tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180527162012-01-26T05:23:48.898-05:00The Domino GardenSeems like lining your ducks up all in a row isn't so clever if they're made of dominos.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.comBlogger1231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-27122665353526121272011-02-28T09:22:00.000-05:002011-02-28T09:22:49.634-05:00Hungry, Hungry EarthwormsMy poor earthworms were hungry. Or, as I'd rather consider, I timed feeding them exactly perfect to prevent food waste. Either way, they got fed this morning (after the Guinea-alarm clock snooze button refused to work. Grrr). Chopped up some fennel, broccoli, kale, and collard greens. They also each got a cup of water. I'm not being picky as to their "likes and dislikes" other than I won't feed carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-54332359128915888442011-02-11T13:54:00.003-05:002011-02-11T13:58:05.251-05:00Sunny day in the garden
Sunny day on the garden Originally uploaded by carabou.
It's nice to know I have such diligent helpers.
I tried to post this on the 6th from my phone, but no luck, and I put off dealing with it until today. It's been too cold to be in the garden, although my worms seem happy enough. I have two happy worm bins going, and they're noshing on cilantro and yam skins right now under the sink carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-18482509053947577392011-02-05T16:11:00.000-05:002011-02-05T16:11:54.163-05:00I've Got Worms!I'd live to upload a picture but haven't figured out how to do so from my phone yet. No app called "blogger" that I could find. Guess I get to start using my flick account again. Anyway. Soaking the coir (DANG it expands). AC drilled hikes in a plastic shoe box and I silicone glued a tea strainer. The worms are chilling out under the sink while everything sets up. Yay! Insta Nutrients and Safe carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-38412057863494333772011-02-03T16:16:00.003-05:002011-02-03T16:21:43.805-05:00Move Along, Citizen GardenerI've been taking a class through a local non-profit organization called "Citizen Gardener" and it's a basic class, but I've actually learned a lot. It's inspiring and I'm looking forward to getting my garden growing. Too bad we're in the middle of a winter freeze. I get to take boiling water out to the chickens to keep them hydrated, but I'm sure the rest of birdlife is drinking it.
The primary carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-89369649695531128542011-01-07T13:15:00.002-05:002011-01-07T13:22:51.881-05:00Shredding Top SoilI love my shredder. If you view shredded paper as tree pulp, then it's instant leaves.
I found a couple of resources regarding using shredded paper in the garden, and I have to do further research on some of the concerns I have.
Compost N:C ratio calculator is a really neat tool that allows you to determine how much of each to get a perfectly "hot" compost mix. I dream about a hot compost pile.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-59583049785793170052011-01-06T10:55:00.002-05:002011-01-06T11:00:02.560-05:00Citizen GardenerSo maybe I don't have time to be a "Master Gardener". Eh. Who has times to master anything these days? ;-p Instead, I get to be Citizen Gardener. Or at least I will once I complete the requirements for the SFC class for which I registered. Woo. This sounds much more 21st century. "Nothing to seed here ... move along."
Didn't spend any time in the garden, but did order seeds from Seeds of Change carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-33830430554559976322011-01-04T14:48:00.002-05:002011-01-04T15:00:06.064-05:00Keeters and RainThe keeters are in fine form today (and yesterday). Hester's been working out her lungs. It wouldn't be so bad except she's insanely loud and very ocd about the whole thing. They visited the renter's next door in the morning, and then spent the rest of the day buWHEE and AKAKAKing about it. Rain today, 55 degrees. Looking at seed catalogs wondering what I should get. Found an amazing concept carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-84492066814761136092010-06-22T22:18:00.001-04:002010-06-22T22:18:36.403-04:00Urban Assault Ride! AAAAAAH!Temperatures predicted to be mid 90s instead of last year’s 104F, but I don’t think we’re ready to ride. It’ll be fun, though. Why is complete physical exhaustion doing something insane so absolutely worth it all? Heh. carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-86867770870042272122010-03-03T10:03:00.001-05:002010-03-03T10:03:34.227-05:00Caged Produce Caged Produce Originally uploaded by carabou. The year before it was the dogs. Granted, the dogs were clearing out the kitty chocolates from the neighborhood colony, but still. No garden. Planted quite a bit of amazing potential and I think all we got were two cherry tomatoes and an eggplant.Last year it was the chickens. They figured out quickly that clay doesn't "scratch" easily, but carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-53940057479142783412010-02-18T09:20:00.001-05:002010-02-18T09:20:41.754-05:00Oh, my that was cuteDanger just pounced on a blade of grass … and she caught it! carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-31621922544117917662010-02-08T17:51:00.001-05:002010-02-08T17:51:16.401-05:00Happiness Re-framing“DANG! I have a lot to do” = “YAY! I have a lot to do!” carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-5182218473888927762010-02-07T13:49:00.001-05:002010-02-07T13:49:28.527-05:00WhoDat!… and it’s not at all sunny outside so there is no chance for feelings of guilt for spending the evening with my butt on the couch. Woo! carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-37972537422821323872010-02-07T03:21:00.001-05:002010-02-07T03:21:44.694-05:00Random Text sent to AC while listening to Geto Boys channel on Pandora“Don’t push me ‘cuz I am close to the … Edge” – Grandmaster Bono carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-47260617772615552612010-02-06T14:55:00.001-05:002010-02-06T14:55:54.773-05:00Home Ownership: What not to doThe first thing not to do: Don’t buy a home that is a “fixer upper.” It doesn’t matter how convenient it is to the bus stop, that it’s only two miles from downtown, that it’s in an area that is guaranteed to have nothing but an increase in property values, that it is INSANELY CHEAP for being such a large corner lot … Don’t. Just Don’t. Walk away … unless you are a contractor, married to one, carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-81782152214399874482009-03-27T12:18:00.001-04:002009-03-27T12:18:50.712-04:00PeepDiddy and FiddyCentAre so cute. We have urban chickens.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-71103382650310001162008-12-29T11:50:00.004-05:002008-12-29T11:54:13.821-05:00A poem for ACOnce upon a Peep
there was a little time
available.
