Blatant plug for my favorite Winery...

Wine tasting at my favorite Winery...Efeste

This is one of the owners, Dan Ferrelli, doing the pouring. I must say my favorite favorite is "Final-Final"

Efeste is sponsoring

Sips for Seattle Children's
Saturday, September 17th
6 - 8:30 PM EFESTE Winery

Join us for the 3nd Annual Sips for Seattle Children’s charity event!

Our Sips for Seattle Children's charity event now not only includes an evening of fabulous wine, gourmet wood-fired pizza, and prize drawings, but also a performance by local beatboxing extraordinaire and American Idol finalist, Blake Lewis!

Blake singing "You give love a bad name."

Picture of the Day

 

The Blue Room

Okay, not necessarily the best subject but it was colorful and handy. I don't use this at work myself, but the guys do. Sometimes when walking by you hear conversations and you realize that it's being used as a phone booth. Kinda like Superman... sorta.

Cottage Living

Still no fall decor but that's because I had to run out to get the "Bearded One" a net book. His computer decided to take a hiatus and in the meantime, he was taking over my "mac". Now he's sitting across from me making little clicking sounds, surfing the net and I can get on with my life's mission which has apparently has come to filling hyper-space with trivial ramblings and pictures of porta johns... But I digress. I will attempt to at least plant the porch pots tomorrow with some kale, pansies, and maybe a heuchura or two.

This old bicycle is leaning up a tree on the driveway before ours. it's really beginning to fade and blend in to the brush.

It's the landmark that shows me where to turn.

Healthy Choices

Tomorrow is Wednesday which means I have to, or I should say, I get to go to the gym. Whee. They say that it will eventually become a habit and I won't want to miss. Uh huh. I'll let you know when that happens until then I will continue carrying  my oversize man-shirt and roomy sweatpants stuffed into a trader joe's bag. Still gluten fairly free. Having to double check things after Sissy caught me in a couple of snafus.

Word of the Day

conundrum |kəˈnəndrəm|noun ( pl. -drums )a confusing and difficult problem or question

As in "My life is a conundrum."

Hmm... Pause for Thought

“Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, 'Where have I gone wrong'.
Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.”
― Charles M. Schulz

 

Birthday Wishes and Firewood as Art...

Today was The "Bearded One's" Birthday. I suggested we celebrate at the Local Casino but he declined. That would be something I would like to do. Him, not so much... and after all it is his Big Day.

Picture of the Day

Hmm...  the "LORD" above and the "Fiery inferno" below.  Seems fitting some how. Hee Hee. I wonder if the irony occurred to them.

This is firewood. My little brother's firewood to be exact. I thought it "wood" make good art.... I'm on a roll. Maybe my blood sugars a little askew.

Cottage Life

I have accomplished nothing in this department today. It was all I could do to crawl out of bed, and drag myself to the gym and then to work. Monday's can be like that. I wish I could enjoy the week as much as the weekend. My Fall stuff is still in the tote waiting. I did manage to get one of the planter boxes prepped to be planted with fall splender.  Maybe tomorrow.

Healthy Choices

Yesterday I mentioned fixing rice and adding bouillon feeling quite pleased with my "gluten free" self. My daughter quickly pointed out that the innocent looking bouillon cube was a trojan horse laced with the offending gluten. Arggghhhh... there is so much to learn. And then my son puts a link to a great article on wheat and health which points out the fact that you shouldn't replace gluten with other high starch substitutes. Just when I was enjoying the "gluten free" goodie section I'd discovered at a local bakery.

Hmm... Pause for Thought

It's the Bearded One's Birthday and His PC laptop has crashed so I am signing off early so that he can borrow my mac. It's the least I can do. :-)

Uffda....

A Glimpse of "Tiny" Cottage Living

Picture of the Day

These are the impatiens that mom has placed in the window box on the old outhouse. A nice bit of salmon color in the thick forest shade.

Cottage Life

I woke up this morning and thought it might be fun to give a bed's eye view of life at the cottage. I popped up grabbed my camera and just shot what I could see from my vantage point.

Notice the not so dainty feet...

This One is shot looking towards the bay. Notice all the pillows piled on the couch. Those are used on the bed during the day to help disguise the fact that there is a bed in the kitchen. The bed nook was actually designed to have the bed turned sideways. It's got IKEA reading lights above what would be the head of the bed. It looked a lot less intrusive but The bearded one and I got tired of having to climb over each other during multiple bathroom trips in the night. Okay so it was me... And it was hard to make the bed when pushed into the nook. We opted to have the bed stick out with each of us having an escape route.

