Farmers Market 9/25

Fall is coming, I can feel it. The lower humidity is a welcome guest. I don't think it got above 80 today compared to our sweltering, record-breaking mid-nineties this week.  I looked ahead and it should be in the 70's for the next 10 days! I can't wait!
There were lot of people and lots of good food to be had at the farmer's market today.  Apples were first on my agenda.  Remember the Arkane that were to be there? Yep, found them!  I got several-plan to have one every day. Next was wandering for vegetables. Charles Hambley's things looked really good so I got beans and potato. No corn, and I didn't buy any tomatoes. But, I did get a lot of basil, so I'll have to figure something good to do with it. I got the last bunch from my favorite basil vendor and it was extra big. I love having it around for aroma alone and stuck some of it in with the flowers last week.
The flowers-I got the red brain looking ones today and two stems of tuberose which will fill the house with sweet smell.
Don't you just love these sweet little pumpkins that were a dollar each? Martha Stewart has some cute glittered ones, I can't decide if I want to go that route or not.
A yummy salad is coming with those mixed greens. I'm thinking green bean potato salad will go nicely with the brats and maybe fall will hurry on in with a pot of chili made with the ground buffalo, who knows? I'll have to see what Chef Jim has in mind.
PS I liked that I can add more than one picture at a time now, but they go in a row vertically which I'm not liking so much. Sorry for the endless scrolling!
See ya next week for another farmers market adventure.  Today I'm off to an arts and crafts fair in Madison Indiana.  It is right on the river in a lovely location- it should be a beautiful day!

Eventually I'll get around to art again

But, this weekend is filled with celebrations-rehearsal dinner, wedding, birthday party.....and a first soccer game. You can't pack much more fun into a weekend than this!
Richey's son Jimmy married Michelle, who he has dated for 6+ years.
Richey and Paul arrived from Georgia on Wednesday night.  They have had a time with their vehicle lately, broke down in Florida while they were on vacation, flat tire on the way here, so travel lately has not been without its challenges.  Richey's emphysema always presents a few challenges.
I took a vacation day Thursday to go for a family pedicure. Paul, Mom and I did this when Ryan married 5 years ago, this time we talked Richey into joining us. So, we filled all 4 chairs at the nail salon, chose polish colors (except Paul), and chatted away.  Ryan came by with Knoxx for a visit. I love that Paul will go for a pedicure (don't tell anyone but he got a manicure, too-the only one of us). We had dinner at Mom's, exchanged a few gifts and laughs and played with Knoxx.
Friday was a work day and then rehearsal dinner at Bravo! Yummy!  Pizza appetizers, a nice menu for dinner, salad and an Expresso Martini (if you know me, you know I am a rare drinker-but Paul's Expresso Martini smelled so good and being a coffee lover and all......). After that, I passed on dessert.
Saturday-farmers market, of course, and E's first soccer game. Sure brought back memories of Saturdays spent at soccer fields when my kids were young. He did a great job as goal keeper, but most importantly-had a really good time.
The wedding was so fun, small, outside, family and friends-sweet.  The hope and promise of new life together just makes me smile.
Fun reception with good music, food, a photo booth for funny photos, cake. We stayed almost until the very end. It was a long day for Richey, but clearly worth every challenge presented.
I enjoyed the chance to spend time with my extended family and create some wonderful memories.
The fun isn't over yet-I'm picking up E for Knoxx's first birthday party celebration in just a little bit.

The party just keeps on going...............may it always be so.
PS- here's a pic of the birthday boy- I just got home. More sweetness.....

Farmers market 9/18

It was another really nice Saturday morning which is becoming unseasonably hot this afternoon. We headed to the market about 9 AM. Today is my nephew's wedding and E's first soccer game so there is a lot going on.

I got basil first thing. The last big bunch is mixed in with the orange butterfly flowers.  I bought it TWO weeks ago and am still using it. I grabbed another bunch that I hope will do as well. I made a tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil salad with basalmic and drizzled olive oil Thursday night to have at Mom's with Richey, Paul, Phil, Ryan and Knoxx.

