Thursday, March 25, 2021

Kitties, Edible Greens, and Al Fresco Dining! Our Thursday.....

Tabitha is really and truly Louis Dean's cat!


When we are at home, every morning she comes in while we do our reading and wraps herself around his neck and purrs loudly. Here at the ranch, she still pays him a lot of attention when he's sitting in the big green wing backed chair. She keeps trying to position herself around his neck but the chair back is too high! She is the sweetest and most loving kittie. Samantha is beautiful and as sweet as she can be - but she's a real cat - life is all about her! She seldom has time for humans.


They both play and race through the camper or front room or both if the door separating the two is open. They play hard and then they crash on my girl bunk and sleep pretty much the rest of the day.

I worked on my art today and Louis Dean worked on all sorts of things. No plumbing but lots of thinking and he cleaned up his 'shop' and did a lot of this and that.
Bottom line, it looks like the brand new high dollar water heater we bought FOUR years ago will not work. It has been sitting down here all this time and it's wired up and getting electricity - but it will not turn on. At this point I have given up all hope of a hot shower or running water in the camper in the next few days. We will have to come back next month and pick up where we leave off this trip.
Louis Dean does think he can get the shower put back together and lay the linoleum down, install the laundry sink and the toilet - before we go back home. YAY! I will take what I can get!


This afternoon, I made a pan of brownies in my little toaster oven.
The pan barely fit put I angled it and got it in there.

Dean was smoking a pork loin and some chicken while Sherry was making Pablano Pepper soup and homemade guacamole.

I was making the salad.
I went out to the gardens and searched for edible geens.


I had to use my Plant Snap app to identify this one. I've never seen it down here before.
It's varigated milk thistle. 
While it is totally edible and actually very good for you - especially your liver - it has prickly points along the leaf edges. I decided to pass on that one.


I have two kinds of lettuce growing in my herb garden so I picked some of both along with three small stalks of asparagus and a handfull of other edible greens.
Many of the wildflowers are edible, as well, but I saved those for another time.


I like to put lots of stuff in a salad.
Today I used tomatoes, celery, carrots, boiled eggs, an apple and an orange, a little onion, half of an avocado, a little fresh broccoli and some diced jicama (HEE-kah-ma) which is an edible root vegetable native to Mexico.


Louis Dean and I sat out under our new carport and had our own personal happy hour.
Bringing the rug that had been in the bathroom and our metal table (which he gave a fresh coat of paint this afternoon) and the two metal chairs made a nice little place to enjoy el fresco dining!

And we pulled another couple of chairs around when Dean and Sherry got here and that's where we ate supper tonight.


It was delicious!
Sherry had the pablano soup at the Homestead Heritage Cafe when she and I were there last week.
This was her version of it and it was really good.
We are all going back there tomorrow as an outing and we intend to eat at the cafe again.
Plus we are going to make a point of going to the Cheese Cave!


What better way to end our evening than fireworks???
It is so much fun!!
I squeal like a girl and sometimes I scream a little, too.
Mostly I laugh!
There was a big one we've never had before and it was amazing.
My pictures don't turn out well so I only take one to post and the rest of the time I just enjoy the show.
Sherry and I always have a few of the ones you hold in your hand and they shoot out like rockets!

Louis Dean is already in bed and I will close tonight's journal entry and go back out to the front room and do a little more painting.
Can you believe I started on a Christmas one??
This year I am not painting two of everything.
I discovered having my art printed on canvas!


As I was writing, I glanced up and noticed Samantha sipping my iced tea!


Reminded me of Maggie.....our sweet senior cat who loved to drink her water from wine glasses. 
Picture from 2014.

Goodnight from the country!








11 comments:

Bluebird49 said...

I think of you when I think of the song "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". You always find the fun! That's a great trait.
Sending love!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Sorry to read about the costly water heater not working, Linda. Sometimes the more things cost, the less they work as expected. Louis Dean sure never gives up, so it was nice to see him relaxing and barefoot and the al fresco dining and the food looked wonderful.

Deanna Rabe said...

I'm hoping that by the time you get to the ranch for the next visit, Louis Dean will have solved the mystery of the water issues, including the water heater.

Maybe someone who reads your blog is married to a plumber and can ask for advice to pass on to LD.

Your kitties are so cute! Our cat loves to climb up with Tim and Kyle especially. He will come lay with me if he has no other options and he's feeling the need for human touch! HA!

Glad you have such wonderful family to share life with!

Changes in the wind said...

Water problems just seem to be following you and I can't imagine how frustrated you all must be but there has to be a end to it and I am praying it will be soon. Your al fresco dining helped make the end of the day much better and glad you are going on a fun outing tomorrow.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

You will enjoy that space SO much! I love it too! Enjoy your day!

MadSnapper said...

out of all the hundres of words here the one that stuck out the most was NO HOT WATER... OMG, i had to go without it for 7 days and nearly had a heart attack. maybe a plumber next time? i love your picnic area and that shade will feel really good next time you visit your country home, it will be HOT bythen. we are gettig NOT this week. cats and dogs are picky about people. Jake loved bob like Tabitha loves Louis Dean, Big loved me, Beau is a miracle, he loves both of us best..

jackie said...

Since your man can do practically EVERYTHING else under the sun, maybe just have a plumber do this!?

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

That would be the toper on the cake for me. A hot water tank that doesn't work is unacceptable. Hopefully you'll be able to get one that does. I think for a chANGE YOU'LL BE GLD TO GET HOME. THIS HAS BEEN A FRUSTRATING VISIT TO THE RANCH AND NOT YOUR USUAL RESTFUL ONE.

Wanda said...

Hi Linda! So fun to get back into blogging after my break. I have visited you from time to time, but didn't comment.

Love your post today, and all the fun and busy life you and Louis Dean continue to have. The cats are beautiful and I remember when we had a large orange cat (Rustina) that wrapped herself around Don's neck. He loved that cat!!

Have a great day!

Chy said...

Thanks for visiting "our little house in the big woods" Linda. I don't have a follow button but hope you'll still enjoy popping in when you can. Love your photos. Always so much to look at and they fit your words beautifully!

X Chy

Curtains in My Tree said...

You two enjoy life more than anyone else I read I do believe. As it should be.
I have a new cat which I adopted and she purrs a lot however no jumping up on my chair yet Like Louis Dean's cat.
Your cooking makes me hungry for something cooked on the grill, and I really need a lovely salad like your.
How nice to have company to help enjoy it. As always a fun visit over here.

Janice