We Are Home

And very happy to be here. Last night Mother Nature treated us to a phenomenal thunder and lightening storm that woke us up off and on during the night. Our cat Giorgio really didn't like the light and sound so kept pacing up and down our bed. Quite often his pacing took him over the two of us. We don't get this kind of weather very often. Giorgio is thankful for that.

One of our first adventures on the trip occurred when we realized we had left Harleen's service dog vest at home. That's how we came to meet one of her half sisters, Edyth, on Whidby Island. Kerry is holding them together in the top picture. I'm not sure which is Edyth and which is Harleen they looked so much alike. I put out an e-mail to puppy raisers when we realized what we had forgotten; Shannon was the first to respond. CCI is a great group of people.

Took the ferry from Mukilteo to South Whidby (a first for Harleen), got the vest, had a little playtime for Harleen and then headed to Kerry's family via a wonderful organic farm where we had lunch. So that turned out to not be so bad after all.

She met several dogs at the Memorial Service on Saturday; she wasn't too sure about any of them so spent most of the time sitting right next to me with her tail tucked in. Dinner there was salmon caught off the coast of Alaska by the barbecuers. Delicious.

She met two more dogs on Sunday when Kerry's sister Joanne brought her dog Wiley (floppy-eared dog) for a visit and his nephew David and his wife Summer brought Nellie for a visit. All three played well together.

Sunday was also the day we visited Laura and Mike at Urbanhennery.com What a wonderful farm. We met the chickens that will be in the freezer by this weekend. They do their own slaughtering along with the help of friends who want birds.

Harleen chased a chicken; that's another first for her. I hope you will stop by Laura's blog for a visit. The one thing we didn't get to see was the bee hive, which they've recently established.

Gotta go run errands and get caught up. More tomorrow on our trip.

A Mixture

This is the current state of my design wall. The three on the left are part of the block of the month quilt I am building. The bottom flower in that group is one of four that will go in the corner of each row. The other block is applique for the Baltimore Album Quilt block of the month.

I am still drawn to applique far more than regular quilting.

Big news, I am now part of a quilting bee that meets every Tuesday from 9-12. Some very interesting quilters there. After only one meeting I find that there are all sorts of things I want to try...thread art is top of my list.

Catching Up

Kerry and I are sending Jesus to summer camp again this year. Eight weeks of fun including great field trips. He's very excited. It's five days a week from 7:30 to 5:30. Gotta keep him tired out so he doesn't hang out too much with the kids in his apartment complex. They aren't the best role models, but he doesn't know that.

This is an old picture; he's grown a lot. He also asked to go to a week-long basketball camp the week before summer camp. We signed him up for that too. His mom who is here cleaning today told me a funny story about him. They were talking about a teenage girl that he knows (he's 9). Jesus said that she had her period. Francesca was a bit surprised he knew about things like that. But then he asked when he was going to get his period. We both cracked up when she told me the story. Tomorrow he's going to receive an award at school. I wish we could be there.

We leave tomorrow morning for a car trip to Burlington, WA where Kerry's sisters live. It will be great to see everyone and experience cool Washington weather. But best of all, I'm going to get to meet another blogger, Laura at urbanhennery.com. Plus we are going to the Mt. Vernon Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. Looking forward to seeing what they have to offer.

On Monday we will head down the Oregon coast to visit our friend Charlotte who lives in Newport. Harleen is going too. She gets to learn about motels. Thursday night we will be in Wilsonville outside of Portland at the Best Western. They are dog friendly.

She did very well on the camping trip. Zooey, our friends lab, and Harleen played together every day. I'm just glad we camp only once a year. Everyone came home covered in dirt.

So that's it for a while. We will be home on June 4th. I'll catch up with you then.

An Eclectic View Of Our Weekend To Come

We are going camping this weekend at Steve and Janet's Yellow Dog Ranch near Boonville, CA I've been doing this on Memorial Day weekend since 1984. These photos were taken in 2006, I believe. This is the only time we came all year.

The outhouse is an important part of where we put our tent. As you women of a certain age know, you never want to be far from the bathroom, especially at night. Getting up in the night with a flashlight to find your way to the "loo" is always interesting. Luckily these are "new" outhouses that have been carefully tended and are rarely used.

