SUPPER CLUB - Sunday, July 17th

[purrfect-lady]

Good Morning!

there has been so much going on in our lives lately that I've almost forgotten Bill's birthday! OOPS! I have 3 days to get it together!

Our BBQ was great fun! I think everyone had a nice time and there were no mosquitos. the only leftovers we have are some baked beans and a huge platter of cookies. And just to frost my cake, my son and DIL stopped by on their way home from a lavender festival in Sequim, a small town about 75 miles north of us on the Olympic Peninsula. and they brought me a little bouquet of lavender tied up with purple ribbon. It was a good day, but I was TIRED by bedtime last night!

JANA - OK, I can picture everything now! We have a split level house. Our living room upstairs is small, more of a conversation area, really. We do our LIVING in our downstairs family room.

IRISH - I understand what you mean about being uneasy leaving Jim. My SIL can't leave my DB either. Makes simple things like grocery shopping so difficult. We offer to help but she will never mention it until it's all done and then say things like, "Oh, I sure could have used your help!". You really got your fingers into a lot of pies yesterday between laundry, garage, and basement! I'm happy to say that right now our house and garage are pretty clean. The laundry - not so much. But tomorrow works for me! $10,000 for a 13 room house! What year was that? In 1974 my first hubby, Mike, and I bought our first home - a 960 sq foot 3-bed, 1 bath rambler with small garage on 1/3 acre. For $24,000. Our payments were $182/mo at 16% interest. We sold it 9 years later for $50,000. Today it would probably go for close to $200,000. Depends on what kind of shape it's in.

BECCA - happy anniversary to you come august! What a milestone! Your quilt will be so cute! Would love to see it! Sounds like your hubby is kind of like my brother - a social guy that people are drawn to. Jim always has even strangers talking to him if he's left on his own like that.

CHICKIE - you must be out berry picking! My middle brother, Al, e-mailed me that he's been picking every day and now has almost a gallon of berries. I told him where your freezer is! He wants enough a batch of jam, a pie, and some blackberry dumplings. But he's after the little wild mountain blackberries, not the big ones.

CAROL - how's it going at your house? Only 2 more days until you can get your incision wet, right? that will be a relief. Hope it has gotten you out of kitchen duty!

TINA - I'll be texting you today to make sure you are all OK down there in your heat. Though I see you are cooling off to 97-99 this week . . . .

I don't know what we'll be doing today. Our oregon friends are here until tomorrow morning. They are in their fifth-wheel in our yard. They have the same trailer we do, only 8 years newer. But they want to go to our Costco here. and we've all been invited to our frinds' for wine and appeitizers later this afternoon. (they were here yesterday as well). So in between - who knows!

supper - tacos!

computer battery dying! got to go!

[Becca]

Hello everyone,Hot here today.
Maryz Glad your BBQ was a big success.Makes you feel good when you know others enjoyed it.

Chickie & Tina Hope you have come up with a plan to beat the heat.Jumping in a pool helps & a big glass of tea.

Carol Hope you are almost there with the mending.Glad you can already see a difference.

Jana Know you will enjoy your shopping spree.

Irish My going out is very few & far between.Try to look at my blessings instead of what I cannot do.That is why I love my walks.Seeing nature gives me a lift.Hugs to you.

We have chicken salad for today.Plan to roast some summer squash,mushrooms & asparagus drizzled with olive oil & seasonings.Ice cream for later., Becca

[Quilter7]

Good Morning Everyone!
Maryz - Yes, my DH has done the dishes. He even changed the bed this morning. I cleaned house yesterday and had to change the bandage afterward. They gave me two extra, so guess I can change it sometime today too.

You asked about my eye treatment. Last Friday it was a laser treatment and this coming it will be an injection. I had a retina vein occlusion in Dec 2008 and have been working on it in one way or another ever since. No obvious reason for it to have happened and I have been tested for everything. It seems to be getting better now and I am hoping the laser treatment will bring a conclusion to the treatments.

Jana - I liked how you described your house. It is nice to keep a room for company. We have a TV room, which is really one of the bedrooms and we tend to use it more than the living room.

Becca - I remember you and Irish in my daily prayers. Care-giving is dedicated, hard work.

Irish - Love the story of your first house!

Chickie - Your freezer must be getting full with all the berry picking! Did you visit your Mom yesterday?

Tina - Sorry to hear you are still getting a lot of heat.

Tonight's dinner will be Chicken Picatta, potatoes, salad and vegetable.

Take care everyone!
Carol

[FarmChick]

Good afternoon! I missed yesterday with all the running around. I picked up a take and bake pizza from the store, and we had that for dinner. I had cherry tomatoes from the garden with mine. Tonight’s fare will be re-runs.

Mary—no mosquitoes! Wonderful!!! I want to try to grow lavender here, but I’ve never had much luck. I must need to tend it better instead of letting it grow in spite of my ignoring it like I do all my flowers. Sounds like you had a great day! How neat that the couple who didn’t make it to the big rally got to attend the small rally in your yard!!! Happy birthday to Bill! Yes, I picked berries last night. I didn’t get quite a gallon. I am happy to say that they are starting diminish in quantity, so this week, I won’t have much picking left to do while I’m pulling hoses to water. No rain in sight and temperatures way too hot!! I like the wild blackberries, but they are just too full of ticks and thorns for me to enjoy picking. I would be happy to share with Al! He should have enough for jam and dumplings now… for sure jam and a small batch of dumplings. Are they like apple dumplings? My grandma made THE BEST apple dumplings!!! I’d love to get Al’s recipe if he would share!!!

My mom paid $4,800 for San Francisco in 1949. Houses in that neighborhood are now selling for over $250,000. Talk about inflation!!! Too bad we don’t still have it! My DEX and I paid $6,000 for our first house on 2 lots—a 3 BR. I know it would sell for much more than that now.

We are windy today, and I’m using my solar clothes dryers. The towels will be fluffy unless they just wrap around the lines. I’m getting flogged trying to get everything hung up.

Becca—no pool here, and the pond… aaak!!! I won’t swim in it!!! I’ll leave it to the fish and turtles and whatever else lurks beneath the surface. Now… tea! Count me in, but leave out the sweet; and make it strong! We just have one bedroom here plus my sewing room. DH’s sister couldn’t understand why we didn’t build a McMansion when we built after the fire. She just bought a house for only her with 5 bedrooms! I’m happy to have the size house we have and wouldn’t want any more. It’s good for the two of us and the three hooligans. Wow! Congratulations to you (early) on your 60th!!! What a great achievement!!! Just sayin’—my DD was due September 3, but her birthday is July 28… what a surprise that was!!!

Carol—have you been without your hand long enough to get your DH really trained to keep helping you? Is that similar to the eye condition that Becca has? Your dinners always sound so good. I wish my DH liked chicken better.

Irish—our goats haven’t been with us for a long time. They liked to be on top of everything, too, including cars and the rock ledge around the dining room (an enclosed porch). They must have thought they were part mountain goat. It was funny watching them, and the babies were the cutest things ever… but… they destroyed gardens and were Houdinis for getting out of their fenced in areas and would roam the areas around us—not the best way to keep neighbors happy. I love your dress-hunting story!!! So funny!!!

I made DH pancakes for brunch, and he was a happy camper (his usual Sunday request). I had a big plate of cantaloupe. DH brought it home from coffee. One of the guy’s SILs had been to the Amish auction on Friday and bought 40 cantaloupes! He brought a few to give away at coffee today. Lucky me!!!

We are 89 here with a heat index of 100 already! It feels like breathing underwater... hot water! Summer has returned with a vengeance although it really never left…