But it was only a little time -- a forgotten second lost somewhere between "put on socks" and "brush teeth".
It snuck away in secret, but the little peep knew about it.
"Peep!" it peeped.
Then it went back to sleep.
But I forgot to turn off the light.
Will you?
carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-66665210243284881842008-12-11T13:01:00.001-05:002008-12-11T13:04:27.797-05:00smart monkeySometimes I think I'm just such a smart monkey, and then something happens that puts me back in my place. PO Box. Post Office Box. As in, Box of the Post Office which They Maintain and Provide Service. Of COURSE FedEx isn't going to deliver. duh.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-85556374275679115422008-07-09T10:20:00.000-04:002008-07-09T10:21:03.229-04:00Wobbling on my ethicsWOBBLE!!!! Yesterday I had an interview and I realized most of my clothes are either uber-corporate (from my uber-corporate suit days) or scrungy t-shirts. So I decided to buy a semi-nice shirt and a pair of shoes for an interview, but put it off until the last minute. I decided to buy something from a local store, not made in China, in a style I might actually like. I decided to go to Whole carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-49626465707126801412007-11-30T10:49:00.001-05:002007-11-30T11:31:03.194-05:00Been a long timeWow. I'm in the chocolate block already. Tomorrow we make a chocolate box. Really. A box. Made of chocolate. One benefit of this class is I'm starting to OD on chocolate and I'm not as fond of it as I used to be. I can now eat just a tiny little piece, say "mmm. tasty." and walk away. Before, when confronted with, say, a chocolate pie, I'd have to eat until I got sick. Granted, a lot of that had carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-10483015077769288442007-08-04T12:28:00.001-04:002007-08-04T12:28:20.822-04:00C is for CAKE! C is for CAKE! Originally uploaded by carabou. This Pain de Genes is incredible. It's from our book, but it's soooo good I have to share.This recipe uses a separated egg sponge method, and you'll need a mixer. And all the weights are in ounces. I have a scale I picked up at Target for about $20. Preheat the oven to 340. Prepare a pan (an 8" round or square) by brushing it with melted carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-4241673873145044862007-07-28T06:10:00.000-04:002007-07-28T06:39:31.514-04:00I'm going to be sick
This last pastry block really kills.
No, seriously.
We were working with gelatin, which in itself is disgusting enough on multiple levels, but I finally got around to trying to find the parent company for Cacao Noel (not so easy - they're French).
Through the distributor site, I was able to at least determine the country of origin of the beans. Cacao Noel proudly states they have a factory in carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-74460990737407192592007-07-21T16:36:00.001-04:002007-07-21T16:36:06.264-04:00World of Warcraft groomscake - kind of World of Warcraft groomscake - kind of Originally uploaded by carabou. B&CD are getting married even as I type this. But me, who fell asleep last night while making a batch of brownies and totally burned them, managed to procrastinate just enough that I couldn't figure out how to make the warcraft cake work in the few remaining hours before we were supposed to leave to drive ALL THE WAY carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-22157354759608105262007-07-20T10:00:00.001-04:002007-07-20T10:00:15.497-04:00Testing the tiers Testing the tiers Originally uploaded by carabou. My first wedding cake! And LONG before we get to the wedding cake block in P&B, so I"m sure I"m making all kinds of stupid little mistakes as far as construction and time coordination.But I have learned a lot. And this is kind of fun, but I realize why wedding cakes cost so much. There's a lot of structural engineering involved. And carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-45234265790120648262007-07-14T09:20:00.000-04:002007-07-14T09:53:09.092-04:00Central Market is EVIL!
When I was much younger, my mom had a giant fig bush in her yard that would annually produce fresh figs, preserves, filling for kolaches, and other delectable sweets. But mainly they would be eaten fresh, since the peak ripeness is so short, the flavor is so intensely subtle, and she would have to beat the wasps to the flowering fruit to enjoy the harvest.
I was five. And I didn't like them. carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-5743304140616060342007-07-10T08:59:00.001-04:002007-07-10T09:35:55.108-04:00Snakes and LaddersHalf asleep while I'm entering this. Not enough coffee yet, and dind't get much sleep last night.
Started classes again last night after a break, and we've got a bunch of prep work to do before each session. While the N&D watched "jeckyl" on the TV (a BBC show) I wrote out recipe formulas on index cards, and researched method for what we will be producing tomorrow. And I'm hitting the recipe carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-16463065152765582892007-06-25T14:24:00.000-04:002007-06-25T14:32:32.750-04:00New Shirt!
