Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Friendship, Rain, and Hanging Out


Hello dear friends, I want to thank you for all 
of your very sweet messages on my last post! 

Sharing life's sweet moments is what my blog
is all about. 

But I know that all of you understand that life is
not always sweet. Having such dear friends
to share the good, the bad, and well, sometimes the ugly, 
helps us all feel we are kindred spirits 
in this journey we call life. 

xoxo

Speaking of ugly - I have to say we have had 
one of the dreariest summers ever! 

Rain, rain, and more rain........
It sometimes rains so hard here in the foothills,
 that it knocks out
my television satellite signal. 


These were my poor petunias last evening......

melted by the rain. 


They were just starting to look so pretty! 

Oh, well, 


I keep this little quote on my potting bench.....
"A gardeners life
is full of sweets and sours
he gets the sunshine
when he needs the showers"
-Reginald Arkel-

I would also say, he gets the showers
when he needs the sunshine! 

Check out my roll of twine that I forgot 
to bring inside. It looks pretty water-logged. Ooooops! 

The quote and copper watering can were my Mom's. 


The only sunshine comes at the end of the day 
when the sun drops below the clouds. 


Last night we even saw this pastel rainbow! 

One reward for all the rain. 


I'm almost done with my latest crochet project, 
but it is slow going.....


Lots of sewing now. 


I found these cute embroidery scissors recently. 
They are decorated with little buttons :)

I'm anxious to get this project done so I can 
start some baby projects! 


I've been catching up on some quilt washing, too. 


Rising mist.....

In between the showers I've been outside weeding
and trimming. The abundant rain has caused rampant growth. 

I filled a whole 8x10 tarp with trimmings. 

Ramblin' Man drags it down back to fill a low area. 


The rain has also encouraged an abundant blackberry crop! 

I need to go out and do some harvesting......


I've also had a second flush of roses. 


My succulents have also surprised me. 
I was worried they were getting too much rain.....


but it actually encouraged them to bloom! 

Aren't they pretty? 


And my lawn is so green! 

The sun is setting in a different place each day. 

Have you noticed that the days are getting noticeably shorter? 

I heard on the news last night that we have lost an hour and a half
of daylight since the beginning of the summer. 

My favorite time of year is coming - Autumn! 


I've also tried a new recipe......

Whole Wheat Herbed Biscuits. 

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), at room temp. 
cut into cubes
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs
such as parsley, chives or rosemary. 
(I used lemon thyme)
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk, half and half,
or heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 


Sift the dry ingredients together. 


Add the butter and gently mix with pastry blender
or fingers until crumbly. 


Add the yogurt, 1/4 cup milk or cream, and chopped herbs
to form a sticky dough.

Add more milk or cream if needed. 


Put dough on floured surface and flatten gently
with hands. Cut into heart shapes, rounds or squares. 

Bake for 12 minutes in un-greased pan until golden. 


I served these with my home-made, low calorie
Broccoli Cheese Soup.

They were exceptionally light and flaky.

With the exclusion of the herbs,
these would make great 'shortcakes', too.


The forecast for the remainder of the week is for
sunshine and we are getting small peeks at blue skies
today.


Ramblin' Man has been working from home the last
couple of days as we have both caught our little
grandson's cold. You can see Maggie and Ling-Ling
keeping us company on the floor while both lap-tops are open,
with books, magazines and remotes strewn around.

I'll be catching up with all of you in the meantime,
while we recover and wait for some
little rays of sunshine to appear.

xoxo

'A joy shared is a joy doubled'

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-

xx

'There are deep sorrows and killing cares in life,
but the encouragement and love of friends were
given us to make all difficulties bearable.'

-John Oliver Hobbes-

xoxo

45 comments:

  1. I have to say, that is a beautiful rain! One person's dreary is another's cozy afternoon. ;-)

    "I've been catching up on some quilt washing, too."

    I don't know why, but I read that as "I've been catching up on some wishing." It struck me as something cool and profound. Then I realized what it really said. Hahah! Still cool. Not profound.