Hopefully someone will bring lots of asparagus that will be roasted over barbecue coals as pictured. In the evening we will gather round the fire to talk, dodge the smoke and sparks and watch the kids make s'mores.

About 100 people attend each year. It started out being lots of people Steve and I worked with at PG&E but now it's grown to include an expanded circle of friends, their kids and grandkids. This year dogs are not allowed. We won't mention the irreverent behavior of some dogs last year that resulted in this ban. Harleen, Zoey (their yellow lab of the same age), a senior citizen golden retriever named Emily who comes from Alaska each year and an old, timid dog that Sue brings each year will be allowed. The rowdy ones have been banned.

Packing for this two night stay is like planning for an army assault. Last year we didn't get the chicken out of the freezer in time so we ate really late. Tomorrow we are putting it in the marinade in the morning when we leave for our 3.5 hour drive. You learn something every year; you forget something every year. The stars will be heavenly. Have a great and safe weekend.

Traveling In Style To The Market

It's not just transportation; it's a statement. My sister-in-law Joanne has this exact car. It's a 1970 Cadillac that was owned by her father. She's getting it cleaned up and dusted off for our trip to the farmer's market in Mt. Vernon, WA on Saturday, May 30th.

That's the opening day for the market; what a great way for veggies and fruits to ride home. Wave if you see us.

Slow Food Dinner

It was really, really hot but the olive grove provided lots of shade which helped immensely. There were about 100 people eating luscious, locally grown food. Even the beer and wine were locally produced. Linen table clothes and napkins, real silverware and dishes. Harleen was not impressed by any of it. She finally got settled down in a cool patch of earth and didn't budge much. I did get her to go see the chickens.

The chicken part is interesting. These are the layers. Their home looks like a rickety old cottage on wheels. It gets moved around the farm every few days so the chickens eat the things that normally would be taken care of by pesticides. This farm also uses cattle and goats to keep down weeds. No chemicals and very little use of diesel. Much better for the world and those who consume their products. Joel Salatin, a farmer in Swoope, Virginia, does a lot of this type of thing. Check out his web site at http://polyfacefarms.com/

Dinner was Moroccan lamb with peach chutney, roasted chicken with a nice spicy sauce that was green, an assortment of vegetables, salad with quinoa, and for dessert, strawberries in a custard with a chicken-shaped sugar cookie. The most interesting part was the appetizer: fresh goat cheese wrapped in grape leaves which were secured with strands of leeks for the baking. Very delicious. Lots of french bread for dipping in olive oil from the olives in the orchard in which we ate.

Since then the weather has cooled considerably. I probably would have had a better appetite if it had been cooler. Harleen would have been happier too. Met one of the people I Twitter with: Chris from Chaffin Orchards Farm. Nice young man. We also got more eggs, including some green ones, and a gallon of olive oil. Great way to spend a Sunday.

Not Fast Food

The Slow Food movement started in Italy in 1986 when a McDonalds opened at the Spanish Steps in Rome. To counteract fast food, Carlo Petrini, founded "slow food." The movement has expanded globally to 122 countries.

We joined the Slow Food USA chapter about a month ago and today are going to our first dinner. It's in a 100-year-old olive grove on Chaffin Orchards Farm just north of Oroville, CA. All the food will be from local farms cooked by local chefs. No packaged foods. Local wine and beer too. We will savor every bite and talk a lot between courses. There will be about 100 people there. It's going to be 102 so it's going to be a test of my ability to be outdoors in the heat. Harleen is going too. Hopefully the olive grove will be cooler.

Chef and cookbook author Alice Waters is leading the Slow Food movement in the U.S. Her Berkeley restaurant, Chez Panisse, is still a mecca for foodies who want simple, well prepared meals. I've eaten there; the food is sublime.

Yesterday I blanched ten ears of fresh corn and then froze the kernels. Creamed corn will taste really good in December.

This week we start receiving our box of veggies from our CSA (community supported agriculture) farm, the Natural Trading Company which is just up the road from us.

My goals this CSA season: learn to like beets.

