Summer Fun!
So how did it become June so quickly? This weather is glorious. I can’t believe how much time I’ve spent enjoying the outdoors. We will probably pay for this temperate weather in the late Fall. It’s already PRIDE month. I am proud to be a parent of amazing children. I celebrate their uniqueness and personalities.
I have created Pride napkins and display them in my kitchen. I offer sets of them for sale on my website. www.xitrous.com/shop
Had a blast of an anniversary celebration of 36 years yesterday. Got gussied up and spent the day in Middleburg. Went to Boxwood Winery and spent a couple of hours sitting in the pavilion to enjoy a glorious weather experience. The temperature was barely warmer than 75*F, the cool breeze blew the fragrance of meadows and fields of grapes. The wines tasted delicious and the charcuterie was savory and splendid.
We walked around the center of Middleburg and had a sundae at Scruffy’s Ice Cream Parlor. YUMMY!!
The ultimate celebration of our anniversary was spent at the Red Fox Inn Tavern. The atmosphere was intimate, the champagne was bubbly, the service respectable and responsive, and most importantly, the food was delicious. One of the highlights of the dinner was watching Tim’s response to trying his first caviar. PRICELESS!!!
Have a list of activities planned for this summer. My sisters shocked the pants off me and surprised me by visiting for Memorial Day weekend. Already had a visit from my dear friend, Ellen and her husband. Going to the José Andres Restaurant Crawl and the end of this month. Traveling to see our son, Kevin in Brooklyn, NY. Seeing my sisters and nephew in NJ. Processing tomatoes and other vegetables sometime in August. Practice using my Bernina Sewing Machine to make some projects, finish knitting Kevin’s scarf. Practicing my fresh pastry skills. Test baking new recipes. More than I can list right now.
The vegetable and herb gardens are growing. Well, several of the herbs had to be replanted after I tried to kill them.
The story is: I clean out my electric water kettle and coffee maker with white vinegar. The vinegar dissolves the calcium deposits. Boil the white vinegar in the kettle, pour it out, boil several full pots of water to eliminate the vinegar residue. Do the same with the coffee maker. Run white vinegar through a coffee cycle. Pour out the vinegar. Run several pots full of fresh water through the machine. Low and behold, clean kettle and coffee maker.
I hate wastefulness. So, I save the used vinegar (about 2 quarts total) in a pitcher, let it cool completely and add it to the 60 gallon rain barrel. The ration of vinegar to water does NO DAMAGE to plants and helps keep the rain barrel free of algae. Well, if you forget the pitcher contains straight, full strength clear vinegar, and POUR IT DIRECTLY onto herbs, THEY DIE!!!
After feeling such joy in the fact that all the vegetables and herbs were started from seed, I had to go to LOWE’s and purchase seedlings of several of my herbs. SO MUCH waste!!
I am so excited to see the progression of the color changes in my flower garden. The Summer colors are beginning to open. There are day lilies with huge buds, tiger lilies that are already open and beginning to open. The delphinium are a gently purple. So many beginnings.
May your summer be filled with, eXtra delicious learning®! Hopefully, you are better at caring for your gardens than I.
Keep an eye on the calendar. I am considering adding a couple of classes for this summer!!