My Tribute to Star Island

Hello and Welcome!  Hope you have time to grab a beverage and sit with me a while.  Let me share with you how I'm feeling this week. "Why this week?" you ask. Well this would have been my 5th year going out to Star Island, Isles of Shoals for our Rug Hooking Retreat! Obviously because of Covid19 it was canceled. How sad that we were not able to reconect with friends old and new. Now we have next year to look forward to. Those of you who know me know how it was a blessing  i was able to join my bestie Cathy and Pam Bartlett the retreat organizer out to Star. I can't say enough about our time out there. Such a magical and spiritual place with loads of history. The friends I've met I feel confident  they will be lifelong friends. Every evening this week i burned this candle in memory of what could have been.

On a happier note i must gush about the purchase i made a couple weeks ago. 

Yes...a rug hooking floor frame. At first I thought it was Cheticamp Frame but now I don't believe it is. I sprayed it all down with alcohol let it settle in then cleaned it really well. The rug that is on it was removed because it was dirty and smelled awful.  Not knowing where it had been or where it came from i decided to wrap it up and throw it away. With all that's going on i didn't feel i could take sny chances..so what do you think? I just love it...and the fact that I only paid $10 for it...what a find. I've been spending more time hooking. On to my 4th riser..Happy Hooker am I.!

Still cooking up a bunch...

I roasted more tomatoes and made roasted tomato soup. We had it for dinner last night and it was delicious.

Well once again i thank you so much for being here with me...i so enjoyed your company and would like to give you a virtual hug. It's almost time to harvest my horseradish. One of you said you would like some plants for your own....but no name.  If you're interested please leave me your name & address and I'll be sure to get some out to you.

Later...A Bientot

Good Bye Summer of 2020!

Or should I say "The Summer that wasn't"!!!!

Welcome and thanks for stopping by. Grab a beverage,coffee, tea, wine, G&T (I won't judge) and visit for a bit.

As you can see and from my last post we sure had a bounty of tomatoes. Been passing them out to neighbors and friends. Some of you have requested recipes. Here is the tomato pie recipe.

 I hope you can read it. One of my favorites. I can never get enough of this.

The Apple cake-

or go to www.allrecipes.com/apple-cake-V.

Blueberry Muffins- www.littlesweetbaker.com/bakery-style-blueberry-streusel-muffins.

Thanks for asking...Enjoy!

I'd like to give a shout out to Joyce SS...if you're reading this please send me PM with your address.

That's about it for now...thanks for stopping by. I love getting mail so don't hesitate to leave me a comment.

Thank you....A Bientot!

One last note...1 yr ago Labor Day I had the pleasure of meeting a Mom and her 3 children, young adults really. I just fell in love with them. They since have become a very important part of my family. My love for them grows daily. I am proud and happy to have them in my life....love to you guys.

Wifi in and out!

Here I am finally...hope you're patient with me. Sorry it has taken so long for a new blog post but my internet has been out of sorts! If any of you are subscribed to Comcast you know what I mean. We called and they sent over a service man....we are back up and working like a champ.

How are things going you ask....let me just say this  Covid19 dilemma has brought me to the realization that I live in a dream world!  And then it hits me like a ton of bricks and i'm back to reality. I don't like being sad or lonely  that's just not me...i like to joke around i like to laugh and there's not much of that going on right now. Enough of that whine!!! Not Wine!

Hubby's garden has been growing like crazy. He's make a few batches of pickles. He dosen't follow any recipe nor does he write down what he uses. Therefore he can't duplicate them if they turn out good. We also have had a wonderful yeild of tomatoes. Been eating lots of salads, BLT's. I made a huge batch of salsa and if course tomato pie.! Yum!

I turned up the recipe a bit...added some caramelized onions. Nice change.

Cooking up a storm...apple cake with brown butter caramel topping.

This is a great recipe...full of ooey gooey sweetness. And some blueberry muffins. 

My Coronavirus "muffin top" will be out of control soon!! Step away from the oven!!!

That's about it for now....i need to regroup...I am  thankful for your visits so let me know that you were here.  I  look forward to your comments.

Thank you.

A Bientot. 

Driveway garden.......???

Hey....I'm back and here to welcome you. I'm thrilled that you're along with me on this journey. At times i feel as though you are my sounding board or that you are my therapist. I can go on with my ranting and it'snot costing me a dime! Gotta love it. Ok so I'm getting a little better at this Covid19 BS. My anxiety level not quite as bad. Still too many questions  and not enough answers. Last week while down on the beach ( for the first time) this woman who is employed by the town to help educate people about rules & regs regarding do's and don'ts came walking past us. My daughter tells me i should apply for that job cause "Mom you love talking to people!" That may be so but i saw No One stopped her to ask questions!!! And I'm not convinced that she has the answers either.  Just walk on by!

Oh wait!!! I think that's a song.

                         ****

So this top photo is what is called 

Cow manure driveway garden. Yup hubby plants this every year and for some reason this year is growing like crazy...

A few different varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers...those tall things at the end are horse radish. As for MY garden........here you go....

yup..1 little grape tomato. Now don't be jealous. Lol.

                                 ***

So about this heat and humidity! I'm about over it. We have been spending lots of time in the "carport " its the only cool place around.

Not a bad place to be! Also spending time in the water as the water temperature has been in the 70's. Tried getting back up on the paddleboard and pretty happy to say i did it! Didn't get on last year because of injuries......don't ask.

Here i am showing off my skills.  Not my board but its a beauty. We are keeping it here for a cousin.

                          ****

A couple days ago we had an impromptu visit from a couple of very good friends.  Had not seen them since before all this mess. It was such a welcome surprise. Had lots of laughs and walks fown memory lane.

