My Bit of Earth

Wednesday Poll: No Commentor Left Behind

As a late comment to last week's "rant" question, my Nice-Mom-In-Law said she would rant about "No Child Left Behind."

I was chatting about that with a friend this morning, and we ended up coming round to the idea that policies such as NCLB are symptomatic of a greater societal problem--we really don't allow people not to be good at certain activities anymore. 

Don't misunderstand, I'm not arguing that every child shouldn't know how to read, write, and do at least basic math, and I'm not saying every child shouldn't be encouraged to try.  But should everyone get a ribbon at the track meet, even the person who came in last place?  Should everyone get a prize at the spelling bee, even the kid who didn't make it past the first round? 

And to expand that thought, should everyone be asked to excel at academics or sports or whatever, even when it's apparent that a person's talents might lie elsewhere?  And does pressuring someone who's not good at one thing to keep trying to do that thing deprive them of the chance to learn to do something they really might have a gift for?

In the spirit of that discussion, and for this week's poll:

What's something you're not good at?  Was there a time you felt pressured to excel in that area despite the fact that you're just not good at it?  Conversely, what's something you're good at?  How does it all fit together for you?

Comment and discuss.

Cabbage Nibbles and Terrier Quibbles

I was at the Burrow garden tonight and discovered some chewed on cabbages.  Just a little, and just on a few leaves--not enough to make me really worried, but I'd rather nip it in the bud.

The Problem Solver says I need to start looking for wee caterpillars and picking them off.

In other news, Moe does not get to go to the community garden again on nights when watering is going to take place.  It seems his one moment of fame has gone to his head, and he now thinks ice-pick barking at the water hose is cute all the time.

Not so much.

Alabama Dish Towels

The "Alabama Stitch Book" has been making the rounds of some of the crafty blogs I read, and after seeing several cute projects I decided it was time to check it out from the library.

Most of the projects in the book are made using old t-shirts and are based on a "reverse applique" technique.  How it works is, you stencil a design onto fabric with paint, stitch two pieces of fabric together at the edge of the stencil, then cut off the top layer of fabric to get a sort of stain glass effect.  (Here's a close-up picture to give you a better idea.)

I wanted to try something easy to start, so I decided to make these dish towels.  I used two XL t-shirts for the main part of the towel (the white and gray parts) and a smaller blue t-shirt for the underneath bits.  I really like the way they turned out, and the t-shirt material is great for wiping up.  If I can collect enough old shirts, I may try a skirt next.

Pendleton's Pick Your Own

If you're in the area, Pendleton's has started their pick-your-own asparagus and spinach.  Aside from the fact that a field full of asparagus stalks looks like some sort of science fiction landscape, you can't get much fresher than two hours from field to dinner.

Famous Back Eddy House Pickles

I've been on a quest for pickle recipes lately.  Not so much the canned kind (which I'm always a little afraid to eat lest I've done something wrong), just 'fridge pickles--maybe with a little something in them besides just cukes.  To that end, I checked out the book "Quick Pickles: Easy Recipes with Big Flavor" from the library and have been thumbing through it for the last week or so.

It's a great book.  Just the right balance of recipes and pickle folklore.  And it has recipes for things you might not think of pickling, like cabbage and squash.  I think I may try some "Citrus Pickled Turnips" next.

But this afternoon, I went with something a little more tame.  I decided to try "Famous Back Eddy House Pickles".  The recipe is basically cucumber based, but also has carrots, peppers, and onions for a little variety.  There's a good bit of mustard (yum!) as well as all-spice and vinegar (which smell so incredible when they're cooking together!).  I halved the amount of vegetables, but left the amount of spices as written which made them extra spicy.  I think I polished off half a jar before they even made it to the fridge!  For the recipe, read on.

Daring Bakers: Cheesecake Pops

This month's Daring Bakers challenge--posed by Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah of Taste and Tell--was a recipe for cheesecake pops from the book "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" by Jill O'Connor.  (Isn't that the greatest title ever?)

