 November 23, 2009, at 9:56 pm 
If you’re one of the few people that actually read my site on a regular basis (Hi Mom!) you might have noticed that I’ve been a bit absent lately. We’ll it’s been for a very good reason – I’m moving to Seattle! My husband, Jim, has taken a fantastic new job and we’re moving at the end of the month.
So starting on December 1st I’ll be blogging to you from the emerald city. I’ve only been once, last weekend, so I’ll have a lot of exploring to do. I’m looking forward to sharing this new adventure with all of you! In the meantime, feel free to peruse the handful of photos I took over the weekend in my future hometown.
October 31, 2009, at 4:02 pm 
Have a safe and happy All Hallows Eve!
October 25, 2009, at 7:57 pm 
Yesterday is ashes, tomorrow is wood.
Only today does the fire burn brightly.
-Old Inuit Proverb
My copy of Widdershins arrived today. Widdershins, by Charles de Lint, is the sequel to The Onion Girl, which I read recently and loved. This quote was on the inside, next to the table of contents, and when I read it I felt my eyes fill with tears. I’m not quite sure why. I think there’s just something about living in the moment, remembering that today is the only reality that we have, that makes me feel nostalgic. It seems like that’s the opposite of the reaction I should have, I should want to seize the day, but instead I get a sense of how precious this very moment is, and a strange sadness that we never truly get to experience anything twice.
October 11, 2009, at 6:15 pm 
Yesterday morning it snowed, the first snowfall of the year. The temperatures plunged below zero, and in one night some trees dropped all their leaves in a panicked attempt to keep up with the temperature change. It was amazing to see the blankets of green leaves covering the grass and snow and gathering in the street. My planned trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum took on a new twist, as I had to gear up for winter hiking, but I got some nice shots of fall of color with a bit of snow on it.
It was my first trip to the arboretum, so I didn’t really know what to expect. It was a lot of fun tromping though the trails, making first tracks on the first snow of the season, photographing flowers and trees with little snow caps and catching droplets of snowmelt in the sunlight. We saw little waterfalls, quick-moving streams and even quicker-moving wild turkeys (maybe the snow made them think it was November). We got a little lost, but it was nice to just explore without having to worry about direction. We went where the interesting photos were and it worked out just fine.
It seems wild to me that only a few weeks ago I was eating at Lucia’s outside patio in a tank and shorts. Yesterday’s snow had melted by lunchtime, but we got some light flurries today, and tomorrow we’re expected to get up to a few inches of accumulation, so it looks like winter is here. For me, I’ve got a log burning in the fireplace and a whole chicken roasting in the oven. Winter, bring it on.
December 2, 2008, at 9:45 pm 
Chicken with mashed potatoes was my favorite meal as a child, followed by chicken with dumplings. Chicken pot pie came in as a close third. I took turkey sandwiches for lunch to school, and even to work for lunch as an adult. I am a self-admitted serious poultry junkie. My only regret at traveling for Thanksgiving has been that we can’t take more leftovers home.
Now, my love for poultry has met it’s match in our Thanksgiving turkey. Since Thanksgiving I’ve had a grand total of 2 non-breakfast meals that have not had turkey as the main ingredient. I can’t even count how many turkey snacks I’ve had. And we still have almost a full turkey breast, two wings and both drumsticks in the fridge. Jim hit his turkey wall pretty quick, but I’ve been pushing through, and now I think I’ve hit my wall. No more turkey. Not for a few days, at least.
Dinner tonight? Pizza. With chicken on it.
November 27, 2008, at 8:46 pm 
Unfortunately our trip to Cleveland for Thanksgiving this year was canceled due to a panicky dog and an injured husband. But, that meant that we got to make Thanksgiving dinner at home for the first time ever! Over the weekend we caught a bit of the Food Network Thanksgiving specials, and they talked a bit about brining the turkey. I was intrigued, and when I found out that we would be making turkey at home this year I decided I had to try a brine.
I went to foodtv.com and looked for a brine recipe, and found this video of Tyler Florence brining a turkey. The recipe was not written out so I guessed on most of the seasonings, but I think I did okay. Last night at midnight I put the brine together and lowered in the twelve pound turkey, which with the three gallons of water filled my 20-quart stock pot almost to the brim. We maneuvered the pot into the fridge (it took three attempts) and let the turkey soak for twelve hours. When we pulled the pot out and opened the lid at noon today, the brine had turned a rosy color that matched the color of the kosher sea salt. We then stuffed and roasted the turkey at 325 degrees for what turned out to only be 3 1/2 hours, and wow it was yummy!
November 18, 2008, at 3:06 pm 
What is it about pie that makes everything feel a little bit better? This time of year more than any other, a warm fire, a warm mug of mulled cider and a big piece of pie can really make an evening. Pumpkin, pecan and apple are my favorites for fall, I also love cherry and strawberry-rhubarb, especially in the summer.
I went to the market this morning to buy a bakery pie. I had just found out that my bathroom wall was quite possibly rotten and unstable under the seemingly solid tile, and that we’d have to go for a couple of weeks showering in our downstairs neighbor’s spare bathroom in the basement, so I was in definite need of pie. I pulled into the parking lot and found myself behind a man who had stopped in front of an open spot. He had enough room to back up and take the spot, but instead he decided to give me the finger, and then pull forward and around the corner to park elsewhere. I parked and went inside, but I watched the man through the window to make sure he didn’t key my car. This was a man that clearly does not have enough pie in his life. Maybe a nice slice of sweet potato pie would have kept him from giving the finger to a complete stranger waiting patiently for him to park his car. Or maybe he needed some chocolate cream pie. In any case, I now have both pumpkin and cherry pie on my kitchen counter to soothe whatever the day has to offer. Go ahead life, bring it on!
November 14, 2008, at 4:04 pm 
This past Tuesday was the one year anniversary for this blog, and it sure has changed in one year, as have I. I’ve managed to get the post count up, and I hope work up to posting almost every day.
I wanted to take this opportunity to mention some of the other things I’ve been up to lately. Since I got my new DSLR I’ve been posting new pictures on flickr almost every day. I’ve finished my first photography class and am looking forward to getting the negatives scanned and posted, and to starting my second class this winter. The bikes are in for the winter but I’ll be trying out some spin classes in my area, so I might have a bit to report on that. Jim’s been painting, and you can see his stuff in his flickrstream.
November is the cloudiest month here in Minneapolis, and with the short days it feels as if we go from night to gloomy gray skies and back to night over and over without any real daylight at all. December has the shortest days but at least it’s a bit sunnier. So I’ll be looking for indoor activities to blog about, at least between now and Thanksgiving. Thanks for visiting and stay tuned!
October 31, 2008, at 7:56 am
October 28, 2008, at 7:43 pm 
Autumn is my favorite season and it always seems to go by too fast. This year was no different. While I recognize that the leaves started to change at the end of August here, it still makes me sad that for the most part, the leaves have changed and fallen and winter is on it’s way. We even had our first snow this past weekend! But before we tuck into the long, cold Minnesota winter, I wanted to post just one more picture of my favorite season in an effort to hold off the winter coats and ice a little longer.
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