Wishful Thinking?

Not really. To everything there is a season.

But I find it cooling to look at these pictures.

And I remind myself that in less than half a year, I'll be trying to stay warm and thinking wistfully of the dog days of summer, of daylilies, gin and tonics, and long shadows on the green grass. 

 

Dabbling

Recently I needed to send a card to a friend so, having some blanks on hand, I did a simple watercolor bouquet. Not great 

but oddly satisfying.

These hot days, simple is all I have the energy for after routine chores. I use the pictures in a Dover coloring book as guides for my sketches, outline in permanent ink, and add watercolor.

Fun to do--just a step above a coloring book.

So now I have a little stash of all-purpose notecards. Maybe I'll turn my thoughts to Christmas cards--perhaps there would be a cooling effect. 

 

Too Hot For Words

 

In the Good Old Summertime

 

What's All the Fuss?

 After being gone since Saturday afternoon, after I had alerted friends and neighbors, after I'd spent two restless nights listening out for her and thinking of all the things that could happen to a little dog in the woods --tree fall, copperhead, bear, bobcat, cave-in-- after I'd told John that I'd pretty much given up hope, after all this and more, Jenny waltzed in the front door yesterday around 1o in the morning. 

She was just fine. A little hungry but then she always is. Some ticks on her but then there always are. 

Unrepentant. 

And how happy I am to have her back--with thanks to all who were concerned.

One concerned FB friend told me about a beagle she once had that went missing for two weeks before returning on her own and said that Jenny might well do the same. "From your lips to God's ears," I told her, feeling just a little less forlorn. And maybe 15 minutes later, I heard Jenny at the front door. 

A Dark Day

 As the GOP and their hand-stacked 'originalist' courts seek to return us to the dark ages, I wonder how long this nation that once sought to be a shining city on a hill can endure. 

Big business rejoices as the EPA is stripped of power to fight climate change. The wall between church and state is under attack. Women are now essentially vessels in many states. LBGTQ rights are endangered . . .

How long before those originalists decide to go back to the days of the founding fathers--when women and non-property owners couldn't vote, and non-whites could be held as property?

Far-fetched? Maybe. But that's what we thought when the plate-throwing, pussy-grabbing egotist ran for president. 

Nope, nothing to celebrate today. 

Dyeing Frenzy

Linen is such a great fabric for summer shirts. And I had three in my closet--but I rarely wore them. One was white, one white with pale blue-grey stripes, and one had multi-colored pale stripes. Pale is the operative word here and when I put them on, I looked pale too. Washed out. Tired.

I find that I still am tempted by clothes that would have looked good on me when my hair was dark. These three mistakes were due to that magical thinking.

So, I picked up some Rit liquid dye --one green and one blue--the grocery store. (I know, there are much better dyes available, but I was looking for a quick fix.)

I used the green on the blue striped shirt then, when it had soaked and was in the rinse process, gave the white shirt a dunking and pulled it out before it got as dark.

Then I poured out half of the green dye and stirred in some more water and the blue dye. In went the multi-colored stripes.

I'm pleased with the resulting colors. Admittedly there was some streaking but mainly on the sleeves which I roll up anyway.

I love my new green (and one blue-green) shirts. 

And when I saw on the internet that green is the chosen color of many of the Pro-Choice folks, it felt like a wonderful synchronicity had guided me to the dye pot--just as in the old days, a new widow might dye all her clothes black.

 

Daybreak and Daylilies

 

Rabbit, Rabbit

 

Summer Supper

When the weather is warm and good tomatoes are available, my thoughts turn to gazpacho. This a quick and easy recipe that can be made in the morning and sit chilling in the refrigerator till evening--the soup in one container and the chopped veggie toppings in another.

GAZPACHO 2-4 servings

2 thick slices onion

2 lb. tomatoes

3-4 big cloves garlic 

2 TB olive oil

2 TB wine vinegar (I used white balsamic)

1 tsp sweet paprika

some hot pepper flakes to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Whir up in food processor or blender. Put in refrigerator till very cold. (Make in morning for the evening meal.)

Garnish

Chop cucumber, tomato, green pepper, and parsley or basil and toss together with salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. Put in a bowl and in the refrigerator.

To serve, put soup in bowl, add garnish.  This recipe made a meal for me and John. It could serve four as a cup of soup before a meal.

If you don't want to make the focaccia, garlicky croutons are a nice addition. Maybe a little sour cream too.

The focaccia, unlike the soup, needs to be hot from the oven to be at its best. But it too is really easy. 

Prep time-75 minutes (this is mostly dough rising). Cook time-20 minutes

Focaccia

1 1/3 c. warm water

2 tsp sugar or honey

1 pkg active dry yeast

3 1/2 c all purpose flour

1/4 c olive oil (plus more for topping)

2 tsp coarse sea salt (plus more for topping)

2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

Put the warm water and sugar in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir. Let sit 5-10 minutes till foamy.

Gradually stir in the flour, olive oil, and salt till dough pulls from side of bowl. If too sticky, add a little more flour. Knead very briefly right there in the bowl and shape it into a ball. Transfer to another bowl that has been greased with olive oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place 45-60 minutes till it has nearly doubled in size.

Put parchment paper on a rimmed cookie sheet. Put a dollop of olive oil in the center and turn the dough onto it. Use your hands to push and pat the dough into a large rectangle around 1/2 inch thick. Cover and let rise again for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Use your fingers to make deep dents all over the surface of the dough rectangle. Drizzle olive oil over the surface and sprinkle evenly with rosemary and sea salt.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden. 

Best hot but still tasty the next day. 

Pond Life

 

Josie is Back!

Guess where I have been! At the beach!!! There were big waves and I was brave. It was a really fun time and now I am back and going to camp. Camp is where my pre-school was and it is fun too.

Meema picked me up after camp yesterday and of course we had to go get an ice cream cone.

Do you see something different? I got a haircut. I like it because it is cooler and easy to brush.

Meema says it makes me look sassy. And also a lot like my mama.

After ice cream we went to the grocery store. But I was in a hurry to get to The Room and see what those babies were up too. While I was at the beach, Meema sent some pictures of the babies Running Wild. Margo took off her clothes and got outside and into a potted plant. Meema said I would have to have a talk with them.

And I did but first Meema had to get them down from where they were climbing on the curtain rod over the windows. Margo had taken her clothes off again and Did Not want her dress on. So I put her in her overalls.

Maybe next time I will take them with me to the beach where I can keep an eye on them.  

 

 

The Kittehs Would Like a Word

 

Cory, why is this thing in my window? 

Well, Angeline, I'd say it's yet another blatant example of how our sovereign rights are being trampled, diminished, and disregarded.  

This creature, for example: I've finally convinced her of the futility of pouncing at me, but she will not stay on her own bed and even usurps one of my particularly favorite spots.

And then there's the personal grooming she feels compelled to do--Bast knows she needs it, running around outside and coming back with mud and worse all over her nether bits. Oh, The Woman wipes her off with a towel, but she's still disgusting.

Be thankful all you have to deal with is a relatively clean doll.

I'm outta here.