Greetings

Miss Diana

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:00:47 -0700

Meet Miss Diana, “beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, stronger than Hercules, and swifter than Hermes." I bought this orchid a few years ago at Waterloo Gardens. She was on the rejects clearance table, with no blooms and looking rather down on her luck. Now, she weighs about 30 lbs, and stands a couple of feet high. 3 bloom spikes, with 3 more on the way! Tom drove her cross country this past winter, bringing her indoors every night of his frigid week long adventure. We thank you!

Only 2 of orchids were invited to make the journey. The others were given away, but I hope to start up a collection again.

Neti pot endorsed here

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:03:14 -0700

I find it arduous to be simultaneously analytical and holistic. I am taking a break from surfing “detox/cleanse” treatments. There is just too much contradictory information out there.

So at least you know someone first hand who is a believer in the neti pot. I have one, similar to the one shown here, that I have been using for almost a year. It has become such a daily hygienic necessity for me, like toothbrushing.

What does it do? Flushes saline solution through your sinuses. It totally clears up the gunk from head colds (thanks Isaac for helping me put the nastiest ones to the test). It also checks down pollen and dust. Because the solution is isotonic, it shouldn’t cause a burning sensation like the classic “water up the nose” scenario. My sinuses feel great afterwards.

Adding it to your evening routine makes the most sense to me, as you flush out whatever you accumulate during the day. I like to do it during my nightly shower. Shower water is the perfect temperature, and it’s an easier location than over a basin. I admit it might seem conceptually weird at first, but it becomes 2nd nature and is so worth the 1 minute it takes.

YouTube has several demo clips.

Mother thought

Sat, 2 May 2009 12:33:04 -0700

There is no other pair of eyes - so pure, so receptive - that looks upon my flawed existence with complete adoration.

Procession of the Species

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:26:08 -0700

Olympia’s art festival included this parade: Procession of the Species. It starts with blocking off the parade route, and putting out thousands of pieces of chalk to decorate the streets with a nature theme. Isaac loved being able to run around, chalk in hand, petting dogs, and pointing out various costumes.

The parade is very loosely organized, which definitely accommodated people’s creative interpretation of what plants and animals look like. They were divided into air, water, and land. Should you be surprised that this Puget Sound port city had a very large marine animal contingency? Lots of drumming and dancing kept the procession upbeat. We loved it. Isaac was a sponge, at least mentally speaking :)

See the whole gallery of the day.

Below, a picture of one of the public sculptures:

Ski?

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:49:59 -0700

Winter 2006/7: I buy new ski gear, and wait for snow. Nada. Then it arrives when I’m working in Germany... a lovely country that has tons of skiing, but I didn’t have the time to partake. That project totally burned me out. I started looking for a new job, but instead I got pregnant (whoa!).

2007/8: Pregnancy and skiing do not mix.

2008/9: Tot in tow, we head to the Poconos and watch an inch of rain fall on the man-made snow. Total bust.

WA loves me. Isaac’s grandparents eagerly babysit for the day as Tom and I head to Crystal Mtn. I finally get my day.

The Big Move

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:14:05 -0700

It is a little known fact that my husband spent his childhood in Seattle. A few years ago, his parents sold all of their possessions in NYC and moved back to WA. We have visited them at various times of the year and thought, “ahhhh, this is great. Why don’t we live here?... Yeah, let’s do it.” And nothing beyond the occasional daydream crossed our minds.

That is, until last October. Tom and I got the itch. Considering his parents, work/life balance, Isaac, real estate market, and careers... it was now or never. We picked now, or more specifically, we put our house on the market the week of Thanksgiving. Selling a house is a LOT of work, but we closed late February. Yes, we are voluntarily unemployed and homeless. And apparently out of minds.

It was hard to say good bye to all of our dear friends. I loved Philly. Seven years was a good run. I was facing the 3rd major move in my life; starting from scratch in a vast sea of strangers.

We packed up more than I had hoped. Culling our possessions is wishful thinking. In the picture above, you can see we used a moving company called Isaac’s! That’s a total coincidence based on a friend’s recommendation (thanks, Gillian). All the logistics went really well. After closing, Isaac and I loaded up on the plane. Tom and his co-pilot took a week to drive our car cross-country. How far, you ask? 3,000 miles. Ofie in Wyoming:

Natural Landscapes

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 18:34:36 -0800

I came across this, and had to advocate: http://www.plantnative.org/
Is toiling away with fertilizer, pesticides, watering, and grooming necessary? Isaac doesn’t think so.

Resurrection

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 18:32:03 -0800

Cue the chirping crickets.

I’ve been bad. Until now, I haven’t written a word on this site since I returned to work full-time. Waking up at 5:30am and not getting home until 6:00pm makes me really crabby. Something’s gotta give, but I’m working on it.

If there is anybody left, I’m sorry.

Peanut Butter Head

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:49:07 -0800

Miss Ophelia decided to wear this economy sized jar of peanut butter on her head for an hour. You could just make out the rapid flutter of a pink tongue on the bottom of the jar. She licked it completely clean.

Scones are not hockey pucks

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:10:29 -0700

Like most of the U.S., the coffee houses around here think that the scone is quite possibly a biscotti of a different shape. They are cold, dry, and tough; only palatable if washed down with lots of coffee. As a child, I remember reading books that mentioned scones with downright reverie. I did not understand, “What is this delicious delight that British children have? It must be fantastic if an evil witch can make the hungry boy cave in.”

Only recently have I witnessed their full glory, thanks to Tom’s baking skills. A warm and tender scone is not meant to fly solo. Add on a nice blanket of clotted cream and jam to make Edible Happiness. Why has America not figured this out? Moreover, why do we not smear clotted cream on everything?

Another food America has not figured out: Tofu.