I just ate blueberries...out of my OWN GARDEN. Big, ripe, deliciously dark blueberries. I am certain they had more antioxidants than other blueberries :-)

And then I ate one of the tastiest green beans, ever. Ever. I was instantly transported to my grandfather's kitchen. He used to have a huge garden... beans, cucumbers, corn. And raspberries. So many raspberries! When I see them for sale now at the grocery store, (so expensive!) I can't help but think "If only all these people knew, they could just grow raspberries themselves in their own backyards!"

I feel like the first person who ever farmed in the history of mankind. And it's wonderful!

Yeah. It's that big.

Guess what is growing in my garden after all but not where it was planted last year? Caladiums.

Caladiums, where no caladiums have gone before.

I sense a Squirrel Conspiracy.


Also, this year for the first time ever these leafy things that never had a flower that I was just about to rip up turned out to be tiny delicate purple brushstroke irises. I'm so glad I waited (FOUR YEARS) before pulling them up. Now I know what they are and I will leave them and just roll with it. The conditions this year have been so different so far... a really mild winter, a jumbled spring, a LOT of rainfall (up to 20+ days in a row at our longest stretch), and slowly climbing temps. Things that usually thrive are sort of limping along (my poor herbs) and things that never thrived before are surging. I've tried over the years to work more and more *with* the plants/conditions I have rather than trying to tame them to my will. It certainly keeps things interesting... even with the perennials, I still don't know what I'm gonna get at any given time :-)

Also new in the garden this year: tent moth caterpillars (tons. luckily, they are not gypsy moths), and red ants. I don't like black ants, but they are legion in this area and I try to accept them with grace. But red ants? Oh hells no. What're we? Georgia? I don't think so.

Planted a lot of herbs this year and have some returning favorites from plantings past:

Chocolate mint (second year)
Chives (3rd year?)
Lavender
Purple sage
Nasturtium
Tarragon
Basil
Dill
Rosemary (second year)
Chamomile

None of my (seemingly hardy) lavender from last year came back, but I'm taking another crack at it. Some posited the weather never went through the right cycles for it to come back swinging after last year. The recent 20+ days of slow steady rain combined with bouts of bright sun are really showing me which herbs love which conditions.

In the great Herb Race of 2009, the dill is in the lead with nasturtiums a close second. The dill really surprised me; it's going like gangbusters! Basil is holding steady, but lavender and tarragon are really falling behind. Now that the weather seems to be taking a warmer, drier turn, we'll see who thrives.

House, cleaned.

Car, unloaded.

Lawn, mowed.

Guests, here.

A lovely day so far with out of town guests and good talking and dinner and a new game -- Carcassone. I love the part where the stress of worrying about the house being clean is over and the fun of company begins!

I am blown away. This video makes me feel better about Team Human.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Dear Lady Who Refills the Paper Towel Dispenser in the Women's Bathroom:

Please don't fill it so full. When you do that, I can't get a paper towel out in one piece and then I end up with little shreddy bits and no drying power.

Thank you.

- Tora

Happy Birthday, carrieb.

Here's wishing things go well for you this day and all year.

I hate having a sore throat.

Almost more than any other kind of symptom.

Except motion sickness, maybe.

But I'm talking contagious-type things.

I have a massage appointment at 5pm.

I have a bowl of homemade tortilla soup.

I have a sinus pain at the back of my head that feels quite a lot like someone forcing open an unripe coconut.

Happy Birthday, brief_therapy!!

Hope it is wrapped up in all good things, Swedish or otherwise!

Feliz cumpleanos, Wendy lady!

May all your dogs be fluffy and all your appetizers paired with wine!

Happy Birthday to wendywoowho!!

This one goes out to a certain girl I know, rockin' the 31 from the 315!



Happy Birthday, rearviewmags!

It was on a tour of the Gamble House in Pasadena CA that I first saw a full-sized linen room – just for table linens. As large as my bathroom and twice as beautiful, the walk in closet featured beautiful cherry and cedar built in cabinets, a high ceiling, and even a leaded glass window providing ventilation. Perfectly sized drawers, a folding counter… space for hanging the longest linens…. I almost died. Imagine! No more makeshift storage for cloth napkins and printed tablecloths. I easily imagined my own beloved collection in this room. I closed my eyes and could almost smell the sweet smell of freshly laundered fabric, dried in the sun and laid out, wrinkle free and easily accessible.



These days, I store most of my collection on hangers in a closet off the dining room – the linen and cotton mingle with file boxes and Swiffers and Orange Glo and, for some inexplicable reason, old laptop cases. The napkins are mostly in a basket in the dining room, the vases on top of a bookcase, the trivets and other tableware in my antique Arts-and-Crafts sideboard. Our current dining room table is actually too large for most of my tablecloths. It suits our entertaining needs, is durable, maneuverable, and washable. I can’t complain. On low-impact weeks I still cover it with my personal favorites – centering the smaller cloth on the large table top, adding a vase of flowers or a candle, my striped salt and pepper shakers. I love our house the way it is…but some days I still dream.


What’s your dream domestic luxury?

A lil somethin' for rearviewmags...



Oh, charming Billy!

This morning I threw open the curtains in our sunroom to feel warm sun come pouring in. Through the trees, the lake was sparkling in sunlight. I said aloud, "Sunlight on water is *always* pretty. Even on a puddle it’s pretty. Sunlight on any water is just…look at that!"

And then I made an effort to shut my mouth and just stand there and breathe and look at the light on the water. I thought of a suggestion I’ve been given for countering anxiety – stimulate your senses with good pictures, smells, feelings, sounds, tastes. So I focused on the lake, little waves sparkling with life. It was so fresh and natural and good to look at. And you know, I kept that picture with me and now I find I am able to pull it to the front of my mind and see it all again. It’s just as pretty as ever.

What positive sensation can you call up from your day today?

Okay, I know what OTOH is.. but what's OTH? I thought it was a typo, but I think I've seen it more than once now...Is it just OToH, with the "o" implied?

Mairseedotes and dozeydotes and liddle lamseedivey! A kiddle dee divey doo, wooden shoe!

Today's So-Far Soundtrack (originally brought to you by the years 13 through 21, now expanded to include the soundtrack of elementary school with a Cool Older Brother):

(as of 208pm)
- It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine), R.E.M.
- Angel is a Centerfold, J Giles
- Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, AC/DC (oh yes!!)
- Werewolves of London, Warren Zevon (yes!)

(as of 1205)

- What I Like About You, The Romantics
- Should I Stay or Should I Go, The Clash

(as of 1133am)

- Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
- Mamma, I'm Comin' Home, Ozzie Osbourne
- Love In An Elevator, Aerosmith
- Patience, G-n-R

It's that time of year again!!!

Hey, somebodystrange!

Tell me what I should know about this Sunday's game, its players, and their history. Oh, and also why fo all the commercials where everyone hates Manning and he doesn't know it.