Sunrise on the Fishing Boat
The guys had a big day on their fishing trip. They came back sunburned and exhausted, loaded down with bags of fresh, filleted fish, individually vacuum packed. They divided the catch and each get to take home thirty-three pounds. There were sea bass, red snapper, trigger fish, and hammer jack. That’s going to be some good eating in the coming months.
Of all things, the check engine light came on in my truck on Tuesday evening. We had to go find an auto parts store yesterday that could run a computer diagnostic test on it. There were three codes...all regarding misfiring in the cylinders. My guess is we need new spark plugs, a tune up, or we had a batch of bad gas. The light went off after she checked...which is what it’s supposed to do. And, it hasn’t come back on. We’ll keep an eye on it and hopefully, we won’t have anymore problems and I can get it checked out at home.
We caught this egret having lunch in the reeds along the boardwalk as we explored the shops on the sound side.
After a leisurely breakfast, we all went for a long walk down the boardwalk, looking in all the little shops and carefully avoiding crowds as much as possible. We used tons of sanitizer and as soon as more than three or four people came in a shop, we were out of there. We balanced feeling like we had as normal a vacation experience as possible with the least amount of risk involved and it felt good.
It never fails. I can just about bank on the fact that one of the first days after my arrival in a new place, I’m going to be sick. I have one of those “issues” that you cannot see, but it greatly affects my ability to switch to different locales. I have IBS...Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I was diagnosed when I was a teenager. It waxes and wanes, and if there is the least bit of anxiety involved in the mix, it amps the situation beyond mere discomfort. It’s stirred up by eating different foods than I am used to and the stress of travel.
When you are on vacation at the beach, it’s supposed to be sunny and warm, right? Well...maybe not so much in October. I’m always a little apprehensive about coming to the beach at this time of the year because of the threat of hurricanes. This year it seems we are getting the tail end of some rain from the latest storms to devastate the south. I think they are clearing out now, hopefully.
It is only 566 miles from our home to our condo. Google Maps says it will take 8 hours and 37 minutes to make that trip. I would say that is possibly true...in Kansas. But we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Google simply does not understand West Virginia miles. Nor does it take into consideration the tail end of a hurricane passing through or a long and tortuous orange cone season. The last time we were down here was a year and a half ago and they are STILL working on the very same stretches of road. I told Mr. FixIt, I recognized the same piles of dirt!
Mr. FixIt and I had a list as long as your arm yesterday and everything had to be timed according to when businesses opened and closed. One of the last errands was to get ice for the cooler. We pulled into the parking lot of the Ice House and the strongest memories washed over me. When I was really little, we used to go to my Aunt Marge’s house for visits and we often took a block of ice with us so she could make us her world famous homemade peach ice cream.
On our way out to the farm yesterday to mow, we stopped by Charlotte’s barn with a big bag of apple peelings for the chickens. Oh...they LOVED me! I can’t remember when we went last, but the grass was SO long. And, it’s changed again. It’s gone from this rough fall grass to very fine grass that grows really fast and stays damp. Oh...it was a booger to mow! I had to go over it and over it and over it dozens of times to mulch it all up because we don’t bag it. It took forever, but when it was finished, it was so lovely. The late afternoon sun was golden as it reflected off the leaves turning the red farmhouse a deep garnet glow.
Multi-Tasking!
Hokey-smokes! It took three days to make seven and a half PINTS of apple butter....but, ohhhhhhhhh....is it ever good! I started out with nearly a bushel of apples on Sunday. On Monday, I had them mostly cut up. On Tuesday morning, I managed to get them cut up enough to fit them all in two big slow cookers. I thought they would cook up nice and thick but by evening, they were actually swelling up and I was afraid they would spill over. So, I took my immersion blender and puréed them. Now I was absolutely sure the apple butter would be nice and thick by yesterday morning. Nope...still soupy. I needed some way to cook them down.
It isn’t very often I get up before Mr. FixIt. He’s definitely an earlier riser than me, so yesterday was one of those rare mornings when the house is still and quiet as I walked into the kitchen. I made my morning coffee and popped a couple of my made-ahead waffles into the toaster. Soon, the smell of vanilla and cinnamon and coffee gently caressed the air and I nibbled on breakfast as I watched the autumn sun glisten on the lawn out the kitchen window.