Where to start?...

 

After watching Ben Shelton play against Carlos Alcarez and winning, and against Frances Diafoe and winning, I figured that he could take the US Open.  And perhaps he can!  He did lose the first two sets against Zverev, but he is keeping up right now.  In order to win he would have to win the next 3 sets.  That is a LOT of tennis.  I would love to see him win.  

Three weeks from now I will be working at the Greek Fest...I signed up to volunteer to work at the pastry booth Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  I am going to get my olive oil soap on Friday, because they always sell out of my favorite scents.  I will probably eat pastitsio this year, I need to try something new.  Have a beer.  Enjoy watching the Greek dancers.  

At some point in time I volunteered to chair the tsoureki baking.  I did not quite know what I was signing up for.  It is a slog ~ getting there around 7:15 am, so the dough will be ready at 10:30 for other volunteers to come and braid the bread, put on the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Then it needs another 45 minutes or so to rise.  Then bake.  Then wait for it to cool down to a minimum of 90 F so we can put it in bags.  I probably won't get home until 4:30 or 5.  It's a long day.  

One of our yiayia's (Greek name for Grandmother) used to do this job.  But her health began to fail, mostly her knees and back.  There might be other issues I'm unaware of.  She is a true yiayia ~ takes no prisoners.  She went to Greece for 3 months this summer (I believe for medical care since it is somewhat free there) so I made the first 3 batches without her.  I am now wishing I had done them all without her.  She criticizes my efforts.  I called her last week to schedule the last batch, and she asked me to take one of the frozen loaves out of the freezer so that she could taste it!  Last year she told me that some of her friends said my loaves were not cooked.  Bullshit, I say.  I used an instant read thermometer to make certain that every pan of bread reached 200 F.  If she says anything negative about my bread this time, it will be the last time I chair it.  I am done with not being appreciated, when it is so much work.  And I know how to make bread, dammit, I've been making it for 50 years.   

The biggest problem?  I'm not Greek.  If I were, I don't think she would act this way.   I try, I really do, to understand where she's coming from.  She has a problem with letting it go, and her friends tell her she needs to be in charge.  But none of them know how, or don't want to put in that much effort.  So, we'll see what happens.  

********sorry, sort of went on a tangent there.

I haven't put any mouse traps out for a month, and haven't seen any evidence of any ~ until a yesterday.  So, I guess I'm back to putting them out again.  My tomatoes look terrible, but there are still tomatoes on them, so I guess I'll keep going until the first frost (unless they up and die).  There is one plant that hasn't really done well all summer, and I might yank that one.  But I still have 2 more that are ok.  I am ready to plant lettuce and spinach, but I'm waiting for the weather to cool a bit more.  All the recommendations say mid Sept., but it's still too hot.  I am excited to try it though, I've never tried lettuce before.

 Zoe is having her 3rd birthday on Tuesday!

Love, 365 

  

 

Morning glories!....

After months of trying to successfully grow morning glories, finally have growth and blooms.  I will start them in pots next year and then transplant them.  

I don't buy many plants from Lowe's but they had pots with black petunias in them, and I just had to!  They are so pretty.  The first time I had ever seen a black one was in Denver.

 

I took a pound of these garden tomatoes and made salsa yesterday.  Last night had Greek village salad and a toasted pita.  The tomato plants look so ugly by this time of the year ~ several of them are 5' high and all tangled.  I try to remove extra branches, but it still looks ugly.  They are not producing as many tomatoes either, but once the weather starts cooling off, I think they will put on more fruit.  

 A sunset photo I took recently.....

I recently had my skin cancer check with the dermatologist, and the area on my nose that I had been worried about proved to be basal cell carcinoma.  Ugh.  I have an appointment in late October for mohs surgery (they slice and examine the cells until they get everything).  Although I would have preferred to get it over with, I am glad I won't miss working/volunteering at the Greek Festival.  I also had the fun mammogram yesterday.  Ugh.

