just a bit of April Fool's Day Torture.

forest pansy redbud

The banner photo is our tree with the best name. Forest Pansy Redbud.
It's small still and not that noticable in our garden but I like to watch how it changes from day to day.
Starts as magenta buds, turns to orchid petals, then to maroon hearts and then dark purplish green leaves. Just crazy beautiful to me.
And I love this tree completely. So does Silas. We talk about it everyday. Here is the progression.
March is just the best month for this tree. I love March. In my next life I would like to be named Forest Pansy Redbud. Or Leaping Waters. Ok, not really but kinda.

garden blog from school...

check it out! HERE

lots of spring garden loveliness and deliciousness.

Sunday Morning with Nana

emmett New Yorker submission #2

"Oh citizens of America! Honor the God from Beijing...or read my grad school report!"

TODAY is Pop's Birthday!

Happy Birthday. We All Love You.
(We can see the kid in this face! Great smile!)

this lawn is your lawn

thanks Amy for this awesome video...and thanks Obama's for listening!!

This Lawn is Your Lawn from roger doiron on Vimeo.

Emmett and The New Yorker

Emmett's caption#1: "let the land be with you. so let it kill you quickly or you will get sold to the sushi guy down the street and die a more horrible death."

Emmett's caption #2: "I hope Poseidon doesn't find out about this."

He's been doing this for a while now. It is interesting and entertaining to watch the development of wit. (Shawn, this one's for you!)

two more good ones...

the new Madeleine Peyroux, her own songs, very good...



and My Morning Jacket (I just don't like the name...) many of the songs remind me of Fleet Foxes...though some a bit rowdier...

My last day at the unit

I didn't know it then but these are the last pics from the last day I served with my old outfit. I have "parted ways" and am returning to my original station. 4 years of fun in the mountains and on helicopters! Made some great friends and have awesome memories.
All things must pass.

calm moment...



NOT a calm moment...

lidded jars.

experimenting with jars like chess pieces on black
clay. trying to come up with new glaze combos.
...about 15 more in the kiln.

I like this CD.

super mellow. good for pottery.
kinda pastoral and melodic.
definitely folky.

I like it.

Fleet Foxes.

Ready?.....Wheeeeeeeee!

very interesting article!

from SALON of course...
about Obama's timid liberalism.

I also heard some interesting stuff on NPR
today about the economy, about nationalizing
banks. One point made, of many, was that if any other country
came to us and asked what should be done with their
failing banks we would recommend that country's
government should immediatly take over, clean up,
root out and overhaul...then turn it back over to the
private sector as soon as possible.
But when that country is the USA no one wants to say
that for political reasons. Hmmm.

Really, Borscht! I am not kidding!

Got this recipe when I worked at the Olive Tree on MacDougal...well, I didn't actually get the recipe...I sneaked peeks and guessed...and I didn't actually work at Olive Tree, I was more like a slave for tips. But it was well worth it. That place introduced me to some of my favorite parts of NYC and, weirdly, the place is located right around the corner from where Cami lived for years and where they will be living again on Minetta Lane in Serpico's actual apartment. (You gotta blog some pics of your new place for me Cam.) Did we live there at the same time? 1991-1993?

Anyway. The Borscht. Hot, not the cold weird pink stuff served with sourcream.

a bunch of meat cut up, stew beef whatever etc

4 cut up beets (or more if you want)

beef broth (or 5 cups salted water)

maybe more water if you like it brothier

1/2 a cabbage cut up

1/2 an onion cut up

1 tsp of dill

1 clove garlic whole

3 cut up carrots

1 stalk celery
1 tsp red wine vinegar
sourcream or greek yogurt dollup (sp?) optional

crock pot, 4-6 hours low

EASY.

Really, only Matt likes it around here as we are trying out being vegetarians

which has opened my eyes to just how many good things my kids actually do like to eat.

But beets are not one of them.

Look what Annie made for me!

BORSCHT

At 0600 I came home from 13 hours of running over the mountain (literally) to find that my beloved wife made me the best soup ever in the history of the world. Before I ate it I was lonely, sad, depressed, hungry, tired and dehydrated. After I ate it I was happy, content, snuggly with myself, hydrated and convinced that my wife is the greatest person in the entire world. BORSCHT are you kidding me? I love it. Annie rocks the casbah! Have you had a bowl of hot borscht lately? I suggest you do, you may have forgotten how good it can be. It helps to eat it from one of Annie's bowls if you have one....

Thank you Annie! I love you.

Matt

on my mind.

1. Dreyer Family Band stuff...
2. the incredibly awesome quilt that Mac
and Emmett are making piece by colorful piece
3. how much Mac has grown and how she is changing every day
4. Silas
5. the light...
6. and we miss you BEBE!

babysitting night

try this experiment...

1.pick a number between 1 and 10

2. multiply it by 9

3. if there are two numbers in your number now, add them together (for instance, if your number was 17, add 1+7=8. 8 is now your number)

4. subtract 5 from your number

5. find the letter of the alphabet that goes with your number (for instance, A=1 B=2 C=3 D=4 E=5 etc...)

6. Pick a country that begins with that letter

7. the last letter of your country, pick an animal that starts with that letter.

8. the last letter of your animal, pick a color that starts with that letter.

9. now, check the 3rd "comment" from ma and pa otter (below).