Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Today's This and That



Well, hello there! Isn't this a lovely smiley face? Mister F and I got to spend some time together yesterday. He's a fair boy with the bluest eyes. He'll take the occasional bottle now and as I fed him, we looked at each other and time stretched backwards to when I cradled his father who looked at me with the same blue-eyed stare.

This business of walking through life is a funny one - I've never thought of it as circular, but linear, with the ability to move back and forth along the line thanks to memory.  And not so much that I move but that my mind holds the present while musing the past.
 

Yesterday's pickings - enough green beans for dinner (I made the Copycat Green Beans again thanks to a conversation with a friend who reminded me of it), tomatoes and plums. Something is eating my tomatoes and I don't think it's birds. Gardens seem to go in cycles. This year my winter squashes bombed. I have one small pumpkin and that's it. The tomatoes are doing well, the blueberries were fantastic and the fall crop of raspberries is coming along very well. Plums, eh, not so much, and just when I was thinking about picking the figs, they disappeared. Into thin air. I hate to think what took them away.
 

The first batch (a double one) of salsa. Last year I made enough salsa to very nearly get us through the year. I had to buy one jar. I like salsa with my morning egg, Tim likes it with crackers, and we both enjoy it with tortilla chips. Then there's tacos and fajitas. Salsa is our all round purpose condiment. We go through jars of it while the ketchup bottle languishes in the fridge.
 

And here he is again, playing with the little musical ball all of our children played with. Let's see, that makes it very nearly 33 years old. It's been through the wash numerous times and still jingles merrily.

Oh, a camera update for those who might be interested. It's toast. Water on the main circuit board. I've been considering what to get for a replacement and I think I've settled, but I'm thinking about it for a few days. I do miss my camera. These photos are Iphone products and they are okay, but not the crisper quality I enjoyed with my little point and shoot Nikon. 

This morning I'm meeting an out-of-town friend for a walk and then we'll come here for lunch. The house is in a bit of disorder as carpet cleaners are coming today so lamps, plants and occasional tables litter the kitchen eating area. Have a lovely day, reader friends - I'll catch up with you all later!

28 comments:

  1. Such a sweet blue eyed boy. Your garden produce looks delicious. I went and bought some italian plums again this year as something has been eating ours. My tomatoes are still quite green.

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  2. Ahhhh! There he is! And he's nearly all grown up already. Glad that things have progressed to a place where he gets to visit you. He sure is a cutie pie. I think that he and his sister must actually look like siblings!


    Toast? Oh how sad! Well, I'm sure that whatever you move forward with will be wonderful. Perhaps you'll get a camera with a better zoom than the Nikon had. That's the only thing about that camera that frustrates me.

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  3. Oh I just loved everything about this. Sounds like all is well in your neck of the woods, save for the doomed camera but then again, perhaps a new one will make you smile like that beautiful boy...

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  4. Oh such sweetness - there is something so wonderful about a baby boy - so many adventures - so much life - so many grand times.

    Love your produce - I shall feast upon my first two yellow pear tomatoes today - there are only about a dozen on the huge plant - but far better than I've ever done on our deck - I put the pots up against the house and the radiant heat seems to have helped. The potatoes in a gigantic pot are about ready to dig - ohhh summer - and the blackberries are ripening.

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  5. He's a little sweetheart. I know what you mean about being reminded of your own baby when you hold your grand baby. Your phone takes pretty good photos. I hope you let us know what camera you choose. I'm always open to recommendations as I need a new one soon.

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  6. That first photo of your dear grandson made me smile -- a great way to start my day:) Yikes! Sorry you lost your camera. I hope your new camera will be as enjoyable to use also! Love your garden bounty photo--I agree that some years are better than others for all crops. We don't really grow many veggies--just tomatoes this year, but we seem to be having a good year as far as fruits are concerned.
    Have a great day!
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  7. I love that first photo with the little Jiminey cricket happening on top.
    Hope it wasn't a two legged thief that took your figs and I agree that each year is different in the garden.

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  8. What a sweet face that blue eyed grandson has! Enjoyed your musing about time, and have a sneak peak into your garden and kitchen doings.

    Rats about the camera.

    Wishing you a wonderful rest of the day...


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  9. Oh boy! Love that little face. It really looks like he's trying to tell us something in that first photo.

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  10. What a darling little guy!

    I'm so sorry to hear about your camera. I use my phone all the time as I can't find my battery for my camera. First it was the charger and now the battery but I have the charger. Crazy.

    Deanna

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  11. What a cutie with a winning smile! Best wishes on the new camera decision too!

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  12. So sorry to hear that your camera is kaput. You'd miss having a reliable camera handy to snap photos of your handsome little guy...although your phone did a pretty good job, I must say!

