Hidey-ho neighbor!

Mighty fine weather we’re having, isn’t it?

Good harvesting weather for sure!

Actually, this week has been a little dismal – foggy & rainy, but at least it has stayed warm. All in all though, September has been pretty decent.

I have been bringing in a steady stream of tomatoes. Plus a few carrots, when we want them, and this past weekend I picked a lot of tomatoes, even some that weren’t quite ripe. I’m hoping the weather is going to stay warm for a bit, but you never know.

So there’s been a lot of this…

And this past Sunday my kitchen table looked like this…

No that I’m complaining.

Among other things, we’ve had pretty salads…

We tried out a new recipe for Tomato and Egg Soup…

It was a hit and we ended up making it two nights in a row.

And of course, some salsa…

I haven’t made nearly as much as I made last year; somehow it just seems like there hasn’t been time. I’m sure I’ll manage to put up a few more batches before the tomatoes are gone though.

Not this weekend, though, because my Mom is coming to visit. She doesn’t usually come by herself, usually my Dad & brother come too, but she had the opportunity to travel with someone this weekend, so she’ll be here tomorrow evening.

So, I will just give you a hello from the Fabulous Felines…

And a nod from some Sunflowers…

And then I’ll say good-night! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Hodge Podge From My Garden

Yesterday’s bounty!

 

It had actually a few days since I had been out to the garden – the weather was damp and dreary for a lot of last week – so there were a ton of tomatoes to pick. I also pulled some carrots (there are still more in the ground), dug up garlic and the rest of the bunching onions, and emptied one of my potato tubs.

I filled my Star Trek movie popcorn bucket with potatoes of varying size.  Enough to give us a few meals.

I had the last of the green beans in the fridge. We hit the farmers market to pick up a few extras.

Then we made supper!

Totally worth growing my own potatoes for this Hodge Podge! I’m not normally one to get excited about potatoes (or carrots for that matter), but when they are consumed the same day they come out of the garden, it’s a whole different thing.

My beans and peas are definitely done, but there are more tomatoes, carrots and one more tub of potatoes. The weather has definitely taken a turn toward autumn, but the garden is not quite finished.

I Can Has Grilled Cheeze!

I think I am experiencing some end-of-summer blues. Granted, we can still have lovely weather for a while yet, but the air has that autumn feel to it and the long summer evenings are quickly disappearing.

Fortunately, I have some consolation.

 

I am eating as many grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches as I can manage. With tomatoes that I grew my-own-self, and my beloved Balderson Extra-Old White Cheddar.

I believe I have had one of these sandwiches per day for the past four days. Plus a couple of bacon and tomato, for good measure.

I’ve also got plenty of grape and cherry tomatoes to go in salads.

 

So I guess things aren’t all that bad. 

Hurricane Earl amounted to nothing more than a rainy Saturday in these parts, and by late afternoon the sun was out.

We had a holiday Monday to laze around the house.

True, the holiday is over and we’re back to work. But it’s a four-day week – and here it is Wednesday already – so another weekend is not far away. And more grilled cheese & tomato sandwiches to be eaten!

I guess I don’t need to worry about winter just yet.

September 1st!

Today was warmer than yesterday. 33 degrees Celsius as were pulling into our driveway. At 10 to 6. On September 1st! I think we’ve been setting a new record every day.
I would like to point out that I am not complaining. Yes it is to hot to do much moving around. Husband didn’t even want to go out and light the BBQ after work today so we had salads and snack plates. But I sorta feel like I have to store up all of this sun and heat to get me through the winter. We did move the air conditioner from Husband’s computer room to the bedroom last night though, so we could sleep.
So, time for that month end review. I did actually work out during the month of August, even though I was not updating my sidebar. So here it is:
Aug 01: 2 hrs stacking wood
Aug 02: 80 minutes stacking wood
Aug 04: The FIRM Express Cardio DVD[30 mins]
Aug 05: The FIRM Power Half Hour DVD[30 mins]
Aug 12: 25 minute walk
Aug 14: PYL Pilates[30 mins]
Aug 16: Cardio Intervals[20 mins]
Aug 17: Fat Burning Fusion DVD[45 mins]
Aug 18: Cardio Intervals[25 mins]
Aug 24: 2o minute walk
Aug 25: Fusion Flow DVD[45 mins]
Aug 26: Barefoot Cardio DVD[45 mins]
Aug 27: 1 hour stacking wood
Aug 28: Gentle Hatha Flow #1[20 mins]
Aug 30: PYL Pilates

I’m finding, at the moment, that I do better to just keep my expectations low. Aim for short workouts. Doing what I can. I’m sure I will settle back into a routine once fall really sets in, but for now this is what works.
Two fun grocery store finds to share from our stop at SuperStore on the way home today.
Feta from Nova Scotia.

White Cheddar from PEI.

We had some of the feta in our salad tonight and it was very good. A creamy, mild tasting feta which is perfect for us as Husband doesn’t like a feta that is too strong.
Have not tried the Cow’s Cheddar yet, but looking forward to it. They make good ice cream, hopefully the cheese is just as good!
Spent a little time in the garden this evening, watering and then lounging in a chair with a magazine. It is slightly cooler outside than inside. Not a huge difference, but still welcome. And the surroundings are quite pleasant!

August

How did it get to be August already? We’ve had a fantastic long weekend. Husband and I both took Friday off and today is New Brunswick Day, so we’ve had a four day weekend. The weather has been perfect – sunny, hot, but not too hot. I kind of don’t want it to end, but we still have the rest of today to enjoy.

