Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

We're not close to done chewing what we've bitten off with this project home of ours. But I finally hit my limit for tolerating chaos and called a halt to mess-making with impunity--at least until we clean up some of the disorder. We've had a really bad case of college dorm room going on here.

After a good deal of vacuuming, mopping, dusting, putting away tools, and general tidying up, I'm enjoying a heightened sense of serenity, temporary though it might be. We now have a functional second bathroom, with a beautifully tiled floor and shower, though we still need to prime and paint the walls, install baseboards and towel bars, and work out the storage shelf thing. Alas.

And the summer is just flying by.  The general lack of rain here means I've been developing my muscles from hauling the watering cans around, but overall the garden has been doing well. The snow peas just finished up when we got back from Boston (I was surprised that they lasted so long in the heat), chard is about done, and now it's The Attack of the Giant Zucchinis. I'm finding it a surprisingly good addition to omelets and stir fry.  Our diet is skewing more and more towards vegetarian just because of the abundance of, and need to use, fresh ingredients.  Almost daily I peruse the internet for new ways to prepare these things and am rewarded with new favorites. By happenstance I ran across some recipes for veggie burgers that I decided to try (I always found the store bought kinds unexciting) and have become sold on them.   Now, I see lots of green tomatoes, baby jalapenos, and lots of cilantro...there is definitely fresh homemade salsa in our future.

This morning I nearly stepped in something that leads me to believe the black bear cub sighted in our neighborhood paid us a visit last night. Just passing through, I guess, because there was no damage. The blueberries were left untouched. But I'm expecting to see astronomical growth in my potentillas.


LOTS going on here, as usual. The Westfield Antique Show is this Saturday and Sunday. There is also the Scandinavian Folk Festival at the Gerry Rodeo Grounds, and a juried art show at the Village Park in Bemus Point.  On Saturday evening, Chautauqua County Roller Derby's Babes of Wrath take on the Rubber City Roller Girls from Akron, OH at the Allen Park rink. The whistle blows at 7 pm. And next week is the County Fair.  You people who think small towns are boring...are you really enjoying your traffic jams that much?

Our grandaughter has arrived

We've just returned from a quick trip to Boston to meet our new grandbaby, Elizabeth Quinn Schweppe.  Here's a short video introduction to Quinn and her proud big brother, Logan.