I had an appointment today at my sliding scale acupuncture clinic that is two blocks away and fabulous. When I left, it was drizzling slightly. When I got to the light at Airport and 38 1/2 street, I was in a deluge. Tony and Paul were sooooooo nice and loaned me a pair of pants and donated a shirt to my drenched self. I was amused at the state of my own pitifulness. But such is the hazard of carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-42977000040351885392007-06-20T00:27:00.001-04:002007-06-20T00:46:44.839-04:00No love for laminated doughs
This is another whiny-whine-whine post. Seems to be that kind of day. I don't know why, but I just don't care about this block at all. It could be that I really don't like mediocre danishes, croissants and puff pastries, or that the class is just too scattered and I don't feel we're getting enough actual feedback on how to make good product. Actually, I have a huge problem with that but I'm not carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-13952303848215785262007-06-19T12:52:00.000-04:002007-06-19T13:13:01.031-04:00Purging the evilness of US Bank
So I've got to purge the evilness of my last post, and I just happen to have some lovely mushrooms. They are currently whispering, "we want to be made into a sauce chasseur, and served with fresh homemade pasta!" How could I not oblige such a request? I don't have any demi glace, so it won't be as nice as it could be, but I don't think it will be difficult to enjoy. And it will give me practice carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-21910009468268889622007-06-19T12:35:00.000-04:002007-06-19T12:39:22.150-04:00US Bank SUxOR!Just sent this to US Bank. It took seven days for a check to get from my house to their business; oddly, in just enough time so they could charge me a late fee (it usually takes four days). Then, gloriously, another six days and they still hadn't run it through through my bank account. So, of course, I called them to see if it was lost, if I needed to send another check. They were quite horrid. Icarabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-34848466360799084842007-06-08T11:32:00.000-04:002007-06-08T11:34:47.085-04:00Bake Shop Love
Last night I presented my petit four platter. YAY! It's done! I got some good critiques on what I was doing, and I learned a lesson: don't try things that you're not so good at. Concentrate on the things you can do, and make them absolutely fabulous. Yeah. I still made an "a" on the project, but it could have done better. The only thing that saved my butt was the fresh raspberries. Without thosecarabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-18726637465754167122007-06-01T14:14:00.000-04:002007-06-01T15:02:35.378-04:00Soapy macaroons
So I've decided on the flavor of the macaroon, but now I'm having problems getting the taste exactly perfect. I've settled for a french buttercream with creme de cassis, blackcurrant jam and violet syrup. However, after messing with the proportions, I discovered (nastily) that just a quarter of a teaspoon too much of violet syrup makes the whole thing taste like soap. And although these look carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-56580039423955886882007-05-30T13:07:00.001-04:002007-06-01T14:19:17.621-04:00Macaroons come in all colours Macaroons Originally uploaded by TypeFiend. Even blue. And you can't argue with a patisserie that's selling them. Even if I never get to make all of the flavors and color combinations, it gives me inspiration to make eating them a goal.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-27086648759146184792007-05-27T22:11:00.000-04:002007-05-27T22:22:52.849-04:00I still have so much to learn
I have found a new ideal. I tried to mimic a macaroon I'd never heard of before so couldn't try when we were in Paris (the Pierre Hermé Ispahan) and have quickly discovered that it might have gone easier had I not quartered the recipe. Or maybe I just still have so much to learn regarding technique. I have been humbled, but it's still pretty darned tasty (and Hope is following me around and carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-83810648694615554172007-05-26T13:24:00.000-04:002007-05-26T13:37:07.138-04:00Petit Four Sec
We're working on a petit four platter, and have to come up with six different types: tarts, bar cookies, macaroons, madeleines, petit four glace, and petit four sec. I've been using Alice's Adventure in Wonderland and the croquet party of the Red Queen as an underlying theme (it hopefully won't be too obvious on my platter). My dry petit four is a cookie that I've done before, with a twist: carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-27122342179253691112007-05-19T13:33:00.000-04:002007-05-22T14:08:12.919-04:00Bread formula!Tasty. There are a couple of modifications I'd like to make, but this is such a wonderfully light bread. I'm happy with the way it turned out. I really like oat flour.
I should probably convert this to a more kitchen-friendly measuring system, but for now ...
Herbed Ginger Oat Roll
10.2 oz bread (wheat) flour
6.8 oz oat flour
11.9 oz basil-mint syrup
.17 oz rice wine carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-82817980632756034002007-05-12T15:19:00.000-04:002007-05-13T04:46:44.094-04:00Adventures in bread!I've been playing around with making a new bread formula in my head for the past couple of days. Everyone in class has been coming up with some great ideas; it's nice to think that we're already being given the chance to create new foods (rather than just learning all the the desserts from 1950). I was going to make a s'more-inspired loaf, but realized that it's spring, and I didn't really want carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-9702916995565652007-05-11T10:45:00.000-04:002007-05-11T10:50:35.985-04:00I love Esme.So my sweet surviving cat ate some of her kibble this morning (don't worry - it's not any that was recalled. And I know kibble is bad, but she'll eat it as opposed to all of the other foods except for really really really crap food). She ate her kibble, and she must have eaten just a little too much of it, because she started to gack it up. I heard her. Except this is how much my kitten loves mecarabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-71079576347928141522007-05-09T15:17:00.000-04:002007-05-09T15:27:45.417-04:00Challah back, girl!
