So this is what the summer is going to look like...enough already!

Somehow, today, I saw an episode of Martha Stewart's new baking show held on the grounds of her estate. Sound familiar?  It is a knock off version of The Great British Baking Show and it has some kinks. The contestants are supposedly sleeping in tents and cooking in the heat of the wide open spaces with rain as a special ingredient.  They have not set up in a large white tent that which saves the British one step in the agonizing baking process. It was painful to watch, but I may watch it tonight to make sure I am being fair.  Martha did allow one handsome guy to come into her kitchen so that she could show him a thing or two that might help him in the contest. (It did not do him much good, but he is safe for the next show. (He may not be safe from Martha, however.)

Tonight we are having shepherd's pie.  I have not fixed it in years. When I asked Nate and Andy which of the topping they would like, mashed potatoes or cornbread they said both, so, their wish is my command today.

I am so mad at the riots and people behaving badly and the policeman who ignited it all (they were just waiting for good weather) and he provided the match. I see no point in looting and burning at all.  I think we have been through enough in the last five months and my nerves are shot!

Martha's show: Food network TV tonight, channel 50 (here) 9:00.

Well, I saw the 9:00 show last night and I have to say it is a poor cousin of the British Baking Show.  Put up a tent for heavens sakes and don't make them cook in the rain.  If you are going to copy a show do it better. So, I guess I missed the two weeks this group was on and last night one of the guys won $25,000.  That prize is better than a cake stand and a bouquet of flowers which is what the British winner gets after weeks and weeks of pressure. The set up looks cheap and forced.  I am surprised. Martha's estate, however, looked great.

What's going on...

There is, in a crockpot, a lovely rolled pork shoulder in a luscious bed of fresh herbs, green onions, carrots, peppers, and cola.  It's been sprinkled with Hidden Valley's spicy seasoning mix all over it and it is ready to get to work in this wonderful concoction. It has many hours in this bed and the smell fills the house with a welcome home aspect.

I am writing a mean post about tight people which will take some time to do because I have experienced many in my 82 years on this earth.  You might not want to read it because it is snarky but honest. I am not naming names and these are people you will probably never meet (one can only hope) but, I will pre-warn you so you do not read it if you don't want to experience snarkiness. Tightness is my BIGGEST pet peeve and coming from a mother who was the most generous woman on the earth, I can tell the difference. (Note: I am not doing this after all. It is too mean.)

Well, have you been watching the Real Housewives of New York? (I think this franchise has spurred me into writing about  people behaving badly.)  I was truly stunned last night watching these 'ladies' perform. My jaw was dropped from the time they got into the limo until the end because, honestly, I have never seen anything like it in my life. I am sorry to admit that I watch three of the Housewives series: New York, New Jersey, and Beverly Hills. I do not enjoy the others at all. You see, this is what happens when there are few good shows on television.  I do not watch during the day but I do enjoy my nest upstairs with the television during the evening. I watch a lot of WOSU public television but it can't cover all my needs.  I am hoping for another set of episodes of Escape to the Chateau. Writing about that: I joined a group on Facebook about the Chateau with Dick and Angela and was surprised by the comments of many people.  It is as though, in America, we drive these performers to the top of the ladder and then enjoy easing the ladder away from them till they drop.  This is another form of meanness not reserved for stars but for celebrities and regular people too.

I finished the new book from the author of the Hunger Games.  I liked it very much and can see we are going to be hearing more from the Hunger Games series. (This book is about what happened before the Hunger Game series...leading up to the trilogy.) So, I am off to find my next book, to peek at the pork, and to get another cup of coffee.  Life is good.

Note:  
TV shows you might also like:
Doc. Martin
Last Tango in Halifax
I know you all loved Downtown Abbey  (waaaa I want more)
I am reading OUTSIDE, the first in a trilogy by Boland Shalini.

Books, food, plants,and TV

 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel) is the book I am reading now.  It is really good and just out. I have been reading like crazy, I guess because of staying put with lots of time, peace and quiet, and a love of books.

My fridge and freezers are full again, so it is an adventure looking in those units and figuring out what to make for the day.  I do many one-pot meals with this gang coming and going,  We have begun sitting outside talking about our day, once everyone is home, now that the weather has decided it is summer time at long last.

I have discovered there are six seasons of Escape to the Chateau and I have been dogging Dailymotion trying to catch up.  Not only do Dick and Angel do the six series, but I discovered many British people are buying up the 40,000 cheap chateaus in France and are fixing them up and starting businesses.  The chateaus are cheap, but the fix up costs are really out there and most of them need new roofs at about 150,000 euros each. It is my favorite show and in Columbus it is on at 7:00 channel 7 WOSU public television on Tuesday nights.

