Day 18 – June 25, 2011 – Saturday – Construction site of Sandy’s New Home - Traveln' Man Returns

Day 18 – June 25, 2011 – Saturday – Construction site of Sandy’s New Home - Traveln' Man Returns

E-mail from TravelnMan@commonwealth.net

To:  Julia’s Spa – Attention – Julia

Please tell “She who is to be obeyed” aka Sandy that I am back and I am her “Greek God bearing gifts of untold wealth”.

Hey Babe, what are you building here a Castle? 

I also brought the lumber and a load of compost - so I'll start building the raised flower and vegetable boxes you want - out to the left of the patio off the kitchen area.

You can come back home now, I’ve brought you a temporary shelter – Charlie is unhitching the horses as we speak!

The mail boat anchored off shore today, and I met Steve, he said you know him- you know just about everyone don’t you, well he said to tell you that he sold “Steve’s Landscape Design and Nursery and is now working on the mail boat delivering the mail.  He's much happier being back on the sea. He also said, if you hear any rumors of the New Owner – don’t believe them!

I just had to ask him, what about the new owner?  Sheepishly, he said “Well, well, she has a Lion……”

And he didn’t want the locals to get upset with him, since he didn’t know until he went back to sign the final papers and there is a sign out front that reads,

Beware of THE LION!

Oh tell Lee, I found the golf course, what a great place and that dog leg is a real dilly – not sure I’ll ever break par on that course!

I spoke to the new owner of Steve's Landscape Design and Nursery - she thinks we could put a "putting green" in the open area in front of the Orchid Greenhouse, what do you think? 

PS I brought home a love, her name is Trudy, I fell in love with her from the moment I saw her, took some time to woo her while I was gone – she ……………garbled e-mail connection….lasjkla#ofja#eioeojla…..end of line.

Day 18 – June 25, 2011 Saturday – Julia’s Spa – "Beady Eyes" speaks!

Day 18 – June 25, 2011 Saturday – Julia’s Spa – "Beady Eyes" speaks!

“Tortoise Day - Date unknown” – Julia’s Spa – Baby Pictures

“It doesn’t matter to me what the people day and date is, I just want to set the record straight right from the beginning, my name is not “Beady Eyes” …..my name is….umm just a moment, there is a nice juicy slug……munch, munch” and “those baby pictures that Julia is showing to Sandy – they are not me!”

Day 17 - June 24, 2011- Friday - Julia's Spa - Knit Nite - Sophie

Day 17 - June 24, 2011- Friday - Julia's Spa - Knit Nite - Sophie

Friday nites are "Knit Nite" - a group of locals get together at Julia's and of course what else knit and gossip....me being new - I am keeping a low profile.....from the sounds of it - if I got this right Spohie has been found!  so much discussion about Spohie, I hope that I get to meet her! 

Day 16 – June 23, 2011 – Thursday - Julia’s Spa – Pickling Red Onions – “Cellar Door” Sisters

Hello Sandy and Julia,

Did you have any luck finding the glass canning jars?  Sure hope you did.  As promised Eleanor and I went home a searched for our father’s favorite recipe.   He loved them on his hamburgers.

He was a fisherman and sometimes he would bring home a salmon; mom would serve them as a side dish.  She always made a batch just for him; with a dried chili.

There's lots of leeway with the spices and herbs used; such as cinnamon, cloves, star anise, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. You could easily throw in some ginger, or swap out the chili flakes for some cumin, or allspice for the cloves.

Mom’s recipe calls for 1 pound of red onions, peeled and sliced into rings.

Next make brine with 3 cups white vinegar, 1½ cups of sugar, cinnamon stick, a few cloves, allspice berries, peppercorns and 2 bay leaves.

If want you can also add a dried chili, gives them a little extra “kick” of flavor.

Next you want to bring the brine to a boil in a 4-quart non-reactive saucepan, this means don’t use a copper or aluminum saucepan.