I saw on the news we will have13 new special shape hot air balloons for the Balloon Fiesta this year. 

 

These two designs are from Brazil.  

 We baked the last of the paximadia on Tuesday, and today we'll begin baking the baklava cheesecakes.  They are really popular.  I like them, but the phyllo dough doesn't stay crisp very long.  Soon all of the baklava we order from a Greek bakery in Florida (of all places), and thankfully there are other volunteers that package it.  It is so sticky and messy.  It seems like we just started baking and now the festival is a month away!

Our neighborhood and surrounding areas are having new fiber optic cable installed.  It is a real mess, and noisy.  Romeo is irritated because the workers keep blocking our driveway.  This morning it was completely blocked, so I went out with my phone and took a photo of the information on the side of the truck.  Next thing I know, the truck is gone.  I sure hope they finish quickly.

We have also heard of black bears being spotted in the neighborhood, mostly from security cameras.  Romeo told me there was one in a lawn chair, but I couldn't find that one!

 

You know fall is coming when we start seeing bears around.....

Love, 365 

Cooler temp's at last......

At last, my marigolds are blooming along with zinnias.  I'm still waiting on my 4 o'clocks, but I'm thinking perhaps in another week or two.  

My garden is doing well, and I expect my tomatoes will ramp up a bit without the blistering heat.  My basil is going great guns!  I will let one of the plants go to seed, and keep using the others for village salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onion, chopped fresh basil, dried oregano, a bit of fresh ground pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and a nice chunk or two of feta.  

Regarding the mice: I have not had one for 4 days running!  Either they have found other accomodations or there's a lull in the number that are making nests between the fences.  I do not doubt there will be more.  I do have two pests right now as I have hornworms eating at the tender vegetation of my tomato plants.  One night I found 5, and I had 3 a couple of nights ago.  Seeing the small branches without leaves is a dead giveaway.  They aren't as easy to find, unless you go out at dusk and use a uv flashlight to spot them.  They glow a light blue under the uv light.  

 

We've also had a lot of mosquitoes (apparently they are living in the grass) and my ankles were hit many times the first time I went out without repellent.  What a challenging year!

Tomorrow I pick up the second batch of peaches, so my weekend will be quite busy canning.  So today I'm chilling in hopes to have lots of energy to get me through the day!  I'll be canning slices and making some peach jam too.

Have a great weekend, and may your weather be fabulous!

Love, 365 

Killing fields.....the mouse edition.

 

Yeah, I know these are rats, not mice!  But it so perfectly represents the armageddon that is currently going on in my garden.

It is depressing to dispose of dead mice, caught in my traps, day after day!  Today was the first day in 5 that there weren't any mice in the traps.  I was surprised.  It is possible that one set off one of the traps but managed to get away.  My hairdresser was telling me about these traps that basically electrocutes the mice.  But really, $39??  That seems a little pricey, but she did say that it beats finding a mouse still alive with it's leg caught in the trap.  "shudder" I sure hope I don't have that happen, but I now know that it's a possibility.  I haven't been keeping track, but I figure the number is somewhere around 20+ since I started setting the traps.

Occasionally I find a trap that has been sprung with no mouse in it.  But they are certainly very sensitive.  We have been having very windy evenings ~ storms all around but we aren't getting any rain, darn it ~ and I suppose that a leaf or a wood chip could be blown onto it.  At least I haven't seen any nibbles on my fruit.   

This is my only living aunt.  I love this photo of her, even if it is not a current one.  She is a funny lady, she came with my Mom for a visit, and I caught her washing all the caps of my condiments.  Catsup, mustard, etc.  I just went about my business and let her. :-)

She is now in hospice.  At 95 she has had a long life.  It is sad to know that I won't have any living aunts or uncles when she passes, which I expect will be any day.
 

