Playing hooky and eating exquisitely delicious food

Jim had the day off from work, so I took the day off too. We treated ourselves to lunch at Lola, Michael Symon's downtown restaurant. A review mentioned that their lunch menu featured many of the same dishes as the dinner menu, and was more affordably priced (affordably priced being a relative term). We went the whole route: appetizer, entree, dessert. The food was, as Jim pointed out, lick-your-plate-clean good. Everything he ordered had bacon in some form or another. I ordered their take on macaroni and cheese, made with goat cheese -- definitely NOT your mother's mac and cheese! Dessert was a chocolate pudding-like dish, topped with vanilla bean cream. It was served in a glass, or I would have licked that dish clean! As I said -- exquisitely delicious! We definitely will go back.

All those people . . .

and not a Klingon in sight! Sunday we took in the Sci-Fi concert at Blossom with the Ganns. We were greeted by a phalanx of folks dressed up as various Star Wars characters, who were part of a non-profit fundraising group. But, alas, despite the presence of George Takei narrating two selections, Star Fleet was in abstenia. There were no Vulcans, Ferengi or Cardasians to be found. The music was, as always, superb.

An evening at the Fair

The Cuyahoga County Fair is in full swing this week. So these city-born-and-bred suburbanites decided to head on over and check it out. I do believe it was the first time I'd ever been to a county fair. It was kind of like Heritage Fest in Downers Grove, except there was livestock. Lots of fried foods, rides and exhibitions. We checked out sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas and some REALLY big horses. We watched the yearling heifer contest in one barn. I have a new appreciation for people who handle livestock all the time. Those animals were HUGE and the young handlers had their hands full, especially when the animals decided to go their own way. It was not quite the same as a dog show! We learned that they had all kinds of competitions, in addition to the usual baked goods, vegetables, and animals. At the booth of an Ohio apiary, I tasted a variety of honeys, and bought a jar of Texas Wildflower honey. Jim rode the Ferris wheel and took pictures and a home movie, coming soon to his blog. Oh, and we had cheese curds from a place in Eau Claire, Wisconsin -- a little trip down memory lane.

First Harvest

My little garden has yielded it's first harvest: a few cherry tomatoes (the green one fell off while I was staking the plant up) and some jalapenos. The bell pepper plants now have a lot of flowers and a couple of itty bitty peppers. I have bigger plans for next year!

It helps to have been in Boy Scouts

Where else would you learn to take down a tree by yourself with just a chainsaw and a pruning lopper?

Dinner with the Grobles

Wednesday we ate supper on the deck, something we do as often as possible. It’s always fun to see what wildlife will visit the yard while we’re out there. This time it was like Grand Central Station. There were more birds than planes stacked up at O’Hare – starting with the hummingbird feeding at the blue salvia in the flower box on the deck. There were bluejays, a couple dozen finches, and a cardinal that swooped by, barely missing Jim’s head. We spotted at least three chipmunks scurrying around and grabbing birdseed that dropped from the feeders. Do you know that they really do look like Chip ‘n Dale? A trio of ducks also stopped by for a snack. Three rabbits made their way into the yard. One was a very young guy, which Jim has determined to be the culprit behind some recent nibblings on low-lying plants. Let me tell you, cuteness is that little guy’s saving grace! There are days when I start looking for a recipe for rabbit stew.

We Have Produce

And soon we'll have salsa! The cherry tomatoes and the jalapeno peppers are doing well. The two bell pepper plants are still in the flower/bud stage. I have high hopes for my little crops.

That noise you hear in the back ground? That's Jim, humming the theme song for "Green Acres."