74

74 Degrees. In my house. And I didn't even have to pay for it! It has not been that cool in my house since probably the end of May. It is so nice. Today's high should be 71 and the low...48! When Hubby leaves in the AM - very early AM - it is so nice and cool! Next week will warm up, however, I am enjoying the little bit of coolness. I may even bake! I can't wait! I won't even need to turn the air conditioner on! Mmm, just think. The smell of freshly baked carrot cake, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and pumpkin pie wafting through the air. Yum! Oh, yeah and I forgot about dinner. How about salisbury steak with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans. Or maybe, umm, a homemade chicken pot pie? Lasagna, with italian sausage, ricotta cheese and smothered in mozzarella? I am going to try making rouladen this year. That is round steak layered with bacon, mustard, pickles and seasoning, rolled up and simmered and cooked in a sour cream gravy. I need to get the recipe from dad. Or what we had last night. Beef stir fry with chinese five-spice powder, soy sauce, etc. and sauteed with mushrooms, onions and bell peppers, served over steamed rice. Am I making you hungry? I gotta get cooking!

I didn't do too badly this summer with the air conditioning. Hottest summer on record, supposedly, and my electric bill for August was $227. Not too bad, considering a normal bill is between $80-100. Last year the high bill was about $300.

Next week I am going to buy peaches. I found this guy that has end-of-season peaches that are the size of grapefruits. Not small grapefruits, either! These things are huge! Last year they were the size of cantaloupe. Now, put your hands in the shape of a circle and picture this...a peach the size of a cantaloupe! He sells them for $10 a lug. And last year I got the last two bags of his crop. His place is off the beaten path and the guy I know on the main road sent me there because he was all sold out. Now I am going there intentionally. He has a kid who thins them out on the trees for him, but he said this year he didn't thin them out quite as much. They were fantastic! So, these are the ones I am going to use to can peaches. Less trouble, since they are huge and it will be much nicer in the house while I do it. Yeah! I can hardly wait. Peach ice cream, frozen peach smoothies, peach pie, canned peaches, peach jam, peach cobbler. And these are going to be the last ones of the season. I can't go there until the 1st of October. I have not been to the other peach place here in a while, so I can't wait for these! It is fun at the beginning of the season to pick them, however, by the end of the season I don't mind that they are already picked and in boxes. Plus, my two little helpers tend to bruise the peaches a bit. Okay, a lot. But how can I get upset? They love to help!

The area we live in is a great agricultural area. You wouldn't think to look at it, but within 1/2 hour of me in several directions, there are great orchards. Vineyards for wine production, cherry orchards in the spring, apricots and plums in the early summer and peaches all summer long. And when those are done, there is a variety called last chance peaches that are grown in the high desert at the base of the hills that ripen at the very end of the summer and into early fall. That is what these are.