.  Oh, maybe just 15 or so.   Why do I do this stuff???  Actually, after spending a whole week there, I get everything so spic and span I just felt like entertaining!  One last hurrah, as it were.  The Husband and I will have plenty of quality time up there this fall, it's just magical then.  But for now it's still hot and sunny and ripe for swimming and boating and making sand castles.  :)

Okay, a trip to the store for the tart ingredients and then some packing up these rooms.  Have a great holiday weekend if I don't get back and thanks for visiting!

XO,

Jane

FLOWER GARDENING AND ALL SORTS OF WINGED CREATURES

A few posts ago I showed you my little handful of green beans which I grew in a container.  Well, when life gives you green beans, make stew!  This would be so perfect for fall but I am so not ready for that.  The stores are already stocking for Halloween.  I think they do that because they just have nothing else to put on those empty shelves.  I'm not falling for it.  My feet are firmly planted in summer and will stay that way until I see frost on the pumpkin.  Anyway, the stew is a simple base of sauteed onion and pieces of chicken thighs (very juicy), some white wine, flour and chicken broth.  I then added the green beans, Great Northern beans and all sorts of spices.  It was so good and since it was a little chilly that day, it was perfect.

We came to the lake last Saturday (and we are still here).  Our friends, Craig and Snow and their darling little girl, Ella, had been here the whole week as a little get away.  Ella is infatuated with Layla, and Layla, of course, loves nothing more than to be held and adored.   

Craig and Snow love to cook and actually get along while preparing meals together, unlike myself and someone else you know.  They had a cheese and fruit tray ready, along with shrimp cocktail and in the picture above you can see the spread we had for dinner.  Craig grilled hamburgers and barbecue chicken as well as fresh zucchini courtesy of my neighbor, Susie.  And Snow made roasted potatoes and a tossed salad.  It's always a big spread that leaves you moaning.

Sunday night we headed out to a new restaurant on Fish Lake.  It was excellent.  It's not always easy to find a good steak or tasty pasta in the wide open country so I think we'll be back to this place.  We arrived back at the ranch, made a fire in the chimnea and sat back to listen to the bull frogs and look at the stars.  And then Ella peeked out the patio door and said, "Aunt Jane, there's a bird in the house."  I thought, okay, that's happened.  I told her I would be in in a second to take care of it.  And then it occurred to me..what sort of bird do you have flying around at night?  "Oh, Ella...what does the bird looks like?"  She replied, "It's big and black."  Okay, Red Alert.  The Husband ran for the fishing net and we cautiously came in.  Snow and Ella were cowering on the settee while the menacing flying rodent swooped here and there.   The dogs were barking at the sight of The Husband frantically running like a mad man with the fishing net, and of course the bat was swooping high and low and whizzing past our covered heads. Thankfully, after about ten minutes, The Husband was able to snag it.  I wish I could say all was well, but I knew, deep in my heart of hearts, that the creepy little monster had not just swooped in through an open door.  He (and his many friends and relatives, I'm sure) have a way in and a way out.  Probably in the stone wall around the fireplace or perhaps in a crevice near the attic.  Our house has settled and shifted so much on this marshy ground, anything is possible.  Since that night we haven't been terrorized by any more, but I have to get an exterminator out.  We've had them in the attic before and they just smoke them out...very humane.  

