Honeycomb Hideout

2009-11-10T09:10:00.002-07:00

My friend Megan shared this on Facebook. My favorite part of the video is when the dog declines a treat offered by the orangutan, and the ape just shoves it in the dog's mouth.

post

2009-11-07T20:20:00.006-07:00

Hi. Is anyone still there? I'm still here, just not so much HERE.

I will get around to the Nymph Lake post super-soon, I hope. I'm waiting on that until Mr. Man puts the desktop computer back together. For now I'm on the annoying laptop, so I'll keep it brief.

I'm currently:

41% full of Tibetan Noodles with Lamb from Sherpa's, where one of the sherpas paid so much attention to Sugarbear she didn't know WHAT to do. It would have been creepy if it hadn't been so sweet. It is clear that Nepalese people really, really dote on their kids.

27% new haircut. Why did it take me 3 months to decide maybe the hair wasn't working. Symptoms: "Hm...should I go for the ponytails or the hat today?". Repeat 90 times.

18% Wow, we stayed out WAY too late last night. I wonder if the Johnsons will ever invite us back ever again??

12% It's that time of year when I really start to get the itch for a dog. I've been surfing the net looking at homeless doggies. There are so many who need a good home, but I'm also pretty happy with the being-able-to-leave-food-out-all-night situation. Plus, it would be nice to get some bills paid down first, before we take on more responsibilities.

If this doesn't equal 100%, I blame the 18%.

In other news, we had a super-foggy morning last week. Here's how my iphone saw it.

snow day activity

2009-10-29T15:10:00.002-06:00

Here is a little ditty composed by me & the girls via the Swedish Radio. You, too, can gather your clan around the computer for minutes of fun!

place-holder

2009-10-26T19:52:00.003-06:00

Remind me to tell you about the time (8 days ago) when we hiked up to Nymph Lake.
More to come.

flaky

2009-10-11T16:43:00.010-06:00

We woke up to a beautiful, snowy scene on Saturday morning. After I cooked up some flapjacks, I grabbed the macro lens and headed out to the backyard. Photos clickable, as always.

Above, you see the flakes piled up on top of the hook on a hanging basket on our deck.
They were just wet enough to stick, balanced up there. These are the flakes which made me grab the camera and venture outside.

While I was working at the farm on Thursday I'd seen just a little bit of snow falling. The weather was a bit warmer, and the stuff falling from the sky wasn't like the snow pictured here. The substance was more like little ice pellets rather than these beautiful, distinctly shaped and floaty flakes. But even so, I remember looking at these tiny bits of ice landing on the ground and thinking "Wow, how many of these things would it take to make even 1 inch of accumulation?". I just know I can't count that high. So when I looked out of the window Saturday morning and saw 4 inches of snow on the deck railing, it seemed truly miraculous.

Honestly, I'm a little bit tired of tomatoes. I KNOW. I can't even believe I'm typing that.
But it's true. I also know that, come February, the merest thought of a home-grown tomato will make me salivate.

After a protracted search through all the closets and the disco ("where in the world did I put those snow boots??") the girls got themselves all bundled up. They played in the yard until they were frozen. It took about an hour. Then they came inside for hot chocolate (which Mr. Man figured out is the solution to the Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle. Sorry if that spoils it for you. It took him all of half a second to solve.).

Why must it be eaten like soup, with a spoon, hm? HM?

I don't know about you, but a cold and snowy day makes me want meat and simple carbohydrates. So I set about making gingerbread cookies (hey, I found snowflake cookie cutters at target!), Bolognese sauce, and focaccia. The entire family pitched in to ice, ice these babies.

It also seemed like a good day to paint fingernails. Somehow, Mr. Man escaped that fate. I'm a little surprised he didn't demand his turn.

Oh yeah, I also made it to the Farmers' Market. It was a sad little market, with only about 8 or 9 vendors braving the weather. Poor things, they were so cold! And ~~there~~ their produce was freezing while I shopped. But I brought home some lovely brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, yukon gold potatoes, onions, shallots, and an enormous winter squash ( I think it is a golden hubbard).

Well, that was MY Saturday. What did you do with yours?

