Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Goodbye June

June is gone for another year. As alway, it's perfect summer days passed far too quickly. For me, June tasted like ice cream and strawberries and it smelled like peonies and basil. What was June like for you?

Monday, June 15, 2015

My weekend : June 13-14, 2015

Our Saturday morning included the usual country drives through the marsh followed grocery shopping. Afterwards I turned the abundance of canned beans in our pantry into a batch of satisfying calico beans. (The recipe I used can be found at crockpotladies.com. (I didn't use a crock pot, and take no credit for the creation of their delicious recipe.) Later on we put black plastic between the rows of our garden keep the weeds down. Then we met some of Mike's family and went Catfishing. We caught alot of bullheads, but no large cats like we were after. After I caught a little more than a dozen before I was fished out so I spent the rest of the time roasting s'mores over the fire Pat, my brother in law, lit on the riverbank. Usually,  I look forward to eating S'mores for months and had just enough time to eat two before we got rained out. While I was roasting my last marshmallow the wind picked up and we heard thr rain coming over the water. We packed up and dashed back to the truck just as it started to pour.

Sunday had more scenic drives. We looked for new houses for sale and stopped so I could help a turtle cross the road. Then we took Layla to a nearby petting zoo. Where I injured my toe while trying to take a snapchat.  We spent the rest of the day lounging, sipping strawberry basil water (super easy to make, I cut two strawberries and a couple basil leaves and soak them for a half hour in a glass of water in the fridge), and resting my toe until my sister picked us up for a spontaneous ice cream trip to a local drive in.
Despite hurting my toe, it was the perfect, relaxing weekend.

Fitbit Flex Causes Wrist Pain

I received a fitbit flex last christmas and have worn it every day since then. More recently, I've experienced frequent wrist pain, similar to that of carpal tunnel,  seemingly out of nowhere. At first I thought the pain was just because I was getting older or doing to many repetitive hand motions. Then I came up with a new theory. That the pain was caused by wearing my fit bit too long. I undid my band immediately,  and the pain vanished instantly.  After that, I Googled it. Sure enough, internet research showed I'm not the only in the internet universe to experience this fitbit induced "faux" carpal tunnel.
It was terrible, like an addict. I couldn't part with my fitbit despite knowing I should for health reasons. I just love its ability to track my sleep and excersise so much. But, In the end, I had to compromise. For the last few nights I've sacrificed knowing how well I actually slept by taking the band off at night. The result?  My wrist has been predictably pain free.
Have you ever  experienced a similar problem with wearing your fitbit?

Monday, June 8, 2015

My weekend: June 5-7, 2015

Started the weekend off right with a barbecue at my parents house friday night. I had an avacado burger. It really hit the spot.
Then we woke up early Saturday morning and headed to our local farmers market in search of some smoked fish. Shortly after arriving,  however,  we ran into our boss and ended up going out for breakfast with him instead. The fish will have to wait until next time but I managed to pick up a pretty pink bouquet on our way out.
Later that afternoon we went to another barbecue at an old friends house. After a few drinks and eating our fill of fresh corn on the cobb we headed to a church festival.  It was much bigger than any church festival I had ever been too. Layla rode on her first carnival rides. Her favorite was the carousel. Meanwhile Mike and the others went to watch a country band.
On Sunday I spent most of the day at a friends bridal shower. Layla was whiney from staying up too late at the carnival the night before. She couldn't sit still and kept trying to stick her finger in the frosting on the beautiful lemon poppyseed and chocolate cupcakes.  The shower was nice regardless.

Monday, June 1, 2015

A month in summary: May 2015

May was full of mushrooms, flowers, sunshine, and lots of fresh air. The weather in Wisconsin has finally been warm enough to wear shorts consistently and I've been taking full advantage of it. Layla and I have been playing outside alot. She especially loves collecting rocks, playing in the water, and 'helping' in the garden. Meanwhile Mike is mourning the end of Morel mushroom season and catching bass in shallows warmed by the may sun. He is also eagerly anticipating the start of hen of the woods and chicken of the woods mushrooms.  I'm just happy to have our full garden planted. Mike helped install a tall deer defense fence to protect the tiny sprouts. I'm so proud to watch them grow and to eat my own produce in a few months.
I hope may treated you all just as well. Feel free to share your May accomplishments with me.

Slow living weekend

Sometimes the best weekends are unplanned.
Our weekend started with a slow, rainy saturday. We were supposed to go up north to a family get together but the brakes on our truck broke suddenly. So Mike and I stuck close to home for the whole weekend instead. After we ran a few errands in the morning, we spent most of the day baking cookies, eating junk food, napping and sitting on the couch. Our main goal was to spend time together and not worry about bills and money. (We received a sizable medical bill earlier in the day but refused to let it, or the car troubles put us in a bad mood.)
When rain stopped in Saturday evening, we seized the opportunity to put up a new garden fence. We have to protect our newly sprouted beans and peas from the hungry deer that we sometimes catch munching on our garden late at night.
Sunday went just as well. With no vehicle and few responsibilities I was finally able to take Layla on her first bike ride this year. Rather I biked and she rode in the pull behind cart. Unsurprisingly,  she decided to take a nap. Once we were home, I let her sleep and planted some tomatoes nearby,  in containers on our patio. Mike and I plan on making lots of salsa this year with them and all the peppers we put in our garden.
Sunday dinner was just as relaxed as the rest of sunday afternoon. I packed a simple picnic lunch and we at it next to a creek in the woods. Then we went fishing until just before dark. I had alot of bites but nothing big enough to keep.