As if we didn't have enough excitement that night, I awoke about 5:00 a.m. to get a glass of water.  I was sort of puzzled that Layla didn't follow me to the kitchen.  When I got back into bed, I felt around for her under the blankets.  No sign of her.  I tried to quietly call for her without waking up the house...but no Layla.  I actually peeked in The Miller's room thinking maybe Ella had coaxed her in, but again, no Layla.  I did get to see Craig in his boxers and I'm trying to get that image out of my mind.  Finally I went outside.  The doors were unlocked...typical men.  They had come to bed hours after we girls.  All I could think was somehow Layla had gotten out.  I walked around the yard and stood in the driveway calling her name.  Michiana Trash & Recycling drove by and waved.  Yes, there I was in my ragged pink jammies and hair sticking up all over.  I went back inside with my heart in my throat and into the bedroom to get dressed.  Obviously I'd have to search, whether along the lake or down the road.  North and south and east and west.  By then The Husband was up and wandering around outside calling her as well.  And then I heard something like a whimper...it was hard to tell since I can't hear that well, I looked towards our bed and I saw the blankets moving.  I pulled the quilt off the bed and saw a lump down near the floor at the end of the bed.  I pulled back the top sheet and there she was like a ladybug on it's back trying to turn over, caught between the half pulled out top sheet, a hammock of sorts. And stuck swaddled on her back!  She must have just rolled off the bottom of the bed and the tucked in sheet caught her!  I nearly cried in relief!

So that was my wonderful Monday morning.  It then proceeded to rain 2 straight days.  Comcast came out and you'll never guess why I haven't had Internet since May.  I got a new laptop and apparently you are supposed to change your network and password.  Oh joy.  So I'm back in the game.  Well except for at home...that's a whole different issue, but I'll try to keep my problems in check by locale if anything. 

 

On Tuesday The Husband told me had been at Lowe's and had found a really pretty tree, a small one like I had been wanting for the front yard.  I was surprised because he was against my idea.  After hearing all about said tree, I said, "Go for it."  And then he said come on along, we'll get plants for your little garden expansion.  Whoa!  Knock me over with a feather!  I think you all know I've wanted to add on to some of my little flower beds in what I hope to be a gorgeous English garden someday.  I was just waiting for Home Depot or our little nursery here in town to come down in price...like $1.99 for a 12 inch pot.  Ha!  Well, The Husband came through like a hero.  He patiently waited while I tried to configure height, width, color, bloom time and hardiness.  Only I can turn something fun and carefree into a science.

This is a terrible picture that I took of a picture I Pinned right off my computer.  But this is one of the types of flower beds I'm trying to create.

You know, they actually make a spray paint that you can use to make an outline of your border with.  I used plain old boat rope which we have in abundance. 

It wasn't this easy.  We dug and dug and dug that sod out and then rototilled.  And digging holes for 34 plants (which I checked and double checked were in the right spot and spaced correctly) was a horrific job because of all the rocks we have.  Tons.  We filled two buckets with them.  Sometimes we dropped the shovels and just used trowels to dig the stones out.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to give you the blow by blow.  I'd love to just show you an after picture, or maybe a picture in 3~4 years when everything is all filled out, with a simple, "Oh yes, a little project we had fun with in '14."

These are some of the flowers.  Yellow coneflowers.

Asters

Balloon flowers.

And I brought my little copper birdfeeder up!  I have it hanging in a dwarf willow and I actually saw a cardinal in the tree...not at the feeder but close enough for me!!  And this is right smack in the middle of the English garden so I hope all these pretty flowers attract the birds.  While were planting we saw 3 different types of butterflies hovering around.  

After a long, strenuous and tiring day, we had a simple dinner which included tomatoes freshly picked from neighbor, Susie's garden  Just some salt and mixed pepper.  Oh my!

I can barely hold my eyes open but I haven't posted for over a week.  We are going home tomorrow and then we're off to Madison, Wi., bright and early Saturday morning.  Then it's back to reality and trying to figure out where to put three rooms of furniture while we  have the carpet put in.  Maybe I should just stay here a bit longer...bats and all. ;-)

XO,

Jane

THE CALL OF THE WILD

It's the perfect day to write a post.  63 degrees and gloomy.  Nature's way of making us lazy.  I did a quick stroll through the backyard just as a few raindrops started to come down and got a picture of my new rose bush and this gorgeous bloom.  I thought this was a New Dawn but I found the stick and it's a Tiffany Tea Rose.  Very pretty.

The big hydrangea bush is going strong and the once greenish blooms have now billowed out into white clouds.  

