Santa Rosa, NM 2023
Blog
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Happiness Is … A Tomato Festival
On the August (Saskatchewan Day) long weekend, two of my sisters (the third one was feeling unwell, so unable to join us) and I attended the third annual Tomato Festival, sponsored by the Regina Farmers Market group.
A pit stop before the event. We wore matching shirts decorated with tomatoes This was the first time any of us had attended the event and we decided it won’t be the last.
There were over seventy vendors, most selling freshly picked garden produce. There were others with everything from jewelry made from silver spoons, to honey, to baking – if it was home made or hand made, it was there.
One of many vendors selling the stars of the show 
My sis next in age to me 
My baby sis 
Moi – The eldest and the shortest One vendor had some cute signs for his produce:
They were plump and sweet 
Some of his beans were in a crock pot The event was held in the stunning Queen Mary II Flower Gardens, adjacent to our province’s legislative building. Although I’ve been there many times, I’ve never had a photo of myself there. Now I do.
The day was forecast to be extremely hot, so we were there when the festival opened and finished our shopping by the end of the morning.
I purchased all of the ingredients I needed for the borscht (beet soup) that I make every summer for our mom. It’s her favourite soup, and we arrived home early enough for me to get the borscht made in my Instant Pot.
A healthy haul 
Everything is washed and ready 
Chopped just the right size 
Borscht, accompanied by whole wheat sourdough bread that I also bought at Tomato Fest It was a “perfect in every way” kind of day.
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Friday Freestyling … Reflection Perfection
On recent morning walks, there has been virtually zero wind. This is a rarity in these parts.
Besides adding to the comfort and the peacefulness of my morning power walks, the reflections on the river have been outstanding.
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Happiness Is … Achievement
After four years of learning and after making several hundred macarons, I came to a place where they were almost right.
Through trial and error, I recently made a couple of tweaks to the process that solved everything.
I was mixing my merengue too fast, and was stopping just short of correct macronage (mixing the merengue with the dry ingredients).
My feature photo is of the batch I made with the technique adjustments.
Macaron bakers are always in pursuit of four things: smooth shells, pretty feet, perfect texture (blend of slightly crispy shells and slightly chewy interior), and full shells (no hollows). Bingo! I got them all!
After one day of maturing in fridge I’m completely happy with everything about these, and going forward, will apply what I’ve learned.
As I’ve stated in previous posts, I have an ocd-ish personality. To finally get these right, frees up brain space to focus on something else.
Hmmm … maybe my guitar?
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Friday Freestyling … A Fave Sammy
Do you shorten the word sandwich to “sammy”?
In favour of lazy lingo, we’ve done this for ages.
What’s your fave sammy?
Ours is the home-made BLT. We prefer home-made because we can be sure the bacon is thick cut, lower fat, and warm. There’s just something about this crunchy, soft, savoury, tart, warm and cold, combined meat and salad sandwich that satisfies so many sensory food experiences at the same time.
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Read My Sign – Crazy is as Crazy Does
I smile every time we have an overnight stay in Mineral Wells, TX and read this sign.
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Happiness Is … Earning Rewards
I hinted at this in a previous post and it finally arrived last week!
The Moment 240 mm mobile lens was yet another reward for myself.
On May 11, I achieved three smoke-free years after an almost 54 year habit.
Each year on my anniversary, I spoil myself with items from various wish lists. This year, it was the mobile phone camera gear list that got fulfilled.
This lens works with the 4x native zoom in my iPhone and creates a true optical 8x zoom.
The phone does have an 8x zoom, but it’s not a true optical zoom, so although great photos can be captured with that, there are a few issues with clarity – especially with birds and wildlife.
After I’ve practiced more with this lens and my new mini tripod (if it’ll hold the weight of my phone with this lens attached), I’ll share a few photos in a future post.
For size reference, here’s the lens in my hand:
It’s well made and heavy, so a tripod (which I supplied from my wish list ahead of the arrival of the lens) is definitely needed. -
Friday Freestyling “Muse-ical”
Do you use photos to guide your posts?
Sometimes, a blogger will write that they’ve run out of ideas for a post, or that their writing well has run dry.
Something that always works for me is to review my thousands of photos.
There’s almost always an idea amongst them.
Yes, I take lots of photos. I’ve done that since I was a teenager and was gifted my first camera.
Photography to me is a magical hobby where I can explore the world either close up or from a distance. Looking for subjects while I’m out for my walks, while we’re out for a drive or on vacation, or even when I’m just hanging out in the house keeps me grounded in the present.
Almost all of my photos are time and date stamped, so they’re also the diary of my life.
Whenever I wonder about a future blog post, I just go to my Amazon photos and start browsing. Before too long, a photo or group of photos (from the over 8,000 I have stored there) will turn on a lightbulb and away I go.
My photo muses lead the way.
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Read My Sign – Hot Topics
This is an extremely controversial proposed project in our area. These signs are posted everywhere.
Radically Retired 