Around our house

I've been (slowly) getting the weeds cut back and the yard halfway in shape here. DH hasn't taken a picture of me (yet) on the mower, but I've been using it to cut the grass and start taming the yard again. I do LIKE it - so fun to drive.

Between applying for jobs, DH is working on painting on the inside of the house. He is so much better at the fine detail painting than I am... although I have improved over the years, but hey, let the man paint!

A couple of days ago our neighbor blessed us with a bag of tree ripened nectarines and a bag of tomatoes. I found this recipe online and today made up a batch.

Oh my, did it ever fill the air with a spicy, fruity, wonderful smell -- especially since the air has been so filled with the smell of smoke the last several days from all the fires in the region. This was a much nicer scent!

I got 4.5 pints from the fruit and I can't wait to try it out on a pork loin roast.... oooh, I'm salivating just thinking about it.

We're also enjoying watching the neighbors to the east move in. We're still trying to figure out how many humans and how many and what animals will be there. Today two horses appeared. Hope they put up a corral of some kind. For now they wander all over, just like the dogs.  They appear to all be well cared for and the people have been quiet (as opposed to loud and rowdy). Freckles has made friends with the large dog and likes barking at the horses... wanting them to come to the fence to "play".

It's another hot week here, thankfully the smoke in the air has lessened, even though the air quality is still really bad.

Mom has had a good week. They discontinued one of her meds and it is really making a positive difference for her. Next week they are taking her to the Fair. How fun.

Head over to Jenny of Elefantz here: http://www.elefantz.com/2012/09/my-bumper-garden-issue-plus-gumboot.html for a great giveaway....