Le Creuset Giveaway

Don't forget to enter the Le Creuset giveaway. The deadline is July 1st. You can leave a comment here or HERE or HERE. Each comment (no limit) counts as as entry. Just tell me why you'd love this pan. By the way, it's kiwi. :-)

You may have noticed , but my blog is on hiatus until September. I'm working on a new book, which will be published in 2012 (just in time for the Mayan prophecy, my mother says...but I'm going to think positive). Foodie Friday will still be here. Also, I pop in on Facebook from time to time. So far, this summer has been a repeat of last year, with windows spontaneously shattering, escape artist goats, illness, and general household brokebackness. Whether it's blogging, journaling, or writing a novel, we all must deal with obligations, deadlines, interruptions...and the unexpected. When you try to control your environment, when you strive to minimize speedbumps that pull you away from a project (and most writers will tell you that the hardest part of writing is picking up that pen), a funny thing happens...control doesn't work. Creativity doesn't respond well to a chokehold. Creativity knows that life springs from everything. The only thing within our control is how we respond. Naturally that's the hardest part.
I keep a Zen saying on my bulletin board:

"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless--like water. Now put water into a cup; it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash.
Be water, my friend."

Speaking of water, if you are participating in Foodie Friday, add your information. If you need help, click on the tutorial.

Mail-Order Ducks

The post office called at 6 a.m. and said, "We've got two boxes. One's honking, one's quacking. Please hurry."
I only had time to take one picture of the ducks before the heat fogged my lens. One duckling has a little crown of yellow feathers, rather like a hat from the 1940s. I'll have to puzzle out the breeds later.
On the way back to the house, I found a tiny feather and placed it on my writing tray (feathers, shells, starfish, rocks, etc).

We've had a busy, but interesting June--windows spontaneously shattering (well, just one), broken air conditioner, refrigerator on the blink. So far the score is,
House: 3, Michael: 0.

Like Mama says, "As long as it isn't something really serious--or a healthy issue."
Bandwidth has been complaining of back pain and had a CT scan today--poor guy has a herniated disk. Big says there's no treatment; not even physical therapy will help. Bandy played college football for two years before switching to rugby--a likely cause of the injury.
An hour later, Chef Trey called while driving to the hospital. He's having a CT of the abdomen (pain, high white blood cell count).
Fingers crossed for both boys.
More details tomorrow on Foodie Friday.
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Foodie Friday

Bandwidth stopped by an old fashioned hamburger joint. Just blink your headlights, and a perky waitress will run outside and take your order. Bandy added a salad. It's the perfect meal for two writers(and even Big loved it).
Add your link to Foodie Friday:

Foodie Friday: 2nd KitchenAid Mixer Contest

If you'd like to enter the 2nd KitchenAid mixer contest, leave a message on this blog post and mention the word "mixer."For more chances to win,leave messages Here and
Here. The deadline is Friday, August 6th, and the winner will be selected by a random number generator.

If you are participating in this week's Foodie Friday, Mr. Linky awaits your permalink and recipe. Instructions for Foodie Friday can be found on the sidebar (look for the white cupcakes).

KitchenAid Contest

Susan at Thoughts From Over the Rainbow has won the KitchenAid mixer.
http://thoughtsfromovertherainbow.blogspot.com/ (For some reason, Blogger won't let me add a live link this morning!)
Congratulations, Susan! A new contest will be unveiled tomorrow. Also, the countdown for the Facebook giveaway, a kiwi Le Creuset skillet, ends July 1st. For more chances to win, leave a comment here and on Facebook, and tell me what you'd love to cook in that skillet.
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Foodie Friday: Great Food Begins in a Country Garden...I Hope

Our garden has flooded, survived multiple attacks by pygmy goats, and been trampled by donkeys. But Mother Nature is resilient, and forgiving. Right now, it's Blue Time, that magical, fleeting moment just before night falls, and Dr. Big is putting up a fence. Because he knows the goats will squeeze under the fence and eat the bounty. Because he refuses to give up hope. Blogging is a lot like building a garden. You plant seeds and wait. You are excited to share squash and tomatoes with your friends--not in a boastful way, but to share the joy of watching a tiny kernel take root. Sometimes life calls you away, but your heart is where the wild things grow.

You can still enter the KitchenAid mixer giveaway. The winner will be announced Sunday. Check back for details about another giveaway.
Mr. Linky awaits your fabulous summer recipes: