Summer lilies

We are in the middle of monsoon season here in MO. Usually our summers are dry and we pray hard for rain. Last week the ground was cracking. This week it is a sponge. But the flowers really seem to love it. All my lilies are in bloom, and going crazy. Baby grass we planted in the fall looks like an emerald carpet. So I guess all that rain is doing some good. Hope you enjoy our June blooms!

Book pages

Just finished the most recent book in a series, and I have to share--written by Suzanne Arruda, Treasure of the Golden Cheetah takes place in the 1920's in Africa. The heroine, Jade Del Cameron, is most likely based upon a real life African explorer, Osa Johnson. Osa was born and raised in Kansas and she and her husband flew their little plane all over Africa, taking pictures, and writing stories, and returning to the US, giving talks and sharing their journeys with the rest of the world. This in turn would pay for future trips abroad for them.

Jade is a spunky heroine, and wild animals and hostile tribes or evil villains don't put a dent in her vast enthusiasm and abilities to lead people into the bush and share her views of the wild and beautiful Africa she loves. Most of the time she encounters help from the natives, and most of the time she can venture further into the bush, but there are always mysteries to solve, and quests for hidden treasures or high adventure.

If you want to learn more about this series, the author has several websites to check out:

www.suzannearruda.com and
http://suzannearruda.blogspot.com

These sites will get you deeper and perhaps make you want to read further. This author has also written a biography of Osa, which you may also want to read. Osa's books are probably out of print, and pretty old, so they are also probably difficult to find, which is why I recommend you read about Jade.

June flowers

Well, May flitted past and suddenly-gasp!-we are stampeding through this summer. So are our flowers it seems. Retirement gives me better looking flowerbeds, obvious conclusion is that I can now spend more time weeding, trimming etc. Anyway, here is a glimpse of the second wave of blooms. The double mock orange bush was doing well with its blooms until we had a little hail storm, so we can only pick pictures instead of blossoms!

More kitchen work

Well, it isn't finished yet, but we are certainly making progress. Got the new Broan range hood installed. Consumer Reports rated it as the best. We got the next model down, but the fan power is still there. It weighted way more than we expected, so we had to call on some help to get it in place.

Then there was the bottom course of tile on the back splash, which hubby had to carefully remove with his new handy dandy electric tool, and reinstall. Only each tile had to be cut off by about 1/4-1/2 inch at the bottom. Luckily one of our friends, Tina, had a professional electric tile cutter at her disposal, and brought it to our house, and carefully cut each tile to fit. Kind of like putting together a big puzzle piece. So another phase finished, because hubby grouted and caulked the tile with colored gunk that MATCHED!!! Wow, who knew? As you can see, you cannot tell the difference between old and new, whew!

When the rain quits, if it ever does, I will have to begin the painting. Another page of the story.

Book pages

Okay, raise your hands out there, if you have signed the back of your driver's license, to become an organ donor. If so, this book is for you! As usual the writing team of Jefferson Bass has hit a home run. This time it is The Bone Thief.

If you want great forensic science in a thriller/mystery, you will not be disappointed. The action moves through every page, and the reader learns all kinds of grisly information about body part theft, and organ transplants, that perhaps could be TMI, but maybe not, considering the numbers of people currently on a wait list for their life to be saved by you, the donor. Read this and learn, and if you haven't yet signed the back of your license, this book may just convince you to save a life!

Spring is...

Usually warm sunny days, balmy breezes, birds singing, flowers blooming. Well, we did have some of those events. However, we also had monsoon weather, stormy, high winds, hail, heavy rains, and brrrrr, cold temperatures in the 40's, heat back on in the house. Anyway, today is a break for us, once again a sunny springtime day, so we will enjoy it as we get it. And the flowers seem to keep on blooming no matter how chilly the nights!

Still working on that kitchen!

Well, it seems like a Neverending Story, with all the monsters and gremlins and fantastical creatures hiding in the woodwork waiting to jump out at us with more surprises. But at least I have done the wallpapering. That old newsprint just had to go, and I had leftovers (which are good sometimes) of faux grass wallpaper, really good heavy stuff (until you add the paste, then it takes on a crabby life of its own). Then in between I just craved a springtime treat, and whipped up a blackberry cobbler, which hubby assures me is wonderful with ice cream. That helped me make it through those last panels, believe me.

So here is the newly finished part of the kitchen, and here is my cobbler:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together well in a large bowl (I used a wooden spoon, whipping out my anxieties on wallpapering) 1 cup sugar, 1 cup self-rising flour, and 1 cup heavy cream (that is whipping cream in case you don't know). Melt one stick of butter in the 'wave (1/2 cup), and mix it well into this batter. Pour the batter into a PAM sprayed 12 X 8 inch pyrex baking dish, spoon 3-4 cups of frozen and thawed blackberries all over the top of the batter. Blend 1/4 cup sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle that all over the blackberries. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, and serve it warm with ice cream, something good to eat while watching your wallpaper dry.