coffee's brewing.

about a week ago

temporary clear skies gave way to fresh fallen

snow of the best kind :: powder!

i took a video but blogger isn't allowing

me to upload the footage so a still is offered below

of our front yard at the start of the storm.

it's overcast today with intermittent howling

wind and chilly temps and rain drops..

gorgeous weather.

two days ago i assembled a large pan of lasagna,

covering and placing it in the fridge 24 hours

so the flavors could properly meld before baking

which happened yesterday afternoon.

i make lasagna different most every time

and sometimes it turns out simply "ho-hum."

not this one though. it's beyond delish.

i saved this recipe in my noggin.

i should write it down, huh?

we're having lasagna again tonight with

the remainder going into the deep freeze

for a later date when i don't feel much

like cooking. there are days. wink.

the broccoli turned out just as delish

as the lasagna. bring water to a rolling 

boil then immerse the broccoli.

after three minutes drain and plate.

the color remains vibrant and

the texture is perfection.

easy peasy.

we're on a nearly continual roll of watching home

restoration shows, our favorite being *ReStORed*

with brett waterman. he's a historical restoration expert

focusing on homes mainly in the inland empire

of california - primarily redlands, california

(where my family and the hubs family moved in '68). 

redlands boasts a large'ish number of historical properties .. 

it's a joy to view them in their restored state

after brett waterman does his magic!

*

 while we love eating at the dinner table

like civilized people, ahem,

often you'll find us having dinner

sitting on the couch using our vintage

military locker / coffee table as a plate surface

or a place to rest our feet while

our plates are on our laps.

this particular night the setting

was photo worthy .. or so i thought.

{c.s.lewis}

 "one road leads home and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness."

"there are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

.we're planning another trip.

one does not go on vacation when one is retired.

one goes on a trip when one is retired.

we were tutored in this truth by the hubs oldest brother.

we're members of Harvest Hosts so traveling from point-a

to point-b and dotting in between often finds us staying

overnight at a farm, orchard, winery, museum etc.

a self-contained trailer, 5th wheel or motorhome is required.

you're encouraged to make a purchase in the gift shop

as a thank you for the beautiful overnight 

spot in which you're staying.

should one not consume wine or such, one can

purchase honey or a pretty hand towel 

or olive oil or balsamic vinegar or a myriad of possibilities.

many locations have food available so cooking

in your trailer isn't always a requirement while traveling

and you can share your thanks to your host by

purchasing dinner. and that's a treat!

in fact, there are plenty of HH locations

which are restaurants!

that said, i actually have been prepping meals

for our journey while making space

for an occasional breakfast or dinner out.

lately we've written down a few possibilities

from the DDD show with Guy Fieri.

our next trip has us staying overnight 

on the property of a museum

housing vintage airplanes. 

..a vintage air museum..

these are dotted

throughout the nation so we were thankful to find

one on the route we'll be traveling. the hubs especially

is looking forward to meandering through

the enormous buildings filled with WW2 aircraft. 

the anticipation is riveting! wink.

*

in other news, our fancy dancy kitchen-aid

pour-over coffee maker i sold my left kidney to

purchase has given up the ghost.

and i'm without a kidney. hmpfh.

.. moment of silence ..

so i did the unthinkable. seriously.

i bought a mrCoffee mini brew, a little 5-cupper .

it was delivered today.. after running through

a pot of water to clean it i brewed half a pot.

quite honestly i wasn't expecting much after

using the fancy dancy machine the past few

years. but you know what? it's good!

i stand humbled and corrected.

i'm looking forward to a morning cup

of liquid life .. best sipped in the dark with

twinklies offering a sparkle of light.

and just like that it's raining. 

snow's coming tonight and through

the night - it'll be the sloggy kind of snow. ugh.

i best skidaddle and warm up our dinner.

gentle hugs coming your way.

with love,

sherry