We did manage to make nearly 300 tsoureki in July.  Now we're working on koulourakia.  We manage over a thousand at each bake.  We sell a lot of these cookies, along with kourambiedes and paximathia.  Paxi's are next, and I love making those.  Especially taking home the broken ones!  I can make them at home, but it has been so hot lately, I am loath to turn on the oven.  I have also put baking sourdough on hiatus for the same reason.  This has been one of the hottest summers on record, and I believe that is true for many places in the northern hemisphere.  Ugh.  I am so ready for fall!!

It is funny, there are many different recipes for tsoureki.  Some of my volunteers commented that their yiayia's never put sesame seeds on their loaves.  Some use orange zest (we do) and some use other spices.  Maybe it's tradition?  Recipes handed down through the generations, made to their tastes I suppose.  I see the same for paximathia and koulourakia.  

Now, I hope I don't find any mice in my traps in the morning.  

Love,365
 

Morning glories and mice......

 This spring I planted some morning glories that I sprouted from seed....I remember my disappointment the next day when I came out to water them, and all the leaves were gone.  I assumed I had some kind of bug, like the baby grasshoppers I was seeing everywhere.  I put plastic cups over the next group I planted, and I had them on there quite awhile, but they didn't like that and wouldn't grow.  So I took off the cups and the next day ~ poof! ~ all leaves gone, just a little green stem sticking up. I sprayed.  I put out traps for the pill bugs (because they were eating my marigolds).  I resigned to the fact I would not have morning glories this year, and moved on.  I did keep a net tent over the freshly sprouted flower mix I put in one part of the garden.  But eventually the zinnias were bending over due to the tent. 

Then one day I saw something like this:

That was the day I knew that the pest I have been battling was not six legged.  I got out my mouse traps.  Three days in a row I had a mouse.  I continued for a few more days, but I haven't had anymore, and I hate loading the traps so I quit putting them out.  Luckily I haven't had any more tomatoes being munched on.  But today my neighbor who knew my sad morning glory story gave me a dozen morning glory seedlings.  So I am trying again, but I will set a trap or two just in case more interlopers join the party.

The fence behind my garden has our old wood fence, and about 8 inches behind that is our neighbors fence that she had built because one of her rescued dogs was constantly jumping the fence into our yard.  So, there's that bit of a gap, and that is where they had made their home.  And munching on my seedlings, apparently.  

I hate to use traps, and Romeo asked if I wanted a catch and release trap, to which I said no.  Where the heck am I going to release them?  I can just see myself walking up the hill to the foothills with a cage and a mouse in it.  

At least I finally know what has been feasting on my garden plants.

Love, 365
  

No is easier to say than yes, but I seem to have trouble with the "no" word.....

 

I am not sure when this photo was taken, but other than the brick wall out front being stuccoed, it's pretty much the same.  It was built in 1950.  Other than maintaining the outside,  the inside has had various upgrades over the years.  It is quite beautiful.  

So, here is where I spend most of my time if I'm not at home.  

I am not exactly certain when I volunteered to help with organizing the icons in the Sunday School building.  No, wait ~ that's right, someone called me and asked me if I would like to take on the project.  For some crazy reason, I said yes.  I had absolutely no idea what I was taking on.  

I actually started the project almost a year ago.  The icons (see below if you don't know what I'm talking about) are mounted on a set of wooden runners that are the length of the building.  Well, here's a photo of what I'm talking about.....

 

Although these particular icons aren't very tall, there are some that take up the entire space between the runners.  There is also a sheet of plexiglass that fits into the the runners so that the icons don't fall out.  

That was one of the main problems: the wooden rails had warped somewhat and now the plexiglass panels fall out, as there is more room between the top and bottom of the rails due to that warping issue.  Our priest said he could get more plexiglass panels that would fit ~ but I haven't heard anything since.  So, I ruminated over how to solve this problem, and after talking it over with one of our parishioners that is a carpenter, she agreed to meet me there one day, as she had an idea.  Her idea was to bolster up the rail so that the plexiglass fit again ~ not a bad idea.  Not perfect either, but it worked for most of the panels.  

