My Bit of Earth

Rub That Doggy

Although we're celebrating a bit late, Porterhouse turned 10 this month.

For a few years now, I've had grand plans for a party on her 10th--lots of people, lots of dogs, games, cheesy party bandannas--the whole shebang.  But earlier this month when I started thinking about the specific wheres and whens, Sweet Husband wisely pointed out that--as Porter dislikes both big crowds of people and big crowds of dogs--a party might not be the best way to celebrate her day.

But what to do instead?  I felt like I needed to do something a little out of the ordinary--i.e. not just a special food treat or a trip to the dog park.  I don't know what her perceptions of time are, but in both dog and people years a decade is a long time and I felt like I needed to honor that with something extra special.

After stewing for awhile, I had an idea.

Drinking Deep

Beautiful Bulbs

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Spring flowers.  But I think I might like Fall bulbs even more. 

I went to the nursery this afternoon to get some daffodils and spent the better part of a half an hour playing in the bulb bins.  You'd think a bulb is a bulb, but when you look closely there are all kinds of differences in color and size and texture of the skin.  Daffodils are brown and peel-y, while the tulips are pinker and smooth.  The allium bulbs are big as onions (which they're related to) and white with no skin at all, and the muscari are tiny enough that they're almost more like seeds.  And the hyacinths--although their blooms are many different colors--all start out bright purple.

I really could have brought home a few of each, but I was good for the most part and limited my choices to the space I actually have available...for once.

I did splurge on a few pre-chilled bulbs to grow inside this winter.  If you will recall, the last forcing experiment did not go so well, but I'm hoping--since they're ready to go and won't have to live in the fridge for two months--these will work better.

For a list of what I chose, click onward....

Wednesday Poll: Employment Nostalgia

Lately Sweet Husband and I have been doing a lot of reminiscing about some of the jobs we had in high school and college.  They completely sucked at the time, of course, but looking back--no real responsibility, lots of good friends to commiserate with, no worrying about serious advancement or broader goals.  I like my job now a lot, but, at the same time, I don't think I really appreciated what I had back then.

So, for this week's poll:

What were some of your first jobs?  What did you love and what did you hate?  What did you fail to appreciate about them until you were older?

Comment and discuss.

Kansas Sunflower in an Irish Jug

Cleaning Out My Stash, Planning New Projects

Without fail, every year right about the first of fall my hands start to kind of itch for something crafty to do.  I think it's a nesting thing, making the house cozy for winter and all of that....or maybe it's just that it's now cool enough to have a lap full of yarn or cloth or whatever....

At any rate, this weekend I pulled out some old projects I'd set aside and started thinking about some new ones.  I have a tendency to go crazy and buy materials for five or six different things--which, of course, then never all get finished--so I have a nice stash of unfinished projects built up!

But I'm going to try not to do that this year.  This year I'm planning.  This year I'm using up stuff I already have.  This year I'm going to get these three projects done before I even think about starting anything else.... 

First, this weekend I finished embroidering the edge of this Welshie quilt square that I started over a year ago.  The plan is to make it into a bag, I think.  Or maybe a lap quilt.  I may have to buy some more fabric, but I'm hoping I can use up at least a few of the odd scraps hanging out in my spare room closet.

Second, I also got a start on a pretty crocheted hat (the pattern for which is in this book).  I bought the yarn and book to make it...oh, maybe three years ago?  I've started a few times before, but had trouble (for some reason I can't remember) and got frustrated.  It seems to be going well this time though; I have the top part done, at least.  Maybe it just needed to stew a bit. 

Last, I'm going to make an afghan to donate to the Victory Junction Camp.  I found out about this camp through future girl, who found out about it through Vivi.  You can follow this links for more information, but basically it's a camp for kids with chronic illnesses.  They get to do all the typical camp stuff during the day, as well as some fun extras like Nascar cars and hot air balloon rides.  Each night the kiddos bunk-in under homemade blankets, and everyone gets to take an afghan (made by volunteers such as moi) home with them. 

It seems like a worthwhile project, and I've joined the group of other people doing it (over at "Tricot du Coeur") so that part will be fun too.  Oh, and the afghan isn't due 'till the end of March--also very good, because it might take me awhile!  I did have to cheat and buy new yarn for this one (because I didn't have enough of any one color anyway) but it's for charity so it doesn't count, right?

