C Food

"The C food is ready," I announced at dinnertime. 

Some of my children don't prefer seafood.  Nobody came running. 

Figuring out what to make for dinner is often the hardest part. I knew I wanted corn, cantaloupe, and cucumbers. I realized I had a "C" theme going.  Despite the rolling eyeballs of my twenty-year-old, I kept at it.  I decided we'd also have crackers, carrots, celery, and chicken.  I put one drop of blue food coloring (no salt) in the water to make "sea water."  I happened to have cute little sea-themed napkins for everybody.  And of course, there was chocolate for dessert.  I'm easily entertained. 

Hot!

It's hot here in New York.   My kids are outside having a water fight.  I'm inside feeling thankful for air conditioning.  I hope you are staying cool and comfortable wherever you are.

Wild Blackberries

My husband and I were walking up this road in the park by the lake this morning.

"Does it annoy you that I stop and take pictures sometimes?" I asked him.

"A little," he said.

But he doesn't complain.  He supports me.  I like that about him.

I like paying attention when I walk.  Today, it paid off.  I saw these. 

I've lived in this area for five years and never noticed these until today.  They are up and down the side of the road.  I picked a handful.  We ate them on our way home.

After breakfast, my son and I rode our bikes back to pick more.

"This is fun," he kept saying.

And it was.  Despite biting mosquitoes, prickly bushes, the growing heat of the day, and worries about poison ivy, we picked and picked until we filled our sandwich bags.  Then we walked our bikes up the hill to the gate and flew down the hill to home.

At home, we washed, dried, and shared the berries.  We prepared some to freeze. 

They are tiny and have big seeds, but they are delicious.

While we were riding home I asked my son, "Will you remember picking blackberries when you grow up?"

"No," he said.

"Will you remember riding bikes with me?"

"Yes," he said.

I hope he'll remember both.

Zakim Bridge

I like this bridge.  It's in Boston.  I took the picture while we were driving under it.  I wonder if you can see the bug splats on the windshield.

Me in ME

Ever since high school, I've wanted to go to Maine.  Today, I did. 

Heather

I let our heather grow wild and untrimmed.  Today, when I was outside playing with my kids, I noticed it is nearly in full bloom.  I didn't notice the beetles until I got closer.

Ever since we lived in England, I've loved heather.  A heath full of them is breathtaking.  When we drove down through some of the hills of Scotland, entire valleys were full of variations of the purple and pink blossoms. This is a twenty-year-old, blurry picture of our oldest daughter sitting next to some heather above the Dunwich Cliffs near where we lived in Suffolk, England.  I need to scan in a better version of it.  It was taken in pre-digital-camera days and even the original is blurry. 

My Grandmother Laura's parents were both born in Scotland.  She came to visit us when we lived in England and drove with us on a trip up there.  It was an awesome experience to be there with her, to see where her parents lived in Hopeman, and to meet some of her cousins who were still alive. 

At Grandma's funeral, there were many little heather plants just like the heather in my yard.  It makes me happy because it reminds me of her and our time in England.

Recommended: Frozen Grapes

They make a delicious summer snack.  I thought of sharing the idea when they were almost gone.  You just wash the grapes, single layer them on a flat surface of plastic wrap, and freeze them.  They're like little fruity popsicles-- just as sweet as candy and very refreshing.  They make great smoothies too.  Yesterday, we also put frozen watermelon and cantaloupe pieces in our smoothies.  Awesome healthy.