Long weekend...

A long weekend coming up - me and the Mo are driving down to SPI to spend a little time at the beach and reconnect with DH. Should be an interesting experience - Mo hasn't spent that much time in a car since we brought her up from the island after Christmas. I've got a new carrier but mostly I expect she will be loose in the car. If that doesn't work, she gets some carrier time...

I like driving down to the island. There are long stretches of rural and even fairly wild terrain. Around Kingsville, there are places where I could be in Africa. And there are a couple exotic game ranches so I might even see a zebra or a few impala.

Happy Easter to all of you. Hopefully you can spend it with family and friend.

projects in progress

A few things in progress today:

• finished up stage 2 of the limoncino project. Stage 2 involves straining out the lemon peel and adding sugar syrup.
• planting out the milkweed plant and cosmos flowers bought yesterday
• installing the trellises that I bought yesterday for my pole beans
• researching the next "big" trip - the Trans-Siberian Railway... ordered a book, read online for a couple hours...
• booked the car (Nova Car Hire is highly recommended) for DH's trip to Italy in May
• made waffles for breakfast!
• finished up the taxes. Will re-do to see if I can eliminate the $2,000 we have to pay.

All in all, a busy productive day.

a banner day

a banner day, originally uploaded by AmyEmilia.

This is the first time we have actually witnessed two butterflies hatching at the same time.

Even in discouraging times, the miracle of daily life is intense.

Without this where would we be...

dancers

dancers, originally uploaded by AmyEmilia.

We have had a couple days of cool, rainy weather here in Houston - very welcome because we are running a deficit of almost 7 inches this year.

These little evening primroses (or buttercups, for Texans) are weighed down by the rain. They look like dancers to me.

snapdragon

snapdragon, originally uploaded by AmyEmilia.

This snapdragon is something of a surprise to us. You may recall that last year we bought a bunch of plants for just a couple dollars. Apparently among them was a snapdragon. I've never actually grown one before so I didn't recognize the young plant until it began to form buds.

I love the color the flowers take on in the afternoon.

Cheddar cheese and sugar

Last night I was feeling a bit nostalgic, and hungry too! When I am in that mood, I will often reach for extra-sharp cheddar cheese, dipped in granulated sugar. My Pennsylvania grandmother used to sit at the end of the kitchen table (the end closest to the stairs down to the basement, where many good things waited to be consumed!) and spoon white sugar over cheddar cheese. It is a wonderful comfort food, and one that reminds me of how simple things can be so satisfying.

Does anyone else have this tradition?