Foggy? Sunny?

The weather has surely been strange this summer. But today's weather has been particularly dramatic. Before the sun comes up, it will be clear, but then the sun starts causing the dew to evaporate on the eastern hills and as the sun rises at about 7:30 it does so with a nimbus of mist curling over the ridge. Then the sun-warmed ocean pushes fog inland so when I walk to work around 8:00 am there is no sun or hills to be seen. But then it starts warming up inland and the higher pressure starts to push the fog back out to sea. We live where these two forces meet and quite often it will be foggy to the south and clear and sunny to the north and fairly stable. However today the fog would push halfway up the valley and then back out to sea in a regular hour long cycle, when you looked out a window you never knew what you would see.

New Couch?

We've been putting up with our love-seat/couch ever since we first got it for free from my Boss's son's ex-wife back in 2004. We never liked the original fabric and it never sat quite right on its caster/foot combination. But when it finally started sprouting holes faster than our garden was sprouting mildew and rust it was time for a change. We picked out the second fabric at the first upholsterer's shop we visited and lickety split, new couch. It fit so well in our space that I didn't even realize the couch was back the first time I walked in the door. Gave some people a good chuckle there! We were surprised how much we liked the clean lines and proportions of our old couch once the chicken wire and roses disappeared. Plus the upholsterer got the frame patched up. It turns out that there were only two staples left holding the frame together in some places. It really is like a new couch but even better because we kept it from the landfill and even saved money and time.

Cashew Curry Dip

I've been looking for interesting dip options an this recipe caught my eye. There's no dairy and just a dab of lemon juice. Basically just cashews, curry, seasoning and fresh herbs from the garden. It took a long time to blend in the food processor but the end result is delicious and creamy.

Happy Birthday to...

...an orange box! Good times. :)

Fair Go BOOM

The nightly home entertainment courtesy of the County Fair. We could watch the fireworks from inside the Little House.

Lemon Cucumber Salad

Today I tried the first lemon cucumber from our garden. It doesn't taste like a lemon, the yellow color and round shape give it its name. I was curious to try this instead of a regular cucumber because we don't eat much cucumber and this way there wouldn't be too much at a time.

It sure looks cheerful!

I had some concerns about the fruit because when first picked it still had a bunch of spikes left over from the flower. Once those rubbed off I sliced in. The skin seemed a little thick so I sliced it thin.

A little seasoned rice vinegar, a drip of lemon juice and some home-grown chili pepper flake. Yum!

Garden Omlette

This yummy omlette was filled with zuchini from a friend's garden and flavored with chives and micro onions from our yard. The eggs and cream cheese were store bought. Maybe someday we'll have chickens and a cow? (probably not...)