We are nearly all planted up.  Just a few more bigger pots for under the pergola for spots of color. It's looking pretty. Watering started in earnest today since it was nearly 90 degrees. The peonies are beginning to bloom and my Mother's Day one turns out to be red with a yellow center.  So healthy and beautiful.  The all yellow ones are gearing up for a show in the next few days.  Isn't summer wonderful?

All is well on the Lechler front.

I figure I have been away from home only once a month for the five months of staying put. Today is actually the fifth time and the most exciting.  I am going to the beauty parlor, Yes.  Andy has been to the barber and looks quite nice and I hope to have a pleasant outing and will find it interesting to sit in a chair in a mask for two hours while someone, new to me, tries to make me presentable once again. It can't be any worse than it is now.

The rain has stopped and today it is beautiful.  The flowers are jumping out of the pots, they do love this weather.

Oh, I didn't tell the truth. I actually saw a doctor yesterday,  a real live one.  I don't know where they have been hiding, but I made an appointment for a shot for my foot (two other times and the appointments were canceled) But yesterday I actually saw a real life in the flesh doctor.  I could not sit down upon entering the building, she took my information and temperature while I stood and would not accept my co-pay.  They are waving the fee evidently and do not want to be contaminated by money. The doctor was great, as usual and now I am good to go.

All is well on the Lechler front.

vegetable gratin

Straight from the oven, we found this to be delicious, and, it used up all the things in the fridge that needed using to get it ready for the next Kroger pick up that Andy uses several times a week.  He loves that service.

It is a moody day here, actually, two days of moods because it is so rainy.  We were lucky nothing came down to harm the property this time as we are still having the last wind storm's mishaps taken care of, no thanks to the owners of the wayward trees.  It makes me so cranky, but we were lucky to be able to do it.

Mike bought us a new upstairs window box for Mother's Day.  I am hoping to get it up and planted pretty quick after the rain.  You can't beat the geraniums this year, they are perfect.

I am into the third book of the trilogy called Me Before You.  I sobbed my way through the first book, enjoyed the second a little less but find the third one good from the start. (It is really good.)

I figured I have only been off this property one time a month since January.  It is hard to believe that I have not gone stir crazy.  Andy celebrated with a hair cut yesterday where they only allowed one mask-wearing, temperature -taken, customer in at a time. He looks good. Waaaa, I want a hair cut (and so much more.)

Here's the beef

You must try Hidden Valley spicy seasoning mix on beef and let it marinate for a couple of days in the fridge, of course. The carrots and potatoes were done in the same oven but a different pan and combined at the very end before serving. You can cut the beef with your fork, no knife necessary. I love this product as well as the original.  Buy it at Sam's where it is cheaper and get the big size, you will find you use it all the time. Darn, I used all the mushrooms in other dishes; just imagine how they would be in this dish.

Happy Days

I am so happy.  I have my maintenance plan back in action.  I made three appointments today, so I count this as my lucky day. I can uncover the mirrors and go out in public, in a mask, but still, there is hope. I don't have to beg the dog groomer to help me out, Bella can keep her own appointment and pretty soon things will be back to normal around here.

We have gone crazy with flowers.  They are everywhere and they are so robust this year. We have time to spend with the plants so there are good aspects to this quarantine. Another good thing is having good books to read. I am reading Me Before You and just ordered for Kindle The Night Tiger.  I started reading it online so I know I will like it very much too.

Yesterday we went to Sam's and I bought a lot of mushrooms and today I made mushroom and rice soup. Nate will like that after a long day of work and I think Beth will too. Not Andy, he's afraid of mushrooms.

Speaking of plants we also bought ten mini peony bushes.  I don't know what that is all about but we got them and Eric will plant them for us tomorrow.

What do you think of reality television?  Some of these women are so vulgar that I cannot believe what comes out of their mouths.  Some of it I never heard before and have no idea what it adds to life or to a conversation. And, the men.  I'll leave it at that. It is like watching a train wreck, you don't want to see it but you do and then you can't unsee or unhear it.  It's a different world.

Happy reading and resting and cooking.

yellow peonies, who knew?

Andy thought it was time to get me out of the house and off the property before I did something we would all be sorry for. It's best to let the authorities, people in charge, do the job and much easier on my nerves. So we layered up with masks and gloves and headed to Sam's.  They had a pretty good set up and we were in and out with two carts of goodies and visions of  tasty dishes to look forward to.  I have just put everything away and dealt with items that need attention right away.  We will have salmon tonight and gussied up tater tots. Pioneer Woman has a way of making the most mundane look delicious but then what is there to do out in the middle of nowhere--well, one could build an empire out of a blog and that is what she did.  Good for her.

