ABUNDANCE, AGAIN!

The girls came this past Nonnie Day with bears almost as big as they.  Their Nina Gorrill made them each one when they were born.  Immediately they began asking if they could bring the real baby stroller into the house to play with, as their bears would not fit in the toy stroller.  On one condition, I said, you have to clean it up so we can give it to the Food Pantry, (our local food pantry also has a 'thrift store').  They were eager to begin this pursuit, vacuum and buckets of sudsy water on the deck, and in about one devoted hour, it was clean!

They intently played most of the day with this, although the big bear was replaced with Elsa who Iris mothered with so much love, and well, Elsa, she is a convincing baby, too.

That evening as I was walking back to the cabin I saw this tiny baby bird sitting precariously on a twig from a bush at the base of a large pine tree...

I am not sure what it is, although he sports some soft yellow fluff at his throat.  He let me approach close enough so I could have cupped him in my hands, which I did refrain from doing.  The next day I found him on a different bush, not far above the ground.  I have not seen him since, and am hoping he learned to fly and is safe and sound.

A couple of trips to an Amish friend who sells fruit in bulk set me up with a lug of peaches (utterly delicious)

and a ten pound box of blueberries...quite large and oh so good.

One of my favorite food magazines

with a peach pie on the cover, enticing me to make it.

The recipe inside was for a peach custard pie with a black currant coulis, just right as my black currant bushes are producing abundantly.

I veered from the recipe as I thought they had left out ingredients, and I must say,

I think this the best peach custard pie I have ever made.  The addition of the black currant coulis is simply perfect.

On another note this morning Freddie and I went for a two hour mountain bike ride on some pretty technical trails on the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.  It was phenomenal, climbing narrow trails, peaking at the top, coasting through deep woods on winding trails on the downside. Twisting and turning, stopping to let horses by, dodging gnats and black flies, and sweating up a storm.  The trails are kept so well by the Reserve, some parts just coasting along, and some parts rough and rocky climbs, but all fit for biking, hiking and/or horseback riding.  A wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning.

We were pretty hungry on our return, and I made one of my favorite summer sandwiches....

fresh tomato slices, basil and plenty of mayo...cucumbers in abundance, and of course, peaches (which were in fact topped with blueberries).

We purchased fresh chickens from the same Amish friend

and I grilled them a few nights ago...

and served them with grilled peaches/blueberries.

Oh how I love the abundance of fresh foods in the summer.  I am just back from the garden where I picked a large pan of string beans which will become a salad to accompany our pizza tonight, and I see the broccoli will be ready tomorrow. 

Food excites me, and being an integral part of its production is a real blessing.