Week 31 – Sun

We have been waiting for the sun all week. Almost every day this week it has been raining. Not just a mist but heavy downpours. The streams and rivers are full to overflowing and now we are worrying about mold on the flowers and vegetables not worrying about them drying out.

Update on Jenny Lane

The trim around the doorway into the sunroom

To be honest, there isn’t one. Mostly it was us doing some painting of trim that was done last week and John kept working on the shingles for the outside of the new addition. It is the lazy, hazy days of summer. This year we are actually relaxing and enjoying being outside (when there isn’t any rain) and enjoying the house. We entertained people for dinner twice this week and that is something after 20+ months of not really seeing anyone.

Wine/Beverage Fridge Fits

We ordered a Wine & Beverage fridge back in early June. Not sure what happened but we kept getting notices saying that it was delayed. To the point where it got a little ridiculous. Finally it was set to be delivered this Thursday. The day before, despite getting a confirmation of delivery, I received a phone call saying I had to reschedule the delivery. Some 45 minutes later I was told the same old story. The company wouldn’t get delivery until August 9th and they couldn’t deliver to us until mid-August. I finally decided that we should cancel the order. I must say they were very efficient and we had the credit within minutes. We then ordered another fridge which was actually delivered when they said it would be. Saturday it was delivered and we carried it upstairs. It appeared to not fit the space where it was destined to live however I remembered seeing it had adjustable feet so John lowered the feet as far as they would go and lo and behold it fit perfectly. We let it rest for 24 hours and finally turned it on. So far so good. It looks great and we hope it will keep the wine and other beverages at the right temperature. It was the last of the big pieces for the kitchen renovation. Starting to feel pretty good.

Family Travels

Katie and Jack were out in Colorado all week working at her convention. Jack was super busy building sets and being in charge of a group putting things together. He ran the lift and looked right at home doing it. This is the first time for a big convention for Katie’s company in almost two years. To say people were anxious is an understatement but so far all seems to be good. It is not easy to pull off something of this magnitude in regular times but during a pandemic or at the end of one it is even more challenging. They are both home, exhausted but very happy with how things went this week.

Walking This Week

Finally! Back in January I signed up for the virtual challenges and the one I wanted to do was the Camino de Santiago. I optimistically entered a six month time frame. So I should have finished at the beginning of July. As it turned out there were a few delays but finally I finished. What a great feeling of satisfaction. I was actually doing a couple of these simultaneously and have discovered that I don’t like doing that. Now I am back down to one challenge and will work on it for the rest of the year. They are fun and it is a great community on Facebook.

The water was so high on the river that we were not able to walk through the meadow and across the bridge until Friday. It was great to be able to go back there again and the dogs were very happy to explore that part of the world once again. They had been groomed on Monday but that didn’t stop them from going swimming at the first opportunity. Wyke looks beautiful and obviously feels much better. Bean was sheared a little too close but luckily her hair/fur will grow back fast. She has been a little cold the last few evenings. She does, however, love to swim.

Raspberries A Plenty – Blueberries Coming

Our neighbors have raspberry bushes on their property and they invited us to go and pick them this week. John and I and the pups went up and had a wonderful time filling our bucket with red berries. Bean had streaks of red all over her head. She looked as if she had an accident but it was just the juice from the berries. John came home and made raspberry jam – his favorite. Our blueberries are just coming into season. We have picked some and I have made the blueberry muffins a couple of times. We still have a couple of days to go. Our squash is coming in and we have enjoyed it this week for dinner. It’s coming up on the best time for a garden.

A Surprise Out of the Past

Sometimes you cannot tell what is going to happen. In the mail we received a note from someone who is really from way back in our lives. David and Sally were really close friends when we were first married and living in Cape Neddick Maine. They moved away just before we moved back to Connecticut. We lost touch over the years but never stopped thinking about them especially when we went back to visit our old haunts. Sally wrote this week after seeing our name and address in the Building Permits section of our local newspaper. It gave our address. You could have scraped me up off the floor when I read the note. Of course I called her immediately and invited them for dinner. We had the most amazing catch up. You wouldn’t have thought 35 years could fall away just like that, but it did. I love how things work out sometimes.

Cooking This Week

Libby found a recipe that she wanted to make. Macaroni and Cheese. Well I don’t need to tell you it was absolutely delicious. The recipe is from Half-Baked Harvest and the more cheese the better. I hope you will try it sometime.

The Cheese Makers Mac and Cheese
from Half-Baked Harvest

Ingredients:

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 cups 2% or whole milk

1 pound elbow macaroni

1 garlic clove, minced or grated

1½ cups crushed Ritz Crackers (about 1 sleeve)

4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes

1¼ cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

1¼ cups shredded fontina cheese (we used Gruyere)

1 cup shredded Havarti cheese

1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese

¼ teaspoon cayenne

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Fresh basil leaves, for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 1 minute, stirring once to avoid burning—it will bubble. Gradually whisk in the milk and 2 cups of water, then stir in the macaroni. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir frequently until the macaroni is just al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the crushed crackers and toss to coat. Toast the crumbs until browned, stirring frequently to avoid burning, for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
4. When the macaroni is al dente, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream cheese, cheddar, fontina, Havarti, Gouda, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Stir until the cheeses have fully melted. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
5. Evenly sprinkle the toasted cracker crumbs over the mac and cheese and place the baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes (yeah, right). Garnish with fresh basil. Dig in!

Bean in the raspberries