Whip It (2009) Trailer

2009-10-04T18:41:00.002-06:00

I ventured out of the house today to go sit in a dark movie theatre. This film was a tonic for my sad, tired, 44 yo, recovering from the flu-assed self. I highly recommend it to any former Austinites who happen to be rather desperately missing your best friends/hometown/Mom/reckless, feckless, punk rock youth. Wait, is that too specific? Well, it did feel sort of custom-made to grab me. <&hearts>

and then, there was one

2009-10-03T09:21:00.009-06:00

I'm recovering, slowly, from this flu. Junebug has just begun her bout with it, complaining (mildly) of sore throat, headache, sneezing and loss of appetite. That leaves only Mr. Man in this household who has yet to succumb. Surely it is only a matter of days before he falls prey. So the bug and I are laying low at home this Saturday morning, working puzzles and listening to Of Montreal on the hi-fi. I've dispatched the Man and the Sugarbear to my beloved Farmers' Market to buy a few things. Flowers. Eggs. Tortillas. Baby squash (you will know them as butternut squash), some for me to cook and some for the Bear to mother.

**Update** I wrote that earlier today and was unable to post it due to the instability of Firefox's latest version (Shiretoko. I hate you, Shiretoko.). Is anyone else having issues with this? Maybe it's a Linux thing. Anyway, now it's afternoon and the Man & the Bear are off gathering dal and saag paneer and naan, oh my. And bagels. And Monsters VS. Aliens. One thing I know is that applying a thick layer of TV viewing makes almost every illness more tolerable. That's why hospital rooms have TV's. I myself have lately enjoyed A Good Woman (on the Roku. It's a remake of Lady Windermere's Fan), as well as Glee & Modern Family via hulu on the laptop. All good.

As promised long ago, here are the bug's new peepers.

Sugarbear was so jealous of Bug's new ones that she'd taken to wearing bug's old glasses. We didn't like that because they are prescription lenses after all. But she insisted on wearing them. So I popped out the lenses, and now she wears them to school every day. Presumably she does it in preparation for the day when she will need real ones. Won't it be funny if she ends up with perfect vision, unlike anyone else in our family?

flu, too

2009-09-30T11:13:00.003-06:00

Like everyone else you and I know, we've been touched by the (presumably swine) flu. Sugarbear missed 3 days of school last week, along with fully half of her class: 12 out of 24 kids. Now I have it. As flu bugs go, it isn't so bad. But it still isn't great. What worries me is that we haven't even gotten to the actual flu season yet. We still have that to look forward to!

I'd heard it would be cooler today than yesterday, so I sent the kids to school in jeans and long-sleeves. It is sunny and gorgeous and warm now. I'm certain they're sweltering. Unlike Texas schools (and restaurants and offices), their school doesn't air-condition the nipples right off of you. The inside temperature of the school will be close to the outside temp. So I'm feeling flu-ish + a bit guilty about their inappropriately warm attire. Don't you hate it when that happens?

This morning Junebug told me she has a new wart. I looked at it and told her it is a cute, tiny mole, not a wart. She said "What's the difference?". Sugarbear, always alert for these opportunities, piped up, "A mole is a wart that is NOT on your nose".

busy, busy, busy, busy,

2009-09-20T09:33:00.012-06:00

busy little squirrel. That poem (see below) from one of our family's favorite books describes what I feel like lately. Work, work, clean, cook, type, copy, staple, complain. Being busy is so BORING. I'd much rather be L A Z Y. Wouldn't you?

I feel guilty for neglecting this space, and then just putting up some stupid apology for the neglect. So today I'm giving you a recipe. A lazy person's recipe for a quick and yummy one-dish meal.

Pour one or two tablespoons Olive Oil into a large skillet or dutch oven and heat at med-high setting. Put one pound (ish) of sliced kielbasa or some other raw or smoked sausage into the pan. Lately I've been using a delicious Colorado Bison Andouille sausage. It is spicy and lean and perfect for this dish. Brown the sausage, but don't let it dry out. When it looks done, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. Into your pan you now throw diced onion, carrots, garlic and whatever else may be moldering in your refrigerator. Peppers? Corn? Squash? Why Not? Saute until almost done. They should be about 2 minutes away from completely cooked. Now you add 1-2 bunches of kale, torn into semi-bite-sized pieces. Add about 1/4 cup of stock or water or white wine, cover and steam. When the kale looks steamed to perfection and the other veggies are cooked to your liking, uncover and add the sausage back in to the pan. Also add 1-2 cans of drained Cannellini beans. Heat everything through and taste for salt and pepper. If you want it more like a stew, add some stock. Serve with warm and crusty bread.

