Blueberry Season

My first stop on my grocery route is at the edge of town at Klickers, Berries and Antiques. Buying blueberries. I get them by the flat and freeze the extras myself in small me size freezer bags. Meanwhile I am eating blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins, and just blueberries. If I'm not careful I bring home something I didn't intend to, something in the old wooden furniture line. Made it out with just blueberries and some nectarines. This is also where I get my tree at Christmas and Halloween pumpkins.

I made it to three grocery stores (easy peasy in a city as small as ours) and home by 9:30am and it was already 85°. The Pacific Northwest is in for some hot, hot weather so I did some meal planning and am all set for salads, blueberries on everything and a veggie soup I have on the range. Home, home on the range.


Last week I tried this recipe off of the Smitten Kitchen blog.  Blueberry Bread and Butter Pudding.  Delicious although not exactly diet food. This is one of those things I make when the grandkids are coming over for rest assured I could eat it all if left too long alone with it. I love French toast and blueberries, and butter.

Just saw the "Mooch" got dumped from his new job. Fired or reassigned? Who knows, the ship of fools sails on.

Home Alone

I have three days to myself. I really need them. All kinds of company for a week pre- and post-wedding. Lots of grand-kid company. It's been very hot here and they are always hungry so water and snacks are in order everywhere. My youngest son's family took the younger kids camping for a week but the three older girls are all working.  None of them drive yet so they've been hanging out with the grandmas' and going home to for a change of clothes and to feed the critters. A neighbor took the horse so that worked out. Besides who would leave two 16 year olds and a 17 yo home alone anyway. Many years ago I went to my Dad's for the weekend and left my youngest Dave (17 at the time) son home alone. He threw a party that went so cross-ways he called the police himself.

I went out to dinner and to see "Antony and Cleopatra" with my eldest son Chris in anticipation of not seeing him at all for awhile. After he and his girl split he's been my company for assorted plays here. He has been out of work for a long time. Making rent and so on with short term labor, and labor it's been, mostly mechanical stuff, summer in a farming community. Twelve hour days but good pay and tons of overtime but only 3-4 weeks at a time. He got a full-time permanent job and yesterday or I should say last night, was his first day. Twenty miles out of town (the last one was over 40 that's an improvement right there. Started at 5:30pm. He'd been trying to stay awake all night for a few days so he wouldn't be completely wiped out on his first day. He just smiled and said "good paychecks and no time to spend any money." And he is kind of a night owl. But I'm his Mom, I worry. I don't tell him though, he would not like it. Funny, when he lived 300 miles away I never worried.  Duh, mothers. I cooked up a pile of quesadillas and chicken salad wraps for his first day and a half of to go meals.  The wraps freeze well. I'll make some burger/bean burritos too. After the first week he should have his food and other tasks sorted out.

My internist together with my asthma and allergy doctor have reworked my meds and I am breathing easier. I see her next week. I've been on the new medication for two months and while nothing will increase my lung capacity again perhaps this will hold the line. The downside is trying to remember what to inhale or swallow or when. I have a pill box and a schedule but you have to look at it don't you?  And I've been having wild dreams the last six weeks or so and am feeling very wired, anxious and kind of OCD. I suspect it's one or both of the new meds.

Wishing you well and hoping nothing else catches on fire here or there.

On Spin Dry

I'm feeling as though I've lived several weeks all squeezed into one.  And it's been 100° or more most of that week and will be so another 3-4 days. 

Many relatives appeared for my grandgirl's wedding on the 2nd.  My sister Susan and my niece stayed with me and remained until after the 4th of July. Two nephews who weren't coming made it after all. I got some extended time with my nephew Travis. We are poles apart politically, still are, at one point I unfriended him on f-b but relented. We've been trying to mend fences ever since, and we did because what it really comes down to is we love each other and we are family and we are mostly doing the best we can.

My son Chris, nephew Scott, Susan, son David, nephew Travis.

David Father of the Bride - Alandra

Grand-girls in wedding dresses.