Me and My Bad Cousin
Not Falling Down Yet Thursday, October 30, 2008
This fall has been GORGEOUS! We havent had that horrible rain/wind storm yet so the leaves are taking full advantage of their last hurrah. I think the rain is coming today or tomorrow so i took these while the getting was good.
This is my neighborhood. Every evening after work i drive up my street as the sun is setting in the west. The trees are all bright yellow gold and it makes the neighborhood look so pretty. I dont think it has ever been this nice.
This is my front yard after i got everything clipped back except for the trees. I cant bring myself to cutting them back until the leaves fall. they are so pretty 
And this is the backyard. Somehow i have to move that enormous yard debris into the front yard tonight…it towers as tall as me. HUMPH!
I put all of that straw on my flowerbeds but the girls werent finished scratching for bugs. I have a little more work to do i guess.
This is where the girls will winter over. I think it looks cozy and i have a heat lamp for those really cold nights.
Yesterday i only got 1 egg!! I wonder if they are already preparing for Daylight Savings…I guess someone in the house should be. Since i wont be home until it is dark, the girls will be snuggled in for days on end.
Little Fuzzballs Thursday, October 30, 2008
I wish i had a better picture but apparently the peeps are really hard to get pictures of without Nana, the dog trying to lick them to death. Arent they beautiful?
Harriet has 13 healthy chicks this fall which is a total rarity in chick hatching circles but He has never done things the normal way.
At this point we dont know how many of them are roos but we will find out soon enough! Anyone need some hens?
My New Year’s Resolution Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I always found January so arbitrary. September was when the school year started and the season was changing. We were secretly gearing up for all the holidays that stack up in the following months and I was turning a year older. So I have always thought of my New Year being September.
Thus I must have a resolution right? This year I have decided to really celebrate each moment as it comes. I know this sounds like a hallmark card but i was thinking about how often am i disconnected from the present moment because i am planning something for a future date. I am the kind of girl who looks ahead with such excitement that when the actual reason for happiness occurs, i am already speeding off to whats next. This doesnt seem healthy to me.
So;
- I am embracing every single cold sunny day we have this fall and driving slower to enjoy the leaves. Then I am going to enjoy all the cold rainy build a fire and make soup days too.
- I am dressing up for Halloween, even if it just means wearing a tiara and wings from Target and not worry about november until november
- I am eating the food that is in season now when it is at its peak of flavor.
(right now we have squash and figs and apples everywhere!) ((i will worry about fava beans later)) - I will not drink eggnog until December even though i see it at the store now but when i do have my first eggnog latte i am going to RELISH it.
- I will wear all my favorite fall clothes until it is time to start wearing all of my favorite winter clothes.
So we shall see how it goes. I am a planner by nature but i dont want to miss everything this year. I want to be present for it. I think writing in my blog helps me too.
All of this started with this tree. One day, it just exploded into these colors that dont even look real. Every evening and every morning i stand in front of it and think WOW, did i even notice how beautiful this was last year before i was worrying about how to string it with christmas lights?
A Few Things I am Behind On Monday, October 27, 2008
First I must say i had a weekend of culinary delights. Friday night’s dinner menu was so lovely and simple. Truffles and Chantrelles and walnut oil and such may seem complicated and gourmet but what it comes down to is nuts and fungus! And you could taste each fresh ingredient because they each had a place in their recipes. Here is what surprised me: the cranberry beans were my FAVORITE! i cant wait to make these myself. Jenna graciously spilled the recipe for me and i can share it with you. It is SO SIMPLE!
First she soaked dried cranberry beans (red and white mottled beans) overnight. Then she cooked them in water with a head of garlic and a few (read several) bay leaves. When they were done, she left them in the water to soak with lots of salt. She drained them and served them with sauteed beet greens and shaved Pecorino cheese. These beans melted in my mouth. I could not stop popping them in my mouth like popcorn. YUM!
She also made an apple tart with a shortbread crust. The crust was made from Walker’s pecan shortbread cookies and butter. I have never ever tasted a crust so good in my life.
