Earlieblues

I see some more canning in our future.

Goodbye Taji

Crafty escape artist that she was, Taji let herself out of the yard again yesterday and got hit by a car. We didn't see it, and the neighbors had her all wrapped up and everything cleaned up by the time they came over to let us know.


It was very kind of them, but it does make it seem so surreal that yesterday morning's pictures are the last I'll ever take of Taji and Scarlette together.


Our hearts are hurting today, and I'm saddened every time I think about Scarlette without her dog. Fortunately she's too young to really realize Taji's gone.


Goodbye Taji, we hope there are tons of hands lying around to pet you to your heart's content in doggie heaven.

Introducing Alexandria

She's my new ride and I'm smitten. We found the Burley trailer used on craigslist and brought it with us to the bike shop where it was love at first sight.

Miss Alex has three speeds, a bell, a front light powered by the front wheel, and the most comfortable seat you've ever sat on. I added a front brake, two waterproof storage bags, and a new, easier hitch for the Burley and we were set. Once we got all our safety gear on, Scarlette and I hopped on to give it a test ride and it was smooth sailing. Scarlette loved it (although she's not quite a fan of the helmet) andwe've already put a few miles on her. Oh, and did I mention she doesn't require a car payment, gas, or insurance? Oh yeah, I'm in love.

July 4th

We went over to our neighbor's house for the 4th and it was blast. They do a barbecue every year and it's a huge event. I'm always so impressed. They also happen to have a pool, and since it was 95 degrees out, Scarlette and I got in and played for a bit. Well really, Scarlette jumped off the ladder into the water over and over again, never mind that her lips eventually turned blue and I had to drag her out before we both turned into popscicles. She also jumped on their trampoline, and walked up and down the stairs (all by herself without holding on to anything, I was totally impressed) until we took her home for a bath before the fireworks. Overall, I'd say she had a blast and I bet next year will be even better.

And the award goes to....

Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket, for ugliest thing I've ever knit (so far).


Don't get me wrong, there's nothing ugly about Mrs. Zimmerman's pattern, in fact I think it's pretty genius and has a huge range of potential, it's just the colors I had available that are so ugly together. (I was doing a little more stash busting, and needed to use up the ends of about 3 skeins of Brown Sheep's Nature Spun)

The only good thing about the whole project is that I made the newborn size so the baby will only have to wear it for a little while, because man does it hurt the eyes.

p.s. I haven't sewn up the shoulder seams yet and it's getting harder to actually sit down and do it the longer I look at it. Maybe I'll start with the buttons. I have some cute star shaped ones that might help the whole

Scenes from last night's dinner

Okay, really I only have one picture but it's interesting.


I've been really motivated lately, probably because there is so much beautiful looking food out there right now, and I've been getting down my cook books to make dinner. The scene above is Crisp Brick Fried Chicken from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper, by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift. I didn't have any bricks, so I improvised with a sauce pan and cans of beans, but it did the job and the chicken (whole and butterflied) was deliciously crispy.
Her book is wonderful for special occasion meals (sometimes the ingredients called for are not those most people have on hand), but I like her show better. I listen to it on Sundays, or podcast it, and get the best tips, like her recent one on how to cold brew tea. You just put two tablespoons of your favorite tea in about a 1/2 gallon of water and leave it in the fridge overnight (strain before drinking). The resulting tea is delicate and doesn't have any astringency to it, just how I like it.
She just posted her recipe on cold brew coffee and I'm going to try it out for Dave. I'm thinking it will save him some time in the morning if all he has to do is add cream and sugar.

My sedums

My garden is full of these right now. It happens every year, and it always makes me giggle a little.
My neighbor suggested sprinkling Viagra over them to help them straighten up....hehehe.