We made it to the lake for a little swim. Mike has a few more things to finish on the boat before we can try it out, but with all this heat and humidity, we decided to spend some time along the shore for a couple hours.
~summer nights~ The girls flitter back and forth between the garden where I'm weeding and the workshop where Mike is building. What a gift: listening to their chatter about dolls and imaginary worlds as they snack on sweet peas, catch lightning bugs and make mud pies ~ just being with them while they knit or read in the tree stand nearby; a chorus of cicadas blaring, an occasional rooster crowing, and whippoorwills echoing through the hills. Sometimes I can hear my M&A working on their property down the hill, and every once in awhile can even hear kids sing-yelling from a mile away at camp where Aiden is working and probably yelling along with them. The days of having them in hugging-distance are fleeting, but it's a comfort that the big ones are still at least near enough to occasionally hear.
...and a couple little Bees sneaking a dip in the creek during the potluck to look for crawdads and pretty rocks. They found one crawdad and cleaned up a couple broken bottles.
I snuck out there with them. #overstimulated #oversocialized #welladjustedintrovert 😜
DEHYDRATED POTATO SLICES :: Sliced using food processor (dial@ 1.5mm). I left peels on. :: Boil slices in 2 parts h2O to 1 part Vinegar + 1tb salt for 5-6 minutes. Vinegar can be replaced w/ all h2O. :: Spread on dehydrator trays :: Dehydrate 12hrs @ 125deg. Make sure they're brittle. :: Add dried slices + bay leaf (or oxygen absorption pack) to jar. Supposedly shelf stable for 6-12mos. :: Cooking: soak in h2O for 30 mins, drain and squeeze out excess h2o, Fry in oil at medium. Will try mashed and baked when feeling brave.
Down the hill to M&A's house. We felt like taking a walk in the rain. I can't describe how blessed we are to have my daughter and son-in-law as our neighbor.
the forest can be hauntingly beautiful on these stormy afternoons
but when the trees part, their little cabin in the meadow is cheerful, inviting and cozy.
a happy visit with friends (who also homeschool and read the same books.)
"For Rivendell!"