Take The Challenge

All you have to do is serve one locally grown item at one meal per week. That's pretty simple. Here's an example: you are barbecuing chicken and decide to have a salad and corn on the cob to go with it. Go to your local farmer's market and see if they have either or both of those veggies. Cook them up and report your meal to Farm to Philly. If it sounds pretty simple, that's because it is.

You support the local farm economy, find out what's in season in your farm neighborhood, and have some delicious food. Who knows it might become a habit.

You can sign up by May 30th at http://farmtophilly.com

Food, Glorious Food....

I stole that from the musical "Oliver." But it describes how I feel about our dinner tonight. It's all about glorious leftover food: BBQ beef tenderloin and oven-roasted cauliflower. That's the basis. Add flour tortillas (burrito sized), black beans and sour cream. It doesn't take much to make a wonderful locally grown meal.

I'm already planning for tomorrow because I have book group tomorrow night so I have to eat early and Kerry eats later. Pork stew meat will go in the crock pot early in the day with an assortment of vegetables, spices and homemade chicken stock. For some reason I've never made pork stock.

It's farmer's market tomorrow morning, which is always exciting.

Plus next Sunday we are going to our first Slow Food USA event. It's a dinner in a 100-year-old olive orchard. All the food and wine will be locally produced.

Wednesday is platelets: so far I'm at 113 pints.

If you've never thought about it, give it a try. Whole blood, platelets and plasma are always needed. Check it out. The people there are really nice and in the summer you get coupons from Baskin Robbins for free ice cream.

Rick Nelson: April 10, 1970

This wasn't exactly a high point in his career as a singer; performing at the Baumholder Officers' Club. But I was dispatched to cover his concert because the editor of the Overseas Family (companion to the OW) knew that military wives would read the story. And besides, I got to meet one of my teen idols.

I was late getting there because I had been visiting friends in Munich and miscalculated how long it would take me to get there. I remember taking a curve in the Germany countryside on two wheels. Of course back then I thought I was invincible.

Luckily my photographer, a gorgeous swede named Calle (pronounced Culla), was there to get what I missed. I had such a crush on Calle the entire time I worked with him. He spoke fluent English but with that Swedish lilt. He was also married with a child. He flirted right back. That's all I'm going to say.

My work took me all over Europe, except for France. DeGaulle had already thrown the American military out. I still found ways to get to France.

Usually I would leave my apartment in downtown Frankfurt on Monday morning, take the tram to the train station and head out by train for a week of interviews and trials. I'd come back on Thursday evening and write all day Friday.

I have to search for more clips from my days there. This was just the first one I found. More to come.

Yes, Cats Can Swim

Kerry, Harleen, Nora and Georgio went for a walk this morning to see if we had any rain damage. None found.

But Georgio decided to take a short cut to get back to the pack. He mistook the red algae on the lower pond for dirt. He leaped, landed in the water and paddled furiously to shore. I tried to get a picture of him; he looked like a drowned cat. He won't sit still long enough to have the picture be in focus.

Nora is now working on getting him cleaned up. So now you know, cats can swim.

The quilt pictured here is one I finished for a class I'm taking; it's only 36"x36". The title of the pattern is "romantic." I think mine looks more "frantic." I don't think the teacher is going to be very happy with me. Oh well, live and learn.

How This All Started..The Way We Eat Now

A farmer (Chaffin Orchard Farms) I twitter with sent me a link to a blog about how to support a sustainable urban food system. The blog is Civil Eats. But for those out there who read my sermons about this I'll keep it simple and just start with what the blog says is number one. It's really the core of what I do.

"Start small and simple

1. Make a few things from scratch.
   
2. Pick three actions to start now: for example, stop eating packaged foods (that's a biggie), prepare your own food and cut out meat eating once a week.
   
3. Compost.
   
4. Plant and grow your own herbs (golden oregano, sage, Greek basil, thyme, Rosemary in my garden) and your favorite vegetables (tomatoes).
5. Get clear on the origins of your favorite food – where do the ingredients come from?
   
