Store Bought is Fine

I love Food Network in general and Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) in particular. She is among my favorites for several reasons. Her recipes are delicious and look complex although most of them are simple. She uses everyday ingredients. (Although I do love it when she advises to use a GOOD mustard, or a GOOD mayo.) She loves to cook and to entertain and she has a way of making her guests feel at ease. She's the kind of person you would like for a friend. Another quality I like about her is a quality that Julia Child also had: 1) It's all right if you make a mistake, and 2) you don't have to make EVERYTHING from scratch.

Sorry, I got this in an email from a friend, so I cannot credit it.

When we wanted some more boulders on our property, I thought of Ina. We decided that if we didn't have enough natural rocks, then store-bought would be just fine.

I'll give you to process if you ever want to get some rocks for yourself. First you call different companies and ask if they deliver and set up. You'd be surprised how many of them only sell rocks and do not deliver them. When you find someone who does deliver, he makes a visit to your property to see if he can set them without damage to your property.

After deciding how many rocks you want and how big they should be (and what you can afford), you go to the place of business and pick out your rocks. [I went with my husband to the first place (where we found they don't deliver), and then he made the final trip since we both liked the same character in the rocks.] My husband was quite surprised when the owner advised him to watch his step since there were rattlesnakes around there. [IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't wear your Tevas like my husband did.]

The owner gets machinery to lift the rock so you can see it from all sides. Rocks really do have character and some of them are far more appealing than others. Once you've decided on your rocks, you pay the owner half the cost and set up delivery.

When delivery day comes, you pray that it will not rain. You also pray that the people do know what they are doing and will not damage any of your trees. Oh, and you keep your dogs indoors.



Here, the rocks are off-loaded from the huge truck that brought them.

This spot is desperately in need of a rock.

See? I told you it needed one.

Here are some of the other rocks in place. The workers dig holes in which to set the rocks securely. The rocks are great for sitting on to read or just enjoy being outdoors. And I think they are lovely to look at as well. They all look so natural, as if they had always been there.

I always make cookies or muffins for the men who do such work on our property. Such a simple thing and they really seem to enjoy them.

Oh...better make more coffee and extra cookies for the neighbors. As soon as the works leave they are going to "drop by" to see what's been going on. They have been waiting ever since they saw the two big trucks arrive. Ina would be pleased.