    I love that the musical ball is being played with by another generation. Gotta love toys with longevity!

    I have considering canning salsa this year. Do you have a recipe for it on your recipe blog? Off to take a peek...

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  13. How can anything get done when a sweet smelling blue eye baby boy is right there with a smiles and gurgles of happiness? Yes a great camera is needed for documenting each baby!
    If you step up to a DSLR you get one set of advantages, with a point and shoot another set. Decisions decisions!

    Fie on who ever or what ever snagged the figs. I love a freshly picked sun warmed summer fig!

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  14. So sweet! Always surprising how quickly they go from being newborn like my new little one to being so interactive.

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  15. What a sweet wee guy and what lovely blue eyes! We are making salsa here as well, you can never make too much! Stewed tomatoes, dill pickles and bread and butter pickles have all had a trip through the canner as well. Love this time of year when the gardens start to spill their bounty. Sorry to hear about your camera and interested to hear what you decided on purchasing?

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  16. What a sweet wee guy and what lovely blue eyes! We are making salsa here as well, you can never make too much! Stewed tomatoes, dill pickles and bread and butter pickles have all had a trip through the canner as well. Love this time of year when the gardens start to spill their bounty. Sorry to hear about your camera and interested to hear what you decided on purchasing?

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  17. You can't help but smile right back at that little guy...what a cutie-patootie!
    I'm impressed with all your delicious looking produce, Lorrie. We had similar results with our tomatoes this year & my sister says it has been a bumper crop of blueberries, too. Our eggplants just sit there, with nothing on them. ??? Same with the cucumbers. I'm wondering if we didn't have enough bees to pollinate them this year?

    I'm off to check out that green bean link...thanks for that!

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  18. What a sweet boy. Our little baby is now two and the other started kindergarten. Time flies. Our garden is a mess. I will be glad to see it gone. Right mow I am picking tomatoes and peppers, hoping to get enough for salsa. Rabbits are the beans.

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  19. Isn't it wonderful to look into the eyes of a grandchild and see your child all over again? I am enjoying watching my granddaughter grow so much, and also spending more time with my grandsons.

    I know the sadness of losing a beloved camera. I had a Nikon D60 for years and when it broke my husband surprised me with a Nikon 7200. The new camera has more "bells and whistles" but I think the older camera took better photos.

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  20. What a little cutie-pie! The produce looks delicious too.

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  21. Salsa is our Go-to condiment over here as well! The canning of the salsa for the next year has yet to happen over here. I'm buying Italian prunes on every trip to the market...we love them.

    What a sweet baby boy!

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  22. How lovely to see what is in your world these days. My son make catsup last week with our excess tomatoes, but isn't like any ordinary catsup. He smoked the tomatoes on the grill outdoors first. Delicious!
    Sweet baby boy, yes I see his mama in mine little guy. We do sit with them and remember.
    We still have plums and figs ripening on the trees and I would be ever so upset if they disappeared.

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  23. Yes, he's a darling blue-eyed boy. I have had the same feeling, looking into the eyes of my oldest grandson. There he was, my boy, 29 years before.
    Your salsa looks yummy!
    I didn't get to pick plums before I left on Sunday and I have a very bad feeling that the raccoons may have had a party while I've been away.

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  24. I'm always excited when someone gets a new camera...don't care what kind it is...but I am so sorry it's toast.

    Your Grand is lovely...those dark blue eyes are stunning.

    Jen

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  25. Such a sweet little boy! Having grandchildren does bring back all the memories of our children growing up, and it is so lovely to have a little one around to look after and cuddle! Hope you find the right camera and enjoy using it soon.
    Happy weekend.
    Helen xox

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  26. Joining you for the "salsa dance". (I'm not sure that's how the dance is spelled, but I felt like being a creative commenter this morning.)

    It's the go-to here, and I like it on my eggs as well. Added bonus? Not the sugar that is in ketchup.

    Your little one is just beautiful with such a wonderful smile! I can't believe you were able to save that musical ball in that condition for two generations. That's really awesome.

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  27. He's a sweetheart, Lorrie. Goodness how the years pass quickly! Mr. F's sweet face reminds me of my oldest (also fair with those blue eyes...that stretches me back 22 years ago. Gulp.)

    Yes! We are also a family of salsa eaters (no ketchup in our fridge ;o) - but my guys will polish off a quart jar at a time. Makes it impossible for me to can enough to get us through a year. (I have canned 31 quarts so far in the past couple of weeks with more slated to happen).

    Hmm.. could it be a squirrel getting into your tomatoes... I caught them at it in my own garden a time or two before.

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  28. LOVE HIM!!! :) What a little sweetie..:)

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