Pink Bench Pics, Plus . . .

Pattypan Squash & the Pink Bench!

Oh, my friends.

First of all, YAY, I got back here again in September! (-:

Second, I just love my pink bench.

I can't picture where I got it years ago, but I do know I got it free and I feel like it was on the side of the road somewhere or something. It was very rickety, I must have shored it up a bit, but I have no recollection of that. Oy!

Even though it's really not a comfortable, cozy bench, it makes me smile when I perch myself there for a bit.

I do sit in it and enjoy my time in that garden.

And, this year, have chosen it as a produce pic location as can be seen above, haha!

Now this beauty I call my pumpkin eggplant.

Isn't she just the most gorgeous thing?

I keep saying I love eggplant and I really do, but, I just want to find a recipe that I really, really love. I usually just roast or saute them in a mixture of other beauties from the garden, which is just fine and lovely, but, I need to take these gorgeous creatures to the next level. Maybe tomorrow!

But, don'tcha just love how it looks like a pumpkin?

I sure do!

Pulled the last of my potatoes up Friday morning, and a few eggplant.

I loved the idea of growing potatoes but it does turn out I don't actually eat them much. So I'm working toward cooking them up tomorrow I guess before they go bad. Will likely cut thin and saute in olive oil and a little butter.

Now this bevy of eye-popping glory was from July. Made a date with my choir girlfriend and her husband to cook dinner at their house and brought these along.

Oh. My.Goodness.

Best dinner ever!

We ended up with TWO pans of this, all from my gardens but the onion, sauteed up, hit with some lemon and white wine to cook down, served on top of some pasta and alongside some grilled spicy Italian sausage. Oh, my friends. 

Mmmmmm...

I'll say it again, I am nowhere near wealthy...monetarily. I've had some really tragic and hard losses in the last 7 years, but I live daily in a state of gratitude and awe for how our Good and Gracious Lord provides for me. I'm not "happy, happy" every day, but I would struggle to find a day where at least once during the day thoughts of gratitude don't slip through my mind despite it all. I pray that any friends, family, strangers that happen upon this tiny place might get to experience that in their lifetime. It is not the striving and the things, it's being cared for by our one true Heavenly Father. So much so that He gave his only son to suffer and die for our sake, to take our sins, to wash them away and to then be resurrected three days later, leaving us with our broken, sinful nature, still whiter than snow. Wow!  Does that not surpass any gift or possible earthly striving? 

Pattypan Squash was new to my garden this year. I've enjoyed it immensely and I grow mine quite large since I guess I don't get to them quick enough but I've never found them to taste like a potato. Follow this link for more info but here's a brief synopsis from the same link: These organic summer squashes range in colour from bright yellow to green to even white. They're very similar to zucchini but a tiny bit sweeter. Pattypan squash tastes best when young and small, you let them grow too much and they’ll taste like a potato.

Oh my gosh...I just LOVE how they spell "colour," they must be from England. Recently, I guess sadly after The Queen died, I thought to myself...perhaps I should go live in Scotland when I'm 70, just sounded interesting and quiet to me (well, I guess besides the bagpipes???). We'll see. (-:

P.S. . . . this week, as of Wednesday, all my teaching days resume until Christmas break. Can I just say how incredibly grateful and then even above grateful if possible, I am for the slow start to my full blown teaching year? Tomorrow I have off until 3p.m., my last day only because I've determined that I don't attend "orientation day" at one of the co-ops at which I teach (as opposed to, that I teach at...don't end with "at," one thing I learned from SP, cause I forgot my English lessons, haha). And, Lara's in town with her paddle board, and even though it's supposed to be a high of 66 degrees, we're going to attempt a kayak/paddle board around a lake I love and she's never been to at 11a.m. 😮I believe the water will still be warm. So, so grateful for these times and moments to rest and rejuvenate for the busy schedule to come.

May God Richly Bless Your Week To Come!

My 18th, and last, First Day of K-8 School! . . .

And here she is, picking up the tail end of our time at St. Paul.

Wow!

Oh my goodness, I think I recently came across Lara's first day of school pic 18 years ago, lemme go see if I can find that!

...two days later, got it...

(-:

Little Lara, heading off to Kindergarten 18 years ago!

(this is a picture of a picture printed in a photo book, not perfect)

Going in for the binder.

Rocking the no-teeth smile.

(-:

Off she goes, wow!

That night I headed off to our little lake that I have not made good use of this year at all. )-: This year I finished two books that I started over 10 years ago so I've started an all new one now. Let's see if I can finish it in under a year, haha! My other two books were, an historical biography of Cleopatra and a co-written autobiography of Julia Child's called, "My Life in France." I was glad to have read both and can't stand that I'm not a great, keep it going, reader. I just have so many things I also need to get to that sitting around reading is so low on the list. Anyway, I find out about these books by reading write-ups in the Sunday paper. Same goes for this new one on Agatha Christie. I've literally never read one Agatha Christie book, and I have no idea if I've even seen one of her books made into a movie. But, the Sunday paper review of this book was great and I'm hooked right in. So far I believe I could have been great friends with Agatha Christie, haha!

Ahhhh.....

And here they are, the first and the last.

💗

Lara ended up with a plan of being at Pictured Rocks for a day or two so Liv and I immediately made that work for us to meet her. So, so, so much fun! Can you believe, I have never been to Pictured Rocks in 50 some years of driving right by them on our way up, up, up north? Just never did, the wait was worth it and we have way more to do there still. Not going to wait another 50 years at this point, haha!