Hot Tuesday!

Hi Everyone:

I think we're beginning to get some of the hot weather the rest of the country has suffered with.  I can't complain though, we have had a lovely summer so far with only 2 days above 90 degrees.

Today I was at my weekly knitting group and in walked Maureen with the three lovely hats you see below.

Aren't they really nice?  Those were the Tuesday contributions to the hat drive and every bit as appreciated as the first ones I was given.

Yoshie stayed up late last night preparing "White Stew" for our dinner tonight.  She put it in the crockpot all night and then we refrigerated it this morning.  This way we can just pop a bowl in the microwave tonight or put the entire pot on the stove.  I think we'll have several extra's for dinner tonight, including the Japanese math teacher and at least one student.

Anyway, the stew looks really good-the picture doesn't do it justice.  The aroma is amazing and I can't wait to try it tonight.  It has chicken, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, onion, garlic, milk and a mysterious package of seasoning that she brought from Japan.  I will certainly be spoiled by the time she goes home.

We discovered quite by accident that Yoshie lives only 1 block from a woman who lived with us several years ago while she attended college here.  Harumi still stays in close contact with us and she is expecting her first child.  In a city the size of Tokyo it's amazing that these two ladies live so close to each other!  Yoshie has offered to take baby things to Harumi for us.  I'm amazed by this happy finding.  Now when I visit next month hopefully I can visit them both.

I hope you're all having  a wonderful day and staying cool if you're in the U.S.!

This is part of the view from our deck.  My DH bought the birdbath for me this spring and in the early morning and evenings it is FULL of birds.  The geraniums are just beginning to really look happy since we've had such a cold, wet summer until last week.  The hosta's are "volunteers" from a friends garden and were just planted.  I think next summer they will be beautiful.
Blessings,

Betsy