About this time of the summer, when I’m knee deep in cucumbers, green beans, Swiss Chard and zucchini (and patty pan squash), I start wanting Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Cake.  This recipe came from from a friend of mine, and elderly widow who lived up the road from us for years.  When I had little kids and I needed a break, I’d walk the kids up to visit Mrs. Strobel.  She was such a lovely woman and I think of her every summer when the Zucchini is coming out our ears, and I need something chocolatey.  So, today, being one of those days, when I’m knee deep in pickles and zucchini, I couldn’t resist and I made this cake.  It is very extravagant of me….I have no reason to make it, no one is coming to dinner, the grandkids aren’t even around….but…. I’ve made the cake, and here is the recipe.  You might enjoy making it with all your zucchini (or if you don’t have tons, find a neighbor with a garden or go to your local Farmer’s market).  From Mrs. Strobel to me, from me to you.  Here is a scrumptious yummy cake from years ago.

Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Cake

From Mrs. Strobel

2 ½ Cups flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
¾ cup butter softened
2 Tsps. Ground cinnamon
 ¾ tsps. Ground nutmeg
3 eggs
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about ½ lb. )
2 tsps. Vanilla extract
½ cup milk
Cinnamon Cream

Preheat oven to 350* F. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans, set aside.Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt, setaside.   In a large bowl using electricmixer, cream butter, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until light and fluffy.  Add eggs; mix well.Stir in zucchini and vanilla extract; mix well.  Alternately add dry ingredients with milk,beginning and ending with flour using one third of the milk at a time.  Beat until well blended after each addition.Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake until a cake tester inserted into thecenter comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.  Turnonto wire racks to cool.  Fill and frosttop with cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.

 Cinnamon Cream cheese Frosting

1 pkg. (3 ozs) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup butter softened

¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

4 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ -2 tbls. Milk or water. 

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and cinnamonuntil well blended. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar mixing untilcombined.  Stir in vanilla extract.  Gradually add milk, beating at medium speedafter each addition until frosting is of spreading consistency.

And the boys were off………….overnight in the “fort”.  When the granddaughters start sleeping out there, we may have to change the name to…. castle?  What exactly?  I’m not sure….although they may totally go for the “fort” idea…..I would have!    But it totally looks like a gypsy wagon, or tinker’s wagon, and I prefer those names actually.  Anyhoo…………..  the overnight was a success.  The mosquito netting kept those nasty critters out and the cookies and ice water, books, flashlights and paper airplanes gave them something to do.  And then how about Raggedy Andy and Sock Monkey?  When Jonathan came in this morning, he sheepishly told me that he enjoyed the adventure very much!  He was very hesitant, actually adamant, he was NOT going to sleep out there!  We being the good grandparents that we are…..totally ignored him and did not argue with him, and he went and he loved it! 

I heard a huge loud crash in the middle of the night and thought to myself…..hmm….I wonder if someone is breaking into our house?  Maybe my brave husband will get up and check on it.  But no…he didn’t, and I didn’t, and I convinced myself it was ice cubes falling on the floor out of my automatic ice dispenser (they do that sometimes you know!).  Obviously, neither of us were to concerned, because both of us heard the loud noise, and neither of us got up.  In the morning, I noticed that two of my wooden salt and pepper shakers had fallen off my buffet onto the wooden floor.   So that’s all it was, I thought to myself.  But….  Doyle went out to check on the goat and heifer before we went to the doctor and what did he see?  He saw our huge Russian Olive tree out by the garden, on it’s side.  The whole tree had fallen down, uprooted!  Crazy!   Sad!  I know we shouldn’t like Russian Olive trees, they are huge water guzzlers, but there is history in that thar’ tree!  It was our kids favorite “fort” growing up!  They  had so much fun in that tree!  And lately, it is so nice to have it to shade our garden.  Oh…it’s a sad day indeed!  And now of course comes the other problem…..Doyle has to chop it up and fix the fence!

Another “crash” so to speak was this afternoon when Beth and I were on our way to Farmington.  We were driving down the Crouch Mesa hill and her jeep started skeetering and shuddering like we were on a washboard!  Those who drove dirt roads growing up, know what THAT feels like, or still drive dirt roads, NOT GOOD!  So we went to the side of the road and called Doyle.  He was our knight in shining armor.  He rescued us by slowly driving their jeep  home.  I’m sure Paul will not be too excited when he gets home tonight.  BLEH!!!  Vehicle problems! 

