Bountiful Baskets September

Fifteen dollars for a bag of green beans, a container of figs (they were very good!), 8 pears, a bag of California seedless green grapes from a small independent grower (these are the grapes of my childhood-sweet and full of flavor-not the water filled globules that pass for grapes these days), 5 peaches, 6 bananas, 1 bunch spinach, 1 head cauliflower (I was going to cook some but we ended up eating it all in raw form before I had the chance to cook any), 1 bunch romaine lettuce, and 5 small sweet potatoes that we roasted in the oven like baked potatoes. Just slip of the skins after baking and mash and enjoy with their natural sugars!

Macinsurance for the ones you kinda love

It's finally here! Now one person in our family can file a claim with our local grocery store in case of loss or theft of kraft macaroni and cheese. Said claim must be filed by November 30, 2011 and has a limited value of the current price of one 7.25 oz box of KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese Dinner or $1.60, with the lesser amount to be awarded. Claimant is responsible for any and all associated government fees including, but not limited too, sales tax.

We received a certificate from KRAFT after requesting it on the internet. The coupon is all that we have received and we have received no other form of compensation. Thanks also to www.picfont.com for enabling me to add the "void" to the coupon to avoid any complication from any possible individual or entity possibly thinking they (he/she/it) could copy the coupon from this blogpost and try and redeem the coupon.

State Fair, Steampunk art and the Tardis

Peering through glass cases at intricate art on display at the state fair.


a steampunk horse along with more conventional art items
a more conventional steampunk piece in the form of a dinosaur alongside some beautifully crafted canoes

the Tardis but no sign of the Doctoran elaborate steampunk dragon and somehow I don't think the log holding the "leash" chain would hold if "Baby" decided it was time to leave the fair-and wouldn't a good blast of flame reduce the log in no time?...


Jean and Daisy take on the dragon as sunlight envelops the youngest protagonist.

We were delighted with all the wonderful crafts and skill displayed-creativity is alive and well (at least at the state fair!)

Bountiful Baskets and a Poodle

Bountiful Baskets for Saturday August 20, 2011. For $15 we received 4 corn, 1 pkg. strawberries, 4 roma tomatoes, 8 peaches, 1 cantaloupe, 1 bunch broccoli, 1 bag black seedless grapes (they were soooo good!), 10 plums, 1 bag carrots, 1 head romaine lettuce, and 8 bananas.

In addition, we bought the plummy paradise sampler pack for $10.50 for about 12 pounds of 10 different kinds of plums. Although there was a list of possible varieties on the side of the box we don't have enough expertise to match up the different kinds. We made guesses but all agreed that they were delicious. The more reddish and orange plums were the favorites but it's no wonder they aren't sold in stores. They are sweeter, taste better, have some unique flavors not found in general store plums but, they were also more delicate and bruised easier than the tougher purple/black plum varieties. If they offer the plums again we would gladly buy more.

And finally, we've had a poodle visit occasionally from my parents home. He's masquerading as a new kind of sheep-dog. When his fur grows long it helps him stay outside longer as the weather gets cooler. Once the snow starts he has to spend more time indoors because the ice just forms into icicles around his muzzle and paws. He enjoys playing games outside and we like him to be outside for at least part of his visiting time.

By the way, all three pictures were taken with the camera that is now broken. It was accidentally dropped on a rock at camp from a tripping adventure. It broke the lcd? screen so you can't see anything on the viewing screen (it just looks like there's a big gray crack going through the screen but only internally-there's no sharp edges or any damage you can feel on the outside) and there's no picture image, no changing of features such as flash or zoom or any camera features. It's like an old point and shoot. We have no idea what pictures we have until they are downloaded onto the computer. It's actually been kind of fun and the pictures have turned out amazingly well for the most part.