Monday Musings....

Outside My Window...
Right now it is lovely and cool, just a little overcast. By midday though, we're looking at mid nineties, and possible thunderstorms. I hate humid weather like we had the past couple of days, so I love the idea that a thunderstorm might just break that!

In the Garden...
We're getting tomatoes in waves, mostly the cherry tomatoes. The corn has made ears, and we're eagerly awaiting harvest time. I'm sketching out some fresh plans for the front year, something simpler than what is there now - my BIL, when he lived with us, loved to buy random plants at the nursery and just stick them anywhere. I'm thinking on the larger side of the yard (it's divided in two by a concrete path), a lawn area with a border on two sides... native/decorative grasses, some lavender, rosemary, maybe some butterfly bush, and bulbs for seasonal color. The other side has an olive tree, and I want to plant a Meyer lemon. I'm thinking mostly ground-cover on that side, specifically creeping thyme and chamomile.

In the Kitchen...
Still lots of grilling going on,and thanks to blackberry picking on Friday, a lot of blackberry dishes - cobbler, crisp (with apples), Dutch baby topping (with strawberries).... yum! Hopefully by the end of this week, I will have a new (used) oven, so I can get back to baking muffins and casseroles. I'm trying to cook ahead when possible, so that we are prepared for days that have work, college, homeschooling, sports, whatever. I have assigned the kids two nights a week each that they are to help with dinner. Cooking is a practical skill both should know, and both are interested in. Yes, The Boy can make a Sloppy Joe dinner himself, both kids can scramble some great eggs, and The Girl can make a good basic chicken curry, but it is time to expand their repertoires! And, for what it is worth, we don't do "kids" cookbooks. Too many of them are simply ways to decorate food rather than actual cooking!

Around the House...
Most of our rooms have been deep-cleaned now... with the exception of the bedrooms. We'll be targeting those this week and next. We did fix the bathtub plumbing over the weekend! The faucet was constantly leaking hot water, a steady stream. Our water bill keeps creeping up, and I'm sure it affected our gas bill too. We installed new rubber washers, used plumber's tape on all the threads, and voila! No leak! Eventually, we'll want to replace the current system since it is very outdated and hard to find parts for, but that can happen later. Now I can't wait to see the next water bill!

On the Agenda...
In homeschooling, we're adding in history and geography this week. The Boy will be reading The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, while The Girl and I will finish up Elizabeth: Red Rose of Tudor, and then launch into Queen Elizabeth & the Spanish Armada. We're looking forward to getting back to Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels, and I should have Mapping the World with Art today or tomorrow! I haven't decided for certain if we're going to be doing a history "spine" once a week or not, and whether we would use A Little History of the World, or Builders of the Old World, or even OUP's World in Ancient Times if we do! There is a downside to owning so many good books! We're going to start reading The Princess Bride today too, though looking through it, I am not reading aloud all the author's annotations as I think they'll get in the way of the story. Thankfully, being all italicized, they are easy to spot.

M is back to school today - I dropped him off about an hour ago. I start back up myself tomorrow evening.

Hope you all have a good week!