Freshly pulled . I’ll probably pull the rest later this week.
The head of garlic on the left has been sitting for a couple of weeks. The one on the right was just pulled. Not sure if it will change color once it dries.
On our honeymoon in 1974 we drove through Gilroy, the garlic capital of the World (California) and then in 2010 we drove through again our our move back to Washington from California. We enjoyed some very garlicky dishes in one of the Gilroy restaurants.
There is an annual 3 day Garlic Festival in Gilroy each year. Not this year because of COVID but they are planning on the Festival in 2021. It usually begins on the last Friday of July.
Cream of Garlic Soup at the Garlic City Cafe and…
we split the garlic chicken sandwich which was the special of the day. Both items were delicious.
If you have any suggestions for our many bulbs of garlic I’d be interested.
Our last move took from April through September of 2018 from staging and listing and loading containers and selling off stuff and taking several weekend trips over the Cascade Mountain Range in a noisy truck pulling a trailer, accepting an offer, moving in with our kids until we found a house to buy, then finishing loading up the shop with more trips across the mountains with a trailer and finally having the containers arrive at our new home, unloading all the containers and organizing a new home and still having our son’s shop filled with a lot of our things that will finally be moved into Dear’s new shop at our new property once the new shop is done.
Something you’ve learned in moving house?
It’s not easy and we have too much stuff. Thankful to God for giving us the strength to do all that and survive.
Love this professional photo of our kitchen in Kenmore for the real estate listing.
2. Move mountains, move along, make a wrong move, moved to tears, get a move on, move up, move over, move out of the way, move the deck chairs on the Titanic, move it!…pick one and tell us how it fits your recent circumstances.
I guess I’ll choose move up because more and more I’m ready for our move up to heaven. Many of these days I catch myself saying, Come Lord Jesus and take your church home.
3. What have you been doing to make yourself move (aka stay fit-active) during these strange times?
Nothing regular which is a problem. I do have to weed and mow and run after my grands but those things are more random and not everyday activities.
4. This week’s calendar includes celebrations for the following foods- National Coffee Milkshake Day (Sunday), National Creme Brûlée Day (Monday), National Milk Chocolate Day (Tuesday), National Chicken Wing Day (Wednesday), National Lasagne Day (Wednesday), National Cheesecake Day (Thursday), and National Avocado Day (Friday) Which one on the list would you be most inclined to celebrate?
National Avocado Day. I love avocado toast, guacamole, avocado on eggs, avocado in a burrito, avocado in pica de gallo, etc. etc.
Which would you be most inclined to skip?
Milkshake day. Unfortunately milkshakes don’t agree with my digestive system these days.
5. Next week’s Hodgepodge lands in August! I know!! Raise your hand if you feel like July flew by in the blink of an eye? Now bid farewell to your July acrostic style. If you don’t know what that means click here.
Just when we got Used to you, you are Leaving us behind and it still feels like Yesterday when we celebrated the red, white and blue, adieu.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I’ve been thinking about the Rapture in regards to all our stuff. I’m formulating plans in my head for scaling down what I have and am not using. Giving away stuff that others might need or enjoy. Do you ever wonder what the aftermath of the Rapture will be like? I’m thinking I should write an explanation of what happened to us with a clear Gospel message and leave it in the entry of our home. I’m also wondering about telling a friend or two who are still rejecting Christ that if we are all missing they can salvage whatever they want from our home especially our Bibles! No one knows the time or the hour when Christ will come and pluck His followers out of the world but it would be cool to experience it in our lifetime. If not, we know when we die we’ll be with our Savior, Jesus Christ. God is gracious and patient in His timing so that all who are His will come to faith before He returns but be forewarned…after that comes judgement of those who will not believe.
Thank you Joyce for coming up with the questions each week for Wednesday Hodgepodge!
… to a time and place where we were able to head out at the last minute to a nearby “Happy Hour” with lots of good choices (2012 at the Beach House). Sigh.
Also looking back at early morning walks at Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura (2009).
We are wondering what we can substitute for our cancelled trip to Great Britain. Time will tell. Maybe a new recliner. Haha!
We are getting summer heat this week getting hotter everyday with the highest temps expected on Thursday and Friday, 101 degrees. We’ll head south to do our Spokane shopping on thursday since it doesn’t make sense to work outside on the shop or in the yard in that heat.
