Pitiful

Meet our tomato plants: Mr. Stripey on the right and Black Krim on the left. Heirloom tomatoes they are, and high maintenance I found out.

They were bought at Fleet Farm earlier in the summer. The plan was for them to find a nice home in our soon-to-be vegetable garden. In the meantime I planted them in freshly painted pots with topnotch potting soil.

However, the vegetable garden plan has been rescheduled for 2012 and the tomato plants stayed in their pots. I don't think they like their pots much, especially Mr. Stripey. A whopping two pieces of fruit he has given us. At $2.99 a plant, that is $1.50 a tomato. Who said growing your own food was economical?

Countryside Snapshots: Harvest

There is a small apple tree on the border of our backyard and our neighbor's. We think it's ours, but we're not sure. It is filled with apples and they are almost ready to be picked. The apple tree at Lola's new daycare is already there. Yesterday I sent Lola off with an empty basket and when I picked her up, it was filled with freshly picked apples.

We set out to make apple sauce as soon as we came home. Lola was very excited about the process. She made certain that Ryan knew this wasn't just any apple sauce, it was home made. I have now added a food mill to my appliance wish list and I can see canning in my future. Very clearly.

Countryside Snapshots: Mail

Approved by the Postmaster General

Trickster

Lola was cutting up a storm yesterday afternoon. When I asked her what she was doing, she told me she was cutting up fake food for Sandman. She was going to set out a bowl filled with her paper snippets and wait for him to go: "Hey! What is this?"

I am pretty sure that is exactly what he was saying when I heard him meow at four o'clock in the morning.

Countryside Snapshots: Grass

Just beyond our backyard

New Do

We spent the past week in Elkhart Lake, enjoying some free time, good company, and many hours in the pool. Lola especially loved the pool. She would jump in around ten in the morning and would not come out for anything until the late afternoon, save a potty break or two.

As a result of all that bobbing in chlorine, her hair turned into one big dreadlock. Not even the half gallon of conditioner and detangling spray I used could untangle that mess. I was forced to resort to scissors.

I love it! She really rocks the bob and looks so big all of a sudden. Lola likes it too, but she did check with me several times if her hair will grow back. And if I do say so myself, I didn't do too badly at my first cutting job.

Mom also has a new do, by the way. I am now a redhead. Pictures to follow at a later date. Maybe.

Skinny Dipping

After working hard in the new house the weekend before we moved, we decided to take off early on Sunday afternoon and take the pontoon boat out on the lake. I didn't actually get to go, but Ryan and Lola had a great time. They made it back just in time to beat the severe thunderstorm that had been brewing for hours. In the midst of the storm Ryan realized he had left his wallet on the boat and ran back to get it. Within five minutes he was back, dripping wet and wide eyed. "The boat is gone!" he panted.

I thought (hoped) he was kidding, but no, he wasn't. The line that tied the boat to the dock had broken, and the storm had blown it into the bay. It was sitting right next door in fact. The two of us went out into the rain and anchored her down for the night. We thought we would just push her free the next day, then take her out for a spin around the lake and go swimming in the rain. Simple enough.

Things are never that simple though. Unfortunately the boat was stuck in the mud. Really stuck. In order to do any sort of pushing, we had to get into the muck with her. Before I knew it, we were chest deep in stinky muck, trying to find some footing. There wasn't any, just roots, weeds, sticks, and other unidentified objects that kind of freaked us out. For an hour we pushed the boat through the muck, slowly inching forward. Lola was cheering us on from atop the boat. My arms hurt, I could barely hang on, and did I mention it smelled really bad?

When we finally cleared the weeds and were able to lower the engine into the water, Ryan climbed back into the boat to start her up. I hung onto the back, dragging behind her until I was unceremoniously hoisted into the boat by my husband. When we got to deeper waters, Ryan and I jumped in to wash off the mud. It was everywhere. In my pants, my shirt, my underwear. What's a girl to do but go skinny dipping? We had the lake all to ourselves and enjoyed swimming naked until lightning chased us off the water.

The Hardest Goodbye

My cousin M. has been on my mind a lot this week. It is his dad, and my uncle, who is dying of pancreatic cancer. My cousin and his family live in Switzerland and have been visiting for the month of July. I saw them earlier this week when Lola and I traveled south for a few days. When M. and I said goodbye, he told me the next time we would see each other the occasion would probably not be a happy one.

M. and his family are leaving today. He has to tell his father goodbye and chances are, he will never see him again. I cannot begin to imagine his sadness. Just thinking about it breaks my heart. Not being there when you want to most is without a doubt one of the hardest things about living thousands of miles away from your family.

It is in my future too.

Quickly, While I Can

We moved last weekend. Our house is in total chaos with various painting projects taking place in the dining room, living room, and kitchen. Random pieces of furniture are scattered about while the rest of our stuff is packed into the garage.

I cooked our first proper meal yesterday, not pizza or something heated up in the microwave, with the one wooden spoon I was able to find. We are still eating off paper plates, using plastic silverware and drinking out of disposable cups.

