Quiche/Eviction Day

 

What do you do when a friend is more than generous in supplying you with her farm-fresh eggs?

Ya give some of them back.  

And, that's just what I did yesterday. 

My friend seemed happy. 

Yup, after a morning of aggressive eviction activity, it was quiche day at the Lovestead.

First, let me explain the eviction project. 

Winged squatters in the thousands have invaded and inhabited our greenhouse this summer. 

And, since our greenhouse had to be removed from its spot to make way for the new structure, we had no choice but to evict a whole bunch of nasty bees in order to get our work done. 

Two early morning dousings with bee spray took care of most of them, but others who had apparently gone on a mission, only to come home and find their dwelling being disassembled were not happy. 

As boards, covered with seemingly velcroed nests, were carried off one by one, these residual, unhappy inhabitants kept dive bombing and buzzing. 

For most of the morning, Bill and I were able to continue our project of removing contents and taking the greenhouse apart. 

Later, however, the dissed-off bees seemed to multiply and the intensity of their disdain for their evictors magnified, so we called it a day.

This morning, I've already gone out in the cool of the day and, without interference, have removed the last of the assortment of planting pots and even some pieces of silverware brought from the kitchen for stirring up potting soil over the years. 

Bill should have the structure taken apart by day's end. 

Yesterday, once we had finished our greenhouse project for the day, Bill hauled off a load of boards and pots and weeds and other sundries that had been inside the structure. 

He then decided to head off to Lightning Creek for fishing while I announced my intention to make my annual batch of quiche. 

I went to the store and picked up ingredients like cheeses, parsley flakes, green onions, half-and-half,a green pepper, Marie Callender pie crusts, and sausage links to go with the many eggs, the bacon, the fresh-picked garden chard and a ham slice for dicing.

Once home, I placed the ingredients on the counter and looked in the refrigerator freezer for the ham slice.  

No dice. Dang, no ham for dicing.

I couldn't stand the thought of going ahead with my project if one of the key ingredients was missing. 

Soon, it was back to Yoke's where at least two employees, seeing me with my two packages of ham slices, noted my quick return with "Did you forget something?"  

No, I said, explaining I thought there were ham slices at home. 

For some reason their concern felt comforting---knowing that hometown folks still keep track of their own here in a town seemingly filled with strangers. 

Anywho, once Bill left, I pulled out a big bowl and the cutting board and went to work. 

I make quiche once a year, so I figured on making several quiches at once.  

It was a delightful way to spend a quiet Saturday afternoon.  I sliced and diced and dumped ingredients into the bowl for a while and then took a coffee break. 

That's how quiche is----time consuming but easy. 

Eventually, after all ingredients had gone into the bowl, I added some light seasoning and then put three pies in the oven. 

All together, six lovely quiches were baked.  Most of one has been eaten for dinner and this morning's breakfast. 

Impishness, which is a lifelong ingredient for me, took over when the first batch came from the oven.

"Are you home?  I have to bring some of those eggs back?" I texted my friend Tricia. 

Nope, she was out of the lake but  her hubby Trent was home AND she bit bigtime on my effort to mess with her mind. 

She indicated concern about why I was returning some eggs. 

"Enjoy your time on the lake," I responded, "You can digest this situation later."

And, so she did, and when she later discovered how and why the eggs had come back to her house, she said I could return eggs in that form any ol' day. 

Don't tell Tricia, but that won't happen until next year when the chard is ready and if she brings me generous amounts of eggs and another quiche day rolls around. 

For this year, though, all's well that ends well, and making and eating that quiche  and re-gifting those eggs to their original owner was fun.  

Today, we'll eat more quiche and we'll hope to have that greenhouse spot devoid of bees and ready for its new occupant.  

No winged squatters will be allowed in the new greenhouse. 

Happy Sunday. 

This is how Liam deals with heat. 

Sunny has become my constant companion while taking horses to pasture each morning.