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  2. I want and need some of your rain!!
    We are at humidex of 42 today...that is nearly 100 in Fahrenheit!
    Everything is shrivelling...yours looks so lovely and green...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  3. Karen,
    We can use some of that rain since we have been very hot and very dry! This Summer has been a bust for me too as I have been stuck inside with the air conditioning blaring as it is too hot to go outside. Looking forward to Fall too!!It is my favorite season too!

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  4. Hi Karen, we could use some of your rain here in triple digit temps Texas!!
    Your blooms are gorgeous from all the moisture. Good time to do inside chores. Looks like some pretty crochet going on too.
    Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead. xo

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  5. I just love that yarn color! We've been having a lot of rain too, we need it but I'm missing the sunshine :-) Those biscuits look delicious!

    Blessings,
    Jill

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  6. You always have such lovely posts, Karen! I need to do some of that weeding here, too...everything is so overgrown here...and it is pouring rain outside. I definitely am noticing the shorter days and fall approaching here, too...

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  7. Dear Karen,

    You have shared a lovely post and like you, we have had a lot of rain here too. Enjoyed the quote of the sunshine and showers and so often it is one or the other. Also love the pretty shade of wool and your latest crochet project - beautiful.
    Hope you are having a lovely week and thanks for the kind visit to my blog.
    hugs
    Carolyn

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  8. Karen, I love the rain! I so wish it would rain here during the California summers. And you received the gift of a rainbow again. Your mom's copper watering can is so cute, what a treasure. I like the crocheted project you're working on; a pretty color of blue. The biscuits go nicely with that delicious broccoli cheese soup. Soups are so good on those cold days. The lawn picture is interesting, and the mist is so pretty. Yes, Autumn, yours and mine favorite season! I am look forward to it.

    Have a wonderful rest of the week, Karen.

    ~Sheri

    ps I'm showing some of the wedding pics tomorrow if you want to see
    them. :)

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  9. The rain looks so refreshing, Karen, but believe me, we've had our share and I have the weeds and overgrown garden to prove it.

    I didn't know you crocheted...wish I had the talent. I love what you are doing, the color of the yarn is so pretty.

    Thanks for another great recipe...I will get to it I'm sure once the heat subsides!!!

    Jane

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  10. Dear KAren,
    I know, what youa re saying, we have had so much rain too in this summer ... but, the Quote from Reginald Arkel fits perfect to this summer ;O)
    Thank you for wonderful pictures from your sweet home, your wonderful flowers - the succulents are beautiful , I have them too and I love them with and withour flowers ;O) - your lovely knitting and your delicious recipes!
    Have a lovely rest of the week and a beautiful weekend ahead.
    You and rmablin' Man get well soo, nno wonder to catch a cold in those days ...
    Sending much Love and hugs and blessings to you,my sweet friend,
    Claudia xo

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  11. What a lovely way to start my day , reading your positive post. I too love Autumn . Glad to see you have lots of blackberries. I noticed ours growing well! Lots of jam and crumbles this Autumn . Hope you and your man are feeling better soon x

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  12. Hello, Karen! Your posts are always so full of beautiful and interesting things that I don't know where to start. Perhaps about the weather, I think it has been strange almost everywhere. Somewhere too much rain and elsewhere drought. Your landscapes look wonderful even with clouds.
    And your succulents look delicious. :)
    'A joy shared is a joy doubled'. That is so true! Good health and much happiness to all the family! xx

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  13. We have heavy showers at this moment, actually except the two hot weeks we have too much rain this summer. So it's nice to be inside and enjoy this post. Hope you both feel better by now but last photo looks cozy with cat, laptops, magazines and all kind of papers around you, sometimes I love such days.

