Poison Ivy sucks!!!
Other than that things are awesome. But the rash all over my arm and left side of my chest is really irritating. I think I’d like this to be the LAST time I ever get this. First and last. Sounds great.
So we are a little behind schedule, mainly due to my lack of access to our car and Jeff’s little time, etc etc. But anyway, we decided that tomorrow we are going to get the rest of our vegetable plants. That way I can plant them throughout the week and be done by this weekend. I felt like we were running really behind, but there was a frost warning last night, so it’s not so bad. I am getting very excited for all of this to be on its way. I’m already thinking about the way a cherry tomato tastes fresh off the vine. There’s nothing like it.
That has got me in the mood to be more ambitious in the kitchen too. I’m brainstorming and getting inspired. Tomorrow I’m going to try making a slow-cooked Ethiopian-style beef stew, some greens, and maybe curried potato dish all with homemade Ethiopian Injera (kind of like a crepe) to eat everything with. I think it will be delicious. I’m really looking more into using bold flavors and lots of grains and vegetables, with meat being a fun couple of times a week thing. We don’t eat a whole heck of a lot of meat anyway, but I think we can really do better in this area. We are ordering bulk pasture-fed meat now that we’ll get in early fall, and I’ll be really interested to see how long we can use it. I’ll make stocks and freeze them. I’ll try to use everything. This way I can really get an idea of how much meat it takes to sustain our family with the kind of omnivorous diet we’d like, and I think we’ll likely reduce the amount we buy overall. My theory is that we’ll end up being more creative- rather than just continually ordering pounds of ground beef, we’ll eat many different beef items from the same cow. It’ll force us to be creative and frugal. We can also buy in bulk each year and pay way less. That’s basically what happened with our CSA the past couple of years. I’m sad about that though- our farmer just quit suddenly. So for this year it’s just farmer’s market for me and shopping around and saving for a new one next year. I can’t be too sad though. I love farmer’s market, and we always had so many vegetables from the CSA share that it didn’t make sense for us to go often.
Anyway, I just got this book:
It’s great stuff. Check out their website, they have more books and info.
These quilts were made by my great-grandma I think. She used all of these old dresses that my mom and her sister used to wear. I love how in quilts the individual fabrics might seem ugly to me at the time, but when used in a blanket it fills it up in a way you couldn’t have seen before. Quilts are really interesting things if you take the time to see them as a work of art.
May 18th:
This seems to happen every year here. The poppies come up, and hang their little heads for weeks. Then BAM! one opens. Just one, totally open. No peeking, no little splash of color throughout, just the explosion of one flower. The other ones won’t bloom for several days, but this one flower just remains. Wherever we move I am definitely planting lots of poppies.
May 19th:
Jeff. Replacing the tires on his bike.
My sister posted this the other day, and I watched it for a long time. It’s really beautiful.
http://www.6billionothers.org/index_en.php
Quote of the day:
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” JRR Tolkien
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BAM! Blooming flowers.
I love that website–thanks for sharing. What was weird was listening to the English and Spanish speaking people and reading the slightly different “subtitles”.
Tolkien is the awesome.
He is the awesome!
I know, I thought the same thing about the subtitles… like, “ok, I mean, I guess he sorta said that…” haha. Nothing was so far off it offended me. 🙂
Any quote by JRR Tolkien is a-ok by me. Plus, he’s so right. It’s very fitting for the present.
I know! I totally pictured a hobbit-like den with good food and drinks and all my friends and family laughing together. A fire in the background, some music playing… No money, just people. Isn’t that beautiful?
Poison ivy really is the pits!! just try not to touch it, that dang seepy bit it was makes it spread everywhere! i got poison ivy as a kid a lot (i’m highly allergic) and one of those times it was all over my face…it was a traumatic experience to say the least! haha. Using Calamine lotion, cortisone cream and oatmeal baths can really help. And if its really terrible you can go to the docs and get a cortisone shot (oo maybe not if you are nursing though???) and nooo scratching or touching! those dang highly contagious rashes are no fun.
i love love love that picture of the poppy! i love poppies…and quilts!! 😀
No kidding, this sucks!!! I can’t imagine having it all over my face… you poor thing! I always thought it was contagious, but everything I’ve read says that’s a myth. Before I read up on it though my mom and mother in law and Jeff and everyone told me it was contagious. Who knows. I’m keeping it covered regardless.
I should’ve guessed you’d be all about the quilt bit! I’m gonna make my own pads soon, and a bunch of cloth wipes. I’m gonna have to reference your entries! Are you proud? 🙂
Yeah it was pretty awful, i was in like 4th or 5th grade? Huh..maybe its not contagious…? it was for me! I got it on my pillow and then it got on my face. so unpleasant. Covered is good! it would just be sooo upleasent if it got on Vera!!
I’m all about the quilt bit! I love quilts so much, especially when made with childhood dresses and stuff, that is so special! Woohoo pads and cloth wipes!!! I’m so proud!! 😀 definitely reference my entries. You should also check out and , there is loads of info there.
Oww, hope the poison ivy is clearing up now. First a plugged duct and then an itchy rash – poor you!
How’s the planting going? That poppy is really vibrant and pretty.
The ‘6 billion others’ website could keep me occupied for a while. It’s great. I love it when people get the chance to express their thoughts and feelings in that way.
Haha yes poor me! It’s always a lesson in humility…
Planting is going slowly but surely. We’ll be all done by the end of this week. I hope to have lots of new veggie pictures soon!
i love Ethiopian food! hope it was great! thanks for the comment on my blog, i changed jonah’s birth year on the one that i’m going to print – that would have stunk to have had it printed that way! you can be my official editor!