This is shot from my side looking out the casement window toward the bay. there are actually windows on all sides of the nook. The Bearded one's window looks into the forest side.

Healthy Choices

Okay I've made it to day seven Gluten-free. Unfortunately we awoke to only one egg in the house I let the bearded one enjoy it. No problem. Hmm. now what. I can't just grab a piece of toast with peanut butter. I could have mush, but I'm trying to avoid oatmeal right now because of mixed reviews on it's effect. Some think there's too much cross contamination, usually processed in the same facilities as wheat. Okay. I'm going to the store later but for now It will be a rice tortilla instead of toast. I actually started out cooking some rice to add cinnamon and cream. The rice I have is brown rice so while it was cooking it smelled more savory, so I dumped in some dehydrated vegetable mix and a little beef bouillon. So much for breakfast. We will have it with dinner instead.

As Far as how I'm feeling... actually pretty good. I'm still a little stiff when I get up but I really think it's a little less then before. It's only been one week. I will analyze the success after one month. In the meantime I will carry on.

Hmmm... Pause for Thought

Annie got me thinking....

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."
— Dr. Seuss (Oh, the Places You'll Go!)

 

 

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
— Dr. Seuss

 

 

Muscles any one? Oops, I mean "mussels"...

Not as in mine but as in the shellfish type. I was given a wonderful vat of fresh harvested  blue- black beauties. I immediately steamed them, added some butter and garlic and dined. I ate my fill. They were large. Very large. I have leftovers. This has never happened to me before and I'm in a quandary as to how to best use the leftovers. Any ideas?

These are not mine. Mine were not so well displayed. In fact if mine still looked this way I would be eating them. Yum. I cleverly defrocked mine and plopped them into a plastic container....

Like so.  Hmmm. See what I mean?

 

Really... Maybe with pesto over pasta. Wait I would need "gluten-free" pasta which I don't have. Maybe a mussel stew along the lines of oyster stew. Cream, butter, salt and pepper. A glass of white wine perchance. Oh Lesssslieeeeee...(handy having a daughter who works at a winery) Yoooo Hooooooo....

Picture of the Day

I know. Another picture of the norwegian boat. The tide was going out and I was looking for something to shoot. I'm determined to continue with project 365 again now that I have internet again albeit a little slow. So here it is. Sam did a great job restoring her.

 

Cottage Life

I have opened the "Fall Tote" that's as far as I've gotten. Something about 80 degree weather that does not inspire me to deck the halls with pumpkins, gourds, and spicy splender. Maybe tomorrow.

 

I did go outside and pick a sprig off the coleus before it bites the dust. I'm going to root it and enjoy it as a houseplant this winter.

 

Healthy Choices

Everything is Food Food Food My sister Sandy's favorite song

Day six on my gluten-free journey. I'm feeling okay. There is not a lot I really have to give up so I'm not feeling deprived or anything. I am trying to remember to drink a lot of water this weekend. It's harder at work because what goes in will quickly want out and working out and about means there aren't always bathrooms handy. I figure if I drink a lot this weekend my system will be used to it and not cause problems next week. We will see. It seems that my life has become one giant experiment.

Hmm... Pause for Thought

 

Art produces ugly things which frequently become beautiful with time. Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time.

Jean Cocteau (1889-1963)

New York World-Telegram & Sun 21 August 1960

 

 

Ahh... the weekend has arrived!

The Norwegian Boat up close and personal.

The weekend is here and the summer-like weather continues. I have no plans for the weekend which makes it wonderful. the bearded one and I will probably spend the day hovering over our laptops. The weekend traffic looks like it will be crowded with everyone trying to get in a little late summer fun.

 

Picture of the Day

Sandy brought her "watering can geranium" with her to family camp out and placed it outside "weedfoe" the box van where she had made her weekend home. She had a recliner, bunk bed, table and chairs, and a even a hammock. I grabbed an afternoon nap in the barcalounger and the bearded one hung out in the hammock.

 

Cottage Life

The bearded one picked up this shelving unit for our "pantry" today. The landlady cleared out some more space in the closet downstairs so we were able to move  all of our clothing into that one and are now utilizing the upstairs closet next to our galley kitchen as a pantry. We chose a wire unit from lowes. Really easy to assemble. It looks great and will hold a lot of weight. It actually looked rather bare so I gathered up stuff from elsewhere to make it look used. We've been living "small" for so long that we actually have more space than we know what to do with but the pantry idea really will work well. The blender can be a little more accessible for the bearded one's breakfast shakes. Up until now it's been stored in one of the IKEA drawers. It worked but this will be a lot handier.

