August at Urban Home Blog

Here are our plans for the month of Leo at Urban Home Blog:

• Celebrate Lammas, including preserving fresh corn and baking bread.
• Attend train show in Pomona with John.
• Hang jewelry hooks in bedroom; display handmade pendants.
• Divest home of cable television and switch exclusively to streaming services and antenna.
• Organize video closet, including pulling titles that are out of date or -interest for resell through Amoeba.
• Check in with acquaintances at The Solvang Restaurant and Melville and Loring Wineries in anticipation of harvest week in residence.
• Make and can raspberry jam, chow-chow, and Tutti Frutti while fruits and vegetables are at their best.
• Scout craft and department stores for early availability of autumn decor collections.
• Perform annual diagnostic on sewing machine: clean and oil movable parts, replace needles and bobbins, test stitching on scrap fabric, adjust tension and foot pedal as indicated.
• Clean and condition leather furniture.
• Take weekday trip to Santa Monica Pier for one last summer beach day.
• Request gardener to trim and feed California laurel and baby palm in anticipation of final growth spurts before autumn.
• Clean and refill hummingbird feeders.
• Congratulate nephew Jacob when he heads to college for freshman orientation.
• Work on longtime genealogy project in hopes of getting it finished in time for winter holiday gift-giving.
• Celebrate SoCal nostalgia by having dinner at Du-Par's. Musts: chicken with cream gravy, apple pie, a souvenir placemat.
• On a lazy Sunday, make a big pot of Minestrone and invite friends over for impromptu gathering. Serve Cosmopolitans and Negronis, with spumoni for dessert.
• Make donations of school supplies, books, and funds to LA Shares and School on Wheels.

Reading List: 59 Seconds, Richard Wiseman; Wicked Bugs, Amy Stewart; N or M, Agatha Christie

August, 2013: Feeding Hummingbirds, Urban Bar, Weeknight Dinner

August 2012: Summer Supper, Canning and Preserving (and Freezing), Urban Bar

August, 2011: Preserving Memories, Canning and Preserving, Weeknight Dinner, Texas Caviar

August, 2010: Canning and Preserving, Weeknight Dinner, Homekeeper's Library, Summer Squash

August, 2009: Canning and Preserving, Weeknight Dinner, Urban Bar, Sewing Kit, Old Photographs