Farmers Market and Good Eats

B and I went to the Farmers Market early this morning. We've been talking about going for awhile, but kept forgetting. It was fun!! (though a little overwhelming at first). We ran into a few friends which was really cool, though we didn't get to see Okie Okasan and her bonnets as she's traveling.

We bought some lettuce, berries, green beans, and some lamb. B is making lamb vindaloo tonight for dinner. Yum! Yum! and I'm making a blueberry pie. This month's issue of Cooks Illustrated had an article on blueberry pie that piqued my interest. I've not made a pie in many months, so this seemed like perfect timing.

While visiting my sister and her family last summer, she and I went to her Farmers Market one day and it was so much fun. I'm sure being with her was the best part, but it was neat to be out in the community and to see all the wonderful displays of vegetable, fruits, flowers, breads, jellies, etc.

I'm not sure we'll make it every Saturday, but you never know.

Poison Ivy

After doing yard-work in our "back 40" several weeks ago, I noticed bumps on my forearm that itched like a [rhyming expletive deleted]. The culprit...Poison Ivy!!!

After doing some Google research I was pretty sure I knew the source, but guess who confirmed it? Our 7 year old next door neighbor who is the same one who gave me a bouquet of front yard flowers last year.

Last night before dinner he came over for a short visit with his little sister (after getting permission from his parents which is in itself a blog worthy post.) We walked out to the pond and then he wandered out to the suspect area. I told him to be very careful because I thought we had some Poison Ivy. Before I even pointed it out he said, "Oh, there it is. It's there, there and there." I was impressed.

I asked where he learned how to spot the plant and he said, "My mom taught me ~ three leaves, let it be." So for the next 10 minutes he was on guard to spot the stuff. Turns out, though, his identification needs a little refining. Pretty soon he identified 3 other potential culprits but I'm pretty sure they are false positives. Or at least I'm hoping so. :)

P.S. One of our tasks this afternoon...use Mike McGrath's technique from You Bet Your Garden to remove the stuff. I'm not looking forward to this.

Unexpected Memories

Something sweet, but totally unexpected happened on our trip to Taos. While gallery gazing and shopping with the ladies we decided to stop by the Henningsen gallery for a tour of the house and gardens.

The home was beautiful in a Frank Lloyd Wright way (from my novice understanding); the living space very open with exquisite use of light and space. The house was originally designed as a "live-in" gallery.

After walking around the living room, I walked into a spacious kitchen. It too was illuminated with lots of natural light. As I turned to my right to see the eating area I was stunned by what I saw before me. It could have been my grandparent's house. I was instantly transported back into their home.

My grandfather was an architect and strongly influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. He, too, used light and space beautifully in his designs which was evident in the home he designed for his family. He included a large indoor planter in their dining room with full length floor to ceiling windows to make full use of the sun. It fit perfectly with their house, just like in the Henningsen house.

I choked up immediately and stood in awe at the beauty, but mostly I was sweetly stunned by the unexpected memories and feelings that came back to mind. It was one of those very precious moments.

Home!

I love coming home after a trip away. We were in Taos for a few days of skiing, gallery browsing, and good Eats. We met up with several families who've made this spring break trip for a number of years. This is B's 4th and my 2nd. We had a delightful time.

Anyway, when we opened the front door we were excitedly greeted by four furry smiling faces. Abbie was jumping like crazy and so excited we were home. This is the first time we've left her since adopting her last summer.

The thing I like most about coming home is sleeping in my own bed!!

'tis truly good to be home

TIP: How to get through to Customer Service

Yesterday I called our mortgage company with a non-standard question.  I dialed the Customer Service number and you guessed it I went through 29 menus (slight exaggeration) none of which dealt with my issue.  No shock there, but I thought eventually I'd get far enough down the menu that soon it would say "Press 0 to speak with a Customer Service Representative." But no, that would be much too convenient.

I was SO fed up and ready to smack the phone on the counter. Smack! Smack! Smack! Instead I pressed every bottom in a row and in a fit of exasperation I pushed as many buttons as possible all at the same time. Get the picture?? I put the phone up to my ear and guess what "brrrriiinnnggg".

"Hello, this is Kelly with Customer Service. Your loan number please?"

"Oh...Oh...just second. Oh, shoot! Where did it go!! I had it just a second ago," I say, fumbling through my stack of papers. "I'm so sorry. It was here just a second ago. I didn't expect to actually talk to a human."

CSR Kelly chuckles.  She'd really chuckle if she knew how I got through.  Ha!!

A Shared Cup of Coffee

Whew! May I never take heat for granted. As each day passes, last week seems more and more like a bad dream, except that it's still a very bad dream for many people in Oklahoma. Last look OG&E System Watch still shows 83,000 people in the OKC metro still without power. Hats off (and a huge thank you) to Oklahoma utility crews and those from Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi and Indiana who restored power to 217,000 people since Tuesday afternoon.

