Bee Stings, Duck Wings, and Ocean Things

 

Today is Saturday of course. Preparing for the Duck game was our entire focus today. Snacks included some crackers, or "anorexic chickens" as Terry calls them. They are the Chicken in a Biscuit crackers, and he finds that funny. He does throw the "F-bomb" after anorexic, but I felt it was fairly unnecessary for those readers whose eyes will implode upon all the swearing this family does. But not me. I have the cleanest language of the entire family. 😂😁😗😜😏

Anyway, we brought out the crackers and some smoked gouda goes so well with Chicken in a Biscuit crackers! But I was not settling for just cheese and crackers today. I searched the store for the fig jam we sampled on Thursday at Reustle's Winery. Guess what? I found some fig spread in a smaller jar, grabbed it and was so impressed with myself. Came home, cut up some slices of smoked gouda, opened the box of anorexic chickens and smeared on the fig spread! It was heavenly!

The combination of smoked gouda and the fig spread was wonderful! For those of you who are reading this blog for the first time, we visited an amazing winery yesterday where we had a charcuterie board. There were samples of a cheese that tasted like Parmesan, topped with this delicious fig spread. I had to find it for today's munchies. We also purchased Ritz Everything crackers. Putting a small piece of cheese on the cracker and smearing on the spread was a fantastic munching experience. So good. 

Typically, I bake cookies, but today Terry suggested I get chocolate chip cookies that were already baked. Check. Hey, I'm all for easy. On top of that, I wanted to look somewhat healthy since we are both diabetic, so I purchased a veggie tray and grabbed a bottle of soda on the way out of the aisle. In our defense, we both settle for sugar free soda and mine is also caffeine free. The snacks were ready. TV on and bring on the Oregon Ducks!

Togo even had his favorite spot on the couch to watch the game with us or watch the snacks disappearing into our mouths. Whatever the case, he was intensely looking our way. 

Also in our defense, we have not eaten any cookies yet. We have munched on the veggie tray for the most part and of course had cheese, crackers, and the fig spread. It's all good. 

Game day started. We were as excited as we always are on game day. I have been a huge Oregon Duck fan for years, back when Coach Rich Brooks was working with the program from '77 to '94. He was a good coach and led the Ducks into being a good team. There were many losses still in those days, but I always sat in the stands, cheering on the green and gold, with hardly anyone else around. But I stuck with my Ducks and school. The games were fun and a great way to spend Saturdays. 

Today the Ducks would play Texas Tech. In the coach's poll, Texas Tech is ranked 24th in the country. The Ducks are ranked number 13 in the AP poll. It's another one-sided game supposedly, or at least it looks like it on paper. That's not the way it worked out. 

The game was close, with Texas Tech ahead a couple of times. Our team was struggling but came through in the end with some Duck Luck as I call it. Texas Tech's final score was 30. Ducks 38. We pulled through but it was a close call. Texas Tech played a great game, one I thought they would have won had the Ducks not pulled some luck out of their pocket in the final quarter. 

Last week, the game left Puddles the Duck having to do pushups for each score on the board, totaling 546 arm muscle building pushups. This practice is a tradition for the Oregon mascot and last week the score of 81 left him hurting a bit. This week it was 38, so not quite so bad. After last week it has to feel like a vacation that the score wasn't as high. Go little waddler, go. 

I was watching the game with sweet man and my middle daughter; Marina began to shoot texts between family members. She had been stung on Friday while picking some fruit with a friend. The doctor had seen her hand right after the incident but today it was looking much worse. She went into urgent care to see what else they could do for her since she did not sleep last night due to pain and swelling. They gave her two steroid shots, claiming this would reduce the swelling, which in turn would reduce the pain too. While waiting for release from the doctor's watchful eye, she sent us a photo of her predicament. I was not happy to see it at all. 

The swelling was now creeping up into her arm and above her elbow, causing more discomfort and worry. After chatting with her a while, the steroids seemed to be taking away that swelling and also the pain. My hands were hurting just looking at the swelling in the picture she passed along. She was finally released and able to return to her home. I'm hoping tomorrow might bring some relief for her. The issue that came with the sting and swelling were hives. She was having hives show up along her arm. Benadryl seemed to take care of that, but they did return.

After our celebration of the win by the Oregon Ducks, we cleaned up the snack trays. Terry headed out to the patio area where he smoked a cigar and relaxed for a while. I came inside to feed Seymour; my sourdough starter Marina had given me on Thursday during her visit. He was dead. Figures. I have killed Seymour. Wow. 

The sourdough starter had risen very little if at all. I shot Marina a text letting her know of my plight. Picking up the jar, I sadly dumped the contents into the garbage. I had killed him. I needed to grieve. My sourdough dreams were not coming true, at least not now. As I began to wash out the jar, Marina sent me another message asking me if I had thrown it out. I told her of course. I killed him. She informed me it wasn't dead, but "resting" since it was in a new environment. Not only had I thought I killed the starter, I also buried him in the garbage. Great job. I'm a horrible sourdough mom.

