Recipes – This Old House 2

Hitched!

What a weekend! Family and friends arrived from far and wide to celebrate the union of my daughter and her beau. The weather was typical New England fickle early Spring, everything went mostly as planned although we had to move the ceremony inside instead of out on the hill sloping down to the water, because BRRRRR. We all had a wonderful night under the big top, dancing our fool heads off thanks to a DJ who knew how to read the room, enticing young and old to join in the fun. I’ll share more photos when we have the professional shots but here’s a sneak peek.

At around 2 am after everyone had retired for the night… three of us came down with the nasty stomach bug (norovirus) that’s been going around the midwest and northeast. It was ugly. Then a day later, it hit the rest of us here on the farm. Oddly.. and thankfully.. this particular outbreak did not spread to our guests. Amen for that…. and the miracle that it didn’t hit us just 12 hours sooner. We are all feeling better after two days of being mostly in bed if not in the bathroom. Fun times!

Yesterday before the rain I headed out into the woods to hunt the tiny spring blooms I look for each year – they are the message sent from mother nature that indeed the growing season has arrived, if a little fickle with a bit of back and forth. Winter has been reluctant to loosen it’s Grip! That old saying is very true though – if you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a minute or two… Tonight we expect more heavy rain and some wind. Having already lost a few of the towering pines at the front of our property, I hope we don’t lose more of them. They were planted at least 50 years ago in rows, so we have a literal pine forest out there that is aging.

The tiny blooms along the trail out behind the farm fields here….

Long spur violet

nightcap

Trout Lily

And so far in the garden on the hill we have planted the potato trenches and the garlic is thriving… the warmer days make outside chores more enjoyable and my soul is lifted, face to the …. well not the sun very much lately, but I remain hopeful! LOL.

The Mr. rarely takes time off but this year upon his 60th birthday I told him I’m going on a few adventures whether he comes with me or not. It’s time we expand our horizons at least a little bit and do more of what brings us pleasure instead of nose to the grindstone 24/7. We’re taking a few days to explore a bit of southern Maine in mid May and I’ll report on that then. I’m excited for a happy change of scenery, a little adventure – I hope you find time to do the same in whatever way is enjoyable for you –

A delicious salad recipe I haven’t seen before…

This Blackberry Avocado Arugula salad makes the most of fresh produce with cucumber, avocado, hazelnuts, vegan feta and a lime mint vinaigrette!

Ingredients:

Produce

• 5 cups Arugula

• 1 Avocado

• 1 cup Blackberries

• 3/4 cup Blueberries

• 1 1/2 cups Cucumber

• 2 tbsp Mint, fresh

Condiments

• 2 tbsp Lime juice, freshly squeezed

• 1 tbsp Maple syrup

Baking & Spices

• 1 Pepper

• 3/4 tsp Salt

Oils & Vinegars

• 1/3 cup Olive oil

Nuts & Seeds

• 1/3 cup Hazelnuts, toasted

Dairy

• 1/3 cup Feta, vegan or regular

Till soon –

For the Love Of

I love 💗LOVE💗, do you? And jeez, there just isn’t enough of it out there. In simplest terms, I want to hope as hard as I can, that love wins in the end. Good versus evil in all things. I’ll spare you my outrages because you’re all seeing the same damned things on your screens and in your ear.

Here are some things I love –

Grandchildren – these two are already best buddies and it brings me such joy to be a part of their lives.

I love to cook, to create something delicious my family will enjoy. I believe there is much important communication and bonding over a good meal shared together. I learned this from the women in my family – my Grandmother Elsie, my Aunt Virginia, my mom. I believe the effort is so important, to bring the family together to sit down for meals. I always insisted on it when we were raising our children, even when we had crazy schedules with work and school and sports, etc. I was surprised to find out many of my kids friends families did not do this, it was actually a rare occasion.

