snowangel

This has been the week from hell. We had new kitchen counters (granite!) installed yesterday, which has meant disruption -- clearing out cabinets, removing counters, sink, plumbing, etc., and replacing same. It has been plumbing hell, including five (yes, five) trips to the hardware joint yesterday (we are DIY'ers). And, not done yet. Oh, the horrors one can discover when one embarks on a DIY. In addition, at long last, I have put in a garden at our new-to-us house. Tomatoes and flowers. I missed the boat on green beans and other stuff, so they will wait until next year. So, we need the cabin. Badly. Diana is at camp currently about an hour south of our cabin, and she reports that along with the first day of summer, the weather has changed. No longer bitter cold, windy and rainy. The water is warming by the day. Actually swimmable. She also reports that the nights have been clear and much warmer. So, me senses a swim tomorrow night just might in my future when we arrive. Me also senses a pretty minimalist food weekend. Since we will not arrive until late tomorrow night (we will stop and see Diana; she is gone for over 5 weeks and leave her a care package and kisses that will embarrass her), only two dinners, three lunches and three breakfasts. For dinners, I'm thinking some chuck eye steaks one night. Brats the other night. The meat market by our new house has great brats. I'll throw potatoes into the Action Packer. My dad is going to be right by the farmer's market tomorrow, so he will pick up greens and whatever else looks good. Breaksfast is a no-brainer. I have three pounds of great smokehouse bacon (local joint), 2 pounds of breakfast sausage; we will stop on the way for eggs, and then there can be pancakes or waffles. If there are fresh straberries at the farmer's market, we'll have those and yogurt on top of the pancakes. And, as I've mentioned before, lunch is sliced meat (leftovers of salami or whatever), cheese, bread and fruit. I better head to the market. I think I should add batteries for the flashlights (middle of the night trips to the outhouse) to the list. And Gin. Tonic. Limes. Beer. For sweet treats for Heidi and Peter, I think I"ll get some oreos or choc covered graham crackers. Which reminds me...smore's supplies. List is growing. Good news is we don't have to pack many clothes. The bathing suits are up there. I have left two t-shirts and two pair of shorts up there (per person. I don't think I'm going to bother with jeans. It has been a hard summer. A long and difficult winter. Make extra difficult because the efforts required on our new but previously neglected house has required a lot of attention, and the weather at The Cabin has not been conducive to visits. And, after this weekend, it will be two weeks before we get up there again. But, in late July, I will be there for two or three weeks. The best two or three weeks of the year -- the water will be warm, the blueberries will be ripe, the sunnies will be biting, and the bugs will be down. Edited to add: early August, I will celebrate my 46th birthday at the cabin. I have celebrated every birthday since I was 21 at The Cabin.

Curious as to what failed on your previous Webers. So far, nothing has failed that we haven't been able to fix. But, then again, we are fixers and have tons of tools. Ronnie, the welding gloves are far more appealing to little boys than the weeder thingie I photoed. And, yes, the lid does make a fine shield. It's big enough that it is hard to lose or misplace. I love my war horse, and our landfillls are entirely too full. Keep it going is our motto (except for our hugly ugly leatherette-textured formica counters which will re being replaced with granite tomorrow )

One tip for eating out (restaurants or other people's houses) is to get one or two of those plastic booster seats at garage sales and keep them in the car. They make wonderful footrests (turn upside down). We have four of them. One in my car. One in Paul's car. One at my folks' house. One at the cabin. Total cost was about $2.00. For help with the schools, contact Pacer. Although they are in MN, they have the contacts and resourses to help anywhere. Fortunately, we are in a great state and have just moved from one fab school district to another even better school district.

The difference between the one available at One Step Ahead and the more expensive Tripp Trapp is that the latter has accessories available -- a pommel (abductor), belt, higher back (an option), tray, and a thing to keep a baby in it (sort of a waist cage). For a child who cannot sit independently, I remember well when Heidi was about 3+ and could not sit on her own. This was before the Tripp Trapp. We used to put her into a standard high chair and put a rolled up long towel just behind her knees toward her thighs. Yes, the grounding of feet can be essential. If Heidi's feet dangle, she cannot attend to task. She can't eat. She can't nap in the car.

