A Slice of Life

Ah, summer- the blackberries are ripening fast, picking ripe tomatoes everyday, and the apples are about 3/4 the way ripe, OMG, how am I going to process all those! Lots of nectarines starting to turn color. Atleast they won't ripen at the same time as the apples, I hope! I see LOTS of applesauce, apple butter, apple slices for pies, yum. Right next to the pickles I made.

Hot- It's been hot lately, 100 a few days ago, too hot. Water, water, water, but 0 weeds in the veggie garden! The hens are doing an amazing job at weed control. I had to tie up the tomatoes again, since they're so full of fruit. I love sauteed tomatoes with herbs on top of pasta, or homemade pizza crust, perfect for a summer meal.

Day Tripping- We went to McCall yesterday, hubby, I and grown daughter, had a blast! Up in the mountains about 2 hours from here. We stopped on the way up at a farmers market, and got 2 baskets of  gorgeous local strawberries (amazing flavor) and a bag of fresh corn. I made a strawberry pie today, and one mixed with blackberries. They came out perfect!

Payette Lake is so beautiful up there in McCall. Much cooler, about 72. We had lunch, did some thrift store shopping (of course) and I found two amazingly beautiful pillow shams for $1.50 (yes, 75 cents each). Velvet, quilted and really beautiful. Will use in the fall/winter when it gets cold. I'm hoping for a normal fall, not in the 90's in October like last year. Too hot, way too long.

We went swimming in Cascade Lake, heading back out of McCall, as there's a great little-used state park there with nice beaches. It was so cool and windy had to keep it short, only about 72. I got a little sunburn, but hey, it was fun! Nice to have a really relaxing day before going back to work Friday. We did run into the tail-end of a fire in the hills, delayed us a bit, but could have been much worse. The fire expanded after we went through and they closed the highway. Good timing for us, as I needed a potty break!

Edging color is really more navy blue, I love the embroidery over the velvet, they're like new!

My new favorite book- got it today off Amazon- The Lost Art of Pie Making, Made Easy by Barbara Swell. Excellent recipes, many of them very old. And it's updated for current use, with many vintage photos inside too. Lots of used copies, very cheap!

Image from the book- Salvation Army girls making free pies each day for soldiers in WW1, 26th division, Ansonville, France, 1918. The bags around their necks are gas masks and they have on steel combat helmets. I LOVE this photo! Gives you a sense of the book. Amazon Link-Lost Art of Pie Making

Bread!- I FINALLY mastered the whole wheat sandwich loaf, from Oklahoma Pastry Cloth's website. With Mary Beth's (the site owner) help! It didn't fall in the middle, rose nicely, great crumb. Onto the next version, with lots of nuts and seeds. Once I go back to work I'll start my Saturdays making bread...

Samantha cooling off- her favorite spot on the couch for her aging bones...



That's all for now...