Landscaping!

Our landscapers are finished. All that remains is pond construction (they did the hard work, the hole) and large pots/planters which we have to purchase and fill with soil. I like the look. Mostly 1 1/2" river rock with on clump of river birch and a half a dozen mugo pines and a few boxwoods. Everything else I want in planters. We have drip irrigation to the plants and I can hook into the irrigation lines to water the planters as we add them.

While the hole for pond is there, much work remains. I am working first on the whole for the skimmer, then I will figure the shape and place e t of the stream. The filter and falls will go at the beginning of that. Then, underlayment, rubber lining, and then rock and planters for the edges. A couple of weeks I think.

This past week I was in Redmond with the family. Not much excitement there but it was good to see John, Kristie, Avery, and Anika.

A couple of weeks ago we traded in our 11 year old, 183,000 mile trusty Volvo on a Cherokee. We call this our Colorado car. Brady named it Snow.

 

Sharon's Home!

Sharon did her ususal Monday to Thursday in Fairlawn, Ohio but then had to tack on three nights in Atlanta. Her brother passed away on Monday and Sharon joined with his family for a service. Sharon had not planned to go, but one of her nieces requested and Sharon, forever the good aunt and friend, said yes. I missed her and was thrilled when I got to pick her up at O'Hare this morning. I am a new man this afternoon with her in the kitchen with me. I can deal with her gone Monday through Thursday but adding a Friday and Saturday was too much.

What is that in the photo you ask? Sweet potatoes grown in a container on our patio. I use sweet potato plants on the patio because they provide beautiful foliage displays in planters. Little did I know I was also farming sweet potatoes. We will cook them and see how home grown sweet potatoes taste.

The photo above is our cranberry liqueur in process. The cranberries have been in the vodka for a week and today I am straining and bottling. After straining I will add some simple syrup and then bottle it.

• Want the recipe?
• 1 pound cranberries
• 1 cup sugar

Add a little water and cook the mixture, stirring, until the cranberries begn to pop. Take off the heat and let this cool for a while.

Put the cooked cranberries in an large glass jar and add:

1.75 Litre bottle of vodka

Zest of 1 orange

Cover and let it sit for a week.

Strain and add simple syrup to taste. Bottle and enjoy.

Required Cat Photo

 

The Week In Review

Insalata Caprese

Spaghetti Carbonara

This has been a busy, interesting, and as usual, wonderful week at Casa Jordan. Food wise our highlights were spaghetti carbonara early in the week shared with Lee who was being a bachelor. We also lamb chops and aubergine casserole on Tuesday and finished the week with another insalata caprese with tomatoes from our garden. Oh, I didn't mention boy's night at Lee's on Wednesday. A little Ouzo, some gyros and lots of conversation with friends. Lee always puts on a good boy's night.

I worried about China plans as I got everything in order so that I feel somewhat under control, Sharon's new camera arrived and I read the manual and took many photos to learn the camera. I've got cameras and memory cards, and batteries, and chargers all sorted and ready to go. I got and tested a travel WIFI router - plug it into wired Internet and out comes WIFI so our iPhones and iPad and Kindle Fire will be connected to the Internet at our hotels. Can't be without WIFI can we? I wonder how Internet access will work in China? Can we get to Picasa? Facebook? This blog? Our e-mail? We shall see. (Sunday July 22nd update - I signed us up with a VPN service for secure WIFI use in China. I might just continue with it when we get back.)

Sharon and I have planned our clothes and shoes for the trip - dressing very light for what will be quite warm weather. I am still anxious about the long flights to Beijing and back from Shanghai. Fourteen plus hours on a plane is an ordeal. I flew to Sidney from LA in 1991 but I don't really remember it except for my layover in LA and going through customs in Sidney. This time we will be in the lap of luxury since we are flying first class so I shouldn't be concerned. Plenty of food and drink and entertainment and lay flat seats for sleeping. From what I have read, we should plan on dinner on the plane one we are in the air and then nightie night for at least six or seven hours sleep. This would mean waking around 6:00 am Chicago time which I think is about noon Beijing time. Then we stay awake until our 11:30 pm Beijing arrival, get our bags, get through customs, ride to the hotel and check in, then sleep until our schedule starts the next morning. We have a full itinerary, but I don't know the specific times of our activities. The planner in me wants to know. NOW! On the other hand I really have no preconceptions of China. Yes, I have some pictures in my mind, but I really do not know what it will be like - except for a totally new experience. We will be seeing things we have never seen, eating things we have never eaten, hearing new sounds, meeting new people. All exciting!

Miata At The Arboretun

Arboretum

The weather moderated this week and it was pleasant to be out side. I spent several hours in the Morton Arboretum walking and photographing on Wednesday. It was warm in the sun especially in the prairie section, it was quite still in the woods, but all lovely. The pine trees on the West side of the Arboretum are not looking healthy. I wonder if our drought has something to do with this.

Colbyetta did housecleaning on Monday and Tuesday - the usual vacuuming and mopping and picking up. No dusting though. Shame on Colbyetta! Then there was the usual work on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I can't wait to get out of the humidor and back onto the sales floor.

Friday night I went to Bistro Monet and sat at the bar waiting for Sharon to come out of the kitchen. I was the only one in the bar until Steve and Marge came in for dessert, but they ate and ran. Sharon joined me and we had a bite and were gone. I had a wonderful salad of grilled tomatoes and spicy diced chicken and then mushroom caps and escargot in a rich garlic sauce. Two appetizers and I am done! Sharon had soup and frites. I brought over a bottle of Owen Roe Pinot Noir that was a Sam's closeout from almost three years ago, It was wonderful.

Tonight we had ensalata caprese and a whole snapper crusted with pesto. Mmmm. It was good, And then now I am blogging and relaxing. I hope to be able to do this daily while in China. We shall see. If I can't keep up or get the blog posted, I'll do it when I return. 

This week a crazy person with multiple guns killed and wounded many people in a theatre in Colorado. It is sickening and sad and will not change anything in this country where the NRA, likely backed by gun manufacturers and sellers convince the rest of this country that guns are good. They are not, and more guns do not make us safer. But, this will not change. The voices of reason have been silenced by the money of the NRA. Read Roger Ebert's thoughts on this. They echo mine. In this country we seem to be willing to live with gun violence. We should not, but we do.

Water Lilly In Our Pond

Shelby

 

Sharon Takes a Picture of Colby!

Shelby and L,C,

Mike

Lindsey

Jared At Binny's

Art from Madrid On Our Wall!

Sharon

First Tomatoes

Insalata Caprese

The first tomatoes from our garden this year made a wonderful insalata caprese. All of our plants were volunteers that grew from seeds left from last season's compost and all are wonderful. We shared our bounty with Linda and Marge and had a grand time.