There has Been a Coup
We're home.
It was the most fabulous vacation of my entire life and then coming home seemed extra sweet, until the pet sitter told us that our cat Edward was once again missing and hadn't been seen since Friday. Coop and I immediately went to the shelter by our house (which was slightly surreal because there were, literally, 400 cats living cage-free in a house and they all seem to, well, get along. They are almost all feral captures, so this was just amazing to us.) No Edward, though.
I'd like to say that Edward being gone didn't just suck the joy right out of me but, well...I can't. Isn't it ridiculous that we could have been on this life-changing trip and come home with our heads full of the history and beauty of Germany and France and then, whoosh--reality bit us hard in the form of one missing orange fluff-ball?
And then he strolled in about 4:00 in the morning, looking perfectly fit and happy and with a purr as big as Texas at seeing us again.
I hate that cat.
(Okay, so I lie, I lie, I lie.)
(But...well.. DARN HIM!)
So, here we all are now, slightly delayed, having a joyous homecoming.
I'll tell you much more about our trip, plus how the cucumbers have staged a coup and are taking over the entire garden (Can y'all say, "pickles?" Now can you tell me how to make them?) as soon as I've done some laundry and figured out where our puppy went. (There is this enormous black dog the size of our sofa roaming around here, though, and he's apparently figured out the stairs since if you turn your back for a second, you see him slinking guiltily back down them.)
Wait, wait, can I just gush for one second about my husband? I know that this probably gets old --because how much happiness can y'all read about without wanting to murder me?--but in addition to planning every last detail of our vacation--which included booking a rental car and hotels in foreign lands, buying a GPS with the right maps on it, driving us to where the Tour de France was happening without getting us stuck even once in traffic, meeting and charming my extended German family and in general pulling off the greatest vacation of my entire life?? He also managed to have to house cleaned before he left so that I would come home and not be all stressed out.
Either I did something very good in a former lifetime or he did something very, VERY bad... All hail Coop!
Comments
Glad you had a great vacation.
and your hubby does rock!!!
Can't believe I was able to get on AND comment! It has been too long. Can't wait to catch up!!
(!) :)
· 8 pounds 3 to 4 inch long pickling cucumbers
· 4 cups white vinegar
· 12 cups water
· 2/3 cup pickling salt
· 16 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
· 8 sprigs fresh dill weed
· 8 heads fresh dill weed
1. Wash cucumbers, and place in the sink with cold water and lots of ice cubes. Soak in ice water for at least 2 hours but no more than 8 hours. Refresh ice as required. Sterilize 8 (1 quart ) canning jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes.
2. In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar, water, and pickling salt. Bring the brine to a rapid boil.
3. In each jar, place 2 half-cloves of garlic, one head of dill, then enough cucumbers to fill the jar (about 1 pound). Then add 2 more garlic halves, and 1 sprig of dill. Fill jars with hot brine. Seal jars, making sure you have cleaned the jar's rims of any residue.
4. Process sealed jars in a boiling water bath. Process quart jars for 15 minutes.
5. Store pickles for a minimum of 8 weeks before eating. Refrigerate after opening. Pickles will keep for up to 2 years if stored in a cool dry place.
If your cucumbers are really large you have slice them in rounds or spears and this will work just fine.
Pickles. Very easy. Slice the cukes. Do them up with pickling spices and vinegar. Dump into sterilized jars, seal. Send (carefully packed) to your Canadian friend on the West Coast for a quality control test.
(I'm always happy to help, I am! I'm good that way.)
Glad you had such a good trip; I would ask Mr Edward for an explanation though.