Day 20 felt calm and comforting. I made a hearty soup from our homegrown chicken carcass, adding potatoes from Jānis’s parents’ garden, my own carrots, string beans, and onions. The kitchen filled with the warm, earthy aroma of fresh ingredients coming together—simple, nourishing, and completely satisfying. And, of course, I had to eat it with rye bread and sour cream (on the bread).
After lunch, I went for a walk in the rain, savoring the cool drops on my skin and the fresh, earthy scent all around. In the middle of the field, a lone stork stood quietly, as if keeping me company in the drizzle. I wandered past my mother-in-law’s pond and spotted the waterlilies.
remembering that I had planted a few myself years ago—it was a quiet, satisfying moment to see them thriving.
On my way back, I found a lovely rock on the road. Naturally, it had to come home with me. Little treasures like this always feel like a gift from the day, a small reminder to slow down and notice the simple joys.
Does anyone know what type of stone this might be?
Ilze
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a day in the life of a latvian mom 
Of course the thick sour cream has to go on the rye bread – I have the bread a couple of meters away but no cream 🙂 ! And the soup all home-grown – I can imagine the riches of the taste! The rain looked soft . , . in this country it pours 🙂 ! And I have not seen a stork in decades . , , enjoy your Sunday . . . I’ll be in bed watching the Vuelta bike race near Turin in Italy until 2am our time . . ,
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Yes, rye bread without sour cream just feels incomplete! 😄 The soup really did taste rich — somehow everything from the garden makes it even more special. Our rain was gentle this time, more like a soft mist than a downpour, which made the walk so calming. A stork is such a rare sight for you! Here, they’re part of summer fields, but I still stop to admire them every time. Enjoy the race — sounds like the perfect cozy Sunday plan!
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Soup sounds perfect for a rainy day. That’s a beautiful rock! Quartzite, maybe?
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It really was the perfect soup-for-rain kind of day. And thank you for the guess — quartzite sounds interesting! I’ll have to look it up. I just love how even a simple rock can feel like a little treasure when it catches your eye. And funny thing — when I started cooking it was sunny, so maybe I actually brought the rain by making soup! 🙂
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Maybe so, Ilze, lol. I love to pick up little treasures in nature. I have a jar of sea glass I have collected at Lake Erie over the years, and another of beautiful little rocks I have found.
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I just had to Google where Lake Erie is. What a huge lake! My country is only about 2.5 times bigger than Lake Erie…. 🙂
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The type I fear, because if it has rough edges, it cut like a razor. Thank you for sharing, it must have been a pleasant Walk in such a beautiful environment. I eliminated the water lilies from my pond because they had become like an invasive species covering the entire pond.
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Yes, that makes sense—rough edges can be tricky! It really was a lovely walk; Sometimes even the prettiest plants can take over if they grow too much! Not in here in Latvia 🙂
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My mouth is watering at the sound of that soup. Delicious on a rainy day.
I haven’t had rye bread with sour cream but I love both.
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Rainy days just call for comfort food, don’t they? 😊 Rye bread with sour cream is such a simple combo, but really good — you should definitely try it sometime! In the spring time love to sprinkle spring onions on top… childhood memories…
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I feel like the sour cream and rye combo would also be nice with pastrami or cold roast meats?
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100 %!
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Rye and sour cream are made for each other.
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Like kefir and cinnamon….
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