We are getting back into the routine of living in New Hampshire after a glorious summer up in Canada. New Hampshire is almost as nice and the house is certainly in much better shape for us to live in than it was even six months ago. We have a working bathroom, granted not finished but getting closer and a laundry room which I have now declared is the “heart” of the house, that works great but again, not quite finished, the common spaces work well and everyone has a bedroom that is theirs. When I come around the corner to the house I can’t help but smile as I see the new color and the bright door and the gardens that are really coming into their own. It feels like home. To celebrate being home we went to a concert with our favorite local band, Nick’s Other Band at Musterfield Farm. The picture above is of the sunset as we sat on the lawn (or danced) to their wonderful music.
Update on Jenny Lane
John had planned to stain the back stairs as one of his major projects for the fall. This really depended on the weather as the wood needed to be dry so we hoped for a number of days in a row without any rain. He finally was able to get the project done and about an hour after he finished it started to rain. I love the cedar color and it looks wonderful with the color of the house. It is in the same tone as the front door. A spot of richness. Another project that helps to bring the word finish closer to our vocabulary.
Walking The Trail Again
The dogs are so happy to be back on the trail once again. They love our woods walks in Canada but here they don’t have to wait to be off leash we start out that way. The only disadvantage is we have to drive to get to where we walk but it’s part of the routine when we are here. They also get to enjoy swimming in the river. Both of them went right in at their favorite swimming hole. We managed to get in four really good long walks this week. I am back to challenging myself to get to 100 miles in a month again. This month’s challenge was 75 and I am at 51.3 miles for the month so I think I will make it or even exceed it. For the past year I have been participating in the Conqueror Virtual Challenges. The last one was the Pacific Crest Trail. To be honest, I got bored. It was too long and it took me the 17 months to accomplish it through walking and biking. I still think these are a great incentive and the medals are spectacular but really what am I going to do with all those medals? I have a bunch from the live races that I have done and now a few from the virtual ones. I may do another one sometime but if you are looking for a way to motivate yourself joining one of these might just do the trick.
A New Project
Always looking for something creative to do. I love doing needlepoint and have had a wonderful time making Christmas stockings for everyone in the family but since I finished the one for Edie I haven’t had a project. Well, Katie suggested that I do a cushion for Jack for a graduation present and that I ask Libby to design it. This project has a precedent. I did two chairs for John many years ago. One celebrating the two schools he attended and the other the two schools he worked at. So this one will have the logo and mascot for the two schools that Jack has attended – Proctor and Sewanee (The University of the South). I have almost all the wool I need left over from other projects which makes it even more fun. Now we need a chair for it!!!
It’s Time for Fall Recipes
Soup, soup and more soup. I have been craving soups so I am getting out my favorites and going to start cooking.
Bean Soup from Recipe Wonderland
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 ounces green chiles, diced (this recipe uses canned chiles)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
28 ounces canned fire roasted diced tomatoes
8 cups vegetable stock
2 cups kidney beans, canned and drained
2 cups great northern beans, canned and drained
2 cups pinto beans, canned and drained
2 cups black beans, canned and drained
Directions
Replace any of these beans with your favorite type of beans.
In a large pot, saute the sweet onion, red bell pepper, and green chiles, with olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Add garlic powder, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper.
Next, add fire roasted diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, and the beans. Bring to a boil and then simmer with a lid for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat. Serve and Enjoy
