It's the Bloody 4th!

It's been a hot fire crackin' 4th of July here in Emumclaw. Independence Day USA. Bombs and I mean big booming bombs have been going off in the distance for days and their frequency is increasing by the minute. The first one we heard a couple of weeks ago scared my son and I; every last one scares my dog.

I admit to feeling just a tad sad that my son isn't with me today and that friends and family are gathering a four hour drive south. But all is well here; well except for the fact that I'm lonely as heck and Willow just escaped out the front door and is hunting birds in the pasture. I can hear her tags jingling; can't see her though.

The baby chicks are fine; there of six survived. Hoppy and Honey (our grown up laying hens)are enjoying their new coup, the garden is watered, the cats are fat and lazy, the kitten is surviving her ordeal, house is clean and ready for guests and Abby's leg is cleaned and bandaged. Yep, I'm keeping things alive here, for now. Feeling pretty good about that.

Having a few minutes to spare this afternoon and feeling deserving after the dreaded vacuuming I took advantage of a creative leap and designed a new drink that I call The Bloody 4th! Hang on, I'm feeling a bit parched and I need to refresh my memory on how to make it.

OK, here is how you make The Bloody 4th

Fill a chilled glass with ice cubes (I started with a big glass, my second is much smaller)
Add Organic Blood Orange Italian Soda (fill glass 2/3 full)
Add Bombay Saphire London Dry Gin (pour to your taste)
Add fresh lime (a big squeeze of juice)
Float two thin slices of lime
Add one crushed spearmint leaf
Drip homemade Redcurrant sauce on top (just a little to sweeten things up)
Stir gently with one (red) chopstick and leave it in the drink
Garnish with 2 fresh spearmint leaves

Voila! It's the Bloody 4th! Nothing like red, white and blue. It's a post modern drink, a mash up of local and long distance ingredients both grown here and purchased over at the Safeway. Pretty isnt' it? And tres refreshing too.


Willow is lusting after Hoppy and Honey


C'est moi with the kitty Zola found and brought home at 3 weeks old, we call her Luna


This is Abby, my horse and my friend, she has an infected tendon poor gal; she got her ritual 4th of July bath today, the 25th at least and is doing better day by day.