Another post without pictures ... to the disappoinment of my sister and possibly others ;-)

My neighborhood is filled with apple trees that are heavy with ripening fruit. When I take morning walks, I pass yards that are littered with bruised fruit, fruit that the squirrels and birds have feasted on, perfect fruit that is lying there for the taking.

All this fruit lying on the ground was driving me crazy - so I started knocking on doors. "Do you have plans for your apples? If not, would you mind if I picked them and used them?"

I've gleaned the most wonderful harvest and am making the most of it! So far, I've made apple butter and applesauce, and am hoping to get some pears, too, from a tree I found. If only I had more time - I'd make even more delicious things - apple bbq sauce, apple pie filling, apple jelly, apple chutney. Oh, the flavors I could conjure!

The apple butter was rich and dark with spices, delicious and so wonderful on hot, buttered toast! And the applesauce! I didn't peel all the apples, and so my applesauce has a tint of red from the skins. It's just the prettiest color, and the flavor- a mix of sweet and sour apples from two different trees - is divine. I'm in heaven!

All these treasures that summer and fall bring - peaches, plums, apples, pears, pumpkins, carrots. It is a wonder to me - such a bounty of color, of flavor and textures.

I am so thankful for the seeds that we put in the ground, and with a little water and sunlight, they return to us as gifts for the taking.

Wonderful.

Today's my birthday ... and today I'm giving away the last of my father's books from his office. A teary phone call to start out this day. The local Bible college is going to take the books, which is a blessing - to know they will be used by students striving to know God better. But it is sad, too. And Janice, Dad's wife, is moving to Tulsa tomorrow to be closer to her aging parents, so tonight will be my last birthday dinner with her in who knows how long. Two sad things.

A bittersweet day.

Isn't that the way life goes? Ups and downs, not knowing what's around the bend, bright sunshine and pouring rain.

But I feel like the older I get the more I am able to choose how I'm going to proceed - I am less blown by the winds of my emotions. Sure, I still have tantrums, get angry when I shouldn't, can't seem to see any joy in a day, but those moments and days are less frequent, and for that I am thankful.

I'm thankful for so many things in my life - and my birthday always makes me think of those things. I have such a blessed life - not meaning it's been easy - but whose life is? I sometimes make a mental list of the hard things, so in balance I can see that the negative list is always shorter.

But this morning, I'll just list some of the good things. After all, what kind of a birthday post would list yucky stuff? ;-)

• a kitty who adores me is sleeping in my window, enjoying the cool morning breezes (he and I both love it when fall arrives)
• I have lost some weight and this skirt looks pretty darn cute! :)
• my hubby is taking me out for brunch - yum!
• I have a garden full of pumpkins ripening on the vine (oh! I've never posted garden pics this summer! I might still get on that...)
• I already got in some doggie love this morning from my next door neightbor's adorable red heeler
•  I have an incredible family that loves me very much - an amazing gift!

I could go on and on. My list could be very long, but I'll stop there - I've got some birthday celebrating to do!!

I hope you all have as wonderful a year as I will. I hope daily blessings are the norm. I hope love and hope fill your hearts. And may each birthday be a celebration of you. :)

Delish!

I've had a rather busy summer.

It all started with a P.E.O. convention in June, followed just a few days later with a family reunion in Virginia. (What's P.E.O.? Check it out at peointernational.org) The convention was very interesting - the family reunion was tons of fun.

About 2 weeks later one of my very best friends came to visit for 2 whole weeks! We've never had such a long visit with one another, and it was amazing! We had a wonderful time! Hi, Julie! :-)

I had another 2 weeks without out-of-town guests in which to catch my breath, get some laundry done, and rest up a little - and then my sister Lisa and her family arrived on their bi-annual trip from Amman, Jordan. Just one of our fun activities? A week in the mountains with the whole family. Yes, the whole family - stepbrother and sister + her husband and 2 kids (including my newest niece Aubree who is only 2 months old!), Dad's wife Janice, both my sisters and their husbands and kids, and my hubby. Not everyone stayed for the whole week, but it was the first time we've all been together since Dad died 2 years ago. So much fun I can't even tell you! :-D


Needless to say, I've been knocked completely out of my usual routines and am having a hard time keeping up with "real" life - laundry, my garden, dishes, cooking for my hubby, and generally participating in my usual activities.

