What are you doing?

[Addie]

Very true!

Uh oh! Run Mr. Dawg.

 

[Dawgluver]

What? Microwave jam? Details, please...

This actually turned out good, and a great use for "meh" cherries. I put the squished cherries and sugar in a microwave pyrex, covered, nuked on half power for 5 minutes, stirred, and nuked for another 5 minutes. Nuked some more until it got jam-like. I stirred it into some Greek yogurt along with some homemade rhubarb sauce and a T. of honey. DH said it was the best yogurt ever. Cherries and rhubarb are a nice combination.

I guess it was more preserves than jam, but it probably could be used as freezer jam.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Greek yoghurt and cherries are my current breakfast of choice. I like a palm full of sliced almonds in that, too. One of the grocery stores had cherries for $2.99 this week. Not bad for the first batch. Some will be made into clafoutis for dessert tomorrow.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Just finished making the world's smallest potato salad!

I used a half dozen golf ball size red potatoes, one egg, etc...

This is the first potato salad I've made in several years. I did it the old fashioned way by boiling the potatoes in the skins and peeling them as soon as they are drained. I was very happy to only have a few miniature potatoes to peel and not a 10 pound bag, I've lost my asbestos hands!

 

[GotGarlic]

Whew. We are just about packed up and ready to head out to the mountains - we're going to Claytor Lake State Park for the week.

Interesting factoid: the lake was created by building a dam and there's a house at the bottom that was left standing when the lake was filled.

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/claytor-lake

 

[Andy M.]

Whew. We are just about packed up and ready to head out to the mountains - we're going to Claytor Lake State Park for the week.

Interesting factoid: the lake was created by building a dam and there's a house at the bottom that was left standing when the lake was filled.

Claytor Lake State Park

...and that's where you're staying? Cool!

 

[Andy M.]

We invited my daughter, SIL and grandson to come up and use the pool today. Sadly, it's currently 61ºF outside. We'll cook some burgers and dogs for lunch. I made a quick chocolate cake with a ganache to frost it for DD's birthday today. (Also JFK's 99th birthday, FWIW)

 

[GotGarlic]

...and that's where you're staying? Cool!

Yes. DH has rented two six-bedroom lodges for the teachers (each sleeps 16) and a cabin for us. It's gorgeous - out in the Blue Ridge Mountains

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Getting ready for work...tomorrow, I'll be getting some pictures of the front yard.

 

[Cheryl J]

Wow, what a beautiful vacation spot, GG. Have fun!

Princess...looking forward to seeing what you've done with the yard so far!

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I'm looking forward to your photo shoot, too, PF.

Whew. We are just about packed up and ready to head out to the mountains - we're going to Claytor Lake State Park for the week.

Interesting factoid: the lake was created by building a dam and there's a house at the bottom that was left standing when the lake was filled.

Claytor Lake State Park

Those are fine looking cabins, GG. Even nicer than a couple of the time-share resorts I've been in over the years. We've had a couple of stinkers!

One house at the bottom? Eh. The Quabbin Reservoir in central MA, built in the late 1930s to supply water to the Boston area, has four towns underwater. They did move cemetery inhabitants and town monuments and clear the above-ground structures before flooding, but the cellars and roadways still exist, such as they are. Sad and fascinating at the same time.

ONE New England - The Quabbin Reservoir

 

[taxlady]

CG, interesting about the Quabbin Reservoir. Something similar happened when they built the Saint Lawrence Seaway. They moved and demolished nine villages and parts of two other villages in 1958. The Lost Villages. They moved all the graves to St. Lawrence Valley (Union) Cemeteryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Villages

 

[Addie]

I'm looking forward to your photo shoot, too, PF.



Those are fine looking cabins, GG. Even nicer than a couple of the time-share resorts I've been in over the years. We've had a couple of stinkers!

One house at the bottom? Eh. The Quabbin Reservoir in central MA, built in the late 1930s to supply water to the Boston area, has four towns underwater. They did move cemetery inhabitants and town monuments and clear the above-ground structures before flooding, but the cellars and roadways still exist, such as they are. Sad and fascinating at the same time.

