Peas and Carrots, Oh My!

As I sit here with zuchinni/banana/pineapple/pecan muffins scenting the air, feeling a little puny today (I can't be catching anything because I have to teach four days this week), maybe I need to eat my peas and carrots!  Well they aren't quite there yet but they ARE growing - and not a weed in sight - yea!!!

No peas and carrots on the menu for dinner tonight but I did make it to the international farmer's market today and have fresh filled pasta, corn on the cob, pole beans, and mushrooms in mind (oh and one of those muffins) - yum!

What a beautiful weekend we've had in Georgia - sunny, breezy, and in the 70s - just right.

A Giveaway

OK we have a winner(s).  I truly appreciate everyone's guesses - I wouldn't have gotten it right if I hadn't already known what it was LOL  Here in Georgia starting right about now and lasting until about the beginning of June, we have yellow pollen so thick on our cars, yards, porches, and anything outside that it changes the colors totally.  I think if I went out in my yard and stood there for an hour I'd be covered LOLOLOL  That picture was a closeup of a portion of the hood of my car about one hour after I got home from North Carolina yesterday.  And it rained and cleaned my car on the way up and way home.  So you can imagine what that car looks like today!  LOL  I think the ring you see in the middle might be a reflection of my camera lens.  Because the two Debby/Debbie's fought the valiant guessing game with such good guesses, they both win.  Debby will win the bird pictured.  Debbie will win another birdy that I hope she likes just as well.  And for good measure I'm sending Linda a little surprise too.  So I'll email you and I'll need you to send me your snail mail addys.  Thanks for playing!

Bwahahahahahahahaha!  Nope, not giving away what's in the picture.  But it IS a clue.  Whoever guesses right first in comments, wins a little prize from me. 

I made some sweet birds and this one will go to the winner.   Hand sewn and embroidered with vintage lace, buttons, tinsel, and pipe cleaners and a really cool bead.

So come on people - make those comments!

Third Time's The Charm???

And so she tries again.  First year had a handful of beans and a few tomatoes, lots of peppers (which I don't eat - at least the hot ones) and little else.  Second year a few cherry tomatoes, more peppers, and pretty much nothing else.  This year I'm bound and determined that I'll have something to show for my garden!  Yard boy made a raised bed container

out of the top of an old picnic table and some pressed wood (which probably won't last one season but we'll see). Two more made of pallets will be forthcoming in the next couple of weeks (I hope).  I mixed and mixed and mixed bags of mushroom compost, potting soil, vermiculite, bullshit steer manure, and peat moss - nice light soil.

And then I planted. Onions yesterday - sweet Georgia yellow. And today nasturtiums, peas, and carrots. Of course I can't just plant the regular types of things - have to be those fancy schmancy seeds from Seed Savers. The carrots look like radishes on the package and are called Paris Market - oui oui. The peas are called Tom Thumb and evidently are very small - the plants that is. The nasturtiums are called Ladybird and should be very pretty if they grow - nice looking in salads.

So...after all that planting I decided that they should have some water. Nice wet water...wait for it...where were the seed packets with the rest of the seeds in them???  Oh yes, folded over ever so nicely and sitting right up against the end of the raised bed.  Uhm hum...got nicely watered too.  Luckily not so wet that I couldn't pour them out of the bags into nice dry plastic bags.  LOL

Hope that's not an omen of things to come (or not come as it may be) LOLOLOL

Shake, Dump, and Throw

I often take meals up to my step-father’s home to put in the freezer and of course I label them. Weeks later I’ll get a phone call asking for a recipe and because I’m a “shake, dump and throw (SDT)” sort of chef, I’m usually unable to tell him what he ate LOL


Last night I made an SDT chicken that was really delicious so I’m sharing the recipe here while I still remember it. Please note that the measures are approximate – I just usually SDT until it looks right.


6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon dried basil
Small box white mushrooms
2 leeks
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar


Heat extra virgin olive oil in oven-proof skillet. Add chicken thighs and salt and pepper them. Let them brown at least five minutes especially if you aren’t using a non-stick pan (otherwise they will stick). In the meantime, slice cleaned mushrooms and chop leeks (if you’ve never used leeks before, only use the bottom white/light green part – the dark green leaves make great compost but are tough as nails; cut them in half lengthwise and rinse between the layers really well – they may be full of sand – then slice across the halves into narrow slices). Turn the chicken thighs over and give them about three more minutes to brown on the other side. Remove from pan onto plate. Add mushrooms, leeks, and spices to the pan and sauté until the leeks are slightly translucent. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir in. Turn off the heat and put the chicken back into the pan on top of the veggies. Put into a 350 oven uncovered for about 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Old City Bar

I’ve loved the Trans-Siberian Orchestra for years and have listened to their Christmas Eve and Other Stories CD every Christmas season for many years. For some reason today on my way home from visiting with my step-father in North Carolina, this song really touched me like it never had before – maybe I was paying closer attention to the words or maybe because it's Christmas Eve. Please enjoy this performance by  Bart Shatto here .  The words are below. He may be a little out there but his voice is wonderful!