6. How was it made?
   
7. Harvested?
   
8. Who harvests the ingredients and how is it processed?
9. What’s the impact of your choice?"
   

My first step was composting. We can't use our garbage disposal very much because we have a septic system. To cut down on our garbage output I went to Peaceful Valley Farm Supply and bought a compost bin. Then I bought worms so the stuff would get digested easier. The worms came in the mail. Weird. I had no idea where this would lead.

It's taken me nearly three years to get to where I am today. I've met some pretty amazing people during my journey. Our next food adventure is dinner in a 100-year-old olive orchard sponsored by Slow Food USA and Chaffin Orchards. Everything served will be locally produced. I can hardly wait.

An additional benefit, doing this just might get rid of your sugar craving. Even though you may not eat it directly, I'll bet it's in so many of the packaged foods you eat. It's in the form of corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, etc. That's all sugar and it does horrible things to your appetite. And it lurks in low fat salad dressings.

So that's my Sunday sermon.

My New Kitchen Toy

This summer I have plans for freezing lots of fresh vegetables; peas and corn in particular. Ziploc bags work pretty well; but this new toy works a whole lot better. Today I shelled a bunch of peas while listening to a book on CD (Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson). I blanched them, chilled them and then sealed them with my toy. They looked so beautiful as they went into the freezer.

I also made a big batch of chicken stock and cream of mushroom soup. The soup is already in the freezer. The stock goes in tonight.

This is our second straight day of rain. We got an inch yesterday. Last night I left our slider in the bedroom open so I could fall asleep to the sound of rain. It's really good for my soul.

Harleen ran errands with me today and was a real trooper. Once she has her vest on she knows that she's in the public eye and must behave. She went to a very short quilt class, to Starbuck's for coffee with a friend, then to the library and finally to the grocery store.

I took her to the ladies room with me at the grocery store. It probably looked pretty funny with my two legs and her four visible under the stall door but we managed. I would have used the handicapped stall but it was in use and I couldn't wait.

Quiet night planned; watching episode two of the second season of Boston Legal and having chicken enchiladas for dinner. If you've never seen this show, rent it from Netflix; it's great, especially William Shatner as Denny Poole. Candace Bergen is in it too.

A Fellow Blogger Needs Our Support

Her name is Jen but she goes by Creamy Silver: http://creamysilver.blogspot.com

I've been reading her blog for a long time. She's mid-30s, happily married to Bob, lives in Indiana, wants a baby ever so much, and is incredibly creative when it comes to making jewelry. She made my earrings for my son's wedding.

Two days ago Bob was diagnosed with leukemia. They are devastated. Lots more tests and results to pinpoint exactly what he has. We can't do anything about the diagnosis, but we can offer her support, positive energy, prayers, Reiki and anything else you have to offer. I know it would mean a lot to her.

She was very supportive when my sister was so sick last year.

So I hope you will take time out, visit her blog and leave her some thoughts that hopefully will help her through these very dark days. I know she will appreciate it.

This Is Where I Learned How To Swear

I haven't provided much transition from being a locavore and quilter but I decided I'd like to write about this part of my life.

I stayed in Minneapolis for 14 months after college. It was just one more really bad winter that convinced me to leave the state. Instead of heading west I went east to Europe with a girlfriend who was tired of teaching. We each had a round trip ticket on Icelandic Airlines from JFK to London and $700. We felt rich.

Withing a few months my friend returned home; I was left on the continent without a soul who knew me. Sort of an amazing statement. Nobody knew me on an entire continent.

I discovered the Overseas Weekly newspaper in the PX bookstore (I was working at the commissary to bide my time until I found something better). The OW, as it was called, was run by a bunch of ex-GIs who didn't want to go home after their tour of duty was up. This was 1969; things were not so good for the U.S. military. Vietnam was hogging headlines, as it should have, and our country was not sure what to do about just about anything. Drugs were rampant in Europe with GIs. OW had nearly nude women on the front and back cover. It was very anti-U.S. military; it was owned by two lesbians. I think of it as the National Enquirer for the military only with better writing and truthful facts.

Keep in mind as a new graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in journalism, I worked for Miller Publishing; I wrote for Hog Farm Management, Feedstuffs and Feedlot. I took those clippings to an interview with the staff of the OW. I wore a simple green shift, pumps, panty hose, pearl stud earrings and a scarf rakishly draped around my neck. Got the picture.