I quickly whipped up another starter. This one would have to be taken to fermentation again which could take up to a month or two. Sometimes they are ready to bake with before that but sometimes not. It just depends on the mixture, its temperament, and attitude. Maybe Seymour II will work. I brought him into my office to give him more warmth and attention this time. We will see what happens. 

Today I start his growth. Tomorrow I simply open the jar to introduce oxygen and stir it a bit to develop the fermentation process. Interesting stuff. It is such a science to work with fermenting food items. I cannot wait to begin baking breads, cinnamon rolls, pie crusts, and whatever else I choose to bake. 

Marina is working with ciders, wine, kombucha, pickles and a couple of other items that are fermented instead of pickled. It's quite a process and is rewarding once your foods and drink come out well. She made limoncellos and several other items on her last attempt. I can't wait to visit her again so I can see them all!

Today I "birthed" Seymour. We'll see what happens over the following weeks. There will be photos of fresh bread to come, I'm hoping! Send Seymour good vibes!

Terry and I had a relaxing day today. Tomorrow is another day, one filled with moving furniture and more laughter, I hope. It was a good day, today. 

Sunday, August 10, 2023

I never really know quite what to think of Sundays. I love them because they do make me want to relax at the end of a week but then you are faced with starting an entire new work week too. Confusing day. Terry and I do not attend church of any kind, though we hold nothing against it. We just don't. Church attendance was in the past, for sure. It's not in our present and that's okay too. Beliefs are held near and dear still and that is what matters.

Today is the day we pick up Terry's desk. The office will have a second desk in it soon. Mallory and her boyfriend John are heading over to help us get the solid wood monstrosity into the home. It's a nice desk we are purchasing from a woman who is finished with it. So off we went to pick it up. Terry and I drove and Mallory rode with John to the seller's home. 

Sweet man and I went into the house first just to see if we wanted the desk. Wow! The desk ended up being 72 inches long or six and a half feet. Solid wood, hand crafted desk that weighed a ton and would take about six men to lift, not a young couple and two old people. Once we got it home, we were certain we would have to take out the north wall of the home and then God knows where it would sit in the office. We quickly made the decision to leave the desk there and locate another one. Beautiful piece of furniture if you have a lift to get it in your truck and a desire to build a house around it. As it was, the woman was telling us if we take it out the back door, we have a slider to go through. Sounded easy until she gave us instructions on how to work it through the railing in back and then how to wind in through the gate to the front. Much easier to just say no. 

John was not feeling well, so he left to go home, bless his heart for helping anyway. Mallory stuck around to hang with us for a while. We sat under the cover of the patio, discussing various things. The subject of the Cranberry Festival came up. It is held in a park in Bandon each year. We decided to take the drive and see what was happening there. Road trip!

We arrived in the small town of Bandon and went into the first shop we saw - the chocolate shop. What human does not go into the chocolate shop when in any town? Oh, yeah. Favorite spot. 

Our visit was pure torture. There were truffles, petit fours, chocolate bars, chocolate bars with cranberries, white chocolate bars, vanilla and cherry cheesecake and the list went on and on. If it had to do with sweets, it was there. Of course, we knew we should have something to eat first but the chocolate was calling our names. Can you hear it? "Vicki," "Mallory," and of course, "Wallet holder." 

We did look around for a few moments and then headed out to see where the festival was being held. Like I said, calling our names but eat something a tad bit healthier first. Chocolate doesn't play fair. 

Because of the glare from the window, you can't see the picture of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka clearly. But the words from the film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory stand out. 

We are the music makers, and we are the makers of dreams.   

                                                                                               -- Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka

 Off we went to locate the festival, the original plan of the day. GPS had us traveling on some back roads, turning right, turning right again, then again, leading us back to the road we started on. Finally, we gave up. The main highway we were traveling was found once more and off we went to the north to see where that would lead. About 10 minutes later, we finally found the park that was hosting the festival. About time! 

Once we saw people, tents, and the word, "cranberry" on a sign, we knew we were where we were supposed to be. Immediately we began to walk through the booth area to see what was offered. There was pottery, clothing, candles, wind chimes, paintings, jewelry, semi-precious stones and finally ... the food trucks. 

Mallory stopped at a great smelling Greek food truck. The food smelled wonderful! Thinking I would order from there as well, I stood by the truck with her. Then I spotted it ... the Mexican food truck. Yep. Tamales, here I come. Terry was considering the same idea. We held hands and walked to the truck. It all smelled delicious. We knew we were "home." 

He ordered a "super burrito" and I ordered a tamale plate. I could smell the refried beans, rice, and meat cooking. Heavenly! We were all so hungry that it was difficult to decide, but tamales are one of my all-time favorite foods. Mallory got her sampler plate of Greek edibles and we walked to the picnic tables to engulf the food we ordered. 