In an old city bar
That is never too far
From the places that gather
The dreams that have been


In the safety of night
With its old neon light
It beckons to strangers
And they always come in


And the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
The music was low
And the night
Christmas Eve


And here was the danger
That even with strangers
Inside of this night
It’s easier to believe


Then the door opened wide
And a child came inside
That no one in the bar
Had seen there before


And he asked did we know
That outside in the snow
That someone was lost
Standing outside our door


Then the bartender gazed
Through the smoke and the haze
Through the window and ice
To a corner street light


Where standing alone
By a broken pay phone
Was a girl the child said
Could no longer get home


And the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
The bartender turned
And said, not that I care
But how would you know this?
The child said I’ve noticed
If one could be home
They’d be already there


Then the bartender came out from behind the bar
And in all of his life he was never that far
And he did something else that he thought no one saw
When he took all the cash from the register drawer


Then he followed the child to the girl across the street
And we watched from the bar as they started to speak
Then he called for a cab and he said J.F.K.
Put the girl in the cab and the cab drove away
And we saw in his hand
That the cash was all gone
From the light that she had
Wished upon


If you want to arrange it
This world you can change it
If we could somehow make this
Christmas thing last

By helping a neighbor
Or even a stranger
And to know who needs help
You need only just ask


Then he looked for the child
But the child wasn’t there
Just the wind and the snow
Waltzing dreams through the air


So he walked back inside
Somehow different I think
For the rest of the night
No one paid for a drink


And the cynics will say
That some neighborhood kid
Wandered in on some bums
In the world where they hid


But they weren’t there
So they couldn’t see
By an old neon star
On that night, Christmas Eve


When the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
And in case you should wonder
In case you should care


Why we’re on our own
Never went home
On that night of all nights
We were already there


Then all at once inside that night
He saw it all so clear
The answer that he sought so long
Had always been so near

It’s every gift that someone gives
Expecting nothing back
It’s every kindness that we do
Each simple little act

Coloring Outside the Lines

I'm encouraging everyone to color outside the lines this holiday season.  There are so many people in need, hurting financially or emotionally.  Think about helping your favorite charity...or giving to a local family who needs groceries or clothing...or giving to your favorite person's favorite charity in their name.  There are so many wonderful organizations out there.  Rather than loading your grandkids up with toys they probably already have, contribute to a local humane society in their name and send them a card showing the dog or cat you supported...or go out to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary - they do amazing work and have wonderful stories you can share...go out to Heifer International and buy a bee hive or flock of chickens or any of the many options they have so that a family will be able to support themselves - and send them a card from HI telling how that gift is helping a child just like themselves...go out to Charity Water - 100% of your donation goes towards helping communities have access to clean water...go to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee - any child would love 'adopting' an elephant.

Do you have a friend who is hurting in some way?  Do you know an elderly person who has no family nearby?  Bake them something, take them a homemade meal, make them a beautiful card, welcome them to your home for a celebration...make them feel special and loved.

Just color outside the lines this year.  I'll be coloring outside the lines on this blog for a few months.  My computer is dying a slow death and I'm unable to download pictures right now so as much as I'd like to share pictures with you - it will have to wait until after the first of the year when I start looking for a new computer! 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a safe and peaceful holiday season. 

Country Living Fair South 2011

I braved the very chilly weather and went to the Country Living Fair at Stone Mountain, GA bright and early this morning.  It was as fabulous as it was last year!  Right across from the entrance was Earth Angels and there was eye candy galore.  Such creative artists and art - enough to make your mouth water.  Then on to the other 150 or so booths back along the trails under the trees...French Laundry Home, Mill Branch Bar Soap Company (with the most fragrant olive oil soaps and creams you can imagine - Ginger Lime was the one I bought), Au Gres Sheep Shoppe, Barn Trash, Serious Whimsey, Farmhouse 1807, Necessary Excess, Sassy Trash, Splinters and Rags, Three Birds Studio, With Heart and Hand, just to name a few.  Oh and of course the food booths - the best of which was Annie's Baking - breads and goodies like you wouldn't believe.  One booth - I can't remember the name - had wonderful crafting goodies.  I found two clergy collars and they will be turned into crowns.  If you live anywhere near Atlanta, there are still two days of the Fair left - do go - you'll love it.  I'm already going to start putting my pennies away for next year!