Turns out that the staff had been drinking much of the day as they prepared to send someone to Saigon to open an office there. I showed up looking like Little Miss Sunshine. I was hired, but when I showed up the next day, few remembered hiring me. But I stayed. They weren't going to throw me out.

The biggest challenge that the staff faced with me was my naivete about life and language, especially when it came to female body parts. I covered a lot of rape trials. I would come back with a list of words I didn't understand.

I finally learned all those words and managed to say "fuck" in a convincing manner.

I also dated the advertising manager for the paper. He was cute; I was thrilled. He was also gay and needed a cover for his boyfriend who was the lead tenor with the Frankfurt Opera House. I would go to the opera with him (I love opera), then out to dinner with the two of them and then be chastely walked to my door at 39 Berliner Strasse.

Well, that's enough for the first installment. If some of you are shocked; stick around there may be more.

Today's Field Trip

Here's what we bought at Chaffin Family Orchards in the Oroville/Chico area. Found them via Twitter, visited their web site http://www.chaffinfamilyorchards.com/ and stopped by to buy stuff today. We got a 5 lb. pasture-raised chicken, a dozen eggs (including that beautiful green one), EVOO from their own very old olive trees and low sugar apricot and peach jam.

Then we went to Durham to pick up a quilt I had left there 10 weeks ago for quilting. It turned out just beautifully. I'll take a picture of it when I have sewn on the border. Then on to Chico to La Hacienda, a great Mexican restaurant that serves this wonderful salad dressing. We will be having leftovers for dinner.

I'm off to nap for a bit. Traveling can be tiring.

Check out Chaffin Family Orchards if you are in the area. Not fancy but wonderful wholesome locally grown food. Locavores Rule!!!

Design Wall Part Two

This is another project that I'm working on. It's a block of the month (that's the three blocks on the right. There will be a total of 12 blocks with the medallion in the middle and four applique blocks in the corners. I really like this project. All the blocks have the same frame.

I've chosen the applique block pattern but have yet to execute it. In fact I haven't even chosen the colors.

I just love fabric. In fact, I describe myself as a fabric whore.

Applique On Design Wall

I just finished the fourth applique quilt block for my Baltimore Album Quilt; it's the upper left hand one with the red flowers. When I'm done I'll have 12 blocks. I'm doing it as part of an applique block of the month class at my local quilt shop. Each month the pattern gets more challenging.

Click on the photo to biggify.

Introducing Bailey

She's the reason Jean and I went to Santa Rosa last Wednesday. She's an 8-week-old Goldendoodle (part standard poodle and part Golden Retriever). Bailey is not a service dog in training; she's a pet.

We drove home with her in a small, soft sided crate in the back seat. First she threw up her lunch and was eating it again. That precipitated a quick stop and clean up in a mortuary parking lot in Sonoma. It was the closest, safest place to stop.

Then she pooped not too far from home. Cleaned that up and then took her to her new house. She is adorable. Jean reports that so far she is being a pretty good puppy. Up just once during the night to pee.

Another dog to chronicle. She weighs 10.5 pounds and lives with Jasmine, a 12-year-old golden retriever who seems to be tolerating her so far.

Patience

I have been waiting about ten months for morel mushrooms to appear on the forest floor and then somewhere that I can buy them. Their appearance coincides with the appearance of the lovely locally grown green spears known as asparagus. Well, the planets are aligned; I'm going to make a recipe from Barbara Kingsolver's book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle."

It's an asparagus and morel mushroom bread pudding with Swiss cheese. I'm salivating just thinking about it. I've never been known for my patience, but I've had to learn a lot about it now that I'm a locavore.

When I read the book last summer I could have made the recipe with dried morel mushrooms and asparagus that was grown in some foreign country and shipped to my local grocery store. I decided to wait.

Whole Foods is supplying the mushrooms. At first the produce guy said he didn't think he would get any; yesterday he called to say he had some put aside for me.

I could buy them on line, but two pounds of them, with shipping, would have been $117. The next day shipping accounts for about $40 of that. Just couldn't see spending that kind of money, so my treasure hunt began. None of the vendors at either of my farmer's markets said they had any or knew anyone who had any. Maybe...maybe not. I'm not sure I would tell anyone if I had them.