The original recipe would have made 40 pops, so I halved it and baked the cheesecake in an 8 inch pan instead of a 10 inch pan.  That part worked great.  I also halved the dipping chocolate, which didn't work as well.  I ended up with 24 cheesecake pops, but only enough chocolate to cover about 15 of them.  Not a big deal--because we certainly didn't need more than that--but something to keep in mind if quantity is important.

These tasted very good, as one might expect from cheesecake on a stick!  They had just the right amount of chocolate per bite of cheesecake.  The stick was more pretty than functional; the cheesecake balls wanted to slip off of it, but that could have been partly because I didn't have enough chocolate to really coat the tops.  (And yes, these were done in Jayhawk colors on purpose.  I made them for the North Carolina game--they must be lucky!)

For the recipe, read on....

My First Red Riding Hood Tulip

Yup, it's pretty much really that color.  And between the color, the shape, and the pretty, pretty leaves, I may never grow another kind of tulip.

In other news, I murdered thinned some baby carrots this evening.  As I was pulling out each of the teensy seedlings one by one, I pondered the fact that--sometime during the past few years, without realizing it--I must have learned just a little patience.  Here's the before and after.

Wednesday Poll: Rant On!

One of the reasons I like the show "Boston Legal" is because they always deal with legal issues that are fairly current.  And--although it's so unrealistic--I love it that Alan Shore (James Spader) gets to say stuff I wish I could say in court, but can't because, well, I like my law license. 

This evening's episode was more current than usual.  It featured Shore arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case where the defendant had been sentenced to death for raping a child in Louisiana.  In case you don't keep up, that exact same case (Kennedy v. Louisiana) was argued in the real U.S. Supreme Court just last week.  And Shore didn't pull any punches.  He called the justices out, went off on all the hypocrisies inherent in our capital punishment scheme, and more! (UPDATE:  I found a clip of it!)

It was the same stuff my co-workers and I go off about, but really can't say in front of an actual court.  And even though it was a fake lawyer ranting at fake justices I just about stood up and cheered when he was done.  Although who knows if any of the real justices watch the show, somehow it's almost like my own rants on the subject were delivered (minus all of the unpleasantness that would occur if I were to deliver said rants personally).

So, for this week's poll:

If you could go on an all out rant on someone about an issue you care about without having to deal with any of the repercussions of said rant, who would you go off on and what would you go off about?

Comment and discuss.

Gnocchi With Morels

I made my first trip to the Farmer's Market today.  I was looking for asparagus--which no one had--but I ended up scoring what I thought was a pretty good deal on some Pendleton's morel mushrooms. 

I used them to make some yummy gnocchi with mushrooms and sage--basically a little mushroom, a little gnocchi, a little garlic, a little butter.  (For the full recipe, see "Cook With Jamie".)

I'd never tried a morel before, but I definitely now understand why people are so crazy about them.  The smell that came off the pan when they started to cook was incredible.  It was woody and damp--kind of like opening a bag of potting soil.  And the texture once they were cooked was not at all chewy like some mushrooms--it was lighter than the gnocchi itself, but still substantial. 

I have a feeling this could become one of my new Spring favorites!

Bloomin' Gorgeous

I was outside this evening, basking in the wonderfulness that is a nice day in the Spring, when I started adding up all the bits of this and that poking up within the perimeter of our house.  I decided it would make a nice little photo grouping, so here you go....

Wamego Letterboxing

Spent the weekend up the road in the small town of Wamego meeting a new arrival and visiting Nice Grandma and Dad. 

Yesterday afternoon Nice Dad, the pups, and I slipped out for some letterboxing in the area.  We started with the Bison Bison box, which was hidden in a pretty little rock wall near Tuttle Creek.  (The "bison" in this picture were crafty pointers to the box!)  It was a nice little walk for this time of year, but I wouldn't want to do it in the summer--lots of thorns and I picked up a tick, as well! 