Healthy Choices

I went to 24 hour fitness again this morning for weight training. It was only my third time and what seemed fairly easy last time seemed a little tougher. My muscles(?) were complaining if not screaming. I assume it will get better and then Karl will up the weights and reps. I'm still gluten free. there are a lot of choices out there which helps. I think my joints are a little less inflamed. I'm still walking like an old woman but it hasn't even been a week so I will give it some more time. I've been feeling a little guilty for indulging in some foods like corn chips etcetera, butIam determined to check out the "gluten" factor so I need to take it one step at a time to really narrow the effects down. After one month gluten free I should be able to tell a difference and then I will add the other healthy bits.

Hmmm... Pause for thought

Aristophanes-
Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.

Links I've Stumbled on

This is a fun read... all sorts of ways to live on the cheap in your car or van.

http://www.cheaprvliving.com

Summer weather here just when I'm getting ready for Fall

This is the little Norwegian boat Sam has been working on. She is definitely sea worthy and I'm told a joy to row. This picture was taken at sunset, when the bay waters were fairly still.

The purpose of this blog is purely therapeutic on my part. It gives me someplace to ramble. If you've happened upon it,  most likely you're family in which case you will understand. If you happened by accidentally  I hope you stop and say hello. To assist me in keeping this blog somewhat coherent I'm going to be breaking it down into several segments. This in theory will help me to keep both organized and focused. As to whether it actually helps, only time will tell.

The First Section will be my “photo of the day” mostly because I'm obsessed with photography and it gives me someplace to put things.

The Second section will be “cottage life” This will be where I share bits and pieces of our little home.

Third Section will be “healthy choices” my adventure in trying to outwit mother nature and father time.

Fourth will be more ethereal and spiritual, perhaps a quote or two and pause to think.

Fifth will be some favorite links that I’ve found along the way.

Photo of the Day

 I found this maple leaf on the beach when I was out taking pictures of the boat. It was such a strange contrast of color and texture that I decided to shoot it. I liked the combination of barnacles, seaweed, leaf and rock. If you look closely you will see a small crab body in the upper left hand side of the leaf.

Cottage Life

Blue Hydrangea

Fall is in the air. It's September and the summer we never had in the North West is now upon us. Just when I sent George to the storage unit to pick up my "Fall Decor" tote, the weather turned hot. In the eighties... are you kidding me? I'm longing for mulled spices and sweaters and it's sweltering outside. Okay to be honest, here in the shady woods on the bay it's actually quite comfy but in town it's misery. I've had an unwritten goal of always wanting to have my Fall stuff up by September 1st. Did not happen this year. I will make a valiant effort this coming weekend. I want to redo the tired pots on the porch with some mums and winter pansies. I will post pictures when I'm done. 

 Healthy Choices

Hmm... Jack Sprat. This illustration is a little too close to home here at the cottage.

I've started a gluten free diet. It's an experiment. I have been feeling much older than my years in my joints, I'm cranky, sneezy, have watery eyes, (sounds like the seven dwarfs) and walk around like a bloated whale. Turns out a lot of these are symptoms of gluten intolerance, or at worst celiac disease.
Thanks to daughter Leslie I'm considering this plan of action. For the next month I am eliminating all gluten. I am choosing not to eliminate anything else at this time to better judge the effects on my symptoms. After a months time I will eliminate all processed foods. This is day Three. It's not been hard at all. I'm finding a lot of things that are allowed, so I'm not feeling deprived... yet. I will keep you posted. 
I've also started a weight training routine that son Karl has worked out for me three days a week at 24 hour fitness. Hmm. Do the words buff and grandma belong in the same sentence?


HMM... Pause for thought.

If constructive thoughts are planted positive outcomes will be the result. Plant the seeds of failure and failure will follow.

-Sidney Madwed

FAVORITE LINKS

A great tutorial resource for Photography, design, and photoshop. lots of free videos you can try.

Lynda.com

A great gluten free site with lots of info

getoffgluten.blogspot.com

 

Family Campout Continued...

So Whose idea was this "pass the egg yolk" game anyway?

Ahhhhh.... Quinault.