Greens, glorious greens

The boys and I had a marvelous morning at the farmers market. It is an absolutely gorgeous day, and we whiled away at least an hour, perusing the stalls, sampling the fare and delightedly finding some new items. Between them went two beef empanadas (apparently they'll be making another appearance on Chris' facebook page), two raspberry-almond muffins, a large cup of hot apple cider, several rounds of goat cheese (we then bought a log per Oliver's request) and a solid number of apple and pear slices. We saw the very friends we had dinner with last night and also scored a StreetWise paper which Jack read from during the drive home. Oliver was dressed in full construction-worker regalia and Jack was suited up as a Western sheriff- boots, blazer, badge and a gun and holster hidden away on my orders. He kept asking, "May I remove?" Hilarious. It was quite an idyllic morning actually. While there I was thrilled to find chicken raised outside! in pastures! eating grass and insects! happy! I bought some. Then I saw that they also had happy pork (here's looking at you President of the Missouri Farm Bureau) and bought some of that too for future meatballs. While watching Ol chow on the fresh goat cheese, I looked around at another stall and saw bins of fresh baby greens: two kales and mustard. I bought a big bag and plan to make homemade ravioli tomorrow with a greens and goat cheese filling in a lemon sauce. AAAHH!

Eager for Spring

Oh gosh, everything is budding out to beat sixty. It's because we've had such bizarre-o warm weather this winter, but I am thrilled, THRILLED, to see my daffodils starting to bloom, the tulips nearly 2" high, my gorgeous honeysuckle that the deck guys seemed to be intent on killing leafing out all over the place despite their efforts. I'm starting to feel heat from the sun again, real warmth on my skin rather than just the awareness that although the sun is shining, I'm getting nothing but goosebumps. I went to the nursery today and stocked up on topsoil, mulch, seeds and the like. I planted a hardy rosemary, cleaned off my potting table and ordered another potato grow-bag (really worked) and some biodegradable cowpots in which I'm going to attempt to get my own seedlings going. I'll sow some spinach seeds soon; my radicchio and lacinato kale from last year reseeded themselves and are going great guns by the sugar maple, and a tiny bouquet of thyme is showing itself in a pot out front. The pansies have perked up, the rhododendrons are boasting many tightly-wrapped buds, and a lone yellow crocus is brightening up a swath of garden that is otherwise camo-hued right now. I'm always amazed that just when I'm tiring of root vegetables and warm socks, the big reprieve comes. Oh sure, I'll roast a few more pans of parsnips and their compatriots, but I can see the light of spring, literally, and I'm getting excited for different and lighter fare. My pasty legs yearn for some sun, and I bought a new pair of shorts a few days ago, just because it didn't seem totally insane. We've got a few weeks left at the least, so I'm trying not to jump the gun. My new herbs are perched on a windowsill, peering longingly at the still-too-cold beyond. Soon enough, I guess, soon enough.

Off to get ready for the feast I'm going to enjoy in the near future...aah!

Names, exciting meal experience on the horizon

I am devouring one of my favorite sandwiches: roast turkey, Dulcet Moroccan mustard, my cranberry sauce, lett/tom and whole grain bread. In fact, I'm chewing the last bite now. Delicious! Yoga was quite arduous today, and I returned home ravenous. Though I'm still a tad hungry, I'm going to save room because late this afternoon, friends are having us over for an authentic Pakistani feast. How exciting. I once ate at an Afghan restaurant which I thought was wonderful, but I've not had home cooking like this. It will be such fun and it's a family affair which will be nice. I just adore my yoga class- it is so good for mind, body and soul. We had a visitor today, a lovely woman unfortunately named Thorn. Friends, really, why would you give a tiny baby girl a rough name like Thorn? Can you imagine calling out to a toddling youth, "Thorn, Thorny Thorn, come here honey"? It's like her parents were setting her up to be prickly and fierce. It's like naming your son Cain (I grew up with a boy named such) or De'mon (my sister-in-law, a pediatrician, had a youngster in her practice named De'mon; pron: Duh-mon). Start your child off right people, not behind the 8 ball from their earliest days. Dios mio, we've enough to overcome without having some terrifying moniker attached to us.

T swears that I channel the Brits sometimes; for example, some of the names I proposed for our children he declared "too U.K" although the ones we did choose are now the numbers 1 and 2 names in England. Go figure. Anyway, while in sivasana today, I found myself seriously considering calling out, "Have you any lavender spray?" Good lord, is it true? No one phrases questions like that here. Well, whatever. I like me some lavender spray.