Then we drove out to Pillsbury Crossing--a little stream with a shallow place that cars can ford into and a waterfall--and found Grandma's Think Tank.  I won't spoil the surprise, of course, but the stamp made me giggle.

(Letterboxing: P4 F7 X0 / Geocaching: P0 F2)

Wednesday Poll: Sorta Senseless Safekeeping

I was putting some stuff in my cedar chest the other day when I uncovered a set of dish towels that my grandmother embroidered for me as a wedding present.  At the time I decided they were too pretty to use, so I put them away for safekeeping.  As I pulled them out of the chest though, I thought to myself, "I really should throw some of our old towels away and use these instead." 

But then, as I unfolded each one and laid them out together, I realized I couldn't bring myself to do it.  Although I know my grandmother herself would laugh at my silliness, as I looked at the bright colors of the thread and each perfect little stitch...and pictured myself using them to wipe up spaghetti sauce and grease spots and to wring out spinach...nope, just couldn't do it.  Back into the cedar chest the towels went, for a time when I have a place to display them with no danger of them actually being used.

Thinking about it logically, it's a bit ridiculous.  They're dish towels.  Their whole reason for being is to clean up messes.  I'm keeping them from their purpose in life.  But that doesn't change my mind!

So, for this week's poll:

What's something that you have (or had in the past) that you keep safe by not using it for it's intended purpose?  Why?

Comment and discuss.

Little Things and Old Friends, All Popping Up

Although it still seems too chilly to be mid-April, tonight I was working outside a little and noticed that Spring seems to be thinking about starting.

First, at the Burrow garden I've got a few wee peas popping up.  I was a little worried about them--the radishes, carrots, and other things I planted at the same time started coming up last week, I was afraid the peas might just be rotting--but they were just taking their time.  They kind of look like tiny aliens popping their heads up out of the dirt.

Second, around the house some of the things I've planted in years past are starting to come back.  Although I really haven't put in a whole lot that's survived here, it makes me think about how much fun it would be to live in the same place for 10 years--seeing what comes back, seeing what doesn't, seeing what skips a year or two.

As it is, the mint along our fence is starting to fill in.  It was probably the first thing I planted at this house, and the original cutting came from Nice-In-Laws' plants.  When I took it, I was warned to be careful because mint is very hard to kill.  Here, the morning glories keep it pretty much in check, but it still comes back every year.

Also, the little grape hyacinths I planted the first fall we were here are starting to randomly pop up.  I planted them in what I've come to call the "Spot of Death" (a super clay filled spot in front of our kitchen window) so they always come back in splotches, if at all.  But there were enough to make a teeny bouquet in a shot glass that's been just the right size to carry from room to room with me this evening.  In the same spot, one solitary red "Triumph" tulip (out of the 25 I planted) looks like it's also going to make it's yearly appearance, although it hasn't bloomed yet.

Lastly, my Meyer lemon tree--which was my Christmas present from Sweet Husband the first year we were married, and has spent the past three years looking like it belongs in a Charlie Brown cartoon--has found a spot it loves in our sunny bedroom.  There are probably 30 blossoms forming, making the greatest smell to fall asleep to.  Cross your fingers--maybe this time I'll finally get some lemons!

(Because I just discovered it and it looks like fun, I'm adding this post to this month's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day over at May Dreams Gardens.  Go check it out to see what's blooming right now all around the world!)

Terrier Play

In addition to our scooter-buying and parade-going, Moses and I spent part of the weekend at the Heartland Spring Terrier Trial.

Yesterday, we did some go-to-ground and a barn hunt.  Moe got through the GTG in 6 seconds, which was good enough for second place. 

He probably would have placed in the barn hunt as well, had I not screwed up.  The point of the barn hunt is to see how well you communicate with your terrier.  A rat is hidden in one of several tubes in a barn-like area, and the dog has to sniff around and find it.  When you think your dog is acting like he's found the tube with the rat in it, you say so.  The idea is to both pick the right tube, and to do it quickly.