I had intended to upload a photo to go with this but blogger won't let me. Maybe later.
For now I will leave you with a recommendation. Read Julia Child's My Life In France. That book (and the movie) got me back into the kitchen after a couple of months of feeling utterly uninspired. This afternoon holds more self-imposed busy-ness for me. I'm attending a home-canning workshop in Boulder. I have a sudden, intense urge to squirrel away some peachy goodness. And maybe some home-made salsa.

From Eric Carle's Animals, Animals

by Phyllis Halloran

Busy, busy, busy, busy,
Busy little Squirrel-
Running, running, jumping,
In a dizzy whirl.
Stopping now and then to eat
A tasty little acorn treat-
Busy, busy, busy, busy,
Busy little squirrel.

We are definitely getting our RDA of beta carotene lately.

2009-09-14T21:04:00.004-06:00

Farmers' Market haul last Saturday:

Dahlias
eggs
apples
tomatillos
shallots
brussels sprouts
carrots
okra
jalapenos
basil
tomatoes (I know. Our plants are suffering mightily from blossom-end rot. Dag!)
eggplant
yukon gold potatoes
sumptuous red bartlett pears
chevre
and another whole BOX of peaches. 20-25 pounds! Organic! for $30. The ones we don't eat will be sliced and frozen for later.

bad blogger

2009-09-06T19:09:00.003-06:00

I apologize for being so absent. I have a whiny excuse. In the past month I've had a cold then a sinus infection then food poisoning and now another cold. It's kind of hard to do anything but barely scrape by. The only thing keeping me going right now is reading My Life In France. Sorry if that is a bit too au courant but I am enjoying it immensely. I need a vacation. To post-war France. With Julia's positive attitude.

Look out: It's another season!

2009-09-02T09:34:00.005-06:00

I lived in Texas for most of my life, where it seemed there were only 2 seasons: Summer, and Not-Summer. There are seasons, but the signs of change (except for Spring, which was nice) were far more subtle. So it still surprises me to see really obvious evidence of the change of seasons. Yesterday, as you know, was September the first. And look what I saw.

At first when I saw some leaves falling, I thought "Wow, that tree must be sick.". I'm still getting used to these super-normal occurrences, like I'm an alien who just landed. I remember being a kid in elementary school in September, seeing all the apples and fall leaves decorating classrooms and being really confused by them. What was that supposed to symbolize? I never saw any apple trees, and the leaves didn't fall until what, late November? September is still hot as Hell in Texas. And if these decorations seemed weird to me, I can't imagine how it would have seemed to some kid in Arizona. But that all makes sense here, and I'm disproportionately thrilled by it.

windfall

2009-08-24T11:30:00.013-06:00

Now is that bountiful time of year in Colorado when everything that grows is coming to fruition. The crab apple trees are fully-loaded, and so is the Farmers' Market. Lately, I've bought corn, peppers, 4 types of eggplants, onions, fingerling potatoes, kale, summer squash, salad greens, broccoli, carrots, brussels sprouts, green beans, pears (so good!!), plums, watermelons. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. We can't keep up with the tomatoes in our garden. I've been giving away lots of them.

Last Friday I took the girls' back to Roger's Grove to play in the river with some friends. There we found a windfall: apples by the score, dropping from the trees and just rotting there. I grabbed a bag from the car and we brought home at least 5 pounds. They are tart and crisp, and some are so wee, like little fairy apples. Time to make pie crusts.

In other news, we've recently become obsessed with a new book series: The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley. (Having just watched a craptacular trailer, we'll be skipping the movie. There is a new rule in Hollywood: if you've read the book, you are not allowed to write the screenplay. If only there were a Jurisfiction for films. sigh. ) As a family, we are on book three. Junebug zipped right through that one and she is almost done with book four. Here is what she looks like now, every time I see her.

Meanwhile, sugarbear is brushing up her reindeer-crafting skills so she'll be in cracking form come December. Who knew reindeer had so many teeth? The better to eat all those apples, I guess.

Back to School

2009-08-20T09:14:00.003-06:00

Today is the girls' second day of school. The weather is gorgeous and autumnal, complete with the morning crispness leading to afternoon warmth. We saw that dead squirrel again on our walk to school. Yesterday it was tragic. Today it was something to look forward to, and study closely. We met up with friends halfway there. It is great to see our old friends and classmates. Junebug is thrilled to have "a boy teacher" this year. Sugarbear has Junebug's first grade teacher, so that feels familiar and comfortable. It is hard to believe that just 2 years ago we were complete strangers here. Now, as we approach the school on foot, I call out to friends and wave, or we hear them calling to us. I'm still amazed.