I also love trying new recipes and eating those yummy things, LOL. Hence some extra pounds. I love a good cookbook and have a plethora of them – here are a few recipes I’ve tried and loved recently from Trisha Yearwood’s second cookbook –

Trisha Yearwood’s Baked Bean Casserole – This can be a side or a meal, it’s hearty enough ( think chili) link to recipe HERE

Now, ham salad usually makes me gag. But, the Mr. loves it. LOVES it. So when I saw a recipe in Ms. Yearwood’s book and she raved about it, I said to myself – you know, you oughta just make the effort for the guy, Karen. See if it’s doable. Welp. It’s more than doable – I actually love it! and it’s so easy to throw together – so tasty. Who knew!?

Uncle Marshal’s Ham Salad *******************

3 cups ground or finely diced fully cooked ham (about 14 ounces)

1 teaspoon finely chopped sweet Vidalia onion

2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Combine ham, onion, relish, mayonnaise and mustard in bowl. Serve salad on crackers or in sandwich.

********************************************

I also love making healthy food choices to help this aging body. One of my favorite breakfasts is a simple smoothy, I just throw everything in a blender and drink it up – Spinach, Honey, blueberries, banana, a dash of yogurt, a few ice cubes. Delicious and it’s doing your body some good.

Who doesn’t love fresh produce out of a garden – I’m dreaming of the bounty we’ll enjoy out of our gardens this summer, and the kitchen herb garden we are planning to build off the kitchen slider/porch. Instead of walking up the hill to the big vegetable/berry garden near the barn, I can grab what I need right outside the kitchen porch as I’m cooking. Last year we used a galvanized tub, the kind used for livestock watering, and it was OK for that purpose, but in the ground is better. Perhaps a raised bed. More on that later.

My recovery from hysterectomy is going well, I love when that happens! I’m back to most of my regular chores and life activities with the exception of lifting very heavy things. A few more weeks of caution and I’m good to go.

I hope all is well in your world, and that you love on yourself as needed. That’s just as important as anything else and we tend to forget this, often.

Image by Jane Newland, an artist who’s work I love

Till soon –

Reunions

My high school 40th reunion took place a few months ago. Fortieth. Four-Oh. Holy crap, how is that even possible? I debated with myself for months beforehand… do I truly want to go back to my home town and see all those people again? Thanks to facebook I do keep up with those who actually cared to stay in my life over the years, even if it were on the peripheral. We have continued friendships that may wax and wane, but when we connect again it’s always as if it were just yesterday we were standing on the bus stop or sitting on the bleachers or running the track commiserating over the latest awfulness of teenagerdom. Those friendships feel genuine. In my high school experience there were the usual cast of characters – the in crowd, the nerdy super intelligent crowd, the outsiders, the fringe, the athletes, the scholars… where to fit in? …you know the woe. I was somewhere in the middle. Didn’t stand out, didn’t lag behind. I am finding those who seemed kind then, are kind now. Those who were not so kind, still aren’t. Funny… and not funny. Based on their personalities in those categories…. one can accurately guess their politidal affiliations. There were friends who were always good to me and vice versa, and there were some who would easily talk behind your back if it was the cool thing to do when you weren’t in ear shot. I had a decent HS experience for the most part, but there were some shitty things too, painful things. Do I really want to live those emotions on any level again? Would seeing those people dredge all that up,some 40 years later? Meh. ………. So I decided to pass on the opportunity. Seeing the photos after… proved me right. LOL. And none of the people I value from that time period attended. We all kind of felt the same. A chapter closed long ago, not feeling a need to reopen it.

This is someone’s creation, I don’t know who the original creator is but I plan to make something similar to hang out in the garden where the sun will catch the light of the glass beads – isn’t it clever?

After two weeks of rain and clouds, the sun finally showed up yesterday and today… what a glorious feeling, the sun on my face and sprawled across the hill behind the house, drying up the mud and warming the surfaces of everything everywhere.

Last night’s sunset all around New England was reported on so many fb posts because it was truly spectacular. Here’s what we saw on the farm… no filters, it was that stunning! And only lasted for about 10 minutes.