I feel sad that I didn't make it to a friend's Cinco de Perro celebration this weekend (oddly enough, on the 5th of May). The oppressive weather, and the oppressive pile of things we've been avoiding (including laundry, cleaning, mowing the lawn, shopping for food, bills ... you know, all the normal things that normal people generally keep up on) were all waiting. Plus Lasso stopped by to work carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-7428481516210179772007-05-04T12:10:00.000-04:002007-05-04T12:17:22.801-04:00Mycology
We're making breads in baking class and everything is very yeasty. We're even making sourdough starter from water, flour and squished grapes. Yum. My partner, sweet little thing that she is, named ours "Monostat". Other names in the class are "Mr. Bubbles", "Yeasty Boys", "Lucille DoughBall" ... you know. Cute names. Chef wouldn't let us call ours Monostat, so officially it's "The Vampire carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-54024914765743603342007-04-23T22:04:00.002-04:002007-04-23T22:12:50.039-04:00Birthday dinner
Tomorrow I'll be in class, so Aaron and I celebrated my birthday dinner a day early. Went to Doña Emilia's - an argentinian casual dining place across the street from the Four Seasons - as Chez Nous (my fave) is closed on Mondays. Tasty chimichurri, but it was a little too oily for my stomach. Aaron loved the ribeye, and there were a couple of other things that looked intriguing. The mashed carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-36067274835593125362007-04-23T13:16:00.000-04:002007-04-23T13:22:14.646-04:00Garden in the works
Spring has brought surprise in the garden. Tulip petals taste like beans (or peas). The dogs will eat anything. The amaryllis bloomed and is gorgeous (testament in the picture). So did the lilac. The poppies came up in both places I planted, and some seeds remained in their original planting and also came up. Snapdragons are fun. Slugfest on the pansies. The petunias are going crazy. And my carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-24680020852162810342007-03-10T11:49:00.000-05:002007-03-10T11:51:54.361-05:00Last post .... EVAH!Intentionally going out of your way to hurt someone and their relationship with another person is not "high-schoolish". It's just hurtful.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-72690968498747778152007-02-23T12:30:00.000-05:002007-02-23T12:32:35.580-05:00AshesI never posted my Nuncle story. I just picked up their ashes. The ashes are in separate bags, in purple velvet pouches, in wooden boxes. Each comes with a certificate of cremation and a little plastic plaque embossed with their names. I think it's the only time an animal person has spelled all three correctly.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-82621010819273455832007-02-16T14:27:00.000-05:002007-02-16T14:35:21.515-05:00My razr wasn't that dirtySo Sunday, after the horror of finding our cats dead, AC was nice and started washing the urine-and-blood covered laundry I had piled in the office, including the clothes I wore to carry the bodies to the emergency clinic.
Unfortunately, my phone was still in the pocket of my hoodie.
And he washed it.
I did everything I could, including taking the razr apart (I had to buy a T6 and T5 size carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-90372408775056390722007-02-12T14:49:00.001-05:002007-02-12T14:57:35.051-05:00Taki and Tsuki Pillow Originally uploaded by carabou.
Taki ("dragon") was a fierce kitten, and the biggest attention slut of all. He would meow in the kitchen. I would give him dry food. He would meow again. I would give him a can of wet food. He would meow again. I would give him fresh water. He would meow again. I would open the front door for him so he could go out. He would meow again. I would pickcarabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-87530801075024775892007-02-11T08:35:00.000-05:002007-02-09T10:37:37.825-05:00My cats are deadWe came home this morning from Brian's 35 birthday celebration to find the dogs had killed Taki (in the office), and Tsuki and Nuncle (in the living room). Esme is alive. She was in the kitchen, hiding behind the coffee maker. There were bloody paw prints all over the dishwasher, so she was next.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-27609175379577087972007-02-08T15:05:00.000-05:002007-02-08T15:30:35.094-05:00Cheese Board Lemon Shortbread Cookies
I learned a new lesson about sugar and spread in cookies today.
I wanted to make a treat for David and family to return with the cookbook he loaned me, but they spread too much and got too brown. They're tasty, but they don't look so fantastic, and they're a little on the crispy side, and not enough on the shortbread side. My first thought as to why was because I added too much sugar, even carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-64302173304603688332007-02-07T11:15:00.000-05:002007-02-07T11:47:48.865-05:00Happiness Lifehack
i love it when things just flow together, and I haven't had that happen in a while. I feel like I slogging through a mire of cellophane wrappers (real cellophane, not that cheap petroleum based polypropylene stuff). So I was doing one of my random "that seems interesting; I think I'll google it and see what it means" searches that comes out of editing pages from weird books, I found out about carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-67201896736912683632007-02-05T20:41:00.000-05:002007-02-08T15:34:12.820-05:00Yummers!So dinner was from a new cookbook. Fish en papillote with fennel, thyme and olives (but not sea bass, because they had lasers on their forehead, were $24/lb, and the Central Market guy had a substitute that was just like seabass for half the price); crushed cauliflower with bear cheese, and asparagus with orgasm butter lemon sauce. Central Market must have had their artisan baker quit, because carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-23142298180389733392007-02-04T11:52:00.000-05:002007-02-04T12:06:29.636-05:00Pan's LabyrinthDon't read this if you haven't seen the film yet. And this is brief so don't read it as complete as I haven't fully formed all of my arguments, I just want to get it down. But yeah, she died.
It's a great film, but I've been thinking about the imagery, and the symbolism. Ofelia's first discovery of the dual identity with Princess Moanna left her with a sense of pride, and pride is the first of carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-78705823232754835882007-02-02T09:08:00.000-05:002007-02-08T15:38:41.230-05:00Another Texas CharmerI didn't expect, so soon after going to the Ann Richards memorial, that I'd wonder if I wanted to go to the Molly Ivins memorial (with a gathering at Scholz Garten afterwards - how fitting). I used to read the Texas Observer diligently, and have always loved Ivins' ability to turn the Texas legislature into the object of mockery that it deserves. Sad day. I remember when I was studying at Mojo's carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-43549865631674379332007-02-01T12:10:00.000-05:002007-02-01T12:19:19.268-05:00You will be assimilatedYesterday I went over to my neighbor's house to help out with Flea stuffing (our neighborhood newsletter is called "the Flea" in honor of a large cat colony that used to exist on one of the streets). I mentioned that I stumbled into the artisan baking class at TCA and he immediately loaned me a book from The Cheese Board Collective (he lived in Berkeley for a while). Yum!