You will simmer the onions 3 times, I repeat 3 times as follows:

1)       Simmer the onion rings, in three separate batches (that means, one-third of the onion rings at a time), for 20 seconds for each batch in the brine.

Remove onions to a baking sheet using a slotted spoon to drain them, and let cool.

2)      Then you repeat that same cooking process again; simmer the onions in three separate batches, for 20 seconds each batch.

Then drain them, and cool.

3)      Then you repeat that same cooking process again; simmer the onions in three separate batches, for 20 seconds each batch.

Then drain them, and cool.

Finally you chill the brine thoroughly.

 Once chilled, add the onions and store in the refrigerator. 

Hope you and Julia and company enjoy them, looking forward to seeing you again, and we are so glad that Bear found you; Mary and John were frantic that Bear was lost!

Eleanor and Grace Stelladoor – pronounced “Cellar Door”

Day 15 – June 22, 2011 – Wed. – Julia’s Spa

Bear stalks “Beady Eyes” in the Vegetable Garden

Julia and I are off shopping for pickling supplies, canning jars and kites, yes kites!  When the wind whips up she opens the spa to the local high school students who come down to her beach and have their annual kite flying festival.

Now while I am gone, Bear is on his own; one never knows what mischief he will get into.

I think he is out in the garden stalking imaginary mice!

 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Mistress Sandy has left.

This is Bear, speaking.....

"She may think that I am stalking imaginary mice, but I am on the hunt for  “Beady Eyes”. 

I know he is here – hiding in the vegetable garden. 

I think I hear someone "munching" over in the Red Onions.......

Day 14 - June 21, 2011 Wednesday Julias' Spa - Longest Day of the Year

Longest Day or the Shortest Day of the Year depending on where you live.

Julia is very interesting – one Tuesday a month is her “personal” Meditation Day and since I happen to be here, she makes it my “personal” Meditation Day, too.

This morning Julia handed me a piece of parchment with the following definitions on it:

Meditation

“The emptying of the mind of thoughts, or the concentration of the mind on one thing, in order to aid mental or spiritual development, contemplation, or relaxation or the act of thinking about something carefully, calmly, seriously, and for some time, or an instance of such thinking.”

She then handed be a bag of pebbles and said go – “go to Lee’s room out onto the patio, relax and let your mind roam, free yourself from you Real World …..Fly! Create! “

And with a gentle shove - off I went to the small patio off your room here at the spa…..granted it is peaceful here – and I can hear the water tricking from the small fountain.

I spread out a white blanket and sit down on one edge and thought is she “Crazy”?  What do I know about mediating?  Ok, I’ll sit quietly and then I remembered the bag of pebbles………..and I start humming to myself  “om, om, om……….”

…….much later Julia tapped me on the shoulder and said, “What have we here?”  Here is a picture of what I created, not sure how or where I was while I worked on it and as you can see I  didn’t quite let go of my structured self, but it’s a start.

Julia only let me take one photo and then we put all the pebbles back in the bag for another time, I wonder what she will give me to mediate with next time?

Day 13 - Monday - June 20 at Julia's Spa "that damn cat"

Mon. June 20, 2011 - Day 13 at Julia's Spa

that -  pardon the expression 'that damn cat'; Bear, your are just not going to believe it but he has made his way all the way to Julia's Spa....and I think he is still a little miffed at me - yes, well, how do you explain to a cat about govenmental regulations about 'quarantine'.  Even the rules here aren't severe, I just couldn't make him understand that until my house is finished, he would have to be boarded in with a nice couple who would take good care of him......but he showed early this morning; just like he owned the place and that's that! 

Note to Lee, hope you don't mind cat hair in your room here at Julia's.

Day 12 - June 18, 2011 Sunday Julia's Spa - Sandy's Pantry

Day 12 I've been at Julia's Spa for 11 days and loving every minute of it!