They are called chokecherries here, prince. Are these the types of cherries that are blended with sour cream for a tartish, lip-smacking pink sauce? (It's time for another recipe search...)

I’ve never had them that way. They are pretty much always used by extracting the juice and using the juice for syrup, jelly or wine. They’re too small to remove the pit from each one and using the whole berry. You could mix the syrup into sour cream or yogurt for a tasty sauce.

@prince wrote:

Picked Chokecherries. Not sure what they would be called in the US. Hubby like to make wine, I like to make syrup. Pretty cool here and drizzly.

Same. Some call them "bitter-berries."

Had a stint dusting and re-stocking bottles and bottles and bottles and bottles and ever more bottles of the chokecherry syrup and other chokecherry temptations that were designed to tempt and delight tourists. I have not seen these products in a typical brick and mortar grocery store. Am I blind? Are non-tourists ineligible for this stuff? What.

I never see them in a store. (But I haven't looked)
I don't know of any non-wild source of Chokecherries.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2024 04:31PM by prince.

Here we call them Aronia berries and they are some of the healthiest berries one can consume. Cooling down here and lots of sunshine, it's nice. Planning a birthday gathering for my brother.

We find these chokecherries everywhere in IL. I didn't know what they were called until I looked up online.
Has anyone seen Troppo on Amazon Prime. It's good. Battling a bad headache since morning but getting better. Bane of my existence!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2024 06:48PM by Mum.

It rained a little yesterday and feels slightly cooler today. Sun is still shining bright though. Going to wrap up some business and errands, and then take a long walk after.

Anyone have exciting plans for the holiday weekend? I'm just going to clean and catch up on some business. Slacked off a lot, and anticipating a crazy compressed short week, next week.

Today: all the little things that complete one month and set up the next month (so that I can block out large swatches of time for whatever I want to do). Next few days: clean; spend time outdoors; and increase daily exercise by just ten minutes.

I did a fridge cleanout on trash day. The time for pick up was changed again. I put the trash out at 5am on Tuesday. It was picked up at 10am on Friday.

I went grocery shopping this morning. I went to my favorite international market. I forgot to get treats for Pepper.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

The time for pick up was changed again. I put the trash out at 5am on Tuesday. It was picked up at 10am on Friday.

My area changed sometime last year to Mon. It took some time to adjust. Today, like clockwork, I was taking the recycle and trash out, but then realized tomorrow is a holiday. Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn't. We shall see. Our neighborhood has had issues with opossums and the occasional raccoon though.

Time to spray the mold / algae that's starting to grow on part of the north side of the house. One gallon of water to just under a cup of outdoor Clorox. Fill the sprayer again with one gallon of clean water and rinse off. Looks better, but could likely use another application. I forgot to spray an area of concrete that has some black mold / algae on it. There is always tomorrow...

Food shopping and prep for what can be done today for tomorrow. Private party for immediate family and hopefully our dear neighbor.

@Madetoshop Post your meal in "What are you having for dinner?"

Headed out in a while, driving to meet up for my brother's birthday celebration.
We asked him what he'd like this year and he made an interesting request.
He'd like to go to a place we haven't been in probably 40 years....it's a remote, rural place where our grandparents owned a farm. We spent a lot of time there as kids. We fished in the pond, we rode horses, made tents on the lawn, caught pollywogs - all that great stuff kids do in the country. He wants to see if the farm is still there and what condition it's in - so we are going there to look for it today. There will be no cell service anywhere near there - it's so rural.
He also wants to see about the commune, about 20 miles from the farm that our uncles lived in...it was the 70s and popular with the local hippies...no running water, no electricity, they all lived in an abandoned farmhouse. So we're going to check that out too, see if it's still standing.
Afterwards, we're going to my grandfather's favorite restaurant, for a meal and cake and fun...of course, at least 20 miles back to the closest level of civilization.

Lots of driving today.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2024 12:33PM by BarefootBliss.

Hope the place is still in good condition. It sounds like it will make for a good bonding experience.

Sounds like a great day @BarefootBliss
I need to declutter clean and organize my whole house. Weed garden and do some harvesting. School start tomorrow, though I hope not to work the first day.

First we're going to pick more Chokecherries, and find an interesting geocache.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2024 02:54PM by prince.

Lovelovelove the cool early morning and evening temps. I could bask in them! The warm midday is all about the island game and posting something on the 'Movies' thread.

Tomorrow is Walk Your Schedule for Middle Schoolers so prepping up supplies and taking muffins for the Teacher's luncheon. I don't have a sub job on the first day of school yet which is Sept 5th but I am nervous for my daughter who is starting MS. Her school is barely 10 minutes away and the bus will be arriving at 6:35 in the morning making it a 42 min commute!

