The absolute beauty of the "big sky" at Merry Mount -- be it pink sunrises, orange sunsets or a puffy-cloud afternoon.
Treasuring the same farm views during each glorious season.
Realizing that their move didn't mean losing good friends; it meant gaining a wonderful place to gather together.
The girl goats are pretty cute.
Rett's pure joy of Merry Mount in its entirety -- from her spacious pantry to her barn and garden!
Pat's joy of tinkering around the farm.
Oh, and memories of how much Rio enjoyed being a farm dog. And how she loved Jackpot! And yes, Jack WAS the farm dog!
Waking up early (as I do) to coffee on the sun porch. Added bonus when there's a candle already glowing. Super bonus: a brilliant sunrise.
Pat and Rett's joy and warmth at sharing their special place. And Rett saying: Oh, Vivi, this is what I've always wanted to do!
Hanging on the front porch w/ Jim's bloody Mary's and maybe the guys lighting up a fragrant pipe.
Dinner al fresco under a full moon. And yeah, the fabulous food whenever we gather at the farm, no matter the season!
Bourbon tasting on the patio at night
Gathering still-warm eggs from the ladies
Bocce ball tournament
The winter solstice celebrations
Fresh peas, fresh tomatoes, snapping green beans, digging potatoes, shelling peas.
Sunsets. 'Nuff said.
A bit of poetry in the morning, thanks to Pat.
Lots 'o laughter
Super moon which led to Piper!
Breakfasts -- always so good -- fresh eggs, bacon and tomato gravy! And Rett's biscuits!
You can do anything you want at Merry Mount
Knowing our friendship is forever!
And here are a few recipes from the weekend:
Rett’s Olive Cheese Balls
4 cups of finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups of flour
¾ c. butter
½ tsp. of cayenne pepper
½ tsp. of salt
Let butter and cheese softened and blend together. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. I mix this with my clean hands. Pull of small portion of dough( a little
less than a golf ball size) and wrap around a green olive and roll into a
ball. I like the bigger queens sized
ones. Place balls on a cookie sheet not
touching. Freeze. When frozen, pop them off the sheet and put
them in freezer bags. This way you can
bake as few or as many as you want at a time.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degree oven. These are great with Bloody Mary’s or
beer!!
Hash Brown and Egg Brunch Casserole
4 Tbls. butter
½ medium onion , chopped
½ medium red pepper, chopped
½ medium green pepper, chopped
24 oz. bag of frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
8 eggs
½ cup of heavy cream
1(4oz.) can of diced green chilies
2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a deep 9” or 10” ovenproof skillet, melt butter and add onion and
peppers and cook until onion is soft, bout 3 minutes. Add potatoes and cook covered for about 5
minutes over medium heat. Beat eggs and
cream together. Stir in green chilies,
salt and pepper. Pour evenly over potato
mixture. Sprinkle cheese over top. Cover and bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 15-18
minutes, until set in center.
Tomato Gravy
Fry bacon to get the drippings or use 2Tbls. of solid
drippings. Place in the bottom of a
medium sized pan. Cut up fresh tomatoes
or use one can of diced tomatoes. Stew
until a little mushy. Add 1 Tbls. butter. Make a thin paste of about 2 Tbls. of flour
and milk to make about 1 cup. Get out
all of the lumps!! Slowly stir mixture
into the tomatoes. This will
thicken. Add more milk to the right
thickness and it is a pinkish color.
Serve over hot biscuits! Yum!