I made egg muffins this week and they were so good that I am sure I'll make them again soon, so I picked up a dozen fresh eggs today.  Needed tomatoes to go with the basil. I think bruschetta pasta is in my future this week. The didn't have the apple I was looking for this week but he said they would next week. It was a red-skinned, very white fleshed apple that was yummy called Akane. Look for it. Delicious!!

I got an enormous English cucumber for cucumber sandwiches, yellow squash for grilling, another garlic, some buffalo, whole and cut up chicken, and a bunch of summer crunch lettuce to round out the purchasing for the day. Sunflowers continue to be my pick but I'm switching to that red flower that looks like a brain next week (Celosia). These purple ones are related to it believe it or not!

Looks like another week of good eating!

Oh, I just about forgot the lovely and aromatic tuberose. I got one of the last three stems. OOOLALA!

And your Hipstamatic for today-I'm continuing to love the morning glory spiraling around my wrought iron on the front porch.

Sweet.

Saturday Market

Though overcast, a fine day for the farmers market!  I had omelet on my mind when we got there and the line was short, I should have gotten it then. Later, it was a 30-40 minute wait, but worth it. The line is friendly and I got to sign up for information on a new restaurant opening in the spring by some of our farmer friends! I'm sure I'll be telling you more about that in months to come.  You know my love affair for food!

Corn was back so I picked up a couple of ears, it has been a little starchy this year, so I'm hoping our cooler  temperatures will help that.  I picked up another selection of apples. I was on an heirloom tomato mission to make bruschetta pasta for dinner with some of the basil I still had on hand which has held up beautifully.  I love sliced peach either on top of almond butter on a waffle or english muffin for breakfast or on Kahshi Go Lean cereal. Hum, last week I added the cereal and peach to yogurt for breakfast. So, happy peaches are still around.  The radishes looked so spectacular and I always have my eye out for those cute watermelon variety which I haven't seen since last winter. The flower choices were sunflowers, hydrangea, zennia, eucalyptus, and this sweet purple flower when I got there (no tuberose) so I skipped the hydrangea and zennia and went with the rest.

The omelet was well worth the wait. Best part we got to talk to Brent, one of the chefs, who participated in the ironman at the end of August. He's been training all year.  We found his status online during the race after his swimming portion. He finished (good for him!!) in 12 hours+. He said it was very emotional. One doesn't know if one's body can do what is asked of it. I'm sure it is amazing when you ask so much and it responds. His family and friends were waiting at the end. I'm sure he was just a mess of emotion. I could sense it while he was just talking about it.

Congratulations, Brent!

stats: rank 264/243/110

                  swim-2.4 miles in the Ohio River, time: 01:27:29      

                  bike- 112 miles, time: 06:44:13     

                  run-26.2 miles, time:  04:01:04

                 

                 total time 12:40:03 Amazing! I can't even imagine....

Beautiful day

We went out on the Ohio River today. It was beautiful. Here are some Hipstamatics for you viewing pleasure.

Gotta love sailboats

Louisville skyline

New Harrods Creek Bridge

Rope Swing

This moth rode with us on the boat for quite a while.

Farmers market trip

It was a perfect day at the market. About 50 degrees, sunny, breezy. So refreshing after the sweltering heat that has plagued us this summer, and no doubt will return.
We had a late start after having Jim's car towed to get a remanufactured engine installed (very sad face). We didn't need a lot. The summer is clearly winding down for the farmers, very few tomatoes, little corn, squash much less abundant.
I took advantage of the annual flowers greatly reduced in price and got this great maroon plant that looks like coleus but isn't. I put it in a cachepot on my dining room table. The cut flowers were all gone by the time we got there. I also thought this little white plant was sweet and the little violet is a house plant. All a steal at 4.00.
Four little tomatoes, 3 peaches, some Yukon Gold potatoes (tomorrow's green bean potato salad), 3 pears and some bison. Oh, and that fabulous bunch of basil!  I'd have bought it for the aromatic bouquet alone.

A hispstamatic for your viewing pleasure!

Oh, and you know fall is coming when the pumpkins and gourds show up.  How about this one that looks like a buzzard!!

We went to Lynn's Paradise Cafe for breakfast.  I was thinking that-hey, some people went out of town, it won't be so crowded-wrong! I forgot about the people that came HERE for the weekend.