                           ****

So i will leave you now and say once again how thankful i am for being here. So appreciative. I look forward to your comments....to let me know you were here.. 

A Bientot.

Ps....here are a few pictures i'd like for you to identify..

can you nsme this?

Tell me what you think these are.

Good luck!

To weed....or not to weed....?!

Happy Wednesday y'all!!!! Wait i'm a New Englander.....not from down south. Nonetheless thanks for popping in and sure hope you're having a great Wednesday. So now that I have you ear let me whine a while. My day started off in a slump. When i say i want my life back...I mean it....when i say 2020 sucks....i mean it

I really miss my Daughter and my Son.

My grandkids that i want to hug till it hurts.

My favorite SIL and my special friend JSA.

I miss my Roomie and my VT friends oh so much

and my favorite Hookers.

Today was not a good day.

+++

Enough with that.

How pretty are those sun flowers in the Ball jar?

They were given to me by a friendly neighbor.

Thank you so much MK.

+++

I've been playing with my camera a bit and I'd like to share some

pictures I've taken.

My neighbor's hydrangeas

Bald Eagle sitting on post.

I thought I could enlarge it but oops..no.

My horseradish.

Will be a good bounty.

If any of you want some plants let me know.

A cucumber leaf.

Tomato going to be yummy!

Marigolds in Hubby's garden.

My neighbor's yard.

A Bee sitting on the blooms of my

hens and chickens.

Anthurium

+++

Today I received a lovely gift in the mail

from a dear friend.

A bunch of assorted daylillies.

That sure did turn my day around.

Added some left over coffee grounds as well as ground egg shells I've been saving.

I am fascinated with daylillies so i am really looking forward to growing these.

Wish me luck

***

I was absolutely thrilled to get a glimpse of my favorite little one. Showing me her reaction to blueberry picking . Lots were picked with her sisters.

Gosh i hope posting this pic is ok since i didn't ask permission. 

This and other pics made my day!

Thank you so much JSA.

***

Ok so let me explain the meaning behind the blog subject.

To weed.....or not to weed!

On my deck I have a big pot with grape tomatoes growing in it.

Hubby went over to water it and noticed that "weeds" were growing around the stem so he's doing a nice thing by pulling them All UP!

Well little did he know i had planted more mesclum seeds around the base.

Yup! All gone!

It's the thought that counts right?

 Gotta run....would love your input. I see that 64 of you read my last post but only 6 comments.

Please let me know how I'm doing.

A Bientot. 

And the tradition continues......

Happy 4th of July everyone. This year's celebration were certainly different than those of the past. Without family gatherings there were no cookouts. No little ones in the water....no jayaking or paddleboarding  for the grand kids. Just not the same. Hubby and i did spend some time on the water in the boat and another day in our kayaks.

Always so peacefully quiet on the water and nature's gift to us. 

Yes the tradition that started many many years ago still carried on this year as well.(without realizing it) and came as quite a surprise.  As a child i loved eating lobster and spending my birthday at the beach. My Mom would always buy me a lobster for my celebration. As i grew older then married my husband would follow suit...then my son and daughter would do the same. My son one year bought me a 14 lb lobster..wow! It was delicious...when my daughter married how happy was I to not only gain a wonderful son-in-law BUT a Lobsterman. That's right we would celebrater with buckets of lobsters.

So this birthday was going to be a quiet one until my wonderful neighbors sent over.....you guessed it LOBSTERS, steamed clams and corn on the cob. This old lady was one happy neighbor/friend. Love my Ma%$&@ole friends..thank you again.

Other than that what else is going on? I purchased my first daylillie plant....yellow Stella d'oro.  I love her

She's in a pot right now but plan on planting her along the fence in the fall.

My other plants, hens and chickens are doing great and starting to flower. 

Not sure i've seen that before.

They are in "tuffa" pots that i made and winter outside. I'll keep you posted. 

Coming to the end i want to say Thank You from the bottom of my heat to those of you here with me.

A Bientot 

Broccoli sprouts and more...

They had 1 day left to sprout but who is impatient? That's right i couldn't wait to give them a crunch. I gathered some mesclum greens (thx Dayle) some sliced tomatoes some sliced poached chicken (hubby's new diverticulitis diet) as well as a thin slice of extra sharp cheeze. It was yummy. I was on my way to giving them a good rinse and shake when i thought today was the day.

I didn't add very many to the jar but this time I'm going with 1 tablespoon. That will give me more than enough. Thanks again to Marie for getting me started on these.

This New Normal is getting to me more each day. Between you and I it feels as thought I'm stuck on a remote island in the middle of nowhere and  isolated from the rest of the world and no one is looking for me. I read that a visit from a Dove helps us rid the trauma stored deep within our cellular memory". ( www.pure-spirit.com)" Alternatively the Dove could be letting you know that you need to simply stop and take a few deep breaths. Let go of the turmoil that is currently surrounding you and find peace within." I sure hope that works. With that being said along came a second dove.

Now mind you I didn't have my zoom lens and they were inches away with no intention of flying off. They stayed quite a while. Reading on "A pair of Doves symbolizes peace, fidelity & love."
www.karenwrigley.com

So......it was very calming to sit and enjoy my visitors.
In doing more research I found Karen's blog. She is known as an Animal Communicator/Pet Psychic:
one who translates thoughts, feelings and sensations of an animal...Interesting read.

On a happier note i stopped over to see my friends at the barn...you know, my Happy Place.!

Yesterday I recieved confirmation that I'm scheduled for a trail ride...yahoo...back in the saddle again. Something to look forward to.

Again I can't thank you enough for being here with me. You are "mes amis" 

A Bientot.