Out teeny town may not have a Target or a Trader Joe's, but there's a delicious coffeehouse on the corner of main street and the farmer's market is pretty great, too. We don't have a good place to get clothes, but there's a fantastic secondhand store where most of our furniture has come from. There are no stoplights, no walking trails, no tall and gorgeous buildings. Nothing manicured like a suburb.






When I visit the suburb I grew up in, I always notice that the trees look older, neighborhoods more shady, houses are looking dated, shopping plazas are more run-down, and streets are under construction. It hit me while I was on a walk the other night that we don't have that aging issue here in small-town life. The houses are already vintage (most of them super cute), the trees are already wizened old giants, and the shoppes are tucked into main street with big store-front glass windows and awnings from the 1950s. It's pretty nice that we are sort of preserved this way. I love that life here has a do-as-you-please feel to it, with a polite small-town friendliness. And I do love that the roads are quiet, and we can play out in the street on a nice night.

I can see my mom. Standing at the kitchen counter. It's summertime and she's making deep cuts into the peachy-orange middle of a melon. Eating it right out of its shell. I can also see myself- a girl being offered a bite. I take the bite and make a pitiful effort to like it. I decide that melon isn't my favorite, and I go on thinking that for years. And years later....


This August, I fell in love.
It happened at the farmers market. At the table of my favorite vendor, where I shelled out 3 pocket-worn dollar bills and was handed a fat, ripe, fragrant melon. I was told to eat it later that day, because that's when it would be at its best. Later, I sliced it open and was blown away. The smell. It was incredible. It filled the whole kitchen. I stuck a spoon into it and sure enough, it was the best.

And the best way to eat it, of course, is to
1) chill it.
2) halve it with a thick knife.
3) sprinkle with a little sea salt.
4) and dig in with a spoon. no bowl necessary.
Musk melon! Why must they call it MUSK? it reminds me of old lady perfume or a musty basement or mothballs... anyway. I'm just going to call it a melon. And this month's snack is totally salted melon.

What's been your August snack? 

I went to the farmer's market this morning, with a plan. I knew there would be cucumbers galore and ever since we got home from camp I've been itching to ferment something! So I picked up 20 baby cukes for $2.00. I asked my sister-in-law for some grape leaves from near her house. I washed out my big sauerkraut jar and ran to the store for some pickling spice. I had planned on making my own blend of spices, but this made it really fast and easy. And it smelled so yummy.

I washed the cucumbers really well (and used some homemade fruit & veggie wash), scrubbed them, and left them to crisp up in some icy water until I could finish the job (during nap time). When I came back, I peeled a few cloves of garlic and put them in the bottom of my jar with 2 T. of pickling spice, and a spoonful of dried dill.

Then I packed the cucumbers into the jar, poured salty water over everything and latched it shut. They're sitting on my counter where I can admire them. And there they'll stay for 3-5 days, until they taste tangy and perfect. I think this time I might make relish with some of mine.

Spiced Dill Pickles
To a gallon glass jar, add: 3 cloves of peeled garlic, 2 T. dill, and 2 T. pickling spice. Pack in washed, scrubbed cucumbers as tightly as you can. Stir 2 tablespoons of sea salt into 1 quart of water and pour over cucumbers. Depending on how full your jar is, you will probably need to repeat this step with another quart of salt water (using the same ratio; 2 tablespoons of salt per quart) to completely cover the cucumbers. I like to place one of the largest cucumbers at the top and kind of wedge it in underneath the brine to make sure everything stays under the water level. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature for 3-5 days (less time in summer, more in winter), or until the brine is bubbly and cloudy and the pickles are to your taste. Store finished pickles in fridge and enjoy for months. 

How about you guys, do you like pickles? Do you get pickles on your burger? I usually don't, but I should try it again soon. 

This summer I've been reading Anne of Green Gables. How have I not read Anne of Green Gables until this summer?!! Growing up, it was my favorite thing to borrow from the library-- in VHS form, that is. I remember trying to read the books long ago, and not being very into it. Well. If that was you, too, I say try, try again. It's so loveable. (and it's free in iBooks!)

Back in June, my sister-in-law told me she was starting it and since then we've both been plowing through the series. It's kind of been our thing all summer. This was us everyday at camp:

I can't wait to read it again with Hadley someday. The way Lucy Maud writes is wonderful, she is so clever with characters. You better watch out because half the time I feel like quoting Anne all over this blog...

it's a weird feeling to return. Like being uprooted and plonked down again. Everything is familiar, but really, you have to re-learn your own house. You've forgotten your little routines and how it feels to live inside there. (Also, you are returning with your little 1-year old who has mastered a bunch of new skills over the summer.) The air's a little stale, corners and counters are pretty dusty, and you may be thinking..


It's actually really nice to have a brand new start every August, when we figure out how to do homelife again.

Hi! Let's get back to this blogging thing!
I hope you guys had an amazing summer. Summer 2012 was such a sweet one for us. It was peaceful, sunny, simple, and scheduled, via the Camp Shetek schedule, that is. Breakfast at 8:30, Dinner (not lunch) at 12:15, Supper at 5:30, Chapel and Free time and Cabin Clean-up and Night games, etc. Schedules are my favorite! And Hadley thrived on it. She is already a camper at heart. Once again, I had high hopes of blogging while at camp... but, alas, naps had to be taken. and books read. and bathrooms cleaned. and cousins played with!

Every summer, camp provides the perfect atmosphere to mix being a grown up with being a kid. It's so awesome! We make up games with our fellow staff members and rent movies and eat late-night snacks, but we also make baby food and pay bills and observe the teething status of our little babes. Kid Me says, "Let's just go, go, GO, and not miss anything and stay up late every night!" and Grown-up Me realizes: "Camp life is non-stop and really exhausting! I need a nap before I burn out." :)

All said and done, this summer was a brilliant mix of rest, work, and play. I didn't want camp to end. I hated to see the dock come out of the lake and the canoes and picnic tables tucked away for the year. But I'm also completely excited for a new season, the farmers market, and everything fall! Also a tad excited for back to school supplies, but certainly not school itself. Well, more coming soon-- we just moved home 2 days ago so we are still settling in. It's amazing how much stuff we have. The toys. Wow. We haven't been married that long or had babies very long, but I already want to throw away half of the contents of our house. (Ok, maybe not half.) If you need me, I'll be trying to figure out where things belong in my house...

It feels so good to be back here! (meaning my house and my blog.)