But, the nice added attraction was the ugly lamp contest entries from the fair were there.

This was a favorite of mine. Can you make an ugly lamp look better with a hipstamatic?

And the winner is......

The winner is lucky number 3 according to the random number generator! Congratulations to okanagan_spirit aka Joanne! I hope you will find some useful items for your art pleasure. You make such lovely things, I know because I have been a recipient on more than one occasion. I'll put it in the mail to you along with your Rolodex cards! I am waiting on Suzanne's package-it is coming by mule and should arrive any day now!!

I tried to post the generator here and had trouble. It's been a techno problem day including the purchase of a new wireless router and reconfiguring my wireless printer. Oh, technology! I love it when it works smoothly and despise it when it doesn't. That issue and a car engine that has to be replace has robbed me of some pleasant activities out of town, but I've had beautiful weather here and enjoyed a lot of time on my porch watching the hummingbirds, reading the paper and doing a little art.

Thanks to all for visiting my blog. I'll get started on the next 325 with a post about this week's farmers market next.

325th post and a prize!

Can you believe it?  First, the post- my first hummingbirds!  Jim saw hummers at the hummingbird feeder last night. I hung it up in May, but never saw a bird. So I didn't maintain the solution in it. Last night there was only rain water. So, I added hummer food last night and re-hung it.
Ah, the reward! They are the cutest things and are flying all over the yard. They love one of my trees and my neighbor's Crepe Myrtle, which is a lovely fuchsia. The feeder is 6 ft from my back door hanging from an awning. Sweet.

Now for the prize. I was going through some art/scrapbooking stuff and decided to give away a small stash of stuff. To win it, leave a comment by next Sunday and I'll draw for the loot. Some you may want, some not, give it away, throw it away, keep it, whatever. I love getting stuff, I'm sure some of you will have wonderful ideas for it!

Among the stash is a set of new calligraphy markers, some stickers, architecture "knockers", napkins from my collection, vintage valentines, vintage pattern, vintage buttons, pack of collage paper, pack of shipping tags, number stamps, etc...

Make sure I have some way to contact you, but also check back next week to see if you are the winner!

Good luck!

More Hipstamatic photos

I really like this old instamatic camera look and am having a lot of fun with it. The app comes with some lenses, (John S, Jimmy, Kaimal Mark ll, Roboto Glitter) "film" (blanko, Ina's 1969, Kodot Verichrome, and I purchased float (the one with the grainy black edges) and flashes (dreampop, berrypop) and you can purchase others. One day I'll switch up the choices and post.

To market we go...

Yummy, yummy, yummy!  Another great day at the farmers market!  It was pleasant outside and the market brought a hint that fall is coming with the wide variety and abundance of apples! One of my favorites.  There were some varieties that I was not familiar with so I picked up a couple of those, too. The green ones are honey crisp (hard, crunchy and mildly sweet)

The yellow with red are gala (small, sweet, semi hard).

The small red are the Akane-I've never tried these.

The green with a hint of red on the top side is the Dixie Red another never tried variety.

I was in a pepper mood, I must make egg muffins, why do I keep procrastinating???

I bought the small cucumbers for Jim and the woman who sells the peppers and cucumbers, offered a free eggplant! Grilled eggplant here I come!

How about that cute little pear shaped tomato?  It is a Japanese Black Truffle- similar in taste to the Cherokee Purple that I love so much. Never tried it before but got it from the organic farmer who had the only Cherokee Purple's this week. Corn is scarce so I guess it is grocery corn this week.

See my Kenny's Cumin Seed Gouda hiding by the vase?  Put that on a thin slice of apple and you have some really good eatin'.

The bottom tomatoes are my final Mortgage Lifters. I've been so pleased to have produced as many tomatoes as I have- a record for me. I'll pull the plant out today.  It is done.

Below is a picture of the FM haul taken with my new Hipstamatic app. Don't you love the effect? I've been taking pictures of everything with it. So cool.

vintage shot

I'll leave you with yet another shot of those fantastic morning glory. It looks like a light is shining out through the middle. They are hurt your eyes blue/violet with electric centers. I love, love love them!