Honeycomb Hideout

what's to eat?

2009-07-13T12:28:00.003-06:00

Breakfast: french toast with fresh blueberries and some of those less-than-perfect peaches.

Supper: peas from our garden, skewered & grilled chicken with chives, tomatoes with local sheep's milk feta & basil, and the season's first corn.

Peach cobbler!

fresh

2009-07-11T17:08:00.004-06:00

Yes, it's another Farmers' Market post. Here's the obligatory photo.

And here's the rundown.

#1 & 2: PEACHES. Finally. Morton's Orchards was back this week. Last week they weren't here because the cherries were done and the peaches weren't yet ready. Sadly, the apricot crop was a complete loss this year due to a surprise Spring freeze. That same freeze cut in to the peaches as well, but they are still expecting to get about 60-70% of last year's yield. I bought a box of seconds (bruised/insect damage/in some other way not perfect) for $11. That box weighed about 18-20 pounds before we tore into it. This is incredibly juicy organic fruit. What a deal! There is a peach cobbler in the oven as I type. The paper bag full of peaches is a sample of the "perfect" ones. They are gorgeous, but I doubt they taste any better.

3. Green beans
4. Scallions
5. Tiny purple onions
6. Broccoli
7. Tomatoes. We have lots set in the garden, but none are ripe yet.
8. English Peas!! I thought the season for these was done, but no! The ones I bought last week went into Peter Berley's Tofu & Vegetables in Coconut Curry dish from Fresh Food Fast.
9. Carrots
10. Golden Zucchini & Yellow Squash
11. Corn, the first of the season
12. Flour Tortillas from a local producer who uses all organic ingredients.
13. Salad greens, since ours are officially done for. It is still cool enough at night to grow more but I doubt that we will. It seems the soil in our garden is now about 30% pill bugs and earwigs. That is not a great growing medium.

Stay tuned for the cobbler...

mysteriously mostly blue

2009-07-07T20:43:00.000-06:00

When Sinda & fam. came to visit, they brought gifts. Wonderful gifts! Like a magnetic Leslie Cochran dress-up doll. Check it out! Leslie has a Wikipedia page. Also, this water bottle which I adore and carry everywhere I go.

Sugarbear received this wonderfully menacing little poky pet which stands about 2 1/2 inches high.

Junebug's gift is a sky-blue shiny glass gnome who now abides in our fairy garden. He holds his arms rather stiffly and awkwardly at his sides, which has earned him the moniker "John McCain". Mr. Man chastised me for the comparison, pointing out the horrifying reason for McCain's posture. However chagrined I may be, I find that it is too late to change his name now. We all know and love him as John McCain and so may it be forever. I just love the idea of John McCain as a smiling blue metallic gnome who lives in our backyard. The best part is how awfully happy he looks among the flowers.

2009-07-06T09:11:00.005-06:00

We have sugar peas! These things grow overnight, I swear. You see a flower one day, and the very next day: bingo! Pea. My challenge is to keep Junebug from gobbling them up before I can harvest enough to put into a bowl for supper.

We had a nice, fairly quiet weekend. We've had lots of rain lately, which I found highly comforting considering how many of our neighbors were shooting off fireworks for the fourth (and fifth).
We even had a little mini-show yesterday evening in our backyard, featuring some snakes, sparklers, smoke bombs and the ground bloom flowers (big favorites!). The snakes always remind me of Sinda, and of Chances, the defunct Austin hangout.

Just click your heels together, Tanya.

2009-06-29T10:42:00.007-06:00

Emma, the loveliest Belgium Waffle, directed me to Tanya's story in the Guardian, which I thoroughly enjoyed and which reflects my own feelings about enormous music festivals. Of course, the ones I've attended didn't have the famous Glastonbury mud, they had heat stroke and assholes instead. Another side effect of having read this: now I want a Wendy House in my own backyard.

the hills (and riverbanks) are alive

2009-06-29T09:55:00.006-06:00

with the sight of Queen Alexandra's Sulphur butterflies. On my outings this weekend, on foot and bike, I saw thousands of these small lovelies.

