My ity bity netbook

Here's my ity bity netbook. It has a ten inch screen, a web cam, a pretty big keyboard, and only weighs a couple of pounds. I love it! Now, I'm just trying to figure it out, but never fear, for I mastered the mystery of the kumquat this evening! I made a lovely Morrocan chicken dish with kumquats and prunes over couscous for dinner. It was fantastic!

And again, it snows!

The snow visited us yet again last night!
I think this may have been the snowiest of all our 18 years in WA


In other news, many thanks to all the folks who referred me to kumquat recipes!
I now have my choice of kumquat clafoutis, Moroccan chicken with kumquats and prunes,
Lamb skewers with kumquat cucumber salad, spicy pork and kumquat stir-fry,
kumquat-pecan crepes, chicken-kumquat spring rolls, kumquat puree,
kumquat marmalade, kumquat chutney, kumquat chips, kumquat nut bread,
kumquat cake, kumquat oatmeal cookies, or even candied kumquats.
Thanks for all the suggestions!


This evening, Ari and I had our writing group with friends. We did our writing activities and discussed a wide variety of topics; the creation of a unique religion, kinship structures, local economics, and the direction of the country, all future fodder for our fictional endeavors.

A bunch of goodness

The CSA farm box came today.

As usual, it was another good one!

This week's box had shallots, broccoli, avocados, red bell peppers, snap peas,

grape tomatoes, collard greens, romaine lettuce, cremini mushrooms, mint, cilantro,

cameo apples, pears, meyer lemons, kumquats, tangerines, and a mango.

We can't wait to get cooking!

By the way, what exactly does one do with a kumquat?

Here's a nice pic of Camas Beach.

David and the littlest farmers visited it last Saturday.

Trees of Life and a Taste Tempter

I really
see to like
this tree

of life theme!

Today, I worked on designing the layout for this year's garden. We'll be planting 34 vegetables, plus strawberries, tomatoes, rhubarb, berry bushes, and trying a few fruit trees. We're trying out 4 heirloom varieties, including some beautiful Italian black beans. So once again, the garden is expanding! It's still way to wet to dig, so we're doing fence repairs and layouts.

I was feeling creative in the kitchen this evening so here's a Julie Ann original:

Tuscan Roasted Vegetable Stew

5 medium potatoes: peeled, cut in 1/2 and thickly sliced

1 large sweet yellow onion: peeled, cut in 1/2 and cut into large squares

1/4 of a large red bell pepper: cut into large squares.

3 parsnips: pared and cut thick diagonally

5 carrots: pared and cut thick diagonally

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp Tuscan Italian seasoning

1 tsp dried rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb 1/2 " cubed beef (or seasoned tofu)

4 cloves garlic minced

1 cup red wine

1 envelop of beef stew (or gravy) seasoning (or miso soup mix)

1-1 and 1/2 cup water (depending on seasoning mix used)

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut all veggies. Oil large roasting dish with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add all veggies. Toss to mix. Top with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Toss to mix well. Place, uncovered in oven.

2) Prepare meat (or tofu). Coat large cooking pot with pan spray (or olive oil). Add meat and saute with 2 cloves of minced garlic until meat begins to brown. Add wine and turn heat to low.

3) Remove veggies from oven. Add remaining garlic to the top of the veggies in oven and toss to mix. Replace in oven. Turn heat up to 400 degrees. Cook 20-30 minutes, until veggies begin to brown around edges. Toss veggies every 5-10 minutes, to cook evenly.

4) Add seasoning envelope and water to meat (tofu).

5) When veggies have finished roasting, remove from oven and carefully add to meat (tofu) pot. Mix gently.

I served this wonderfully aromatic stew with toasted Italian bread, fresh CSA peas, and a glass of red wine. It was fantastic!

NW Garden Show

Today, Ari, Lisa and I went to the NW Garden Show.

Here are a few of my favorite exhibits

I loved this suspended window door

A beautiful weeping pussy willow

The coolest garden gate on the planet!

And finally...
A purple door to exit by.

These were just a few of my favorite ideas. The garden show was awesome! and set around sustainable gardening. We saw lots of exhibits and picked up some pointers on the fine art of the garden. I learned which types of fruit grow well in our damp climate. I bought lots of seeds to sow and a rhubarb starter. I found a stone quail for my garden, some homemade tiles and grapefruit soap, local honey, a beautiful scarf, and entered a drawing for a chicken coop (wish me luck!). We wondered around the display gardens and checked out at least a dozen greenhouses. It was a great way to spend a Saturday!

BAD Boy Barkley!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID/Dad!!!!!!!

We love you!!!

Look at that guilty face!

Barkley having a BIG time out in his kennel!

He was a bad, bad boy dog.

He went out in the back garden,

and when we went to call him in, he wasn't there.

We looked everywhere!

Then Alex heard a whimpering by the back fence.

Barkley Bad Boy had snuck under the fence into the neighbor's yard,

our neighbors with the chickens!

We had visions of Barkley Bad Boy emerging with a mouthful of feathers,

but he looked relatively clean of hen debris as we pulled him back through the fence.

David went around to check with the neighbors regarding the poultry.

Luckily, they had seen Barkley coming through

and shooed the chickens into their coop area.

Tomorrow, we'll be reenforcing the back fence

to keep that BAD Boy Barkley Boodle on his side!

In other news, I finished up my tour of jury duty.

It will be nice to get back to our 'normal' schedule next week.

Getting my house in order

Here's Anni getting her house in order,

her dollhouse that is.

Anni loves this doll house with all its bits and pieces.

