7 Quick Takes--Summer Days

1. Today, June 25th, 2010 is our 27th wedding anniversary. In September we'll have known each other for 30 years. Yikes. I don't usually feel this way about aging ( ie: I would LOVE to be called grandma!) but 27 years seems like you have to be pretty old to be married that long. I sort of cringe to say it, although I am thankful for so many years with a good man. Every year I seem to appreciate something about him in a new and different light. We have our differences, of course ;) but I can say with all honesty I couldn't imagine a life that didn't include him.

2. JED MADE BREAD.  I sometimes wonder if we didn't name Jed-Jed just because his name rhymes with so many things and we just LOVE to come up with silly nicknames at the Vrazo house. ( rolls eyes in a very teen age way!) He really did most of the simple recipe by himself, with just a bit of help from mom and it actually did turn out pretty yummy!

3. Well, we've been enjoying our little country paradise. I say, this place has more beautiful parks, paths and general areas of repose than anywhere I can think that we've lived before. A few shots of a walk on the "Paint Creek Trail" which you can actually take to the library. Win-win for the Vrazo's! :) Is there anything more glorious than wading in a little creek. I have such fond memories of it from my childhood. Not exactly sure where it was (somewhere after a "smelting" trip with my father :).....but I can recall being SO enthralled by the experience being a HUGE fan of the "Little House" books and of course,  "On the Banks of Plum Creek"    in particular. I love re-living it with my own.

4. Mosquitos anyone? These pictures were actually from our first camping trip but sort of underline the experience we've been having with bugs this summer. :) Poor Gabriella at times looks like she has the chicken pox from all her bites ( I tell her it's because she is so sweet....while I get NONE. Very telling. ;) Not to worry! We found bats roosting in our garage. This little fella obviously fell from his nest, but we got him on a stick, climbed a ladder and he crawled right back in. Munch away our batty friends!

5. Is it just me or does anyone else get on food "kicks" and then can't stand the same cuisine for weeks afterward. I try not to eat eggs everyday ( why? I don't know when I don't put restrictions on any other kind of food that is bad for me :) but I have really been into "huerve ranchero"  for breakfast every morning. In fact, Mexican is definitely the top food I can eat for three meals a day for a week and then not want to look at for months afterward. Don't really know how to pace myself there.  Other munchy goodness:....a grilled vegetable painini....which was simply some sauteed vegetables, Havarti cheese slices on a baguette split in half. Not entirely original, but I love it when I can come up with something tasty from what I find in the refrigerator ( ie: this wasn't a planned lunch :)
Gabriella and I picked these black raspberries? from some bushes around the property. I can't believe the birds haven't eaten them. They probably have plenty of bugs :) I hope to harvest enough to make some jam!

6. I often have this strange co-incidence when reading. I will read one book and then another right after that have some connection.  (unbeknown to me beforehand)The latest version of this was reading a book about the English poet Rupert Moore called "The Great Lover" ( which is the name of one of his poems) by Jill Dawson. Just before that I listened to a book on cd called "The Moon and the Sixpence" by W. Somerset Maughm.  It was a biographical novel loosely based on the painter  Gauguin's life. The connection is that Rupert Moore ended up in Tahiti ( which is where I always tell the kids I am going when I am ready to fly the coop ;) and loved life there and guess what? So did Gauguin ( he died there, actually). I really enjoyed both pieces even though I am not a poetry lover and really don't know why I find Rupert Moore all that fascinating,. It was a good story and of course, set mostly in the pre WWI English ocountryside, what's not to love for me? ;) Gauguin's life story was really very strange, and he seems to be yet another example of a genius-jerk,  but he did do some interesting paintings. His use of  bold color is enchanting...if not all his subjects are.

7. Finally, my little garden. I am really quite amazed ANYTHING is growing in it. Probably because the last place we lived in had so little sun in the backyard, our very minuscule attempt at gardening wasn't successful at all ( not to mention I didn't have the tricked out fence like this one to keep the animals and children under 10 out!) I actually used some parsley we planted today!  I have high hopes, but I think even if it doesn't yield much produce, it was a step in the right direction. Now to get a compost pile going!