My little herb patch is looking lush.  I made pasta last night with fresh basil and oregano.  I did poke some thyme and tarragon in there a few weeks ago, but it's very small right now.  

Off to the lake on Friday night.  I fell into bed exhausted at 10.  Fridays are busy for me...I usually have laundry that I've postponed until the last minute, packing up and  a run to the grocery (I don't like our store in town, very expensive, no bakery and terrible meat).  I had to drop something off at Emily's house and of course that means a little visit with Papa next door.  He has a woman that is there every day that helps out with the cooking, cleaning and laundry.  He drives but during the day they go places together and pretty much hang out.  And she is a riot.  I think she's about my age.  She can talk your ear off and she and Papa are so funny together.  

So here's Layla hanging out on the swing.  It's a shame that I have to keep her on a line.  She has access to the garden where she likes to sleep in the sun or eat bugs, and then she can move on to the patio in the shade and even jump up on a chair if she wants.  She's like my baby, I know when to move her back into the house for a little nap on the couch (her not me!), and sometimes I put her in the screened Summerhouse and she feels like she's sort of part of the action.

The Husband was up at at 'em Saturday morning cleaning up his work bench in the garage (I took this picture through the screen, I wanted it to be candid!).  He finally bought a nice toolbox from Sears and updated some of his stuff so this turned into a weekend long project for him.  He really loves to fiddle around in the garage very much like my dad did.  I guess it's sort of his Man Cave. 

It was a quiet weekend on our part of the lake, none of our neighbors were up, hence, no other dogs.  Milo actually stayed on our property and followed me around out of boredom I think.   I spent the morning cleaning up.  The last time we were there we had my DIL's family up, a very full house.  There were folded blankets and pillows everywhere.  Sheets and towels to wash and I could feel the gritty sand under my bare feet everywhere.  So I did that for a long time, watered my new landscaping in the front (everything is doing so well!), and then spent the later part of the afternoon and evening chilling.

The Husband broke up his work in the garage for a few catnaps here and there.  

The man can pretty much get a few winks in anywhere.  Note the beer bottle.  For him, one can do it.  Love his spot under the palm...must think he's in Miami.

I did indeed make ribs and flip through the lake newspapers as I alluded to in my last post.  And I did indeed make them last week here at home for the first time on the grill.  It was just The Husband and I and they came out great.  Actually, they are sort of no fuss because they just cook slow for about two hours.  I simply cut the slab into three sections so they are  easier to turn over.  I brush them with olive oil and then season them with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.   Wrap them in foil and on the grill they go at about 200-300 degrees.  I turn the packets over about every 20 minutes.  During the last 15 minutes I open the packets, meat side up and baste them with barbecue sauce...we like Stubbs.  Two or three moppings and they are ready.  :)

My decorating at the lake tends to lean toward all things natural.  It's just fitting with the huge windows looking out at woods and water.  I happened to be flipping through a Wisteria catalog a few weeks ago and saw these little stone ducks.  They are actually bigger than they look here, the baby one fits in the palm of my hand.  Aren't they darling?

Not sure what the little beaks are made of...maybe The Husband, my Toolman, can identify this.  

And while we are on the subject of birds, I have so had it with these sparrows here at home.  I filled the birdfeeder the other day, which is no small feat as I have to climb on a chair and try to grab it as it swings back and forth.  So I filled it and later that afternoon it was almost empty and most of the seed was on the ground.  I had what looked like hundreds of sparrows on and around the patio.  So, as it happens, there was an article about "House Sparrows" in one of those lake newspapers  pictured above.  They can be quite a nuisance and aggressive toward other birds.  I was lamenting about this to my next door neighbor, Susie, she is very knowledgeable on the subject of birds.  She feeds them as well as hummingbirds and know a great deal about our feathered friends.  I asked her if it would be a detriment to feed the birds at the lake knowing that it won't last into the winter.  She doesn't think so...I just don't want any starving birds once we start to come up less.  So I am going to pack up my feeder and seed and bring it all north!!  I may even get one or two more at Home Depot this week as I'll only be there to feed them on weekends.  I'm wondering if this will make enough food to go around or if it will just attract more birds.  And just so I don't neglect those feisty little sparrows, I'll keep some seed here to toss out to them in the morning.  

