Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Canning, Pickling and Camping

Hello sweet blogging friends,

I have been having some busy,

but fun weeks.

The garden is ready and I have

been canning salsa and tomatoes.

 

 

 

A few years ago I discovered that 

if I stuck a plastic bag under

the corner of my cutting

board it was easy to sweep 

all my waste right in 

and eliminate a lot of mess.

 

 

Here's the tomatoes, peppers, 

onion and garlic all chopped

and ready for a batch of salsa.

 


 

 

 

Next I made a batch of my first ever

refrigerator pickles.

A friend bought some to a pot-luck

and they were so good that I asked 

for her recipe. 

 


 


 

Now's the fun part . . .

I went camping with Steve's sister

and her husband.

The following photos are from my trip . . .

 





 

These are all at Steamboat State Park

in Washington. 

This is where we camped.



 


 

On my drive home I stopped at the marina 

where Steve and I used to moor our sail boat. 

I have so many wonderful memories 

of those years. 

 


 

This is a favorite swimming

and kayaking spot that I stopped 

at too. There were two ladies around

my age getting ready to go swimming.

I would have joined them,

but it was very hot and I had

the dogs with me.

There is no shade and they 

would have had to been leased.

 

Well, now I'm home safe and sound.

With chores to catch up on.

The grass and weeds never take a vacation :)

 


 

Remember to look around you,

and count your many blessing.

Our God is good all the time!

 

Oh, I celebrated my birthday

while camping and my sister-in-law

made be a marvelous birthday dinner.

Steak, baked potato and salad,

followed by chocolate cake and ice cream.

How sweet is that!!!

Seventy-seven years and good health. 

Now that's a blessing for me to count. 

 

Keep Smiling,

Connie :)


22 comments:

  1. How lovely to have such a nice birthday celebration. It looks a lovely spot to camp. Your salsa looks so good. My tomatoes have not had the yiled this year, disappointing as there has been very little to make into sauce for freezing.

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  2. What a wonderful camping trip you had, and a birthday dinner to celebrate your special day too. Happy Birthday wishes, a few days late, but you can make your birthday last a little longer, I'm sure.

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  3. PS. I'll be catching up to you in age next month

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  4. I bet your homemade salsa is delicious - and what a wonderful treat in the middle of winter! I don't can, but I've been taking fresh tomatoes and slow-roasting them, and putting them in freezer bags.
    Could you share the refrigerated pickle recipe with us?
    I hope you had a wonderful time on your camping trip. You sure did have beautiful views. Happy belated birthday! You look beautiful and healthy. And I love your blue glasses!

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  5. Connie, I loved everything about this post. Your salsa looks much like Dennis's Grandma's chili sauce that I used to make all of the time. And how did I not know the trick with the cutting board and bag? I will definitely be using that one. :-) Thanks!
    Your camping trip looks like so much fun. We always wanted to go to Steamboat State Park but we never made it. Maybe will will eventually.
    But most of all, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Connie! I'm so glad you had a grand celebration with your family.
    Lots of love my dear friend,
    Betsy

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  6. Things looking good in your kitchen.
    Sounds like you had a lovely time camping.
    Pictures are beautiful.
    A very Happy Belated Birthday to you. 🎈

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  7. You and I are the same age now!!! Belated birthday wishes. I'm so glad you got to go camping.
    The refrigerator pickles look interesting. You'll have to share how they turn out. Granny Marigold

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  8. Happy Birthday Connie! You are amazing at 77!
    Your salsa looks good. I've made refrigerator pickles and always like them.
    So glad you got to go for a fun getaway. Your photos are so pretty.

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  9. Belated Happy Birthday, dear Connie! How lovely to celebrate with family on a camping trip. May you enjoy many more. Yes, this is the season for putting up all the garden produce. I enjoy canning and pickling, too. I'm working on applesauce these days - it takes a bit of time to cook it all down, I find. Have a wonderful week!

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  10. Hi CONNIE- Happy Birthday! Wow- your looking great...I'd never had guessed your age- you look younger Connie. Glad that you went to places where you and Steve shared good times together. Think of you every day- Best Wishes. KEV.

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  11. Happy, happy belated birthday to you! You are so amazing and accomplish so much …a real inspiration!
    So nice that you were able to celebrate your birthday with family and go to a favorite place and be hugged by memories of sweet times with your sweetheart.
    Great job on the canning!
    Enjoy the rest of this week.

    Smiles :)
    ~K.

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  12. Happy Birthday Connie...a little late! You do not look 77! Wow! I love refrigerator pickles. Only made one jar this summer. My cucumbers didn't do too good. Think I planted them too close together and in a bad spot. Have big plans for next summer's garden...God willing.

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  13. Happy Birthday!!!! You are beautiful and so talented! Your birthday meal sounds delicious.

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  14. Wishing you a very happy birthday.

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  15. Happy belated Birthday! Your camping trip sounds like a lot of fun --except for the heat; we have a lot of that this year, don't we!
    Love your photo. You have a wonderful smile.

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  16. Connie, Happy birthday. I loved the pictures. Oh salsa is a very good way to take care of an abundance of tomatoes. My daughter and I were saying that about our neighbor's tomato plants. I think the whole of the U.S. has had a hot summer. Take care. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie

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  17. Glad you had a fun time. Everything looks delicious.....Nancy

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  18. A very Happy Belated Birthday, so glad you were able to spend your birthday with family and they gave you a great meal to have! We will be going on vacation soon too, I am looking forward to it!

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  19. I would never have guessed 77! Happy Belated Birthday! Sounds like a perfect way to celebrate it! Those pickles in the jar sure look good. The salsa is so pretty too! What a blessing to be able to do that with your own produce!! God bless you my friend!

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  20. Was so glad to see your post Connie! I went and looked today as I don't get notices now.. this is happening now with some other blogs too! I need to write down the list of my most favorite blogs, so I don't miss any posts! I love your photos of your camping trip and the area. It's so pretty and the lake is so beautiful.. even mountains in the distance! I'm so glad you got to go.. and stopping at the boat moorage place was just a great and fun thing for you to do. If it was as hot that day as here, when the other two ladies were going to swim, it would have been so tempting to go jump in! I've never made salsa.. made some frozen one time, but was too strong for me... the refrigerator pickles look great. Have never made those either. My poor little lemon cucumbers didn't do well.. I only have a few, and just eat them when they become ripe. I see a few babies still, but they may not get big enough as a freeze will probably do them in. I love your photo! You are such a beautiful lady! Maybe we will see one another soon! hugs.. Marilyn

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  21. Happy belated birthday, my friend. It's so good to see your beautiful, smiling face, and to know that you are thriving. I'm so happy you had a getaway camping trip, and also that you are enjoying the bounty of your garden. A wonderful reward for all your hard work. God bless you, Connie. Hugs.

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