Quoting Nature.com:

When these butterflies congregate by the score at damp earth following a Colorado mountain shower, the stationary green triangles and frenetic yellow blurs create a striking spectacle. This species is named for Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII of England, who also lent her name to the world's largest butterfly, Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) of Papua New Guinea.

(photos from google images, the beautiful second one from here.)

**UPDATE** I think some of them are Cabbage White Butterflies, less glamorous but still fun to watch.

violating Mighty Girl's #1 rule

2009-06-28T21:49:00.006-06:00

Cheese tortellini in a cream sauce made with roasted fennel, garlic, parmigiano-reggiano and fresh English Peas from the farmers' market. Oh, the fennel came from the market as well. This was accompanied by a simple salad from our garden.

For dessert, a cherry galette made with Western Slope cherries. And a tall glass of local milk, natch.

Ooh, it's up to 74.5 degrees F

2009-06-26T18:13:00.000-06:00

not to gloat or anything

2009-06-26T18:03:00.002-06:00

but we just had a thunderstorm pass through here and now it is 73 degrees outside, sunny and wonderful. The girls are basking in the hammock while I work inside. Work= busy and annoying, but at least the girls are having fun outside, and not melting. Sorry, Texas!

She makes a good point

2009-06-25T14:09:00.002-06:00

Junebug just finished eating an ice cream sandwich. While she was talking to me about how delicious it was, she hit upon a novel concept. "Ice cream sandwiches are so much better than ice cream on a stick, because that stick is just wasted space. Why can't they make it edible? Like the stick in that dipping candy? And while they're at it, they should make the wrapper edible, too! Make it like that Japanese rice paper candy!"

What do you think?

waking up at the kiddie table

2009-06-23T10:09:00.003-06:00

I've put together a helpful little tutorial

2009-06-20T18:07:00.007-06:00

For all my internest friends who've never eaten s'mores. I love internet tutorials, especially those of Hi Monkey!.Making s'mores was practically the first thing I wanted to do with Sinda y familia. We all enjoyed it immensely. Even Junebug who, after being told she couldn't have more than 3, said "That's good. I feel like I"m gonna throw up anyway.".

Moki's totally cool

2009-06-15T22:35:00.001-06:00

scanning the horizon

2009-06-14T07:23:00.004-06:00

We are on the lookout today, watching for 4 great friends (how we've missed them!) and one giant, floppy, sweet yet potentially havoc-wreaking dog to arrive. Moki is, for us, the great unknown. How will she behave at our house? I'm using all my yoga breathing techniques to remain calm about her. I love dogs (well, most dogs. Nice dogs.) but I'm more than a bit worried about my garden. I have a vision of Moki crashing right into the middle of all my tender tomato plants, and this vision kept me awake for much of last night.

On the other hand, maybe the craptacular night's lack of sleep was beneficial. I'm so tired today that I am actually feeling more calm. The wonderful Colorado sunshine I awoke to this this morning didn't hurt, either. We've had a weird monsoon season this year. We usually get a mud season in May, but this year we've had it all through June. My kids have only been to the swimming pool twice so far because it has been so chilly, rainy and grey. Yes, the forecast speaks of more scattered thunderstorms but what I see out the window is a balm for my soul. It seems like those clear blue skies were what I really needed to relax.

random photos

2009-06-11T20:08:00.004-06:00

Also, according to sugarbear, hanging baskets are called "Flying Flowers!".

2009-06-10T21:58:00.006-06:00

So lately, this thing called actual life has gotten in the way of regular blogging. And honestly? I'm okay with that. Blogging was kind of a time-filler anyway. With my time now nigh on full, I don't feel the need so much anymore.

If you must have a recap, here goes:

Sugarbear helped break in a mud pit at the farm.

The girls get to hang out there while I teach on Wednesdays & Fridays, because I'm now a preschool teacher. Which is kind of weird, and really fun.