I'm working my way carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-83803846154515718792007-01-30T09:27:00.000-05:002007-04-23T04:55:40.416-04:00OutrageJust hit one of the blogs I lurky-read. The first story made me want to post because I've downloaded enough to the boy.
Having been raped at 16 by a total stranger (my first sexual experience), this causes bile to rise up in my throat and makes me want to scream. Seriously. WTF? A woman was raped, then thrown into jail? (It was a clerical error. She had no reason to be there.) And then she was carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-86582958054016915252007-01-30T06:14:00.000-05:002007-01-30T07:07:40.207-05:00Random Random Random Senseless Practice
(The second week of February is Random Act of Kindness week. I hate that bumper sticker, but really love it when people mutate it into other messages.)
One of the things I do that doesn't actually bring in any viable income but is still fun because of the randomness of it all, is proofreading OCRed documents for a company that contracts with major publishers for online document search retrieval.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-12826926599076696102007-01-29T11:54:00.000-05:002007-01-29T12:09:28.541-05:00Half.com conflict
So I'm in the middle of a weird little conflict with someone that purchased a book from me on half.com. I didn't realize when I bought the book at Book People, that some ass had decided to rip a few pages out. So I, in my naiveté, listed it as a complete book. The buyer recognized this and sent me an email demanding a refund, thinking that I had ripped the pages out. This was a logical carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-88398662368700077092007-01-28T09:45:00.000-05:002007-01-28T10:29:40.175-05:00Dog fence span completed (almost)Yesterday was an amazing combination of complete laziness and getting things done. AC made biscuits and we watched Veronica Mars for breakfast. Then he watched another Netflix movie while I did a bunch of random things, including attacking the growth on the fenceline. I got enough of it out to convince him to make a span of wooden dogfence, and when he finished it, it looked so good, I pizza&beercarabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-28772381815339759322007-01-27T11:28:00.000-05:002007-01-27T11:55:23.798-05:00Friday mini-vacate
As planned, I drove to San Antonio Friday afternoon to pick up AC from his conference. Did I mention San Antonio drivers suck? We found the McNay (after taking a long and circuitous path. I *so* hate that city. Who plans a city around a friggin' circle? At least the mormons have it down - identify temple square and name the streets ordinal from there on a grid. Not a circle. Once you figure it carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-11884979119838963632007-01-25T19:30:00.001-05:002007-01-25T19:47:31.676-05:00I did something right in a dog fight!
Maggie posing as a "good dog"
Originally uploaded by carabou.
Woo hoo! OK. Let me clarify. I'm not woo-hooing because Maggie jumped Pico. In fact, I feel kind of stupid because I figured something like that would happen, but I was really hungry and I was busy scarfing down half a can of kidney beans while dispersing cheers. My bad. Anyway.
It's a fantastic day, and I didn't want Pico diggingcarabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-6269134205430685652007-01-25T06:54:00.000-05:002007-01-25T07:29:54.082-05:00Snopes has a picture gallery!I like snopes, but it's not one of those sites I look at every day. I usually only use it to refer people who send spam as they were one of the first, and are still pretty active, and -- they've got pictures! I'm not so keen on the gruesome bits, but the one that really cracked me up was a pic of urinal art. I though, "Oh, the stupid fly target again" (which is clever, btw, but since I'm female carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-70885970477670094852007-01-24T21:22:00.000-05:002007-01-24T21:28:37.135-05:00Quinoa recipe from my acupuncturistlightly toast about a cup of quinoa in ghee until it starts to pop and smells really toasty. Add in about the same to double of broth and some peas and chopped red and yellow peppers. Cook like rice (bring to boil, then simmer low low low! with barely any flame for about 20 minutes). TaDa!carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-84898257921078422562007-01-24T16:10:00.000-05:002007-01-24T17:15:56.288-05:00Argh, A Restaurant Drink, Limey!I have mixed feelings about Saba Blue Water Cafe. We went when they first opened, when the warehouse district was just on the edge of being the urban scene it truly is now. OK - I lie. It was pretty hipster then, but I was better paid, better dressed, and much younger (but never a hipster - swear!). They were one of the few places in town that knew what a Mojito was, and theoretically, how to carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-35391777363514083742007-01-24T13:47:00.000-05:002007-01-24T14:00:30.827-05:00It's in the eyesSo I was watching an episode of Dead Like Me on the sci-fi channel last night that I hadn't seen before (which is weird, because I rented the DVDs, but it's been a while and I'm easily distracted) and a new show is previewing that I thought I might want to watch - the Dresden Files. Looks dark, looks like a good carrier for some cool stuff. I ended up recording it to the DVR, but it was not carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-86984170691441362152007-01-23T12:29:00.000-05:002007-01-23T12:38:32.081-05:00Another Door, another DrinkI haven't been to the Cedar Door in a while -- something about avoiding trying to find a place to park and the fear of the overpriced downtown crowd. But I found the recipe for their absolutely delish Mex Mart, so I may not have to worry about this anymore. Mmmm. Mex marts. If only they had Migas and Fajitas, I could avoid going to the frat-packed horribly loud Trudy's ever (but then, I actually carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-22518162635540206502007-01-23T10:14:00.000-05:002007-01-23T10:34:25.194-05:00You'll recognize the templateI took this amazing workshop with Liz Belile when I was in grad school (although, because of the mess of teaching and learning, and the politics of accusations and money disbursement that was going on with the faculty at the department, I had to stop going to the workshop to save my sanity (although losing it happened anyway. My shrink totally sucked. I needed tools to cope with what was carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-90724435946258384602007-01-22T11:02:00.000-05:002007-01-22T11:12:22.265-05:00Beautiful Day!Yesterday I worked in the garden in a short-sleeved shirt. Amazing. 65 degrees, sunny, beautiful. We took Chuy, Hope and Maggie out for a short walk (just around the neighborhood) and enjoyed the beauty of the day. We thought about going to Town Lake, but decided not to waste gas (we could bike, but there's too much glass/debris on the road there for the dogs' paws). My new goal - walk all four carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-88891321711091057172007-01-19T13:00:00.000-05:002007-01-19T13:08:35.641-05:00Turquoise RitaOnce, when I drank in public more because I had a horrid job working for people who's only mission in life was to be well-dressed, I asked for a "blue drink." The bartender, since it was slow, amused me and himself, and came up with a drink he called "Windex." I don't think I've ever been to Z'Tejas. Or, if I had, I don't remember it. But if I had, I'm sure I'd remember the Turquoise margarita.
carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-29927092285602470922007-01-18T10:21:00.001-05:002007-01-18T10:22:05.810-05:00I 'm warm. I 'm warm. Originally uploaded by mikapon. I borrowed the picture from mikapon because I don't have any new pictures of anything vaguely normally. Aielli did a search on "cold" - so far we've got Muddy Waters "Cold Weather Blues", Guy Clark's "Expose", and Crosby, Stills and Nash "Cold Rain". Yep. It got turned off. Guess I need to charge the ipod battery.Today is "catch up on everything carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-64199234261381550372007-01-17T10:45:00.001-05:002007-01-17T10:45:14.427-05:00Another Wintery day cold seat Originally uploaded by carabou. Either we're getting bored of the cold, or it's warming up. No half inch of snow like weatherman predicted, but it's still cold and slushy outside. The dogs are going crazy in the house, so I turned on the electric heater in the dog room and put them out. They've got fur coats, and when we take them out for a run later, they'll already be carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-65439951582147778442007-01-16T14:18:00.001-05:002007-01-16T14:20:19.816-05:00Snow day! Snow! Originally uploaded by carabou. It's snowing! It's actually snowing! We're inside being lazy. I really want to see Children of Men, but don't feel like taking off my pajamas. hehehe. There's lots of people walking by our street, more than I've seen in a long time. I even emailed my dad to let him know it was snowing, and uploaded a silly video (with no sound) to youtube. I've seen carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-34427843400174874012007-01-15T10:55:00.000-05:002007-01-15T11:58:02.702-05:00Worms!
It's actually freezing outside. Wow.
Yesterday I spread some pea gravel on the side yard because the rain that is happening all at once rather than taking several months to descend turned it into a muddy mess. It looks good, but eight bags didn't make it all the way to the Pico fence (we have to lock her out of the side yard, otherwise she digs up all of my plants to sleep as close to the back carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-49759349475907392752007-01-12T11:23:00.000-05:002007-01-12T11:30:10.859-05:00Lemon Bars and the chance for snowI made lemon bars last night. They were almost perfect. The shortbread was a little off, and I learned a lesson on parchment paper use and lemon bar making. I didn't take a picture of them before I cut them (and these are intense lemon bars, so an 8" x 8" square became over 16 lemon bars 1" x 1.5-2" in size, with some "pieces" left over for breakfast). So my quest for the perfect lemon bar will carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-69102930519572771062007-01-11T19:41:00.000-05:002007-01-11T20:18:27.780-05:0043 Things!So I've joined 43 things and have six things that I'm working on. I just posted a listing for my progress on going through the bookshelves and removing all of the clutter (also known as cheap insulation, but they get dusty and books emit odors). I've listed three books that I've read on half.com (and if they don't sell in a week, they're going to the free shelf at cafe caffeine). Listed to sell: carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-33442151225498986022007-01-05T11:27:00.001-05:002007-01-05T11:51:15.088-05:00sweet, sweet sushi
sweet, sweet sushi
Originally uploaded by carabou. I'm not as annoyed as I was a few days ago. I guess I was just going through anger issues related to the lack of oxygen in my brain from all of my asthma and cedar issues. But yay to TCM and NAP! I can breathe!
But now I'm all depressed and wigged out so I got up last night at crazy early (it wasn't even today yet) and made petit fours. I carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1167843074015585212007-01-03T11:49:00.000-05:002007-01-05T11:39:32.525-05:00Knife SkillsSo my gift to myself from N&D (I know) was a really nice Santoku knife (shen). And we were going to take a knife basics class at CM to learn how to use and sharpen our lovely new knives.
But they're sold out.
And the corresponding knife basics class at Whole Foods is this Saturday, when we're going to be in Houston. Not so great. It's like the universe wants us to cut ourselves or something.
carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1167652349131727782007-01-01T06:40:00.000-05:002007-04-23T04:57:23.476-04:00Huh? Manners went where?So I get this email from an acquaintance (a coworker of my N&D):
Do you remember last night when I said that you were looking attractive
& stylish, to which you replied with an insulting comment about how I
must be stoned and shouldn't be allowed to drive? This is not the first
time you've needlessly shot down acclaims from me, though this time I've
taken note.
I should no longer bother to pay carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1165316693250665572006-12-05T06:03:00.000-05:002006-12-05T06:04:53.276-05:00Training CatsI've decided to train the cats to use the litterbox. From this morning's statesman:
Move the litter box to a designated bathroom. Find a litter pan (a roasting pan will do) that will fit under the toilet seat. Put the pan on the floor beside the toilet, fill it with kitty litter and let the cat use it for at least three weeks.