When I released Moe he went straight to the correct tube, but he didn't indicate as strongly as he usually does, so I encouraged him to check out the other tubes.  He still didn't seem too excited about any of them--and after a minute of wandering around the barn stall, I was totally stumped--so when he went back to the first one I decided to just pick it.  Wouldn't you know it, that was the right one!  If I had just trusted him, we probably would have done really well.  I'm going to try hard to remember that next time!

Today he won first and second place in his two races, and (for the very first time ever) was able to figure out the super go-to-ground!  Super GTG is a more complicated version of regular GTG--the tunnel has multiple entrances and exits, and has some uphill and downhill parts.  I've entered Moe at every Jack Russell trial we've been to, but he just gets so excited when he knows we're doing earthdog that sometimes he has trouble engaging his brain.  He's never been able to even get to the rats before. 

Today he ran into the obvious entrance like gangbusters as usual, but--when he realized that wasn't going to get him to the rats--he really stopped and thought about it and used his nose to sniff out the right entrance instead.  He found the rats in just over a minute, which was good enough for fourth place.  I'm hoping this is a sign that he's maturing a little bit.

All in all, not a bad trial for us.  :)

Jayhawk Victory Parade!

Today was the parade for the basketball team...or, as I guess I should properly say, for the University of Kansas National Champion Jayhawk Basketball Team. 

But before we get to the parade, I have to talk about these cutie banners.  I'm trying to get some practice with my sewing machine, and I wanted to have some sort of flag to wave for the parade, so voila!  I made the little ones for practice (and to give away) and the big one to keep.  I was going for a well-used, battle-worn look, and I think succeeded.

As for the parade, I can't even begin to guess how many people were there, but I think 100,000 would not be a crazy guess.  (Looks like that was a good guess!)  The three or four blocks I could see were absolutely packed and the total parade route was about four times that.  As the players came down the street (in convertibles) the crowd just kind of converged on both sides of them, they were literally getting high fives from everyone on the street.  (Mouse over the pictures for captions.)

Stellaaa!

Word to the wise, if your husband ever says, "Honey, I think I want a scooter," you should make him get a nice, big, peppy one.  Otherwise you'll be trading it in a year later for one with a bigger motor.

But if you're lucky, the new scooter will be cuter than the old one, and it'll have a great name that you can have fun yelling out over and over--like "Stellaaa!"

(Yup, we traded Sweet Beep Beep in for a newer, faster scoot.  I haven't gotten to ride her yet since it was SNOWING here today, but Sweet Husband says she's everything he's been dreaming of and more.)

Tricot Blankets Ready to Go

Just got the word that the Tricot du Coeur blankets are all in, and making their next step on the way to their new homes tonight.  Nine were donated through the blog project and those will be combined with others made by the local VFW Women's Auxiliary to make up the final donation to Victory Junction at the end of this month. 

I think it's neat to look at the different colors and styles people chose.  From Futuregirl's rainbow blanket, to Vivi's Hogwarts theme--it's fun to see how everyone put their own spin on things!

Wednesday Poll: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

This winter Moe and I got into a new bad habit.

See, I'm a cold blooded person, so I always want someone to snuggle with when I crawl into bed on chilly winter nights.  Unfortunately, Sweet Husband is just the opposite, so there are nights when he's too warm for a snuggle.  This winter I discovered a solution to our problem in the form of a certain wee terrier.  With Moe cuddled up against my chest I stayed nice and toasty, and Sweet Husband stayed cool as a cucumber--a win/win situation for everyone, including Moe who thought the idea was just swell.

Except now that Spring is coming I don't necessarily need my furry heat pack anymore.  Said heat pack however, now thinks that laying down his fuzzy head anywhere other than next to mine on my pillow is not an option. 

