Sweet Pickles Farm

  Life has been being lived around here!  So many delicious meals we have had; cuddles and snuzzles with the grandson, only after the fact rueing (or at the least tsk-tsk-ing), that we didn't photograph and catalog our experiences.  Nonetheless, we are still like our beloved little Pickles- screaming out with the ecstasy of latching on to life like a gnawed-upon, beloved frisbee, exerting ourselves to suck the marrow out of the delicious moment, only to fall into a heap, gasping for air and wondering how long it will take to recuperate from the fete, until we can grab hold of it all anew.

Oh this vortex called life!  The balancing of responsibilities laid upon us, with the resultant need for plugging in to the battery-pack.  For us, traveling hither-and-yon- mostly for the sake of making a living, but at least with the pleasant bonus of visiting with the new grandbaby.  There have been things that have struck a melancholy note within our hearts; but also lots of smiles and delights of the senses- most notably, the comforting, familiar smells of home, such as onions and garlic simmering on the stove, the calming sound of the "te-tang" of two wine glasses chest-bumping on their way from the shelf to their most gratuitous calling.

No apologies here- just a case of "it is what it truly is"- life being lived...

Tonight was a night of music, chopping and stirring, and sitting in the moonlight slowly savoring the tastes of the kitchen, pups and kitties literally against our heels, requesting (with their moist, pleading button-eyes and methodical kneading of the porch chair cushions), hand-outs and skritches.  On the menu: lemon pork picatta, fried cabbage with bacon and white wine, caramelized fennel with parmesan, and roasted tomatoes with fresh basil. 

Roasted tomatoes from a farm stand in the rural country...

       Caramelized fennel...oh so delicious!

  Eating outside with the moon and the patio lights..

And oh...what to do with pounds and pounds of peppers???  Or is it pecks and pecks?