And just in case I didn't have enough going on, I decided to throw a congratulatory party for the 3 newly graduated seniors in high school who attend our church (plus one who graduated last May). With all of our summer plans, including 2 trips to France, there was only 1 possible day for the party - the day after I returned from the mountains. Tim and I did whirlwind housecleaning (my favorite thing - NOT!), cooked a little food and bought ingredients for make-your-own pizzas. We had a great time, and it was wonderful to be able to throw a little party for these guys. Hope they all know how proud I am of them.

One of our new graduates is a vegetarian, and she is allergic to all nuts except for almonds, so whenever I'm cooking for her I enjoy finding new recipes that fit her dietary needs. Some are hits; some not so much. I made these faux meatballs that were recommended by a co-worker at the library, and thought these little guys were downright tasty! I got the recipe off allrecipes.com, but modified it just a little bit. Try them yourself and see if you miss the meat. Tim did, but ... he's Tim! ;-)

Sweet and Sour Faux Meat Balls

In a medium bowl, combine
1/4 c oil
1/4 c cider vinegar
1 c apricot jam
3/4 c ketchup
1/4 cocktail sauce (or skip the cocktail sauce and use all ketchup)
1/4 c minced onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
2 dashes Tabasco sauce

Whisk together until well-combined. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, combine
5 eggs, beaten
1 c shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 c cottage cheese
1/2 c finely diced onion
1 c chopped almonds (recipe called for pecans)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 1/2 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs, added 1/2 c at a time - might need more or less

Mix well and form into 1" balls. Place them in a 9x13" baking dish and pour the sweet and sour sauce over them. Bake for 35-40 minutes. If needed, turn the meatballs halfway through cooking time. 

Yum! Thanks Janet Potts on allrecipes.com!

Summer rain

I love the sound of rain. It soothes my soul in a deep down way. It calms my nerves. It brings me joy.

Rain reminds me of wet childhood afternoons spent in blanket tents reading or playing in the puddle-covered grass. In Indonesia we had months of rain – monsoons that swept across the city with violence, thunder and lightening, wind that blew down huge trees and downpours that flooded gutters and yards. But when the rain was gentle and loving, we could play in it for hours. Certainly, the air cooled, but it was still warm enough to play, to run and climb, to invent games of living in the Okefenokee Swamp (thank you, Burl Ives!).

Here in Colorado’s summer, our rains are quite different. The clouds build over the mountains and the moisture they drop dramatically cools the air. I mean - really cools the air. In Colorado, kids don’t play in the rain much. It is just too cold. The water, the air, the grass. But in the summer months, when our days are plenty hot and few of us have air conditioning, I love our afternoon rains. 

They're usually accompanied by huge clouds, at least some thunder and lightening, but the rain itself is usually quiet, gentle and short-lived. And then the sun breaks through and everything just sparkles. Crisp, cool air blows in the windows, and the birds resume their song. It's quite  beautiful.

Rain makes me want to stop everything – turn off the tv, the phone, stop everything … and sit on the porch.

What do I love about rain? Why, just about everything!

… shining, leathery leaves on trees

… gray clouds that build, then burst

… the sounds of dripping eaves

… the calm that settles over my soul and says to me, “Rest.”

Summer

It's hot outside. The sun is blaring down as you walk to the swimming pool. The clear blue water laps quietly against the beautiful tile on the pools' edge, designed so there's no lip - just the shining squares of color, then the water itself. It's like a mirage. You dive in and the water is perfect - neither too hot nor too cold. It slides over your body like a cool sheet on a hot night, and you're immediately relived. The colorful umbrellas and tables sit like small oases around the pool, towels draped here and there, floppy hats and books scattered, too. You emerge from the water and the breeze cools your wet skin.

Ah, summer in the water.

Not many of us in Colorado have pools - in fact, I don't know one person who does. My neighbor has a small kiddy pool in which she soaks her feet. :) Some folks join neighborhood or city pools, and that must be delightful. As for myself, I have a rather elaborate fan and drapes system that keeps my non-airconditioned house remarkably cool in these hot months. I'm thankful for that! No cake baking, though. No roasting of meat. The most use my stove gets is making jam when the fruit is just too irresistible. Lots of salads and meat grilled outside, farmers' market fresh fruit and veg.

