Enjoying Life

When I started this blog a few years ago it was for the purpose of documenting and sharing cooking experiences and recipes with friends and family, since our retired life seems to center around all things ‘food’. It didn’t take long and the blog became “Moser Good Eats and Good Times” and sometimes not such good times. It has basically become a journal where I can record life experiences, albeit mostly simple, everyday events...like these beautiful sunflowers we bought for $5 at the Oneto Family Farm Stand on Highway 88. The stand is unattended -- they use the honor system (a cash box with a suggested price). I don't know why, but the thought that in this day and age people are still trusting and trustworthy makes me happy -- so we stop there often. (And yes, I did leave $5!)

During the first half of this year dealing with Jana’s cancer, chemotherapy treatment and surgery, Verne and I were emotionally drained and all else in our life seemed unimportant by comparison. Our happy moments from January through mid-May were the days we spent with our family in SoCal for Jana’s chemo treatments. Well, life has largely returned to normal and I realized that I haven’t blogged in almost two months.  Not that I haven’t had anything to say, but it’s taken that long to get back in the comfortable routine of life. I think we’ve always appreciated the small things in life, but with our minds clear of the ‘cancer cloud’ we are more than ever appreciative of our good health, family and friends, our beautiful home in the woods, and our community. That last part has occurred since I’ve become so heavily involved in the Amador/Calaveras County Master Food Preserver program…more about that later. Unfortunately, as well as not blogging for almost two months, I didn’t take many pictures during May so will have to improvise as I recount our experiences.

The latter part of May, post-surgery, we enjoyed visits from a couple of “old” young friends. Ted Burns has held a special place in our hearts for several years now. I first met him when Jana was in high school and her car broke down in town. Ted, a classmate since her sixth-grade year, found her stranded in the Safeway parking lot and gave her a ride home. I was in the process of making dinner and invited him to stay. What do I remember about Ted? He had a voracious appetite and was not shy about asking for seconds! Well, it’s been over 14 years and nothing has changed. Many of those years Ted has been a close part of our family. He now lives in SoCal, so we don’t see him as often, but that really hasn’t lessened our feelings for him and when we see him, we just pick up where we left off.

It happened that we had other guests the night Ted joined us for dinner – Maria and her fiancé, Ruben, were visiting. Actually, they are both commercial fishermen and were on break between seasons living in Maria’s home in Amador County. We planned a menu that we could do-ahead leaving more time to visit with our guests. It included a delicious Queso Fundido with Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette (dip) and homemade corn chips, chipotle beef enchiladas, Mexican rice, and flan. We were well into dinner preparations when it occurred to me that we were making Mexican food for a person born and raised in Mexico eating the real deal every day of his life. Oops! Well, he hadn’t had our gringo version and it turned out that he loved the addition of fresh cilantro on the enchiladas.  Success!

We concluded the month with a birthday dinner for Vera Allen, another “old” young friend. Vera has been a regular at the Moser home since junior high school when she and Jana became fast friends. We had the first of many birthday dinners when she was a teen and the meal has become a birthday tradition. Her request is always the same: Hazelnut-Crusted Pan-Fried Chicken, a recipe developed by Robert Mondavi. Some things never change! At some point this past year Vera decided that she wants to remain in Amador County, where her relatives settled and homesteaded over a hundred years ago. She spent two years in Berkeley going to school and decided that big crazy cities are not for her! Her 2015 New Year’s resolution was to “find herself a local cowboy!” and she did. This year Vera brought her new beau, Will, to meet her extended family and enjoy her birthday dinner tradition. Another success!

Most of June was spent working on MFP projects, including preparation for the July class on fermentation and pickling. More and more I seem to end up as a substitute teacher when other MFP’s need help or just flake out. I knew this would happen and even brought up my concern when I volunteered to be the public class coordinator. I was assured that would not happen. Remember what Dr. Gregory House used to say: Everyone lies! I originally volunteered to teach one class this year on jam making. I’m now on track to participate in more than half of the eleven 2015 classes. I’ll admit, I enjoy the MFP program and it has given me a sense of community. I’ll also admit the upcoming class holds some special interest for me. A year ago Verne and I began fermenting our own sauerkraut and sour pickles with great success. Not only are they delicious, but the more I read about fermented foods, the more enthusiastic I’ve become. I won’t use this platform to preach about the benefits of the healthy bacteria that is present in (raw) fermented products, but if you want to know more, just call me (I can entertain you on the subject for hours).

I almost forgot to mention…Raelin and family visited us the first week of June. Verne is usually in charge of entertainment, but I offered to do it this time. I planned a weekend hands-on workshop dehydrating and canning. Aaron and I made four quarts of granola followed by a batch of multi-berry jam and Raelin and I made a batch of apple cinnamon jelly. What fun! I know you’re snickering as you read this, but they loved it and are planning another trip this summer. That’s the last time Verne will let me plan the entertainment…he tries to keep these visits just on the edge of unpleasant so that no one comes more than once a year. And that’s no joke! 

This seems to be a good place to include a photo collage of Peyton (our Connecticut grandson) using the birthday present we sent. It's his very own dehydrator!

And, Lauren making sauerkraut! LOL! I've got everyone doing it. Almost.

We wrapped up the month with a trip to Portland. It had been nine months since our last visit and it felt like going home. Jana flew up from SoCal and Scott drove down from Seattle and spent a few days with us. We shopped until we dropped; ate our way through the Lake Oswego Farmers Market; attended Art in the Park, which included a special fiber arts exhibit; partook of Manzana’s Happy Hour twice; celebrated Scott’s birthday; and most importantly (aside from the birthday celebration, of course), took a private tour on the USS Blueback Submarine at its home at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). We had an exceptional guide who also happens to be an exceptional daughter, Lauren. Yep! In her spare time, Lauren volunteers at OMSI and has been told by many of the other more senior and all male volunteers as well as paid employees, that she is the “gold standard” of the volunteer submarine tour guides. I would agree with that! She is knowledgeable, articulate, friendly, and relaxed. We’ve been hearing about the Blueback since last fall and anxious to see Lauren in action. She didn’t disappoint! The tour was the highlight of our visit and an experience we plan to repeat.