Have you ever used Wet & Forget?

It's more expensive than Clorox, but no need to rinse and lasts for at least six months.

@BarefootBliss wrote:

Headed out in a while, driving to meet up for my brother's birthday celebration.
We asked him what he'd like this year and he made an interesting request.
He'd like to go to a place we haven't been in probably 40 years....it's a remote, rural place where our grandparents owned a farm. We spent a lot of time there as kids. We fished in the pond, we rode horses, made tents on the lawn, caught pollywogs - all that great stuff kids do in the country. He wants to see if the farm is still there and what condition it's in - so we are going there to look for it today. There will be no cell service anywhere near there - it's so rural.
He also wants to see about the commune, about 20 miles from the farm that our uncles lived in...it was the 70s and popular with the local hippies...no running water, no electricity, they all lived in an abandoned farmhouse. So we're going to check that out too, see if it's still standing.
Afterwards, we're going to my grandfather's favorite restaurant, for a meal and cake and fun...of course, at least 20 miles back to the closest level of civilization.

Lots of driving today.

Trip report please for your fellow shoppers...

@gukka wrote:

Have you ever used Wet & Forget?

It's more expensive than Clorox, but no need to rinse and lasts for at least six months.

I've never used it. However, I've used another non-chlorine cleaner and it just doesn't work as well. I find Clorox is the best, but I go weak / light with it to prevent "bleaching" (I know, that's redundant).

The problem I have found is that you really need to find a sprayer that is made for bleach so the o-rings and gaskets don't get damaged. But I use a standard, under $20 sprayer from Home Depot and IMMEDIATELY after spraying the bleach solution, rinse it out with water and spray with water, soak with water...rinse and repeat.

What time does your daughter's school start @Mum ?

Laundry, clean out the filing cabinet, clean the bathroom

<<< Trip report please for your fellow shoppers... smiling smiley >>>
Certainly!

It was a gorgeous day here yesterday - lots of sun, fluffy clouds, light breeze, 70s...little traffic due to the holiday and of course NO traffic at the destination lol.

I met them in the parking lot of the restaurant, so I could leave my car there and my sister did the driving for the exploration.
We first went to my grandparent's farm, it has passed into new hands twice since they sold it in the late 70s.
We just drove right up the driveway, spotted a guy unloading some gravel in a truck and so we got out of the car and waited to speak with him. We waved as a sign of friendliness.
I had to laugh because until last year, I lived in a major east coast city where you wouldn't dream of driving up someone's drive way and just getting out and standing there lol.
He unloaded, parked the truck, got out and came to speak with us. Nice guy. We told him about our connection to the farm. The barn had fallen in and was never replaced....so that part was a bit sad, but understandable.
It is no longer operated as a dairy farm. Now they just grow crops for sale and have rented out the land as a solar farm. We noticed that as we drove up....rows and rows of solar devices covering the surrounding hill. We didn't ask, he offered that his father earns $40K every year for renting out that hill. Appears to be a very good return on investment given how cheap land is there.
The house looked smaller. The man explained that a few years ago, the back room caught on fire, so it wasn't replaced. They renovated - and where the back room was, is now a deck with picnic tables and grill.
My grandparents used the back room as a mud room...if you're familiar with the rural Northeast, you might know about mud rooms.
We were pleased that the home and property has been well maintained. We took some photos, but don't think I can attach them here. My favorite photo is the front lawn...my grandfather, on summer Sundays, after dinner, would take naps on the grass under the trees.
The former commune was tricky to find as the main house has been torn down and no longer exists...but we were able to spot the location by locating the pond in front of the old house. The area is so remote that the particular road doesn't appear on any maps...not even the local county maps. We called our cousin for his recollection of location since he lives a lot closer than we do.
We noticed some people have used the nearby properties to bring in RVs and they've constructed storage barns on cement slabs - the RVs parked next to them - looks very much like they are used seasonally. Not uncommon for people from New York City to buy land in this area and use it for recreation or retirement. As well, a Buddhist group has purchased a bunch of nearby land and they have constructed a monastery there - very impressive, beautiful place, so peaceful.
It's very noticeable that all of that area where we were, was once used for dairy farming and now exists solely for retreats, recreation or retirement - or in that one case, a solar farm. We only spotted one place with horses.
We made our way back to the bigger town for a late lunch and birthday cake, my brother had a great day, he enjoyed it all very much. We all did. After lunch, he wanted to see the ice cream drive-in that sits on a country road - it's been there about 80 years, in continuous operation, so we went there too. When my mom was a kid, she and my aunt used to ride their horses several miles to get ice cream there.