Also, we now have backyard smores capability. With my newly hard-earned cash, I invested in a fire pit. We broke it in last Saturday when Laura & family came over. Fun & smores were had by all. Yippee.

Now if you all will excuse me, I'm going to bed. Yawn.

p.s. I did make time to watch episode 1 of Nurse Jackie on the Roku. Best thing I've seen in years. Seriously.

2009-06-02T12:12:00.001-06:00

Camping Day postponed on account of rain.

my village

2009-06-01T21:18:00.007-06:00

I had a wonderful revelation today, one of those light-bulb-over-the-head moments when some neural connections are made which cause you to say out loud to the Universe: "Oh yeah! I get it, this is what I've been looking for, and now I've found it!". We've lived here just under 2 years, and we've finally managed to find some cool people, and cultivate them. We aren't finishing each other's sentences yet or anything like that. It'll take some time to really settle in. But the last 2 days have been wonderful, if a tad bit too busy.

Yesterday we met up with some friends at our old haunt Roger's Grove (remember the spleech?). The kids, who all get along together (Yippee!), played in the water while we adults sat on the shore and talked, enjoying the peace.

The weather changed while we were there, turning cool and prompting me to rummage through my car to find anything that the wet kids could wrap up in.

We said our fond farewells and headed to our respective homes.

We put the kids down for a brief nap (they were so tired it actually worked!) because I had a work meeting at the farm that evening, and they were coming with me. After the work part, my boss was throwing a Ghosts in the Graveyard flashlight party. So at 5:15 we woke the girls, we all ate an early supper and packed up the flashlights. When we arrived, there was already a bonfire burning. We grown-ups did our work stuff while the kids checked out the baby goat, only one day old. Also, Sugarbear caught and carried around one of the chicks her kindergarten class had hatched. Madalena (the chick) lives at the farm now.

Once the meeting was finished, the flashlights came out and we started the hiding and seeking. And then there were marshmallows to toast and eat, and then weeping when Sugarbear was informed that she wasn't allowed to finish off the rest of the last bag of marshmallows. Oh, the unfairness of being forced to share! And so late at night, too!

Skip to the next morning. I needed to meet with my boss privately to go over some of our arrangements, so the girls and I were back at the farm for 3 whole hours. My kids played with her kids. She and I sat on the same side of a heavy wooden picnic table and managed to tip the thing over on top of us both. (Much laughter, no injuries) Then she says "Have you been to the woods?" to which I reply no. So we all head out single-file through the alfalfa (which is tall and ready to harvest) toward a stand of trees in the near distance. By the way, single-file does not mean straight line. I know it looks pretty straight right here but you should have seen how meandering it was by the time we arrived at the grove. It looked like a drunken snail trail.

We make it to the grove and it is gorgeous in there. Birch trees all around.

Trampoline inside the grove, low to the ground. An outhouse with hand saws stashed inside for all the scrap wood lying around.

A long-unused horse trailer now housing a nest of songbirds. Wonder, all around.

I realize I'm supposed to have my girls at a neighborhood summer camp in mere minutes. We reluctantly tear ourselves away, knowing we WILL be back. One more trip on the zip line before we pack into the car bound for camp. We get there exactly and miraculously on time. The camp is conducted by 2 girls, both 15 years old, who do this every year. They invite younger kids to come hang out in their yards and have fun. One of the girls is the eldest sister of Junebug's friend and classmate. Today's theme: Science! They make volcanoes (the baking soda & vinegar kind AND the coke & mentos kind), the cornstarch goo stuff, plant seeds, and eat dirt (chocolate pudding sprinkled with crushed oreos and stuffed with gummi worms. All this in 3 hours. They go back tomorrow for Camping Day!

kinda creepy, yet undeniably cool

2009-06-01T15:01:00.005-06:00

Thank you, @sinda & @davidlebovitz! Via Eat Me Daily.

p.s. I never thought I'd use those tags together.

just in time for summer sunblock season

2009-05-29T08:35:00.005-06:00

Last Sunday both of my girls surrendered their hair to the chopping block so that they could donate it to Locks of Love. Sinda requested photos, and here they are.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

How Social Conservatives Are Ruining Marriage; or What Part of Equal Rights Do You Not Understand?