Leaving you with a recipe given to me by my aunt many moons ago. It was given to her by a neighbor when she lived down south, someone who was not Coral Harris – I wonder if Coral Harris knows one of her recipes is still floating around and loved by many –

Till soon –

Two steps forward

9 days after surgery and I am feeling so much better. The healing is going well and I feel human again. This came across my facebook feed this morning and I think it’s one of those vital thought processes if you’re dealt something hard – And aren’t we all at one point or another, in this one precious life we are given.

Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the close proximity we have to our family – with both kids and their spouses and children in their own homes here on the farm and our mothers still alive and living just up the road a bit, these are gifts I don’t take for granted.

Watching the news, sometimes it feels so hopeless and helpless, being witness to all the problems and the rages and the total dysfunction of our governing bodies. That sink hole keeps getting bigger, the divide wider, and for sure I do not have the answers. Not being able to trust the information sources, talk about erosion! So…. more and more, I tune it out. Which also feels irresponsible. But I have found, when you are helpful in your own circle of life, within your community, your family, friends, your areas of interest, it renews one’s faith in the absolute beauty of life, and there is still so much of it. It restores some of that withering faith in humanity, for there is still an awful lot of good out there. We’ve all heard this simple phrase – Look For The Good.

A nice bunch of roses for $7.99 at the local grocery store… Buy yourself the flowers, you deserve it! When the price is good, I do it. Always remember to snip the bottoms off when you bring them home and put them in water. Helps keep them fresh longer. And, if it’s tulips you’ve got – put two pennies in their water, they last longer.

A worthy recipe…

French Onion Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
kosher salt
8 ounces cavatappi or other small cut pasta
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 12oz can evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
4 ounces gruyere cheese, freshly grated
6 ounces swiss cheese, freshly grated
2 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Butter an 8×8 inch baking dish.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and reduced, about 40 minutes.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the directions. Drain and set aside.
In the same pot you used to cook the pasta, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour, whisking until combined to create a roux. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it’s golden and smooth. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour in the evaporated milk and whisk until thickened. Reduce the heat to low and add the gruyere and swiss and all but a couple tablespoons of the parmesan. Stir until all of the cheese is melted. Stir in the nutmeg, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked pasta and the onions.
Transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish and top with remaining parmesan. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Till soon,

Tap tap tap ….. is anyone out there?

There was a time some years ago when I blogged daily – it all started when we bought this ancient farm house and began the renovation. I thought some people might like to follow along and this was an easy way to share the journey. So, this blog was born and back-in-the-day, grew to about 400 visitors to the blog daily. I enjoy writing and it has been part of my career, so blogging was a good creative exercise for me. I also met some friends I still cherish to this day, fellow bloggers, some of whom still blog at least occasionally. I’m not sure what I want to do with it now, but this morning I decided to visit this space and so here I am – and I hope all is well with you!

Our two grandchildren are now 8 and ten months old – they are such a joy in our lives and we feel so blessed that they live here on the farm with their parents. The moms work part time, so I am their part time daycare and I get to spend some real quality time with them. Another blessing.

Christmas was wonderful with these little babes and I am so proud of our kids as they grow into their roles as parents. They’re doing such a great job at it and that warms my heart 💗

I retired from my role as Editor of our local news publication and have spent more time focused on the farm/barn needs and the grands. We sold the seaside cottage because it become more work than enjoyment and this farm takes effort too. Looking back, I don’t regret the decision, it feels like it was the right thing to do. I’d like to travel at least occasionally before I die, so that helps the plan. When you own a second place, it tethers you to feeling like you should spend all your free time there in that one place.

I’ve gone on more hikes with my rescued dog and good buddy Kai, a better walking partner I have not ever had. He’s not a puller, a gentleman for sure on leash. That’s huge for me. I wouldn’t ever be accused of being a gym rat – I don’t enjoy treadmilling it or spending an hour in a gym with 50 other people … but walking and hiking and seeing the beauty of the land and different scenery is something I can get behind and really enjoy. So if you’re like minded, I highly recommend it. No matter where you live, you’ll find interesting places to explore. And when you enjoy the exercise you’re doing, you’re more likely to DO IT. I love the phone app Alltrails – an excellent tool for navigating trail systems just about anywhere.

