Company

There is a saying in Montana that our state is comprised of nine months of winter and three months of Company. That is not much of an exaggeration! We had snow (documented on m Facebook Page) of a good snowstorm on May 24th. Granted, it did not stick to the ground for very long, and granted, it was barely freezing that evening, but still...we had plenty of snow in May!

We also had plenty of company in May! And three birthdays...and Mother's Day...and a college graduation...and two high school concerts...and a Cinco de Mayo party...Whew! It was a busy month!

We actually have had 6 sets of company from May 2nd to yesterday, June 14th. We have one more weekend of company coming this month, and then I think we are actually done with scheduled house guests. In fact, in July, we may actually be house guests somewhere ourselves!

Having house guests is like a working vacation. You bust your buns to get your house clean, the guest room ready, the yardwork done, the meal planning and grocery list and shopping done. You try to anticipate everything that might happen and everything you should have on hand and every activity to keep each contingent of people entertained:

-What are the guys going to do?

-Did we make tee times?

-Are we going to barbeque?

-Do I have enough Adult Beverages?

-Do I have enough children's beverages?

-Do I have enough entertainment planned for kiddos if it is raining?

-What if it is hot out?...or too hot out?

-Do I have food that the vegetarians can eat?

-Will Mom be able to join us in that activity?

-What are good movies for family movie nights?...do I have enough popcorn?

-What snacks can I give the little one who cannot eat dairy products?

-Can I fit in a craft that we girls can do?

-What time does Farmer's Market begin and end?

-Is there an estate sale of a garage sale we can go to this weekend?

-Is the Ice cream shop in town open?

-Do I need to change any appointments during the time the company will be here?

The list goes on and on....

Then they arrive! Everyone is so happy to see each other! We give and get lots of hugs. We have so much to tell each other! And, if I did my job right, I do not have any work beyond meal preparation and clean-up. I can talk and play and go, go, go with the rest and best of them.

(Almost) all too soon, the time is over and done. Everyone packs up their cars and hugs all around and they are gone and the house is both blissfully quiet and sadly empty of the sounds of the voices we love so much.

AND WE START ALL OVER AGAIN FOR NEXT WEEK!!

Try not to fret too much. Remember that you must be very wonderful if so many people want to come stay at your house. And keep in mind, always, that people grow up and move away and their visits will eventually get further and further apart. They could move to Louisville or Chattanooga or (gasp!) Boston!....and worst case scenario of all....Greece!!!

Enjoy every minute of every visit.

Come October, the snow will be heading our way, and the company will not!

Little Plates

You might call them appetizer plates or salad plates. I have a "thing" for them. I cannot say what the attraction is exactly. But they fill a need in my life that I apparently have. Let me share with you some of them that I have:

I found these over 30 years ago, at a yard sale in Amarillo, Texas. I bought the set of 12, along with a big salad bowl, for $5. They are of a rather thing porcelain and over the years a few of them got broken. I happened upon a lady selling another partial set on eBay, and bought them. This is when my obsession for small plates began...

I found a set of eight of these at goodwill years ago and thought they would be sweet for Christmas Morning.

Then, a few years ago, I found a set of four of these at a yard sale, for $5. And I thought they would be fun to have to serve crackers and cheese on with a nice glass of wine...

These and the next set are a bit smaller in size...you might call them a Bread Plate size. But they are so cute, a little chunky and heavy... more like pottery. This set of six plates I found at Goodwill a few years back for $1.99 each. They are William Sonoma, and I know they cost a lot more than that! They each have a different wine stamped into them.

These sweet little plates I found at an Estate Sale last year for $8 for the set of six. They are Sur La Table...and you just KNOW they cost more than that in the catalog! What fun for July 4th parties!

This last set of plates I found at Goodwill, for $1.99 each, not long ago. They are called the Millennium Series and are from Pottery Barn. "The Nineties" plat was missing, and I suppose that is why they were disposed of. But it could easily be replaced on eBay...it will however, cost about $20....FOR ONE PLATE!! Right now, I have them listed on eBay...but if they do not sell, they may come back home...

Now you know one of my sordid little addictions...do you have one?...addiction, that is...

Raspberry Freezer Jam

Due to popular demand by family members whose names I will not mention (Alex, Michael), my autumn stash of freezer jam gets pretty depleted by the end of spring. I am fortunate to have a "source" for frozen raspberries, who trades me gallons of them for salsa. So I always have berries for jam in the freezer. Note that berries can easily be frozen when the harvest season is upon you and later turned into jam, jelly and syrup. I would not recommend trying to do that with apples, peaches and apricots, unless you are just going to grind them and turn them into a fruit butter. (I will make a mental note to share my recipe for apple butter with you this fall.)

Defrost the raspberries overnight. You want them to be room temperature, as the secret to good freezer jam is that there is no grittiness to it. This recipe takes 3 cups of mashed berries and juice. The beauty of this particular recipe is that it can be doubled (I always make 2 double batches).

This is what you do:

In a large stainless or glass bowl, mix 3 cups of raspberries with 5 1/4 cups sugar and the juice of one lime. Stir well and set aside for a few hours, stirring every half hour or so to incorporate the sugar. In the meantime, wash 4 pint jars and lids for every single batch; 7 pints and a half pint for every double batch. You will need one box of Sure Jell for every 3 cups of berries.

Assemble your jars, funnel and utensils. In a saucepan, pour 3/4 cup cold water and the powdered Sure Jell, stir out the lumps and bring to a boil. Boil ONE minute. Remove from heat and pour immediately into your berries and sugar. Stir THREE minutes, incorporating well with the berries. Immediately, ladle into your clean jars. Put lids on the jars and set on the counter for 24 hours. Then put into your

freezer, for as long as it lasts! Yumm!