Isn't this the coolest!
Jacob made this especially for me!
Jacob and I are enjoying our Pronto Pups and Poncho Dogs
and so on.....we'll fill you in on every bite when we return!
Robyn
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY! Grampa's Birthday
Monday we celebrated
my Dad's birthday!
With a little dinner on the patio.
I got to use my new $3 cake pan from Marshall's.
It worked beautifully.
I used the lemon cake recipe from
one of our Foodie Friday recipes.
Everyone loved it.
It was so moist and lemon-y!
(I used a bit of cocoa to darken the batter for the center.)
Poor Grampa had to peel the Idaho potatoes
for his own birthday dinner.
We had roasted & boiled
Corn-on-the-Cob!
We had it both ways, because
Grampa wanted it
and it was his
birthday afterall.
I preferred the roasted.
It was basted with melted butter,
minced garlic, S&P,
and a squeeze of lime juice.
The best part was the breaded fish.
Grampa's favorite.
He loves it dredged in flour,
than the egg wash, & the crushed Premium Saltines
the good old-fashioned way.
Look at how crispy and delicious it is....
I used my little deep fryers out on the patio.
I just love this little thing,
and notice my beautiful extension cord.
It was custom-made especially for me,
by my future electrician!
This is as close as I am going to get to an outdoor kitchen.
We have such short summers and cold winters
that I couldn't justify installing one.
Meanwhile, we had a visitor to our garden.
One that wanted to get in on the BRP*
(Bunny Relocation Program)
A Possum!
Look at those teeth!
&
Look at those gross crusty claws - YIKES!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Happy Pink Saturday!
I've just gotta share
my beautiful Dahlia's
with you again today.
I finally had the time to read this book.
Now I'm off for #2.
I thought I saw them on a rack
at Marshall's.
I hope they are still there....
Meanwhile, I'm off to check out
all of the other pinkies out there today....
@
Robyn
Thursday, August 20, 2009
You are Gonna Wish...
By the time you are done reading this
you are going to wish this was
Wordless Wednesday....
Let's start off with a pic of Miles.
As you know, he has been diagnosed
with allergies and raging ear infections.
Well, if you ever had a dog with ear infections,
then you know what they entails.
Trying to give your dog pills!
The first day he took them as good as gold.
I thought, Hmmmm! This is going to be easy.
NOT!
The next day, I brought out the whipped cream.
He loves, loves, loves that. And it worked
like a charm. Until, (there's always the until)
Jacob opened his trap and told Gramma all about it.
How we covered his pills in whipped cream and
he couldn't get enough of it. Well, the dog can
still hear. He heard every word of it. So, to make
a long story short, he wouldn't touch the whipped cream
the next day. He wouldn't even look at it. He turned
his head away. I forced the pill into his yap.
He spit it out as fast as can be. He went as far
as to step on the pill to hide it - I kid you not!
Wednesday was Squirty Cheese from the can.
Okay, that worked. But not on Thursday.
Thursday was peanut butter. It didn't work.
I had to be a tiny bit mean. I had to force it.
But he still loves me.
He came back and kissed me later.
(We have a few more days to go...)
I've been fertilizing my patio pots
faithfully this summer and here
are the results!
But...I 'm not sure what to say about this little guy.
Did he get too much water?
Not enough water?
I just bought him last weekend
from the Home Depot.
Would you take it back?
That would be embarrassing!
I should do it -
just to mortify Jacob.
I've had requests for shots of the back yard....
I must say - Jacob has done a beautiful with the lawn.
He is the main man on the lawn mower!
This shot is from the patio
looking straight back to the shed.
This is from the swing
looking back to the patio.
And here is the back of the house....
(Above there is a pic of Jacob's
log cabin.)
Woo Hoo! I'm having a ripe tomato!
I see a BLT in the near future.
The Bee has sprouted BEANS!
How kind of those silly rabbits to leave me
one very pretty Canterbury Bells.
I planted at least 7 this year.
I bought a few cucumbers the other day
because I was hungry for
Refrigerator Pickles, and so was my Dad.
The usual ingredients...
cucumbers, sliced onion, S&P, a bit of sugar
and white vinegar.
No real recipe - it's all to taste.
You'll want to be sure to use lots of pepper!
It's better that way. Trust me.
Be sure to refrigerate -
they are way better that way, too.
Last but not least....
Ta Da!
A few of the offenders
have been relocated
in the
BRP*!
(*The Bunny Relocation Program)
They are darn cute though, aren't they?
But keep in mind....
These stems used to be Coneflowers!
See, I told you
you would have preferred
Wordless Wednesday!
Robyn
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
How I Spent My Summer Vacation... (Part 3) Outdoor Wednesday Edition
For those of you
that have been following along,
you know that we have traveled
"up north" to the
Mississippi River Headwaters.