Yesterday and today’s exercise:

This was a blast from my childhood past. It’s been years since I stacked wood. I always hated doing it, and I remember that it seemed to go on forever. Up to now Husband and I got wood from a guy who would bring his kids along, and we’d pay a little extra to have it stacked. However, it seems that firewood is getting harder to come by; last year we couldn’t get any at all, so this year we’re stacking our own and counting ourselves lucky that we got it.

Husband lasted about an hour yesterday (without complaining, which I do appreciate, because I know he’s not used to that much physical activity). I kept going for an hour after he quit because I wanted to get half way, or as close to half way as I could, through the pile. I really don’t want to spend a week getting it all stacked. So hopefully we’ll get out and finish it this afternoon.

 

Monthly Workout Record

Normally at the end of the month I do a post with all of my exercise for the month. I didn’t do that at the end of June – workouts in June were sporadic and I didn’t keep track very well.

I think that I kind of burned myself out a bit in May/June. Not necessarily with exercise, but with feeling like I had to keep up with everything, including exercise. So this month I backed off a bit and gave myself permission to just do short workouts if that’s all I could do. I figure I am more active this time of year anyway, with the gardens to take care of, plus we’ve been doing a lot of cleaning, rearranging and sorting in the house.

July was better. This is just what works for summer and I need to remember that.

So, the summary for June & July:

July Workouts:

July 30: Yoga for Runners #1 + Cardio Intervals[55 mins]
July 29: Crunch Candlelight Yoga[40 mins]
July 27: Lunar Flow #1[20 mins]
July 26: Gentle Hatha Yoga #1[20 mins]
July 25: Moon Salutations Flow #1[25 mins]
July 24: Lunar Flow #1[20 mins]
July 21: Gentle Hatha Yoga #1[20 mins]
July 20: Cardio Intervals[20 mins]
July 18: Walk [45 mins]
July 17: Crunch Yoga Sculpt[40 mins]
July 15: Walk [40 mins]
July 13: 60+ minutes in the garden, weeding, trimming & watering
July 12: Sun Salutation Flow #1[20 mins]
July 11: Strength Training + Cardio[45 mins]
July 10: Cardio Intervals [30 mins]
July 01: Cardio Intervals + Gentle Hatha Yoga #1 [45 mins]

June Workouts:
June 29: Cardio Intervals[30 mins]
June 23: Burn & Firm Pilates[45 mins]
June 21: Cardio Intervals + Weights[55 mins]
June 9: Walk[40 mins]
June 6: Fat Burning Yoga[40 min]
June 4: 1 hr 45 min in the garden

I suspect August will be similar to July. Honestly, summer is short and goes by so quickly around here. We have to make the most of it!

Day 2 of Yoga

Busy, busy, busy, but got in a short session of Hatha Flow. Always feel so good after finishing a yoga session!

New garden post up; sorry for the typos and photos that I forgot to rotate. It's late. I'm tired. There are a lot of things I like about wordpress, but once you stick a photo in, you have to take it out to change it. Boo.

Off to bed!

Seven Days of Yoga

I wish wish wish that I had spent my weekend relaxing with these guys out in the garden.

But it was another weekend of crazy. Just when you think your ducks are lining themselves nicely into a row…Well, let’s just say the ducks got ornery and changed their minds. I’ve been crazy busy and the house is a disaster yet again.

I’m a little stressed…again.

So, this is really good timing for Lynn's Yoga Challenge (and I totally titled my post without realizing that Lynn used the exact same title). I kicked things off today with a new one from Yoga Downloads - Moon Salutations Flow #1. It was definitely a great way to wind things down for the day.

I plan to have a new post up on the garden blog soon – hopefully tomorrow, but in the mean time here are a few things that have been showing up in my kitchen!

Aren’t those colors gorgeous? Lettuce, green onions and purple basil from the garden, along with some red bell peppers and tomatoes.

Sugar snap peas and a few strawberries.

A nice addition to Saturday’s lunch of leftover tofu pad thai.

And my cilantro was desperately in need of being chopped back. It was a good excuse to make guacamole last night for dinner! And yes, I am still using my Star Trek popcorn bucket from last summer to carry my garden harvests. :)

And now I need to be tucked into my bed. See you all tomorrow for day two of the yoga challenge.

July flying by...

Well. Long time, no blog. I'd like to say that I've been off enjoying myself - and indeed, Husband and I did have a pretty good week around the Canada Day Holiday. The past week has been rather stressful though, and I've been pretty exhausted. I believe we have made it through to the other side, and things should be a bit more relaxed for a while. Finally!

I haven't been keeping up with things very well lately, and I feel like I owe you guys garden pictures. I actually created a second blog, dedicated to the garden so that I can post updates for my family. I like to keep this blog to myself. Sounds insane - a second blog - when you consider that I haven't been able to keep up with this one, but we'll see how it goes. There is a link in the side bar if you want to check it out - click on the picture of Frank & Zappa in the garden.

Things are actually coming along quite well in the garden this year - better than last year certainly. We've had lots of sun, but also a good amount of rain; pretty much perfect garden weather.

My tomato and pea plants have blossoms! I can see my carrots!





I have actually harvested some herbs and some onions for salad. It's not much, but every little bit makes me happy!

Dill & Parsley

Bunching Onions

I made Potato Salad, using the dill and about half of the onions. I used the rest of the onions and the parsley in a tossed salad.

Because I don't like mayo, this is what I make for potato salad.

Dill Potato Salad

Cook your potatoes until fork tender. While potatoes are still warm, add fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt & pepper, chopped dill and green onions.


Toss to mix everything together, then add sour cream.


And you're done! Chill until you are ready to serve. How easy can it get?

That felt like pretty much a perfect summer evening, in my kitchen putting together a summery meal, no rushing, and Zappa rolling around on the deck, soaking up the sun.