and, while we're at it, a salute to lemons!and also avocados!

This afternoon after Bible study and lunch and before Claire's nap, we were outside on the Joe-and-Lorraine side of our house.   (As opposed to the Julie or the Harry-and-Ruth or the Katie sides of our house.  Julie lives to our right and Joe and Lorraine live to our left.  Harry and Ruth live behind us and Katie lives across the street. )(We have the nicest neighbors we've ever had, all around us.  I love that.)

I was pulling dead bacopa out of the windowboxes, which I have completely ignored all winter, and Claire was spraying dirt down the driveway with the hose set on "jet."  Then I heard something, and I stood on tiptoe over the fence to see Lorraine, who was in her backyard.  She gave me a big bowl of avocados from the tree on the other side of them.  It's a huge tree and it hangs over into their yard and drops avocados. 

Some of you will remember this guy from October 2006, when he was coming off Joe and Lorraine's roof down into our driveway.  (At the time, there was some conjecture that it was just our Nadine dressed up in a squirrel costume.  I do very much love our Michelle D.'s comments, because she makes me laugh until I am sick.)

That green behind him is the avocado tree in their neighbor's yard.

Ideally, you pick the avocados, but if you live under such a tree, you'll be pelted by them once they get ripe and start falling off.  If they fall from down low and you pick them up right away, they can be okay, but once they get mushy they get completely mushy almost immediately,  so you have to really love avocados to be able to eat all that you get fast enough.  You know, it's just like tomatoes or zucchini.  More than one family can consume.

And then Lorraine said she'd hang a bag of lemons on the fence for me, because their lemon tree is busy right now.  And she did.  Hooray!

I'll post my favorite guacamole recipe again, because it's that time of year.  (Nadine, I think of you every single time I make it now.) (Not because you're a squirrel, but because you hadn't tried guacamole before.)  I guess we should mention to the new girls that a prerequisite for staying in suziebeezieland is that you try homemade guacamole if you never have.

Please feel free to add your own guacamole-making preferences down in comments.  Everyone should have her own, personalized, perfected guacamole recipe, I think.  Here's mine:

1. Take two ripe avocados, cut them in half, use a soup spoon, and scoop the insides out into a bowl.
2. Smash them up a bit with two soup spoons. (Turn the spoons upside down to get some chopping action going if needed.)  Or use a fork if you like it smashed up more.
3. Now add a little chopped tomato and a little chopped (white or yellow) onion.
4. Now add a bit of finely chopped fresh cilantro. (cilantro = coriander in case someone lives somewhere where it's not called "cilantro")
5. Now sprinkle in a bit of garlic salt.
6. Now squeeze in a bit of fresh lime.
7. Stir it all up.
8. Now use the back of your spoon to smooth out the top of the guacamole so it looks pretty, and add a little chopped tomato on top for garnish.
9. Use the lime to clean up the lip and sides of the bowl.
10. Eat this all up by yourself with some plain tortilla chips.