Going out to take a picture of the dead Russian Olive tree, I passed by our pond.  I couldn’t resist taking some pictures.  Even when things go wrong….there’s always beauty to be found!

Over the weekend the “boys” were busy putting in a “new” engine in Pete’s vintage pickup truck.  This has been in the works (or actually mostly out of the “works) for seven months!  There have been numerous setbacks and problems, but finally………..yesterday afternoon Pete drove his pickup home.  It is out of our yard, the old engine is finally out of our garage (and yes, we can park two vehicles in our garage again!), and Pete and Heather are back to two vehicles!  We’ve spent the last seven months trading vehicles back and forth so that Pete could get to work and Heather get where she needed to get what with three little ones and being pregnant!.  All is well, that ends well!  

We thought it would be a good idea to get the grandsons started early in learning how to put an engine in a vehicle, because in the Meyer culture, it will be something they will undoubtedly need to know how to do!

What a beautiful day, for a wedding!  Overcast, not hot and in the Colorado mountains at a rustic cabin!  We went with our friends, Roger and Mary and spent the day.  It was  chilly at 10:30 in the morning and our coffee we were served was just what we wanted.  The wedding was small, intimate and so very sweet.  The young woman getting married, Carrie Bomberger is the daughter of friends we’ve had for years (too many to count!).  Carrie’s older sister, Klista, is a dear friend of our daughter Erin.  The service was officiated by Carrie’s uncle (her father’s older brother) and he did such a wonderful job, of giving good advice and keeping it very personal.  Midway through the service he read the words to the song, “Save The Last Dance For Me” and then unrehearsed and a big surprise to everyone, including Carrie and her Dad, gave the “floor” to them for their “father/daughter dance.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the place!   

After the ceremony we had a lunch (made by the bride’s family) of pulled pork, rolls and fruit.  It was simple and delicious!  Friends of the family served drinks, and did the cleaning up (and the setting up!).  There was a game of Farkle at every table in case we got bored!  We filled out 3×5 cards of advice which went with the pictures that were taken by Klista of every guest.   These are going in a scrapbook the sisters are making for Carrie.  All in all, it was a lovely wedding.  And the secret ingredient?  Lots of love with friends and family.

  Our little “family reunion” is now a memory.  Funny how fast time goes when you’re having fun!  I think it’s safe to say that the kids had an awesome time playing and the parents and grandparents are tired!     I”m telling you, I have more respect for my mother-in-law every time we get together and our family is larger!    She could handle all 15 grandchildren and just as many or more adult children and spouses in one summer (two weeks – six weeks usually every couple years) better than anyone I know!  Our grown kids have the best memories from those times and I should say, Doyle and I do, as time erases the memory of our crying kids and tired bodies!    We did cram a lot into our week and we are happy that everyone could be together this past week.  We had a lot of fun.  We didn’t just play though, the guys built a shed for Pete and Heather, and Erin made the linens for her baby crib.  She can sew faster than anyone I know!  WOW!!  Three crib sheets, a bumper pad, a dust ruffle and a quilt!  In three days!
Now, it’s back to our normal routine.  I ended the week with a nice breakfast with my oldest son, Christopher, a great way to end a perfect week!

Tomorrow we head off to Colorado (about an hour north of here), for a mountain wedding.  It should be a fun time.  The couple is getting married at 10:30 in the morning.  It’s probably a good thing, as the rain, which is coming down every afternoon and evening, shouldn’t be a problem yet.  So romance in the summer and a wedding in the Colorado mountains!  Lovely indeed!

    This week we are having fun at the Meyer’s house!  Christof and Megan with Analiese and Willem are here from Richmond, VA; Erin and Nathan are here from Fort Collins, CO and of course, Pete and Heather are here with their three, Jonathan, Daniel and Edmund, because they live right down the road a few miles.  All the Meyer siblings here with their families for a week or so.  Because it’s summer, we thought we’d do lots of fun things with the grandchildren, so we planned an activity or two or three for each day.  We have had Water play at our house with a slip and slide and sprinklers, water guns, water balloons and “fishing” in a bucket!  We’ve had picnics and barbecues with friends and family.  We had church in our back yard pergola with some wonderful singing.  We’ve had board games, doll houses, and fun at Aztec water park.  We met for breakfast at our favorite Bistro in Aztec.  We’ve had meals at Pete and Heather’s, and the big guys have had an on-going project at Pete’s.  We will visit the children’s museum followed by a picnic tomorrow, we will go feed the ducks on Friday and Friday night the big people will go out for dinner and watch the production, Grease at the Sandstone Amphitheater.  The big hit so far was the new clubhouse/fort called, “Tinker’s Wagon.”  Doyle (Paca) took the kids out to the wagon in his wagon and lawnmower and from there he kept them for an hour and a half and they had a picnic lunch, played games and tried  fly a kite!  So….we’ve been busy, gotten dirty, hot and hungry and had our fill of cool water games, and lots of yummy food!  I think this is what building memories is all about!

