We started the week with a full moon. I took this picture just as it was coming up over the lollipop at the end of our neighborhood. It was so bright that it looks as if the picture is actually of the sun. So glad that Katie called us to tell us to go out and look at it.

Update on Jenny Lane

I didn’t really think that a lot happened on the Jenny Lane project but then I realized that we are actually doing things that are not dramatic but rather more in line with the finish work that we need to get done. The crew came to work on the shingling of the new addition. You can see them on their scaffolding outside the windows of the sun porch. Once again they ran out of shingles so they weren’t able to finish the job. Seems this might be the most expensive part of the project. Neither they nor we could imagine it would take so many shingles for an addition that is mostly windows. However, there is a great deal of waste because they have to cut so many of the shingles to fit into small places. Not much left but we shall see. One big accomplishment this week was that we got the windows washed inside and out. Something that I have really wanted to get done for some time but we wanted to wait until the trim was done on the outside of the windows and also to have most of the major “dirty” work done. So the man on the inside of the windows is the window washer. He did a great job and the house actually sparkles. Amazing the difference clean windows make.

Walking This Week

I started the week with a big walk with Wyke, Bean and their friend Skye. She has fit in with our pack beautifully and loves to run in the fields. We climbed some of the lower trail on the ski area and then when we got to the fields all the dogs went crazy running after each other. Then they had a swim.

I ended the week with the most fabulous hike with Katie up the Proctor Ski Area. The day was perfect. Perfect sunshine, perfect temperature and we were feeling like an adventure. We started up our usual way then decided to take a turn and go up one of the trails. We found another trail going off the ski trail that we believe was a mountain bike trail although I am pretty sure it would be suicide to ride down that thing. We climbed and climbed on a pretty narrow trail but absolutely beautiful. Along the way we came upon a little creature that I barely saw but took the time to take a picture of him to send to my brother.

You can look this guy up on-line but he is a lungless salamander and breathes through his skin. He looked more orange than red to me but I can see the spots so maybe he was a young one. He wasn’t very big and I was lucky to spot him.

We finally got to the top of the trail and sure enough we were at the top of the Proctor Ski Area. A goal that I had had for a few weeks and we finally did it. We started down and decided after going a little way that it was too steep to walk down so we climbed back up and took the road. Well, we ended up on the hydro line and just kept walking. We thought we could do a big circle and get back to the rail trail but that proved to be an impossibility because we encountered a stream that we couldn’t cross so we hiked back up again and just took the road back down. All in all we ended up hiking for two hours and covered six miles plus. We were so thrilled to have taken such good advantage of a beautiful New England day and no one but the salamander and us on the trail.

Celebrating Birthdays

The sign went back up this week to celebrate Libby’s 16th birthday. Her grandfather woke her up by playing “Happy Birthday Sweet 16” which made her laugh. Even though she is gone all day until about 9:30 or 10:00pm we felt we had to celebrate a little bit with her. Thus the sign and a little birthday cake and ice cream and a couple of presents and cards. Low key but it was just perfect for her I think. Later in the week she had cupcakes with her advisee group to top things off. Next birthday is exactly two weeks away for her grand father. Maybe the sign should just stay up.

Another Adventure

On Wednesday I joined the New London Garden Club with a walk through Criscenti Bog. It was very interesting as it was led by someone who knew what we were looking at. Hearing the history behind it and also the effort it takes to keep the board walk accessible was very interesting. I kept expecting to see a moose on the sidelines. Learning about the plants, the moss and the wild rosemary was fascinating to me. When you are in the bog you don’t hear any noise and yet we are right in the middle of town. We are very lucky here to have so much available for us in the area.

Cooking This Week

Garlic-Brown Sugar Chicken Thighs

This recipe is from All Recipes and I made it for dinner for us mid-week. It was delicious and very easy to make.

Ingredients

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
salt and ground black pepper to
taste
3 tablespoons unsalted butter,
divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried basil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Step 1
Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear until brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a plate.
Step 3
Melt remaining butter in the skillet. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, honey, oregano, thyme, and basil until well combined. Return chicken to the skillet.
Step 4
Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 25 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).