We stayed at the house during the power outage which wasn't too bad those first 48 hours thanks to B's efforts over the last few years insulating the ceiling and walls and new windows. But by the 3rd night it was pretty brutal. The low temperature inside the house was 46 degrees. Closing off all the bedrooms helped preserve a little bit of heat. We moved our mattress into the front room and pulled out all blankets, afghans, and comforters. Although we tried to think of it as an adventure and cabin living, it became increasingly difficult. At least at the cabin we had a heat source.

Anyway, there were a few really sweet moments. One of my favorite was Monday morning. B and I woke of course to a very cold house. The shock of seeing treacherously bent and broken branches all over the neighborhood was a bit scary and unsettling. Sadly, four large branches from our maple tree were broken and many more hanging 3-4 feet lower than normal.

I called a work colleague who confirmed the office was closed due to the weather. B set out to make an alternative hot beverage. During the middle of the night when we lost power he realized we were SOL with our morning coffee. (We are avid morning coffee drinkers.) B manually lit the gas burner on the store, boiled up some water and made a couple of hot cups of tea.

About 30 minutes later, the phone rang (while we still had phone service) and it was our next door neighbor.

"Do you have coffee?"

"No. Unfortunately, we have the means but no grounds. Water and a gas stove, but can't grind the beans."

"Well come on over. We have plenty of grounds, so bring your means."

We boiled up another pot of hot water, primed the thermos, and filled it to the top with luscious hot water. Sharing a hot cup of coffee with our neighbors brought a strange comfort in the midst of the strange sights and sounds.

Caramel Oatmeal Bars

Off to the store to get some caramel. I wanted to make something sweet for B (our refrigerator is on the fritz so we are kinda bummed and need something to lift our spirits). When I asked what he'd like he said, "Something like Caramel Oatmeal Bars". Low and behold I typed those exact words into Google and bunches of recipes came forth. I'll let you now how they turnout.

sg

Favorite Fabric

Yesterday I worked on the new quilt. I finished cutting all the pieces with my rotary cutter (2nd favorite invention in the world) and I sewed together all the bias rectangles. Of course Molly had to "help" at one point. She is sitting to the right of my sewing machine. (She is "asked" to leave when I'm actually sewing or cutting. She is definitely a curious cat.)

Here are closeups of the bias rectangles. I bought a wonderful tool that makes cutting and piecing these types of triangles a cinch. This is one of my favorite piecing shapes. At some point I'd like to make a Tennessee Waltz quilt which includes bias rectangles also.


My favorite fabric in the quilt is the purple floral. I love how the flowers seem to dance on the background.

Purple is one of my favorite colors, so it's no wonder this kit caught my eye.

Birthday Wishes

Thanks for the birthday wishes!! I celebrated my birthday "week" with a wonderful conversation with my mom on Tuesday and a special birthday song from my father-in-law that same day. (My in-laws were traveling on my birthday, and they were so sweet to wish me happy birthday the day before.)

My dad called early Wednesday since I didn't get a chance to talk to him Tuesday, but I missed his call. I love voice mail simply for the reason I get to listen to the special ones over and over again. My middle sister and family called later in the day while I was at work and left a sweet singing Birthday-gram.

When I got home from work, I opened my presents and then B and I went to dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant. They have a wonderful sampler plate and their marinara sauce is so YUMMY! At 10:30 p.m. the phone rang and it was my oldest sister. She and her family also sang happy birthday to me as well. It was really sweet.

The last few things I'm including in my birthday celebration were seeing 5 beautiful roses in my side yard on Friday. I planted this rose bush two years ago, mostly for my neighbors to have something pretty to look at since we don't see that side of the yard much. New blooms are a beautiful vibrant yellow. They change to pink after a few days and finally a light pink as the petals fall off. This bush bloomed all spring and summer and it still has about 4 more buds. (I took the photo with my camera phone. It's not a very clear picture, but hopefully you can see the pretty yellow petals. Yes, that's a bee in the bigger bloom.)

P.S. While running errands this afternoon, we might by go Bed Bath and Beyond so I can get a candle for my final celebration. I have a weak spot for Yankee Candles (thanks to my nieces!). It's a serious addiction. :) Our newest favorite is Vanilla Lime.

TV and Speakers Gone, Too

I just posted my previous entry about Big Trash Day when I heard more voices outside. A mom and kids were looking at the stuff and one of the school-aged girls came walking up to the door. She asked if the TV still worked and I told her not very well. The screen takes about 2 minutes to warm up, but said she's more than welcome to take it.

I went to unload the dishwasher and then peeked out at the curb. I saw the little girl and likely her little sister sitting on the lawn. My guess was their mom would soon return with a car to take the TV. Just then the thought occurred to me to find the remote. I was pretty sure we hadn't thrown it away. I found it, checked the battery and had just enough time to find the instructions in the file cabinet (B will be pleased). I hurried out to the curb and handed them to the little girl just as the mom was loading up the TV. She looked at me and said with a smile "Thank you!"

I'm saying a prayer that the TV will keep working at least another 10 years.