On our return leg of this vacation,
we stopped at the
Blanchard Dam
to search for
Cross Rocks.
Cross Rocks or Staurolites
or sometimes they are called
Fairy Stones can only be found
in a few places of the United States.
If you want to read more about it
you can click here.
It looks like Amanda is not afraid
to get her hands dirty!
Ask Jacob -
That water was pretty darn cold!
Here are some of the prisms
but not a very good cross in the bunch...
I guess we have to keep at it!
Almost....
They were not ready to give up
until they found a cross!
Way to Go
Amanda!
Jacob brought these specimens home.
He wants to chisel away at them
this summer.
I think that a few crosses are imbedded in them.
What do you think?
Outdoor Wednesday
and
Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer
is just a click away.
Robyn
Three or More!!!
Today I am joining
Tam
for
I thought that you would enjoy
a few of the Dahlia's
from my garden.
As you know, the Bunnies have done their share
of damage to my garden this year.
I've never had them munch down a Dahlia before...
So I am especially excited to see these blooms!
I originally planted about
a dozen sets of tubers.
I believe about half
actually survived.
Somebody please remind me
to use chicken wire next spring.
Robyn
Sunday, August 16, 2009
How I Spent My Summer Vacation... (Part 2) Blue Monday Edition
For those of you that have been
following along...
We traveled
"up north"
to the northwestern corner of Minnesota.
As we traveled from the Twin Cities
we stopped at many of the Antique
and Hardware stores along the way.
As you can see by this picture
Jacob may have died
and gone to heaven....
This was a future electrician's,
lamp collector & builder's
dream come true.
Jacob walked into this shop...
decided he needed a Monowatt
something of another
turnkey socket to complete
some sort of lamp...
He lost me -
but not the proprietor of this shop!
The man was giddy that
he was so knowledge-able
about such things.
He allowed Jacob to enter
the back room and the basement
of this antique lamp shop.
(I promptly followed - you never know
now-a-days...)
There were shelves everywhere
littered with every lamp part imaginable.
Inside these drawers were parts that I never
knew existed on lamps.
I was soon set straight that they are highly patented
& highly collected across the country.
I guess that lamp parts are
a hot commodity
for historical societies
that are re-furbishing
homes and buildings.
The man offered Jacob
a job if he wanted it.
I thought of Sally@Salmagundi
and her husband when I saw this chair.
If I had room in my Escape
I would have brought this home!
I could see these chairs painted
and recovered in a large
buffalo check fabric.
How about you?
Here's the blue part, Sally.
Hamm's Beer used to be brewed
around these parts.
"From the Land of Sky Blue Waters....
Comes the Beer Refreshing,
Hamm's the Beer Refreshing,
Hamm's"
This hutch was only $300!
$300!!!
and then I turned around....
because that's all I could do.
This place was a fire hazard.
Honestly. You could hardly
walk into this room.
More chairs, Rue.
And Woo Hoo....
vinyl!
This was Jacob's kind of vacation!
Everywhere he turned
he found something he HAD to HAVE!
Poor Miles.
When we returned
from our vacation
we discovered Miles had
allergies and raging ear infections.
$400 later he's feeling
as good as gold.
Stay tuned....
more vacation pix to follow!
Robyn
Friday, August 14, 2009
The How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Pink Saturday Extra!
If you're a Minnesotan,
and you travel "up north"
to the lake -
You have to make a pit stop
at
It's a tourist trap
overstuffed with
every "kitschy" item imaginable.
for great pix of the place.
As you can see,
I didn't get out of the place
without having to buy
something...
It's located
just right up Highway 10
in Royalton, MN.
About 90 miles north of the Twin Cities.
You can have free ice,
a free cookie and free water!
Who can pass that up?
Stay tuned...
more vacation pix to follow!
Robyn
PS: Don't forget to visit Beverly
for more
Pink Saturday
Monday, August 10, 2009
How I Spent My Summer Vacation... (Part 1)
Come along with us as we explore
the headwaters of
The Mississippi River.
This interpretive center is located
in
Itasca State Park,
which is located
about 225 miles
northwest of the
Twin Cities,
in Minnesota.
It is an extensive state park
with lots to offer.
Today we will just discover the
the Mississippi River.
With just a short walk...
We're just about there...
It's great to stretch your legs
after that long car ride.
Here's a bit of history....
A look at some of the fauna....
(more pix to follow - later this week)
And here we are!
We've made it!
Joining Jacob and I on our vacation
is my niece, Amanda.
This is a view of Lake Itasca.
As you can see,
we had overcast skies.
It was a cool 70 degrees.
You can cross the river this way...
Or this way!
Or what the heck,
This Way!
The water was quite chilly!
(All of that digging my toes in the sand
wrecked my pedicure.)
But look at how clean and clear
the water is at the source!
Stay tuned...
more vacation pix to follow
this week!
Robyn
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