Was a very nice day....so good that my brother and sister now want to make a plan to get together for more than holidays/birthdays - they want to do a monthly exploration trip to places we've always wanted to get to....our family, on all sides, has been in the area since before the American Revolution, so we have list of spots of significance.

Peace and birthdays

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/2024 08:26PM by BarefootBliss.

Glad you, your brother and family had a good time. Sounded like a peaceful and serene experience. My family has been more into road trips lately. One day, I wish to retire on a farm.

I think someone had used the term "slice of life" stories in another thread. Enjoy these types of stories. Thanks for sharing!

@BarefootBliss wrote:

<<< Trip report please for your fellow shoppers... smiling smiley >>>
Certainly!

It was a gorgeous day here yesterday - lots of sun, fluffy clouds, light breeze, 70s...little traffic due to the holiday and of course NO traffic at the destination lol.

I met them in the parking lot of the restaurant, so I could leave my car there and my sister did the driving for the exploration.
We first went to my grandparent's farm, it has passed into new hands twice since they sold it in the late 70s.
We just drove right up the driveway, spotted a guy unloading some gravel in a truck and so we got out of the car and waited to speak with him. We waved as a sign of friendliness.
I had to laugh because until last year, I lived in a major east coast city where you wouldn't dream of driving up someone's drive way and just getting out and standing there lol.
He unloaded, parked the truck, got out and came to speak with us. Nice guy. We told him about our connection to the farm. The barn had fallen in and was never replaced....so that part was a bit sad, but understandable.
It is no longer operated as a dairy farm. Now they just grow crops for sale and have rented out the land as a solar farm. We noticed that as we drove up....rows and rows of solar devices covering the surrounding hill. We didn't ask, he offered that his father earns $40K every year for renting out that hill. Appears to be a very good return on investment given how cheap land is there.
The house looked smaller. The man explained that a few years ago, the back room caught on fire, so it wasn't replaced. They renovated - and where the back room was, is now a deck with picnic tables and grill.
My grandparents used the back room as a mud room...if you're familiar with the rural Northeast, you might know about mud rooms.
We were pleased that the home and property has been well maintained. We took some photos, but don't think I can attach them here. My favorite photo is the front lawn...my grandfather, on summer Sundays, after dinner, would take naps on the grass under the trees.
The former commune was tricky to find as the main house has been torn down and no longer exists...but we were able to spot the location by locating the pond in front of the old house. The area is so remote that the particular road doesn't appear on any maps...not even the local county maps. We called our cousin for his recollection of location since he lives a lot closer than we do.
We noticed some people have used the nearby properties to bring in RVs and they've constructed storage barns on cement slabs - the RVs parked next to them - looks very much like they are used seasonally. Not uncommon for people from New York City to buy land in this area and use it for recreation or retirement. As well, a Buddhist group has purchased a bunch of nearby land and they have constructed a monastery there - very impressive, beautiful place, so peaceful.
It's very noticeable that all of that area where we were, was once used for dairy farming and now exists solely for retreats, recreation or retirement - or in that one case, a solar farm. We only spotted one place with horses.
We made our way back to the bigger town for a late lunch and birthday cake, my brother had a great day, he enjoyed it all very much. We all did. After lunch, he wanted to see the ice cream drive-in that sits on a country road - it's been there about 80 years, in continuous operation, so we went there too. When my mom was a kid, she and my aunt used to ride their horses several miles to get ice cream there.

Was a very nice day....so good that my brother and sister now want to make a plan to get together for more than holidays/birthdays - they want to do a monthly exploration trip to places we've always wanted to get to....our family, on all sides, has been in the area since before the American Revolution, so we have list of spots of significance.

Peace and birthdays

Sounds beautiful. In general, I'm not one for sappy songs, but as I'm reading your story, I'm hearing the song "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert in my head.

My grandfather's farm was well known in the suburban area I grew up in. The street had the family name. The family name, well, without giving it away, dates back to the founding of our country. You'd likely know the name from history class. The house I was originally raised in is now a historical site in the county.

"...If I could walk around, I swear I'll leave
Won't take nothin' but a memory
From the house that built me"

Recuperating. Loving our furry baby love. He's my baby boy,.

maverick, that's lovely....and so cool too. History and genealogy are big interests of mine....I just feel as if one could spend an unlimited amount of time and still keep digging for more. Except for one, all of my ancestors have been here since before the U.S. became an independent country. One of my great grandfathers...going all the way back so like 8th or 9th generations - was the first ever librarian when Harvard University was founded...as well we are related to Aaron Burr of the famous duel and my great grandmother's great grandfather (6 generations I think) was one of the young guys who threw tea overboard at the Boston Tea Party...his grave about 50 miles from where I sit this morning...it just goes on and on.
Cool for you about your lineage....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2024 12:51PM by BarefootBliss.