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We don’t take many vacations. I supose this is for the obvious reasons that for most years we were either spending our weeks off birthing babies, working on home improvement projects, or just taking down time without spending money we didn’t have. But what it also taught is how to have a very nice “home vacation”, utilizing the resources we had, meeting the criteria that defined “vacation” for us, which if it can’t be a change of scenery it’s at least going to include good food, new food, fresh food.

Here in this area we’ve discovered that as far as the first holiday of the summer is concerned, it’s not a 3 day weekend…it’s 4. Almost no one was working on Friday. They were shopping, they were driving, they were closing things up. I meal planned and grocery shopped and desperately looked forward to a down-time weekend.

It’s been very quiet. Almost no traffic on our street today; I don’t know where every one went.  Last night we had chicken salad on crusty rolls, strawberries, chips, and Margaritas. We started the day with buttery pancakes and sausage. At lunch I tried a new recipe: it was a shrimp and avacado salad, made with cilantro and lettuce from my garden, and served it with rolls. The salad had a honey lime vinegarette dressiing, which sounded oh-so-fresh but it failed to excite. The avacodos were unnoticeable and the shrimp tasted “off”.

Shortly after the salad our sweet landlord and his wife came by with a dozen fresh farm eggs for our Lord’s Day breakfast. They know we have eggs benedict and wanted to make sure we had the best of the best. She also sent a jar of blackberry jam. These people have to be the kindest to rent from on the planet! They are sad we are having to move, as we are kindred spirits, but offered a referral anytime we wanted it.

The afternoon was warm. We haven’t turned on the AC for canned air yet, something that woud be a tad easier in this house if it had ceiling fans, or at least, adequate plugs for box fans. The kids cleaned out the van top to bottom; David even removed the seats so they could clean them really well. I got a roll of pictures of them, something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I take so many less pictures these days and I miss it! When they were done washing the outside they splashed each other in the sunshine and sparkling water, ultimately shampooing right in the yard and coming in clean! I love their efficient father :D.

I cooked while they did that. Homemade refried beans. English muffins, a double batch. A sour cream pound cake. Fajitas and a mint syrup for Mojitas. It was hot in the kitchen but Nina was soothing and it was nice to work in peace.

A Prairie Home Companion was excellent tonight. Down right tear jerking when Garrison sang a song about a WW2 soldier and then the audience joined in for The Star Spangled Banner. I watched the trailer for the upcoming movie of the same name and it seemed a bit….dumb? I’m hoping the film makers and writers didn’t just botch something that is nearly an American Institution!

Mojitos, at least the recipe I have, are too sweet. The fajitas were fantastic: note to tortilla chip lovers…warm them on a baking sheet in the oven. YUM! We had fat wedges of pound cake on the porch before bed, crumbs falling down to the delight of many happy ants.

Tomorrow we’ll have those most-perfect Eggs Benedict and coffee. We’ll worship and rest and fellowship. I’m working on a book list despite the fact that I’m going to be packing for the next three weeks and won’t have much time to read. There is something about warm summer days that just scream for books and icey glasses of tea or lemonade. I’ll have to squeeze it in.

As Garrison says, “That’s the news from Lake Woebegone. Where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are all above average.”

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