Mid-July...Wait, What?

 Technically summer doesn't end until September but...for most the summer winds down at the end of August or first of September as our kids go back to school! So yeah, my brain is not processing that it's actually the 14th of July today.

We had a pretty good 4th of July weekend. A BBQ with friends and neighbors and some extra time to relax and enjoy one another.

We also had my friend's son over for a couple days while she and her husband dealt with her cancer appointments. Yep, F*ck cancer. Her son and my son get along so well. They both had a great time and I was happy to help in any way.

G and I managed a small hike last weekend. We got up really early and made it up to the trailhead so we could beat the crowds and the heat...but it's a windy road into the mountains for about 14 miles and G had been reading right before we got into the canyon...well, as soon as we got there. He got out of the car, went pale, said he didn't feel so good and proceeded to puke his guts out. After he got it all out he drank a ton of water and sat for a bit and declared he was ready to commence the hike! I didn't think we'd do the whole thing so I was happy he was feeling good enough to try. We made it to the first lake and that was it but we enjoyed some time in nature and we even saw two moose by the small lake on our way back down. Hopefully we'll be able to get back this summer and see the other two lakes.

We're also getting CSA baskets over the summer. Farm fresh fruits and veggies all summer long. My friend did face painting on the 4th as well. And of course, selfies with Shadow!

Can you spot the moose?

So peaceful up there!

Grateful For:

1. Finishing off the baby blanket I promised for my friend's newborn son. The pattern turned out really nice. It's a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be but she should be able to use it for other things as he gets bigger.

2. No major fires in my city! All fireworks were banned and I think I only saw two or three fireworks go off on the 4th. I was really surprised more people didn't light them off. Bonus my cat Shadow didn't freak out like she usually does every year with the big fireworks.

3. CSA farm fresh veggies! I've been figuring out ways to actually get these veggies eaten. It's been fun finding new recipes and getting new ideas to eat them all up. I want to try my hand at canning some tomatoes and salsa this summer. I know we'll be getting a ton of tomatoes. Only G and me actually eat tomatoes. So between giving some away and eating them, I need to figure out how to can them for the winter. 

Reading Life:

Finished:

I have finished up quite a few since my last post a few weeks ago! Yay! Which means I'm still really behind in my book reviews....

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  Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black (I love Sue Black and everything about this book)
• World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever (A short but sweet book with a lot of great thoughts about Bourdain and what he leaves behind) This also finishes off my food prompt for my Nonfiction Reading challenge! yay!
• Stranger Planet by Nathan W. Pyle (I think his first one is a bit better but these are all hilarious. A really funny and poignant look at the weirdness that is humanity)
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (I was surprised at how readable this classic is. It's quite the little French soap on revenge and memory. The 19th century classic prompt is complete for my Back to the Classics challenge).
• The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins (this one completes my psychological thriller prompt for my I Read Horror All Year Long challenge). 
• Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell (Fantastic look at how language shapes our beliefs and vice versa. A great primer into cults and cult-like groups and how we all need to belong.) Read this!
• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weis (hands down my favorite fun fiction read of the summer! I truly loved everything about this book).
• Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (a fun new cozy mystery series. I'm actually going to try my hand at chicken adobo next week because of this book!)
• The Trespasser by Tana French (I finally finished of the Dublin Murder Squad series!)

Wow that's 9 books! A few have been books I've been reading for awhile now but still. I'm pretty proud of that.

Currently Reading:

Philosophy book club and Back to the Classics (classic by a woman): The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir.

Reading with G: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Back to the Classics challenge: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.

The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis (so good already)

The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn (listening to this one) This is her follow up to the Salt Path.

The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey (#3 in the Perveen Mistry series)

Nonfiction Reading Challenge (oceanography prompt): The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery

Watching Life:

The best movie I've seen this summer is Luca on Disney+. I cried through most of it. It's a beautiful story on finding your own strength and taming your inner critic. Best kids movie in a long time!

We've been watching Lego Masters, Crime Scene Kitchen, and Making It as a family. DH and I are watching Loki (Love so much).

I've been catching up on Kevin Can F*ck Himself. So good. Highly recommend this one.

I'm watching the NBA Finals as well.

Making:

Lots of interesting salads! We've been getting lots of heads of lettuce in our CSA. Since it's summer and salads are always a healthy option, I've been looking at ways to make the typical salad even better. Lots of different ingredients and different vinaigrettes. So far only G has complained! But he still eats them!

Zucchini bread! We've gotten lots of zucchini. So bread has been made. I'll probably make one more loaf. I've made zucchini pizza bites for lunch once. Next week will probably be a kebab night with zucchini on the menu.

We've also been getting beets. I did not grow up on beets. I've been roasting them. But I'd love to find other ways to use them. Maybe in desserts? Red beets have that beautiful reddish purple color to them. I'm wondering if I can use that for a red velvet cake or something...

Looking forward to:

Today and tomorrow DH's brother and his family are dropping through on their big summer vacation. G will be able to play with some cousins! So he is definitely excited about that.

Friday we're heading up to Park City for a drive-in movie and a little swimming at the local hotel. We haven't gotten away since 2019....Nala kitty's anti-seizure meds have been reduced so we can safely take a night away. It's been a long time coming!

If you have any good beet recipes let me know!