MOVING ONTO SATURDAY
Saturday I got a massage for the first time in maybe a year? I really needed it and it hurt like a &^*^%$! I used the masseuse at my gym and i think she is an original artifact of the building. She refers to herself as the cat who wont move after you have sold your house…she also is a firm believer that i should be drinking 5 (READ FIVE) gallons of water a DAY unless i am a POW and that no one over the age of 3 should be in-taking dairy and under 3 it should only be breast milk…this is kind of where i started drifting off into my new world of pain. The rest of the day was spent drinking water and gingerly testing my limits as a human being. Nervously i grabbed a bottle of water and ventured to my friend Nicole’s house for what was promised to be a Meat-centric meal (also a big no no to the tortured vegan..SURPRISE) Nicole was very gentle with me and the house smelled AMAZING!
She had been cooking all day and created a BEAUTIFUL meal. We had sausage, lentil and escarole soup and steaks perfectly prepared on a bed of arugula with a balsamic vinegar shallot sauce. I had a glass of water with each glass of wine and felt incredible.
Such amazing and unexpected delights. OH and how can i forget. Nic brought us 2 cupcakes and one was accidentally vegan. It was more moist then the fat and egg packed one! so i think that is fun but i still love the fat and eggs too.
MOVING ONTO SUNDAY
Sunday i spent the morning with my little kumquat Juliet at the park watching her do one daredevil stunt after another. Those kids are fearless!! and the afternoon i ripped my garden to pieces. It felt great and wait until you see the pictures i am going to take tonight. my beds are leveled to the ground.
OH and here are my slippers! Sadly they are very useful as pet hair collectors…hmmmmaybe i have something here
I also found this cool no slip material to use on the bottoms
Dinner On 12th Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Friday night i will attend a dinner at my friends Jenna and Jason’s house. They have decided they need more community and want to host an open table meal. the first 8 to respond get to sit down to an amazing meal of locally grown foods. I dont know anyone else going so i am really looking forward to this event.
stay tuned
Truffled purple potatoes** with shaved pecorino
Garlicky cranberry beans and sauteed beet greens*
Roasted beets* with walnut oil
Roasted butternut squash*, wild chanterelle*, and sage* risotto
Garlicky cranberry beans and sauteed beet greens*
Roasted beets* with walnut oil
Roasted butternut squash*, wild chanterelle*, and sage* risotto
http://dinneron12th.blogspot.com/2008/10/inaugural-dinner-menu.html
Happy Chicken Dance! Monday, October 20, 2008
I knew my friend Denise was going out to Harriet’s farm…ok it is their friends Mike and Michelle’s farm but Harriet (arthur now) rules the roost. I was dying to find out what he was up to and he had grown into a big strong well adjusted rooster.
HE HAS!!! He is gorgeous and the ladies LOVE HIM. It has been reported to me that he takes excellent care of his ladies and as you can see from the picture, he is quite popular. Denise said she puffed up nice and big for her and crowed alot.
Plus, my favorite part; his legs are still green!
I could not be more proud of this little critter if i had laid his egg myself. GO HARRIET ARTHUR!
My First Shoe Friday, October 17, 2008
OK maybe not a shoe shoe but i have always thought, if only i could make my own shoes…life might be perfect. So i will start with slippers. I made my first slipper…singular because it took all night to make 1…and i ran out of felt. BUT I LOVE IT!
I am in awe of Martha Stewart, or at least her amazing staff and she always comes up with something that i have to try even though i know there will be 400 steps and 286 of them will be complicated, make me get flushed and pissy until i find them useless and ignore anyway. This was no different.
Here are the instructions and templates
But i had to post my one slipper…maybe if i am lucky by the end of the weekend i will have 2! then who knows what will happen next! I do need to find the no slip bottoms for them though. i need your sizes ladies! Christmas is only 2 months away! yikes I’m sorry i said that.
Window Shopping Monday, October 13, 2008
Fall is here! The sun is shining and the air is crisp and i get to wear my tights again. I also want to drink tea and eat soup more. As much as i love being out of the city and enjoying the big spaces on days like these, i also equally love to be in the city! There is an energy in a city in the fall that can only be felt by taking it in with all of your senses and hopefully you dont catch the stinky, sticky or visually spooky ones
On this particular day, i was window shopping and came across this display at Anthropologie. I love their displays and this was was particularly amazing because you have to take a second look to realize they are books! Of course then i had to go in and touch everything.
I want to work there helping them design their pretty things please.