So, for this week's poll:

Where does your dog sleep at night?  How did the arrangement come about?

Comment and discuss.

Rock Chalk Championship!

Mad, heart-stopping insanity!

And that was just the game.

The paper today said there were 40,000 people downtown last night celebrating, and I, of course, was one.  I didn't really think it could get any more wild and crazy than it was on Saturday, but I was wrong.  And it was the very best kind of wild and crazy--everyone was just happy, happy, happy--even the police officers were good naturedly posing for pictures.

Here are a few bits and pieces from our trip down Massachusetts Street.  I apologize in advance if you get seasick easily; for future National Championships I will try to remember to either dance or take video, not both!  (Here's a little more professional video, although I don't think it's as fun!)

And today, a little welcome home party (of something like 25,000 according to the paper).  It was freezing out, but it was fun!  (Mouse over the pictures and it will tell you what's going on--here's a little more video too.)

Last but not least, before I forget, mucho congrats to Erin, who came in third (after Sweet Husband and I) in the MBE bracket pool.  Sweet Husband will bring your prize--a pretty, pretty pair of earrings--to work tomorrow.  Thanks to everyone who played along with me--it was fun!

A Sunday Drive Discovery

We took the dogs to the dog park for a well-needed run this afternoon.  Afterwards we didn't feel like coming home (where cleaning house was the next project of the day) so we went for a little drive. 

Lo and behold, we stumbled onto a lake.  And not just a lake, but a lake with a beach.  And not just a lake with a beach, but a lake with a beach without a "no dogs" sign. 

It was, in all honesty, kind of a crappy little strip of beach, but the pups didn't mind as they were still hot from running at the dog park.  Moe pranced up and down the edge of the water in a "Baywatch" impersonation, while Porter dipped her toes in.

Golden Trumpets

My first "Yellow Trumpet" daffodils opened today.  I've seen others open around the neighborhood for about a week or so, but I think I planted mine in a spot that takes a bit longer to warm up. 

When I planted them (here), I also started some indoor bulbs for forcing.  Not for the first time, it didn't go so well.  The little daffodils were all tall and stringy, and the hyacinth never bloomed at all.

Maybe bulbs just really need to live outside.

Grocery Shopping, Cute

Every Sunday morning after breakfast, I sit down with a cup of coffee and my computer (where I bookmark recipes I come across that look fun) to make the week's grocery list. 

Usually, I just make my list on any old scrap of paper, but a few weeks ago I found and downloaded this super fun meal planner from future girl.  It has spots for listing meals, ingredients needed, and even a little extra space for notes (such as, where the recipe came from--very good thing to write down for when you need to find it again!).  And the drawings--featuring a TV dinner and an old-school lunch box, among others--are adorably retro.

Last Sunday, I ended up going to the store in my sweats and I hadn't taken a shower, but my list was so cute even the check-out girl complimented it!

The Happiest Place on Earth...

...is currently Lawrence, Kansas.  Don't believe me?  Well see for yourself....

We watched the game with friends, then went down to Mass Street for the party afterward.  It was so insane!  Like, a solid six blocks (at least), of screaming, happy, people; impromptu bands; old friends meeting each other in the middle of the street; even one naked guy on a pole!

WOW!

For those of you still keeping track this means those of us that picked KU are now at the top of the MBE bracket pool (that would be Chris, Sweet Husband, Me)--Rock Chalk Jayhawks!

Ha-appy Birth-day Sweet Hus-band!

There was eating.  There was drinking.  There was merriment.  Cupcakes were had, and (despite prior assurances otherwise) there was even just a little bit of dancing in the streets.  And at the end of it all, Sweet Husband was another year older....and maybe a little wiser too!  ;)

Thanks for coming out with us everyone--pictures are here!