My meal came with rice, refried beans, Pico de Gallo and lettuce, sour cream, and the common hot sauce to spice up two tamales. It was amazingly good out of a Styrofoam box. I was pleasantly surprised. Now, Terry's food was a whole other story. 

Oh, his was good, don't get me wrong. But he kept telling me it had a trap door and that everything was falling into the basement. I had to think about his statement for a second, but he was right. Everything in the burrito was ending up on the plate. It was huge and had a lot of filling. The end of the tortilla was open and letting it all go. It's like his Buddha shirt says, "Let that shit go." Well, his burrito was following orders. 

In case you're wondering, the white "sock" around Terry's arm is a cover for his tattoo. He cuts the top of a sock off to wear so his tattoo doesn't fade in the sunlight. Clever idea. The tattoo is an older one that has been redone to brighten the colors. He doesn't want to have it done again, so he takes care in protecting it. 

Mallory on the other hand was being quiet while she ate. Her dad finally asked, "Why so quiet, Mallory? What's wrong? You okay?" Her response was that her Greek food wasn't tasting quite so "Greek." She asked her dad to try some of the rice. He did, gave a look of disdain and we immediately knew he was in agreement with his daughter. The chicken buried in the rice was rather dark in color. I asked what was up with that and she replied that she took her first bite, and it was nothing but fat. I almost gagged on that thought. We finished our meal and headed for a burial site garbage can to bury Mallory's sickening meal. 

Now for the booths and fun! Walking around, we got the full Bandon Cranberry Festival experience. It was awesome. There was music playing in the background from underneath a covered stage in the distance. People were dancing, clapping, and having a great time. 

All three of us began to make our way through the crowd to visit all the booths. Very interesting items were found in most every one of them. Lots of use of shells, driftwood, and oceanic items. Little fairy gardens were created out of wood pieces, moss, rocks, and even tiny mushrooms, all topped off with a fairy or two. They were adorable. 

Sweet man and I picked out a dragon adorning a small group of shells. We paid for it to add to our bathroom decor which also includes seashells and other ocean related pieces. 

We mostly walked through the path, looking at all the wares each seller had to offer. 

Mallory saw dogs and the booth shopping trip was all over. The fur baby kissing and hugging begins!

This piece of art was painted and also had real stones and sand from the ocean creating the sandy beach area. It was gorgeous!

Love this blanket with Groot playing a guitar. 

Venturing through the entire site wore us out. We thought maybe going through the old downtown area of Bandon might be fun, so off we went for another adventure. And Mallory and I were thinking that chocolate shop might be worth revisiting!

Arriving in the small town of Bandon, we looked at the store fronts and immediately fell in love. The small-town look and feel are definitely integrated in the visit to Bandon. Quite a charming, lovely spot to spend the day. 

Pieces of all genres could be found throughout the eclectic shops in Bandon. Terry found another dragon and mermaid combo statue in one store. We spent time doing some window shopping and actually walking through the stores. Very nice atmosphere around the old town area. 

With the art, stoneware, pictures, and even lamps, this store quickly became my favorite. Expensive, yes. One-of-a-kind pieces? Oh, yeah. 

Pieces such as this wooden mermaid were on display. I fell in love. There was a rocking chair also carved from this wood and it was perfect. I am not sure why, but I did not take a photo of the rocker. Absolutely amazing though. 

But then there was this. Gorgeous! I could picture this in a home or library to allow children the opportunity to sit under this lamp and read books. It's a stunning piece and stood out among all other pieces in this art gallery. 

Visiting another shop in the strip, we found the dragon and fairy section. 

Shopping was fun. Terry clung tightly to his dragon filled box and we walked to the car. We were leaving this beautiful town but first, first we had to go into Coastal Mist Fine Chocolates and Desserts and boy, am I glad we did! Sweet man ordered a soda for the road. Mallory and I just had to get a fudge brownie. Wow! That's all I can say, is "Wow." 

Chocolate fudgy brownie with decadent chocolate frosting, with white and milk chocolate blended into the top of the frosting. Topped off with an oval piece of milk chocolate, well, just because there's not enough chocolate on it and in it. I'll be in a sugar coma in no time. I had two bites, Terry took one, and I packed it back into the box. Beautiful, awesome, delicious, heavenly square of love. 

Now that I have you drooling on your keyboard, I'm going to post a few photos of the beach in Bandon. Gorgeous day on the beach today! Sky was free of clouds. No smoke like there is in Roseburg. Stunning, calm ocean view.

Another weekend flew by. We are hoping your weekends mean relaxing time with friends, family, or loved ones. Shower people in your life with love and light. Have an amazing week and we hope to see you all back here next weekend! Be kind to each other and to yourselves.