discombobulate

 It’s been over a week since I last enjoyed our little backyard oasis… I was away at the villetta until Saturday and since then the weather has been unsettled with afternoon thundershowers forecast and days of smoky air. The weather hasn’t stopped us from using the pool but I haven’t pulled the covers off the furniture since last Tuesday. 

I had a lovely few days with Kirsten and the girls. The weather was nice (hot) so we got to have some lovely suppers on the patio enjoying the sunsets before the mosquitos drove us inside. The dogs were reasonably good but there was some frustration with getting them to potty in a reasonable time… other than that, I left them loose in the trailer or if I was going away for an extended period I’d stick them in the bedroom. Much better than last year when I had to crate them if I left for even 5 minutes!

We’ve taken ‘advantage’ of the crummy weather to make a few shopping trips. Sunday we went to liquidation where I found a ‘Miracle’ bathing suit which was an actual miracle in more than one way… first, I found it in a huge box (think 3’x3’x3’) piled with hundreds of other random suits in mostly tiny sizes. The second miracle is that it fit and makes me look reasonably good. It might be the extreme plunging neckline that takes attention away from other areas!

Monday we trekked into the city to visit Ikea and Lee Valley. We also made a quick stop to see Maria & Jack, Carm’s sister and brother-in-law. I don’t think we’ve seen them since the beginning of covid! Ikea was a mecca of interesting things to look at and of course I came out with an armful of stuff 😱 

I browsed around Lee Valley while Carm got in line to get a package of nail brushes… the hardware (knob, handle, etc.) selection is out of this world! I could easily spend $1000 on new knobs for the kitchen and living room cabinets!

We didn’t linger anywhere as the dogs were loose so we wanted to get home in a reasonable time… as it turns out, the dogs were left alone again Monday night while we joined Trudie & Leo for supper. They are doing okay being loose, however the video shows a certain amount of crying and howling. Lupa doesn’t settle well yet.

We are still eating the meals that I prepped… and the drunken noodles with tofu turned out okay, but over salty. Next time I will marinate the tofu in less fish sauce with a bit of water added.

Yesterday I spent the day wishing for a rain cancellation of Lupa’s agility class - I was feeling discombobulated again (that’s 3 days now this week), in fact, I have been feeling slightly off since mid-rally. I’m sure it’s just a ‘normal’ swing but I wish it was over. This morning when I was frozen with anxiety I made myself get up and made a blueberry muffin cake. Of course I put some music on. It helped (a bit).

Well, the rain never came last night so Lupa’s school carried on. She was sometimes good and sometimes lost all attention and I was no help at all with my addled brain!

I made brisket tonight… it was tasty and the bbq sauce was ‘da bomb’ but now the smell of it is making me feel ill.

Awesome!

“chilling with Kirsten & girls”

“morning walk with Kirsten & Nissa”

“coffee in the trailer”

“getting home and seeing my honey”

could I do any more prep

 The burning of the Shire happened while we were away - a large forest nearby has been razed to the ground to make room for more identical houses on tiny lots. It’s a pox on the land… My heart breaks for all the animals displaced by the destruction. 

Yesterday I whirled around the kitchen for hours prepping and cooking for my visit to Kirsten’s this week. I started with the scapes: 2 jars with a brine in the fridge - they’ll keep for 6 months or so. Then I chopped scapes for the roasted vegetable salad. They went into the actifry with zucchini, red onion, red peppers and were finally tossed with some olives and sun-dried tomatoes, and a bit of basil for flavour. While that was cooking I added some more cucumber to the Korean smashed cucumber salad :-)

By the time Carm was home from Costco I was ready to make eggbites. (update: I forgot to bring them!) I also chopped up the tofu and marinated it for drunken noodles - the tofu will replace the chicken that I normally use because Nissa is vegetarian. I cooked it this morning and tucked them into the fridge - I don’t have high hopes for it though - I might have over-squeezed the block.

Then it was time for some flour fun… I have a special apron for rolling out tortillas since I seem to get gluey flour all over the front of me!

By the time 1pm rolled around I was ready for a swim and a bit of time relaxing on the deck. I love the shaded area. With the pergola shading and the leafy green trees that surround that end of the deck I felt like I was in paradise, even the birds were singing a happy chorus, accompanied by the percussion of distant motorcycles backfiring. Even the loud tractor cutting the hay field didn’t ruin the experience. 

It was 2:45 before I knew it and time to get the dogs to the groomers for a nail trim. After that it was just over an hour before Lupa and I had to go to school 🤪 She did not too bad considering she was a class behind all the other dogs. She had a bit of trouble with the tunnel when it was curved but she’s only been in it a few times. The circle of jumps was tricky for us as well - a combination of her confusion and my handling. It was fun though and she seemed to enjoy it.

Today I’ve prepped a layered Greek salad and a Greek orzo dish… both good for a hot summer night! I may be over catering but I wanted to try these 2 new recipes. The tofu in the drunken noodles is sort of new too as I’ve never used tofu like this… not sure how it will go.

I’m now nicely ensconced in my little home away from home. I love playing house in the villetta. Of course I’ll miss Carm but doesn’t absence make the heart grow fonder?

Awesome!

“a good run”

“my second home”

“thunderstorm skirting us”

pergola

Finally! The shade has been installed on the pergola and the furniture is arranged on the deck! I’m sitting outside for the first time this year :-) I’d forgotten how musical the birds are and how lovely everything smells.  Summer really is here! We just have to keep the darn chippies away and all will be good…

The shade went up with very little trouble but since it is 12x12 and the pergola is 12x14 we had to finagle one end. We may install an extra cross piece to help support it as I feel the long ropes we used will be unstable in the wind. 

It's overcast, (we did get a few minutes of sun), and slightly cool. That didn’t stop me from getting in the pool twice! Carm cut the grass and was happy to jump in as well.

Awesome!

“our shady nook on the deck”