2009-05-28T07:58:00.006-06:00

I haven't done this for awhile, so bear with me. I've only had one cup of coffee so far this morning and already Jezebel has got me all riled up. Although THANK GOD FOR JEZEBEL, because it is such an awesome one-stop-shop for feminist criticism of popular culture and politics with an amusing and light-hearted dash of celebrity gossip thrown in to make things fun.
This is the article which exploded my brain.

respite

2009-05-24T15:43:00.014-06:00

I still haven't adjusted to some of the weather patterns here. I'm much better at tolerating the cold than I ever thought I could be. So that's good. But the lack of regular rainfall is distressing. I find it amazing that any plants can survive here without living in close proximity to a sprinkler system. Which we don't have. Last summer we let the grass in our yard die because we thought it was stupid to water grass. What we ended up with was a large expanse of bare dirt which turned to thick mud in the Spring. We've wised up since then and planted some grass seed. And by we, I mean Mr. Man did the actual planting at my request. It will be so pretty once it is established, and nice to walk on as well.

Most of our garden plants are thriving. Something bad is happening to the Swiss Chard, and pill bugs have been at the nasturtiums, but the peas, tomatoes, and lettuce are growing like crazy, as well as the chinese kale, tatsoi, sorrel (I can grow sorrel here! It was always too hot in Austin!), peppers, and broccoli. We have some heirloom varieties, like Cherokee Purple tomatoes as well as Speckled Tarback lettuce, which Thomas Jefferson grew in his garden.

My challenge: keep Junebug from eating all the chives before they have a chance to get established!

The weather this weekend has been a rare gift. This morning, after coffee had turned on my thought processes, I noticed how gorgeous the light was in our backyard: a soft white light, with a hazy and moist feeling after a steady drizzle all night. I rushed out there armed with a macro lens to catch the sight of droplets on petals.

The dark and dreary skies are kind of depressing but worth it. I know that, all too soon, we'll be back to brightbright sunny skies and dry earth. For now, I'm drinking some Lapsang Souchong tea and luxuriating in the humidity. Here is a slideshow, because I knew you'd hate me for posting them all. Look closely at that droplet in the last photo of the slideshow.

patience, please

2009-05-18T20:55:00.004-06:00

We are so busy, in the throes of the last week of school+gardening+a new job+new volunteer responsibilities. I know I've been a terrible blogger lately, and I promise to be attentive soon. But for now, while I try and catch my breath, gaze upon this loveliness: sugar pea shoots in our garden.

Sugarbear wrote out one label

And Junebug wrote the other one.

I'll be back soon. Maybe tomorrow! Now chill, and go read some GOOD writers. Like Brandon (evehorizon), who has found his absolutely perfect medium in Twitter. Take, for example, this tweet:

"Minimum wage is $6.55. The wages of sin is death. Wow, tough choice. Probably gonna come down to benefits."

Or this one: "misery loves when the company rubs the lotion on its skin."

Or: "Like most guys who spend all their time on the internet, I'm hoping to one day go virile."

Or (seriously, I could just cut and paste all the ones I've favorited. Shall I? Hm?) this one:
"Ugh, ANOTHER trip to costco. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the garage eating 25 oranges. What is the opposite of scurvy?"

So you see, Sinda, this is what happens when you start being demanding. You get photos of stuff you probably don't care about, and other people's writing. Now go read The Cheese Monkeys!

Idiot is a bad word, and no name-calling allowed

2009-05-16T20:29:00.001-06:00

Sugarbear: "I didn't say 'idiot' all day today! Except just now, when I said "I didn't say 'idiot' all day today.' Oh no! I said it twice!".

overheard

2009-05-16T20:26:00.001-06:00

R: "What should we get Sam for his birthday present?"
L: "A Driver's License!"