I have a bad habit of buying books on my Nook and having them in my "library" and then forgetting about them.  Actually you can reserve books on your wish list and I should do that.  Anyway, I was visiting Vicki at Life In My Empty Nest last week and she was talking about this book.  Vicki is a voracious reader much like myself.  The cover rang a bell and sure enough, it was in my "library".  This is a memoir about a young woman who suffers several huge blows in her life and feeling there is nothing left to lose, decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to upper Washington state, alone.  With no experience she sets out to try to piece her life back together.  Over 1,100 miles on foot, alone.  This book has really been taking off and the author was recently interviewed by Oprah on her OWN channel.  I was able to download it and I am just in awe of this writer and her story, her courage and her incredible writing.  I'm halfway through and as always, I never want a good book to end.

I know a lot of us look back on our lives, maybe sometimes marveling at the things we did in our twenties or thirties; trips we took alone, places we dared to go, just solitary adventures and experiences for which we didn't need or want a partner, whether it be a best friend or husband.  In the past few years I've watched my children begin to flap their wings and fly off making nests of their own, having wonderful new experiences. In a very real way, I feel my wings have been clipped, and surely by my own doing.  I was/am so far removed from my past and the things I did without thinking twice.  I don't take a lot of chances anymore, I don't seek out many new adventures alone.  I've been surrounded by this fantastic, close knit, loving family of my own here for so long that it hasn't occurred to me that I might have  lost touch with "going it alone".  And I know now I am thinking good and hard about it, because in time, we might not have a choice but to go it alone.

I was up at the lake a few weeks ago.  The Husband had gone to bed.  I was sitting in my rocker in the Great Room reading and at about 10:00 p.m. I decided a glass of wine would be good.  I poured a glass of Pinot and looked in the freezer and there was no ice.  Oh, I have to have ice!  I looked out at the dark patio.  We have another fridge out there and the freezer always has ice in it.  But you know what?  I was scared!  Yes, I've seen raccoons out there.  I've found coyote dung.  I've been swarmed by bats.  And there will always be the LaMunion Brothers from town (another story).  I kept telling myself I was crazy, just flick the lights on and run out.  I felt paralyzed and angry at myself for fearing something I knew was much bigger than an animal... and that it was going to seriously challenge, if not change the independence I  now need and seek in my life.  So I sucked it up, walked down the steps outside with Milo (and that was taking a chance, too, as he could have taken off after an animal and then I would be running through the woods alone!).  I got my ice and forced myself to walk down to the dock.  I stood there for awhile soaking in the moon and stars.  I sat down on the end and let my feet dangle in the warm water.  Milo laid next to me.   I drank my glass of wine.

It was a small step.  I asked myself recently, when was the last time I went to the lake alone?  It would have to be about ten years ago,  Milo was a puppy and I brought him to the vet there in town to be neutered, it was cheaper than the city.  I don't know what has happened to me since.  I told Emily, I want to drive up to the lakehouse during the week when nothing is going on, when nobody needs me.  I'll have the dogs, a bag of groceries and a good book.  I'll take the kayak out on the bay and wear a big straw hat.  I'll eat what I want  for dinner and then make an outdoor fire at night and sit with a blanket on my shoulders until I've had my fill of the moon and stars.  I have to be the captain of my ship.  

A snippet of a review of Wild

"Strayed's journey was at least transcendent as it was turbulent.  She faced down hunger, thirst, injury, fatigue, boredom, loss, bad weather and wild animals.  Yet she also reached new levels of joy, accomplishment, courage and peace..."

Well, I'll leave it at that.