The lime green vacuum is her favorite!

Today, I had jury duty again.

My number wasn't picked,

so I get to enjoy the fun again tomorrow.

In other news, Lisa and I had our writing class,
and then we went to the veggie dinner at the Veg of WA group.

Today's menu was Carribean.

I loved the eggplant dish!

A beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Here's a beautiful little walking trail near our home.

We loved this rare, bright and shiny winter day!

We call this tree the herder's crook. It was hit by lightning!
And to end a beautiful day, a stunning sunset!

Mountains, Masks, and Many Spices

David took a trip up Mount Index this morning.

Here are some of the awesome pictures of the rushing river rapids,

winter trees, and big boulders.

In other news, Alex finished up his role in the Seagirl play.

This time, he was the main narrator and an eagle.

After three shows, he's ready for a break!

We made our Sunday family dinner again tonight.

We made an Indian meal this time with fish in a fresh green sauce,

korma potatoes, spicy cauliflower with green peppers, and a pea and mushroom curry.

We pretty much used every pot and pan in the kitchen, but it was absolutely delicious!

And finally...

After weeks of searching for a writing book my class is using with no luck,

I found it at the half-price bookshop!

along with another title that was just $1.

This definitely qualifies as a win:win.

I got the book I needed and one I wanted for a great price.

Someone else was able to sell and recycle their used book!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's my valentine!

The kids had their heart shaped boxes of chocolates.

David had a wine glass full of Dove chocolates.

I took a couple of hours off to have an urban adventure in my own hometown. I had coffee at my favorite coffee shop, and a pastry. Then I scoped out one of the local consignment stores and visited the beading shop I've been meaning to get to for over a year now. Then it was off to a special shop for something special for later and finally to the craft store to find valentine supplies.

Later, I joined up with the family for lunch at a great little Thai restaurant downtown. My hometown is awesome!

The other night we fancied a cozy dinner.

We made up a ham and tomato plate

with a spinach frittata - easy and delicious!
Tonight, we had homemade pizza, chocolate spice cake, and chocolate dipped strawberries,
but they disappeared before I could snap a photo!

Eek a chicken!

The farm box came today.

It was full of goodiness as usual.

We received cauliflower, sugar peas, potatoes, tomatoes,

red peppers, chard, lettuce, bok choy, kale, broccoli, carrots,

lemons, apples, tangelo, oranges, grapefruit, and strawberries!

Hey, how did that chicken get into the photo?

Sneaker Tales

These are my old sneakers, grubby and worn.

The souls are smooth and the arches flat.

They've run 330 miles and ellipsed many more,

And now they're retired for the gardening chores.

These are my new sneakers, shiny and bright.

The souls are knubby and the arches tight.

They're ready to run but look, "oh no!"

My laces where tied by you know who! (^)

And here are the most special sneakers of all.

The ones that did the Boston Marathon,

And because they ran that special race,

They get a pass from the composting space.

Never Joke About Snow!

So in yesterday's blog, I kidded my friends and family in England

about their impending snow this week. And.....

This was the scene we awoke to this morning!

And the weather man is predicting more for tomorrow!


I must have angered the weather gods!

Sunday Fun

Today, this farmer headed to the gym for a workout. I did the treadmill, ellipse, and exerbike today (phew!). I've got to get ready for bike riding. This time, I'm determined to stay upright!

Later this afternoon, the older future farmers and I went to the movies. After being out voted (I wanted to see Slumdog Millionaire), we went to see Coraline. This magical fairytale, written by Neil Giaman and directed by Tim Burton, had just the right blend of originality and creepiness. It was terrific!

We see in the weather forecast that Colchester is scheduled for snow this week. Have you got your sleds ready?

New Wheels for the Bumbling Bicycler

Here's a photo of my new girlie bike! I'm even having it fitted with a wicker basket on the front for runs to the market and picnics in the park! Given that my broken wrist of last summer still sends me occassional reminders of my spectaclular wipeout, I plan to start riding around a track before hitting the trail. To those of you who have reminded me that the term is cyclist, let me assure you I'm not at even the beginning level of one of those. I'm still a bumbling bicycler, remember?

In other news of the day, we had a lovely urban adventure in Bellevue today. We had a chilly walk around the downtown park, lunch at a Chinese restaurant with excellent salt and pepper squid, and browsed around the mall and bookstore. We may even have found a sofa for downstairs!

Dog versus Visitor

The other day we heard a great commotion coming from the upper corner of the back yard. Barkley, unlike his moniker, hardly ever barks, but he was barking up a dark storm. We also heard a strange unbirdlike chittering. When I finally left the lessons with the kids and looked outside, we could see he had chased a raccoon out of our compost bin! The racoon was sitting on top of the back fence chittering away at Barkley. For several minutes they had a noisy standoff. When Barkley took a flying leap at him, the raccoon disappeared over the fence in a flash.

It had rained really hard the night before. We are guessing the visitor was surveying the compost pile on his nightly raids and decided to climb in, curl up, and take a nap under the covering. He was rousted by Barkley who happens to think the tastier tidbits in the compost are his alone. Barkley then stood guard over the compost bin for the next half hour.

What's cookin'?

Here's the new cooker, all clean and bright,

Illuminated by its own shiny light.

It's begging for food to boil, saute, or bake,

Out came the cookbooks, we found chocolate cake,

And pastas galore and six pizza pies,

Soups, Stews, and hot curries of every flavor and size,

We used every dish, pot, and pan on the shelf,

And then I did the dishes, all by myself!

As soon as I move this sleeping couch hog,

I'm going to nap just like a sweet puppy dog!