That Looks Better... and it SHOULD

Before Pictures

The front of the house was neat enough, but the shrubbery and ivy around the front door were a liability if anyone was thinking about breaking in. Although, I have to say, there isn't anything inside, so no need to break in.

Welcome to the garden area that will not be a garden. 

A sundry of odds and ends (mostly trash)

Wood, windows, bad fencing

A cedar tree hiding a tree with a bad trim job and an ugly alley. 

The AFTER Pictures... after 1 K worth of work by someone else. 

Brush and Cedar tree removed, along with all ivy off the house. 

The two junk piles cleaned up. The fencing has also been removed even though in this pic it is still there. 

The view from the back door now. 

Where the salvageable wood lives now. (BTW, that is the well house... yes, water well) 

Foodie Friday

Stress relief in cooking. Others often tell me it makes them more stressful, but for me it just takes my thoughts to something simple... food. This morning I saw this great idea for breakfast.

So I started with knowing I didn't have any spinach, but I did have bacon, smoked salmon, English muffins, and enough eggs to make poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. 

Here are the pictures in progression and the final product. Not quite as beautiful as the one above, but still very tasty. 

The eggs here are that much orange-er than eggs in the states, and much tastier too. 

 Fresh lemon juice for the hollandaise

Melting the Ghee

Plate garnish and a bit of flavor to add to the dish. 

Not as much as salmon as in the inspirational picture but still just as tasty. 

Mixing in the ghee

Toasted the muffins with cheese and smoked salmon to prepare them for the eggs and sauce. 

It has been a long time since I poached eggs but I thought they turned out pretty well. 

They were enjoyed by all brunch guests...
The hollandaise would have been better if I had not used ghee and had used unsalted butter, but I didn't have any.

The Last Few Days

Perspective

Home Sweet Home

I bought a house.
I bought a house a year ago.
I have yet to live in the house.
I probably won't live in it until it is paid for (5 year note), but shhhh don't tell anyone that it is not occupied at the moment.

In the mean time, I am updating, remodeling, refurbishing it.

It is a small house.
It is a small cozy house, just the right size with plenty of land for crazy ideas.

Here is my house when I bought it.

It has a red roof now. One day it will have newly painted trim. I haven't decided on a color yet. I did choose the red roof because it felt like that should be the color of an original stucco farm house. When the previous owner gave me a set of pictures of the house, low and behold, the roof was red when she bought it. 

So among my many ramblings, there will be stories of my house and the trip we are making together to become my oasis, when I leave the Sahara for another one. 

See, just looking at this picture I get excited about all the possibilities, without taking away from the original style and grace of a handmade home by a local man who married one of the girls of the town's namesake family. 

Welcome to my home.