How about you all?  Is the (now officially) autumn air making anyone else feel crafty?

Wednesday Poll: The Bad Men?

(I feel like I have to include a disclaimer here to warn you this is not your typical warm-fuzzy Wednesday poll.  But it is something that really got me thinking, and I hope it will do the same for you....)

I am a faithful reader of slate.com's "Dear Prudence" column.  I don't always agree with the author, Emily Yoffe, but I do often find what she has to say thought provoking.  For example, in last week's column, she printed this letter:

Dear Prudence,
My younger, 13-year-old sister is having a slumber party for her birthday, and invited three or so of her 13- to 14-year-old girlfriends to our house. Shortly after, "Sara's" mother suggested that my sister's party should be held at "Tammy's" house. Why? Because Tammy has a single mother. Sara's mother is concerned that my father will be in his house during the festivities. There is no reason to be concerned about my father doing anything inappropriate to any of the girls (all the parents have met each other), but she is just uncomfortable about the idea of her daughter sleeping in the same house with another nonfamily man. She has also convinced the other parents that a change of venue would be a good idea. Although Tammy's mother is willing to host the event, my family is offended that the situation has come to this. Since when is it a crime to have a happy two-parent household? Should we cancel the event altogether, at my sister's expense? Ask my dad to go on a mini vacation? Go along with the venue change? Tell this lady she is overreacting?

—Befuddled

Creamy Roasted Onion Soup

Here's the last of the fruits of my weekend cooking binge (we still have quite a bit of everything stored away, but this is the last different meal, at least)--Creamy Roasted Onion Soup.

If the onion family had a reunion it would be this soup--onions, garlic, shallots, leeks (from the garden)--all the alliums are there for the party.  As I was chopping everything up I considered renaming it "The Soup of a Thousand Tears" or similar.  It sounds like it would scare away vampires for days, but actually, the roasting process makes the soup pleasantly sweet.  I like it with lots of crisped onions (as Martha suggests) and lumps of crusty bread or croutons mixed right in.

Spicy Squash Pasta

For the past few years, this has been my very favorite Fall recipe.  This is the recipe that taught me that I like squash.  It's sweet and spicy and creamy and chunky--it's Spicy Squash Pasta.

Follow the link to get the recipe (it's another Martha, although it's a few years old).  I always end up fudging on the spices--I can never remember if the bottle I have hiding in the back is sage or thyme, so I always end up with two of one and none of the other.  However, as long as you have the pepper flakes, garlic (add extra), and at least two of the other three, it works just fine.  (I always skip the parsley.  It's just for color really, and I think the herbs by themselves (coupled with some lovely spinach pasta if you have it) do that just as well.)

The only bad part is--even if you cut the squash into small pieces prior to roasting--it takes at least an hour to get it all together.  But, as previously mentioned, the sauce is even better after hanging out in the fridge for a few days, so make it on a weekend and stash it away for a night you get home late.  Then you just have to boil the pasta and you're good to go.

Mmmm....squashy goodness!

Apple Happies

Today was a cooking day. 

The little nip of fall in the air got me craving all my favorite Fall foods, and somehow--unlike my favorite Summer foods that can usually be served pretty nearly raw--Fall foods seem to need to roast and stew and simmer in a way that there just isn't time for on the typical week night.  Thankfully, most of my favorites are also better after sitting in the fridge or freezer for a few days, and so can be cooked on a Sunday afternoon and warmed up when wanted.  (Don't worry, I'll be posting pictures and recipes over the course of this week.)

But, of course, we had to have something for dinner tonight too, right?  And after all, apple's are fall food too, correct?

I found this recipe (for Apple "Dumplings" although I like my name better) in the September issue of Martha Stewart.  Sweet Husband is, in his words, a connoisseur of apple pie, so I thought it was worth a shot. 

And after smelling them cooking for an hour--hot apples and cinnamon, sweet raspberry jam, toasty walnuts--we really did end up splitting one for dinner.  So bad, but yet so good!  Click onward for the recipe....