I'm on a little mini-break from work at the farm, and it feels so nice to get back to this routine. Soon I'll be teaching 2 days a week at the farm, and I see there is always something new to shake things up.

checking in

2009-08-11T12:56:00.006-06:00

The only good about having a cold is that part where you wake up and realize you feel slightly better today than you did yesterday. Suddenly you feel you could take on Mt. Everest and Fox News at the same time. I'M BACK, MOTHERFUCKERS! BRING IT!

Okay, that was exhausting. Still recovering, after all.

At the moment, I am:

9.5% corn dog

11% is something wrong with my work phone? Why isn't it driving me crazy with the constant ringing?

6.5 % Shut up, don't question the peace and quiet.

9% Nagging feeling I've forgotten to do something really crucial which will come round to bite me in the ass later.

18% Eagerly anticipating the arrival of new wide-angle lens for my Nikon!

15% Should I let my hair revert to its natural grey this winter? It'll be covered with a hat much of the time. Letting it go will be so much easier than coloring it every 6-8 weeks.

15% Oh God, I'm hideous, don't look at my roots.

3% queasy from the corn dog.

7% Should I buy a watermelon?

6% Happy I've gotten to watch Grosse Pointe Blank twice in 3 days. So glad the Roku is working again!

are we there yet? (Now with more spelling and punctuation corrections!)

2009-08-03T13:01:00.016-06:00

The girls go back to school in 2 weeks and boy, am I ready. This summer has been fun, but way challenging for all of us, what with me re-entering the paid labor force and all. I'm exhausted and my house is a complete wreck. Hopefully, once the girls are back in school for 6 & 1/2 hours, 5 days a week, I'll have time to at least vacuum the floors and clean out the fridge. I feel like Julie Haggerty (the compulsive gambler) in Lost in America endlessly chanting "Come on, 22! 22, 22, 22!". Except for me the magic number is 19, as in August 19. Part of me is sad that I haven't spent more time making this a great summer for the girls. Maybe I should break it down the Jaywalker way. I'm

14% sad I haven't engaged the girls' wee minds with more trips & special summer projects.

8% regretful about not getting to just hang out with them more, and relax my own self.

39% happy they've gotten to hang out at the farm so much just BECAUSE I work there! I would never have been able to afford to send them to camp, so there!

4% 2% latte.

24% knackered.

11% hopeful about the future prospects of a less messy house and using my hard-earned money to help pay down some debts.

In other news, I'm in love with this photo,

click to embiggen, if Julia isn't larger-than-life enough already

from a Michael Pollan story in the NY Times Magazine
about how Americans have stopped cooking and instead prefer to see it on TV as a spectator sport. I listened to his interview on Fresh Air this morning. He and the host speculated about whether the innovation of cooking food, rather than eating it raw, is actually our defining characteristic as humans. So what does it say about us when we stop?

I keep meaning to tell you

2009-07-28T20:19:00.005-06:00

That gooseberry ice cream was so very disappointing, especially after the huge build-up. The flavor was wonderfully tart and refreshing, but the texture was awful! The gooseberry mush should have been sieved thoroughly, not tossed all together the way Nigella suggested. It was fibrous and seedy. The texture just ruined the whole thing for me. Today, as a palate-cleanser after the gooseberry fiasco, I made David Lebovitz's recipe for Chocolate Sherbet. THAT is one recipe I see myself making again and again. Easy-peasy, no muss, no fuss, with easily-obtainable ingredients. PLUS? A crowd-pleasing treat you don't feel guilty about eating. No eggs, no cream; just milk, chocolate, and sugar. Oh, and a couple tablespoons of hazelnut-flavored Kahlua.

prepare to be charmed

2009-07-26T09:21:00.003-06:00

I'm building a shrine to her later...

2009-07-22T07:41:00.003-06:00

something new and exciting

2009-07-19T16:44:00.008-06:00

Farmers' Market haul from yesterday:

The list:

English peas! still! I thought the season was over, but no!
shitakes
fennel
carrots
romaine lettuce
strawberries
spring onions
the flowers are sweet peas
broccoli
yellow fingerling potatoes
red new potatoes
yellow chard
peaches
and...
drumroll...

Those things in the lower right-hand corner are actual gooseberries!