I’ve been cooking a lot.. here are two tried and true recipes that are easy to put together and are definitely family approved.

Italian Beef Soup

I bought a decent chuck roast to use in it. I also used Romano Cheese as throw on, not Parm. Plenty of leftovers – perfect for a winter supper.

(Serves 5 )

INGREDIENTS

4 lbs. Boneless Beef Chuck Pot Roast

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

14 oz. Carrots, peeled and diced

5 oz. Celery, whole stalks

1 Onion (6oz.), peeled and cut in half

2 tsp. Salt, plus extra to season the meat

1 tsp. Black Pepper, plus extra to season the meat

4 cups Low Sodium Beef Broth

4 Cups Water

1 Cup Tomato Sauce

1 lb. small Pasta, I use ditalini

Grated Cheese to Garnish, I use Pecorino Romano

METHOD

Season both sides of the meat with salt and pepper. Heat up the olive in a large soup pot. Put the meat in the pot and sear for about 4 to 5 minutes on both sides and remove from the pot. Add in the onion, celery, carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook on a low flame for about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add in the broth, water and tomato sauce. Be sure to scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan with your wooden spoon. Add the meat back to the pot. Put the lid on the pot, only leaving a small part open to let some of the steam out.

At three hours mark take the beef out. Using two forks, shred the beef.

Add the beef back to the pot and simmer for a half hour. In the meantime, boil your pasta.

Serve the soup with the pasta and garnish with grated Pecorino.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thumbprint cookies – Google Allrecipes thumbprint cookies for the recipe. These are so good. I used blueberry preserves this time but any jam will do!

Some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten were four simple words…

Let go or be dragged.

It’s time to head out into the winter chill to feed horses, goats and chickens and muck stalls. Been doing it for 40 or so years and while my body complains a bit, the work also fortifies me, body and soul. Hard to explain and my husband often says “I don’t know how you do it, over and over and over again” especially when the weather is yuck. My connection with the animals is why I do it…. and if you know, you know.

Wishing you, me and everyone we hold dear a healthy, happy 2024 and beyond – If I’ve still got any readers here and you’re still blogging, leave your blog address in the comments so I can visit you later on today.

Till soon –

The Happening You Must Focus On

It is easy to mourn the lives we aren’t living. Easy to wish we’d developed other talents, said yes to different offers. Easy to wish we’d worked harder, loved better, handled our finances more astutely, been more popular, stayed in the band, gone to Australia, said yes to the coffee or done more bloody yoga.

It takes no effort to miss the friends we didn’t make and the work we didn’t do and the people we didn’t marry and the children we didn’t have. It is not difficult to see yourself through the lens of other people, and to wish you were all the different kaleidoscopic versions of you they wanted you to be. It is easy to regret, and keep regretting, ad infinitum, until our time runs out.

But it is not the lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It’s the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people’s worst enemy.

We can’t tell if any of those other versions would have been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on. ~Matt Haig

(Book: The Midnight Library)

I love that passage so much! I also read the book, and while it wasn’t one of my favorite reads, it’s a good one… and that group of text above? Spot on. Who among us hasn’t dreamed another dream, had a few regrets, wasted too much time on what isn’t. And we all know, life is short and too precious for such nonsense. I am a firm believer in making the best of every day, even when I catch myself doing anything but. Then I readjust the sails.

The new barn has been a Godsend here on the farm. Both of our girlies are very pregnant and I’ve taken over all barn chores again, which means a lot of water buckets and hay bales and stall mucking etc. etc. With the yoga and stretching/meditation I’ve taken up, my body is faring better than I had expected. 40 plus years of all that work has left me with some arthritis and worn parts, blah blah. But it’s also made me a strong work horse and I’m grateful to still be able to do it. And I love those animals so. They are my heart and my peace and my salvation often. We got our first real snow of the winter on march 1st. In New England, that’s just strange. But it’s made all that work easier on this older girl.

