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Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site

Planning a trip to Central Kentucky? Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville is an interesting and peaceful place to spend an hour or two learning more about the life of our 16th president.  We visited the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site on a recent weekend trip to Kentucky, along with Cumberland Falls, and Kentucky Horse Park. Located approximately an hour south of Louisville, Kentucky, off I-65, the park is nestled among rolling hills and farmland and is the perfect spot for a walk or picnic. 

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Six Blessings in Six Years

Have you heard the saying “There but for the grace of God go I”? This phrase has been used for nearly five hundred years by people who are counting their blessings. It acknowledges that someone’s bad luck or misfortune is not his or her fault and that the person uttering the phrase could easily have been in the same circumstances.  The reason this phrase has been on my mind is because of an old friend.

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How to Make Blueberry Freezer Jam

I didn’t plan on writing about how to make blueberry jam today. However, due to current conditions, we’ve been staying close to home more than usual. While I have travel content that I need to write, I’m just not motivated to do it. However, cooking and gardening have been stress-relievers for me lately, so that’s what I’ve been doing. In the last 24 hours, I’ve made two batches of refrigerator pickles (check out my dad’s no cook pickle recipe here) and two batches of blueberry jam. I may make another batch today, but since I’m almost out of sugar, I’ll need to run to the store first.

Yesterday, a friend asked me for the blueberry jam recipe. It’s really simple. I use the recipe in the Sure Jell box. Seriously.  I am going to share it with you here though, with some photos, so that you can see how easy it is.

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Easy Cucumber Salad

As you may know, I planted my first real vegetable garden this year. It’s not very big, but I’ve enjoyed watching the plants grow. As a part of that garden, I planted four cucumber plants, training them to climb up wrought iron fleur de lis trellises. Now some of my cucumbers are ready to pick.  I haven’t had enough ready at once to make Dad’s famous refrigerator pickles yet–hopefully soon! We’ve eaten a few here and there, just slicing and eating them with a little salt or seasoned salt. Dennis suggested that I make an easy cucumber salad using sour cream and dill weed. This recipe is so simple and refreshing that I decided to share it with you. 

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Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Tour, Part 3

Welcome back to our Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Tour! In part 1 of the tour, we visited the six covered bridges on the eastern side of the county. Then, in part 2, we explored the eight covered bridges of central Ashtabula County.  To read about either of those parts of our road trip, click on the links in the previous sentence. Thirteen of these bridges are on the North & Eastern route of the official Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Tour map.  The final part of our tour starts in Windsor at the Windsor Mills Bridge and then goes north to Riverdale, Mechanicsville, Harpersfield, and West Liberty Bridges.  All of these bridges are on the South & Western part of the Ashtabula County driving tour. Continue reading “Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Tour, Part 3”

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Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Tour, Part 2

If you’ve been following along, you may know that for the 4th of July weekend this year, we decided to do some local exploring. The county north of us is known for its covered bridges and even has a fall festival dedicated to them. We decided that we would visit all 19 of the Ashtabula County covered bridges over the course of the weekend. We started with the six bridges along Route 7 as we made our way north to Conneaut, Ohio. If you are coming from Youngstown or Pittsburgh, Route 7 is the first exit in Ohio off I-80. If you are coming from Erie, you could reverse the beginning of our tour as Route 7 is the first exit in Ohio from I-90, as well.

The second part of our tour started with lunch in the historic Ashtabula Harbor by the drawbridge, followed by eight covered bridges in the center of the county. These eight bridges are located in Sheffield and Plymouth townships, Ashtabula, and Jefferson. If you are following the official map, they are bridges 9-14 and 1-2 . The official covered bridge driving tour of Ashtabula County starts in Jefferson, the county seat.

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Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Tour, Part 1

For the July 4th weekend this year, Dennis and I wanted to stay somewhat local, yet visit something new or interesting. A nearby county boosts several covered bridges–not the most in the United States (that honor goes to Parke County, Indiana), but still quite a few.  Ashtabula County is located in the northeast corner of Ohio, halfway between Cleveland, Ohio, and Erie, Pennsylvania. The county is home to the longest and shortest covered bridges in the U.S.A. . as well as 17 other covered bridges. We decided that driving the self-guided covered bridge tour route would be a great way to spend our long weekend.

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Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, Did You Plant a Garden This Year?

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? Well, maybe not with cockleshells and silver bells and pretty maids all in a row. However, my garden is definitely growing these days. During the quarantine period this spring, I decided to plant a garden, incorporating vegetables in among my flowers for the first time. 

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Easy Scottish Cream Scones

Have you ever wanted to make Scottish cream scones but were intimidated by the plethora of recipes out there? After a little research, combining several recipes together, I’ve come up with a super-easy recipes to help you make perfectly delicious Scottish cream scones.

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Two Days in Kentucky: A Weekend Road Trip

This past weekend, Dennis needed to go to Cincinnati on business and had to be there on both Friday and the following Monday. Because we live in the opposite corner of Ohio, over 300 miles away, we decided to drive down and take the weekend to explore Kentucky. Despite closures due to the current virus situation, we were able to make the most of our two days in Kentucky. Continue reading “Two Days in Kentucky: A Weekend Road Trip”