I think I may have eaten them at some point in my childhood. I have always wanted to buy some because there are so many yummy-sounding recipes in the books written by Nigel Slater, and Nigella Lawson. But when they make rare appearances n grocery stores they are always so expensive and form very far away. So I've never purchased them. These gooseberries were grown in Boulder and were only $5 for 2 packages. It didn't take me long to figure out what to make with them. From Nigella's book Forever Summer, I read this introduction to her recipe for Gooseberry and Elderflower Ice Cream. Listen up.

"This is June in idealized gastro-form. Don't make me go on: words just cloud the issue. But know only that one mouthful of this, with its combination of tart fruit, floral syrup and egg-rich cream, makes you feel as if you've been transported to a purer, better age. Eat and weep."

Word slut that I am, I am powerless to resist. When I read this passage aloud at lunchtime to my family, Junebug insisted on learning what elderflower cordial might taste like. I poured a tiny bit of Liqueur St.~Germain into a shot glass and instructed her to dip her finger in and lick. She did. Twice. Then took the shot glass out of my hand and quickly drained it. Afterward she confessed that it tasted better in the little tastes from her finger. But she still wants to try the ice cream.

more food

2009-07-18T21:13:00.004-06:00

Sinda, this is the pasta I was telling you about. Here, it is accompanied by fresh peas, mushrooms, cream, chives, and tomatoes on the side.

Junebug has been communicating with the fairies again.

2009-07-18T07:52:00.003-06:00

(note to Queen Mab)

I think she means "help yourselves" to the plants growing in the garden. She invented something she calls a fairy taco. This consists of a nasturtium petal wrapped around a chive. Spicy!

what's to eat?

2009-07-13T12:28:00.003-06:00

Breakfast: french toast with fresh blueberries and some of those less-than-perfect peaches.

Supper: peas from our garden, skewered & grilled chicken with chives, tomatoes with local sheep's milk feta & basil, and the season's first corn.

Peach cobbler!

fresh

2009-07-11T17:08:00.004-06:00

Yes, it's another Farmers' Market post. Here's the obligatory photo.

And here's the rundown.

#1 & 2: PEACHES. Finally. Morton's Orchards was back this week. Last week they weren't here because the cherries were done and the peaches weren't yet ready. Sadly, the apricot crop was a complete loss this year due to a surprise Spring freeze. That same freeze cut in to the peaches as well, but they are still expecting to get about 60-70% of last year's yield. I bought a box of seconds (bruised/insect damage/in some other way not perfect) for $11. That box weighed about 18-20 pounds before we tore into it. This is incredibly juicy organic fruit. What a deal! There is a peach cobbler in the oven as I type. The paper bag full of peaches is a sample of the "perfect" ones. They are gorgeous, but I doubt they taste any better.

3. Green beans
4. Scallions
5. Tiny purple onions
6. Broccoli
7. Tomatoes. We have lots set in the garden, but none are ripe yet.
8. English Peas!! I thought the season for these was done, but no! The ones I bought last week went into Peter Berley's Tofu & Vegetables in Coconut Curry dish from Fresh Food Fast.
9. Carrots
10. Golden Zucchini & Yellow Squash
11. Corn, the first of the season
12. Flour Tortillas from a local producer who uses all organic ingredients.
13. Salad greens, since ours are officially done for. It is still cool enough at night to grow more but I doubt that we will. It seems the soil in our garden is now about 30% pill bugs and earwigs. That is not a great growing medium.

Stay tuned for the cobbler...

mysteriously mostly blue

2009-07-07T20:43:00.000-06:00

When Sinda & fam. came to visit, they brought gifts. Wonderful gifts! Like a magnetic Leslie Cochran dress-up doll. Check it out! Leslie has a Wikipedia page. Also, this water bottle which I adore and carry everywhere I go.

Sugarbear received this wonderfully menacing little poky pet which stands about 2 1/2 inches high.

Junebug's gift is a sky-blue shiny glass gnome who now abides in our fairy garden. He holds his arms rather stiffly and awkwardly at his sides, which has earned him the moniker "John McCain". Mr. Man chastised me for the comparison, pointing out the horrifying reason for McCain's posture. However chagrined I may be, I find that it is too late to change his name now. We all know and love him as John McCain and so may it be forever. I just love the idea of John McCain as a smiling blue metallic gnome who lives in our backyard. The best part is how awfully happy he looks among the flowers.