Random Tidbits

Dear two readers,

It has been months since my last post. We have gone from the first buds of spring to the first chill of fall. What the fuck, eh? I am not entirely sure where the summer went to. I am now without a camera so you are saved from skill-less shots of my food or the dust bunny in the corner. You are welcome. Though I can’t really take the credit. I did however make it to the beach this year. The first year in a VERY long time. I don’t think I have been on an American beach since my childhood. This summer, however, I said enough is enough. I am going on a trip, with my fella. Another first. At least of the totally for fun variety. So we packed ourselves off to the beach for two whole nights and had a fabulous time. The room was nice but not fancy. It did include a balcony that looked out over the bay or some such. From that balcony I enjoyed two sunsets and a cheap beer on ice with lime. Yes. I. Did. Tacky? Oh yes. Soo delicious. We had at least two meals that were so huge I was reduced to hysterical tears. I was so sure that the fella had embarrassed me by ordering a meal described as a “feast”(I threatened to move tables) that when my pasta came and was approximately the size of a bird bath I thought I would die. So, instead of trying to play the whole thing down, I burst into shrieks and insisted that the poor man heft it himself in order to see just how heavy it was. It went on and on. I was completely unable to answer the waitress when she asked “Are you all doing o.k.” Luckily the fella is a very good sport. I also sat on the beach. In a beach chair with a cooler and an umbrella. Very bizarre. I got thrown around by the waves, thank you tropical storm Danny, and saw my first ever sand fiddler. Totally fabulous. Also, there were wild horses and clouds of dragon flies. On the way home we took a driving tour of most of the eastern shore and got out to collect shells in Cape Charles. The towns were very charming, minus the Kay Kay Kay sign and the very pungent Tyson’s plant. currently I am enjoying my porch and listening to my neighbors having a sing along. Someone got their guitar out. It is actually pretty great.

xo,

LB

Oh hey, a blog!

So, I am ignoring this thing lately.

For now, have this:

Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus

Happy St. Davids day.

The day I vow to learn Welsh every year. So far, not so much. I didn’t get around to getting daffodils this year but I will blame it on the fact that the day fell on a Sunday.

I did have tea and Welsh cakes and Club biscuits earlier in the week with The Fella and my little Mummy so not so bad and I do love the Land of My Fathers!

On this first day of March we are getting snow, quite a bit. It seems like it has been forever since we have had a real snow. Didn’t we used to have blizzards?

I have had a very quiet weekend which I think, even though I get a bit restless, was right on time. I hunkered down and did very little mixin it up. In fact, I am sure I let some phone calls slide but, well, I needed the peace. I did have a lovely dinner with Starrhillgirl last night and we were joined by the Kingpin a bit later on. We came up with at least three schemes (ridiculous of course) so I think it was a very productive night.

Random tidbit: I was looking at my kitchen chairs and realised I have recovered them twice, both times right after a big fight with an ex. Interesting? Well, to me it is.

The fact that I have been analyzing the kitchen chairs should indicate how quiet the weekend has been.

Things on my mind:

Tiny houses.

Fake weddings.

Fake wedding pictures.

Dinner.

The Spring.

Finding a way take a damn trip.

xo,

LB

I don’t even know where to start

On this guy’s comment.

I mean……..?

Local paper covers a gay marriage ban protest.

The weekly

Maybe you can figure out where to start?

xo,

LB

Snow and Sweets

Well, we finally got some snow to speak of, which is the only reason for it to be so damn cold outside.

I spent quite a few minutes with the fella flashing my camera into the night and watching the air fill with tiny lights.

We also have had some beautiful days since that night. Warm and with sun and the windows open and they came just in time.

There is a light at the end of the Winter tunnel. I have never noticed a winter so tough. I am sure that the atmosphere around the country has it’s say in what is going on this Winter. In these last days, though, you can feel the spring coming. My Lilac tree has tiny little buds. The other night when the fella and I were getting out of the car on the farm, you could smell it. The moon was working up to tonight and the hills were bright and the deer were foraging and you could smell the earth for sure.

Good sign.

Also, in the land of random kitchen/food projects some of us manged to make a very successful batch of caramels.

We also managed to get another delicious dinner out of Elsie while we were there. She is getting the short end of the stick, but don’t tell.

We celebrated our achievement with homemade mac and cheese and golden beets.

Some pics.

Sweet.

xo,

LB

All of the friends that we knew yesterday….

We are in the dark days round here.

I will agree with Elsie that the blogging about household tasks just doesn’t seem right at the moment.

Now, more than ever is the time to be grateful.

xo,

LB

Confession

Total inertia, friends.

Things accomplished today:

2 cups coffee

Several e-mails

2 phone calls

1 IM

Things not accomplished:

everything else.

xo,

LB

Fail/Pass

So,

I didn’t take down Christmas. I have decided that instead of being embarrassed about this I will try to pass the decorations off as a legitimate treatment for Seasonal Defective Disorder (or whatever). Anyway, they are pretty, so there.

I will say in my defense, I got some other things done. I made dinner, like for real and in amounts enough for lunch, including a bonus pot of beans. I cooked them in leftover potato water. Is that weird? I’ll let ya know when I taste them, but it was just sitting there all potato-y and I couldn’t bring myself to pour it down the drain. hmmm.

This was actually two dinners for two plus lunch for one. yay.

I also completed my first “no knead” bread. I followed the very “Elsie” directions I got from Elsie and then looked at the “real” directions and figured the Elsie ones worked fine. I may try shaping the dough a bit next time to see if it makes a difference. I used 2 cups local flour and one cup bread flour the KP brought me back from a mill in Georgia. How could you not like bread that requires NO WORK!!

Fresh. Still in the dutch oven I baked it in.

Yum. We ate it with local raw butter. I made crostini with the store bought loaf that was stale and had to be booted from the bread box. They were also good and devoured in total tonight before dinner by a certain someone I know who was really hungry. So, I didn’t do any laundry but I did tidy a bit and get a few important meetings taken care of. It is the little things.

xo,

LB

Slow and Steady

Gets a little more work done.

Boils potatoes in ADVANCE of making a cheesy pie, those puppies gotta be cold for the slicing.

Makes dinner involving more than two food items because it is generally worth it.

Breeds patience, for now.

Starts a batch of “magic bread”.

Takes an extra moment to start a new mini batch of vanilla extract with bourbon.

And for you:

Don’t let the clouds fool you, it is a full moon tonight. The Wolf Moon, if you must know.

xo,

LB

Some Brief Things

No not underpants.

I must take down the tree this weekend even though it is so pretty and so cheery.

(The twelve days are over, friends)

Tomorrow I get raw milk and butter!

I must cook this weekend for the week ahead. I must.

Had a date with my Mum tonight. She is faboo.

Next projects up:

caramels.

Lip balm/ body butter.

All my theatre homework.

Did I mention the butter?

xo,

LB