Eat Your Weeds

In this month's issue of Martha, there's an article about edible weeds.  I was one of those kids that was always "cooking" with dandelions and toadstools and whatever else I could get my hands on--although Nice Mom properly instilled a healthy fear of actually eating said meals--so I was excited to learn that you actually can nibble on some of the stuff in your backyard without risking untimely death by poisoning.

In particular, I was interested to learn that the little bulbs I used to dig up and pretend were baby onions are actually a form of wild garlic that grows pretty much everywhere in our area in the Spring.  So, last Wednesday night, I trotted out with my weeding stick, dug up some wild garlic, and chopped it up to top a mushroom and cheese Pepin Pizza.  (Explanatory note:  You only eat the stems of the wild garlic, not the bulb itself.)

The result was very nice.  I'm a big lover of regular garlic, but I do realize that it can sometimes come across like, "HI, MY NAME IS GARLIC AND I'M HERE IN YOUR FOOD TODAY!!!"  The wild garlic imparted the same basic flavor, but in a much milder, sweeter way--more like, "Hey, how's it going? I'm Garlic."  Sort of the same relationship that a scallion has to an onion. 

And speaking of scallions, you could easily sub wild garlic for one if you wanted.  It's not the same flavor really, but it's along the same theme.  I think the variance could be interesting.

Although I didn't immediately recognize any of the other weeds listed in the article (except for the dandelions, of course--more on that later) I'll definitely be keeping my eye out to try more edible weeds in the future.  If you're interested, here's Martha's guide to edible weeds, with pictures.

Pretty Porter

Got this pretty picture of Porter last week in the field next to the Burrow garden.  As I've said before, she doesn't often agree to be photographed, so whenever I get a good one I have to share.

If you look closely at her chin, you can just see a glimpse of gray.  After years of keeping her youthful face, she's finally beginning to show her age.

If you look closely on the right of her neck, you can just see a glimpse of her new, red collar that we got from one of our Welsh-List friends.  Thanks again, JoAnn!

Chocolate Chai Spice Cupcakes

For his birthday this year, I had Sweet Husband pick a cupcake recipe from what has to be the most gorgeous cupcake blog ever--Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit.  He chose these Chocolate Chai Spice Cupcakes.

I have to begin by saying, I think these are the best cupcakes I've ever tasted.  Truly.  They're sweet (but in an "adult-sort-of-sweet" way) cinnamon-y, chocolaty, moist--I really don't know how the taste could be improved upon.

And despite the fact that some of Ms. Chockylit's recipes are, well, just a tich above my baking comfort level, this one wasn't too bad.  If you're comfortable melting chocolate, it's not a hard recipe.

My only issues?  The recipe says it makes 24 cupcakes.  I used the regular sized baking cups (just as she uses) and even ended up with several of them overflowing a bit more than I would have liked.  I ended up with almost 40 cupcakes!  In-and-of-itself, that wouldn't have been a problem, but the frosting recipe really did only make enough for 24, so I actually ended up throwing some of the cupcakes away.  (I didn't have enough butter on hand to just double the recipe, and they weren't pretty enough to serve frosting-less.)

Also, while I think the baking cups Chockylit uses look very simple and classy when she uses them, mine ended up just looking a little sloppy.  It's back to the foil muffin cups for me next time.

But aside from those two problems, these guys were incredible!  Can't wait to gobble a few up at Sweet Husband's party tomorrow night!

Daring Bakers in the Washington Post

This is kind of cool--the Daring Bakers were briefly mentioned in the Washington Post.  If you flip to the second picture in the slideshow there's also a picture from one of my other favorite food blogs--La Tartine Gourmande.  Yay food bloggers!

Wednesday Poll: How 'Bout Those "Three Things"?

Remember back in January when I did a Wednesday Poll (based on this post on BlogHer) asking everyone to essentially make three non-selfish New Year's resolutions and commit to them for three months?  Well, it's been three months so, for this week's poll:

How did it go?  Did you stick to your three things?  Or have some fallen by the wayside?  Have any of your "things" inspired you to do more?

Comment and discuss.