5 thing Friday - reading, barn progress, queso, owls house, weather

I started reading this book and it is very interesting and entertaining:

 I'm a Firstborn in my little group

Reading along, it does not surprise me that I fit the profile.  Even though I am my mother's 6th child, and my father's 5th, there were only teenagers and pre-teens around when I was born, and I didn't meet my older sister Maggie until my place as firstborn of my group was well established.  So that 4 years between she and I did not change that dynamic.  And although my younger sister was only 14 months behind me, she was forever a middle-born, and very much fits the profile.  Had my little brother not had challenges, he would have been given much more stature as the first boy for my parents.  But his slot will always be "baby of the family", even though I have a brother younger than he from my father and step-mom.  My family seems fairly complicated compared to most...

 At Highlands, we are dreaming of where the house will someday be.  I seem to take this particular picture a lot.  This last weekend might have been one of the last that we enjoy the firepit as it is getting quite a bit warmer here.

We still have some things to do in the barn - namely installing the molding at the top of the walls and painting the inside.  The walls that don't have pegboard have beadboard, and everything will be a creamy white.  (I paused on Sunday and took a couple of photos mid-morning - so everything is not clean and put back, like the large skillet, mugs, coffee pot...) In the photo above you can see drinking water, coffee pot, fridge, oven, bar, eating supplies like paper plates and plasticware, and cutting board over the sink opening.

The pegboard helps to organize and get stuff up off the floor and work surfaces.  Dutch let us use her red microwave, and we also have the small SPT oven atop the fridge. We have a TV, old metal lockers for dry storage, and a vacuum cleaner that you can't see.  We will get this ship shape into a guest cabin soon!  Baby steps.  

The fridge is small, but we store condiments and drinks in it, as well as things we take up to cook over the weekend.

 Speaking of cooking over the weekend, I made a melty pepper queso skillet that we scooped onto French bread slices that was WONDERFUL.

I seared some padron peppers on high heat in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet.  Then I turned off the heat, removed the peppers, and added a tablespoon of butter.  When that melted, I poured in a bag of shredded salsa verde cheese (I think it was Taco Bell brand), put the cooked peppers back on top, and sliced some bread to eat with it.  It ended up being our Happy Hour lunch!

 Here is a sunnier and happier pic of the barn owl house.  I hope we get some residents!  I'm so happy it isn't raining every weekend anymore.  The rainy skies and quarantine were starting to do a number on my psyche.  Lately the weather has been beautiful and everything is either growing or blooming.  Come on Summer!

Gina

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