We have passed the summer solstice and are now actually on the downward slope to winter. It was quite something with the strawberry moon and the 21st of June arriving at about the same time. It was also our 52nd anniversary. We certainly feel lucky to have made it this far. Who would have thought it when a 20 year old and a 23 year old said I do all those years ago that we would still be here and doing fine. We feel blessed and very lucky to be here.

Most of this week was taken up with unpacking all the stuff we brought back with us from South Carolina. First we had to make room for most of it and then we had to unpack it and put it away. A good number of the boxes were filled with items for the kitchen. So first I had to pack up what is currently in the kitchen, mainly dishes and glassware, and put that safely away. We are hopeful that Jack will have an apartment at some point and he will be able to use some of what we packed up. Then the unpacking began. Wonder of wonders we have cupboard space and were able to put everything away in its own spot. We are still in awe of the fact that we actually have a real kitchen with real cabinets.

We went shopping for drawer and door handles at the end of the week. They open but with difficulty so we needed to get handles. It wasn’t an easy thing to find something that we all liked but we finally did. The funny thing is every time we counted the drawers and doors we came up with a different number. Somehow we always forgot about one of the drawers or even one of the cabinets. So we bought a few extra just in case. John refuses to try and install them as it means drilling into the new cabinets and he doesn’t want to make a mistake. We will leave it to the professionals. Hopefully they will come this week and finish installing the missing cabinets and finish up the kitchen.

Last year Katie and I made strawberry jam at the end of June in a kitchen that wasn’t even close to being a kitchen. Somehow we managed to do it and to have fun while we did. Saturday was the day this year and what a pleasure it was. The difference of having lots of counter space and a sink with a disposal, running water, and lots of pots and pans and we could move about without bumping into each other all the time. We bought a flat of strawberries and ended up making 30 jars of jam. My mother did this every year and usually with the help of my sister but on occasion Katie was allowed to help. I never was. Guess she didn’t trust me in the kitchen. Anyway, we had a wonderful time making the jam and remembering Gran.

The dogs were happy to have me back although they were well taken care of while we were away. We did a really long walk on the rail trail on one of those absolutely perfect days. A good breeze so no bugs and the air was dry. Lots of swimming and exploring. None of us wanted to stop. We managed to get out a few times and the dogs really enjoyed the swimming. It has become very very green out on the trail and thank goodness we have some shade.

I have become the muffin baker in the family. I made muffins mid-week and had to make another batch by the end of the week. I love the blueberry muffins from Half-Baked Harvest but I also added cranberry orange muffins for variation. They were a huge hit. I made two and half dozen muffins and I have to bake again. They are very popular.

John and I had a quiet anniversary as we had just been away for 10 days. We are truly blessed to be living with Katie, Jack and Libby and to be involved in our life here in New Hampshire. Our other grandchild and her mum’s will be visiting next week for a few days and we feel very lucky to be able to see her as much as we are this year. At 13 months she is changing every day. It was this week last year that we went on a major adventure to North Carolina to meet her. So worried about the pandemic and how to travel during that time. Things have certainly opened up this year.

Here is the recipe for the Orange Cranberry Muffins. I think they are a little too sweet but give them a try. I did use dried cranberries as it is hard to find fresh ones at this time of the year.

Ingredients
2 & 1/2 cups (310g) all-purpose flour
4 tsp (15g) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2.5g) salt
1/2 cup (125ml)) vegetable oil
1 & 1/4 cups (250g) sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
zest of one orange (about 1 tbsp)
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
1/4 cup (62ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
1 &1/2 cups (150g) fresh cranberries
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 12 cup muffin tray with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners.
In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, milk, orange juice, vanilla and orange zest. Slowly add to the dry ingredients. Mix until JUST combined, then fold in the cranberries. Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups.
Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temp to 375°F and bake for another 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.