Thanks, Tejon, for taking the time to read and respond. Most people simply think that if we MAKE Heidi eat everything, things will be fine and she will become "normal." It is in real life, quite different. Yes, I would appreciate your tips on swallowing pills. One of her meds, as I stated earlier (I think) is a very nasty liquid, and if we could get pills down, it would be most helpful. Did you note Heidi's chair? It is really cool, and offers, because the back is contoured, quite a bit of support. It would not be difficult to fashion a cushion for it, and you might find that the adjustable foot-rest provides added grounding. I would assume your son's feet don't touch the floor in a regular chair. Remember, for you, when your hands are not working like you want, there's absolutely nothing wrong with using pre-cut up stuff.

End of July. Our next trip will be just after the weekend of the 18th of July, and I will stay for a couple of weeks (at least). That's when we'll blueberry. Raspberries typically are ready about the same time. I hope for some strawberries this weekend. If they are there, they will be very tiny, and we will get them before we mow. We mow to keep the tick population down, or at least off us. Nothing like seeing the ticks on the tall fronds of grass, waving, just waiting for our bare skin.

We Head North again on Friday. For the long weekend. Peter is so excited he's packed already. We will stop and see Diana at camp (she's there for over a month). Think I'll take tapenade and a baguette for treats. We're more than ready. The weaher has turned, and it has beem warm, dry and sunny at the cabin, so we should do more than dip in the lake. The only fireworks will be late at night after the kids are in bed. Menus to be decided, but will include plenty of smoked pork products and waffles. And beef.

Soba has linked this post to a thread on the Cooking forum, but I also thought this would be an appropriate place. Pantry Challenge Judith and others, some help!

mistake. See next post.

Paul and I were young and in lust and not wearing reading glasses and grey hair was not a thought when we bought our Weber. Like I said, we have drilled holes (used just one of the regular bits from his Craftsman set) and nuts and bolts (2 of each) or secure handle a couple of years ago. There never was nor has there been a plastic tab. Underneath, on the wire thing (my set-up is not nearly -- yet -- as fancy as yours, we keep a wire brush to keep the grill thing, which I did replace with a hinged model -- a very good move -- and a garden tool for spreading coals ane operating the top vent. I also have a dandelion tool (one that is v-forked) that also serves well. The tray underneath also serves as a fine ashtray. The top of ours is heavy, but when I looked at it, there is a lot of "stuff" built up on it. I has been a wonderful unit. Thanks to Klink, I have learned that I can smoke easily with this thing. When the area by the handle rusts too much, we will just add some sheet metal and drill holes in that for the handle. It is low tech, and over the course of almost 24 years, has been unbelievably low-maintenance. Meantime, Paul and I are staring the construct on a cabinet which will sit beside the Weber. Doors to hold charcoal and the misc. gardening tools we use for the grill. With a granite top. Using the sink-cutout from the granite counters that will be installed in my kitchen day after tomorrow.

When we had to do this to our Weber one-touch (now about 24 years old), he used a standard steel bit on a high speed drill (this was before we had a cordless). Worked just fine. Is the reason mine seems to heavy is all of the crud on the inside of the lid? The newer ones seem lighter in weight, but I'm not sure if it's because they are lighter or mine is "seasoned." Yes, it's almost a quarter of decade and still going. Going strong. I forget how much we paid for it, but it was worth every penny. What is that plastic you are are talking about? Must have happened after 1980.

I will expand this to include the Twin Cities. As I picked my niece up at the airport at the someone obscene hour of 5:15 am last Friday, we drove through the Lowry tunnel at exactly 6:00 am, so decided that a trip to the Mpls. Farmer's Market was in order. I used to live but 6 minutes away. Now, it is much further, but I must make the effot to go the extra 15 minutes to get there. My niece is from Berkeley, and she describes their farmer's market as much different (only on Saturday's; most vendors are aging hippies). The Minneapolis Farmer's market operates every day of the week. Although the St. Paul Farmer's Market is only open on the weenend, it only permits produce and products (including meat, cheese, vinegars, etc.) produced and grown within a limited geographical area (includes a little bit of Western Wisconsin as I recall), Minneapolis Farmer's Market also has some "commercial" vendors so you can get stuff like bananas, etc. But, I digress. On weekdays, the Minneapolis Farmer's Market is pretty sleepy. Much smaller than on weekends. All veggies and plants -- no meat, eggs, cheese, etc. But it's quiet and easy to park and navigate. Most of the vendors are Hmong, and my do they clean and present their veggies in a most appealing manor. It is amazing. Everything glistens and looks beautiful. We have had a very cool and rainy spring and early summer. We have only seen one day above 80 degrees (F). We are loning for the hot days of summer. I continue to think that if I continue to wear shorts and tank tops, the Weather Powers That Be will realize that it is time for us to be something other than neon-white and goose-pimply. We are starting to wonder if we will see a homegrown tomato. An ear of fresh picked sweet corn. But, I did pick up the most beautiful peas --- snaps and snows, and spinach to die for. The latter included the beautiful pink "just above the roots." I also snagged some MN grown strawberries -- outstanding, as always. And, new potatoes the size of marbles. I seared the peas (in two batches, but mixed together later) with garlic and shallots and added a bit of soy and sesame oil. They were divine. So, last night, potato salad (potatoes halved, cooked, dressed with white wine, then EVVO, some white wine vinegar, garlic and leftover cooked artichokes and the last of my frozen roasted red peppers), and strawberries mascerated in a tidge of balsamic over some of the spinach (which had been very lightly coated with EVOO). Tonitgh, it's just Paul, Heidi and I, so I will fry some bacon, make a warm dressing with the bacon drippings, and toss with the spinach and some hard-cooked eggs. I will say that this is the sweetest, most beautiful spinach I could ask for. Unfortunately, I forgot my digi-cam at my folks house. Just imagine. I really should dig out a bottle of pinot.

