A Popular Hangout

In the Time of Tomatoes

Oh, yes -- tomato time at last!

Time for a fat slice of a ripe Cherokee Purple between slices of homemade bread slathered with h0memade mayonnaise -- Jane's Krazy Salt and fresh ground black pepper too. . . So good, I ate one for breakfast the other day.

And time to cook up a big pot of tomato sauce -- some for tonight's pizza and some to put in the freezer.

Goodbye and Hello....

The Indigo Bunting that appeared soon after a rarely seen (here at least) Scarlet Tanager alit in this same tree and left before I could get my camera.

Below is the worn out looking little wren who has been supplying a steady stream of bugs to her hatchlings.

And the torch is passed. Tampa kin leaving just as our friend Vic from the islands arrives for a few days.  I wonder if he'd like to blow some bubbles?

Food and Fun at Camp NoFun

No TV, no video games, but blowing bubbles was on the list of activities . . .

Our nephew Drew brought his son  Jack out for the fun -- he and Lily are almost the same age.

There is a web album HERE with lots more pictures . . .

 

(I am enchanted by these bubbles,)

And there was a lot of eating . . . Nephew John brought a cooler full of Cuban sandwiches -- soul food for those of us who grew up in Tampa.  Cuban bread, thin sliced ham and salami and Swiss cheese, a mayo/mustard blend, dill pickles, and pulled smoked pork. Heated in the oven till the cheese melts and the bread is crispy, these sandwiches are divine!

The pulled pork replaces the thin sliced smoked pork I remember from years ago. and is a worthy update.

Controversy rages in Tampa as to which restaurant or stand makes the best Cuban sandwich. Some say that they make something called a Cuban sandwich in Miami but Tampans dismiss this as heresy.

 What I want to know is do they make Cuban sandwiches in Cuba and, if so, what are they like?

Nephew John also brought up a cooler of snapper and grouper for a fish fry. (He had sacrificed a day or two of work to go fish in Tampa Bay.)

And there were hushpuppies, cheese grits, cole slaw, and black bean and corn salad . . . nobody went away hungry.

Camp NoFun Redux

Twenty-some years ago, our nieces Genie and Amelia would spend a few weeks of each summer with us. We called it Camp NoFun and one of the activities was always dyeing Queen Anne's Lace. (And playing dress up.) 

So now Genie has a niece of her own and the Queen Anne's Lace is in bloom . . .

Out came the ancient food coloring (I rarely throw things away.)

A little water, a lot of food coloring, and a bit of patience as, slowly, the blooms take on the different tints.

There was no dress up -- but I do still have the hat so Genie and Lily posed for an update to the Camp NoFun album. . .

And there were Cuban sandwiches -- of which, more tomorrow. . . 

No Words

Family Time

Our nephew John decided that it was time to introduce his daughter Lily to the delights of the farm. His sister Genie decided to come too. So they drove up from Tampa on Thursday and it's been a delight to watch John and Genie, who visited regularly when they were young uns, help Lily make memories of her own.

Lily has helped milk the cow, feed the chickens, and dig potatoes. She's climbed to the top of the mountain and picked blackberries. And she's gotten a lot of dog love along the way.

It's a great time to have company with all the fresh produce around --  between our garden and Justin and Claui's garden, with a little help from the grocery store, we put together a country feast. . .

And there were Lily's fresh-dug potatoes, hash browned in bacon drippings, and corn on the cob (from the store, as mine isn't ready,) and home grown chicken, roasted with garlic, rosemary, and lemon juice . . . 

Later today, Cousin Drew will come out with his son Jack, and Lily will have someone nearer her own age to play with. . . and make more memories . . .

 Such a pleasure to see some of our Tampa kin and get to know this great-niece . . .

She fits right in -- she's a dog lover like the rest of us. Last night, after asking if he could spend the night,  she lured Ali upstairs with a cracker. A little later, they were both fast asleep with Ali on the bed with her.

's

Antidote

When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, 

there is always the garden. . .