Cooling off just looking at these beach scenes.
Looking back, living today and looking forward to the future I will rejoice.
Came across this quote from R.C. Sproul:
“Our calling isn’t to follow our hearts. Our calling is to have our hearts informed and directed by the clear and plain teaching of the Word of God.”
A little play date with a little red wagon and other fun on Wednesday of last week.
Here we go into the last week of July. Today after church we enjoyed a short play date with Addy and JJ here at our country bungalow while their folks did some grocery shopping on their own. These mask mandated days aren’t easy on families with young children. Besides their folks getting some hands free time at the store, Addy and JJ got a change of scenery at Gramps and Baba’s.
Another great sermon at church today from the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. Chapter 11, The Hall of Faith. Some good teaching on being people of faith whether everything goes well for us or if everything goes against us. Lord help your church to follow you with integrity and courage in these days. We will stand with our Lord until we die and or until Christ returns for His church.
I woke up this morning with some of the lyrics of this song going through my mind and then we sang this song by Keith and Kristyn Getty during our church service today. The Lord is My Salvation:
The grace of God has reached for me And pulled me from the raging sea And I am safe on this solid ground The Lord is my salvation
I will not fear when darkness falls His strength will help me scale these walls I’ll see the dawn of the rising sun The Lord is my salvation
Who is like the Lord our God? Strong to save, faithful in love My debt is paid and the vict’ry won The Lord is my salvation
My hope is hidden in the Lord He flow’rs each promise of His Word When winter fades I know spring will come The Lord is my salvation
In times of waiting, times of need When I know loss, when I am weak I know His grace will renew these days The Lord is my salvation
Who is like the Lord our God? Strong to save, faithful in love My debt is paid and the vict’ry won The Lord is my salvation
And when I reach my final day
He will not leave me in the grave
But I will rise
He will call me home
The Lord is my salvation
Who is like the Lord our God? Strong to save, faithful in love My debt is paid and the vict’ry won The Lord is my salvation
Glory be to God the Father Glory be to God the Son Glory be to God the Spirit The Lord is our salvation
O Father, You are sovereign
In all the worlds You made;
Your mighty Word was spoken,
And light and life obeyed.
Your voice commands the seasons
And bounds the ocean’s shore,
Sets stars within their courses
And stills the tempests’ roar.
O Father, You are sovereign
In all affairs of man;
No powers of death or darkness
Can thwart Your perfect plan.
All chance and change transcending,
Supreme in time and space,
You hold your trusting children
Secure in Your embrace.
O Father, You are sovereign
The Lord of human pain,
Transmuting earthly sorrows
To gold of heavenly gain,
All evil overruling,
As none but Conqueror could,
Your love pursues its purpose—
Our souls’ eternal good.
O Father, You are sovereign!
We see You dimly now,
But soon before Your triumph
Earth’s every knee shall bow.
With this glad hope before us
Our faith springs forth anew:
Our Sovereign Lord and Savior,
We trust and worship You!
Times like these call for pretty dishes, a good muffin and some tea.
Have a good Saturday and take some time for a little break.
“O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.” Psalm 89: 8-9
Happy to show the progress of the shop with the roof now being half done. Not an easy job.
Here’s the hard worker who is happy with the progress and happy to get help from our son Dan in getting those 50# steel panels positioned on the purlins to fasten. Fifty Six screws per panel and 13 panels on each half (26 total). Thankful for my hard working husband.
I’m so happy to confirm that British Airways has given us a full refund yesterday. When I dialed my call went straight through and I was helped quickly and efficiently. Thank you Lord for answering our prayer.
Our sitting area below the back deck/porch is now more defined with a new patio structure that has an adjustable shade cloth/screen. The next photo shows the space wide open before the added structure. The cloth/screen will be taken off the structure for the late fall to late Spring to protect it from any harsh weather.
I’ll take some more photos soon as we have tweaked it a little in it’s position.
The following gif was created several years ago when we lived in Camarillo, California for a few years. The photo is from a walk we took in Santa Barbara along a preserve.