I have always felt the sky is like a painting we live under, it’s landscape always changing, and all we ever need to do is look up to see the mood of the moment, the beauty of nature, the temperament of the weather gods. Who hasn’t marveled at a full moon rising, the night stars on a cloudless night, the rolling roiling storm clouds coming across the horizon or the gorgeous colors of a beautiful sunrise-sunset. On the hill and fields of this farm we have what I call big sky country, a big patch of blue with many glorious sunrises and sunsets.

I made a few more recipes from The Lost Kitchen files…

New England baked beans and brown bread – first time I ever bought a slab of salt pork, had to ask the butcher where to find it at the store.

And Waldorf Salad – with apples, celery, Fennel, arugula, lemon juice and zest, candied walnuts, mayo, salt & pepper… SOOO GOOD!

The Mr. turned 59! We had a lovely family dinner at one of our favorite restaurants near our Stella by the Sea. Our mothers are still with us and we are so grateful they are here to meet their first great grands.

Cheers to many more years!

I completed the Woodstock, VT Middle bridge painting, whose true angles are a bit skewed in any photo taken, so this was a real challenge and it’s far from perfection, but I’m glad I attempted it. The bridge for me represents many happy family memories there and hopefully more to come. The lighted star up on the hill is the first thing I look for when we drive into town.

Had a physical this week, and it’s clear I need to get serious about cleaning up my diet. Cholesterol numbers less than stellar, weight – about 25 pounds overweight. Bleh. I get plenty of exercise, so… as the doctor has often said… it’s what you put in your mouth. Each new day is a chance to get it right.. right? I’m making a concerted effort to improve those numbers. Being a food loving person and one who likes to cook and bake for others, it ain’t easy.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods – till soon 🌹

Mild Winter Days and the Lost Kitchen

Hello from Leo and I… Leo is my son’s “first son”…. in this photo he’s doing his typical thing when I go visit him at lunchtime on occasion – I have to coax him out to pee and have a snack, and then he takes up his vigil in the big chair once again looking out over the driveway because *WheresMyDAD*. The rest of us are just furniture.

Their cat, Lily… well she could be described as a honey badger… if you know, you know.

Yesterday was T-shirt weather here in New England. Crazy for February! However, with my girlchild very pregnant with her first child and my taking back over most of the barn responsibilities .. I am so very grateful for the reprieve. It makes barn chores so much easier. So many of the mornings have been glorious!

Bella and Star approve of the fine weather.. and they love their new living quarters in the new barn and barnyard. They’ve got more room to roam and run up and down the front hill, leaping with joy. I love to see it.

Our old man, Max-a-million is doing very well, we’ve been able to manage the glaucoma in his left eye with meds. After a long show career and service to many people, this is the retirement every horse should get but seldom do. I am grateful to be able to grant it to him.

Our recently adopted blind mini, Molly is my most favorite horse… she is just amazing with her navigation skills. Our other mini Lacey tolerates her, and that’s about it. At least she doesn’t abuse her, which was the case in her previous home.

Beautiful Leah graces us each day with her company. A very good minded horse, she will always have a home with us, as she is wonderful to ride, will be great for the grandchildren to learn to ride on someday and while she was bred to show and it’s true she’s a bit fancy for a “home horse”, we know she much prefers this life to the grueling show life.

Have you been watching The Lost Kitchen (HBO MAX) … with reknown chef Erin French? I love that show… what a resilient person. Her food is phenomenal and creative, her story remarkable. I treated myself to her cookbook and her memoir – Finding Freedom.. and The Lost Kitchen cookbook. SO far I’ve made her fried chicken with perfect potato salad and blueberry sweet and sour sauce, and her pear cake. Both are out of this world delicious and not hard to make. If you’re a foody or just like a great true story of redemption and triumph, I highly recommend these two books, and I’m not being paid to say it. Even the photography is gorgeous. You might come to love Maine and its salt of the earth people, too. I already do.

