Janene Renee

Happy Independence Day! This has been an especially long enjoyable weekend for me, since I took Monday off from work. The four day stretch gave me a taste of what it would be like to work on my business and our store full-time, rather than have an office job. I don’t know if it is the high of living in an actual home in a dream location in our favorite town, with a shop to own and run full of colorful creative things, and with a budding art business, but office life is definitely making a slow and graceful exit from my list of great things to do for the rest of my life. But I digress…

Saturday fortune twisted so that I covered the store counter all on my own, so I spent my day greeting and helping customers, chatting with happy people, smelling candles with them, looking for a star just the right color and shape to fill that spot on someone’s display shelf, eating my lunch out by baby bunnies roaming around the lawn.

Sunday morning found me down at the Java Inn enjoying an iced latte that actually tasted like coffee (Starbucks has linked arms with office life, I think), while people watching and journaling. A favorite store, Queen Bee, expanded down the street to a space twice its size or more, so I checked it out on my way back home. This is a fun, French-style store, a successful blend of foofy upscale whimsy and vintage charming country – she carries art depicting scenes of bistros and French cityscapes, paper arts by Ashley Carter, millinery leaves and flowers, a wide selection of ribbons, chunky soaps, candles, stationary, tags, and dishes. I walked through very slowly, savoring every bit of eye candy.

I then stopped by my favorite antique mall down here, Remember When – this is where I bought all my Fire-King dishes for the tea party last week, as well as my turquoise lamps (did I actually blog on that? I’ll have to check that later…). I found a set of three turquoise bowls for $3.50 and an orange carnival glass bowl going for half off because the vendor is moving – score! I’ll post some photos, as soon as I have them.

I’ve had this hacking cough for the last week now, with no explanation, but today is driving me crazy and I can barely sit here typing. I’ll write again soon – for now, I just wanted to say hi, share a little of my weekend, and wish you all a safe and happy 4th!

Pomegranates and Paper posts a "List Friday" each week – they give you a set of things to list each week (usually three lists of five things each), just for fun, and so people can get to know each other better. This week’s topic was about summertime – the things that get us thinking about summer.

5 drinks

• Fresh squeezed lemonade. The best lemonade I ever tasted had the fresh squeezed lemon juice and dash of syrup for sweetness, but used sparkling water, plus a slice of jalapeno and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. YUM!
• Iced Tea. I’m sure this is on everyone’s list. Summer is the only time I drink ice tea – just plain cold tea, no sweeteners or flavors.
• Iced lattes. I only ever get these in the summertime. My taste bud just don’t think there’s a point to getting one any other time. They are SO good. It will take me all day to drink a hot latte, but I’ll gulp one down iced in 10 minute, if I’m trying to make it last.
• Margaritas. When we were kids, mom would make us blended non-alcoholic margaritas that we thought were a really great treat. They had the salt on the rim and everything. Now occasionally we drink the real thing. I’ve only ever drank margaritas with my mom at her house, which is saying something because the first sip of alcohol she ever had in her life was on our trip to Italy in 1998. She is NOT a drinker. But she makes a great margarita, and is fun to drink one with.
• Red wine. For some reason, I tend to enjoy more red wine in the summertime. Maybe is all those fresh, light foods enjoyed al fresco as the sun is going down, and its warm enough to sit outside for a while without freezing.

5 foods

• Pico de gallo. I am completely addicted to this stuff, I can’t get enough of it. My favorite recipe initially came from my friend Moe, and it has (all fresh) tomatoes, jalapenas, lime juice, cilantro, green onions, salt and pepper. Sometimes I add a tomatillo or two.
• Fresh berries – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries. I love them cooked into something, but when I buy them myself I can’t seem to do anything with them beyond scarfing them down by the handful, or sprinkle them on a salad.
• Salad – Oh, I love salad, especially in the summer. I don’t really make my own salads, because I never seem to like them, even if it is the same recipe as someone else made. Anyway, all those fresh crisp veggies and fruits in their prime – mixed greens, spinach, tomatoes, sweet peppers, peaches, nuts, vinaigrettes, herbs. Sigh, I’m in heaven.
• Caprese – anything caprese. That’s fresh whole-milk mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes. In any form really – grilled panini, wood-fired pizza, or alone on a plate drizzled with a little olive oil and basalmic vinegar. Droooool….
• Ice cream. Of course! My home town makes some of the best ice cream ever. They can make any kind you want, and to prove it they’ve even made cedar chip ice cream! They have every kind of sorbet and sherbet too. I love the berry sorbets or any of the ice creams that have chocolate. When visiting my mom, we like to drive down to Hunter Farm’s and get ourselves a scoop, and they let us get half scoops of two different flavors. Then we browse all the plants on sale while eating it, and there’s always a kitten or puppy or cow somewhere to look at and talk to.

5 activities

• Swimming. I really only ever swim in the summertime. Beaches, lakes, ocean, outdoor pool, I’ll take it all! I especially love wading in sunny glittering rivers and spending hours on the quiet beach up at Westport, WA.
• Barbeque. Now is the time for hot dogs, hamburgers, and other grilled and fried foods I’d not normally eat. Right up here with BBQ is fair food, like corn dogs, elephant ears, funnel cakes, etc. Its not just the food, it’s the friends, eating it outdoors, etc…
• Go to Outdoor Markets. I try to go to as many flea markets, farmer’s markets, and outdoor fairs and shows as possible. I love walking around all that sensory stimulation.
• Go Camping. Again, it’s living outside. Sitting by a river sketching or journaling, hiking through a forest, sitting by a campfire for hours at a time.
• Watch Fireworks. First, I love anything that brings me outdoors at night. Second, fireworks are such an amazing technology to me. How in the world did people figure out that if they mush a bunch of chemicals and goo together, it will fly into the air and make patterns and colors? That’s just amazing.