After the Rain

Rain has a way to cleanse the air and make me want to stand and take deep breaths.  It's a way to cleanse the body and mind which quite frequently needs to be done for me!  Time has a way of bringing worries and woes that need to be rided or thinned out to keep that smile on your face and song in your heart.  Today's rain brought strong breezes and cooler temperatures.  I even put on a sweatshirt, left the windows open and watched the shears blow and wave around.  My kind of afternoon and evening.  A perfect summer for me would be, go to the mountains and keep going up everytime the temperature got too warm.  Crazy huh?   I compared landscape pictures of last summer at this time and it was much more brown and yellow for the lawn and bushes.  So, what does it mean for a nice fall and winter?  I always seem to think of the next season to try and make a prediction for the up coming seasons.  Here it goes, fall will be exceptionally colorful with an Indian Summer to add to the beauty.  Winter will be cold enough for lots of fluffy white snow to do all we love to do outside.  That is my prediction (hope and wishing) .  Don't hold me to it, remember, nature is the boss!
Wednesday was one of those too hot for me days.  With all the garden and now porch work the crock pot and insta pot have been my best friends.  After working outside all morning and walking back in the house it was one of those awe moments.  It smelled so good.  I put a nice Smithfield ham in the crock pot, it made a rich broth.  The broth went into a large pot with carrots, cabbage, onions, potatoes and a bay leaf.  Even though the days are hot this winter meal hit the spot tonight with cornbread on the side.  Thank goodness for air conditioning.  While I was enjoying the smells of supper I thought of my mom and all the farm meals she cooked during the hot sweltering heat of summers on the farm.  During hay season, oat harvesting and putting silage in all day, milking morning and night and going in the house to make a sit down meat and potatoes dinner.  Always with biscuits or bread and homemade pies, cookies and cakes.  If I think making a dinner in air conditioning is a big deal then shame on me.  Mom's meals were the big deals.  She did have a pressure cooker which she used to cook roast beef, chicken, pork roast and meatloaf.  The cooker helped a great deal and within an hour the meat was done.  She also used a pressure canner.  I use both types too.  Makes canning a snap and the best roast beef.  Please, don't be afraid to try the pressure cooker or canner. 

Although it is only July 11th it is time to think of hunting licenses and doe permits.  You know you are from Potter County when your year is not complete without a purchase of a hunting license.  Back in the day when my dad, brothers and even my husband went hunting it was quite different, all they needed was a coat, hat, boots, rifle/shotgun and shells, knife and of course a hunting license too.  Now hunters take special scent blockers, special layers of clothing,  gloves, socks, high tech boots, fanny pack, back pack, hot seats, cameras, tree stands, huts, special knives, face masks, safety harness, calls, scopes with red dots, rangefinders, walkie talkies, cell phones, etc.  Now you know why the back pack 😉. Makes ya wonder how hunters ever killed an animal way back then.

 Today is Saturday and the porch floor is finished with two coats of Behr finish.   We used the same color and type on the Summer Place Cabin we built.  It has held up excellent and repels water.  Stands up in little water beads.  Just like it does right after an auto is waxed.  No peels or flaking either.  Hoping this is the last time we have to worry about the finish on the porch floors.  The last time I was refinishing floors was our downstairs, minus the bathroom, kitchen and bedroom.  I said never again...Technically this is not the inside house floor so never doesn't count, really?  Seriously, never will I do the inside floors again and never will I do the porches again.  You may wonder why we don't hire it done.   The reason is my Type A personality as my kids have told me I have.  If I hire it , what would I do?  Watch them work and get all frustrated because I don't like how they are doing it and just knowing I can do it better.  Even if I can't do it better I still think I can!  That is exactly how I am.  I can't watch anyone do something without wanting to take over.  So, as long as we are still willing and able we will do it MY way 😏.  Unless Mr. Big overrides my decisions then it is discussion time.  Which, we did have a couple discussions this week.

How about an apple strudel?  Not difficult at all.  Roll out a pie crust in a rectangular shape.  I use the dough for a double pie crust but you can also make two strudels by using half of the dough.  Slice apples in a bowl, add sugar, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and 2 TBSP of flour.  I sometimes add chopped walnuts and raisins.  Mix well and  spread over the center third of the pie crust.  Put a few tsps of butter on top of the apples.  Fold over one side of the crust and then the other.  Brush with milk and sprinkle sugar on.  Put strudel on baking sheet that has parchment paper.  Bake at 375 until golden brown.  You can serve warm or cold.  Sometimes when cool I dust the top with confectioners sugar.  We like Ice Cream with it but my favorite is with a wedge of sharp cheddar cheese.  A little German favorite from my mom.

Our 3 grandsons age 13, 11 and 9 are here for the week with me.  I am going to make farmers out of 2 and a baker out of 1.  We drove to Shamokin Dam yesterday and made the trade.  Our son, his wife and 4 year old daughter get gramps and I get the boys.  First time ever for them to stay away from their mom and dad.  So far so good.

Fast to learn and ready to mow lawns Tuesday.

My 1960s grandson, he plays the drums!

They found the snake living under a bale of hay by my garden.  They love snakes but for gramma they did away with it.

Had to stop on the way home to see the PA Grand Canyon.