Big Week on Jenny Lane

It was a very big week on Jenny Lane. Our college senior completed all of his comps at The University of the South, Sewanee, and our high school senior accepted her early decision to Colorado College. We could not be more proud of their accomplishments and look forward to seeing what they will do in the future. Congratulations Jack and Libby and to their mum who has been, along with their grand parents, their biggest fan.

A Little Laugh for January

Walking This Week

After a couple of weeks of not getting out with the dogs, we finally had a day where I was comfortable walking on the snow. The dogs were in seventh heaven. Bean got into the field and started rolling. I have never seen her do that before. She was like a little child making her own doggie snow angels. Wyke was busy barking off in the distance at a snow man that the neighbors children had made. We all had a wonderful time out there. This is the best of January.

In addition, I continued to walk on the Peloton tread for four mornings. The big milestone was I completed my 100th walk for which they will send me a free t-shirt. Two of the walks I did, and I really hesitate to call them walks as they feel more like jogging, I managed to get up to almost four miles on the tread two days in a row. We, Katie and I, are very grateful for the tread because it makes it very easy to get a workout in every day no matter what the weather.

Progress on the Cushion

Back in the spring of 2022 Katie suggested that I might needlepoint a cushion for Jack for a graduation present. Grand daughter Libby is quite a talented artist so I asked her if she would design it and paint the canvas for me. I bought a big piece of canvas and gave it to her. I waited, patiently, for her to find time to actually pull it together. In September she arrived with the canvas. Interestingly enough, I had quite a selection of wool left over from other projects so I pulled the threads and began work. The only wool I had to buy especially for this project was the back ground and some black. I started the project September 18th and finished it on January 19th. Now I need to find someone to make it into a cushion as my talent does not extend to that particular skill.

Food for Thought

I was craving salad this week. Not a big surprise as that often happens in winter. In particular I wanted Greek Salad. I found this recipe by Dr. Weil full of yummy vegetables and herbs. We ate it for lunch at least three days. It lasts very well in the refrigerator. The dressing has a lot of oregano in it but is delicious. The other unusual step is soaking the red onion in salt and water before combining it into the salad.

Greek Salad

DRESSING

2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, mashed
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

SALAD

2 teaspoons salt
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup pitted and halved Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley
6 ounces feta cheese, sliced
6 lemon wedges

Instructions

For Dressing:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a jar, shake well and let stand for 30 minutes. Leftover dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Makes 1-1/4 cups

For Salad:

2. In a bowl, combine salt with 2 cups water and add the red onion slices. Let the onions soak for 15 minutes then rinse and drain well.

3. In a large bowl toss the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers with the basil and enough of the dressing to coat vegetables well. Adjust the seasonings. Plate in a high mound on a large plate and garnish with olives, parsley, feta and lemon wedges and serve.