I'd never in a million years have thought of that. And it doesn't sound particularly tasty. But you're the second person on this thread to mention it, so clearly I've got to give it a try. It sounds like a perfect way to take something basically good for me and make it really fattening. Something I always appreciate. Peter (age 8, still) the first person mentioned with the Tuna/PB idea, had one for lunch. I just had a plain tuna salad sandwich on toasted Acme. I use either oil-packed (from the wedge) or the vaccuum packed stuff. Mayo, celery, onion, whatever else strikes my fancy. This thread is reminding me of someone I once worked with. She spoke of taking "scent of tuna" sandwiches to school for lunch. There were 11 kids in the family. In the morning, her mom would make tuna salad. Slater on bread, whipe off. Slater and whipe on second sandwich, and so on. The mom also added 1/3 of a leaf of iceburg to each sandwich. 11 kids, one can of tuna. My sandwiches are thicker.

Diana is at camp right now, just south of our cabin. It was 25 degrees (F) not spitting distance from the camp she is at, and under 30 at The Cabin. Will we ever swim comfortably again? Languish in the lake? The sub-freezing temps could put the blueberries in jeopardy.... This is turning out to be the summer that never was. All of us have remarked that we have "kept our sweatshirts close at hand..."

Peter just perused my post (me supervising). Per Peter "Mom, what I really like about the cabin is that you and dad don't do that grown-up stuff like talking on the phone and doing laundry and going to the store and the cash machine. You guys act like kids." Well said, oh wise one. Peter is 8.

Bingo! BTW, the toast it makes is really, really dry. Lots of butter saves it.

