Here's new grilling recipe I tried last week. Everyone liked it!
Our apples are finally ripe. Too bad we didn't spray them this year- we were a little distracted by the wedding! So, the nice ones we'll put in the basement for cautious eating and baking. Rocko will eat those too, since my horse is way to nice for worm-filled apples! The wormy apples will go to the barn for the non-adored horses to eat.
I am not a fan of cold weather. I'm not a fan of even COOL weather. If the temperature drops below 75 degrees, I'm wearing a jacket. So, I was a bit sad when Bruce and I took a drive up to Snowbasin after dinner on Sunday. The beginnings of Fall color are starting to show on the mountain. The aspens haven't turned yet, but some of those maples and oaks are thinking it's too cold to stay green. I guess it's time to come to grips that unfortunately, Fall is coming.
It was nice enough, but when you take hundreds of pictures every day, you want your own kid's picture to look as nice as possible! When I go to schools, the kids sit down on a spinning stool to have their picture taken. There is a big light attached to the back of the stool that they always kick if they spin. I am ALWAYS telling kids to, "Please stop spinning, you are going to kick my light", in various ways. Depending on how tired I am, or how many times I've had to say it, it might come out as, "You don't want to spin- Believe me", or, "Oh look. You just kicked my very expensive light.", or, "Did I ask you to spin?". So what does Peter do first thing when he sits down? Spins! I couldn't believe I was telling my own son to stop spinning on my stool. It was so strange to have my family world and my work world overlap! Where's the official picture:
I have a spot that I save every year for planting nasturtiums. I think they are such a homey kind of flower, and edible too, although I've never been brave enough to eat one. I think edible flowers probably fall into the vegetable category. :) Their seeds look like shriveled peas- a sure indication of nasty taste. I've tried different varieties of nasturtiums, but my favorites are the Empress of India which are red with dark green leaves. You can't find this kind at the local nursery- mail order only. So, if I don't get around to sending for those seeds, I use Cherry Rose Nasturtium seeds because I think pink flowers look good with my house. That's what I planted this year. The area where I plant these seeds is sometimes plagued with sprinkler problems, so I try to water the Nasturtiums daily with the hose. While I was in Nevada, Bruce put a riser on those sprinklers, and since then those flowers have taken off, doubling the flowers they produce, and finally growing across the sidewalk, which I like! Feel free to come pick some for your next salad!
I've never been a gook cook when it comes to fish, so I never make it. My big sis is a pro fish cook, but it's never been something I wanted to tackle (get it? Tackle? :) ). So, when I was watching Sandra Lee one day, she made it look so easy that I had to give it a try. It was great! Here's the recipe I used:
Our trainer, Kari, says that Rocko is bored with small jumps. After looking at the pictures from last weekend's horse show, I have to agree. Three weeks ago, Rocko jumped 2'9" like he was running over them- because he is literally RUNNING over them, while eyeing the horses next door, wishing he could go play with them:
This week he is actually picking up his feet, his knees are together and he actually might be looking at these 3 foot jumps. Holy cow- I think he might have to put some effort into 4 foot jumps!
This show was at Lynnleigh Farm in Sandy. Tucked across the street from the Auto Mall and inbetween several strip malls is this 50 acre oasis. The horses love to come here because they can eat grass all day. It's a bit more work for us, since there are no stalls to put our horses in and they drag us from one delicious patch of grass to the next all day. Rocko was there two days and finally stopped eating to take a 1/2 hour nap at the very end of day #2. Then he started eating again. Shannon was absolutely great- it's nice to be jumping those big jumps again!!
My cute niece, Caroline, participated in the Brigham City Peach Queen Pageant last Thursday, and even though she didn't win, we thought she was great! (She's the blond in the salmon colored dress- in the middle!) KSL's Studio 5's Brooke Walker was the MC, which was fun because she's from Brigham City.
Good job, Caroline!
We spent Sunday evening enjoying a campfire at the cabin. I introduced my Lemon Meringue S'mores to the family and they seemed to be a big hit! BIL had a fine time throwing branches with pine needles into the fire which put on the best sparky show. The weather was perfect- non of that "fire burns your face while your backside freezes" for us! There was a pretty sunset, too. I haven't perfected great campfire pictures yet.
We tried to enjoy the Great Outdoors as much as possible when we were at the cabin. One afternoon we took a "hike" to the river. Once Grandma found an acceptable walking stick, we were off. It got a bit tricky when we had to cross a small stream:
M took the most original approach- walking through the deepest part!
We saw one lonely spawning salmon in the river:
Then there was more exciting hiking on the way back:
Grandma even blazed a bit of a trail of her own:
We went to church at the branch Fairfield where we saw this sign. Sometimes a roadkill pattymelt is just the thing to hit the spot!
Tomorrow we build a big fire!
Wow, I've been gone for a while! The first of last week was spent taking school pictures in Elko, Nevada, (quite a thrill, and definitely un-bloggable!), then Friday we met for our girls weekend at C's new cabin. It's a 5 hour drive from my house in the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho, but it could have been on the moon for how quiet and unreachable we were! No cell service, no tvs, just pine trees, mountain air, clear rivers and all the creature comforts including hot showers and SO comfy beds. We spent a lot of time talking, stitching, making cards and eating each other's gourmet meals!
Lots of chipmunks! These two seemed to get along. The suicidal ones lived by the road...
We ate and talked out on the deck:
Jamie tracing her stitching pattern:
Grandma was a little scary with the electric knife:
We toured the neighborhood in the Rhino. Well, ok, we had a wild time in the Rhino. This picture makes me laugh!
Tune in tomorrow when we hike to the river!