It is a beauty today.  The sun is glorious but we did lose some plants as we always do when we get crazy and plant too early.  For Mother's Day I got a waist-high (on me)  yellow peony bush to add to the other bunch that we bought in a lucky streak of luck at $8.00 apiece because they came into the nursery unmarked and no one knew what the color would be.  We took a chance and they were all yellow and simply outstanding. There were fifteen and all but three or four survived and are looking ready to set the (peony) alley afire in glory.

I am off to sit in the sun and cool my jets.
Notes:
  The great Hidden Valley seasoning is for sale at Sam's for $8. a jar and Amazon sells the same item for $20. Same size, same product.  However, today I discovered Hidden Valley spicy seasoning.  I am trying it tonight.

I am reading another great book Me Before You which is the first book in a trilogy.  I really like what I have been reading. Also, The Giver of Stars is a great book too.  I just finished it.  Loved it almost as much as Where the Crawdads Sing. Happy reading.

Where's the meat?

Andy put in a pick up order from Kroger and when we got it home three meat items were missing. No chuck roast, no chicken tenders, no pork shoulder, I knew this was happening and now it has come to pass. I am getting cranky. The minute I sensed this I should have gone shopping myself. It looks like those darn beans are going to get used anyway. And, Mike's 70 pounds of rice should come in handy. I teased him so much about it he may not give me any. Bella is looking worried; she has chicken every morning and she did not see it coming out of the bag just now. She's pacing the floor.

I used up some vegetables in a gratin today and it hit the spot.  I like to cook when I can get my hands on what I need.  I remember rationing when people hide soap and toilet paper under beds to hand it out only when necessary. The grocer used to save a Hershey bar for me every once in a while.  There were stamps in a rationing book which you had to present to get your staples, yet we were never hungry.  The system worked. I hope that never happens again. Three packing plants went back in business yesterday, so maybe this was just a dusting and we will be back in business soon.  Until then it's beans and rice.

Chin up, we can do this...again.

Note:  I am reading The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyer having finished The Chemist.

Roasting pork

Is there anything that smells as inviting as pork roasting in the oven at low and slow? The whole house is invited to share in the cozy ambiance as the potatoes, pork, and carrots prepare themselves for the feast.  I needed a dish that took no time to throw together and did not need nannying because I am deep into a gripping book called the Chemist.  I love Amazon. One can read a chapter or two on the computer so that you know if the book clicks for you.  Sometimes the prologue is better than the actual content, but mostly it is very helpful.


Have you started stocking up on meat?  I see on television that's the next slap that we have to contend with as if 'it' is not disconcerting enough. Then there is the strong, mean mutant strain growing from the virus, slaying as it grows. I am settling into another few months of being at home but I am not worried about that, I like it here and I have plenty to keep me happy and content. (Beth says I am the most contented woman she has ever known.) Maybe, except for the hair, I do get agitated about that.  So does she.  Every evening she threatens to color her hair, but then she doesn't; hoping the ban will be lifted as we all do.

The flowers are cheerful, loving this weather of cool, rainy, hot and repeat. I have a tan and with a few days of sun in between clouds it is a comfortable coloring.

I will try to become more interesting with this blog, but right now I have only three acres of contentment to offer; even the deer and coyotes have left the area.

This and that

Andy and I decided to venture out today for more plants.  We still have several large planters to fill so we started at Menards. I guess you have found out that shopping in a mask and rubber gloves leaves a lot of happiness behind.  It is so uncomfortable that once we got to Oakland Park Nursery and saw a line of people we decided to get breakfast and come home to peace with fewer restrictions.  I am longing to make a trip to Trader Joe's.  We have shopping figured out with Mike and Beth and Kroger pick up, but it is not the same as strolling through the aisles and picking up interesting things to try. I am grateful, no doubt, but I like to do my own stuff as much as possible. Waaa Waaa, I have absolutely nothing to be sad about, yet I whine on in my brain.

I have made soup today.  Imagine that.  Such an unlikely event in my kitchen.  I used up the bits and bobs in the fridge, used Mr. and Mrs. T's bloody mary mix along with some beef base and the soup turned out delicious. I am giving pasta a rest since I have worked it to death last week.



We had a lovely visit with the great-granddaughters yesterday, the first since February. The baby didn't know us which was sad, but the 3-year-old remembered everything and is now interested in the pool.  She will have a good time in there this summer.  We watch her like hawks, however. 

We have been visiting the Cincinnati Lechlers by phone and Facebook.  We would have had several visits by now had things been normal. They are sad about a wedding that didn't happen on schedule and Brooks and Carly lost a lot of deposit money on their event that didn't happen through no fault of their own. Oh well, it will get done just not when expected.

We are off to plant.  The sun is out and things are looking up.  Be happy.

Note: I am reading The Chemist. (So far, so good.)
Also, Escape to the Chateau is now on at 7:00 on Tuesdays on WOSU public television.