Begin placing newspapers underneath the litter pan, gradually piling carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1164814721741963712006-11-29T10:37:00.000-05:002006-11-29T10:40:05.416-05:00DentistI'm home, two fillings richer, 80 bucks poorer and half of my face
numb and drooly.
Fun times.
He uses a dental dam. It was kind of weird. And very constricting for
someone with claustrophobia. But I made it through without choking.
So floss. And don't get cavities. Cuz trust me, they're no fun to get filled.
Blagggggggh. I feel like half my face is melting.
No food, no coffee, no mud tea carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1164115158225707292006-11-21T08:15:00.000-05:002006-11-21T08:19:18.240-05:00Months and Months!So much has happened. Shame on me for not posting. Lets see.
Got acupuncture
Still teaching animation
Saw Bill Plimpton
Helped friend with wedding (including cooking huge batches of paella for shower)
Broke and fixed many windows
Went to Grand Opening of Round Rock IKEA
Started agility with Maggie and Hope. Maggie graduated. Hope -- not so much
Leased (kind of) a Kharman Ghia - electric, of carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1160317964871644342006-10-08T10:21:00.000-04:002006-10-08T10:33:25.250-04:00I am not a fourth grade teacherFriday was depressing after the dog attack on Thursday. The kids I teach animation as part of an after school thing decided to start calling each other names with vaguely racist undertones. Ok. Not so vague. They were racist. It got so bad that I told them that if I heard "that word" again, I'd send whomever said it to the after school program director. It was said. Unfortunately, it was said by carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1160131584891002462006-10-06T06:38:00.000-04:002006-10-06T06:47:23.020-04:00Agh! The dogs!Yesterday evening, while A. was drinking sparkling shiraz with friends, Pico started barking with the neighbordogs who are totally ignored and bark all the time. I got annoyed and brought her in. Miss Maggs decided that because I was annoyed, she should attack Pico.
So she did.
I'm lucky I was able to get them apart. I've since done a little research on how to effectively break up a dog fight carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1160076409241269532006-10-05T15:20:00.000-04:002006-10-06T06:49:15.766-04:00Lesson learned about an open freezer Desk-fly Originally uploaded by orangeacid. (Image borrowed from orangeacid's Flickr account b/c I don't have a macro.)Two days. That's all it took for the freezer door to be slightly ajar in 97 degree weather. Two days, and enough of the dog food melted to cause a convocation of flies. I've killed at least 500 of them. (no, really.) They're there to drive me crazy.I hate flies.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1159818284528665152006-10-02T15:43:00.000-04:002006-10-02T15:44:56.116-04:00Sneaky Water Theivery?So, if the city opens up a fire hydrant to reduce pressure on the
lines, and the water is being ejected so fast that it's projected
across the street and down the gutter on our side, is it sneaky to
walk out with a plastic pitcher and start dumping water on the very
dry plants in the side yard?
I was being observed by both the dogs and two city employees. Since my
pants are tight (I'm wearing my carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1158637025509819942006-09-18T23:31:00.000-04:002006-09-18T23:37:05.626-04:00Outside the Erwin Center after the Ann Richards Memorial Outside the Erwin Center after the Ann Richards Memorial Originally uploaded by carabou. And we got 1.5" of rain on Saturday and Sunday. Some may have thought it was because it hadn't rained at ACL in the past couple of years. I think it was because a dear governor of texas passed on last friday and mother nature mourned one of her most unpredictable storms. The memorial service was todaycarabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1157475379946610552006-09-05T12:50:00.000-04:002006-09-05T12:56:20.000-04:00olla (Oh-Yeah!) olla (Oh-Yeah!) Originally uploaded by carabou. Went out rowing today in the "Raymond Yin" (what a fine little boat - and a much better way of doing crunches). And I got soaked. Not from sweat this time, but from the sprinkling of some form of sky moisture. I think it was angels crying. Or maybe one of Neptune's dolphins decided to land with a huge belly flop. Or maybe it's just the sky carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1157120980404073212006-09-01T10:24:00.000-04:002006-09-01T10:29:40.766-04:00the bow of the Chile Pequin the bow of the Chile Pequin Originally uploaded by carabou. We're back from Maine, glorious cool weather and misty days. I was glad it rained half the time we were there. Sad to go on vacation to get rained on and enjoy it. We went two months without any rain, and finally got a measly half inch. I've broken out the sprinker and am keeping a patch of grass alive. The rest ... what a great carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1155057848486521992006-08-08T13:24:00.001-04:002006-08-08T13:24:08.486-04:00Cat furIf I were the type of person who thought about these things, I might take the observation that my cats' fur seems to change over time a little more seriously. My cats are getting older, and it seems that their fur is sticking around longer (they're now more DMH's than DSH's). How long does cat fur stick around before it's shed, anyway? A year? Seven years (eyelash fur)? And is there some weird carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1152642007856578162006-07-11T14:20:00.000-04:002006-07-11T14:20:40.026-04:00MonkeysSo the problem with the monkeys and Shakespeare is that right now there really are thousands of monkeys writing and publishing. But only a few of them are brilliant works. And when Shakespeare finally gets around to writing, one of the monkeys jumps up and yells "copyright infringement!" And this has nothing to do with Ann Coulter trying to justify her way out of a plagiarism accusation. I hate carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1148822799421522922006-05-28T09:23:00.000-04:002006-05-28T09:26:39.433-04:00Balmy dayRained .2 inches last night. The weather on the first dog walk of the day was amazing. 70 degrees outside, slight breeze, gentle filtering light through partly cloudy skies ...
