A few weeks ago I was given a gift certificate from the Glengarry Pioneer Museum for volunteering at the book sale.
The gift certificate was for Two Doorz Down, an old fashioned ice cream parlour in Maxville, Ontario about a 10 minute ride from here.
They serve delicious Kawartha Dairy ice cream, which is kind of hard to find in eastern Ontario.
And they offer quite a few flavours from which to choose.
Decisions, decisions.
Richard chose first and went for Death by Chocolate...
...and so did I!
This month's artist trading cards have a "wood" theme because our trade is being held in the midst of Wood Fair at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum. Our little hall (just down the road from the actual museum) will feature three speakers (tree identification, bird housemaking, and wild edibles). Our trade coincides with the birdhouse makers! So we decided that this round we'd try a themed ATC trade. I watercoloured different varieties of trees, identified by their unique leaves.
The local store I shop at for kitty litter and water softener salt also sells stuff for farmer's livestock. They also have kittens for adoption running around the place.
In one corner, ducklings and chicks as well as bunnies and guinea pigs are in a large pen. The kittens couldn't help themselves and had to get in and see what was up.
Okay, now what do we do?
Okay, here's someone who kinda looks like me, except for the ears...
Hey this guy is smaller than me...wanna be friends?
So, like, wanna be buds?
Bunny and kitten meeting on the windowsill. The kitten was after a fly. The bunny was after the kitten. Hmm. Sounds like a song.
In the end, everyone seemed to get along quite well. I could barely pull myself away to continue with my shopping. Too cute!
Driving in the countryside near my house is usually pretty beautiful and never very traffic-heavy. But this was a traffic stopper! Look carefully.
Someone had mowed the name "Elvis" into the lawn. Now, do you think Elvis is living in that little white house, or is the lawn-mower merely making a statement?
Being invited to a few impromptu potluck dinners lately, I've had to throw together a last minute dish to bring along. This salad was made from ingredients I had around the house...either in the garden or in the fridge...and it was a real hit.
We were invited to an impromtu swim and potluck supper the other afternoon.
The dogs weren't too sure about the swimming thing...
...but eventually decided to give it a go.
I love this shot...the quintissential "here's summer" photo!
The stone dock was created by my friend Susan...
...as was the walkway to her house, embedding different bits and bobs into cement blocks.
Her studio, built by her, is also pretty interesting.
On our way back to the house, the sun was setting.
Lovely reflections in the old glass.
Eight-foot tall sunflowers in their garden.
Food prep in the setting sun.
The funkiest kitchen table ever, with splashes and layers of paint so it never looks dirty.
And the post-dinner drinks enjoyed by the pond with a bonfire. Ahhh, summer.
Saturday night was spent at a friend's house in the village of Dunvegan (I live in Dunvegan's suburbia!), a town of 70 people (on a good day).
Every view of Greg's house in the setting sun was a picture.
See what I mean?
Nice, eh?
The food was beautiful too.
And how could a visit to a friend's house not include a cat or two?
Blossom, one of his cats, is gorgeous but terribly camera-shy.
These glads are the stars of my late summer garden. Last spring I traded corms with a gal from exercise class and ended up with a pile of yellow glads and some lovely red striped ones.
I think my favourite are these ones that are called "chocolate."
This is a recipe that my great aunt Lily (my grandmother's sister) used to make. She lived in South Jersey amongst many wonderful farmers and always had a plethora of cucumbers. Aunt Lil always added sliced tomatoes, and I usually do too but I didn't have any ripe ones yet.
All amounts are approximate. Mix together about 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt and pepper. Add sliced cucumbers and Spanish or Vidalia onions. And sliced tomatoes if you have them. Top with chopped fresh dill. Stir. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day you'll have a delicious marinated cucumber salad. Serve with a slotted spoon to drain.
With the current heat wave, the gardens are in full throttle. But you've got to remember to take time to smell the phlox!
My Asiatic lilies were as nice as they've ever been. This is the first year I had five blooms on a stem.
Very, very pretty.
My gladiolas are starting to go mad too. The first ones that have bloomed are from my mother's collection. She loved this amazing, bright red colour. (More glad pics will be coming; stay tuned.)
I always plant a package of nasturtiums to run along one of the out buildings behind my house.
Pretty...and edible too.
The lettuce is still producing but it'll be past its prime in a few days with this heat.
And the carrots are kicking in. What's up, doc?