Saturday, July 25, 2009

This Blueberry Pie...


is the most amazing thing ever. I worked at the Bowdoinham Farmers Market this morning, which is always a treat for me. I get to hang out with some neat people while selling delicious berries and veggies from a farm I truly believe in, all while making a little extra cash.

So with this extra cash today I chose to buy a blueberry pie. This isn't just any pie, mind you. This pie is homemade with love by a wonderful 12 year old named Libby. She and her friend Julia were there today with the Sprouts program (a program in Bowdoinham for kids to sell their wares at the Farmers Market).

I have to say that I have eaten other delicious treats made by Libby last summer, but this pie takes the cake! I believe the crust is homemade and the blueberries are picked by Libby and friends at an undisclosed location. They sell 3 different sizes: personal, medium, and full-on pie size!

So I'm sitting here enjoying my pie for lunch/snack while my successful first attempt at making potato salad cools in the fridge.

The kids should be home soon from the Wildlife Park (turtle exhibit) and then we're off to Uncle Jerm's for a BBQ this evening.

Why is it that when the sun comes out, my day just seems to get better and better?

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down...

That's one of my favorite scenes from Disney's Winnie the Pooh movie. The rain pours down and poor little Piglet gets washed away in a hunny pot.

That's kind of how I'm feeling these days. Aside from a few random days of sunshine and "warm" temps, these past few months have been filled with rain pouring down. I'm afraid that one of these days I'll come home to my kids floating down the flooded driveway in beach buckets.

In some ways, though, I kind of don't mind it. When it's raining I don't feel as bad about leaving for work and spending 9 hours away from home. When I stayed home I loved the warm sunny weather because we could do anything we wanted and spent much time outside. Now the only thing I feel bad about is leaving poor Bobby home all day without a car, stuck inside a tiny house with 2 extremely active children.

So now, it's 8:30 pm, pouring rain outside, with nothing exciting on tv. I have made myself a nice cup of hot tea with hunny :) and I'm going to curl up in the recliner with my latest book (The Gatecrasher, by Madeleine Wickham, aka Sophie Kinsella of Shopaholic fame). It's taken me a while to get into reading it as I don't have endless summer days to lounge around & read anymore, but I have plenty of quiet (and probably rainy) summer evenings to myself - just perfect for catching up with my favorite authors.

Now I just wish the library was open on weekends :(

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Letter to the Sun

Mr. Sun?
Is that really you? I can't believe you're really here. And on a weekend. I am so excited to actually feel your warmth and bask in your lovely rays of light. It finally makes it feel like summer.

We have seen so little of you lately. Where have you been? Have you been hiding? Have you been sick? Have you been cheating on us with others who have been enjoying your warm glow?

It makes me sad to think that you have been away for so long without telling us why. Why have you let those evil clouds take over your righful place in the sky? Why have you allowed the rain to soak us more than necessary? Are you punishing us for always taking advantage of you when you're here?

Either way, I'm glad to see you back in our neck of the woods. Please stay for a while. Don't go away again for such a long period of time. We need you. You make us happy. You keep us warm. We love your seemingly endless light throughout the day.

Thank you, Mr. Sun, for finally coming back to us. I love you.
-Missie

Monday, July 13, 2009

Growing Things




It is that time of year when I want nothing to do with the produce department at the grocery store. My aunt Cathy's vegetables are coming into fruition and I LOVE them. I worked at the Bowdoinham Farmer's Market on Saturday representing Fairwinds Farm. Although it's still a little early for tomatoes and potatoes, there were still quite a few goodies to be had. The zucchini and broccoli almost sold out and I sold out completely of lettuce, summer squash, cabbage, beet greens and strawberries.

My own garden is also doing quite well despite the rain. My tomato plants are huge and hopefully we'll have some peas and green beans soon as well. But my flowers are what I am most proud of. I bought this climbing rose bush at Reny's for only $5 earlier in the spring. I have had 2 full blooms so far and about 6 more that will pop out this week.

And what good is a beautiful summer morning without your best friend to share it with you? (Emma & Patience, ages 6 1/2)


Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Oh Crappy Day.

It's days like this which make me wonder why I have chosen to stay in Maine all my life. It's maybe 60 degrees and damp, rainy, cool and overall just yucky. It's July. If I wanted cold weather in July I'd move to the southern hemisphere. Even with the opportunities we have had to move south to NJ, I still want to be here.

Why, you ask? Well, just read this & you'll understand: http://timesrecord.com/articles/2009/07/07/news/doc4a5385d461a83636826129.txt

It's stories like this that make me realize that I live in the most beautiful state in the nation. Even though I grew up in the middle of a fairly busy town, I still saw deer and moose run through the neighborhood. We can walk to the river and see bald eagles and osprey. And where else can you drive for a couple hours and see both the gorgeous coastline of the Atlantic and the majestic White Mountains in one day?

I truly love it here - despite the crappy weather in July.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Fairwinds Farm


Aaaahhhh, tis the season...
I love my strawberries. And I really love them from my aunt & uncle's farm. Fairwinds Farm in Topsham & Bowdoinham, ME, owned by Pete & Cathy Karonis is by far the best place for strawberries in this area. Despite all the rain we've had this season, they still have a fabulous selection for picking your own. Located off Brown's Point Road in Bowdoinham, it's a little off the beaten path, next to the Kennebec River, but it's beautiful there.
I worked at the field on Saturday before the rain hit, then Bobby & I took the kids picking yesterday morning. In less than an hour we just about filled a flat. Plus I managed to get about 5 quarts on Saturday as well. I now have 3 gallon-sized bags in my freezer full of both whole berries and mashed berries. As soon as I have some free time I'll be making some jam. Yum!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Hi Zack!

Haha. Funny title, I know. I just found out this week that my brother-in-law also reads my blog on occasion, so just a little shout-out there.

So we spent 12 1/2 hours on the road yesterday to get home from NJ. Should have been 8. Lots of traffic and rain. The only state that was good for us was NJ because we were heading north instead of south to the shore. It actually took us an hour just to get from Portland to Bath due to 295 being covered in about an inch of water the whole way. People were hydroplaning everywhere. Scary stuff! Good thing we got new tires last week!

So our vacation was awesome. Of the 5 days we were there we spent 3 at the beach and one at the zoo in Cape May and Ocean City Boardwalk. We always stay with Bobby's brother and his family. His wife, Christa, and I get along really well and their kids are also 6 & 4, just like Emma & Jake. They play so well and fight like cousins, as it should be. We also got to spend time with Bobby's sister, Danielle, and her family at the beach. We always try to get all 7 grandkids together for a picture so we can see how they grow every year. Here's a pic from the beach in Strathmere, taken by Danielle.
Top row: Emma & Jackson; Middle row: Rilee, Reid, Julia, Jake; Bottom row: Marley


So I finally posted a new pic here, after almost a year without one. Now if I could just get pics uploaded from my camera to my computer I could post a million more. I think I need some sort of adaptor or something for that....