Saturday Meanderings

Welcome to Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week. I was unable to post last Saturday because we were traveling (secretly) to Chicago to surprise our son. Plus last week is one filled with chores and who wants to share that! But this week, we have happy good news to share, good food and fun projects. So grab your favorite beverage and let’s get started.

Big Announcement

Our son, Benjamin, proposes to his longtime girlfriend, Delaney on July 13th at The Art Institute of Chicago. After weeks of planning the engagement with multiple moving parts, Delaney experiences one surprise after another. After the proposal, her parents (who flew in from out of town) make a surprise visit with 2 of her childhood friends.

Since we were just in Chicago for Benjamin’s graduation and to help with a move to a new apartment, we quickly justified another visit back to surprise them. It was fun to show up at the rooftop bar gathering with friends that afternoon. We are becoming party crashers!

The photographer captured some very special moments in this gorgeous setting. No official plans to date, but a joyous event for all!

Photographs by Ryan Patrick Clarke with Jason Kaczorowski Photography.

Robin Eggs have Hatched

Literally days after we planted a dwarf Alberta spruce in front of the cabin, a bird built a nest and took up residence. The three small eggs just recently hatched and both mother and father are taking turns feeding and protecting their young.

I continue to be amazed every year by birth and renewal. Isn’t Mother Nature amazing?

An Abundance of Eggs

Speaking of birds, our chickens (in Phoenix) are laying up a storm. The youngest 15 chickens are producing so many eggs, however, they are small in size compared to the mature chicken eggs.

Since we have so many, I am pickling them to eat as snacks. After being hard-boiled and peeled, I place the eggs in a large Mason jar and then cover them with my Quick Refrigerated Pickled Cucumber brine and refrigerate. I shared this recipe with you last summer using pickling cucumbers and it is so tasty. See the blog post here.

Baking a New Bread recipe

I am trying to learn how to bake sourdough bread at a higher altitude and so far, so good. This week I have garden tomatoes that I need to use, so I slow roast them in an oven at 250 degrees for about 2 hours. This helps reduce some of the moisture and enhance the flavor.

Roasted tomatoes, fresh garlic and shredded sharp white cheddar are the ingredients I add to the sourdough after the overnight rise.

So happy with this bread recipe and the roasted tomatoes add such great flavor. I know everyone doesn’t have sourdough starter, but if you would like for me to share my basic recipe for this, please let me know.

Holiday Styling Workshop

I am considering conducting another holiday workshop in early November. Last year, as you may recall, we had our first Fall Styling Workshop which was a great success. This year, depending on interest, I may do only one day (vs. 2 days) and some initial thoughts will include stying a holiday staircase, creating a festive front entrance, a project for you to work on to take home as well as lunch and snacks.

The tentative date is Saturday, November 9th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. here at Bella Terra. Please let me know your level of interest! We had such fun last year and I love an opportunity to gather and learn together.

Mystery Water Leak

The first indication that something is wrong, is the expanding and separating baseboard in the kitchen and the warping of the hardwood floors. We remove the baseboard to find a very wet wall, however, there is no plumbing behind this wall.

Above it, is my son’s bathroom and shower. After removing the shower valve we find dry walls and no sign of a leak. This led to breaking two large holes in the adjoining wall, again, we find nothing wet or leaking.

Once the baseboard was removed, we just assumed the wall would dry out quickly in our warm weather. Weeks pass and the wall is still wet. Arggg. To make matter even more complicated, our walls are thick plaster, not drywall~so not easy to infiltrate or repair.

Finally, my dear friend, Sandy suggests it might be coming from the air conditioning units in the attic and dripping down the walls. It is not easy getting up into the attic, and it’s not very navigable once you are there. However, I climb up and root around to find the source of the water damage.

Though it wasn’t obvious, I see only a tablespoon of fresh water by one of the A/C units, but no major indication that this is the problem. However, I call our A/C person and he tells us that the condensation line is blocked and water is not draining properly, causing this water damage.

So after many weeks, we finally get an answer to the mystery wet wall problem. Now I am hoping the dry, hot summer temperatures will evaporate the moisture from our hardwood floors and flatten them out again. There’s always something with an old house, right?

What are You Reading?

Typically I put together a summer reading list, but failed to do so this year. However, I am reading a crime novel series by best-selling author, Paul Dorion, whose main character is Mike Bowditch, a Maine Game Warden. I have only been to Maine a handful of times, but I am enjoy the author’s detailed visual accounts of the Maine woods. Every now and again I need to look up the definition of a word, so I’m also happy to be expanding my vocabulary.

Overall, Paul Dorion writes very well and reading these novels provide great summer entertainment. I believe there are 15 novels in this series and would be enjoyed by all. To date I have completed the first 6 and do plan to read all 15.

Please let me know what you are reading!

Finn is 6 Months Old

Finn is growing like a weed and quite honestly, he will be a very big boy. He is long-legged and there are days I feel like I could put a saddle on him and ride him around the neighborhood.

It’s easy to forget that he is only 6 months old. He is goofy and uncoordinated which remind us of his young age. Training continues and he is a rather good student. He does shed ALOT so I need to vacuum nearly every day~cannot wait to get my robot vacuum this week.

Mary’s Must Haves

I hope you were able to score some great deals during Amazon’s Prime Days this week. Here are a few additional items that I am finding very handy this week.

My friend, Tevia, bought us this 6 slot cherry pitter last summer. What a lifesaver if you are making a cherry pie or galette with fresh cherries. It is cherry season and this pitter makes the task a breeze. On Amazon for $13.99.

It has been hot during the day at the cabin and we do not have air conditioning. These window fans have made the different in getting some air circulation on the second floor. We have four of them running non-stop during this unusual hot spell.

With a reversible airflow, you can pull out the hot air and pull in the cool air. Designed to fit most windows, the fan sits nicely in our double hung ones. See window fan here.

Who wants to wear tight fitting clothes in this heat? Not me! I find this cotton knit tiered dress at our local Walmart. It comes in 9 colors. I purchase the grey one at $7.00 (on sale) and the black one at $11.98. You may want to check your local Walmart to see if they are on sale in store.

What I like about this dress is that the back is slightly longer than the front, which is nice when bending over. And it has pockets! You can’t go wrong for under $12.00! I am pairing this with a pair of white sneakers, but sandals would work too. Not a great photo but you get the picture.

I haven’t washed it yet so I don’t know how it will hold up, but it’s a great dress to wear around the house or for a quick run to the store~while keeping cool. P.S. I am 5’4″ and wearing a size Small.

Let’s Be our Best

Each week I try really hard to share goodness…even with stories about plumbing failures or life’s challenges. I believe that if you keep a kind heart and an open mind while being good to those around you, life will be happy and make the difficult times bearable.

It’s been a tough week for our country. After being on this Earth for nearly 7 decades, it hurts my heart to witness hatred at levels that are disturbing. Maybe because information is so readily available 24/7, we are exposed to the vitriol more frequently. But I believe people are responsible for their own behavior. We must be accountable and hold ourselves to a higher standard.

Imagine a world where everyone spoke freely with kindness? Imagine a world where we could have conversations and truly listened to opposing views? Please join me in being more accepting, loving and cordial to our fellow man. Daily I pray for a kinder, less violent world.

Enjoy your weekend. Do something nice for yourself and others.