Have you ever cooked with a cast iron pan? Man, what I have been missing! I was intimidated by the “seasoning” of the thing and the first one I bought many years ago rusted because I washed it like any regular pan. This time I’m doing it right and you really can’t beat the results.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods – Wishing you love and light this Valentines Day – Not everyone has a Romeo in their lives, if you do.. you are very lucky indeed. There are so many ways to celebrate love.. and most especially for yourself! Treat yourself in the ways you find comfort, indulge in the good chocolate, make (or buy!) that chocolate cake. Buy the fancy dreamy creamy soaps, splurge to frame that painting. Buy the flowers, and know this from the bottom of your blessed heart…

you are loved and loavable❤

Till soon, friends –

Molly & Lacey

Welcome Molly to the M Family Farm!

Molly was rescued last year from an out of state auction that shall remain unnamed. She had severe uveitis (eye inflammation) that had been left untreated by previous owner and she was obese. The auction was running her through as pregnant ( with a stud colt!) and about 10 years old. They get more money for them that way, but it was all lies … The rescue woman extraordinaire saw her suffering , bought her and brought her home to care for her. After extensive attempts, her eyes could not be saved but Miss Molly has shown the world she is just fine as she is- she has been here for two days and is already navigating her paddock with Lacey just fine, it’s amazing, almost unbelievable, and we love her so much already. Lacey approves too, she’s wearing a small bell which I have braided into her mane that tells Molly where she is. …. it’s a beautiful thing.

I hope all is well in your world. Lord knows if you follow any media it looks like the world has gone to hell in a handbasket and there’s plenty to back that up… however, there is so much good and so much beauty and so much inspiration if we only seek it, and most often it’s there right in front of our eyes, sometimes in the smallest of ways and in the every day. Believe it.

Sharing a Black Magic Chocolate Cake recipe here with you, I plan to try it soon, but it looks divine!

Grow where you’re planted

Our garden is thriving, and I have to be upfront and say we don’t do all this work by ourselves here in this big plot – we have help from our construction crew – when work load is slow they help in the garden.

Last night I went shopping for dinner up on the hill behind the house, pulled potatoes and onions right out of the ground, it’s a beautiful thing…

I made some triple berry jam, throwing some store bought strawberries in with our blueberries and raspberries…

and made my Grandmother Elsie’s BBQ sauce… she was an outstanding cook and made some fancy dishes including an incredible roast with dumplings and gravy I have yet to duplicate and her pies were legendary- but one of my favorites was her bbq ribs – and her recipe for sauce came off the back of a dominos brown sugar box. It’s soooo yum. The ribs are first baked for an hour at 400 in Coca Cola – then drain the coke and smother with bbq sauce- bake for another half hour till ribs are looking perfectly saucy baked . This sauce can be used on chicken, burgers, even hotdogs !

I grew up on Staten Island where most of us had postage stamp sized yards …. across the street from an old Italian named Joe. He had the most magnificent tiny garden and each summer he would let me come over and pick a few of the best tomatoes for our family. We would save a few for my grandfather, who thought a good garden tomato was food worthy of the Gods and he wasn’t wrong. Joe would also let me eat the peppers right off the plant because that’s how I loved them most, before they were fried or roasted.

It doesn’t escape me for one minute, how fortunate we are to farm this land. What a treasure it is to harvest dinner from our own hill. If you’re not already doing it, I honestly believe it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself- and it can be a container garden on your deck or herbs on a window sill , you don’t need acreage. It just feels so good to stick hands in dirt, tend plants, reap the rewards- and gives children a quality lesson and skill that’s never wasted in life.

Think about it… reap what you sow, grow where you are planted, …

Life is like a garden, you reap what you sow… from your own fertile soils, your seedlings do grow

Grab a Cup o’Joe, this is a rambler

So much awful news out there, but as I get older (and older) I’m trying to teach myself the necessary art of looking away. I really need to, because I literally feel every agony others are afflicted with, the unfairness of it all, the evils and utter bullshit of the world if I let myself dwell. And then the anger finds a home and settles. I’m airing it out and letting it go as often as I possibly can nowadays and it feels… freeing. Politics? Fuck’em. I’ll vote, but I’m staying out of the fray because it makes not one fuck of a difference whether I let it stir me up or I focus on more worthy endeavors – things that actually help others and myself. Onward.