The next part of the project was to put these icons in order of their feast date.  (So usually it's an icon with one or more Saints in it, and on a particular date, we commemorate them.  Usually on the date of their martyrdom, but sometimes its for something else.)  There are about 65-70 million icons.  Ok, there aren't that many, it just seems like it.  I did go to work on putting them in order, but I unfortunately picked a date during summer Bible School for the kids.  I did get some stuff done, but it was so chaotic I decided to come back another day, haha.  

I could have (and probably should have) gone back the next week, but being me, I kept finding reasons why I could do it later.  I did meet up with a friend and we worked on one part of it, but there is still a lot more left.  I want to finish it next week...no, I need to finish it next week, because it's become the definition of albatross, and it's always on my mind, driving me crazy.  

I think that there is a sign on my back that says "sucker".   

Just remember, there is always a sucker out there, just don't let it be you.....

Love, 365 

I hope you all had a great 4th!....

 

The smallest hollyhock in the yard ~ and the only white one!  So far I have a purple one, two pink ones, and this white one.  I cut down the tall hollyhocks, they were just too leggy and not very attractive.  I tried my best to keep seeds from falling all over, but......

This is a small example of what happens when you jiggle the stalk too much.  So, no doubt I will have new ones this fall.

 

Bake From Scratch key lime cookies.....

This strawberry is huge compared to my other plants....it's a new variety called "seascape".  I will probably replace the other plants when they are no longer producing.  It was really sweet and good!

 

 

The last Greek mountain tea plant.  You can see one of the dead ones just above it.  I suppose if I can get it to grow big enough, it might self seed for the fall or next spring.  Come on, baby!! Grow!

 

I canned the apricots I bought, and they turned out good.  Really tasty on plain yogurt.  Had some issues when I decided to change the type of pectin I use, but I have it figured out.  I was so exhausted.  I have 14 jars, more than enough to share and enjoy.

 

 Looks like Abe knew exactly what he was talking about.  Did anyone watch the documentary?  It was really good......

 

 It has been a super busy day, so it's time to just chill now!  I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love, 365 

Roadrunner 101...

 

They are fascinating birds.  They can fly, but mostly they run around ~ hence the name.  I think they are super cool because they remind me that birds are relatives of dinosaurs.  They are reminiscent of velociraptors!  You can go here : https://newmexiconomad.com/roadrunner/ if you are interested in a brief description of our state bird.

They are not shy, and once they figure out you aren't going to chase them (or sic your dog on them), they will come fairly close!  Romeo said Nike came right into the garage when he was out working in the front yard.  

Well, no excuse not to know about roadrunners now!  I really enjoy seeing them around.

Have a fab Saturday!
Love, 365 

 

 

The retired life on a Monday......

 

With the temps getting up there, dog walks are now taking place at 7am.  It is still nice and cool.  Still plenty of shade.  The dogs love the cool grass (and all the trees, haha) in the parks.  I had to take this photo, with the sun just coming up over the mountains.  This morning there were so many other dog walkers, Romeo asked me "Is there a holiday today that I don't know about??"  I thought maybe people who don't work take the weekends off in order to avoid the working folks that are out in droves on Saturday and Sunday.  

Then I had to feed the tomatoes, water some of the other things in my garden, water the strawberry garden, water my crazy lavender plant, and oregano, then the yard.  I had such high hopes for my Greek mountain tea (sideritis, or ironwort), but there are only three of the five seedlings left.  One is growing ~wow it grows rather slowly ~ the others just seem to be hanging out.  If I can't get it going, I'm going to turn that raised bed into a veg bed.   My yard isn't big enough for unproductive gardening beds.