  

And since coming back from the wilds of Michigan (Ha!), I have tackled the cleaning out of the office for the carpet that will be coming soon.  I have finished half of it and that's most of it in these big bags.  There are more bulkier items lined up in the hallway.  I have a stack of baskets as tall as me. When Emily and The Husband turned this small room into an office 10 years ago, Emily's philosophy was, "A basket for everything,"  I am beginning to think this was a cute idea way back then and was certainly bolstered by all the cute blogger's craft rooms (and don't forget laundry rooms).  My conclusion after yesterday is that baskets are simply  bottomless containers for disguising junk that you can't seem to find the correct place for or should throw out.  These are going out with the trash.  And since the room will be empty, I'm going to paint it, which is a big deal for me.  I have never seen such an ugly shade of green.  I know if I go down to the basement and search through the half empty paint cans, I will find one called "Canned Peas".

Leaving for the lake again Friday, this time for a whole week.  Yahoo!  Our friends, Craig and Snow are there now for a little vacay and so we will all spend the weekend together before they leave.  I'm so looking forward to some "girl time" with Snow.  I have a tech from Comcast coming Monday so I hope to have the Internet up and running and I will get back in touch! :)

XO,

Jane 

A TABLESCAPE & THE LATEST

It has been a little slow in Blondieville lately.  I like that in small doses, I guess. The dreaded computer problems continue...I keep losing my connection.  A new modem.  Two visits from Comcast.  Finally being told we need a wire extender that starts in our crawlspace.  Wait.  WHAT???  Remember the pretty little rose bush I recently scored for ten bucks?  Although The Husband had told me not to plant anything in front of the opening to the crawlspace, I thought, "Ha!  When will we ever need to get in there!"  Oh, Lord.  I need to think this through.

We never made our little weekend trip to the lake.  The Husband had a big trial coming up this week and thought he would do some of his work there.  Alas, Internet problems there, too, (hence no blogging from there lately).  So we were stuck at home.  In order not to rip my hair out, I made him take me to dinner Saturday night.  We went to a place I had never been to before called Mart Anthony.  A cool, casual place in an up and coming area in the South Loop.  Great Italian food.  I loved it and we had a really good time.

It was sort of funny...we chose a table in a dark corner, so dark we couldn't read the menu.  I tried using the flashlight on my phone until the owner brought over a candle.  He muttered something about needing a light put in over this particular table.  After a wonderful dinner we went up to the bar for a drink.  We noticed new patrons at the table we had had, holding the menu up to the candle and straining to read it.  I mentioned to the bartender that we had a problem seeing things in that corner as well.  He agreed, they needed a light.  The Husband asked, "Oh, yeah.  The owner said that.  How long have you been waiting for one?"  And the guy replied, "Oh, a few years."  We nearly fell off our bar stools.  I guess if you really love a place you can put up with something like this.  I'll definitely go back!

So that was my big weekend.  I did get to dogsit Tulo.  This is a picture of him exactly 2 months ago lying in Milo's dog bed.

And this was Saturday.  He's like an elephant in a china shop here.  And the vet told my son that he may peak at over 100 pounds.  He's much larger than Milo now and still wants to play like a baby.  He's so clumsy, he bats at Milo with his big paws and then falls over!  Layla is terrified of him and stays up on the couch or my bed, yipping and growling if he comes near.  She has definitely set the rules!  And Jeff has his own great rules.  Tulo is not allowed on furniture and he knows this.  My spoiled dogs are allowed, in fact, Milo sort of has his own chair that I have a quilt on.  When Tulo sees Milo in his chair, he whines and barks.  If Milo gets down, Tulo jumps up and settles in.  Ha!  I know I'm going to be one of those grandmother's who sneaks my kiddies candy and cookies to no end.

I made chili and garlic toast the other night and Abby and Tom stayed.  I didn't want to set a fancy table but since we never have company I decided to take it up a notch.  These are paper placemats that I found in Asheville.  They come in a tablet of fifty.  Just rip them right off.  So this was pretty simple.

