You load 16 tons & what do you get

Another day older & deeper in debt ...

Well ok, it wasn't 16 tons but it sure felt like it.

2 tons aggregate rock

Even though we live in the city, the directions to our house are "turn left off the hard road".  Yes, we live on a dirt road, one of only a handful left in this county. It is also a private road which means that the city doesn't maintain it. And it sometimes gets rough turning off that hard road. We had gotten tired of rattling our teeth upon entering the dirt road. Greg bought 2 tons of aggregate rock from a local rock yard in order to fill in some ruts. Here are a couple of pics of the bone jarring divets. They don't look that big but believe me they are rough.

We got up early this morning & shoveled it into the edge & most of those holes. We need bigger equipment than shovels to do a proper job but at least it evens it out a bit. No after shots, just not exciting enough.

We finally used our salt block last night. I had gone to a local farmer's market where there are a couple of guys selling flash frozen fish. I purchased a couple of red snapper filets & we decided to give the block a whirl.

First placed on a cold grill

Grill heated to 575 degrees.

Brush Canola Oil on once hot. It turned that dark color automatically.

Filets added.

Cooked snapper, sauteed dandelion greens & yellow rice.

Looks good right? It was terrible! Greg thinks I got snaffooed on the fish as it was very tendony. Lots of veins running in it. Sure hope it wasn't that expensive piece of salt! Gonna try a couple of ribeyes this week. Will let you know if they turn out better.

After we got back from shoveling, we put a pork roast in the crock pot for dinner. I have just now put on fresh snap beans & red potatoes. I'm starving!

On the gardening front I planted 8 basil plants today. Even though I have given away around 40 at work I still have more. Stephen, Duke or JUGM let me know if you need some, I'll be glad to share!

Last, but not least I scored at an estate sale this week. Look what I got for $2. It's a small collander, but what is so special you ask? It has holes all OVER. Almost all my newer heavy duty ones have 'dead' space in them & don't drain well. I am very happy with this purchase but that isn't all ...

The biggest bargain I got was this lovely Haverty's loveseat!

You see, we are going to eventually build a barn at the Country House & part of that will be a kitchen, dining area, sitting room & bedroom/office. We'll need furniture & I ran across this on Thursday. This sale had many over priced antiques but their furniture seemed priced low. This set was priced at $225. I didn't buy it but when I got back to my office I checked out Haverty's website & this loveseat/ottoman was priced at over $700! You bet I went back the next day & with the discount they were having I got them for $150! It is in great shape & I bet hasn't been sat in more than 20 times. It's a bit crowed in our living room for now but I just couldn't pass it up. Just wish I had room in my vehicle (& house) for that Alexander armoire for $200 (originally $800)!

Greg is getting ready to smash the taters. Did I mention, I'm starving!