Summer's Winding Down - Bring on Fall!

Time's passage continues to amaze me. Isaac goes back to school next week, I've been given more responsibilities and hours at work and I start training next week for them.

$400 in my hands - glad I didn't drop it!

We went to the family reunion for a couple of days and it was a joyous, raucous affair, as I figured it would be. I even partook in a $400 bottle of wine, courtesy of the coolest brother in the world. Because of him I discovered a hat that actually looks fabulous on me (I never believed such a thing existed) - a fedora he got in New Orleans. I wore it both evenings, since it really didn't go with my leopard print bikini I wore during the day. Sitting around the campfire I said, "You know I'm leaving with this, right?" Aren't I a precocious little thing?! He should've slapped me upside the head and said no, but chuckled in resignation instead. I'm sending the fabulous hat back. It's been sitting on my dresser since we returned, screaming to be worn and I have no place to wear it. Sacrilege! His FB profile pic is him standing in a vineyard, just after planting a vine (the winery he works for just planted their first vineyard in June) wearing the hat.  It belongs with him. I'll just scour the store's website when I have the extra scratch to acquire one like it.

Three rows deep to start the week - plus the white in the
cooler (not pictured)

The weekends between then and now were spectacularly dreary... Filled with gross widow sill cleaning, Isaac room cleaning and whole-house cleaning. Today has been lovely! Only my regular amount of cleaning, I did some kickboxing and actually got dressed! Since I was tethered to grossness for much of the waking hours of the two weekends passed, I didn't bother changing out of my workout clothes - until I showered and went to bed.

Isaac has a friend spending the night - it's wonderful! He's not wandering around the house aimlessly because he's used up all his screen time (he has an allotted three hours a day). I ran out to do a couple of errands and FINALLY stopped at a farm stand I drive by two times a day, every day of the work week. One of the most charming things about this little nook of New England in which I live is the abundance of homes with serious gardeners who sell the fruits of their labor at stands they put up by the road - complete with scales and lock boxes for money. Honor system! Last year I stopped at a couple. One was right on my street and was strictly zucchinis and tomatoes. There's a stand just down the road a piece (like my country talk?) from where I stopped today, and the prices weren't any better than those in the grocery store (although the quality was far superior). The stand I stopped at today had great variety and prices that were unbeatable! Onions, tomatoes and peppers $0.75 a pound! And today through Monday the peppers are $0.50 per pound since she has an overabundance (that's what the little note said). There was also a poster board that was made for the severely math-challenged (yours truly). It did the multiplication for you at $0.75 per pound up to ten pounds. There was also a little notebook and pen on the counter to keep track of your purchases. I tallied up my purchases (including one heirloom tomato!) and was having a problem with my arithemitic because I didn't align my decimaled numbers correctly and that messes with me. Lucky for me, a nice gentleman, who was also a first time visitor as he remarked "Honor system?" after seeing the lock box with "Money" scrawled on a piece of paper taped above the slot, offered my his calculator - er - phone since my poor little brain couldn't add to $4.75. Such a deal! Five pounds of assorted veggies (onions, peppers, tomatoes and jalepanos) for under five dollars! I'm still afloat on Cloud 9.

I FB messaged Super Friend and asked what she was doing this weekend. She needs to be to work by 2:30 Thursday - Sunday. I asked if she would be interested in a Sunday brunch. She said yes! Not only that, she messaged our mutual friend she threw the surprise baby shower for to join us. Hopefully it will be a complete reunion. Super Friend is making a fruit salad and breakfast casserole. I said I'd make potatoes and a frittata, and possibly some muffins. I may forego the muffins if she's making a sweet breakfast casserole (like a French toast casserole). But I am definitely making these perfect breakfast potatoes, courtesy of The Pioneer Woman (or as she likes to refer to herself at times: P-Widdy Dub Diddy Wub Diddy Dub) She cracks me up! And I'm always thrilled to find recipes of hers that I will use.

Remember how I hoped that Inspiration's wand keeps tapping me on the head? Well, last weekend I did come up with a new creation. It was pretty good, but since then I've figured out a few tweaks to make it superb and need to try them out. So for now, all you have is the pretty picture.

Spicy Asian Shrimp and Veggies

How are you winding down the summer? Any beach trips or BBQs? Or are you staying low key?

I'm nearly salivating for my favorite season to blossom....