Pegs and Jokers

I've been up to my ears in tolepainting this summer. I've just finished the final set for P and H that I owe them. Now I've finally painted the box that our first set goes in. And I've been asked to show you some pictures of the "best ever" set I had fun painting when we first arrived in Cascadia this summer. So here are a few pictures . . . the game is all painted in the "Americana" style with a different scene on each player's board - each depicting a holiday or time of year - all including children at play.

Maybe I Lied

It looks like we’re gonna have at least ONE red tomato!

Now let’s see . . . what can I do with one RED cherry tomato?
Salsa . . . don’t think so!
Tomato Sauce . . . don’t think so!
Home-made tomato soup? Nah!

Guess I better let Ken eat it since he’s the one that trimmed back the leaves so it could get more sun in order for it to turn red . . . seemed to work!

We have another cherry tomato plant on the deck along with a “grape cherry” . . . question, how do we know when the “grape cherry” is ripe when it is SUPPOSED to be green?

Forty-two Years

Being married forty-two years is an accomplishment in its own. But being married to my husband for forty-two years has been a joyful accomplishment on the whole. Now, we've had ups and downs, the downs I can count on one hand - the ups I'd have to be a centipede in order to count them! So here's the message in the e-card I sent to him earlier . . . and I mean every bit of it with all my heart!

An Anniversary Love Letter To My Husband of 42 Years

Joy, for me, is loving you and sharing daily life,
With that special kind of closeness between husband and wife—
Setting goals and working to reach them, one by one—
Sharing quiet moments all alone when each day is done—
Discovering each other, always something new to know—
Helping you as you help me to learn, and dream, and grow—

We’re lovers and companions, best friends and partners too—
More and more with every day, joy, to me, is loving you!

Happy Anniversary

Cascadia Pictures

Somehow the pictures didn't get included so here they are!

Cascadia Summer

Life in Cascadia in the summer time is the best! The fun we've had so far this summer includes
• Picked two gallons of blueberries
• Picked two gallons of black berries
• Had visits from two sets of friends from Park Sierra
• Caught 12 large Kokanee in Green Peter Lake - 14-inchers!
• Almost had to buy a new boat trailer but ended up fixing the old one (a story worth its own blog)!
• Smoked the Kokanee - first time we ever tried that - a real winner to your taste buds
• Smoked a pork roast and enjoyed pulled pork - never done that before
• Dug a ditch to install a water line throughout property so that water is convenient to us and our guests
• Level a large area big enough to park an RV so our friends can have some place to park nearby when they visit
• Canned six half pints and 25 12-oz jars of plum jam
• Painted 12 sets of Christmas ornaments to use as gifts and boutique sale
• Sorted ten boxes in the pole barn
• Built two cabinets and two shelving units to store stuff in the workshop
• Read three books "Sabbath" given to me by two good friends for Christmas, "Girl in Hyacinth Blue" given to me by my sister for my birthday, and "Secret Life of Bees" given to me by my daughter just because she thought I'd like it - all three are good books that I never would have picked out for myself - Thank you all!
• Painted the "most incredible Pegs and Joker game in existence" according to husband
• Made a quilt for the newest member of the family . . . Samantha Clare
• Nurtured five tomato plants grown from seeds in California . . . now looking for recipe for fried green tomatoes . . . the sun doesn't shine long enough in Cascadia
• Made three batches of pesto from Basil plants brought up from California

It goes to show ya . . . Life is Good!

How About a Picture?

Let's see if I can figure this one out . . . I think I found the "Compose" button and the "Add Image" button . . . hmmmmm. . . will it work?