Tom had gone somewhere that day to have his fingerprints taken for a teaching certificate.  I was teasing him that we were going to find out his true identity finally, whether it be a spy or Superman.  When I decided on these chalkboard napkin rings, I knew I had to keep the joke going.  And yes, these are the same napkins for the third time since Easter.  A dirty little secret...the cabinet I keep all the linens and runners and place mats in is stuffed to the max.  I have to unload half of it to dig partway down and then I pull out the wrong things.  So, that's on a huge list of boring, mundane things to do.  

We have been talking about getting new carpet in our family room and office for what seems like years.  It's the only part of our house that doesn't have hardwood floors, that being because directly beneath it is the crawlspace (yes, the dreaded crawlspace I mentioned above...it's truly haunting me).  The Husband believes the carpet and padding keeps the room warmer and I have to agree.  Finally I found a woman that Emily knows on a Facebook page for area mothers that does the whole carpet deal for you..  So I made an appointment and she was just the nicest lady.  We know some of the same people and love the same area restaurants...I felt like we were good friends.  So anyway, I picked out a very neutral, pretty sort of flat carpet, but very soft.  The price came in and it was sensational.  The Husband had gone to Home Depot and got prices to compare and we are getting such a great deal.  

Well, now is the fun part.  Everything has to be moved out.  They can work around my humongous sofa, loveseat and chair.  The office however...it gives me chills to even think about.  Emily has stuff in there from when she went to school.  I have craft things in there from 10 years ago.  Books are stacked up on the floor and bins are filled with every conceivable thing but what they were intended for.  This is a room that has become what it is because each of us have been afraid to throw out something that is important to someone else.  I am SO not looking forward to this.  And I also have to have our blinds installed.  I picked them up from Home Depot well over 6 weeks ago.  It's free installation.  I don't know about you but I really dislike having someone fixing or installing or doing something in my home.  I have to put the dogs in the basement and then I feel like I'm at odds with what I can do while they are there.  It's irritating.  And for the love of God!  I have 16 windows!  They are going to be here til Thanksgiving!

 

I do have something to be really happy about.  We have finalized our plans to meet up with my favorite blogger Cindy from Applestone Cottage.  Many of you know that Cindy and her husband Dan have become our good friends since our first meetup in Galena, Illinois.  We absolutely clicked and this will be our 6th year getting together.  We chose Madison, Wisconsin this year.  We live bout 5 hours apart (Cindy and Dan in western Wisconsin) so this year we are closer to their neck of the woods.  One year they drove 7 hours to stay with us at the lakehouse!

We chose a B&B out in the country but just a short drive from Madison, The Speckled Hen Inn.  It's on 5 rolling acres with horses and lambs and goats and llamas and chickens!  There's a pond and a gazebo and big veggie garden to explore.  Doesn't it look like fun?  We will be there the weekend of August 23.  I bet this would be a beautiful place to stay in the fall.  This particular weekend is Cindy's birthday.  We are going to have her dancing on the tables!

So, that's it for today.  I am making ribs on the grill tonight, well actually soon because I think they have to cook slow.  This is my first time doing them on the grill.  I thought about inviting some of the kids (one couple, that is), but I'm worried that they won't turn out.  Isn't that silly?  Actually, it's more about my state of mind.  If it's just The Husband and I, at the lake for instance, I'd just throw those babies on, maybe remember to look at my watch, sit back with a glass of wine and read the lake newspaper while they smoked away.  But with company...my expectations and worries go up.  We'll see.  I still have 45 minutes until I have to get them going!  Ha!