    We arrived back home last evening from Fort Collins, CO.  We were up there to help Erin and Nathan with a “baby project”.  Erin’s art studio is being made over into a nursery for baby Cartmell.  For four days, Erin, Nathan, Doyle (and a couple of hours me), worked on building a shelving unit that fits one wall (eight feet tall, eight feet wide?) with 30 cubicles I believe, 15 inches deep.  It is beautiful, stained black and waxed.  We all learned a lot!    I spent the days doing organizing projects and cleaning, as Nathan’s parents arrive this next week.  For my birthday breakfast Erin and Doyle made me Eggs Benedict and for dinner we went to the Taj Mahal restaurant in downtown Fort Collins (it was delicious by the way) and then we had ice cream cones from Walrus.  It was fun being with Erin and Nathan, even though we all worked like crazy! 

We left on Saturday to come  home and had to drive south to Alamosa, and then Chama and Dulce to avoid the fire.  We avoided the fire, but the smoke was something we couldn’t avoid.  We traveled for an hour or more through smoke so thick we could only see a mile.  It was eerie and disconcerting.  I felt so sorry for all the people that have to live in it.  I can’t imagine!  I felt like I was smothering, even though I wasn’t of course.  The smoke got into the car, even though we had the air-conditioner on (and only circulating inside air).  I’m not sure anyone with allergies or asthma could drive through it. It felt like it was evening, but it was only 3:30 in the afternoon.  The pictures show what it looked like as soon as we got through it.  Alamosa didn’t have the smoke, it ended about 10 miles before we got to the town.  I prayed a lot going through the smoke, for the fire- fighters and the people who are living through this.  Please continue to pray for the people affected by this horrible fire….actually several fires combined.  Hopefully South Fork and  Creede will be spared.  I worked for a summer between South Fork and Creede at Wagon Wheel Gap  and have been wondering how that little resort where I worked is faring.  It is so sad, and the loss of tourist revenue must be heartbreaking for the people who depend on visitors in the summer to survive!

We are back home and finally beginning to feel like we’re in the land of the living.  That’s because the day after we came home, I came down pretty sick.  To put it mildly….I haven’t been that sick for a longgggg time.  I am still weak and tire easily.  Doyle was just totally exhausted.  He did have the intestinal bug for a few hours, I had it for four days!  YUK!  But today, other than being tired and a bit nauseated, I feel more normal than I have in more than a week.  It was a pretty normal day.

I was called up at about 10:00 a.m. this morning by my “milk” lady.  “I have a problem” she started out.  My heart sank, I thought, oh no…she doesn’t have any milk for us, the cows tipped over her bucket, or some such thing, but no….she didn’t have enough milk jars (gallon jars).  She asked if I could come over right away with my jars, and of course I told her I could.  So, off I went to the farm to get our milk.  It was nice visiting with her.  She  had rave reviews for my daughter-in-law Heather.  And she had to ask if my other daughter-in-law was as nice as Heather.  Of course I told her she was!  So then we talked about how wonderful it was to have such a lovely family.  (And of course it is!)  Then I ran some errands, came home and Beth dropped off the eggs from the farm in Bloomfield.  She had to go there today, so saved me a trip.  Heather and boys stopped by very briefly to pick up their eggs and milk and then I started my bread.  I also started drying some herbs.  My greenhouse is overflowing with herbs and they must be tended to.  They are drastically getting out of hand.  I have kefir started and dinner soon to follow.  A couple staying over tomorrow night on their way to L.A.  So….I’m back to my normal.

   Visiting Maymont Park http://www.maymont.org/  this morning was so much fun.  Analiese got to feed the goats and see a red fox, a bear, large birds of prey (vultures, owls, bald eagles, etc.) and walk through a Japanese garden.  The whole park is over 100 acres and at one time belonged to a family.  They had no children so left it to the city of Richmond. Eventually a foundation took over.  It is an absolutely beautiful oasis in the middle of the city.  We only spent two hours and didn’t even see a quarter of it.  It will definitely be a place to go back to.  IF you ever get to Richmond, be sure and visit.  It is ranked #2 of places to visit in Richmond.