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

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

The LB’s Wild Kingdom

Today* was a day of critters. I didn’t really notice as the day was unfolding but it was.

First, this morning as I was having coffee and e-mails on the porch I was visited by a humming bird. I have had at least one all summer buzzing in the bushes ten feet from my tree porch but this morning the thing came onto the porch and spent a few whole moments with me. It buzzed just inside the doorway to the porch in an odd mix of hummingbird frenzy and total stillness. Weird. Just looking at me as I looked at it.

Then, this evening my fella and I had a chimney swift date.We have been planning this one for quite a while. Since we first met. I had noticed in 2005 when I went for an evening tea with two of the members from the Serbian theatre company, that a place downtown had great view of the swifts in action. I had told the fella about this memory pretty early on and we talked about going to see it. It took us a while, but we got there.

We got a pot of tea and headed to the back porch with a great view of an unused brick chimney. Just before dusk the birds start to arrive a few at a time. By the time the sky is starting to turn pink it is filled with hundreds of chimney swifts making big loops just overhead. It is really amazing. You don’t often so many at once. They loop and show of for at least 30 mins until someone calls it bedtime and, a few at a time, as they circle the chimney, they drop straight down to roost. It is really cool, must say.

Later in the night I did some skunk watching. A big chubby guy strolled around at the foot of my stairs. Then he squished himself, including his fat butt, through the fence to the neighbors yard.

* this was actually a couple days ago.

xo,

LB