mix tape

This post is going to be a jumble. I realized this morning, I haven't posted anything all week, I have random pictures piling up in the camera, and nothing is in order including my head. I was going to entitle this post like this: I better write this stuff down before it drifts out of my head. I thought that might be creepy so switched it to mix tape. Remember making those with audio tapes? Old school, eh?

The first picture is one day this week when we had thunder showers, very brief ones, all day. It is actually pouring rain in this picture and there is a double rainbow in the sky behind our neighbor's trees where we can't see it. The rain was beautiful. 

Gus got slicked up at Kind's this week. Isn't he cute? He is such a funny dog. He knows that when he comes home from the dog park in Mankato, he needs a bath. We don't even have to tell him anymore...he comes in the house and trots down the hall and jumps in the tub. My baths have become a little like swimming in a creek. Hard to get all that sand out of the tub.

This is latte art. I never knew what it was until I started working at River Rock. Now I love it. I watch the baristas make it and I'm fascinated. It's all done by pouring milk into espresso.

I went with my friend Richie to the Books in Bloom exhibit at Gustavus last weekend. This was an 185 steamer trunk planted with flowers representing the prairie and the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. It was my favorite, I think.

I also like to take pictures of food. When I was in Rochester last week, I had walleye cakes at Chester's. They were so good and I thought I could make something like it. I couldn't find walleye but I used cod and they were still wonderful. That's mango salsa on the side.

With my social media responsibilities at work, I have been learning about photography and video. (I know why there are professionals to do both.) I took a video with my tiny camera yesterday but the format is wrong for uploading to youtube. Now I'm lost.

Our first stuffed peppers of the season. Funny how you start with a recipe and gradually change it over time. Sometimes it gets simpler, as this one did. I started chopping all kinds of stuff and sauteeing it together, then stuff the peppers standing up. It was very complicated and labor-intensive. Now, I cut peppers in half, lay a piece of Prairie Pride sausage on each piece, and then a piece of provolone. Much easier and still delicious!

This was my lunch at River Rock yesterday. It's a Tulip Quiche made with local spring onions and Gouda. The soup is Tomato with Israeli Couscous seasoned with mint and cilantro. My friend Bev came in as I was taking the picture and she laughed and asked if I always take pictures of my food before I eat it. I said she has no idea. I also took a video of this meal because the steam coming off the soup was so pretty.

I worked in my garden yesterday and scratched the hell out of my arms. Those dried stems of cone flowers are deadly! I got the big stuff done...four giant bags of garden waste for the compost. I'd like to stop at Fred's today to get a few things and do some more planting this weekend.

Tonight, we have friends coming over for wine and wings. A good start to the weekend!