jeep update

Here are some update pics of the jeep project. Finished the rear end and reinstalled it. Tore out the front end and welded up some cracks in the frame. Not as far along as I would like to be but am enjoying every knuckle bleeding moment of the rebuild!

Apricot Jam

Yesterday I found some beautiful organic apricots at the local grocery store. I decided they would look fantastic in a jam. After finding several different recipes (and consulting Grandma Ouillette), I decided to go with the tried and true Blue Book of Preserving. I was a little nervous because the Blue Book recipe didn't call for any pectin. Grandma said that pectin occurs naturally in fruit and some have more pectin than others. Apparently apricots are high in pectin. (Good to know.)Here are the apricots boiling down with lemon juice and sugar (the only other ingredients). After canning the jam I boiled them for 15 minutes. And then we had fresh apricot jam! A success! (Thanks, Grandma :))

Anniversary Flowers!

Today is our 3rd Anniversary. Brian sent me flowers! Isn't he sweet? Being equally sweet on Brian, I got him a bottle of scotch.

Surprise!

So, I got off nights this morning and mowed the lawn, then plopped on the couch for a nap. Around 2:00P.M. I heard the doorbell ring. I was sleepy and kind of out of it but got up and answered the door. It happened to be someone who was working on re-paving Hwy 7. He asked me if he could park a piece of equipment in Hope and my driveway for the night. I said, "uh, sure". Little did I know I was going to be the parking lot for the whole company!

Today's Harvest

Here's are some photos of today's harvest. We're getting lots of sugar snap peas and green beans. We should also have zucchini and summer squash later this week. The squash plants are in great shape. Here are the dogs posing beside them (for perspective). I would have used Brian, but he was working. The dogs were happy to help out.On a slightly sadder note, a swarm of baby grasshoppers seems to have taking refuge in my garden. The are thousands and thousands of them. I'm not sure if there's anything I can do about them, but thankfully they aren't attacking everything. Mostly just some of the lettuce and the leaf herbs. I think I may put the herbs in pots and have them live on our deck instead of the garden. Here's the lettuce looking like swiss cheese.And finally, here is my first tomatillo.

The end.

Bad Weather

Here's the storm cloud that I raced into town this morning. I would have beat it if I hadn't stopped to take a few photos. I told the dogs to hide in the basement if there was a tornado before walking out the door. There's scary weather here in Iowa.

Sunrise...

Brian leaves really (really) early for work. When I was sending him out the door this morning, I noticed there was a very pretty sunrise. Could resist taking a photo and posting it. Now its back to bed...