New Ways for the Lewises to Eat Beets

The beets were plentiful this year.

One day, I made beet chips.  Very fun and tasty.

The beet chips are beautiful, too.

  This is the recipe that I used.  It is for beets and sweet potatoes, but I only made beet chips.  The rosemary salt was really great.  I've been using it on other items, also.  Pork chops, chicken, french fries...

The Bounty of the Summer Brings Comfort

After a long, emotional 2012, the bounty of the summer garden brings a sense of comfort.  In 2011, our beloved Grandpa Bruce began to lose his fight with multiple myeloma.  During the holiday time, Thanksgiving to Christmas, we spent a lot of time at the hospitals and the nursing home, praying for Grandpa, trying to alleviate his pain, and lift his spirits.  We surrounded Grandma Sandy with our love, sending her as much strength as we could.  January 1, 2012, Grandpa went to heaven.  His passing left us sorrowful and vulnerable.  We continued to help Grandma and find solace and comfort in daily life, but the road has been twisty for us.

I definitely felt comfort planting the garden in April and May.  The bounty of the garden has reminded me of the magic of God's earth.  Sometimes when I harvest, I thank God not only for the beautiful vegetables, but for loving Grandpa and holding him close.

Many of the posts from here on will be retro posts - things I wanted to blog about, but couldn't find the motivation to complete!  I dedicate my garden posts to Bruce and Sandy; they often gave me new ideas during our discussions of the many gardens that they grew together during their 51 years together.