Friday, June 24, 2011

Progress

I hope you're having a peaceful week. Here at Casa Leone, there's lots going on. Mowing, weeding, wood stacking, writing and even--surprise!--cooking. I know, I know, cooking doesn't seem like a big deal but believe me, my getting back into the kitchen is a huge accomplishment. My husband and I cooked together all the time, and now that he's gone the kitchen is just a sad place.

But it seems that with each passing day, the sadness dims a bit. Which is really good, considering I've been living on frozen dinners for weeks!

So, I ventured in with the pots and pans yesterday. The result? A comfort food dish. Nothing extraordinary. Just plain, old mac and cheese.

It was great! Who knows? Eating from-scratch food just might grow on me.

What about you? Any fun in the kitchen you'd care to share? Recipes? I'm open to suggestions!

I hope you have a lovely weekend.


Friday, June 10, 2011

Bee-ing Busy


Sharing some summer sweetness with you. I put a jar in my Etsy shop today, just to see how it goes. Maybe I'll get a nibble. Get it? A nibble?

Sorry! Bad jokes aside, I hope you've had a peaceful Friday.

Me? Busy here on the farm. Weeds to pull, jam to preserve, laundry to fold. Nothing earth-shattering or newsworthy, but enough to keep me moving. I did linger in the orchard, watching the bees buzzing amongst the fruit trees. Amazing!

Now I'm off to find a bowl of ice cream. A big bowl. Really big. With sprinkles, maybe. And whipped cream, definitely.

Wishing you a happy evening!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Sunny Florida

I am basking in the sun here in sunny Florida. Florida has inspired two of my novels and might yet inspire even more!
We writers do know that all writing is eighty percent perspiration and twenty inspiration - or do we? Sometimes its hard to write a single word but you press on. At least that is my experience.
Inspiration plays a large part though, especially a location. But do you have to know it? Well you have to know how things work, what the climate is like.
I have written a couple of novels set in Spain, I've never been to Spain. That's going to remedied this year. However, I am worried will real Spain (which is where I'm going rather than coastal Spain) be a step into reality too far? Will I be disappointed. It can happen. I am just a tad afraid that what I will see will spoil my romantic view, ah well we will see.
But back to Florida - coming here every year I am quite at home. I know and love the countryside. I love the wildness. Not wild you say? Well no, not if you are visiting Orlando, but slip onto a back road, you will see wildness aplenty. Deer, foxes, wonderful birds. Oh yes, they are all here just a step or two away. Even where my son lives the deer creep out of the woods at night and eat the sweet grass on his lawn. They drink from the lake too, watchful of the alligator that lives there...oh yes, Florida has an abundance of wildlife. I might not have known this had I not been given the opportunity to come many times. Perhaps Spain will throw up some surprises too - I hope so!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

From the Farm

Busy days here on the farm. Canning. Flower planting. Watering. Weeding. Mowing. Weed pulling.

Also, butterfly watching.

What about you? What's going on in your corner of the world?