ONE New England - The Quabbin Reservoir

During time of excessive drought, the water level becomes low enough that you can see the homes, street lights and even the picket fences. Surprising are the cobblestone streets.

Also, due to the intense diligence of and patrolling of the Reservoir along with the large supply of fish, it was decided that it would be the ideal place to reintroduce Bald Eagles to Massachusetts.

Eagles in Massachusetts

The first egg hatchlings were hand fed with puppets. Today, several pair have been spotted in the Boston area.

 

[GotGarlic]

CG and taxi, I didn't realize that drowning villages for water sources was such a common thing! Can you imagine the outcry if the government tried to do that today?

 

[taxlady]

CG and taxi, I didn't realize that drowning villages for water sources was such a common thing! Can you imagine the outcry if the government tried to do that today?

Yeah, eh?

 

[Addie]

Yeah, eh?

Eminent Domain. It is still active for the better of the masses. Or so they like to tell us. Right now Eastie is in the middle of a building boom. Some of it is on abandoned property, some is bought and some by eminent domain.

 

[Katie H]

Spent a good portion of the morning watering flowers and our container vegetable plants. Did some daily pool maintenance and...


To use a word that's common across the pond, I am "gobsmacked." In less than 20 minutes I spied and plucked 6, yes 6, four-leaf clovers in the back yard. Four were in one small area and the other two were in two other, quite separate, areas from the first bunch.


I wasn't looking. It just seemed that every time I looked down, a four-leaf clover was at my feet. One of them is a bit bedraggled because I think it had an encounter with the mower the last time Glenn mowed. Each of its leaves was somewhat buzz-cut, but still had all four of them.


I'll add them to the two I found in May. Wonder how many I'll have by wintertime?!

 

[Addie]

Spent a good portion of the morning watering flowers and our container vegetable plants. Did some daily pool maintenance and...


To use a word that's common across the pond, I am "gobsmacked." In less than 20 minutes I spied and plucked 6, yes 6, four-leaf clovers in the back yard. Four were in one small area and the other two were in two other, quite separate, areas from the first bunch.


I wasn't looking. It just seemed that every time I looked down, a four-leaf clover was at my feet. One of them is a bit bedraggled because I think it had an encounter with the mower the last time Glenn mowed. Each of its leaves was somewhat buzz-cut, but still had all four of them.


I'll add them to the two I found in May. Wonder how many I'll have by wintertime?!

Gee, can I come and hang out with you? Maybe some of that good luck will rub off on me. Great find!

My granddaughter finds them all the time. She just looks down and there they are.

 

[Addie]

I placed an order late Saturday night with Jet. Two day delivery. I forgot that it was a holiday weekend. I got upset and sent them an inquiry to where was my order Monday afternoon. Within the hour, I had a reply. But while waiting to hear from them, it dawned on me regarding the long holiday. But they do have great customer service. They tracked my order down. It had been sent to the wrong distribution center by the shipper. No mention of the holiday. Apology sent and 20% off my next order. So it is now out for delivery. And no shipping costs. With any other company, considering it would have cost me even more in shipping costs to get it delivered by FedEx and that UPS doesn't make weekend deliveries, and this delivery service does, I am extremely happy. The fact that everything I ordered was tax free also. Amazon now collects Mass. sales tax. Everything I ordered was a taxable item here in Mass.

I am so happy with Jet. No complaints. Great customer service, fast delivery, free shipping, no sales tax. And discounts to add. Will be sending them a 'thank you' note later tonight.

 

[skilletlicker]

I am so happy with Jet. No complaints. Great customer service, fast delivery, free shipping, no sales tax. And discounts to add. Will be sending them a 'thank you' note later tonight.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'd never heard of Jet but spent the last few minutes perusing their site. What do you buy from them? I occasionally order groceries and other stuff from Amazon Prime Pantry and WalMart. Not in love with either.