Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Basking...Painting and Strawberry Wine

And poured off ready for clarification.

The tiny yeast beasties working overtime on this batch.

(...I may have put a bit too much sugar in...smells strong...)

A little more than 2 cups of Strawberry Wine.

Actually had to chill it to stop fermentation last night...or we would have ended up with strawberry shine.

We will taste it Thursday.

I love the color!

The background table distorts it..actually quite pinkish!

Almost finished with my Guam Island Beach painting. Just needs detailing now...maybe Friday!

Loving this beautiful weather...basking on North Patio Beach nearly every day!

Between bouts of scrubbing.

You know what is great about scrubbing the horrible black scuff marks left behind by learning to use a manual wheelchair in a small space?

That after you spend hours doing it....you are sooooooooooooooooooooooo
careful never to scrape the walls ever again.

Still need to paint chips on door-facings.

A get-shit-done before Summer Arrives Week!

Catch you all, Saturday!

"Aren't you DONE yet??? I thought we were going back outside!!!!" ~Sofi







Saturday, June 13, 2020

Everybody Over...The Beginnings of Strawberry Wine...and The Weekend


Friday was Amazing!

Nicole (and Emma) over for a late birthday Wine and Cupcake Brunch!

35 looks great on you, hon.

And even before their arrival...James and Kaylee and Brenden and Aiden showed up to say "hi" and show off their haircuts and new shoes.

Then just before Nicole and Emma left...Chris and Tina came over before their
Drive-in Movie and Fried Chicken Batman Adventure.

(Date Night in the Time of Covid)

Such a wonderful surprise...seeing everyone!

Started the Strawberry Wine yesterday...




 Just a micro-batch.

All natural.

Water

Sugar

Strawberries

A drop or two of Lemon Juice

And Wild Yeast (...clean the strawberries...leave them at room  temperature in
a ceramic bowl all day...voila...wild yeast)

Put it all together in a mason jar with cheesecloth over the top.

This morning it is bubbling and working nicely (fermenting) and smells sweetly of strawberries...the alcohol will come as the yeast beasts do their job.

(...basically they eat sugar and poop alcohol...try not to think about it...)

By late next week it will be tastable.

In a couple weeks it will be ready to clarify...

By the end of this month it will be Strawberry Wine.

These small batches are quick and easy to make...and we can try a lot of different fruits like this!

When we buried Shelby-Cat,  John and I planted a rose over her grave.

Shelby's Rose has now bloomed! It is huge...and beautiful.

Kind of like she was...



The Patio Garden Week Three

Everything is thriving. My catnip now bushy and the Zinnias and Morning Glories are up (...from seed...) about 5 inches. I've already pinched back  my herbs and have been cooking with them and made the best potato soup with FRESH bay leaves the other day.

This is the first time I have used fresh before...so different from dried. Very robust flavor. 

Oh...and the lavender in the trough...still plastic...but fooling everyone!

(...it is fake...but a good fake...)

Preparing for a hot sunny rain-free week.

Well...until Saturday.

Watering today and Wednesday.

Planning a LOT of North Patio Beach time!

And spreading mulch in the borders on Friday.

And looking forward to Our (John and I) June Adventure :)

Soon!

A lot of this week spent on the house.

Things that needed fixed.

Scrubbed.

Replaced.

Kind of a Cinderella Week.

Learned that peeling up tiles and replacing the few that were damaged was a lot like stripping wallpaper...not for the faint of heart.

But 1 putty knife and 6 million tiny sticky pieces later...the new ones are down and you would never know they had been replaced.

Reglued the chairs...which is an annual event.
Eventually I am just going to replace them.
They are 18 years old.

Shampooed the carpet.

(...okay...actually Amber shampooed the carpet...I just pre-treated any stains...) 

Continued my de-cluttering...and have been scrubbing the walls now...forever...
and they are STILL not finished.

It's a PROCESS.

Hoping to get them finished by Tuesday so I can paint all the chips and such from my learning to use the manual wheelchair.

(...which wasn't a pretty sight at first...)

Who knew you had to steer...right??

But it has been a long week...so today I am pretty much basking and blogging...painting a bit more on my Guam Beach...a bubble bath and nap...and The FAST, of course.

The 4:3 is going pretty well. Lost another pound this week.

"YAY!"

Only 8 more to adjust.

Then I can get back to once a week.

Not bad. 

I've divided the 600 calories into 200 calorie meals on Fast Days. When they are done...then I am done with food for the day.

Finally some new movies coming out soon...and the library is now offering curbside service.

And there is this online shopping...

You know you've been doing too much Amazon Prime and eBay when a package arrives and, like Christmas, you have forgotten what may or may not be in it.

~laughing~

Two more Hostas arriving and another red rosebush next week!

Also a black slit-to-there dress.

Hey...I'm in a wheelchair...I'm not DEAD!

Time to throw together a salad...water the plants...then work on the Beach Painting a bit!





Have a Wonderful Weekend!
























Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Blessed


Ever have one of those mornings when everything seems perfect in your world...and you suddenly take time to notice it...and feel thankful...so thankful.

To the Universe...God...or maybe just quietly to yourself for a moment. 

When life is good...and everything seems perfectly balanced...and there is enough.

Just a warm mixture of love, life and happiness.

Today was one of those mornings for me.

Early coffee and chat and a few laughs with John.

