This and That

 You know, once you get out of the habit of posting, it's hard to get back into it. And I'm out of the habit. Just as I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, I can't remember what we've been up to around here. So I'm going to give it a go with a stream-of-consciousness post.

First and foremost on my mind is a baby shower we're having here for my nephew and his wife on Saturday. We expect around 35-40 people. The planning has been a bit cumbersome at times, trying to coordinate among several people, but I think we have a plan, finally. The weather is hot, so it will be entirely inside, which is not ideal. I do not have the entertaining house that you always see on HGTV. We don't have an open floor plan which was not all the rage 34 years ago when our house was built. But we'll manage. The important thing is to shower the expectant parents with much-needed baby gear. This is their first child, so everything is needed.

One of the decorations for Saturday's shower.

And speaking of baby showers, we went to a baby shower for my niece and her husband last weekend. This is their third baby, but the twins, who were their firstborn, didn't live more than a few weeks. Things are looking good this time around, and we are all excited for both little ones who will be arriving in the next couple of months.

In other news, Wally and Theo have decided to become roommates. They have found a nice townhouse not too far from Theo's work. Wally works entirely from home, so he was flexible with location. Theo did an initial move-in last weekend but has more things to move. Wally's lease is not up for a few months, so he won't be moving in immediately. When Theo moved here, his furniture furnished our basement, and we tried to keep his things separate from ours, but some of his things got incorporated into ours anyway. We're trying to tease those things out now. Like is this our colander or his? Rent is so high these days roommates are a necessity for most people, and we're happy the two brothers want to give it a go. They haven't lived together as adults, so it should be interesting. However, they have been very good about sorting out the roommate issues beforehand. The good news for us is that we can do one-stop visiting now.

And speaking of hot weather, we are in the middle of it. Temps this week are in the mid to high 90s with humidity. No rain is in sight, but a popup thunderstorm is always possible. I am so thankful I have good resources for dealing with this weather. I have air conditioning and easy, clean water to hydrate with. I do not take it for granted that that is not a given for many in the world or even in this country.

A true summer joy happened today. I had my first tomato sandwich with a fresh tomato from the garden. I love tomatoes - fresh and cooked, but nothing beats one off the vine. Especially the first one of the season. We also have been enjoying more blueberries from Uncle Billy's patch. I think this will be our last picking, as many of them are starting to get mushy. I have frozen several and have a pie planned with the remaining ones. And by the way, individually frozen blueberries are a real treat - especially on these hot summer days.

Ward picking blueberries.

That's enough for now because dinner is calling, but I'm not sure what we're going to have. I think I will start with tomatoes and cottage cheese. Another summer favorite. Oh, I do love fresh produce!

Until next time...

B is for Blueberries

Did you know that blueberries are the only naturally occurring blue food? You probably did. But did you know they were native to North America? I didn't, but I had never wondered about that before. Sometimes the world I live in is very limited. :)

We are very lucky that we get to pick from Uncle Billy's blueberry bushes every year. Over time he has carefully tended to them so he has several large, prolific ones. Blueberry season here starts at the end of June and goes for several weeks. During that time, we have blueberries for snacks, with our cereal, and some go into the freezer. However, my favorite way to eat them is in a pie mixed with sour cherries. I love a fruit pie.

I have also gone blueberry picking in Maine with Mary Ellen's family. We picked wild blueberries which were much smaller than the cultivated ones we find at Uncle Billy's house. Some of us were picking individual berries and others were using a blueberry rake which "grabs" the berries and leaves the stems and leaves. That was fun to use. I have also eaten wild blueberries while hiking. They were an especially welcome treat and a good excuse for me to get others to stop when I was tiring out before they were.

No discussion of picking blueberries in Maine would be complete without a mention of Wally's favorite book when he was little, Blueberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey. A favorite of mind, too. One reason is that I like to say, "kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk,"  when Sal drops berries into her bucket. :)

That's about it for today. See you tomorrow when I will switch from fruits to a vegetable. Or will I... 

Thankful Sunday--July 28, 2013

I am thankful for blueberries.

Wally picking blueberries in Uncle Billy's patch.

I am thankful that something that tastes so good is so good for you.  We've been picking recently in Uncle Billy's blueberry patch and have had plenty of fresh blueberries to eat. Yum.

Blueberry Picking

Ward and I went blueberry picking in Uncle Billy's patch. Yum!

Dog always hopes that we will toss him a berry.