Earthy Crunchy

summer days :: 11

Taking in a sunset.

 

 

 

 

summer nights :: 8

Jonathan is finally coming home after being away for the last five nights.  While he was away, I decided to take in some fun.  Sorry honey, you have to go with us next time.  The drive-in was a blast!

30 days of summer

Well, it's summer.  Today is going to hit 100 degrees.  I'm feeling a bit withered, literally and figuratively.  Whenever I feel a little down, it helps to mix things up in order to find perspective again. 

For the next thirty days or so (I can make up my own rules as I go along)  I am going to post pictures only.  No words, just pictures.  Pictures of the ordinary in my day.  I hope in the end my pictures will tell the story of my summer. 

Happy Summer!

pea pasta

When I plan my meals each week, I always try to go through my big binder of recipes to throw in something different.  You know, that one recipe that I've almost forgot I've had.  Now, if you don't like peas, you can stop reading now (mom!).  But if you like peas, this is a simple recipe that takes little time, is so different, yummy and requires only a few common ingredients.  My friend made this for us when I went to her house for dinner years ago.   

• 1 lb. pasta
• 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 TB sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 C fresh or frozen peas + extra 1/2 cup for garnish
• 1/2 cup broth
• Parmesan to top

Heat olive oil in skillet.  Sautee chopped onion until soft.  Add sugar, salt and pepper.  Add broth.  Bring to a boil.  Add 2 cups peas.  Cool and puree in blender.  Add remaining olive oil and puree.

Cook pasta.  You can boil the 1/2 cup of garnish peas in this water.  Transfer cooked pasta to skillet.  Add puree and gently toss.  Top with Parmesan.

 

 

 

I've never tried, but I think this recipe might be good with a different vegetable.  Maybe spinach?  It might even be good with some walnuts tossed in.  Kind of like a pea pesto.  This is the perfect summer pasta.

over the mountain

On Monday, I packed the car with one puppy, 3 kids and a picnic lunch and headed over the mountain. 

 

When we got to the summit, we piled out of the car to find a spot for a picnic. The snow was still in patches that made it hard to navigate the trail but we found a nice, flat rock in the shade.  It felt good to be on the mountain when it was so hot on the valley floor.

 

Aside from the GIANT black forest ants and mosquitoes, we enjoyed our picnic.  I was able to put my motherly duties aside (watch out!  don't fall in the water!!  please be nice to your brother/sister!) and enjoyed the forest. 

Zephyr and the kids really enjoyed the snow!

We were early to Solomon's doctor appointment (Dr. Johnson has wonderful articles on her website)  so we went for a little drive toward Auburn from Colfax along a twisting, overgrown country road.  We found huge patches of blackberry bushes along the road.  I've been trying to find a place just like this!  We'll be back this summer!

 

Do you have a favorite blackberry patch?

weekend stuff

How did the weekend fly by so quickly?  

I knew THIS weekend would be THAT weekend that I could finally get caught up on all those small projects that are waiting in piles for me. Then, here we are.....it's Sunday and not much to show for it.  I'm just so tired and want to take a nap on some fluffy cloud somewhere!  It must be that little Zephyr that's been waking me up at 5:30 every morning?!  Or maybe, just maybe it's my hen that thinks she's a rooster and does her little half cock-a-doodle-doo at 5:24 am.  It sounds just like a crow but it's missing the "doodle doo"part.  I can hear her out there warming up her voice and I know it's coming.  The only thing that will keep her quiet is the compost scraps I stumble to bring her still in my pajamas.  My little animals have me trained, I tell you!

But this weekend we did have a little adventure at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola.  Jonathan put the swamp cooler in and I finished my first week of training for a 5K this summer.  I guess there's one good thing about waking up early.  I get going on my morning run!

 

 

 

 

I hope you had a nice weekend!?

skinned knees and rubber boas

We've spent the last two days up in the mountains on day trips. It feels so intensely grounding to be in the trees.  As soon as I get out of the car and start walking, I can easily feel relaxed from the smells and sounds of nature.  Some days when I need to de-stress, I get up to the mountains.  Some days are alright just the way they are and I feel considerably upbeat after our hikes.

The kids feel so free in nature.  I love to watch them climb rocks and run up ahead to see what's around the corner.  I think we humans are happiest when we can be in a calming environment like this. 

 

And sometimes I think that it's time to go home when Eli had skinned his knees for the tenth time and wouldn't stop crying.  Then we went to the water and washed the dirt off our knees.  The frigid water on our bare feet felt amazingly comforting and I could sit and breath again watching the kids play in the water.   They caught a docile rubber boa and they took turns letting it wrap itself around their arms.  It doesn't get any better than this.  I sometimes wish we could live right here.

 

 

 

 

ice cream!

The ice cream truck; a simple warm weather pleasure.   The ice cream truck has been coming around a lot lately.  The kids hear the tinkly music coming and rush out with fists of money.   This time I sent Eli out with his own dollar bill and let him fend for himself.  I guess he had lots of help.  He didn't come home empty handed!

We're headed home from vacation today!   I hope to have lots of pictures to share with you!

longing for the spring

 


But, a warm winter day will suffice.  This was us a few days ago.  We worked outside picking up random things from the backyard like toys and dead plants and flowers.  Solomon found some carrots in his garden that had been sitting patiently in the ground for him to find that day.  He washed them all up and made us all try one.  Eli was busy raking the snow..very important work for a 3 10/12th year old.  He was very proud of himself.  "Mama, I'm breaking this ice, LOOK!!"  Amelia was out there with us too, accessing her garden and dreaming of the summer.  We ate our last jar of tomato sauce from the summer harvest.  It was a nice day outside.  I'm still thinking about what I am going to do with this blog..it doesn't seem to be crashing on me right now. 

garden update.

Our corn is ready!  I can't believe that it was so good this year. 

We are getting a lot of tomatoes finally.  Three more jars of tomato sauce.

We're getting okra and lots of other stuff still; radishes, carrots, cucumbers, onions, parsley, beets, basil and squash.  I'm starting to think about next year and what I want to plant.

Next week, we'll be making a gumbo and some apple sauce.

We went to the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.  We've had these bugs every year.  We called them stink bugs or pumpkin bugs.  They're called Squash Bugs and they drain our pumpkins of life.  They are really fun to play with!

Unfortunately, our chickens won't have anything to do with them because they do omit a stink.  My pumpkins are done for the year so I will be taking out the plants and throwing them in the trash.

Jonathan has been working hard on the chicken coop.  No pictures yet but we have been throwing some color ideas out.  Jonathan thinks that a red chicken house would be nice.

On the home front, I made a women's cloth (from Handmade Home) with remnant fabric I bought at the fabric store.  They were all having great sales this weekend.

I hope you all had a great weekend!