Usually the closest I get to Whole Foods is the Farmer's Market held in the shopping center parking lot where it's located. But last week I ventured in; I was feeling desperate. I found a very nice produce manager who promised to call if he got some.

First of all, I highly recommend the book. I actually listened to it on CD which was even better. Kingsolver has this wonderful soft southern accent. Her husband and daughter each recorded their own sections. The recipes can be found on the book's web site.

I'll let you know how it turns out, including photo. Oh, and we are have a baked ham from Coffee Pot Ranch to round out Saturday night dinner.

Harleen Goes Wine Tasting

Well, not really, but Kerry and I did. We went to the Perry Creek Winery in El Dorado County to pick up some wine from the wine club we belong to there. It was a great day for a ride in the country. Harleen behaved exceptionally well.

We had our Easter dinner at Mel's Drive-In; now we are all ready for a nap. Hope you had a good Sunday.

A Lesson From Twitter

There's a new logo along the left side of my blog, "Quilting Bloggers." A quilter Twittered me with information on how to sign up as a quilting blogger. I did it and ever since my blog has been inundated with new visitors from all over the world.

Lately I've been writing a lot about food and being a locavore; I figured I'd better balance that out with a picture of a quilt. This one has been posted before, but it's all I'm ready to share at the moment.

I signed up for Twitter sort of on a lark. I'd seen it around but, just like Facebook, had not taken it seriously. What I've found is a wonderful community of people who have enriched my life. I block a fair number of people who Twitter me. If they already have 2,500 followers, why do they need me?

Blogging has been great; twitter is the frosting on the cake, which, of course, would be made with local ingredients.

So far I have twittered with a woman who lives in the country outside my town whom I hope to have coffee with one day soon. Another woman from about 60 miles north of here twittered me. I'm going to visit her farm soon and get some of her farm's extra delicious EVOO.

Plus I can easily stay closer in touch with my family and extended family. So, for those of you who haven't tried it, you might want to give it a whirl. It's kinda fun.

Oh, and the quilt. I'm in a stash busters class that is free. Each month we get a new pattern and have to pick fabrics from our stash to make it. If we bring a completed small quilt back for three consecutive months, we get a free fat quarter. From now on I'll try to talk as much locavore as quilting.

Soup For Dinner

It's cold and rainy for the third day in a row so it's time for soup. Cauliflower, leeks, green garlic, a few potatoes and cheddar cheese. At the grocery store I found the amazing item pictured here. It's an oyster mushroom from Canada. That breaks my locavore rules, but I just had to have it as did the woman who saw them first. I've seen them packaged but never like this. Just like it was plucked from a tree trunk. It's a pretty fragile mushroom so I won't add it to the soup until near the end. Cooking is such an adventure.

Happy Birthday Harleen

She's nine months old today. I went back through some pictures of her. The one on the left is the day we brought her home, all 11.5 pounds of her. Now she weighs 59 pounds. The most recent one shows her wearing her dog seat belt in the back seat of my car. And then there is my all time favorite which was taken at the CCI Christmas party. She still hasn't gone into heat. I check her about once a week but no signs of blood. Somebody told me that her dog acted goofy before going into heat. Well, Harleen acts that way most days of the week.

Not much else going on here. I'm busy working on a camping quilt for Mark and Julia. They bought a kit and then discovered that it really wasn's as easy to sew as the web site suggested. I need to have it to them in Albuquerque before next Monday. The directions for this thing are very hard to understand. Yesterday I reached an exceedingly high level of frustration with the directions when I called Mark and told him I wanted to burn the quilt. He helped me figure things out so I'm back on track. Definitly not as much fun as my kind of quilts.

She Is Home

She spent 24 days in the hospital after her surgery. I got a text message from my sister this morning saying she was headed home. A nurse will visit daily for a while just to check all her vitals and meds but other than that she can go home. No transitional care. The staples came out of her incision for the turn down. The others will dissolve over time.

She is going to be so happy to sleep in her own bed tonight with her husband and cats.

Thank you again for all your prayers, energy and Reiki. It worked.

