The Cheese Lady

Berkeley friends, who spend weekends at the Russian River, are coming for dinner tonight, so a visit to the cheese lady was called for. We have gotten to know her and she always remembers whatever we talked about last time we were in. And she knows her cheese. She hates having her picture taken, although she has graciously given me permission to do it. But I do have to sneak up on her in hopes of getting a candid. Easier said than done, as she has a sort of 6th sense/radar about who is coming in the door. The best I could do was a slightly blurry picture taken from too far away with my phone (which has a very slow shutter.) It does capture her outgoing personality.

It took me forever to get my groceries into the car because a rather appealing group of seniors were selling raffle tickets to support their senior organization. Before you ask, no, I'm not quite ready to put myself in the same category as them, but I did admire their enthusiasm, and was happy to support their cause. It took forever to make the transaction--especially getting change....

OilMan is making a trip to the store to get his favorite beer and the ingredients for a marinade he is making for the chicken. I fear we will never be organized enough to go to the store once a week (or even once a day!) as I used to do when the kids were little. No matter how many lists we make, there are always the things we forgot to put on the list! Or the things the person not going to the store forgot to mention. Or the things we never think of at all until at least two trips to the store have been accomplished. Or the things we thought we had but are actually in Berkeley....Perhaps that's why #2 son (the baby of the family) told us last weekend that we need to simplify....

Ozzie is lying on his back on the couch being driven crazy by the omnipresent flies. They drive me crazy too but at least I don't have to try to catch them with my mouth!

Inspired by all the "baking Blippers" I have decided to make a crumble with blackberries. We always called them "brambles" when we lived in Scotland and the ones that grow in profusion at the bottom of our driveway deserve the name. They are growing in an untended tangle, are covered with wicked thorns, and the juiciest berries are always to be found in the middle of the impenetrable thicket. Last week's water main mishap resulted in the clearing of a path through the brambles to the pump house. I'm hoping this provides better access to the berries and prevents major loss of blood.

Just another quiet day on the farm....