New Skills

I trust everyone is having a lovely summer.  Some newly learned skills have recently been put to work.  I've had first lessons in pipe cutting and welding.  The welding is rather intimidating, and will take a rather large learning curve to master, I believe.  I've worked in the fab shop with the guys, and cut a few pieces of pipe for them.  That same day, I got my first pottery lesson, which was on waxing.  Basically, you paint a wax mixture where you don't want the glaze to go.  Meredith tells me the next lesson will be on glazing.  Learning new things is good.  I've always said I hope to be learning until I leave this earth.  I think that's what we're here for, you know? 

This past Sunday, I joined in on having an Unplugged Sunday.  I spent time reading, doing a bit of stitchery, hanging out with J and delivering some herbs to my nieces and nephew.   I've shown them how they can eat a stevia leaf with another herb, and every time they visit here, they enjoy that.  One variation is a "girl scout cookie", mixing chocoate mint with stevia.  Another is a "lemon drop", mixing lemon balm and stevia.  So, they now have one of each of these, and  can enjoy them at their house too.   Everything is so dry here,  we're hoping the forecasted rain comes to pass. I may have to head out there and do a rain dance.  This is post number 300, which is hard to believe.  Have a great week!

Plentiful Pears

The pears have been plentiful this year. The squirrels were helping themselves, so I harvested all I could reach yesterday. It's a little hard to tell with pears. You have to pick them before they're ripe & let them ripen off the tree. If you leave them on the tree until ripe, they end up gritty. Joseph & I headed to Eden yesterday, to visit & share a meal with my Dad & his wife Lois, my siblings & their spouses, 2 nieces & a nephew. My Dad & Lois live in a wonderful, old house with lots of character. They're at the end of a road, so it's always peaceful sitting on their front porch. Today I harvested herbs for drying- stevia, basil & chocolate mint. So far, the only way I've used the mint is mixing a handful of the fresh mint in with coffee grounds when making iced coffee. It's wonderful, but I'd like to experiment with the dried herb. Ideas welcomed!