On 9/16/2014 6:32 PM, George Shirley wrote:
> This afternoon long time internet friend Bob Baron came by for a few
> hours to visit. His parents are in Porter, TX, not to far from where we
> live. Bob is a large young man and very amiable. Brought us a house gift
> of two jars of crab apple jelly, one of the jellies we've never eaten.
> In return he got a jar of pear and another of blackberry.
>
> Nice visit and he's back to his parents home and then off to Minnesota
> tomorrow morning. That's Number two of the rfp folks we've met, first
> one was Barb Schaller several years ago. So far all the folks we've met
> on the internet, which is about ten or twelve, have been nice people.
>
> George


I'm back in Minnesota now, where the weather is downright chilly. Quite
a shock from the 95° with 98% humidity in Porter. I tried to reply last
night, but couldn't think of anything to say cuz I get embarrassed when
people say nice things about me.

George has a lovely home, with fruit trees and a small but productive
garden. No wasted space (although some of it is fallow at the moment);
he even has Swiss chard in the front flower bed. I promise not to tell
the HOA.

Miz Anne is quite the artist, and Tilly Dawg is quite a character. Good
people, all of 'em.

* * *

My brother made some hibiscus jam this year from homegrown "roselle"
hibiscus pods. Just hibiscus and sugar (and a little water of course)
A lot of work and he's disappointed because it just tastes "red". My
next preserving project will be to see if I can make hibiscus jelly from
the dried "flor de Jamaica" at the local Mexican grocery. (I'll need
Certo for that because I won't have the seeds where most of the pectin
is, just the calyxes) Since I don't have a recipe, I'll just boil the
hibiscus to extract the juice, then process it like cranberry.

Bob