The weather this past weekend would seem to indicate that summer is upon us here in Southeastern Massachusetts. It was warm and humid and I loved every minute of it. It’s the kind of weather that makes you want to get out of the kitchen and cook on the grill. You have to have something to go with that stuff that you grilled, though, and I think the perfect thing is a salad. So let’s talk about 10 Things To Put in a Salad . . .

1. Lettuce. We might as well start with the obvious. I prefer to stay far away from iceberg, though. I love romaine and I love early spring greens the best.
2. Tomatoes. Home grown is my preference but I’ll settle for store bought if they are little cherry tomatoes. I love how they burst in your mouth.
3. Cucumbers. Again, make mine fresh from the garden.
4. Carrots and celery. It’s nice to have some crunch in there.
5. Onion. Only a little and I prefer vidalia.
6. Chick peas. They add lots of fiber and some interesting texture.
7. Hard boiled egg. I love the color and it’s nice to add some protein to your salad, too.
8. A little cheese – not too much but some shredded cheddar is good. Or Feta if you are making a Greek salad.
9. Black olives. Straight out of the can is good but go with kalamata if you are craving Mediterranean flavors.
10. Croutons. I love the big ones made from dark rye bread, they add awesome crunch, texture and flavor.

This was easy and I never even got to talk about adding grilled meat, chicken or shrimp, some nuts, and types of salad  dressings. I think those could be in a post all by themselves.

Bring on summer! Bring on the salad!

If you know how small the Star of Bethlehem Flower is then you know that this bee is a very wee bee. He was covered in pollen and quite blissful about the whole thing, I believe.

I’m blissful at the thought of a 3 day weekend! I hope yours is a great one and I’ll see you all on Tuesday.

On Tuesday I stayed home from work to go to a doctor’s appointment. I had been feeling crummy for a week but thought it was allergies. Then I went to see my doctor and he diagnosed me with an ear infection and upper respiratory infection. So much for allergies. My point isn’t to garner sympathy but to set the stage as to why I was home to witness what I witnessed on Tuesday morning. Ready?

I was sitting on the couch with my coffee and the laptop when Mason, my Siamese cat, came up from the basement with a chipmunk in his mouth. He frequently comes upstairs with moles but I saw the tail of this little creature as Mason paraded proudly by and I recognized it immediately as a chipmunk. “Crap, I thought, I hope that thing is dead.” Mason marched himself around the dining room a couple of times and then set his capture down. The chipmunk ran like lightening into the kitchen showing me that he was indeed very much alive.

At this point I’m pretty sure I yelled “oh shit!” as I stuffed my feet into my slippers. I went into the kitchen and found Mason staring under the washing machine in the corner. “At least I know where he is,” I sighed and I picked up the phone to call Dale, who told me to just sit tight because he’d be home in 30 minutes and he’d take care of it.

Mason soon lost interest in staring under the appliance and he found a sunny spot and went to sleep. I kept a watchful eye on the kitchen door and figured the little bugger had either found a way back down to the dirt cellar or he was just hiding out where Mason had seen him last. I also posted the incident on Facebook, of course.

Dale got home and reached for my grandfather’s Masonic sword which we have hanging on the wall in the dining room. He donned a pair of gloves, I suppose for the same reason that I put on my slippers, and he got a flashlight and he handed me a broom. He told me he was going to run the sword back and forth under the washer and dryer in the hopes that the chipmunk would come scurrying out. When he did, I was supposed to sweep him out the open kitchen door with my broom. I climbed up on a chair and stood at the ready with the broom while Dale swished around under the appliances.

He came up with a lot of dust and some missing cat toys but didn’t manage to roust the chipmunk so he climbed up on the washing machine and shone the flashlight down. Sure enough, there was the chipmunk, crouched under the gas pipe.  Dale tried in vain to reach him with the sword, still hoping he would run out for me to sweep outside. He had no luck. And then, in the words of the Grinch, he got an idea. An awful idea. Dale got a wonderful, awful idea! Next thing I knew, he had gone out to the garage and come back with his leaf blower. I laughed but he was determined so he climbed back up on the washing machine and turned on that leaf blower and aimed it at the chipmunk.

Sure enough, within seconds, the chipmunk ran out from under the washer. He stopped when he got behind the cat’s litter box. I nudged the box with the broom from my position of safety standing on the chair. And Dale turned the leaf blower towards the litter box. Guess what happens when you hit a cat’s litter box with a blast from a leaf blower? Yeah, you get cat litter all over the kitchen. You also get a scared little chipmunk to come out from behind the box, though.