Letting the Garden Go

I read somewhere (perhaps a book of gardening advice for type A personalities) that when you start feeling like your garden is more job than joy, it's time to just leave it for awhile.  A month ago--when the summer veggies were really slowing down and after the battle of the squash bugs--I was ready to do just that.

After my my month of neglect however, this morning I woke up with a whimsy for some roasted onion soup (recipe and pictures to be posted later this week), and for that I needed leeks from the garden.

As you can see, the weeds did well for themselves while I was away.  The cucumber and bean vines largely withered to nothing, although there were still a few rotting tomatoes hanging on.  My rosemary looked better than it had all summer (sometimes less is more, I suppose), and the leeks, while small still, were of pick-able size. 

It seemed a lot of people had the same idea I did and had taken a break.  The result was that our community garden--pleasantly rambling on the best of days--looked just plain wild. 

I pocketed a few nice sprigs of rosemary, pulled up an armload of leeks, and went home to make my soup.  The clean-up will have to be done eventually (at least by the time the garlic I ordered from Seed Savers gets here in mid-October), but for now I'm still letting it go.

Shaman Dox

Mass Street Totem

Behind the Scooter

Some of you will remember that earlier this year Sweet Husband traded in his car for a scooter. At the time, I was really excited about it--thinking of the gas money we would save and how much more enviro-friendly we were being. But the truth of the matter is, after the first few "look how cute my new scooter is" rides, the "we" part kind of petered out. The brunt of the decision to downgrade from car to scooter--both good and bad–-has largely landed on Sweet Husband.

Or at least it had until this week, when Sweet Husband took himself and our remaining car out of town for a class and left me and "Beep-Beep" home to fend for ourselves.

So, how's it been having a scooter as your only means of transportation, you ask?

Wednesday Poll: Is There a Doctor in the House?

When I woke up Monday morning, the tickling sore throat I'd had all weekend had blossomed into a full blown, achy, nose-dripping, sinus-pressure-so-bad-it-felt-like-my-right-eye-should-be-popping-out cold.

After calling in sick to work, I started casting around for some drugs--I sincerely believe knocking yourself out and sleeping through it is the only cure for cold and flu--when I realized we were out. Even more troubling, I realized--with Sweet Husband gone on work and Nice Mom several hours away--there was no one I could call to get me NyQuil or soup or 7up or any of the other things essential to weathering out whatever bug I'd caught.

As much of a ninny as this makes me sound like, I was a little forlorn. As I sat on the couch sniveling into a rough paper towel (no Kleenex in the house, of course), I thought back and realized that between my mother and my father and my husband, I've never had to completely fend for myself when I've been sick. In almost 27 years, there has always been someone else there to take care of me.

Eventually, I made it to the store and got what I needed, of course. But it made me feel a little silly at what I had taken for granted--that everyone has someone to take care of them when they're sick, that everyone has close friends and family that love them enough to bring them a bowl of chicken soup. I thought of all the people who are alone in the world for whatever reason; or even just some of my single friends who moved away from their parents for college or married later than I did--all of whom surely have had to fetch their own cold medicine from time to time....

And, although I also felt like a big baby, I felt blessed that I had always had someone there. Well, at least, as blessed as you can feel between sneezes.

So, for this week's poll:

Who took care of you as a child when you were sick? What did they do that was especially comforting? When was the first time you had to entirely take care of yourself?

Comment and discuss.

Seed Saver

The last time we had home-grown sunflower seeds I went through all the nonsense of brining them and roasting them.  When I was done, I realized I could have bought twice as many for 99 cents at the gas station down the street, and the gas station seeds would have tasted better.

So, when I pulled these seeds off of two nice big sunflower heads this afternoon--the lighter seeds from my 12 feet tall "Sunzillas", the darker from a much shorter volunteer that just popped up--they went straight to my box'o'seeds to be planted next summer.

It might be the first time saving has been more fun than spending.

After I pulled the heads off, I thought about pulling the rest of the sunflowers down.  They're pretty ragged, and the flowers that are left on them aren't going to make much in the way of seeds.  But just as Sweet Husband was about to start chopping (the "Sunzilla" stems really do get thick) he noticed three Monarch butterflies fluttering around the last little, yellow blooms.  Happily, the sunflowers will have to stay a few weeks longer. 