It's funny - each season's flavors. In a few months, I'll be roasting squash and baking bread. And then winter will roll around with lots of soups and braised meat. But for today, it's going to be tuna salad with diced celery, bread and butter pickles, maybe some radishes, too - all on a bed of cool lettuce. Simple and delicious on a hot day.

Addendum

Earlier this afternoon, realizing the morose tone of my earlier post, I was going to write an addendum listing some of the wonderful things going on this summer. Tonight I don't feel like posting that. I'll write that tomorrow ... maybe.

The Waldo Canyon wildfire has reached neighborhoods where friends and family of mine live. I'm not in danger. No one I know is in danger. The city isn't in danger of going up in flames ... but my goodness, this is so hard to watch.

Can't state it strongly enough - the pit of my stomach worry and anxiety and sadness.

My dear friends who aren't in your homes - I'm praying for you. I love you.

Strange days

The last few days have felt rather strange, and my mind is bouncing around, oddly moved by images and sounds around me. Is it missing Dad? Is it the unusually hot weather? Is it the apocalyptic fire burning to the west, threatening neighborhoods in the city?

Not sure what it is; regardless, I find myself worn out but having trouble resting as images and feelings well up in me and then subside into the background. Here are a few of the things that are pulling at my heartstrings...

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For the last 4 days there has been smoke rising from the very nearby mountains - a wildfire that you might have heard about on the news. It is stunning, striking to see these billowing pillars of smoke rising, at night to see the flames erupt like incendiary bombs, to know that there are hundreds of men and women dressed in heavy, heat-protective gear, simmering in the blistering heat we've had for over a week. They toil in 16 hour shifts, coming off the front lines to eat and rest. I can imagine them quietly cheering on their comrades in smoke-roughened voices. Meanwhile, we sit in the comfort of our homes and watch the news, complaining about the heat, holding cold drinks, under the turning of fans. They fight for our neighborhoods closest to the mountains.

Tim and I just last weekend took a long drive through the area of what was known as the Hayman Fire - a wildfire that burned 138,114 acres from June 8 - July 18, 2002. The days of that fire seemed to go on and on. We got tired of hearing about it, we wearied of the news updates, but it sat in the back of our minds, knowing all those men and women were working so hard, knowing that the face of those familiar mountains would be altered for the remainder of our lives.

But there's good news from these fires, too, albeit small comfort. The hills that were so violently bereft of their beautiful pine forests in conflagration are just a few years later covered with small, but densely gathered aspen trees that in just a few more years will be amazing forests. And in time, the pines will return, and in a 100 years they will once crowd out the aspens. Meanwhile, the damage done is healing. The baby pines are springing up. The wildlife is returning. The wildflowers are creeping back onto the hillsides.

That will happen in Waldo Canyon, too. Meanwhile, we watch the flames and wait. It is surreal. At times it is downright creepy. And friends who live on the far western side of town are on pins and needles listening for reported shifts in the wind and evacuation orders. A strange time.

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I've been listening to a lot of Foo Fighters music (a rock 'n' roll band, for those of you over 40) ;-). I love the passion with which these guys play. I love the mix of love, anger, joy in their music. I love knowing a little bit of where they've come from and the journey they've been on. Take a listen to this song if you're interested. (This YouTube video is from a live performance - please forgive the bad language; skip the first 1:20 and you'll miss most of it...)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC9knDTlc-Y

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And every time I lie down to rest, memories of my dad are filling my head. I remember what his hands felt like. I remember the soft, thick hair on his arms. I remember his voice. I remember how loved by him I felt. I remember his laugh. I remember. And then tears fill my eyes, my breathing becomes ragged, and Egg complains at the interruption in his sleep.

It was 2 years last week since Dad died, so no wonder these memories are flooding in. No wonder my heart is seeking music that makes me feel, that expresses the joy, love, frustration, anger, sadness, emptiness that these memories bring. No wonder.

Strange days, indeed.