Tonight, I’m relieved we have no plans. Eating down the fridge + The Office’s Wedding episodes on hulu = greatly welcomed after weeks of activities and travel.
Tomorrow, Mr. T tells me the garden gets tilled for cover crops. I caught the evening light of these for the last time.
We invited Mr. T’s parents over to grill steak & meet my mom and brother for the first time. Mr. T is awesome at the grill so I took over the side dishes which came directly from our garden.
We have four big tomato plants this year — my Black Krim heirloom is prospering right now. I have about a dozen off one plant alone. They are HUGE. Each is about a pound and equivalent to 3 supermarket Roma tomatoes. It’s all caprese salads all the time around here right now. Hooray!
Yesterday evening was spectacular, but I left out the part mid-day where I started losing my mind. I could feel my brain melting. My house was an oven – this was extraordinarily unsettling. The only relief seemed to be at work or in my car. Neither is for relaxation.
Someone on the twits told me there was an AC at the Wallingford Bartell Drug. At lunch, after mailing a package I stopped in two buy the 3rd to last left in store.
We were too exhausted to install the AC last night, but Mr. T set it up before I got home from work. Our room was like walking into a refrigerator. Nothing, I tell you, nothing feels better than a cool room on a hot day.
For Brunch, we met up with Brandon&Amber, Adam&Gabby in Madison Park’s Cafe Flora. I’ve heard about this place for years but it took a social occasion to get me there. I went for the corncakes, but Adam’s fritters and grits sure looked good…
I did some homework right after & went up to Alderwood to do my part in boosting the economy. On the way home, Mr. T called to offer to grill up some BBQ. Y’all know I love that stuff. It was perfect fuel for the evening’s 12 mile run. One week until the Vancouver BC half-marathon!
After a miserably rainy week, capped with snow on April Fool’s Day, today is the perfect antidote.
I spent some time in the backyard, taking stock of what we’ll need to replace or what remains after December’s snows.
Last year, we planted a new tree in the northwest corner. When Spring rolled in, we planted a few things from the Seattle Tilth sale near the base. I know I didn’t plant or buy this one, so I’m curious as to how it arrived. Sunflower fairies.
I took this after I learned that the roof was done! Hooray!
After our too-cool Summer, I was losing faith that our tomatoes would arrive. They may or may not ripen in time for Autumn rains, but it was heartening to catch a glimpse of these tonight.
After yesterday’s celebrations, today was blissfully low-key. Well, if you don’t count the raucous good-bye lunch.
This was on the scene as I arrived at home. For dinner, I made stuffed zucchini.
I hope you’re not scared of spiders. They’re good luck!
When I got up this AM, it was suddenly October out there and was completely demotivated to bike to work.
Tonight, Mr. T cooked up some of his awesome veggies for dinner (with bacon!) and we watched In Bruges. I’ve wanted to see it since we were there in March, so I enjoyed recognizing places we’d been recently — one of my favorite paintings was featured, but the movie didn’t relate its pertinence to the storyline. I liked the movie okay. Billed as a dark comedy. Way more dark than comedy.
(The Telegraph’s review is here.)
I bought this about a month ago, but it finally arrived. I figure folks need fair warning.
Like most Seattle Summer weekends, we have a full one ahead, with tomorrow featuring Camano Island in the afternoon, a breakfast in the AM with a friend who’s known me since Junior High–no small thing for a Louisiana transplant–and a potential friend’s band playing in Ballard in the late PM.
We’d originally considered going to Emerald Downs tonight to celebrate a birthday in Mr. T’s extended family, but opted for the night in. He made pizza, I went running.
I didn’t actually cook today. Mr. T did, bless his heart.
After I got all my homework done (*cough*errands, running*cough*), motomotoyama planned to stop by. I recently got into this vintage recipe cookbook group and the month’s theme was vegetables, so…I was perusing the 1956 edition of the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook before she came over. I probably found it at the Seattle Public Library’s AWESOME semi-annual sale, full of 1950s and 1960s newspaper clippings and cut-outs. It features a number of step-by-step photo layouts for subjects like measuring methods, entertaining hacks, along with 50 ways to make roast, soup, cake or pie, whichever’s your thing.
Ah, broccoli. Mr. T has been makin’ noise about needin’ to harvest. It went well with the leftover steak from yesterday’s outing to visit Carey on Bainbridge.
Today was a really laid-back day. Uh, I ran 13 miles. Other than that, I was lazy and we ended the night with Charlie Wilson’s War. Highly recommended movie.
Today, the exhaustion carried over from yesterday, so it was a low-key Friday night. I napped in the late afternoon, but got motivated to run once I awoke by promising myself ice cream at the end. This is the outcome when I can’t decide which ice cream to get. I’m glad I could stop at two kinds; I nearly bought more with the notion I’d invite people over to help me eat the rest. I restrained myself.
Another from the backyard — this time, broccoli. It’s finally forming into something more broccoli-like.
Today was a lay-low kind of day. In the afternoon, once the clouds broke, I was so pleased with how the weather couldn’t be any more perfect. Here’s hoping the weekend is more of the same.
This shot is a quick drive-by, as I prepped to do a 10 mile run tonight.
We’ve harvested all the arugula and some radishes, lettuce, and chard. The beans are still trucking along, as are the varieties of lettuce. The tomatoes are sadder than I expected, but the cilantro’s gone wild.
Our tomatoes are struggling, but the chard is robust this year. We harvested it tonight, after barbecuing.
I’m wondering if I’ve ever had chard before.
A month ago, Mr. T started his grand experiment in the backyard, as earlier readers might recall. Last night Mr. T whipped up some arugula with caramelized pears and pecans. Tonight, we had arugula/rocket salad with parmesan & pine nuts. To highlight the fruits of labor and all that.
And then we got even more domestic and went to Sears for appliance shopping: this is what happens when I take the night off from gadabouting.
I can think of worse preoccupations.
A lovely, lazy Sunday. We gardened, replanting casualties of the cold weather. Fingers crossed that this do-over takes. We also got our fair share of loungin’ about.
For dinner, Mr. T grilled up his BBQ shrimp. I love it so. We planned ahead for the week by grilling up extra.
Overall: perfectly relaxing day. One of those rare ones where time doesn’t fly too fast.
Before heading to a party Saturday night, I decided to test out my new SB-600 flash in our living room, after dark, with the lights turned off. I was shocked that this seems like mid-day — or better, as this room is always shady. I got it a month ago from Mr. T for my birthday, but like any good Taurus, I proceed with caution on all new gadgets.
The party: good to see friends. Didn’t bust out the D80, though.
Anxiety Monkey: a dear friend gave this to me during a life-changing breakup, after a conversation where we joked I needed an anxiety-soothing pet monkey. Now, the anxiety is in the past, but Anxiety Monkey lives in the under-watered tree in the living room. Must fix the water issue.
I guess we’re headed into Summer, given that all the flowers are starting to fall. The high today was in the 50s. Too cold!
I skipped out on a number of social opportunities tonight, but got my first 3 mile run in, since my surgery 3 weeks ago.
© RachelPhotoDiary.com 2009. All Rights Reserved
