Illinois State Fair

I love the state fair. I loved it growing up where I showed goats and entered 4-H projects and wandered around the crafts buildings and animal barns and ate fair food. My favorite fair food as I remember was elephant ears. I have been able to go to the fair here in Illinois three times and most recently it was yesterday. I was lucky enough to be able to go with some friends and we had a great time.

The highlight for me was a hunting dog training demonstration. I was amazed by the skill and level of training of the dogs and it made me want to learn how to hunt just so I can have a hunting dog. 

Here are a few picture highlights:

From top left clockwise: the famous butter cow sculpted from 500 lbs of butter. An Illinois State Fair tradition since 1922. A delicious breakfast item that has been sitting in a display case for a week. Marie and lots of lovely cakes. And finally, what would a state fair be without some Bengal tiger tricks?

All in all a lovely day. My only regret is that we missed llama fun night. 

Homecoming

Alex came home from Boston a week ago. To celebrate, I stayed up until he got home. It was a big sacrifice. He had a great time. I keep bugging him to post more about it. Maybe one of these days.

The next day I showed him around the house. He couldn't believe what I had done with the place. For instance, the garden was still mostly alive. Minus one potted tomato plant that is on its way out.

The tomato plants are about 8 feet tall. That is what a little rabbit dung crack will do to them. 

Mr. finger with a blackberry hat! It has been a while since we saw him. 

Miz peach

The squirrels are enjoying the peaches, too. They are nice enough to eat them and leave the fleshy pits on the top of the fence for us to find. If only I had a squirrel trap...

Working hard in Boston

Early mornings and late nights at the hospital here in Boston, but also some fun too: 

Crane Beach near Ipswich.
Supposedly one of the best beaches in the state. I spent about two hours here  a week ago Saturday.
It's not Florida, but definitely worth the hour drive. 

Crane Beach looking the other direction. There's a mansion on top of the hill, which you can't really see. 

Young quince growing at the great house near Crane Beach. Someday I will have my own quince tree, and Katie will make quince jam.

32 inch striped bass caught in Boston Harbor.
I got lucky enough to get invited to go fishing with Quinn Peterson and his brother Randy yesterday.
An early morning (even moreso than usual), but a great day.  

Fisherman Quinn.

Boston Temple with my hosts, the Petersons. It's been great staying with them.
The temple is 10 minutes from where I've been staying, which makes it much more convenient than the three hours drive to St. Louis.

View of Boston from the Washington Tower at Mount Auburn Cemetery. 

I miss you, Katie. No matter what I'm doing, it's not nearly as much fun when you're not with me.

I'm sorry, Alex

You are missing so many awesome things while you are gone.

For instance, looked what I picked this morning!!!

You also missed these delectable treats growing in the middle of our yard.

Day 1

Day 2 - can you believe how fast these things grow?

um... can I eat these?

Day 3 - drying

Day 4 - in my pasta sauce

Just kidding.

what to do when your husband is gone for a month...

1) Take care of the garden and hope you don't kill anything.
2) Wonder where all your free time came from.
3) Eat all the raspberries by yourself.
4) Make jam when you can't eat any more raspberries.
5) Count down the days until the grapes ripen.
6) Go to sleep whenever you want to.
7) Paint the house neon green.
8) Make dinner. Eat the same thing for 7 days because you made way too much.
9) Curse at your computer and wish he were there to fix it for you.
10) Watch Dr. Who without him.
11) Make a bunch of cookies and wish he were there to enjoy them with you. While watching the fireflies outside at dusk.

Rabbit and pear tree

Do you remember the moral stories I told you last time from the experiences we had with a rabbit getting out and the pear fire blight?

Update #1: not only did the rabbit (hereafter known as Houdini) give up all his rights to relative freedom after escaping twice by being stuck in a cage by himself, but Alex discovered two days later that his poor little head was covered with engorged ticks. We figured he must have gotten them while he was roaming around in our garden. Which also helps explain why last Sunday while we were sitting in sacrament meeting, a tick crawled across Alex's leg!! He killed it (or so he thought) and 5 minutes later either it or its twin was crawling up my skirt! Ack! In the middle of church! Alex had been out to pick rhubarb right before church. I picked all the ticks (18) off of poor little Houdini with Alex helping to hold him. Then I promptly applied Advantix to my dogs. To tell you the truth, I kind of like picking ticks off of things that aren't myself.

Update #2: the fire blight we thought was controlled with a massive pruning continues to plague the poor pear tree. We have had to chop off many other branches and the tree, consequently, looks gutted. We are hoping it will survive the onslaught. The moral story is that you will keep getting chopped to pieces if you can't rid yourself of an aggressive bacterial disease.

Some remaining pears

Alex took a few pictures of our yard today. Every spring I am so grateful that he had the foresight to plant so many wonderful things in our yard. We have been blessed by all the fruitful plants that have grown on our little 1/3 acre. It will be very hard to leave this place. We will miss the people here too. But, I am getting ahead of myself. Here are a few pictures.

And the patio...

I guess I've arrived

Yesterday Alex told me that he didn't marry me for my baked goods but if he knew then what he knows now, he would have. I'm not sure now if that means he realized that all the other qualities he thought I had when he married me actually were fake or if he just really likes my baking. I should ask him about that.

The day before yesterday Alex and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. We celebrated by going to the 1st annual Homer Bottled Glass Soda festival and sampling 16 different kinds of soda. I met Elvis there and realized I like a good ginger ale.  What better way to celebrate the anniversary of two people who drink soda about twice per year than to go to a soda festival.

A few of the things I have learned from Alex in the past 6 years:

 - how to argue/fight more effectively (I mean this in a good way)

- how to forage for food (wild mulberries and black raspberries anyone?)

- that 1/4 acre can be amazingly productive if you plan ahead and plant some stuff and take care of it

- how to cut men's hair. Kind of. I mean, I kind of learned. And Alex didn't teach me, but he does let me practice on him. 

- the best way to feel peace and happiness is just to do what God wants you to do. Then you don't need to worry about the consequences.

A few of the things Alex has learned from me:

- that he should do the dishes. 

- that he should rub my feet.

- that he should buy me earrings :)

Thursday last week we were in Chicago for a practical test Alex had to take at the medical school there. We were able to visit the temple that morning which was a peaceful experience, then I dropped Alex off and had a few hours to wander around Chicago by myself. After walking for miles I found myself at the Field museum and decided to go in since I was sick of walking. I got plenty of practice taking pictures of myself. I also met my arch nemesis, the Common Opossum.

Alex taught me an object lesson that he learned from our rabbits yesterday. We had a rabbit that kept getting out last week and chomping on our garden so he put it in solitary confinement (a cage). Which goes to show that if you are disobedient and make bad choices, you give up freedom. I taught him an object lesson from our pear tree. Recently, our pear tree was afflicted with fire blight. We had to cut off three big branches with a lot of fruit on them to save the tree. Which goes to show that if you have dead parts they should be cut off.