Summer looks different this year

I am a complete summer baby. I would rather be hot than cold, and if my skin would let me, I would be tan all summer long. For me, there aren't many things that feel better than the sun on my skin, and the heat of the day. I love the longer days and the way the plants wake up and seem to feel their best! I spend most summer weekends and evenings out doors, soaking it all in, in my back yard, on my bike, or on some random restaurant patio. However, this summer is shaping up very differently for me, just like for you all.

Umbrella!

For me, this summer is an opportunity to spend time outside whenever I want. I don't have work setting the rhythm of my day, so I have been wandering outside when I feel like it. Yesterday, Walter and I finished the umbrella stand in the middle of the afternoon when he had a break in his day. We prepared a couple more bags of concrete, and set some black stones in the base. We are also the proud owners of our first wheelbarrow! The finished product is pretty cool, even if I do say so myself. Maybe this is a new career opportunity... But it's not likely.

Yesterday was also full of cooking. I felt like making more than just dinner, so I went to the internet to look for a recipe for an apple cake. Why? Because we had about 8 apples in the fridge, and I had a craving for  something sweet. I found one that I liked on Pinch of Yum (https://pinchofyum.com/cinnamon-sugar-apple-cake), and got to work. We still had some rosemary from the batch that Melissa gave us, so I added some of that to the cake, and to the topping. I also added a little too much apple, because the two apples that I had were obviously bigger than the ones the recipe called for. It came out really delicious. In fact, even our resident alligators wanted a bite!

For dinner, we decided on pork steaks and mashed potatoes with broccoli mashed with them. Walter took over the pork preparation as he's good at all things meat, whether on the grill or in the house. He put some lemon olive oil and rosemary salt on them, and worked them in the toaster oven. I worked on the potato broccoli combo. I decided to put it all together and bake it to get the flavors really melded. I had a thought as I was doing the prep work - why not show what it looks like to make the stuff we made? Most cook books, blogs, and even this blog don't show all of the steps in all of their messy glory. So, here's what the potato broccoli prep looked like:

The potatoes were already in the pot, boiling away. The broccoli was waiting for it's turn to hop in the pool, and the rest of the ingredients were just waiting their turn.

Fast forward to end of prep and right before the eating. Walter made a gravy out of the pan drippings to go on the pork and potatoes. We also had a bit of baguette to soak up any leftover gravy. Looks like the alligators approve of this part of the meal too!

On a separate note, did any of you see the moon last night? It was one of the most amazing full moons I've ever seen. I walked out on the front porch and looked at her in all her glory. My pictures don't do the view justice, but they do show just how brightly she shined last night. Sometimes in the mornings, I will see the moon in the daytime sky. In fact, the moon is visible in daylight almost every day, if you know where to look and have the right equipment. Which makes me think that no matter where she is, she is shining brightly, but you can see her light best in the dark. I think I'm going to take a lesson from the moon, and shine no matter the day or night, and do my best to be a light when things seem dark. Be well everyone, and see you tomorrow!