Another hot day....

wheeeeee the temperature's been soaring.. yesterday was HOT and muggy... today is just plain HOT, already at 9 am it's 80... so i know by the end of the day, this trailer's gonna feel like an oven... ah well... wait a couple of months and i'll be crabbing about the cold ...

so in my internet journey i came across this very cool idea.. of which i hope it comes to fruition... solar curtains.. what a concept!!! about time i'd say.. so in my fantasy world.. the solar curtain could supply enough energy to even heat my house at a low level.. which would cut down on my use of home heating oil... ummm gee, i suspect that the big oil companies are going to balk at such a thought... cynical i know... but for years now the technology has been here, and it's a very slow process it seems, with pitfalls and hurls that are unending... HMM i say...

mmm pickled onions... how 'basic' is that.... mind you, after 4 days of brining, i'm now to the vinegar, sugar and whole allspice stage, another 3 days of straining once a day, boiling the liquid and pouring onto the onions ... then i can cheerfully can them.. and i HOPE that the weather has cooled a bit... nothing like canning when it's already 90 plus in the kitchen.....

mmm brined cucumbers... are almost ready!!! did a test yesterday.. one bite and i can tell if they are brined enough.. nope not yet.. they are so close to being ready... including the lovely scum at the top of the jars.. mmm not so tasty looking, but i know it's all a part of the brining/fermenting stage... a bit like kim chi maybe... anyways maybe today... when they get to the yummy eating stage, thats when they get popped into the fridge.. tada.. 1 1/2 gallons of brined 'deli' style dill pickles...

so i'm experimenting in the yogurt department... if you've ever had Trader Joe's Cream top, plain yogurt, you'll know what i'm aiming for... the closest thing it that i've found in Canada is Astro brand.. BUT it's filled with geletin and other assorted goodies... i just want yogurt culture and milk... nothing else... not only do i eat it, the dogs get a dollop of it on their morning breakfast... mmm yum they think!!
i've made yogurt for many years, but homestyle yogurt tends to be a bit twangy to the tastebuds, but i think i can master a more subtle flavour... where there is a cook, there is a way.... at least in my mind!!

just a little wacky... but interesting site... 'green' cartoons' from europe... its a site called Climate Cartoons ... enjoy ... or not...

A Thursday twist...

wow... how much more twisted is this... Julia Child, our wonder woman of the cooking world.. was a spy ... during WWII was an agent of Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The OSS was the United States intelligence agency during World War II ,and precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency. mm swell have a little spy in your martini? gotta watch out for those Olives ya know!
i did know a lady who was a spy for the Resistance.. she was an amazing lady when i met her, her flaming red hair, gaudy jewellry and brassy but fun clothes... she was infectious with her laughter and wit...
apparently she was wisked out of Denmark, to England, because her cover was going to be unearthed... she was a 'lady of the evening' for German officers... i can't imagine some of the stories that she 'didn't' tell!!!

speaking of 'political' things... gotta love this one!!! Hotflops with Obama and McCain.. please check it out... i wasn't able to copy and paste a photo and unable to find another one elsewhere on the net.... but anyways... feature your wee head or umm heads on the strap of a flip-flop... errr thong ( as in flip-flop not underwear) in my generation!!! all in a name i guess... better to be on one's foot, than up one's ass... umm well ... cast your vote here ....

Wacky World...

uhuh... that it is... just read in the news about the Olympic ceremony and it's fakery... how sad that a little girl was cheated from her night ... and btw if you didn't see hear her... she had a voice that would melt butter... she was absolutely terrific.... the other girl was as cute as a button and did a good job of lip syncing... sad sad to think adults are that foolish...and that the struggle for 'perfection' is so great...
the whole Olympic 'race' seems more political than sports minded.. i guess competition is competition whether it be in the sport arena or the political arena... we try and teach our children fairness in competition but what they see is a different thing altogether... and we wonder why our world is the way it is... rant rant rant!!!

on to a new note... the Millet Oat Bread (minus the Oat flour, cause i didn't have any) was cheerfully eaten by daughter as well... now if i can just convince the wee one that its yummy bread... atm she's away in Calgary.. its terribly quiet here, peaceful even... but miss her wise beyond her years comments...

Tardy Tuesday....

hmmmhmmm i've been tardy... i did say i'd post.. and here i go...abet a few days have passed since the last time....
BUT since then i've made bread and better pickles, mustard bean pickles, brined cucumbers (deli style) and am in the process of making pickled silverskin onions... this morning i opened up the jars of brined cucumbers... OMG!!! they are beginning to smell just like the dill pickles i love.. u know the ones.. they are at the deli and come with your fav veggie or pastrami sandwich!!! can't wait to give them a try in another few days... the trick supposedly is to only let them brine for a few days, and when they are to your liking, off to the fridge they go....
i only wish i was closer so i could share the spoils with you.... yum yum!!!

i've been trying hard to not eat wheat, and fell off last night... funny thing is that i bloated like crazy, felt very ill and spent a night of gas and finally upchucking... sooo back to the no wheat, i'm not sure if it's the culprit but am thinking that its a good possiblity.... whatever .. i feel better without it and not so bloated....
made a loaf of semi gluten free and it didn't agree with me either... so this morning... another recipe.. fully gluten free...
i've been on the prowl for gluten free recipes and came across some pretty good blogs...
Gluten Free Mommy is a good one... she has some great links as well..

