The Fourth

I didn't have a chance, last year, to blog about our Fourth of July celebrations, up here on our hill. They were very homemade - a pleasant, warm summer's day.

My niece made a Fourth of July cake

and, then, after the traditional barbeque dinner, we went down to the small pond (spring fed = great, cool, fresh swimming!) that is down behind our barns for some fireworks and some s'mores and some mellow hanging out around the fire 'pit'.

I took my camera but no tripod - no pressure - no 'serious' attempts at photography - just fun

and look at what we came up with.... =D

The setting.....

 

 What happens when too many mosquitoes land on one's hand at once. (Kind of cool, though! ;-))
 

Lighting the sparklers!

 Wand wars! "Expelliarmus!"

 

 and something magical passing by....

and, whatever it is, it circled back 'round for another marshmallow!

Silliness and fun - all of it!

I hope that your Fourth of July (whether you're celebrating or not) is just as wonderful!

xo

=]

Happy Father's Day, Dad!!!

(aka Mr. Toad)

xo

Sharing a Meal

I am always filled with admiration for those of you who, not only have wonderful adventures, but have the time after it all to blog about it. At the moment, I'm caught in an avalanche of exciting things that I want to share and it's those very things making me too busy to have the moment to settle down to put the posts together. Life is just too ridiculously good! Anyway, my parents were out for three weeks and we had adventures galore. Then, the moment they left, it was out to tend the garden..... and, well, I've hardly come indoors, since. I can't wait to share about the beautiful orchid that I bought myself as an early birthday present and the air plant (it's the most curious thing). There have been dinner parties - museums and art centers - roses blooming - visits to the nurseries for plants - inspiration - Oh, just lots of shtuff going on!

Well, today, finally, I wanted to share what happened on Mother's day (yes, three weeks ago...)

My darling sister and I have figured out a beautiful thing! She cooks the gourmet meal and I set the table and clean the house. It's very fun entertaining but with half the work. Clever, eh? =D

There she is.....

On the menu was:

~ amuse bouche: herbed goat cheese in a rosemary, cracker crumb crust and fig jam.

~ spring greens with a lemon and honey vinaigrette with grilled salmon, orange slices and almond slivers that were roasted in a truffle oil and seasoned with chipotle.

~ crepes filled with sauteed spinach and mushrooms with a mornay sauce.

~ we cleansed our palates with lemon sorbet.

~ Rib eye (that had been cooked the French way ;-) - wrapped in bacon) with a Madeira reduction with glazed carrots (heaven!!!) and whipped potato.

and for dessert....

~ tranchetto

I had had the idea to use lots of crystal and glass on the table with some soft and simple flowers and, well, ..... I kind of got carried away. We dined in a sparkling forest of crystal. It shimmered in the afternoon sun and came alive with the candlelight, as dusk fell.

Then, on my parents last evening here, we were discussing having fish with an herb butter for their last meal, when my sister remembered.... she forgot the tarragon and parsley butter on the meat - gasp and drat!!!  It was a quietly muted and rainy evening - we lit the candles again - half of us had fish and the other half, rib eye, again. Two wonderfully wonderful and leisurely dinners that included lots of laughter and extremely pleasant conversation.

It's a wonderful thing to share a meal together!

xo

Irises and potato guns

 Lliam - 3:50:59  Showing mom the potato gun that he'd spent the afternoon making with dad and partner for science project on trajectory. (Who IS that 'Rambo' of a kid? I don't even recognize him.)

Click!

 

Lliam - 3:51:15 (16 seconds later)   After discovery that fumes from the not quite dried, yet, glue can make said potato gun go off like a cannon. (Notice absence of little brother and chicken who split when they heard the kaboom.)

If I were a real photo journalist, I would have caught the mayhem in between but, alas, I'm simply a laughing mother.....

Yup, I know that kid, after all!

Then, I went back to contemplating the huge swath of much anticipated blue iris that are, finally, blooming in this second year of my replanted-garden-that-was-moved-from-the-parsonage. They didn't do much, last year, but grow and spread.

...and, it turns out.... they're yellow.

but, some of them are blue...

 

(Please excuse the mess, I've weeded but can't find the rake or the broom.)

Anyway!

I bought some yellow irises ten years ago but I thought they were extinct....

Yes! I definitely recognize this family, now.

I wonder if that black iris that I thought had dwindled out is around here, somewhere....

note: Tom has found the rake! I repeat! Tom has found the rake! He said that we just needed to think like a young teen boy. He said that I need to ask the question, "if I was a young teen boy using a rake, what would I do with it when I was done with it?" His answer: I would fling it and leave it. Last job was spring lawn clean up with the little tractor and trailer. It got flung in the trailer and, then, when they needed the trailer for something else, they flung it out on the far side of the shed where the tractor gets parked and, then, they completely forgot it ever even existed! (Hence, the very genuine blank looks when I asked if they knew where any of the rakes were. "Rake? What rake? We have a rake? What's a rake?")