The Wonders of Nature

I like my modern entertainment as much as the next woman, but some days just walking out your back door can be...well, incredible.

Last night, Nice Sister-In-Law and Cutie Niece brought Porterhouse up to us and stayed for a slumber party.  This morning we took Cutie Niece to the "Monarch Watch" butterfly open house.

Wednesday Poll: Have You Noticed Them Yet?

The ads to your left right, I mean.  I debated long and hard about putting them up--it seemed a little like tattooing my baby.  But, although the wonders of Typepad aren't terribly expensive, they aren't free; and I ultimately decided that if they can pay the bills (and maybe even for some upgrades I'd really like to make) they'll be worth it. 

I also really like the Blogher Ads' (the company I chose to go with) set up.  You can object to ads with any content you disagree with and they throw in some public service announcements.  Further, they also include four or five rotating headlines from other blogs who've signed up with their service, to give everyone increased exposure (see directly under the ad).  I've already noticed some extra traffic from the headline that went up for my "California  Moe" post.  While my attitude has always been that I write what I want to and everyone else can take it or leave it as they please, it is nice to have more ways to get stuff out there.

With all that being said--although I know it's not nearly as fun to think about as last week's question was--for this week's poll:

What do you think about the ads?  About ads on blogs in general?  Do you just ignore them?  Do you ever click them?  Do you believe they influence what or how people write?

Comment and discuss. 

Not Free

Pooches Plunging

(O.K., I promise, I haven't become a total puppy blogger.  Very soon I have plans to plant a fall garden, thresh my sunflowers, attack the morning glories before they eat my house--lots of things, I promise.  But in the meantime....)

As if he hasn't had enough swimming this week, tonight we took the Wee Welshman to the Pooch Plunge, the end of year dog swim/humane society fundraiser at our local city pool.  We ran into all our friends as usual, and even managed to find our cutie little Pomeranian neighbor, Nano.  Moe had fun for awhile, but got the whistle blown when he started chasing balls into the deep end and we had to fish him out.  More pictures here.

Have Dog, Will Travel

As a wrap up to our trip I wanted to post a little bit more of my thoughts--both practically and philosophically--about traveling with Moe. 

Practically speaking, the first thing many people have asked me about was the cost.  All told, it was roughly $300, which included his airfare ($200) and a health certificate from out vet ($90) that everyone said we needed, but no one ever actually asked to see.  I can hear people gasping, "But you could have bought another plane ticket for that!"  And it's true, we could have. 

However, you have to remember that when you have pets they cost you something to leave at home too.  Moe is a little intense to really leave with (free) family, so our options are boarding him ($200) or having a pet sitter come over to walk him ($350).  And--although I generally like the doggie daycare where we would board him and I love our dog walker--I still would have worried.  When you look at the alternatives (and given that we had planned an outdoorsy vacation anyway), it was actually cost and peace-of-mind effective to bring him along.

Reality is Back

After a long day of travel, we're all safely back home from our VACATION (except for Porter who is staying with Nice Mom and Sister until we can fetch her this weekend). 

It's nice to be home...but it was nice to be gone too.  I was watching TV at the airport in Houston and realized I've completely tuned out every scrap of news over the past week.  I have (or had, up to that point) no idea what's going on in Kansas, Iraq, or anywhere in between.  A pleasant ignorance, but sadly one that couldn't last....

Carnelian Bay

Coon Street Beach

Master Test with Drama

Today we went back for the second day of the Golden Gate Dachshund Club earthdog test.  It was the first time I had entered Moe in a master test and we were up first--needless to say, I was a little nervous.

Because I haven't talked about the master test yet, a little explanation....

Fuzzy Moss

This is What a Senior Earthdog Looks Like

Part of the reason we chose to visit Nice Dad and Nice Step-Mom when we did was because the Golden Gate Dachshund Club was having an earthdog trial nearby this weekend.  If you will recall (see here and here) when last we discussed the subject, Moe needed one more leg to earn his senior earthdog title.

As you can guess from the title of this post, he qualified...squee!!!   But (as anyone who does pretty much any dog event will tell you) there was, of course, much more to the story than that. 

Dried Yellow Flowers