Our Deck...More Visitors

Still Monday! After the 'Bat Incident', it was time to get out the vinegar and wash tables and windows. The day was perfect for cleaning up those water-spotted jalousies!

Windows done, I turned my attention to the little table in the corner by our grill. It sure needed some cleaning, too! And while I was at it, I decided to open the table umbrella.

Plop! Something popped off the table umbrella!

Slowly, a surprised katydid began its infinitel deliberate and graceful progress across the table, wondering how the heck it took such a drop in gravity off that umbrella! Within 10 minutes, it had moved about 2 feet to the railing of the deck. Silent as the grave this morning, I could not coax a 'katie-did' out of it. Perhaps, it was as resentful as the bat. I would not be surprised.

I am rather reluctant to open ANYTHING on the deck for the rest of the day.

Our Deck: Full of Surprises

Monday: a great day to tidy up our big, upper level deck. The weather was perfect this morning, and I couldn't wait to get going. I checked all the planters, pulled some weeds (how can you get weeds in planters that are 10' above the ground?), and began getting ready to cover our big grill (a bad chef left off the cover last night).

I picked up the grill cover, shook it out, and began easing it over the grill, when something BIG dropped out of the cover onto the deck.

A VERY confused bat was spread-eagled on the deck boards. Now, everyone who knows me knows how much I like all things natural, and you all know that I am really not afraid of 'critters' of any kind. Well...startled is startled. I screeched. Yup.

Hubby came out quickly. I said: "It's a BAT!" (Intelligent, right?)

We both looked at the bat, who was twitching in the sunlight. Then we took photos, being careful not to touch it. I was sure that it was okay, just confused and be-thumped.

We went back into our Great Room. I looked out about 10 minutes later, and the bat had flown off, recovered.

Recovered, but - I am sure of this - resentful! After all, if you were curled up inside a safe, cozy cover, sound asleep, and someone DUMPED you onto the ground, you would not be happy!

I hope the bat forgives me.

Peppers by the Peck

Last Sunday, we served up a side dish of sweet peppers stuffed with a polenta/cheese mixture and grilled outside. Yum!

In fact, that was such a success, that tonight, we experimented with our larger peppers, stuffing them with a mixture of organic ground beef, onion, garlic, herbs, homemade salsa and homemade tomato sauce. Topped with mozzarella. And...we grilled them outside, again. YUM! (they are served with their 'tops' on, but we took the tops off for the photo)

We have enough peppers to go on like this for a while.

Peppers rule!

Gentlemen: Cover Those Knees!

Last Friday, my husband was entered in the annual Father/Son tournament with our son in law. The tournament is sponsored by our SIL's church, and the two men have been playing this outing together for a few years now. Both enjoy the outing, and SIL's church always makes sure that everyone is well taken care of.

Hubby and I set off early in the morning to be sure to arrive in plenty of time. In fact, we were a little early. This turned out to be a very good thing.

Our SIL, despite all his wonderful qualities (and they are many!), occasionally forgets to communicate little details.

Like the fact that all participants in the Tournament were required to wear long pants this year.

And Hubby was in his favorite Golf shorts.

The extra time was used to get a suitable pair of long pants for hubby to wear.

The field was spared the sight of these potentially offensive knees.

And we found the situation very amusing!

The Boats That Sailed to The New World

Last Friday, my daughter and I took a tour that made history come home to us. We went to Michigan City, IN to see the exact replicas of the Nina and the Pinta: two of the boats that sailed to the New World under Columbus' command.

These replicas, built to the exact standards of the 1400's, and faithful to the original plans, were crafted with the tools and made from the woods that were used then. They are works of art.

But - they are SMALL! It is difficult to imagine, by today's standards, how 24 young men (average age was between 14 and 19) could exist on a boat that was less than 75' long, with no sanitation, sleeping on deck because the hold was full of provisions. What a tale!

To walk these replicas is to realize how utterly difficult that voyage must have been (again, by today's standards, which are all we really know and understand).

Here are some photos to share with you all.

JAVA JARS

After a talk with the owner of the LaSalle Street Coffee Company, I found out that keeping my coffee beans in the freezer or refrigerator was not the great idea I had always thought it to be. Sean encouraged me to put my coffee beans in a tight-lidded container on the counter at room temperature. Since all Sean does is coffee, I figured he knew his beans!

Being an amateur potter, I threw four Java Bean containers. I am now using one of my own home made containers, and I love it.