I had planned to tell you what the Seven Wonders of Chicago are, but Dear Husband threw out the paper before I could blog. I’d even set it aside so that it wouldn’t go out with the other papers! He’s just too conscientious about his garbage job.

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This week, on the evening news, the reporters were talking about the animals which had been evacuated from the Gulf area. A number of vets and shelters in the Chicago area have taken in the pets and are trying to find them temporary homes. Those who adopt these pets have to sign a contract which stipulates that they will return the pet to it

B.B. King is 80! In an interview, he said that he never sings when Lucille is playing, and she never plays when he sings. (Lucille is his guitar). It must be that conversation between the two of them that makes his music so fascinating.

Summer is over and the kids are back in school. I’ve lost my two summer helpers. I managed to get a picture of one of them watering the garden on his last visit. For a ten year old, he did a wonderful job watering this garden at the front door, and my herb garden. We were working one day and I asked him if he knew what plant he was watering, and he could name most of the culinary herbs.
I miss their company in the gardens.

Last Monday was Labor Day. Half of Dear Husband’s kids came to spend the afternoon with us, and I went off the deep end with preparations.
My extended family numbers somewhere between 40 and 50 people, and when I cook for them it takes me all day. I figured that Dear Husband’s kids deserved the same effort.
Next year, when we do this again, remind me….NO GREEN! NO SALADS!!!
I swear, I had a brain spasm. I don’t know what I was thinking! I was in the kitchen at seven, and the kids weren’t coming until some time after two. There would be four additional adults at the table, and one granddaughter. I made enough to feed the entire neighborhood.

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Last Sunday we were invited to visit my brother’s home and gardens. He and his wife have been working for several years on their gardens. Originally the lot was a flat area that backed up to a railroad track. So, he trucked in some topsoil and they created a low berm that was edged with limestone.
Then they had a stone patio added to the back of the house with weathered wood rafters to support vines. There’s a fountain, and a grill, and the sidewalk meanders around the sides of the house passing through arbors with beautiful roses.
The berm was difficult to mow, so they installed a fence, and then trucked in more loads of dirt to create a terraced garden. The blend of plants is beautiful. There are shrubs and trees, annuals, perennials, herbs, roses….everything. My sister-in-law chooses the plants; my brother does the dirty work. She and I strolled along the path, and I would either call out the name of the plant, or ask her what it was. She’s a firm believer in mushroom compost, and you can tell it from the size of the plants. She has the biggest “Autumn Joy” seedum that I have ever seen!
I need to have them sign on to help with the renovation of my gardens! And while they are at it….I’d like a slate patio with a little brook bubbling through it on the west side of the house. We could trail a vine here…and one there…and RHODIES……we could plant rhododendrons! I can see the raccoons lounging back on the patio furniture, sipping tall drinks.

Wow….where do I start? I didn’t realize I had been away so long, but my last post was September 4th, a week ago. So much has happened. Like most of you, we’ve been following the news from New Orleans. The pictures are horrifying, the breakdown of services frightening. This is an issue that will have impact not just on those along the Gulf Coast, but the entire nation for years to come. I was touched to learn that survivors of the tsunami had offered us help.

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Yesterday, I went to the front door to see if Ed, the master of the house, who assumes that we exist to see to his every need, was lounging on the sidewalk, waiting to be let in for his afternoon snack.
Ed wasn’t there, but we had a tiny possum visitor. This little guy peered around the edge of a pot of lavender and watched to see if I was going to invite him in. After a bit, he backed up and tottered off into the ornamental grass growing at the corner of the house. He was about four, or perhaps five inches long, and had soft, fuzzy baby fur, and that heart-shaped face that possums have
I hope that Ed didn’t find him. I’m not sure what this little guy was doing out at 2:00 in the afternoon. I know his mother is nocturnal. Of course, it’s crossed my mind that his mother has been hit by a car, but I hope that this one is just curious and went sightseeing while Mom snoozed.
I won’t put out water or food for him. It would draw him to the front area of the house where Ed would be sure to catch him. I know that most of you don’t want to have possums sharing your habitat, but we’re used to all sorts of wildlife passing through our grove.
I’ll keep an eye out for him and try to get a picture if I can.

I stumbled across the most wonderful blog yesterday! It’s called “Orangette.”
The author, Molly, has created a wonderful pastiche of recipes and life that is absolute eye candy. Even if you are not into cooking you’ll enjoy this blog.
I was searching for a recipe for Italian Plum Jam. Her August entry on making blackberry jam gives me not only the recipe, but all the side notes that should make it a successful experience. She started with the picking of the blackberries and carried the story all the way through to the canning of the jam. I wished I had been there. It sounded like a glorious day.

I SO wished I had a camera today! I need to get going on shopping for a digital camera.
I’ve been talking off and on about a recipe called “Farmers Tomato Pie.” My youngest sister shared the recipe with me several years ago, and I love it. I make it once or twice a year, but only when tomatoes are at their very ripest.
The recipe has a mixture of Italian cheeses, garlic and tomatoes, baked into a pie crust. Just after you pull it from the oven you sprinkle fresh basil leaves over the top. The house smells heavenly as you bake it.

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