Fluffy the Chicken

Alex and I finally ran into Fluffy again at Country Village today. It's been quite some time since we've conversed with our favorite chicken. He was waiting patiently for us outside of the White House Antique shop, and this time, he didn't fly up into a tree to get away from us! Here he is, glad to see us again after a long absence.

Early Spring Produce from Maltby

The local produce was on display today at Flower World's Maltby Market, and I stopped by for some lovely tomatoes, cabbage, and large green peppers.

I also bought a bottle of a local wine from the Maralblis Estate Winery called Rhubard-Orange-Raisin Wine, fermented with tea. This was too unusual go pass by. I'll let you know what it was like.

Here is what was written on the label: "Are you listening? We did. At first, it is really hard to understand what the vines are saying, because plants speak a different language. Now, after 50 years of listening, we have learned a great deal and are ready to share this wine with you. Our grapevines are speaking 'terroir" (meaning sense of place), the language they speak when growing in their own little part of the earth. Now you can share in the fruit of their knowledge through the fruits of their labor. Earth is for all of us--be good to it."

The First Primroses of Spring--Primula obconica

I stopped by the Maltby Produce Market this afternoon, and it was open! There were tables full of beautiful primroses of all colors, and I lingered briefly over them. Next weekend I will buy a flat of them and start putting them into the borders in the front yard. They will join their predecessors in the yard, as I have had great luck with these lovely flowers coming back year after year. The mulch of maple leaves protects them from the cold winter temperatures.

The primrose plant is a harbinger of spring, flinging wide the doors to long-awaited warmth and bright sunlight. With this flower’s appearance, winter cold makes its final exit (hopefully!).

The name “primula” is derived from the Latin word primus, meaning “first” or “early.” Nearly every culture makes mention of it somewhere. The ancient Greeks named the primrose plant the flower of the 12 gods. They believed the primrose to contain great healing power, and thought it could conquer many fearsome diseases that did not respond to other herbs.

Ancient residents of Europe, primarily the Germans and their Scandinavian neighbors to the north, believed that primrose flowers were the keys used by Freya, the powerful goddess of love, happiness, and fertility, to open the gates for spring. Freya wore a rainbow-shaped necklace forged by skilled craftsmen. When Freya floated over the world, her jewelry would catch on forests, fields, and hills. Wherever the bright rays of the rainbow fell on the cold ground, primroses would bloom.

Lemon Bars and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

There is nothing more enjoyable than a well-made pastry, bar, or cookie. Alex took me to The Village Eatery and Tea Company this afternoon for an afternoon snack. I had never been there before, and we had a lovely table in the back room of the shop, surrounded by lace curtains and beautiful china. I had a Blue Mango tea, which was delicious, and a great Oatmeal Raisin cookie. Alex loves Lemon Bars, and she enjoyed eating hers from a blue and white china plate.

Our quick snack gave us enough energy to move on to our next activity, and it was a wonderful taste treat in a day of diverse food enjoyment.

An Afternoon with Alexandra

Alex and I met today at noon, after five weeks of not seeing each other due to the holidays. She had a good time with her extended family, and her first year of middle school is progressing well. She will have her 12th birthday next month.

We had a lot of news to catch up on, and we talked over our Starbucks beverages before moving on to lunch at our favorite Thai place. The fish in the aquarium at our 'special' table looked well, and all of the usual characters were present, from Watermelon to Nemo and Rocky, as well as Spike, Banana and the eel.

Once the Thai Iced Teas were consumed, we headed on to Country Village to check out the chickens ( we saw Fluffy!) and window shop for Alex's birthday. We stopped in at the Stamping shop to get a schedule of upcoming classes, then went on to the library to check out some books on tape for my commute to work.

We always end our day at an ice cream shop, and she had a cone filled with "Love Potion Number 31". She has her eye on a boy in school whose name is also Alex, and we thought that was pretty cool.

It was great to see her again, and we launched 2011 in style!

Memories of Snow

The snow is finally gone, and now there is standing water everywhere. This picture was taken last week when Juno and I were at the park, getting some fresh air. My Juno is part Black Lab and part Great Pyrenees, and the mountain dog in her LOVES the snow! She dives head-first into it, and just lays there, enjoying the cold sensations.

Here she is in one of her more placid moments, back to the camera as usual, looking for squirrels or rabbits, catching the scent of something noteworthy.