Paul and I have been going to the cabin since 1976. Diana and Heidi have been going since they were each two weeks old. Peter was a bit older, simply because I was not ready for a winter trip with a newborn. We have never been disappointed. In stormy weather, we can watch them roll in. In great weather, we languish by the lake. So, when Paul rolled in on Thursday evening, the kids were in the car. We were more than ready. Paul was hungry part way up, so we had sliders at the White Castle in Hinkley. A lot of them. Fries and onion chips, all washed down with coke. We arrived at The Cabin just before 10:00 pm. It is light much later -- at least 40 minutes later -- than here in The Cities. Because the sky is "so big," the glimmer of light lasts until after 10:00 pm. It is cold and windy. But, it is clear, and we can pick out constellations. We have cocktails and snacks, and play charades. Tumble into bed. The next day dawns. The view from the deck is much greener than it was just over a month ago: Here is a picture of the cabin On the left side (as you are looking at the photo) is a screen porch. In the middle of the cabin is the living room. On the right side is the kitchen. Between the two is the dining room table; there are no walls on the front half of the cabin. Behind these rooms are the bedrooms. The cabin used to sit closer to the lake, on cement blocks (set as posts). Many, many years ago, we excavated some behind the cabin, filled it in with sand and put in a fairly real foundation, so we don't have the heave-ho we used to have, and no longer have to get out a jack, level and shims to make everything square every spring. The day begins with coffee We use a melita drip over a thermos thing. We do have a small generator, and the one luxury I induge in is fresh ground coffee every morning. Does anyone know what that other contraption is (the one in front of the thermos? For breakfast, I cook up a pound and a half of bacon and make waffles in our nifty nordicware stove-top waffle maker. The thing is great. They are quite expensive from nordicware, but I have bought several at places like Goodwill. We topped them with yogurt and strawberries. While we were waiting for the sun to come out and the wind to die down (it never did), the kids and I made cookies with Shrek mini-m&m's. They were really yummy. We don't have a cooling rack at The Cabin, so I do what my grandmother did. Put them on a brown paper bag. Works just fine. For lunch, we had sandwiches and fruit and cut-up veggies, plus the leftover roasted asparagus from two nights ago. A perusal of the yard reveals that the Strawberries are in bloom. These will be little. The flowers are maybe 1/4" across. Very seedy, but so flavorful they put all other's to shame. We notice that the roses are starting to bloom. This bush is totally entwined in a clump of birches. What should I do with the rose hips? The kids and I took a few walks to th point. The Point is amazing. Granite slabs melting into the lake. Granite cliffs with Zen-like trees growing in almost nothing. It is a perfect playground. Full of nooks and cranies. Fairy lands. The stuff of which dreams are made. It is late in the day. Diana is standing on the part where the granite melts. She and Peter are standing by our favorite tree on the point. We note that the wild columbines are blooming. Keep in mind that there is very little soil on top of these huge granite slabs. We have waited to see if the wind would die down (there are white caps on the lake ) before getting into the water. We all have the shortest, quickest swims we have had in years. After our swim, we had dinner. The last of the venison weiners, kraut, home-made baked beans. A really good watermelon. Nothing fancy. Just simple. Then it is the radio, games and bed. We had a repeat of the same breakfast on Saturday morning. No reason to mess with success. Lunch. Same as the day before. The remainder of the last hunk of venison summer sausage. Should the year continue, there will be venison on the table again this coming fall. We have seen many on our drive in, and signs of many of them near the cabin. It is still windy. It is Saturday night. It is cold. We contemplate a fire. Heidi is wearing footed fleece jammies. The wind calms down. So, in the half-light, we suit her up. Peter, Diana and I suit up. It is windier than we thought. We drop Heidi over the side of the dock, and her knees comes to her chest. She is out in a split second. I have hung head over the side of the dock, wet and soaped hair. The fisherperson's not far away think we're crazy. One dip and I, once again, know that I am crazy. Three dips -- they were short -- but the water was divine. Back in and dressed. We have had a wonderful weekend. We left early on Sunday morning and had breakfast on the way to drop Diana off at camp. We have played games. Worked crossword puzzles. Listened to the radio. Watched the birds (lots of hummingbirds this weekend, and the bonus Bald Eagle and Blue Heron). Told stories. Napped. Cooked. Watched the dragonflies flitting and landing on the cement walk when it was sunny. Laid on the deck late a night and picked out constellations. I leave you with a sunset picture. It is not the best; the sky is often more vivid, but this one of the things that it is all about. They were playing Weather Report on Kaxe as I took this photo. When was the last time you heard Weather Report on the radio?

They just seem gooery, crisper than the others. Perhaps some of that has to do with the fact that since they are off the beaten path, they don't make them in advance? Or, you just don't have to wait as long as at the place on Commonwealtth? Don't know, but Paul and I have been doing the State Fair thing since 1976 together and swear by the fried curds by the dairy barn.

In the Twin Cities, really the only place to go for the cheese curds is the State Fair. The booth near the dairy barn on a side street. Word. Been going there for well over 20 years. Makes everyone else's look like child's play.

In our new 'hood, if you want a fast burger, it's a choice between Mickey D's and Culver's. Do I want a flacid grey burger pulled out of a warming tray or something that seems like it was cooked for me? But, forego the fries and go for onion rings. Methinks they get less requests for the latter so they are fresher. But, if I want a great burger, I head to the meat market, have them grind some chuck, throw some charcoal into the chimney, then onto the kettle and do it up right. And make my own ice cream (custardy, with eggs).

Ice is important. When we go to The Cabin, the fridge is not on when we arrive. Since it has an in-fridge freezer, we can't make ice rapidly, nor can we make "good" ice. So, at one of the last possible places, we buy ice. I much prefer the ice at the Spur station in Cook, Mn to that purchased at the IGA in Orr, MN. Reasons follow. Which brings me to bags of ice. We have learned which brands to buy. I prefer the "big" ice (in our case, where are purchasing ice, it's Twin Pines Ice) over "small" ice (Polar something ice which is what the IGA in Orr carries). Paul does not understand this, until I make a cocktail. You can shatter "big" ice. Or stir in a cocktail. Or, pour cold coca-cola over it. It doesn't instantly dissolve, dilulting whatever you are serving. "Small" ice is not nearly so versitile. So, we will stop at the Spur in Cook tomorrow night.