Making progress on my home...quiet cool morning...good coffee...fresh flowers on the table...sunny outside and the plants are thriving...money in the bank...all the bills paid...enough in the pantry and freezer...wonderful family and friends...amazing and compassionate lover...Gadget and Sofi...did my weekly Insta-cart...maybe Grub Hub later...and sent Loretta's Box of Goodies (...tea party in a box...) ordered a new rose to plant and a dress I've been wanting...upcoming events to look forward to...Nicole's visit Friday...John and I and Our June Adventure...Brenda's Birthday, Chris and Don's Seasonal Brunch, Lisa and Tina and our Sisters Day together soon.

Yes...despite all the curve-balls and insanity (...fucking murder hornets...seriously???) that 2020 has had to offer

Live for these Moments.

You are blessed.

Life is Good.






Monday, June 8, 2020

Summer's Project: Fruit Wines





In 2015, I dabbled in wine-making with

Gyspy Winery: Message in a Bottle

And created White...Red and Blush wine.




(...white and blush clarifying...)

It was a lot of fun.

A few days ago a recipe for Strawberry Wine popped up and the timing 
couldn't have been more perfect!

Having spent most of the Spring virtually exploring Lovegrove's 20 Remote Islands...I was ripe for a hands-on summer project.

Have carboy...can't travel...
The Rona...


There is plenty of time to experiment with fresh fruit wines...to enjoy with fruits, chocolates, cheeses, breads and nuts this summer!

Thinking:

Strawberry

Blueberry

Blackberry

Pineapple

Peach

Apple 

Watermelon

and maybe a couple blends

Mixed Berries

Peach, Pear & White Grape 

The possibilities are endless.

Wednesday we will begin (again) with a small batch of Strawberry!

Come along!















Saturday, June 6, 2020

Nicole's 35th....Upcoming Summer...and Playing in the Plants with Sofi...


So...Yeah...

It seems Summer has been cancelled here.

The Rona.

The local pool isn't opening...programs are closed...there will be no 4th of July Parade...or Fireworks...or County Fair...or State Fair, for that matter.

Thank goodness for books...plants...painting...basking and North Patio Beach!

Back on the 4:3 and lost 1 whole pound this week.

Go Me!!!

                                   " Me...on a day I finally get to fix food."

Only 9 pounds left to go!

I CAN do this.

Don't mind the whining...I always whine when I first start back...600 calories seems like no food when you have been pigging out for weeks!

~laughing~

Nicole is 35 today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, hon!





We have a Girls Day with cake and wine and chat planned for Friday!

Can't Wait!

Spent a lot of this week basking and playing in the plants.

Sofi supervised, of course.

                                          "I'm watching you..."  ~Sofi

The rain, heat and sunshine has just made the plants go crazy.

From this...

to this...





and more...


 











                          
                                 "Hey, these aren't REAL, Mom!"  _Sofi







                                                Guarding the Roses.

Two additional Hostas arriving this week.

Remulching my borders and a few more flowers...and basically finished until Fall.

A pretty shaded spot to read and sip tea.

Watching the Covid numbers rise again...

In the US from

18,000 new cases

then 20,000 additional new cases

then 22,000 more new cases

then yesterday we added 25,000 new cases...for a total of 85,000 new cases in 4 days.

Total in the US right now

1,967,273 cases 

 111,408 deaths


Total Worldwide

6,885,120 cases

699,003 deaths


Forget the second wave...we haven't even finished the first one yet.

And then there were the protests and riots this week.










And Trump's new nickname

Bunker Boy

(...after hiding in the WH bunker during the riots with the lights off...) 


                            "Turn the lights off, Mel. We're out of candy."

and the 9 foot high fence (playpen?) they have erected around The White House...

(...first time in my life...)

And seriously...if you have to build a wall to keep the people you are suppose to be defending/supporting/leading OUT...you've already lost...

Okay?

The rest of the officers in the George Floyd murder now arrested and charged.

The protests mostly peaceful now.

And the gay sex workers of DC have organized and are in the midst of outing
Lady G...

You might know him as Lindsey Graham.

Personally, I feel sorry for the old queen.
We've all known for a long time, and it must be pretty damned stuffy in that closet after 64 years...but my sympathy is tempered by the bile and vicious attacks he has wrought on the GLBT community and the utter hypocrisy of it all.

Strom Thurmond and his black daughter comes to mind.

Yeah...it has been a week.

And they are finally removing Bobby Lee

 Not one to be outdone the residents of Bristol, England also took matters into their own hands and rolled the statue of 17th Century Slaver Edward Colston into a nearby canal.



And Ben and Jerry's has came out with another new flavor: Social Justice



Back to my Cinderella Morning...then relaxing (and basking) for the rest of the weekend!

Hang in there....


Gadget after this week...


You know it has been rough when even the kitty facepalms. 




















Friday, June 5, 2020

Virtual Islands: Tuamotu


Okay, Lovegrove is completely forgiven.

What a wonderful place to end our Island Adventures!

The French Polynesian.

80 degree weather...sugar white beaches...rum drinks and black Tahitian pearls.

Not sure it gets much better than this!

The island group is a semi-autonomous holding of overseas France.

The main economy tourism and Black Pearls...which are farmed here.

Formed by the black-lipped oyster naturally in the French Polynesia.


Not only are the saltwater pearl sizes much bigger...but the shells are so large that farmers who seed these can seed 4 or 5 pearls in one shell.

Although they are called black pearls...they can vary from silvery dove grey to jet black with beautiful iridescent overlay

 and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.





Before we sprawl on a beach with an umbrella drink...let's tour one of the pearl farms!










Pearl Farming

https://youtu.be/Y7X3mqAXGoE

Tour

https://youtu.be/gFBsQaTS67E

At last, to become Tahitian Pearl Jewelry...known worldwide!






Now about that drink!










I hope you have enjoyed
The 20 Islands
this
Spring!





Until our next
Virtual Adventure!