Saturday, November 07, 2009

Bring on the Greens


Everything's inside for the winter - succulents, winter-blooming plants (a gift from Miriam), and the citrus and fig.



Iain could give a hoot. He's all about sticking his fingers in the heater. Good job, son. That's a great idea.

But most importantly, the cool weather and rain has led to a profusion of chard. I planted this plant over the summer but not much happened while I was away. It was crowded out by the tomatoes (they grew to monumental proportions).

Next year, I'll be planting 3 or 4 chard plants rather than one. Why? This modest handful of leaves produced a lovely little pile of vitamin-filled goodness for my supper tonight. And it was some of the best chard I've eaten. Yummy in my tummy and no work.

I tossed a slice of butter into a little soup pan (which was on medium), washed the leaves carefully, pulled the leafy bits off of the stemmy bits, chopped the stems, and threw it all in with the butter. I added kosher salt, cracked black pepper, and a little garlic powder. Put the lid on, walk away for 5 minutes, come back and eat. It makes some juice, which I would normally eat but tonight my plate had sauce on it so I left the juice in the pan. Anyway: yum.

Next year: fewer tomatoes and peppers, more chard and more beans.

Command Center Delta: Ready!


Above, all set up and ready to GO! Below, the Command Center in action. See how our hero dials for democracy? He's calling the Great and the Good, telling them to get their acts together. So if things seem somehow...better tomorrow, you know whom to thank.

Friday, November 06, 2009

OUT-Rageous

Alexander Hamilton's Life, as told by Aaron Burr, hip-hop style. At the White House. You ready?



Hat Tip to the Tenured Radical.

Anticipation


Lovely limes, ripening on the tree. Must go get some Corona...

Don't It Make Your Grey Eyes Green?

When Iain was born, he had clear grey eyes. We knew that the color at birth was not permanent, but those grey eyes freaked me out a little, anyway. On the one hand, they were beautiful. On the other hand - Charles has brown eyes and I have green. So...

As promised, though, Iain's eyes have slowly (sloooowwly) changed from grey to a sort of light green with hints of amber. Still lovely, and rather more firmly situated in our family's eye color range.

I'd also like to say, just so you know my mood: Iain slept until 7:29 this morning. I think you know how I feel about that. Then he ate 2 bowls of granola for breakfast, plus half a banana, milk and juice. And tonight we're dining with the lovely Callie (what? It's the weekend, time for Date Night!). Could anything make today nicer?

Thursday, November 05, 2009

A Ha!!

My post last weekend about Wildflour Pastry in Charleston lacked a link. However, the website for Lauren Mitterer's sweet, savory, precious little bakery is up and running.

So check it out.

If I could register one complaint, though, it would be this: the photo on the main page proves that at some point in the past the entire countertop of the bakery was covered in little pot-de-creme, cupcakes, and other yummy things. I did not get to eat any of those. Boo. Hiss. I may have to go back. You know, just to make myself feel better about it.

Hello? Bye!

Oh, hai. I had a little dump truck accident here. Nothing to see, just move along.


Remember Iain's wee soiree last weekend? It was an open-house, intended to allow lots of people to come hang out, nibble on some cheese, and meet Iain. The invitations specified: No Gifts.

So, naturally, Iain received several lovely gifts. The tiny airplane and helicopter are special favorites, and he's interested in Curious George. But I think it's fair to say that the winner is above. Yes, another phone. If you're keeping track, Iain first received an old phone of ours to play with. It's a real phone, so it makes no noises (so long as you don't plug it into the wall, I mean). Then he got a stationary phone that plays music and says numbers. Then he got a pretend portable phone that says things like "Hi, Grandma!" and lights up.

And now, because you can never have too many phones when your favorite game is "Hello?" "Bye!", he has another phone. This one plays lots of songs and each number makes a rhythmic noise. He really, really likes it.