Labor Day….

 How are you spending your time today?  Are you planning a picnic at a popular spot and hoping there is room for you when you reach that destination? 

We opted to “picnic” in our own kitchen.  I receive no points for presentation, though the menu was quite tasty.

Overnight barbecue….thank you, crockpot!  Potato salad….thank you, Susan Branch!  Speedy baked beans….thank you, Betty Crocker!  Creamy cole slaw….thank you, package of already shredded cabbage!  Brownies….thank you, Hershey’s Cocoa, for our favorite recipe!

Now, I believe it’s time for a nap! 😂

August favorites….

 As the month of August moves along, there are two favorites that appear….red, ripe, juicy tomatoes and fresh okra!  We definitely make room to enjoy both!

While it’s possible to choose fried okra in many restaurants, our favorite way to serve it is a light dredging with cornmeal prior to pan frying.

Those red, ripe, juicy tomatoes are delicious with that classic BLT!

With that fried okra served as a side, this is a perfect late-August meal in my house! 

As I compose this post, rain is falling here, remnants of Hurricane Ida.  The prediction has been that we may receive up to three inches of rain before this system moves elsewhere.  While there has been some flooding reported in areas of our county, we are not experiencing any where we are.  

I continue to send along my thoughts to you for good health and safety!  The Delta variant is on the upswing here!  We are grateful for the vaccine and anticipate being eligible for the booster in early October!  Take care of yourselves!  Trust science!

No holidays….

 I will confess, first of all, that my blogging motivation is greatly lacking.  I didn’t need to tell you that, did I? LOL

In a month of no holidays, The Husband and I chose the date of our marriage, the 16th of August, giving us a reason for celebrating something in this month.  It has been 52 years since that wedding day!

Why is it that all the pictures I took from our time away to celebrate are food-related?  I keep telling myself that there are other photo-worthy opportunities, then wind up not remembering to take a picture at all!

It looks like I’m going to have to rely on words rather than pictures this morning, as this system isn’t cooperating with my efforts to post pictures!

For a number of years, our anniversary was the only celebration in August….until 15 years ago when Munchkin #2 was born!  She came along on the 14th, and has brought joy and sunshine to all of us ever since!  It’s always fun to put together a birthday surprise for her.

We headed out on a short trip to Abingdon, VA to celebrate our anniversary.  This has been a favorite destination for a long time.  I lived in Abingdon for two years in the sixties, and there are still friends there.  It was really good to be able to visit on this trip, thanks to the vaccine!

The Barter Theater in Abingdon has been able to make arrangements to use the Moonlite Drive-In facilities for outdoor performances during the pandemic.  Unfortunately, lightning/thunder/rain interfered, and the show was called.  We’ll try for one again another time.  It is hoped that performances will be able to resume in the theater. 

Well, I gave it one more try and was successful, though the pictures have appeared here in a different order than I directed.  

Chips and salsa….great appetizer at The Old Mill in Damascus, VA, eating outdoors on the patio next to the water.  Spaghetti and meatballs, The Husband’s favorite, at Mama Mia’s in Abingdon, and the Greek salad, always a favorite of mine.  On this occasion we were seated outdoors when a sudden storm appeared!  Out waitress ran out to help move us back inside with only a few raindrops being blown about us! 

The current upsurge in COVID cases in our area, plus the “breakthrough” cases, have us following precautions once again, at least until we qualify for our booster vaccine.  

Take care, and be safe!

Completed!

 Finally!! Fewer than 30 minutes ago, I placed the final piece in this puzzle!

It was a month ago that I began working on this one.  Of course, there have been a few other things to be done in addition to working this puzzle; however, it has taken much longer than any other jigsaw puzzle I have done.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I often seal and frame some of the puzzles.  This one, however, will not have that experience.  Planning to leave it out for a few days, however, then….time to begin another one!

What do you think of this one?  It has about half the number of pieces as the other, yet I am able to see that there will be a number of the same color, which is always a challenge.

Taking some time off for puzzles….thinking I’ll do a bit more reading instead. 

August has begun a little cooler here.  It’s a short-lived break, though.  Warmer temps will arrive just as the students in our county begin their next school year!  

Though we are vaccinated, we have continued to wear our mask when in public indoor spaces.  How about you?  

Be safe!  Stay cool!

Send help!

 Sharing progress….

Current status.  What was I thinking?  I’d blame the dog for what I am sure are missing pieces….except we have no dog.  The vacuum cleaner?  That seems to be the next likely culprit, but who’s doing vacuuming while trying to complete this challenging jigsaw puzzle?!?!  It must be completed!!  

Have you read any of Debbie Macomber’s writing?  I’ve read several of her books, usually borrowing them from the public library.  There are a few I have on my own bookshelf, however.

These are Christmas-themed.  Perhaps I’ll go along with the “Christmas in July” idea and reread these.  Images of snow may prove to be cooling during this hot summer.  

Did you know that Debbie Macomber wrote something other than fiction?  This is probably my favorite of all I have written by her.  It was on the United Methodist Women reading list a few years ago.  “One Simple Act….Discovering the Power of Generosity.”  

I simply must complete that puzzle!  Until I do, this is waiting for me….

This is her most recent novel, and it is one of two that we are reading in the Twitter Book Club.  Hoping for all those pieces to easily fall in place more quickly than they have thus far!  It’s a fact that reading her books goes much more quickly!

Do you ever reach a point where you are “stumped” by your jigsaw puzzle working?  Do you persist until you complete it, regardless of the challenge?  I always hate to tear them apart when completed, and that will be the case especially with this one!

I hope you are vaccinated!  The new variants are causing much concern.  I continue to wear my mask when shopping indoors.  Take care of yourself!

A break from the puzzles....

 Many of my blog posts during 2020 focused on kitchen activity.  I’ve given that a bit of a break recently, but it was time to return to cooking!

Macho Man was our guest recently.  He is a good help with projects that need another assistant, and we offer dinner in return.:-)

I have used several biscuit recipes through the years, but I believe I like this one best.  It is from Susan Branch’s Heart of the Home cookbook.  When peaches are in season, it’s time for a peach pie!

This was the first time I’ve prepared an entire meal on a sheet pan.  What an excellent idea!  Lining the pan with parchment paper made cleanup a breeze!  Pork tenderloin and Yukon Gold potatoes were placed on the pan to bake at 375 degrees for about a half hour, then the fresh green beans, onions, and garlic were added for another half hour or so.  Rosemary from our herb garden gave everything a good flavor.  The best thing is, even after packing Macho Man a “to go” box, there are leftovers!

Take care!  

It’s a puzzle....still

 When summer days become hot, it’s a good time to relax indoors with a puzzle!  Yes, I’m still working jigsaw puzzles!

This is the most recent one I have underway.  It has 1,000 pieces!  It has been a long time since I’ve worked one with this number of pieces!

You may have read books by Debbie Macomber.  This puzzle is inspired by her and her writing.

Do you have a special strategy when you work jigsaw puzzles?  I suppose you’re able to see that I look for the border pieces first, setting aside in special groupings those pieces that appear to belong together in some fashion.  Of course, it’s always a good idea to have a space large enough to be able to have all the pieces right side up!  

There is another puzzle for today.  I discovered the petunias from my outside flower pot have disappeared overnight!  Just what/who would have been the nighttime thief?!?  Do chipmunks like petunias?  Don’t they sleep at night?  

Sending you cool thoughts during these hot, summer days!