We have changed our plans. We can't stand it anymore, so we head north late tomorrow afternoon. I've had it with waiting for the yard to dry out enough to till a garden. Had it with picking rock out of what will be the front flower bed. Had it with the kids whining. Had it with life without my cuppa at the end of the dock. So, tomorrow, immediately after yoga class, I will make a quick trip to the farmer's market for greens and new potatos. Gas up the car, check the oil, replenish the washer fluid (for bug removal on the way up). Stop and pick up the odd stuff I need (stuff like a couple more kinds of vinegar and mustard). Get home. Hopefully, Peter and Diana will have done their tasks -- pack, pick up in the house, finished laundry, and at least started to mow the lawn. I will pick up Heidi, and sit the kids down for a nice, big meal that will hold them through the truck packing, waiting for Daddy and drive to the cabin. While they are eating, I will finish the packing. We will be there three nights, but Thursday night doesn't really count for a meal (just munchies) since we won't get there until sometime after 10:00 pm. Meal plan includes: 3 lbs. of bacon from the meat market for breakfasts. One breakfast will be waffles on the oh-so-wonderful Nordicware stovetop waffle makers. Other mornings will include eggs, cinnamon rolls (if we feel like baking bread) or muffins or crumb cake or something. I think I'll throw in some breakfast sausages for good measure. Lunches. I have that last piece of venison summer sausage that needs to be eaten. I'll pick up some cheese -- I don't think I have time to get to someplace good, so it might just be from the supermarket. Fruit, cut-up veggies. Dinners. Burgers one night (I have some great ground chuck, ground for me, purchased today). The last of the venison hotdogs one night. I'll do something with the new potatos I will get -- probably get enough to do something with them both nights, but different preps each night. Perhaps roasted one night and a vinegarette salad one night? I'll see what strikes me. And, I'll fill in with whatever other veggies look good. Plus fruit. If I can get some nice local strawberries at the farmer's market, I think we will have strawberry shortcake one night. Part of the perishable menu will depend on what I can get at the farmer's market. For munchies. Spanish peanuts. Those hint of jalapeno tortilla chips I've become rather fond of. Diana wants to make either those Maida Heatter heath bar brownies or cookies with Shrek mini M & M's tomorrow. That covers it. The bathing suits are already at the cabin. We have bug junk. We have booze. We have a fully charged camera with an empty card in it. We have the desire. We feel the need. Come 4:00 pm ish tomorrow night, it will be pedal to the metal, headed north (a day ahead of the regular traffic). The only things that slow us down are traffic jams and deadwood on our jeep trail. We will make only one stop on the way up. Unless we leave home in the morning and stop at White Castle for breakfast, the kids have learned that we do not stop on the way up. They are as hot to trot as we are. Cook, MN for milk, ice, eggs and bait. Somewhere south of Duluth, we will tune into the UMD blues station. As we get north of Virginia, we start searching for KAXE on the radio. Come hell or high water, we will be having cocktails on the deck tomorrow night. 24 hours from right now, I hope to be IN the lake, the silky water massaging my body. In silence. Looking up at an unbelievable display of stars and the milky way.

Nice to see the mention of Shakers, but they did make an error in the article. It is distilled in Benson, MN and bottled in Princeton, MN. They also have a rye vodka, in addition to the wheat. Both are outstanding, and my new choice.

That's what kids are for.

I have made the recipe with previously frozen blueberries, and it works just fine. It doesn't have that something that it does when we've just picked the berries (I bake the pie shell before we go picking), but then again, part of it is making the pie and talking about the picking we have just done. What I like about this one is that a good portion of the berries haven't been cooked at all, some of them have been cooked, so there's a nice combo there of the sweetened "goop" and the pop of the raw berries. I also posted my recipe for raspberry pie; it's very similar, but the technique is just a bit different. We will finally head north again next weekend. We have been busy in our new house, and since it isn't drying out enough here to get either a garden or fence in (it has been raining at least an inch every other day ), we just as well be up north. Hopefully, the water will be a bit warmer so we can do some real swimming (we are hardy). And, if it's rainy, we can have a "do nothing" weekend -- no painting, no plumbing. Just playing cards, reading, napping and listening to KAXE. But, cross your fingers for a nice weekend a week hence. And, we've done enough around this house to get it in shape for lots of long cabin stays in July and August. I need my cuppa coffee on the dock in the mornings. Peter says it makes me a happier Mommy.