The boy child is getting married in five weeks!! We’ve had fun helping the bride plan All The Things, the groom occasionally nods yes or no and made one phone call for party bus service and a trip to the tux rental with his buddies. The men have it so easy in this department, you know. We love our daughter in law to be, they’ve been together 8 or so years and she’s really been a part of our family for quite a while now. Cheers to many happy years!

It’s opening season for Stella by the Sea – the lawn has been mowed several times already, pots filled with geraniums, little garden plot has tomatoes, basil and parsley, bedding washed, pillows sunned/aired out, refridge restocked, floors washed, bathroom cleaned, windows cleaned – kayak back out on the wall – we’re ready! Why.. when we have a big vegetable garden at home, do we plant one at Stella?…. because it just always feels to me like a plot of soil needs a patch of garden, no matter how tiny. If I had an apartment in the city, I’d have plants in the windowsills. But my soul would wither there, I do believe.

Photo courtesy Ben Kuropat and his drone – he takes amazing photos of our cove. Out in the distance are the Thimble Islands – Stella is in the little heart outline.

The geese have been marching their babies up and down the cottage community road as they switch from the marsh to the cove, back and forth.

This year for the first time I have seen what appears to be a juvenile Lion’s mane jellyfish – a bit pale in color but behaving robustly, inspecting the oyster beds in front of Stella. Notice the much smaller variety in the bottom of the picture – there are many in the water this year.

Meanwhile, back on the farm – everything’s blooming! Have you found that all flowering things are extremely lush this year? The lilacs here in New England are absolutely beautiful. The wild violets carpet the forest floor, even the daffodils where planted seem to have multiplied heartily. Our garden up on the hill is planted – the Mr. went overboard with potatoes but.. plenty to give away, right? Every year we discuss shrinking the garden because it’s a lot of work and so much is given away. We shrink it initially – but somehow it balloons back out. This picture was taken last week. Since then, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, oregano have been planted where the ground is bare here and the leaves have unfurled more on the trees.

The goat girls, horses, chickens and dogs are thriving, all give us hours of work but definitely also the pleasures and therapy that only animals can bring to our lives. We nurture them, they nurture our souls.

Kai’s 1 year adoption day anniversary was May 15th – we’ve come a long way in that year. Kai has gotten me out on the trails again, getting great exercise and building a trusting relationship with him. He’s gone from practically feral to a wonderful companion – sleeps between the Mr. and I on the bed even – it’s all good. I find adopting rescues so very rewarding, even when initially very trying.

Then….

Now….

The girl child and her guy are enjoying their home nextdoor and we love having everyone on the outskirts of the farm. Chores are shared, meals are shared, garden produce and eggs distributed. We respect each other’s privacy and have managed not to get on each other’s last nerve, it’s truly a blessing. My son and fiance are just over the hill.

My newest painting on the easel is a simple thing, marbles in a mason jar on a window sill. Still much to get done here, what a lesson in patience this is. I’m learning as I go, and I make plenty of mistakes, but the therapy of art is a beautiful thing and doesn’t cost much at all. I’ve always loved marbles and glass in all it’s forms of art. I have an extensive glass art collection I’ll post one of these days.

Trying to slim down a bit for the gown I will wear to my son’s wedding, I’ve been making some lighter, healthier recipes lately. Here’s one that was a big hit, so delicious… give it a try if you like quiche – farm fresh eggs make it even better.

Onion Mushroom, Squash Gruyere Quiche

Sauté onions in butter till becoming translucent , then throw in mushrooms and yellow squash and sauté till their liquids are in the pan and they’re softened- throw in herbs of your choice- parsley thyme and basil here, salt and pepper, 3 tablespoons white wine- simmer down till liquid is almost gone- Remove from heat. Meanwhile mix together four eggs, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1 cup grated Gruyere, salt and pepper- place onion mushroom yellow squash mixture in either a prepared crust or go crustless, as I did here. Then pour egg/cream,cheese mixture over it- bake at 350° for 35-ish minutes till done. Yum!

Ending this post with a few words of inspiration below – wishing you well, and thank you for stopping by my little corner of the world.

Till soon –