old work buddies

 It seems like it rained just a few days ago, but yesterday morning my plants on the deck were limp with their need for refreshments and needed watering from the hose… today they are getting soaked by heavy rain. Yes, we took down the shade JIC of a thunderstorm this afternoon but not before enjoying an afternoon in the sun yesterday.

Last night we met up at the Keg with some of Carm’s old workmates - it didn’t take long for work talk to start but we had strategically arranged ourselves around the booth with the workers at one end and spouses at the other end to minimise cross-talk… it was fun to catch up but so much tragedy in everyone’s lives :-( 

I was surprised at how empty the restaurant was for a Sunday night on a long weekend. We had a reservation but I don’t think we would have waited for long without one.

Ken & Francine’s son passed away a year ago using MAID - he had been struggling with a brain tumour for years and finally couldn’t take it anymore… I guess it’s a blessing that he was able to leave this earth without having to suffer any more but oh, so hard on parents. We skirted around the topic - it just seemed too tragic to discuss.

oops! These were hiding under some leaves in the garden!

For lunch we had a few crackers with an amazing cherry tomato confit that I made the other day. It’s basically a bunch of cherry tomatoes, some whole garlic cloves, a handful of basil & oregano, and a cup or two of olive oil, baked for an hour in the oven. The oil is infused with a rich tomato and basil flavour with a hint of garlic - it’s amazing by itself, but the tomato part is ‘da bomb’ on crackers or better still baguette to soak up the oil.

Today I’m making Grace’s mash in the instant pot but it keeps giving me C8 errors - we’ve restarted it over half a dozen times. Other than the occasional errors that it throws it’s been a great appliance but geesh! It’s not that old 😥

Awesome!

“rain stopping in time to get the dogs out this morning”

“tomato confit”

a plan and more waiting

 We’ve been blessed with another gorgeous summer day… not super hot (okay, not hot enough!), but pleasant for sitting outside reading. It’s been a lazy day with only the washing machine doing any work, but that’s okay as I needed a day chilling outside, a trashy book as a distraction.

Friday and Saturday I was almost paralysed with anxiety - my chest was tight, squeezing so hard it was difficult to breathe, doom was my companion. I did all my rescue tasks but nothing really worked. I’m pretty good at compartmentalising but sometimes emotion breaks through… Yesterday was the peak but the weather was meant to be perfect for entertaining, so I invited Jo Ellen and Don for an afternoon lunch, but I still needed a big ugly cry before I felt like I could go on again.

Of course it was lovely to see J&D - it had been far too long - how has the summer passed so quickly? I mentioned that the weather was perfect (it was) for relaxing outside. Lunch was a simple bacon and tomato sandwich on focaccia (yum), along with lemon orzo salad and some fried zucchini rounds. I forgot to add the basil to our sandwiches.

I’ll back up a bit…

Wednesday was another day of bingeing ‘Ted Lasso’ - I was so disoriented by the time I picked up Nissa I hardly knew what was real or what was fantasy. I can’t wait to continue!

Thursday I went with Mom to one of her appointments - it was a grey day and a bit cool (I was wishing that I’d worn long pants as my bare knees were chilly!). I was tired from a late night at Kirsten’s so didn’t accomplish much after I got home. (that’s my excuse anyway! This summer has been a mix of busy busy and slothlike lounging).

Thursday also had us watching the skies for tornados - our city has had 3 tornados this summer - unheard of! It used to be rare to even get one. We didn’t get hit but we were ready to take shelter. No more trees came down.

Awesome!

“cicadas”

“a rafter of turkeys on the front lawn (more this time)”

“finally seeing Jo Ellen & Don”

“tomatoes from the garden”

“shower from the hose”

binge

 Last day in July… the summer has reached its apex and soon tendrils of fall will start tentatively sending wisps of cold air to push out the summer heat. Already the overnight temps have dropped from 20C to 9C, cooling the pool rapidly back to icy waters. There’s sure to be another heat wave but there’s nothing in the forecast for the next 2 weeks.

I’ll have to conjour up some Viking blood if I’m going to dip myself into the pool!

Saturday it rained on and off during the day causing me to bundle up with a flannel shirt & wool socks… but the bad weather brought us some wild visitors - 3 adult and 7 baby turkeys hung out on the lawns around the house. We kept the dogs inside until we were sure the birds had moved back into the overgrowth below the pond - we might have had Thanksgiving turkey a few months early. 😱 

Yesterday was gorgeous though! Not too hot but nice enough to put the sunshade up and invite Trudie & Leo for a last minute supper. I spent the morning and into the afternoon happily puttering around the kitchen making ‘salads’, not the lettuce kind. I started with a bean & zucchini salad, got the makings for a broccoli salad prepped, and finally cooked up some orzo for a lemony summer pasta salad. With a few sausages cooked in the instant pot and jazzed up on the grill, we had a filling supper.

I’ll do a repeat of last night’s supper at Kirsten’s tonight. I think I’ll try adding a touch more lemon to the orzo salad before I serve it tonight. And maybe some cherry tomatoes. And perhaps a bit more basil.

Oh! The cherry cake that was in the oven the other day when we were hit with the storm was excellent. The cake was a little unusual as it had ½ cup almond flour as well as regular flour but I think it’s my favourite cake so far and I might consider using it as a base for the cinnabon cake that’s a favourite with everyone.

Well, that was all yesterday! Today was a fine day with a visit with Ruth and a nice evening with Nissa. Binge watching ‘Ted Lasso’ - I love it! 

Awesome!

“cherry cake”

“a beautiful afternoon relaxing on the deck”

“rain coming down so hard the visibility was close to 0”

“little grey dog curled up against my legs”

“chihuahuas piled onto my lap”