Have a great rest of the week! :)

XO,

Jane 

GARDEN & GRILLING TIPS FROM A TOTAL BLONDE

Well, here I am again!  I think I posted just a few days ago and I'm really thrilled that not only did I manage my time well to fit this in, I actually have some things to write about.  It really felt like a rather slow week and I suppose it was, especially to those of you that work outside of the home.  I consider it a "productive week" if I've kept busy, kept moving.  If I sat at my computer blogging or surfing, or sat on my butt and read half of a book, that's not good.  I feel good about myself when I MOVE!  Then again, I've never hid it from you that I can be quite a sloth, so you can see how I get and strive toward my definition of productive. :)

I love to putter around my garden.  This is "putter" season.  I pull some weeds, I water the pots with my little old watering can, I add some organic food to the lawn and most of all, I sit in the early evening (okay...this is the 'slothiness" part, (I made up that word.), and just watch as the sprinkler moves back and forth, catching beads of sun, and hearing the faint splatter as it showers my plants.  Mesmerizing!  It's a shame we can't hear what falling snow sounds like when it hits the ground in the winter.  What do you imagine it to be like?  Maybe that's the beauty of it...that it's a silent wonder,  For someone like me who only has about 20% hearing left, that's a relief!  I don't want to miss anything else in this life of mine!

Oh, by the way.  This is Tickseed, the feathery kind that gets lots of tiny flowers.  I had some extra from the lakehouse and I planted it here in the city.  Isn't it pretty?

My hydrangea hasn't really turned any color yet and the blossoms look a little conical.  I bought this as a four year old plant at the farmer's market at the end of last summer.  Sort of curious about what's going on.  Any ideas?

In my area, pansies (not above) do well in the spring and fall. They are not great hot summer players.  I pull them out of their pots once they say "goodbye", and fill the pots with something different.  It's such a great excuse to go to the nursery!  Hee!  But I actually got a little wiser this year.  Instead of falling for those half priced leftover annuals, I found these perennials that fit perfectly in these pots.  Thus, I can plant them in one of my garden beds later and they will come up every year!  They are called Lantana.  I think I'm on to something here!  Finally. :)

    I saw these coming up and wondered what the heck they were.  I've been known to pull up what I think are weeds only to find they are flowers.  Gulp.  I looked at my graph which has a bird's eye sketch of my yard and all of the things I've planted since 200 B.C. and I didn't see anything in that spot.  Then it bloomed and I declared, "Phlox!"  But nothing on my diagram.  The other day I found a big envelope in my shed in which I keep all the 'sticks" that come with my plants...you know, the ones with the name and info, etc.  And I found one for Phlox.  It never made the diagram.  I'm slacking off, but what a nice surprise.  I thought maybe it was a present from the birds!  I get a lot of those.

As I wrote in my last post wherein I discussed entertaining, I'm not one to give tips because Lord knows...it's always trial and error for me.  And I'm not going to give gardening advice,  I'm no expert.  I've been an avid gardener for 25 years and I have a library of related books that's quite extensive.  I just want to tell you, as I did with my party giving exploits, some of the things that work for me may work for you... just some friendly words.   I thought about sharing this last evening as I was in the process of taking care of my plants... we were leaving again for the lake today and staying three days (plans fell through, going tomorrow morning...hence this timely post).

I love me sprinkler!!  But I only use it on my lawn.  I use it about 2-3 times a week if there is no rain and I let it soak the grass down about an inch and 1/2, or as far as half my index finger can do down and feel moisture.  Again, I'm not an expert, but this works for me.  When we have had a good bit of rain, I am much more stingy with watering.  And I read some advice by the late great Thalassa Cruso, if you plan to be away, like on a vacation and don't have a way to have your lawn watered, wean it off slowly in the weeks before.  Grass can get spoiled! Oh, how I loved this woman...truly the Julia Child of gardening.  Look up her books, I discovered them over 25 years ago.  They are a pretty penny now...collectors items.  She wrote essay style.  A woman after my own heart.