When we made plans to go to England September 13th-27th I wrote on my planning notebook, “If the Lord wills”. Now we know that the Lord does not will for us to go. We didn’t purchase flight insurance or a ticket that was flexible. When I called British Airways and finally got through a week ago the kind gentleman let me know that our dates were not yet included in the Voucher category and we’d lose all our money but the taxes we paid if we cancelled. He said to hold off doing anything until the middle of August or the end of August. The one way we’d be entitled to ask for our money back is if our particular flight was cancelled. I prayed for that to be the case. Well…this morning I had an email letting me know that our flight has been cancelled. Thank you, Lord. I tried calling BA but the lines were way too busy today for me to even be put on hold. I’ll try again and ask for our money back. Hopefully they will be prompt in delivering on that promise.
July is just marching along. We are having temps in the upper 80’s and 90’s. Lots of watering going on. So happy for our oscillating sprinkler. We’ll need to hook up our little cast iron traveling sprinkler soon, too.
Standing tall at almost 500 years-old, the Airlie Oak tree invites guests out to the Oak Lawn. The Airlie Oak is a Southern Live Oak and draped with Spanish moss. This moss does not harm the tree and uses water & nutrients from the air to grow and thrive.
1. Do you think the pandemic has had any kind of positive impact on your mental health? Explain.
Now that’s an interesting question. For me, depending on God more and reading His Word more has been the best positive impact on my mental health during this weird time. Knowing that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever brings stability in my mind when things get crazy.
2. A hot mess, hot under the collar, in hot water, hot button, hot diggity dog!, hot shot, hot seat….choose one and tell us how it applies to your life currently.
I’m choosing hot diggity dog because this song was popular and reached #1 on the “billboard” in 1956. I was five years old then and how it applies to my life now is that it makes me smile to remember it and sing along with Perry!
3. Speaking of the hot seat, do you work well under pressure or do you actively avoid high pressure situations?
I’m really not involved in high pressure situations. Being retired adds to that fact. If I have the choice I’d stay away from high pressure situations.
4. Hotdogs-yay or nay? If you said yay how do you like yours? Did you know July is National hotdog month?
Yes, please. I love a good hot dog. Nathan’s are my favorite. When in Chicago years ago I experienced a Chicago Dog and I would enjoy being able to have one of those when the hot dog craving hits. Haven’t found a good Chicago Dog on the West Coast.
5. I read here a list of America’s coolest Southern towns. They are Marfa Texas, Greenville South Carolina, Abindgon Virginia, Athens Georgia, Bentonville Arkansas, Florence Alabama, Oxford Mississippi, Abita Springs Louisiana, Wilmington North Carolina, Monroeville Alabama, McMinnville Tennessee, Natchez Mississippi. How many on the list have you seen in person? Which town on the list would you most like to see?
The only place on this list I’ve been to is Wilmington, North Carolina, specifically Airlie Gardens. Abingdon, Virginia looks like a nice place to visit.
In 2013 our daughter and I drove from the Seattle area to Jacksonville, North Carolina. Our son in law was stationed at Camp Lejeune and he was returning from a deployment in Afghanistan. We had the task of finding an apartment for the two of them and moving some of their stored possessions into that apartment along with buying some furnishings. When our work was done we took a little side trip to enjoy Airlie Gardens in the Wilmington area. The photo at the top of this post is of our daughter in front of the famous Airlie Oak.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Here are some more photos from Airlie Gardens.
And…speaking of gardens here are some quotes I want to remember:
“Ever since Satan deceived Eve false teachers following his pattern, have portrayed the truth as error and offered error as truth.”
“The risk of wandering from the truth and becoming confused and disloyal is a constant threat to the church of Jesus Christ.”
“Therefore, absolute loyalty to God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and biblical truth are nonnegotiable principles for everyone who names the name of Christ.”
MacArthur New Testament Commentary 2 Corinthians, pg. 356 & 360
This was the first full meal we attempted in our new Instant Pot. We made rice previously. If you follow the link you’ll see nicer photos of the end product instead of mine soaked in gravy.
This was a good recipe that I’d use again. Next time around I might add a little extra salt. We followed the recipe with no alterations. I was happy to be able to sear the meat and saute the onions etc. in the pot. A true one pot meal. The new potatoes I bought at our Farmer’s Market were so good. We decided on an instant pot instead of a new Crock Pot. Our son and DIL went with the Fryer Instant Pot combination and they are happy with it.
I’m happy that I attempted this recipe to bond with the pot. It’s always a little scary trying a new multi functioning small appliance. At least for me…
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 