He ran right in front of me and I used my broom like a hockey stick and I shot that little guy right out the kitchen door. He somersaulted down the steps, shook himself off, and ran in the opposite direction. I have a feeling he might still be running.

In the meantime, we are left with this small souvenir.

A piece of the chipmunk’s tail that the cat managed to bite off just as the poor thing ran under the washing machine.

And that, my friend’s, is my chipmunk’s tale. Or tail. Take your pick.

I don’t want to give too much away concerning Dale’s upcoming birthday party since some of my readers will be guests but I guess I can tell you that we are having an old-fashioned carnival in honor of the birthday boy. It’s quite appropriate for my husband since he’s truly just a big kid. I’ve been gathering ideas for decorations and activities for months and one of the things I wanted was colorful pinwheels. I decided to make them myself and I thought you all might enjoy seeing how I did it.

For supplies you will need 12X12 scrapbook paper in coordinating colors and patterns, wooden dowels, glass head pins in assorted colors, spray adhesive, and beads. You might also find it helpful to have a quilting mat and rotary cutter.

Begin by matching up your scrapbook papers – I chose one solid paper and one printed paper but you could put coordinating solids or prints together. Use the spray adhesive to glue the wrong sides of the paper together and let them dry overnight.

Now you need to cut those 12X12 sheets into four 6X6 squares. I used my rotary cutter and quilting mat for this but you could do it with scissors or an exacto knife.

One you have all those squares cut up you need to mark the center of each square with a dot – I used a black sharpie. Make 4 more dots 1/2 inch from that center dot to make a square. You should have  a total of 5 dots at this point. Use your rotary cutter to cut diagonally from each corner to each dot, leaving the center uncut.

To make the pinwheel shape, gently bring one of the points to the center, being careful not to crease the paper.  Continue around the square bringing every other point to the center and then hold them in place with a glass head pin. Push the pin through all four points and through the black dot you made at the center of the square.

Put a bead or two, depending on the size of your beads, on the end of the pin on the backside of the pinwheel and then carefully push the pin into the end of a wooden dowel.

Use pliers to bend the end of the pin back into the wood to secure it in place.

And there you have it – a fun, festive, and colorful pinwheel.

Truthfully, not all of these spin very well. The paper is a bit heavy and I probably could have used bigger beads.

I honestly don’t mind, though, because they look just the way I pictured and they will be awesome as centerpieces on the tables.

Now go forth and make your own pinwheels!

Sunday morning found me sitting on the sofa, desperately trying to think of a topic for Ten on Tuesday. I glanced around me, hoping for inspiration, and my eyes fell on the current Vermont Country Store catalog, which I had been flipping through before bed Saturday night. (I lead an exciting life, don’t I?) Anyway, I found my inspiration and this week’s topic: 10 Favorite Mail Order Catalogs.

1. Penzey’s. Love their spice, love their recipes.
2. Country Curtains. They are pricey but they always have something that works in my home.
3. Vermont Country Store. If you are looking for old-fashioned stuff that you can’t find in the store anymore, they probably have it here.
4. L.L. Bean. Simply the best.
5. King Arthur Flour. They have every baking supply in the world, it seems.
6. Victorian Trading Company. I have occasionally found very cool things I can use for reenacting.
7. The Company Store. I love them for towels and bedding.
8. Plow and Hearth. I dream about having a backyard like the ones in their catalog.
9. WEBS. Do I even need to explain?
10. Keepsake Quilting. I don’t even quilt much anymore but I still love to pore over the fabric in this catalog.

I must admit that I don’t get as excited about catalogs as I did before the days of the internet but I do still enjoy sitting down with a  cup of tea and a favorite catalog.

I got my first tattoo in 2000, the year tattooing became legal in Massachusetts. It was a simple vine and a couple of flowers above my right ankle. I have since added to that tattoo and gotten two others but when I got that first one I distinctly remember Dale saying, “good for you, I love it, but it’s not for me. I’ll never get a tattoo.”

Fast forward 11 years . . .

Dale now has a tattoo.

His inspiration for the design comes from his love for Civil War history and reenacting. The arm and sword is the arm of Myles Standish from the Massachusetts State Flag as depicted on the original Massachusetts Volunteer Militia button used by the soldiers from our beloved commonwealth.

