End of summer, new beginnings

Embracing the last day of summer before fall classes begin tomorrow means:

-enjoying leisurely reading with a cup of coffee in the morning
-doing some final sorting through my closet
-eating heirloom tomatoes, basil, red onion, mozzarella for lunch
-drinking one final glass jar full of sweetened iced coffee
-ignoring those lingering household chores, and instead watching tv episodes til I can do so no longer

Loved having a summer full of less school, and more time with people.

corn pancakes

I have been wanting to make corn pancakes ever since I saw this recipe over at Smitten Kitchen. Memorial Day seemed like a fitting day for them, especially since corn is now abundant at all the supermarkets. These were super tasty --- buttery, a nice mix of savory and sweet, the perfect summer breakfast.  We topped ours with butter and a little maple syrup -- enjoy!!

Flowers

Picking neighborhood flowers from common areas may or may not be a crime? I couldn't decide how sneaky I needed to be when I set off on a short walk this morning, shears in hand. There were a number of full bushes of peonies and roses blooming right around the corner, and I figured one or two wouldn't be missed. I'm pretty sure all of the other flowers are considered "weeds" by most...

  (a little strawberry!)

(ant)

Prepping the flowers ---

Ready to be placed around the house ---

Sunday morning

Easter bread

I know this post comes a little late, but Alex made some really delicious bread for Easter from our Williams' Sonoma baking book. It has been fun to see him learn this new hobby of bread-making, and he often has the patience required to make some recipes that I would not take on. The above is one of those, but was well worth (his) effort -- a danish pastry braid with chocolate cream creme filling, sprinkled with slivered almonds. Yum.

Our Easter was fairly low key, but we enjoyed it. I made a little Easter basket with treats (and a bottle of wine? who says Easter baskets are for kids only...) Alex spent much of the day working on his breads and I was in the middle of writing a big paper, but we did break to go on a walk in the nice weather and explored a little French themed gift shop in Shirlington.

moments of inno(sense?)

There have been numerous times in my life when I have made assumptions or reached conclusions that are both faulty and humorously naive.  See below for one such occasion that happened this week, and another that should be shared, just for good measure ---

Faulty assumption 1:
Approximate date: Junior year of high school
I purchased a shirt from Urban Outfitters that had the words "Gettin' Lucky in Kentucky" printed largely across the front, wrongly assuming that "Gettin' Lucky" referred to winning a few hands of poker.
Naively (and rather boldly), I wore a shirt with a sexual innuendo to school, church, the grocery store, not understanding why anyone might have a problem with it. I just thought the kelly green, stretchy tee looked cute with my blue jeans. I think it was a year later that my sister clued me in and I trashed the shirt.

Faulty assumption 2:
Approximate date: April 1-2, 2012
Upon hearing on the radio that there was traffic caused by "sun-spots," I excitedly told my fellow classmates about this new phenomenon where people were SO EXCITED by the sunshine that they slowed down so as to drive more slowly through these sections of road, basking in the warmth and beauty. A day later, I discovered that sunny spots actually cause traffic because people are forced to squint against the sun, causing them to drive more cautiously. BAH. My explanation was better.

Sestina

Those living on the black clean
Streets, families and men,
wake up today.
Early thoughts fall like snowflakes,
Gently.
By the door are boots.

Those with the heaviest boots
Leave the house with clean
Faces, close the door behind them gently.
They are working men.
Townsmen will have teeth like snowflakes
Because they made tubes of factory toothpaste today.

Mothers, too, work today,
brush dust under rugs, clean dirty boots,
and wish to be loved like snowflakes.
Sleeping dogs on hard, wood floors dream clean
Dreams. The women dream of the men
as they sweep into house-rooms gently.

Figured in peace gently,
It wanders, forms and falls today
on earth-dirt. Men
are glad that it is white, and clean, unlike boots.
The cold, wet, pure,
Four-thousand trillion snowflakes.

The children dance amidst snowflakes -
Bounding, diving, gently,
with purple mountain air to clean
their complexions. Play outdoors today,
or do nothing. Kick your boots
for the whimsy of young women and men.

The children await the men.
They run home with snowflakes
for noses, run towards the boots
moving up the walk. Mothers gently
whisk them in. All rose-cheeked today,
greeting smiles shine purely.

The clean ending of each man’s day today:
together watching earth-bound snowflakes gently fall on tired, brown boots.




________


From senior year poetry class. Just for fun.

Spring

What happens in three weeks time --

-- borders on miracle. Having only grown up in the desert climate of southern california and arizona, I have not known many springs. Three months of winter is just long enough to get used to bare trees, to begin to expect the gray, crooked branches and the look of cold sunlight. Now the trees are budding and coming up with all different shades of green and purple and pink and white, different little flowers are popping up along the roads and sidewalks, and the sun...actually warms your skin. I have found myself several times saying, "I feel like I'm coming alive again!" Spring really is a wonderful thing.

Saturdays are for...

Four (!!) mile runs, on Four Mile Run (the name of a trail near our house),

making granola,

and enjoying the trees that have blooming everywhere we look, including this cherry blossom tree right outside our bedroom window.

Sundays are for

-doing homework while listening to Bon Iver

-sunshine streaming in

-yogurt and granola and bananas for breakfast

-second and third cups of coffee

-talking about and planning for things of spring, like bicycle-riding and vegetable gardens

-taking walks around the little forest by our neighborhood

Valentine's Day love.

 

Yesterday I took a little time to make these heart garlands and hang them in the stairway. All those J.Crew catalogs finally came in handy. I'm thinking I just might leave them for all of February, since they're so cheerful, and since my heart misses the sun cheerful colors are nice. This morning, in celebration of the holiday, I made this bread. Too bad all the rising time meant that Alex was already gone for work by the time it was ready. It will have to be a pre-dinner valentine's snack for him.

Citrus

In January I took one afternoon to make citrus marmalade from this book. I used grapefruit, blood oranges, lemons and navel oranges. It has been delicious in scones, on toast, even mixed into plain yogurt with a little honey...I also thought the colors of all the different citrus were just so pretty...

lunch

Kale sauteed in olive oil and lemon juice / poached egg / toasted homemade sourdough bread  / parmesan cheese / s + p

Alex has decided to start making sourdough bread weekly. I must say, our meal times benefit from fresh baked bread.

Kitchen

Our current kitchen has been a nice update from the itty bitty galley kitchen on Commonwealth. As I've mentioned several times, there is a window over the sink, plus a dishwasher, increased counter space, and...a washer and dryer. People always comment on the washer and dryer being in the kitchen and ask if it's weird, but I kind of like it. Our kitchen is a hub of productivity.

A couple weeks ago I decided to use some of my free time to rethink our meal plans once again. I think I have an ideal in my head that involves superb organization that will allow for maximum nutrition at minimal costs and without an extreme amount of time invested (at least, once the organization part has been accomplished). This time I took the approach of streamlining our most frequently used recipes, which allowed me to streamline our grocery lists, dividing them into bulk shopping and weekly shopping, and printing them out for fridge. We are going to try buying things like pizza dough, black beans, shredded cheese, tortillas, etc., in bulk since I tend to use them a lot. I also printed out calendars for each month to list out meal ideas. It was kind of fun, so even if it doesn't work out perfectly, at least I am learning as I go...and at least looking at the side of my fridge makes me feel organized and happy.