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  14. A lovely post Karen.
    The rain may have made your petunias look a little sorry for themselves but your succulents are gorgeous!
    So many delicious blackberries too!
    At least you can cozy up indoors and have creative crafting time.
    We're supposed to be in for a heat wave next week. Let's hope it's not as hot as they are predicting.
    Have a wonderful week Karen and I'm sure the sun will shine on your little patch very soon :)x

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  15. Hello, even with the rain your place and post are beautiful. The biscuits and soup look delicious. Your quilt is lovely. I hope you have some sunshine soon. It is cloudy here today. Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

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  16. It must be those pesky mountains, because not so very far away, here on Vancouver Island we have had no rain to speak of. There is something so very annoying about cool dry weather that requires constant watering!

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  17. Karen, Beautiful photos! Where you live is gorgeous, the mountains are spectacular! The rain looks so pretty, wish we had some in San Diego. We need it badly. I love your crochet piece, pretty blue color. Thanks for sharing the biscuit and soup recipe, looks delicious! Have a wonderful weekend ♥
    Hugs, Jody

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  18. We've finally been getting some much needed rain, although the latest happened yesterday afternoon when no rain was predicted and my laundry ended up getting rain rinsed on the lines. But, I am thankful because my gardens really needed it.

    It is so beautiful where you live.

    I pray you two will soon be well ~ love & hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  19. As was mentioned in an earlier reply, send some of that rain to Texas! This heat is turning my garden into brown crispy-ness.

    As I was driving into work this morning at 7:30am, the temperature was 89 degrees. This will give you an idea of what it will be later today. :-(

    I really enjoyed the pictures of rain and of your blooming garden. If you can send some rain this way, I'll try and send some sun. :-)

    Marilyn (in Dallas)

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  20. Please send rain to Oklahoma. I'm so sorry about your petunias. I'll send you some sunshine.

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  21. I want to tell you how much I enjoy your blog. I live in the desert and love seeing the very different surroundings where you live. I also think your home is lovely and your recipes look delicious. My husband and and I are also just getting over colds we got from our 4-year-old grandson whom we babysit. Oh well - it's the price we pay to spend time with these precious little ones. Have a great day.

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  22. Lovely post, as your days are getting shorter ours are getting longer, but funnily enough we have been having a very wet winter here with water laying around everywhere and rivers overflowing. As you begin to wind down with Autumn, I'll be having to ramp things up with Spring and lots of weeds going mad with all this rain! Hope you get over the cold shortly

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  23. I have noticed our days getting shorter. (sad face) Summer is my favorite season. We have needed rain so badly and today we finally got some! Yards will be greening up again soon. Your pictures are beautiful.

    Cindy Bee

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  24. Love the misty view. Only views I get are here in this rehab center. May get to go home the end of next week!

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  25. The rain is so refreshing in small bursts but if it goes on to long I long for the sunshine.
    Merle......

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  26. Feel better soon, Karen! Rain or shine, I love your place! Great post!

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  27. Hope ya'll feel better soon! We've had good rain also in heavy downpours. I need to weed but gee is it hot out lately. Around 95* and up a bit average lately. I'll wait it out a bit more. lol.
    -Lisa

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  28. Congratulations due to the good news in your last post - Such an unique and wonderful way your daughter told you about the pregnancy!
    My heart is rejoicing together with all of you!!!
    I'm so sorry for your petunias - it's been a rainy summer here as well. I have also been crocheting a bit - It is relaxing and great inside activity ... and also in the wintertime.
    Those bisquits do look delicious ... I feel like baking already!
    I hope tea, bisquits and some cozy reading and crocheting will do well and be uplifting - when the rain is pouring outside.
    Lots of love from
    Nina

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  29. We have rain in the forecast here in Texas, Karen, and it will bring some relief from our triple digit temperatures. Your crocheted project looks so pretty and I do love your embroidery scissors. Your soup and herbed biscuits look like perfect comfort food for rainy weather and with you and your hubby feeling under the weather. May you enjoy some sunshine this weekend! xo

