Saturday Meanderings

Can this possibly be the next to the last Saturday in August? Part of me is trying to milk the most out of the last bit of summer because once Fall hits, then we are in full stride toward the holidays. There is something about the “lazy days of summer” that resonates right now. We are still in the mountains enjoying the silence, the storms and the stars. It’s that time again for another Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about all good things this week.

Enjoying August

I cannot even recall the last time I plopped myself into a hammock. This Hatteras hammock is literally decades old, and it finally gets hung between two Ponderosa pines at our cabin. If you are looking for a hammock, I strongly suggest this brand.

Handcrafted with a Brazilian teakwood spreader bar, all-weather proof rope and quilted Sunbrella fabric, I am truly impressed with how well this hammock has held up over the years. The extra bonus is that it’s made in the U.S.A. in Greenville, North Carolina. They come in all different styles and colors and you can find more directly through Hatteras Hammocks here. No commission to me, just sharing an excellent product with you!

Guests for the Weekend

Neighbor friends from Phoenix came up to the mountains last weekend to get out of the heat and attend the Annual White Mountain Sheriff’s Posse BBQ. This fundraiser is a slice of Americana where the entire town turns out for this event.

Posse members get up early Friday morning to prepare a deep pit in the ground and fill it with coals so it will be hot enough to cook the meat and beans that they bury and cook onsite. They actually begin cooking around 3 p.m. on Friday so they are ready to go when they open at 11 a.m. on Saturday. This is their only fundraiser so if you ever in Pinetop, Arizona in August, it is certainly one of the best barbecues…plus you get to meet a lot of men in big hats!

We hosted our friends for dinner both Friday and Saturday night. When cooking for a crowd, I love serving my healthy turkey chili. With fall approaching, you may want to add this recipe to your meal plan. You will get lots of compliments and it’s even better a few days later!

A Stormy Cocktail

Some 40 years ago, I vacationed in Bermuda. After riding a moped in a downpour, wearing an unattractive huge rain poncho, I took shelter at The Swizzle Inn, the oldest bar in Bermuda. At that time it was just a great old bar with the walls and ceiling covered in business cards. Here I had my very first Dark ‘n Stormy cocktail.

The story of this beverage starts in 1806 with a gentleman named James Gosling, who set out on his ship from the UK with the intention of traveling to America. The boat didn’t quite make it to its destination, docking instead in Bermuda. By 1857, Gosling had started a rum business with his family. They started by selling their spirit from a large rum barrel, allowing the locals to bring their jugs to fill up as required. It didn’t take long before the company progressed into selling their rum in champagne bottles, giving their product the name Black Seal rum.

The rum became very popular on the island, but the Dark ‘N Stormy cocktail was not born until sometime after the First World War. It is thought to have been created within the Royal Naval Officers Club, who ran a ginger beer factory. They discovered that the combination of the two drinks made for a delicious treat.

Ingredients

An added interesting fact is that it is actually illegal to make a Dark ‘N Stormy cocktail without the original ingredients. Even a slight twist on the recipe could get you in trouble, as the Gosling brothers have trademarked the name and the family have not been afraid to sue anyone caught using the name without the right ingredients.

During a huge storm, this is my cocktail of choice and brings back my Bermuda adventure memories. Remember to use Goslings Black Seal Black rum, a reputable ginger beer (like Fever Tree, Goslings or Q), and fresh lime wedge. I depart slightly from this recipe and add the fresh juice from 1/2 lime, which I have been told is called a Partly Cloudy, not a Dark ‘n Stormy. See the recipe below.

A Colorful Cottage

I dream about a beach cottage in my future and love this very colorful one from Cottages and Bungalows. Artist Erin Houghton’s sunny beach cottage mixes classic and whimsy and will make you smile. I so appreciate her personal and cheerful touch to this sweet space.

Read the full article and see more pictures here.

Bargain Tea Set

Look what I found on a 75% off shelf at a local florist! Have you heard of Tea Forte? I love their triangular tea bags with the paper leaf at the top. Included in the set is an oval bamboo tray, porcelain cup and lid, mini sugar & creamer and the tea bag tray.

You can order the triangular tea bags or loose tea online as they have many flavor choices from black tea to herbal and tea samplers.

If you were to purchase each piece individual it would be approximately $50. Tea Forte also has tea sets in boxes but not with all these items. The entire set just makes me happy and knowing I got it for $13 makes it extra sweet! Here are the links if you want to purchase this:

Oval Bamboo Tray

Porcelain Cup with lid

Mini Sugar & Creamer

I cannot find a link to buy the tea bag tray. You can also purchase a stainless triangular tea infuser with a green silicon leaf and just add your own loose tea instead of buying their tea bags.

Each afternoon I am trying to stop for a few minutes and enjoy a cup of tea (sometimes coffee). Such a wonderful and valuable British tradition to pace ourselves, right? This set would be the perfect gift for someone who enjoys a relaxing cup of tea.

Pesky Woodpeckers

The woodpeckers are relentless this year. I don’t mind them tapping on a tree, but when they continue to destroy the cedar siding on our cabin, it is infuriating. Of course, they are a protected species and are rather territorial too. Two pesky ones try to dive bomb me while on the hammock.

Of course, I look like the crazy neighbor running outside trying to scare them off from their pecking damage to our exterior.

As much as I don’t like the aesthetics, I am now trying Bird-B-Gone Flash Tape that is supposed to scare critters away. The birds are repelled (apparently) by the flashing reflections. You can see all the pecking damage done around the window and on the siding above the window.

Doesn’t it look ridiculous? Does anyone have a solution to prevent woodpecker house damage? Has anyone used this tape? Please advise because these birds are driving me a bit nuts.

From the Internet

My friend, Kim from Shiplaps and Shells is a self-taught expert on flowers. Her post, 13 Tips to Extend the Vase Life of Your Cut Flowers, is filled with fabulous information. We all need fresh flowers on a regular basis, right? Now you will discover how to keep and enjoy them even longer. You can see her post here.

Scottish Fairy Tale Castle for Sale

For those with deep pockets, here is a real estate opportunity for you! It comes with 28,500 acres, 12. 5 miles of river front, 20 cottages and houses and of course, Dunbeath Castle. I wonder if the sale price includes the furniture? See this spectacular property here.

If you missed a post this week, you can see how to make Refrigerated Pickles here. My son, inspired by my post, sent me a photo of the pickles he made this week. Love his creative flavors. He uses Persian cucumbers, adds Serrano peppers in the spicy dill jar. For the spicy Asian one, he includes rice vinegar, splash of fish sauce, gochugaru and ginger peppercorns. Not only is it an easy recipe, but see how you can change up the flavors to your liking?

Here at Bella Terra we are always trying to live simply and here are some of the ways we do so in Wednesday’s post Living Simply and Efficiently.

Wishing you a wonderfully relaxing weekend. This week went by so fast and I’m looking for ways to slow things down a bit… I think I hear that hammock calling me….