Stacking up a good supply of fruit/alder wood

We spent most of the weekend working with wood. Storage, cutting, stacking.
Last winter we had a week-long ice storm. Sadly, we lost many trees. Our plum trees were total losses. We cut them down the rest of the way and didn't have time for much more, just piling in a mound in a corner of a field.
This weekend we finished the job. Wayne built a very nice wood storage box and we set it up near the wood fired oven so I don't have to walk or carry so far for wood. Sooo nice!
We cut all the wood into smaller pieces and carried and stacked it in the new wood shed.
Friday the whole Quality Department at work will be here for our summer gathering. We'll be making a LOT of pizzas in the wood oven.

Then....the next Sunday we're having our annual Harris Gathering and golf party. Extended family and all our new family and future family will be here. I still haven't decided what to cook, probably not pizza. Maybe a nice roast. I WILL be making bread.
The nicely stacked wood will certainly come in handy!

Neighbors Night Out: BIG gathering

Last Tuesday we had about 30 people at the house for Neighbor's Night Out. This is a way for neighbors to get together to know each other and come up with a plan during a disaster and hopefully to stop break ins.

We had a great time. I started making pizza dough on Friday (sourdough) and made some scratch red sauce (2 types-spicy and not). People brought toppings. We had SOOOOO MUCH FOOD!

I started the oven about 4:30 and had it nice and hot (about 700 deg) by 5:30 when I put the bread in to bake so we could have fresh bread for munching before dinner was ready. Mmmmmm

I'd already flattened the dough into rounds to make stretching easier. I was aiming for 10in pizza. I showed everyone how to stretch the dough on cornmeal, they topped with what they wanted and then I used the pizza peel to slide it onto the hot oven floor.

This was the FIRST TIME I did this for soooo many people. One lesson learned: Make at least 2 pizza making stations.

Here are a few pics: (taken by our neighbor Rick - I was too busy cooking! THANKS Rick!)

Too much fun

Our Neighbor Trip telling people about NNO

We had soo much food left over! Wayne helped me put it all away but the refrigerator is FULL!

Andy and Tammy are driving down tonight to watch the meteor shower. We have DARK skies and it promises to be spectacular.

The menu: PIZZA! This time not in the oven, but on the grill. Not as much fun but then not as hot.