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  30. Sorry to hear it has been so dreary, we had a lot of rain there for a while too, just enough that I didn't have to do any watering, except for my hanging plants out front on the porch, but the last week we haven't had any so I have been keeping busy watering everything, with these heat index's in the 100's it is really taking a toll. Love how you succulents are blooming, such pretty flower on them.
    Look forward to seeing your finished crochet project and hope you both recover from your colds soon :)

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  31. Oh my! You live in a magical place with plenty of rain and beautiful views. We don't get very much rain in New Mexico so all the rain sounds wonderful to me. Your garden and patio look beautiful. You must enjoy spending time out there.
    xx Beca

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  32. Oh that first photo really says it all. So wet and dreary for you and a lot of the west of NA this summer. I sure hope you are into the sunshine for a bit now. We are getting much needed rain here as it's been quite dry lately. Opposite ends of the continent and weather spectrum. Take care. xx Pam

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  33. Dearest Karen,
    Hope you meanwhile have recovered from your 'gifted' cold. Being around children can be tricky at times.
    Sad that your summer literally fell into the water with way too much rain. Sounds rather Dutch to me!
    We have had quite some drought lately and only since a week are getting some showers in the evening. One of those evening bike rides made us soaking wet. We sheltered in a barn with a pregnant goat but got on the pedals too soon. It's not cold so that worked out fine. But we had to skip two evenings.
    Your garden is very lush, including the weeds! They thrive even in drought... WHY?!
    So happy you found yourself busy crocheting and enjoying your time indoors, with baking and such.
    That's what I also love doing whenever I find time for it.
    Sending you hugs,
    Mariette

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  34. Last night I had no Internet... so I had to wait for my comment...

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  35. How is it we never get rain in the correct amount!!!
    Your selection of photo's do look very nice though and I just love those embroidery scissors.

    Lovely recipe's you've shared too!
    Hope you feel better soon

    All the best Jan

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  36. Hi Karen, that rain looks glorious; how I wish we could get some here in southern California! I am so happy to hear about your new grandchild as I'm sure you will have lots of fun making little items for him. Thank you for sharing your yummy recipe of biscuits. I'm going to try and make them. Enjoy your weekend and have fun. Hugs, Pat xx

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  37. Karen, as always, your photos make me long to be in them! The rain looks marvelous. Congratulations on the new grand who will be arriving soon!

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  38. Your home looks so cozy or a rainy day.
    We are having rain all day, Yesterday downpours.
    My petunia's
    look the same.

    yvonne

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  39. That first rainy picture looks so refreshing! I want to run out in it and stay awhile. We keep getting forecasts of rain, but no rain! I am looking forward to Fall and it is my favorite season too. Your posts are always full of so much homey goodness and beautiful pictures. I love visiting with you!

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  40. We so need the rain - it's been unbearably super hot and muggy and swampy but no true downpours - everything has dried up - horrible weather this summer.

    Hugs.

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  41. I know how it feels to have continual rain, we had that at the start of the summer thank goodness it picked up. Hope you are both feeling a little better from your gifted colds. The summer is almost over when the blackberries start to be harvested.

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  42. Hi Karen, I'm a little jealous of your rain. We have had near drought conditions most of the summer. The lawns have been brown and the trees are dying in spots and prematurely dropping their leaves. FINALLY we got a good soaking of rain yesterday and things are starting to change. But...too much rain isn't good either, hope your plants survive. I love the colour you have chosen for your crochet project, very pretty! Enjoy your week.

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  43. Hi Karen, I'm a little jealous of your rain. We have had near drought conditions most of the summer. The lawns have been brown and the trees are dying in spots and prematurely dropping their leaves. FINALLY we got a good soaking of rain yesterday and things are starting to change. But...too much rain isn't good either, hope your plants survive. I love the colour you have chosen for your crochet project, very pretty! Enjoy your week.

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  44. Karen, I've already commented on this beautiful post, but wanted to come back for a second look (mini-vacation!) and to tell you to be sure to get in on my tea giveaway I just posted.

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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