old red boat

old red boat
Originally uploaded by yarn dirt words

We took a drive this morning, just out in the country, turning onto whatever roads looked interesting when we came to them. So many big fancy houses all locked an boarded up. I can understand that the owners lost them to the bank and that no one else can afford to buy them, but why aren't they at least rented out? Seems like even cheap rent would be something for the bank to put against the debt.

Along the way, we passed this old boat. The picture appealed to me and after I played with it in Picnik, I ended up with this, which I really like a lot.

book review - Barn Blind by Jane Smiley

Never was an author so in-aptly named. I love the way this woman writes but her books are not easy to live with after you've read them. They're depressing and they stay with me for days as I think back on what happened and how she told the story. Both this book and A Thousand Acres are stories about everyday people whose secrets and desires and unflattering thoughts lead them thru a plot that pulls you in quietly. And they end so softly, like a fading note on the breeze, that you can't really believe it's over.

Kate in Barn Blind is often referred to as 'obsessed' in the reviews. To me, because I share some personality traits with her, she seems less obsessed than simply very driven to achieve her goals. The sub-story of her marriage is played softly in the background, and the children's interactions with each other rang very true to me, often consisting of only a few paragraphs.

It is a book for intelligent readers, I think, because she doesn't fill in every blank, explain every action. You're left to infer a lot, which I enjoy. I have two more Jane Smiley books on the shelf but won't be picking them up real soon. I need a break with something foolish - David Sedaris, maybe? But she has become a favorite author of mine because her books reach out and grab you by the throat.

OMG was this ever good

IMG_0955
Originally uploaded by yarn dirt words

One of my all-time favorite sandwiches is this one. Tomato, bacon, avocado, and a fried egg, all on un-toasted wheat bread with a slather of Miracle Whip.

I made this one the other night using just one piece of bread, but then couldn't get it shut enough to eat, so I had to cut the bread in half which meant that the whole thing was a real mess to eat. I stuck a bunch of toothpicks in it but still ended up eating the last couple bites from the palm of my hand. It was sooo good.

Still have some bacon left so another one's in my future...

homespun hand dyed loveliness

IMG_0975
Originally uploaded by yarn dirt words

I traded a bunch of silk floss for two gorgeous skeins of yarn. This one was a whopping 585 yards of approximately DK weight. It's a 2-ply yarn in a variety of pastels, with the colors combining differently all thru the skein.

I'm crocheting a Crobaktus with it and hope to have enough left for a pair of fingerless mitts to match. The colors will go with most of my winter wardrobe, so I'll get a lot of use from it. I'll update with a better photo next week after I have a bit more done.

being content with who and what I am, blog-wise, & CSA update

I don't know what it is about me and blogs but I definitely stall out thinking about something to say. Other people's blogs seem so much more interesting - chickens, sheep, goats, travel!! However, when I dial down my expectations a bit, I realize that things happen around here every day. They may not be real exciting, but they do happen, so I'm going to quit trying to be the next PW and just try to be myself, whoever the hell that is.

So, here's a pic of last Thursday's CSA. Kinda more of the same from previous weeks. I've eaten a few of the tomatoes, one of them in a big juicy BAT (Bacon Avocado Tomato) that I had for breakfast on Monday morning. It was great.

Tonite I'm making a pasta salad with some of the zukes. It gets tough to know what to do with all the squash. I troll several food blogs looking for ideas and actually tried making zucchini crisp, but it was... weird. I don't think I took a pic of it. It wasn't too bad straight out of the oven, but cold it was very strange. It went in the trash.


The lettuce and chard went next door to people who actually like that stuff. Actually, I like lettuce but it doesn't like me. Chard has been mostly unsuccessful for me in the various things I've tried it in, so I'm giving up on it for the time being.

My own tomatoes are coming along but more slowly than last year.

This is about what I'm getting each week. The Sweet 100s are the best tasting, as usual. The grape cluster (not sure if that's the right name) are a bust. They're so tiny that I guess they have about a 2-hour picking window and I keep missing it. Won't do those again. Also have some gourds that are doing ok. Lost the tag but I think they're the gourds you can dry and then paint. Guess I'll find out in due time.

more CSA goodness - week 7

Picked up week 7 of the CSA yesterday and was thrilled to see less lettuce and more stuff I like!

This was the crate as it looked when I got it home. Everything is lifeless and dusty and not real appetizing, at least to me. Cleaning and trimming makes a big diff as you can see...

There were several radishes but I gave them to another woman who was picking up her box at the same time. Just can't find a use for radishes that I enjoy. My mom used to eat them sliced thin on buttered white bread with a light sprinkle of salt, but several things about that don't sound good to me, so that's out.

The strawberries will get cut up and slightly sweetened to eat on cereal, but I'm not real sure what I'll do with the blackberries. I ate a few this morning stirred into some yogurt, but feel like they deserve something more exciting. Maybe I should freeze them and wait till I have a couple week's worth to make a small cobbler...

CSA week 1 4/15/10

Picked up our first CSA crate. I was pretty excited to see what was in it since we've never done this before. Another woman was picking up her crate also, so we chatted for a minute. The main thing that struck me was how dirty it all was. I didn't expect it to be all cleaned up like from Save Mart, but I guess I expected it to be washed off a bit more. I headed straight home with it since the day was warm and I didn't want it to wilt in the car all day.



This week got 3 kinds of lettuce, a bag of spinach (DH will love that), a few carrots, parsnips and radishes, two artichokes, 2 spring garlic, and some fresh thyme. I'm sort of embarrassed to admit that I've never bought fresh herbs before, so using the thyme will be a new experience.

The next night we steamed one of the chokes and roasted the parsnips and carrots with some potatoes. I love roasted veggies and the parsnips were quite sweet, but the carrots seemed no better or worse than the ones from the grocery.

It's been over a week and we haven't done much with the lettuce. I guess I'll take a head to work to give away and pile a bunch on our sandwiches. Just not interested in salads at the moment. Actually ever since I read that lettuce is on the no-no diverticulitis list, it hasn't sounded good to me.

So I'd score this first CSA crate as a 6 out of 10. They skipped this past week cause it's been so wet, so the next one will be the 29th.