Lola and I are enjoying having some time off together. I paint; she plays with her stuffed animals, taking them for rides around the block. Every now and again we take a break to go grocery shopping.

For the time being, we are off line. No phone, no internet, no television. To keep you updated on our progress, I must visit the local bar. Our town is so small, we can walk everywhere. Also, there is no mail delivery here. We are now the proud owners of PO Box 281.

The house came with kitchen appliances but no washer and dryer. More so than buying this house, the purchase of our first proper washer and dryer makes us feel very grown up. After Ryan and I installed them, we grabbed a drink and hung out in the basement, admiring our new appliances. They make really cool noises when you turn them on and off.

I have one more coat of paint to go on the twenty seven kitchen cabinet doors. If I ever talk about painting kitchen cabinets again, someone please stop me. I don’t care how much money I am saving.

Getting Started

Before we move into our new house next weekend, we thought we would take advantage of its empty state and do a little remodeling. Painting mostly. We thought about refinishing the floors and fixing up the attic in addition to painting but the contractor we talked to flaked on us. That's fine really. There is still more than enough to do.

The 'before' shots

Ryan has graciously allowed me to paint the kitchen cabinets. He is a bit of a wood snob, and doesn't believe in adding artificial color to wood. But in this case, I can do what I want. While I have been taking down thirty three cabinet doors and eleven drawers, taking off sixty six pieces of hardware, and cleaning everything, he has ripped out the charming drop ceiling and fluorescent light fixtures. We are taking out the carpet, too.

I am looking forward to showing you the 'after' pictures.

Lazy Days Of Summer

Happy Independence Day!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

The house is ours! As of 9 o'clock this morning, Ryan and I are the proud owners of a sweet little Victorian home. The purchasing process took a little longer than expected due to competitive offers and leaky pipes.

This morning things went smooth, except for one thing: the length of my name. My name is so long, it does not fit on any of the official documents. I have been reduced to the fine print. Somewhere in an addendum to the offer to purchase it says that I too am a buyer.

At the closing however, my name was nowhere to be found. Supposedly they are going to type it in later, under my signature. Oh well, at least I have the keys...

Chip Or Dale?

Look who we found hanging out in the garage, chewing on insulation, and helping himself to the All You Can Eat Bird Seed Buffet.

Nothing Lost, Nothing Gained

A couple of weeks ago I went on a diet for the first time in my life. Summer is upon us which means shorts, tank tops, and bikinis are part of my wardrobe once again. Several ladies at the casino were talking about a very effective diet, based on a chemical reaction brought on by what you eat. They swear by it. And truth be told, you can tell they are losing weight.

My mother-in-law and I decided to join in on the fun. And I even took it one step further; I quit smoking at the same time. If I was going to mess with my metabolism, I might as well do it right. Those first three days were hard. Very hard. Not so much the not smoking, although I did have a hard time focusing after 2 PM, but the hunger... All I could think about was food. No doubt fueled by the fact I was no longer suppressing my appetite with nicotine.

I did not lose the promised ten pounds that first week, or any week thereafter for that matter, but I did lose some. More importantly, I did not gain any. Had it not been for my diet, I would have snacked non-stop those first few days after quitting smoking. I still diet three days a week and lose about six pounds, most of which I eat back on again during the four days I can eat what I want. I don't think this particular diet is really for me.

To be honest, I am not the dieting kind. I just need to watch my portions, make sure I eat more veggies, and get moving. Lack of exercise is my main problem. I guess we're breaking out the Richard Simmons records tomorrow morning...

Nature Updates

The thousands of trilliums alongside the road have made room for the lupines. Beautiful, bountiful, blue lupines. There are wild columbine growing in the woods around us and every time I go to cut some chives, I have to fend off the bumble bees.

Lola has been catching and kissing frogs. Repeatedly. So far, no prince.

The water in the lake is six inches higher than it was last year. What a difference that makes. We have even put in the dock. Not off our side, the water is still too shallow for that, but a little bit further out. At least we can enjoy the pontoon boat this summer.

Ryan has decided to single-handedly populate the lake with turtles. Every time he sees one crossing the road, he stops and brings it home. Lola is tickled. Not sure about the turtles.

My one strawberry plant is looking good. Last year, a deer ate our strawberries, all but one. This year we have moved it to the fenced garden. Fingers crossed.

Speaking of deer, they are everywhere. They stand in the middle of the road, chatting with each other, oblivious of oncoming traffic. You have to come to a full stop almost and honk your horn to get them to move.

Lola has scolded me twice now for doing just that. She thinks I should stop the car, get out, and politely say Excuse me to the deer. Or chipmunk. Or whatever animal is sitting in the middle of the road.

Ryan has passed Lola in bear sightings. So far, he has seen eight bears. All mothers with cub(s). We're jealous.

And just this morning, as I was having breakfast, I saw the two Great Horned Owls that live in the neighbor's woods fly by. So very impressive!