Quiche And Car Cleaning

Today has been a weird kind of day. I had lots of energy when I got up but that soon dissipated and I settled into a state of ennui. I think it's my new meds. I've been weaned off Wellbutrin and Zoloft and am now on Lexapro. My doctor increased the dosage a few days ago at my request. It leaves me pretty sleepy for much of the day. I know I could take it at night but I find that if I don't get all my meds on board in the morning I forget them. So the fog was there for most of the day. This will change as time goes on.

I got a comment from Kirby3131 (http://ttelroc.blogspot.com) about my quiche recipe. Quiche is sort of my stopgap dinner. As long as you have eggs, you can make one. Pull other stuff from the refrigerator and make a quiche. The crust recipe came from someone or somewhere; I just don't remember. Please take credit for it if it's yours. It's really easy.

Quick Quiche Crust (try saying that three times really fast)

1 cup flour (any kind)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup ice water (I use refrigerated water)

Mix flour and salt with a fork
Beat oil and water with whisk or fork to thicken
Pour into flour and salt mix and mix with fork
Press into 9 inch pie crust.
Fill with quiche mixture and bake at 400 F. until done.

This is not suitable for a baked pie crust shell.

Here's what I found in my refrigeraator last night. Bacon, which I cut up into pieces, leeks, green garlic and one portabello mushroom. I cooked it all together in a frying pan. Finally I added the chard. I striped the green part from the stem, tore it up a bit more and added it to the other veggies and bacon. Mixed it all up and then put a lit on the fry pan so the chard would wilt.

Spread this mixture in the unbaked quiche crust. Meanwhile I had cracked six eggs into a bowl and added chunks of smokey bleu cheese. Poured that into the crust. I put the pie plate on a cookie sheet in case it overflowed during cooking. It took about 40 minutes to complete the baking; I did test several times to make sure it wasn't over done. Just stick a knife in the middle. If it comes out clean the quiche is done.

As some of you know Kerry loves cars and owns a lot of them. I refer to it as his fleet. Lately he has been talking about liquidating it. I didn't pay much attention until a guy arrived bright and early today to detail two of his vehicles: 1992 VW vanagon and 1998 VW Jetta TDI. My God he might actually do it.

Even Harleen has seemed a bit off today. Could be the portion of a ball point pen that she ate sometime last evening. Maybe she is part goat.

We are having breakfast with friends tomorrow at one of our favorite greasy spoons in Auburn, Edelweiss House of the Super Omelet.

My four little tomato plants are still alive.

Switch Plates And Dinner

Creamy Silver Twittered me about her new switch plates. I requested photos and said that in return I would post photos of the stencilling I did around some of my switch plates. It's pretty simple actually. Joann's has stencils that fit nicely around a switch plate. Just get stencil paint and a small sponge. Doesn't take long and dries in about an hour depending on your humidity. The best part is if you mess up you can wipe the stuff off the wall with a wet rag and start all over again.

Now for dinner: quiche with homemade crust (extremely simple), rainbow chard, green garlic, leeks, bacon, eggs and a smokey blue cheese. I'm hungry just thinking about it.

And it makes great leftovers.

Worked up an appetite today with all my weeding. It's actually coming along quite well. My newly planted tomatoes are doing well.

My sister may get to go home this Sunday. Cross your fingers and say a prayer.

Tomatoes In The Ground

This is a German stripe organic heirloom that I bought at the farmer's market the other day. One of the farms is selling various vegetable plants. I haven't had a garden in a couple of years. I just got tired of trying to keep things alive in July when it hits 105 here.

I got four plants for $8. The other two are Georgia streak tomatoes. We have not had a frost in a month so I think I'm safe to do this. The locals say the blackberries need to be blooming before you plant tomatoes. Mine are not quite there.

Don't know if I will plant any other vegetables. I'll see what he has to sell next week. I probably buy more tomatoes than anything else at the market so this was an economic decision.

My sister is still in the hospital but doing very well. Her CT scan showed everything is just fine. She's now eating solid foods. Her birthday is April 12th. Last year we celebrated it in the ICU. I sure hope she's home to celebrate this one, which is a biggie...60.