It’s perfect for him. And you know what I said? “Good for you, I love it, I’m glad you decided it is for you after all. And now I need to get another tattoo.”

I call this one Raindrops Keep Falling on my Geraniums. C’mon sun!

Have a great weekend, rain or shine!

I’m feeling random but not totally random. That means it’s time for some lists of 3.

random picture of random craft ribbon

Three things about television:

1. I’m sad that Brothers and Sisters hasn’t been renewed for the fall. I really enjoyed that show.
2. I’m happy that Grey’s Anatomy will be back. I didn’t have any doubts about this but it’s still nice to know for sure.
3. I’m totally bummed that Oprah is done. I’ve watched her since I was in college and I can’t imagine my afternoons without her. She has shaped the way I think in so many ways and I will miss connecting with her wisdom, generosity, and intellect.

Three things about books:

1. I just finished listening to Bonfire of the Vanities. I never read it back in the 80s but I’d always meant to get to it. I’m glad I finally did. It was odd to think back to a world without cell phones and the internet.
2. I am currently listening to Water for Elephants and enjoying it immensely.
3. I am currently reading Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson. I always enjoy her mysteries and love that they are interspersed with recipes.

Three things about my hobbies:

1. I just scored a used Wollee Winder and 3 bobbins for my Schacht Matchless. It was an excellent deal and I’m so happy about this since it means I can now sell my Lendrum.
2. When I do sell the Lendrum I will put the money towards a new lens for my camera.
3. I’m happily knitting red socks for a friend and a cabled sweater for Hannah.

If I’m counting correctly I’ve got 3 lists of 3 and that means I’m done. Happy Thursday, friends, it’s almost the weekend.

There’s something I like to do outside that I didn’t mention yesterday. I like to hang out in our tipi. I know, I know, I’ve never told you about the tipi. And technically it’s not ours, it just lives in our garage and belongs to Dale’s Boy Scout troop. The cool thing about providing storage, though, is that we can occasionally set it up and enjoy it.

And that’s what we did on Sunday. And by “we” I mean that Dale set it up and I enjoyed it.

Have you ever been inside a tipi? They are fairly spacious and structurally quite beautiful.

The poles reach towards the sky and the white canvas stretches over them.

We listened to music while we were out there. We started with Native American dance and pow wow music but then morphed to folk music. It was relaxing and wonderful.

We had ourselves a little fire in the tipi. We didn’t need it much for warmth but it helped take away the dampness of the day.

As evening fell we cooked a steak over that fire. The tipi smelled fantastic then and Dale declared that was just about the best steak he’d ever had.

I’m sure the neighbors think we are weirdos but honestly, I don’t care. It’s so awesome to be able to go out in the backyard but feel like you’re a million miles away.

You just can’t beat that feeling.

We’ve been having a lot of rain lately and it’s a little frustrating. I want to be outside and yet I can’t be outside without getting wet. On the other hand, this wet weather has made me truly appreciate the sunny days we have had. All of this is just a lead up to this week’s topic, 10 Favorite Things to do Outside.

1. Sit. It may be a great indicator of my laziness to post this first but I truly love to just sit outside. It can be on my deck or on the grass or on the back steps, I just love sitting outside and breathing it all in.
2. Knit. This sort of goes with #1 but it’s different. Sometimes I really do just sit. And sometimes I sit and knit, it all depends on my mood.
3. Take pictures. You can’t beat natural light and the best way to get it is to take your camera outside and just start shooting.
4. Bike ride. I love my pretty Electra bike and I love to be outside riding it. It makes me feel like a little kid.
5. Spin. The season for spinning outside is short around here since I can’t spin when it’s humid but I adore those glorious early summer days when I can take the wheel out on the deck and spin in the sunshine.
6. Go for a walk. My favorite walk is the walk to the river where my brother-in-law and his wife live. It’s  a good length for a walk and the scenery is lovely. I’m actually wondering why I don’t do it more often.
7. Eat. Dining al fresco is a wonderful thing and I do it whenever the weather cooperates.
8. Garden. I’ll admit I have to force myself to do this but once I do I always enjoy it. I love the smell of the dirt and (this may be a little crazy) but the plants feel like little people to me and that makes me want to care for them.
9. Read. This is especially enjoyable under the shade of a beautiful tree.
10. Camp. I know I don’t have a lot of company in my love of camping but I stick by it – it’s fun and relaxing and one of the best ways to enjoy being outside.

Writing this list has made me want to shut off the computer and go outside. If only it would stop raining.