MMMMGOOD was the Gluten Free Mommy's Millet Oat Bread recipe.. i didn't have all the ingredients so made some substitutions... like Coconut Flour for the Sweet Rice Flour... and used my basic 'flour' mix for the base flour amount... pretty much if it adds up to the same amount it should work!! starch for starch tho... not sure of the chemistry but i'm sure that is one thing that does make a difference...

yesterday was kind of fun... went to Habitant for Humanity store... found some 'fake' bricks and other assorted 'fake' stone 'thingies'... all for $15.00... which is pretty much a steal for that stuff... still not sure what i'll do with it but who knows... my poor lilacs need a new space, their pots are crumbling as i type... sighhh... but for 4 years in the same pot.. not doing so bad.... anyways will have to make myself do some labour i guess..
the day before i found some board ends (cedar) from Gogo's mill... so promptly brought those home too... one never knows when these things will be used...

fertilized all my garden stuff today, its grey and lightly cloudy.. if that makes any sense!! so used the 'stinky' fish fertilizer.. wasn't too bad actually... it's a new to me brand... mmm good sniffing for black dogs...

Tomatoes....

are a growing.. prolly the best thing left in my garden... fertilized them this morning... we shall see if that produces a better, bigger crop... unfortunately.... i see no more blossoms.... but with some water, sun and fertilizer.. should have a burst in a couple of weeks....

t and g came back last night... from their adventures in the woods.. they decided that Prince George was out... but that they'd go inland, up in the mountains, on t's quad... i wish i wish... i'd love to do that, would be a riot... and it only cost 20$ for gas, to go 120 km... thats about 70 plus miles... they even saw a bear, deer, squirrels, elk... not sure what else... the elusive cougar was not to be seen... and prolly good, since we on vancouver island have the most aggressive cougars in the world, and the most docile black bears... go figure....

Monday Morning...... holiday

today is a holiday... if your canadian... actually it's just another day... pulling weeds and watered a bunch of things...
not very exciting i'm afraid... but interspersed with phone calls from a distraught mom who's bratty teen and friend didn't come home last night... sooooooo i checked the trailer... hmmmm ditto at this house.... thank god i'm not a parent anymore... but unfortunately the trailer maybe removed soon... at my doing.... sometimes being a grandma ain't what it's cracked up to be... speaking of cracked....
had an egg today... first one in a month.. ackkkkkk... a white egg no less.. and store bought.. i sure miss those chickens....had a doe and fawn in the garden yesterday....now that dora and sampson are back, that will be far and few between... they are maturing, the romps out in the field are less, and shorter.. more snoozing ... mind u, up all night watching for criminals can wear out a doggy.... dora is a good little watch dog... she excels at her job....sampson just thinks life is grand, whatever dora does, he does... woofy woofy....

The Mad Dash......

going north.... 'wagon ho'... err.. well you know... throw the stuff in the car, grab the puppies.. and off back to Canada... was a generally uneventful trip... except for Portland there wasn't even a lot of traffic.... landed in Canada with no trouble... the Border guard was very pleasant and merely mentioned that i had my dogs to cover the fact that i was smuggling in drugs and alcohol... my reply was 'oh sure', he chuckled and said.. welcome back... whew.... no strip search this time... and NO, i had no drugs, no alcohol, no nothing... not even too much gift value... i've decided i'm simply too boring for words... but saves on fixing my vehicle after they've shredded it....guess i have a healthy respect for 'da law'...

sirens howling, 4 firetrucks just flew past on a mission... 'welcome back'.... it's fire season and even tho we've had rain, its bone dry and ready for sparking.... it's a long weekend here so lots of campers and 'riverities' (those who go to the river to party hearty)
speaking of burning... daughter #2 is fried... she had to go to vancouver today... 4 hrs on the ferry(2 hrs each way)... laid out side... utoh.... fire engine red...

as yet i have no pics... my garden.... well... i have plenty of tomatoes coming.... my lettuce and other cold season crops have all bolted, 6 feet high and swollen with seed pods, the peas are finished... sighhh.... but am thinking i might just pull them out and plant some new ones... sometimes we get lucky and its a long enough season for a new crop...
and i found 5 big pepper plants today $1.50 each.... even if i only get 1 pepper per plant... i'm ahead of the game... since peppers are astronomical in price.. AND one of the worst victims of the pesticide game... mmm nothing like a little pesticide to make yer hair fall out...makes me wanna never eat an unorganic pepper...

anyways.. thats my 'job' tomorrow... planting them up in pots and putting them somewhere warm.... since our 'summer' isn't quite the temperature that peppers like... mmmm now where did i put that parka???