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Tuscan Farm News
Three Moves and a Baby
May 09, 2008.“Slow down you move to fast” I tell myself when I see the weeds growing, plants waiting for a home, boxes to unpack. Yeah, it’s been three moves in the last two years and it seems a bit backwards too. I mean at this age we should be thinking condo. Scratch that, been there done that. Number 9 grand baby just had his 1st birthday and he loves to come to grammas house. So much sand….
So here’s my recipe for survival: Create a spa like atmosphere in your own home. This doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Just Edit, Clean and Enjoy.
Spring is a great time to get rid of all that “stuff” you never use. Create some open space in the bedroom and the bathroom. Wash the windows, walls and curtains. Polish the furniture and fixtures. Open the windows and let in some fresh air. (If you have a fan, use it. It helps to freshen up the room and muffle outside noises.) Buy fresh flowers. If you can afford it, new sheets and some fluffy towels too. Pick up a favorite magazine, a jar of Lavender Bath Milk or Muscle Soak, a bar of lavender olive oil soap and some moisturizing body lotion. A new pair of pj’s would top it off. Now you have something to look forward to during the day. Happy Mother’s Day!
Where the heck is Milner?
March 06, 2008.We only moved down the road a few miles but because we choose to pick up our mail at the village post office rather than a roadside mailbox our address changed to Milner. So where the heck is Milner? Well it’s a historic precinct in the township of Langley. The village consists of an historic church, two antique shops, a vintage gas station, a new gas station and a new post office that until a few years ago was so quaint the post mistress worked by candlelight. The Langley Flight Museum is just down the road so it’s not uncommon to hear vintage planes fly overhead and the distant whistle of a train takes us back in time. Many of our neighbors grow hay, some have horses and others have fields of blueberries that make way for stunning views of the Golden Ears Mountains in the distance. The land was once owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company. The soil is hard clay. I can see why they sold out early in the last century. We feel like we are in the country but in fact be are only a hop, skip and jump from serious retail therapy of all kinds. Highway #1 is just a few minutes to the north and the US border to Washington State is about 10 minutes away. So we have a bit of both worlds. Farming and gardening will be a challenge but Arleigh seems to thrive on that so we’ll see what he comes up with this time.
Pictures are coming soon…
Spring Cleaning Tip
If I were younger, I would love to start a company selling eco-friendly cleaning products, but I’m not getting younger so I’m going to share my favorite cleaning secret. Baking Soda! I mix a few drops of lavender essential oil in a few cups of baking soda and use it as a mild abrasive for sinks, tubs and even coffee cups. I’ve also used it to remove the grime from the shower floor and glass doors. Rinse and dry. Baking soda causes dirt and grease to dissolve so I also toss a handful in the tub when Arleigh comes in after working in the garden or on his precious excavator. It cleans him, the tub and it’s good for the drains to boot! How nice is that?
Moving On and Moving Up...
January 23, 2008.
It’s been 3 months now and the “thrill” of motor home living is getting a bit old. Hey, we’re almost ready to move on…into the suite above the garage that is and I call that Moving Up. Yes! It could have happened sooner but you know with Christmas and all that. Everyone needs a break. And we did too. A cruise to the Caribbean, an adventurous journey through the rainforest, the many blues of the sea, the yellow cottages with shutters of pink, blue and green left me totally inspired to make another product. But more of that another time…
Erin finished the siding while we were away. She’s hoping to head up her dad’s company so she’s learning from the ground up. An amazing young lady, she did the job almost singlehanded, was on site through rain, hail, sleet and snow. EagleSide… a very good company to work with.
Dave, our son-in-law, brought in some of his buddies from the movie industry to paint the inside of the house. This is when I start to freak! When I see a fresh wall of paint I have to ask myself, did I really pick that color?? Paint is relevant to what it’s next to and whatever else is in the room so you never really get the true picture in the beginning. It’s like cooking. The individual ingredients aren’t nearly as exciting as the sum of all the parts if you know what I mean. So I’ve learned to cool my jets and trust my initial planning. I got my inspiration from what I see outside the windows. Colors with names like late wheat, barley, maple syrup, dijon (and amazing summer shower) they even look good enough to eat! (Benjamin Moore).
We have a great tile setter. No I’m not going to tell you who he is until he’s finished our job! We went away for the weekend to celebrate our 44 anniversary and came back to find the wrong tile in the bathroom and although it was literally in concrete he was game to chisel it out but the blood in his face did seem to disappear. It turned out to be a communication gap between… surprise… Arleigh and I.
Well, by working around it, guess what?? The bathroom is turning out to be a fabulous mistake!
How High's the Water Momma?... Three feet high and rising!
December 19, 2007.
For a moment we had a winter wonderland here but by the time I got my camera out, the Pineapple Express had arrived with the rain in tow and in no time flat it was a great soggy mess out there.
The pond is dangerously high but hey, we don’t have any algae, the ducks are having a party and now I’m glad for all those inspectors who came to hassle us last summer. Our new house is high and safe.
Recently we were having dinner with several friends who shared with us all kinds of horror stories about building a home…trades just not available or saying they will and then they won’t or when they will it’s shoddy and all that stuff. Not us we said, no problems…we have the best, we bragged. Then John arrived. He’s installing our insulation. He does fabulous work, but a temperamental prima Donna. Yikes! Keeps us on our toes!
We put our city house on the market recently thinking it would take about 4 months to sell as there were several others for sale in the neighborhood that had been listed for several months. Ours sold in 4 days! AND they wanted an early closing. Baby on the way…well okay. So now we are living on site in a motor home. It’s amazing how little one really needs to get by in life! I can do wonders in a crock pot and electric fry pan. I really must share this favorite recipe with you. This should warm you up on these cold windy days.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Wash Butternut Squash.
- Cut in half, scoop out the seeds and place in a shallow roasting pan.
- Toss in some chopped carrots, onions, and ginger.
- Sprinkle with olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar.
- Roast for an hour or so.
- Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle scoop out the pulp from the squash. Place all ingredients in a large stock pot.
- Add about 8 or 10 cups homemade stock or 6 McCormick vegetable cubes and 8 or 10 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours.
- Adjust with sea salt and pepper to taste. Puree with a hand blender.
To serve, top with a dollop of sour cream mixed with a little bit of pure maple syrup and sprinkling of roasted walnuts.
Stay warm… and dry!
