camp, birthday, harvest

Wednesday and Thursday of last week I spent at Camp Mennoscah volunteering in the kitchen. Kate and I went together, which was fun, and the rest of the crew was great to work with too. As someone interested in food -- making, learning, and of course eating -- I like to document what we helped make. I believe I did this last year as well. During those two days we made (among other things) bierocks, spaghetti, verenike casserole, scotcheroos (minus the 'scotch part of them...), zweiback, various baked potato bar toppings, and cinnamon rolls. Fun, fun! It was fun to be there with directors whom I have counseled for numerous times and also to see Olivia. Due to overcrowding in the staff house, we got to stay in the sweet director house; Kate and I even had our own rooms and bathrooms! Lap o' luxury, I tell you.

Friday was my birthday. Brian and I slept in and then went to a community park for my bank's customer appreciation lunch. Lunch was good, but the sno cones were disappointingly flavorless. Friday afternoon I spent making bierocks for the first time from start to finish all by myself. My main inspiration was to make something that would work well for a field meal that I could take to my in-laws' for Saturday supper. The project was a lot of fun, and they really turned out well! Note: Dough made with lard = mmm.

On Saturday after running some errands and other activities, I went out to the farm to ride along during harvest. However, I got to do more than ride along, which was quite exciting! I've always kind of wanted to be a farm girl, and maybe at some point in my life I will actually be one. I got to take the tractor and grain cart to the combine twice. Then I got to cut some wheat for the first time! When it was our turn on the truck, I also got to bring back the empty truck from the elevator -- driving it was also a first! At the end of the evening -- and also the very end of harvest -- my father-in-law left a couple of patches in the field for me to cut. Awesome! I did that, dumped it into the truck, and then was instructed to finish the job and take it to the elevator. Exciting! I did, and was definitely the elevator's slowest customer of the day (while I'm sure it was somewhat annoying to them, there was no one else there at that point, so it's not like I was impeding business or other farmers). It was so nerve-wracking, and I did kill the truck once when trying to inch up further to get the bed over the grate, but I successfully hauled it in! Pretty fun. And also neat to be the one to finish everything (kind of...) up, even though I didn't really feel like I deserved that honor. I obviously could not just take off and go on any part of the process myself, but it is fun to start learning, and at least I am now maybe capable of doing more than move the pick-up!

new posts are nice

And that is the reason I'm typing up a quick one. Perhaps more in-depth individual posts on these topics will come, but just because I have not updated in a long time, I thought I would at least put something out there for you blog readers. I have been off of work for a lot of June, which has been nice. However, it has not be particularly restful due to the stress of our need for housing come August. Much worry is present. We have spent a lot of time looking online at realtor.com and at craigslist and calling lots of places too. Last week we went to Boulder for a few days and spent two days with a realtor looking at homes. It was definitely a worthwhile trip, but we don't feel a pull to put an offer on something right now. Our hope is to rent for a while to allow us to be in the area and get to know it and then, with any luck, find something we might like to buy. Or maybe we will rent long term. Who knows at this point? Other events of recent times include Mark's graduation party last Saturday, several family get togethers, Rhett's dedication, hosting book club last night, and watching our plants grow (tomatoes, pumpkins -- fun to watch even though we won't be around for any bearing of fruit, and a pepper -- the plant looks great and keeps flowering, but sets on no peppers...??). And Brian is harvesting several days this week.

supper after 10pm

Two nights this weekend we ate supper after 10pm. Friday we just got started on our evening late, and we ended up going to the nursery with mom & dad to take advantage of 25 cent tomato plants; we got four plus one pepper plant. Then Brian needed to take some lab materials back to his bio professor and by that time it was close to 10. Of course we struck out on the first restaurant we went to ("oh, the kitchen just closed" Really? Your kitchen closes at the weird time of 9:47?) but were lucky to find Chinese open until 10:30. We were there late enough that the employees were eating. Chicken feet. Eating chicken feet. Brian asked them if they ever serve them to customers, but they said, "No!"

Sunday we had plans to have visitors, which meant that we had major cleaning work to do on Saturday. Our house had been sadly neglected for probably more than a month due to our busyness. I woke up and made a long list and am proud to say everything on the list was accomplished (except for a couple of non-cleaning related if-we-have-time items)! That is what 12 hours of working will get you. It was after 10:30pm before we could stop and eat. About eating, that reminds me that one out of the ordinary fun thing from our day was when we were at Wal-Mart late morning waiting on our oil change, we took advantage of a wonderful sample -- a full Ben & Jerry's chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream sundae. Mmm.

After church Sunday we met Reid & Grayce for lunch, and then they came over for a few hours of Office watching. We were invited to Moundridge for grilled chicken -- yum! We also spent some time around the pond -- boys fished, girls + baby Rhett swung. That boy is a sweet cutie.