The Last Day of Vacation

It's back to work tomorrow, but before that time arrives, it was a good evening to go to dinner at Shamiana in Kirkland. It's food from India and beyond, and it was the perfect place to indulge oneself and have a wonderful Indian dinner with all of the traditional accoutrements.

The experience began as I walked into the restaurant, savoring the wonderful aromas of curry and coriander, and spicy cardamom tea. Once seated, I ordered the Chutney Sampler, which inlcuded eggplant, mango and cardamom/coconut chutneys to spread on the garlic naan, which was baked just right and was slightly soft. A nice White Zinfandel complemented the chutneys.

The main course was a Major Grey Chicken Curry with palao and yogurt-cucumber sauce. This curry is their signature dish, and it never disappoints. The meal ended with mango mousse topped with ground pistachio nuts and mango puree. What an experince for my taste buds!

I'm now ready to return to work with memories of this great meal lingering in my head. Onward!

http://shamianarestaurant.com/aboutus.shtml

A New Year, and Thoughts of my Spring Garden

"I have seen women looking at jewelry ads with a misty eye and one hand resting on the heart, and I only know what they're feeling because that's how I read the seed catalogs in January."
-- Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, 2007

I love this quote from Barbara Kingsolver, and it echoes my feelings now in the middle of January as thoughts turn toward Spring and my garden. This year is a special year for my garden, as it is already planned--during my studies in the Fall, one assignment was to lay out our spring garden and then spend the dark, winter months ordering the seeds, preparing compost, and getting the raised beds ready for their summer crops. I barely noticed winter this year, and when I did, I realized that this dormant season is important for the earth and for us as we use this dark and fallow time to prepare our hearts and minds for the rest of the year.

I will have a Three Sisters Garden this year, and peas and beans and tomatoes. I will have vertical gardens to use all of the space I have, and I now know how to take care of my fruit trees. I will begin pruning them tomorrow so they have the proper shape not only for aesthetic reasons, but for reasons that will allow them to grow properly and to produce their maximum yield.

I can't wait for the first warm and sunny days that signal to us that another season is on the horizon, and this year I'll be ready to go, armed with new resolve and knowledge to kick off 2011.

A Cook's Kitchen

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking, baking, canning and preparing organic meals and holiday events. Over the past few years, we've managed to upgrade the kitchen and make it more modern, practical, and (of course) beautiful. I love the way the room has evolved as I have changed and grown.

This weekend at Seabrook, the kitchen of "Sofia's Sandcastle" would be anyone's dream--it is huge, with every modern convenience and high-end appliance. The bead board ceilings in the house are 10 feet high, giving the kitchen an expansive feeling right away. There was a stainless steel gas stove, and side-by-side stainless frig and double stainless sink. The marble-topped kitchen island was large enough for food preparation, a computer, and a buffet dinner, with two stools and a wine rack and cookbook niche at one end. The main item of interest was a large, movable faucet directly above the stove for ease of filling a crab pot with water, or for cooking pasta or boiling water. I had just seen this feature in a magazine, and it was a great addition for a beach kitchen.

The lovely room added to the enjoyment of the meals at Sofia's, and it was fun to live with this dream room for three days.

My Dream House at the Beach

We just returned this afternoon from three days on the Washington Coast at our favorite beach town of Seabrook. Winter weekends at the beach are fun and dramatic, with few crowds, stormy weather, and plenty of time to read in front of a fire or take a nap in the middle of the day.

We rented a beautiful house called "Sofia's Sandcastle", a three-bedroom, three bath new home built to look like a turn of the century house, with steep staircases, bead board throughout the house, and lovely crown moldings and natural wood floors. That is where the turn of the century motif ends--the house has every modern convenience, including flat screen TV's in every bedroom and the living room, a kitchen that would be any cook's dream, and a walk-in pantry. The furniture is lovely, and it's better than staying in an upscale hotel. It's built on the 'community' concept, with each home having a pathway through narrow alleys and shared community spaces. Our three days just sped by!

Juno the dog tried out each bedroom and found a suitable corner each night to hunker down and sleep, and I got caught up on my reading and watched a couple of movies. The storm last night had everything--thunder, lightning, driving rain, and you could hear the surf pounding against the shore all night. Winter at the beach is exciting!

It was good to get home this afternoon, with tomorrow being a holiday and the last day of my 10-day vacation. It was a wonderful time, and I'll return to work refreshed and rested. The Slow Life at the beach is well worth looking into, and I hope to return soon.