I usually have a lizard that lives in the wisteria near my garden, and I'm happy to have them!  A few days ago there was a large roadrunner standing on the fence, going after the lizards ~ one of their main food sources.  She was too big to make much headway into the wisteria to make the catch.  Now my lizards are rather shy.  I haven't seen them out sunning themselves like I used to.  As I am writing this, she was just now out there, so I think she has put our yard on her route for breakfast.  

 

Yesterday our team at church (we make the meal for fellowship hour about twice a year) had a fish fry, and unfortunately there were about 3 grease fires.  The kid working on frying the fish was putting it into the hot oil too fast.  It totally freaked me out!  I was yelling "fire!  fire!", and couldn't figure out why no one else was freaking out.  They were not small fires either.  Finally he figured out he needed to put the basket in very slowly to avoid the flare ups.  I'm surprised we didn't need the fire extinguisher.  If Chuck wants to fry fish again, I'm going to say no way.  Just buy the fish already fried and heat it up in the oven.  I had a hard time falling asleep last night, having flashbacks on it.  

I was so stressed out that I forgot an ingredient in the cornbread I was making ~ although I didn't realize I forgot to put the melted butter in until that afternoon.  I just couldn't figure out why the recipe worked without it, but it did!  I had quite a few compliments on it too!  Weird, right?

Well, gotta go fold laundry and other drab, boring stuff.  This is the life of a retiree most days!  I must say, I really love it.  :-)

Love, 365
 

I thought yesterday was Wednesday.........

 

I don't know why I see so many chicken posts on FB ~ I don't have any, and I don't write posts about them.  But darned if most of them don't crack me up.  Especially the ones that show the human in charge putting in a swing for them, and then they use it!  Maybe chickens aren't as stupid as folks say?  

Summer is here ~ temps in the 90s every day.  The only good thing ~ my tomatoes are really taking off.  I have some lined up for ripening....
 

I read somewhere that the best thing to do it pick the fruit off when there's a slight blush underneath.  Said it doesn't affect the taste and keeps your wonderful tomatoes from being eaten my some critter.  I have been waiting for this day for 9 months!!  Can't wait to try them.  

About 4-5 years ago we purchased burial plots at Natural Burial of New Mexico ~ but we had never gone out there to see what it looks like.  So, we took a little road trip to check it out.  As it turned out, there was a burial going on when we visited.  When you are buried, your relatives are given a GPS location in case they want to visit your grave later ~ but as you can see, there's not much to see!  No headstones are allowed, although you can have a stone engraved if you wish.  

It doesn't matter to us, we have no family in New Mexico ~ and I doubt our kids would visit.  And after seeing this burial ground, I admit I wouldn't really want to go either!  But it was inexpensive.  And we don't need to be embalmed, which I don't want.  It all kind of reminds me of the wild west, haha.

**************************

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Love, 365 

The completetion (almost!) of an old project....

 

I am not much of a quilter.  I hope to change that, but this quilt ~ intended for my youngest son ~ has been hanging around unfinished for almost 3 years.  I finally finished sewing all the 9 patch blocks, and now I need to sew each row, then sew the rows together.  My sis, who is quite the quilter suggested I sew two rows together, then another two and so on, then sew those rows all together.  She has been doing this for quite awhile, so I'm going to take her recommendation.  I vacuumed the living room and laid the blocks down to try and figure out where I wanted the colored blocks.  Zoē thought I had put down a new rug for her to lay down on.  I would throw a toy, but she would keep coming back to it.  Silly dog.  

We have been enjoying wonderful weather here, and I'm dreading the hottest part of summer.  Today we took Demitri and Zoē for a walk at 7am this morning, and it was really nice.  Later we'll be lucky if it is below 75 in the morning.  

The garden is coming along.....

The hollyhocks are going great guns.  Everything in. the garden is doing fine, with only a bit of leaves being munched on.  I plan to use my neem oil spray this evening and hopefully remove the critters that are creating those holes, and getting rid of the pest that likes the morning glory leaves.  

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love, 365