And the last thing...as you can see from my picture above, I like to soak my plants,  with just a regular  hose at a medium type of flow.  This is just for my flower beds.  Leaves don't need or want water and the roots need it.  Why waste water?  Of course it takes time to move that hose around.  I have it going while I'm working in the yard and move it periodically.  Try to position the hose so the water puddles around the plant and ideally flows down to another plant.  Double the money.  I really love when I'm sitting out in the evening, the dogs languishing in the cool grass, getting up to move the hose around a bit, knowing it's making those tender roots plump up and say, "ahhhh!"  As you can see, I love my mulch.  It's work to buy, haul in and spread, but it's totally worth it and  not expensive.  I use shredded bark and put it down every spring.  I love that it smothers a lot of weeds, keeps the plants cool and holds that moisture in.  It looks good, too.  I have some beds that are free flowing and natural...and I have some that are very neat and tidy.  The mulch enhances all of them.  Try the soaking method.  You can almost hear that "slurp!" :)

 Enough on plants and please forgive me if I am trying to come off like an expert.  No!!  Just passing along what works for me and may work for you.  Ask those pro's at your nursery, Google your questions, read books!

I am switching to my never ending quest to learn how to grill food!  I won't bore you as I think probably 9 out of 10 of you know tons more than me.  But I am a creative cook so this is more of me passing along a few things I tried that worked on the grill.  Pictured above is a salmon filet that serves four.  I just cooked it skin side down with a little blend of olive oil, apricot preserves, green onions and some garlic salt.  Delish.  Close the cover and let it smoke just a short while...fish dries out fast.

Something that takes longer and I put it on ahead of everything else, are sliced potatoes.  I cut one potato per person in 1/2 inch rounds, just nice and thick so they don't fall apart.  In a bowl I toss the slices with some veggie oil (it just does better at high heat and browns everything better, but by all means, use the oil you prefer), some S & P, garlic and onion powder and maybe some dried herbs that you like.  Grill about 7-10 minutes per side and stick a sharp knife in the middle to test for doneness.  Oh heaven!  A little sour cream or a few drips of melted butter makes this out of sight when you serve.  As for the rest of my grilling experimentation, slow going.  I only test things on The Husband and he has a penchant for liking most everything.  Ha!

  

These are how the potatoes look right before I pop them on the grill.  See how those trays come in handy (as I wrote about in my last post)?

Last but not least, I gave our main bath a face lift.  I was at Home Depot trying to find a solution for my grub problem (involving the lawn, should you be wondering).  Do you love the smell of Home Depot like I do?  It smells like fresh cut lumber.  This one is hiring.  I could work there just to have that wonderful smell around me all day!   Anyway, I needed a few groceries and  Target is right there.  Even though I was saying to myself, "No, no, no...don't go there", I did.  And I looked in the bath aisle.  Seriously, I'm not a spendthrift nor frivoulous, I put away more each month than I spend (that saving for a rainy day is something that was instilled in me long ago by The Husband).  I just love to change out the bathroom once in awhile.  I have about five shower curtains and I switch them out about every three months when the plastic liner starts to get a little 'not so pleasant'.  I saw this and thought what a departure it would be for me.  I'm loving blue and patterns, especially patterns that don't involve flowers.  Very different for me and I'm loving this sort of metamorphosis!  Just the rug and curtain...didn't set me back much but I'll be darned, no one noticed it!!  And I take the rug up every night because it's white and I don't want anyone's dirty feet on it in the morning when they shower.  Oh, I'm so Type A! 

Lastly...Chicago  is hosting the Lollapalooza Festival for the ninth year in a row.  3 days long in Grant Park, it's a fantastic time and draws huge crowds.  Lots of great live music acts and fantastic food.   I haven't been but would love to go one year, I know many who have gone and just loved it!  I'm bringing it up because you may have heard of it.  And we have just been down for the count as a city if you follow the news.  I want to give a shout out for some of the things we are good at, proud of.  Say a prayer that the gun violence, here and everywhere will end...it's very close to home.  I put my faith in our mayor and police department.  I'm not going political on anyone.  Just please say a prayer for all of the innocent people in our city who are facing this violence and the aftermath in these past few month.  Chicago Pride!

Thanks.

Jane

Joining in at Thoughts From Alice for Sundays At Home

And

Cindy from Dwellings Of The Heart for Amaze Me Monday