Tuesday, August 13, 2013

A very yummy summer . . .
I've been in the garden and the kitchen a lot today.
These little orange cherry tomatoes have been amazing.
They've used up their own space and now are climbing on the neighboring
plants on either side. I pick a huge bowl-full everyday.
They are meant to be orange, not red . . . if you leave them 
one second too long on the vine, they split from being over-ripe, I guess.
So you see why I am out there picking these everyday!

I've moved on from popping them in my mouth plain and putting them in salads
to doing a pseudo-sun dried thing in the oven. I guess you would call them roasted.


This ugly cat will not help me eat them. I found him tucked away on a high shelf
in the pantry that we are turning into a bathroom. He's still pouting about being
back there for years. He actually has a kind of ugly-cute thing going on.

Out of the oven.

Into some jars. With a little more olive oil.

I'm meant to be painting today. Actually, I am painting.
I've been going back and forth.
Not the most efficient way to go about it though.

I made a peach crisp too.

Now it's time to start thinking about what to have for dinner, and
I am sick and tired of the kitchen!

The garden has been what I would call a success this year.
Maybe it loved all the rain.
We have tons (I really mean TONS) of peppers, 
many many tomatoes, actually had some delicious eggplant,
and I can't keep up with the basil.
I have given cucumbers to all the neighbors (multiple times),
gave some to the neighbor's houseguests, 
hubby has taken bags of them to work (multiple times), 
and I gave a bag to the cat sitter (tried multiple times, but she still had plenty).
They are piled on the kitchen counter too.

The only failure was one of gigantic proportions.
Jesse planted some Dill's Atlantic Giant pumpkin seeds.
He had a hankering to grow a 1,000-pound pumpkin
and read online that these seeds are the way to go if
you are wanting a pumpkin like that.
The vines started out spectacularly, and we
had people coming from far and wide to ogle them.
I mean, the leaves were huge like elephants' ears!

But. Sometime around the end of July everything started
REALLY going downhill. 
The whole thing was just dying by leaps and bounds.
Mildew-y leaves, yellow leaves, rotting stems...
Shriveled pumpkins. It was not pretty.

We don't have a clue what exactly went wrong.
Jesse, being 23, having a job, and actually having a "life",
of course didn't have the time to take proper care of his pumpkin vines, 
so I feel they died on my watch! I took care of them the same
way I took care of everything else. I feel bad.
I may need therapy for this. Just kidding.
We'll try again next year, or at least I will.
Jesse will have forgotten all about it.


Does anyone have a good recipe using ALOT of basil,
besides pesto? 
I love pesto, but I've made it 3 times now.
Doesn't get eaten much by anyone here but me.
I have no problem finishing it up, but I am thinking the calories
may not be in my best interest. lol.
Mmmm . . . Parmesan cheese, olive oil, walnuts . . .
in fact, I could just skip the basil and eat those alone!

Are you growing anything this summer?
(Assuming you are in the northern hemisphere. ahem.)
How has your garden been treating you?

Figured out what to have for dinner . . .
Stuffed peppers, of course!
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Friday, August 2, 2013

Magical Journal Journeys


Lisa's Rust Journal
Lisa (the Wright One) chose one color for her journal.
(Unlike some of us [me] who had a hard time choosing just one hue!)
Lisa's color, Rust, is not only a color, but also a substance.
So, lots of possibilities there.

I had an event-filled July and would have 
changed most of what happened if I could, so when I finally got 
the welcome time to sit down with Lisa's journal
I had visions of bits of rusty treasures . . . keys, buttons, and 
other interesting found items. I discovered something about myself then . . .
I've always thought I was a hoarder of such bits and pieces. But soon found out
there was not a rusty item in any of my stashes. I was disappointed!
But with no time to go on a scavenger hunt, 
or to sit around waiting for things to rust,
I had to create rust with what I had on hand ~ paint.
Rust calls attention to the passage of
time

This is another one of those double posts ~ Inspiration Avenue's
theme this week is "Time" and I think rust and time go hand in hand.



The final journal page. I think rust has a sadness to it, emphasizing 
times past, things no longer wanted or needed.
Eventually disintegrating completely. As has been pointed out
(thought it was Neil Young, but I discovered it was said before he said it)
"Rust never sleeps."

I liked the complimentary colors of the orange rust and the blue sky
to signify there is always hope in darkness.


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(Below) Not part of Lisa's journal, but I love this photo for its rust.

Times have changed in the Steel City since the early 20th century.
No longer a bustling, smoky steel town. 
The smoke stacks are quiet, the sky is blue not gray. 
An abandoned steel mill rusts on the Monongahela River.



I'm also joining Paint Party Friday this week.
Please pop over to PPF and also Inspiration Avenue for a visit!

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