And I learned you can wash down comforters without destroying them. But I was still upset he didn't read the label.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1148664054280140552006-05-26T13:19:00.000-04:002006-05-26T13:20:54.310-04:00Wash day dilemmaSo do I thank him for doing the laundry (and spending three hours at the laundromat) or do I get really frustrated because he washed the very large and expensive down comforter that says (in large letters) DRY CLEAN ONLY?carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1148663256913482042006-05-26T13:04:00.000-04:002006-05-26T13:07:36.966-04:00plants for adult butterflies swallowtail Originally uploaded by carabou. annuals, biennials, perennialsAchillea (Yarrow)Agapanthus (Lily-of-the-nile)Agastache (Giant Hyssop)Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon)Aquilegia (Columbine)Armeria (Thrift, Sea Pink)Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed)AsterAstilbe (False Spiraea)Borago officinalis (Borage)BouvardiaCatananche caerulea (Cupid's Dart)Centranthus ruber (red valerian)carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1148595407167823602006-05-25T18:13:00.000-04:002006-05-25T18:18:06.333-04:00Plants that attract butterfly larvae second swallowtail Originally uploaded by carabou. From some book that needs to be credited, but all I have are printouts and they didn't put the information on the header/footer.annuals, biennials, perennialsAlcea roseaAntirrhinum majusArtichokeasclepiasastercleome hassleranadicentradigitalis purpureaeriogonumfoeniculum vulgaregeumhelianthusheliotropium arborescenslinaria carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1147957324826033422006-05-18T08:57:00.000-04:002006-05-18T09:03:17.616-04:00You are about to blow food or drink out of your noseAnd we've already got our tickets
Tom Petty & the HeartbreakersVan MorrisonWillie NelsonMassive AttackString Cheese IncidentBen HarperThe Flaming Lipsit goes on!
The Renewable Energy Roundup folk learned their lesson last year and scheduled this year's festivities for the next weekend.
(and yesterday I killed 23 flies)carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1147900444635178632006-05-17T17:12:00.000-04:002006-05-17T17:20:43.886-04:00Eighteen Flies!Okay. The fly and flea killing is getting obsessive. I know. And I'm coming to terms with the need to get rid of things and the problem of having things that no-one wants (not clutter), so I have to absolutely throw them away. Even the perpetual listing on half.com doesn't work.It's hard to throw away books. Maybe I should just burn them instead.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1147792685199983332006-05-16T10:59:00.000-04:002006-05-16T11:19:53.906-04:00Open Tables
Yesterday I killed 23 flies and N&D ate dinner at the Headliners Club (and wore a jacket. He really does clean up well). He said the food was adequate, but the view was fantastic. In explaining the food, he said that I was an amazing cook (when I did actually cook), so he had high expectations (isn't he sweet?). He had some sort of stuffed chicken dish on risotto, giant stringy asparagus and an carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1147619618762726492006-05-14T11:13:00.000-04:002006-05-14T19:58:32.753-04:00Mothers DayLove your mother!
Actually, Kill FLIES! So far, 18. There will be more.
UPDATE: Nine more flies and I discovered why the bedroom smells bad. Nuncle pissed on my yoga mat. So far, in the last three days, that's: The Technology Review magazine (not even opened as it had come in the mail that day); the cardboard cat scratches (all three at the same time because I was vacuuming); just outside the carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1146088280686739952006-04-26T17:51:00.000-04:002006-04-26T17:51:31.260-04:00Instant bog! Instant bog! Originally uploaded by carabou. Today sucks. Just in general. I never really viewed myself as depicting the "victim" -- but I'm really get tired of being yelled at. I'm not a scapegoat for others frustrations. Quit killin' the messenger. Really. Obtuse? Yes. But I really can't say much more other than I feel like crap and I don't know how much longer I can handle this. At all.carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1145987113835481322006-04-25T13:45:00.000-04:002006-04-25T13:45:13.876-04:00Birthday! Birthday! Originally uploaded by carabou. Trudy's for a birthday cake in a glass. I had a frustrating day, especially since all I really wanted to do was go to Pedernales and sit with my feet in the water, eat some chocolate cake and think about life. *sigh*Carolee and Christopher are ver' cool though. Two amazing books (one fun, one supercool), christmas lights, mints, a fabulous carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1145135858011099102006-04-15T17:17:00.000-04:002006-05-14T20:04:56.100-04:00Eventful Easter Weeding 15 April Originally uploaded by carabou. N&D's been amazing these past few days. He's watered all the plants that needed watering, built a Chuy fence, helped me build a new door to the crawlspace under the house so we can get rid of the pile of bricks and rather large plant keeping the dogs out, and he created an extension to our side fence to keep people from jumping over it. carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1144770567516410602006-04-11T11:49:00.000-04:002006-04-11T11:52:33.573-04:00smack down cat poppy Originally uploaded by carabou. So yesterday I joined my first Flickr group. I uploaded this image this morning.On my walk this morning, a little black cat was trying to get the smack-down with Maggs and Hope. It followed us for almost a full block, tail puffy, intent in its eyes. I couldn't stop laughing as I was almost pulled off balance. Plus two of my neighbors brightened my daycarabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18052716.post-1144640391618009202006-04-09T23:35:00.000-04:002006-04-09T23:41:04.166-04:00Happy News / Sad NewsThis weekend was beautiful. Literally. Gorgeous Saturday, and N&D and I spent the morning and early afternoon at the mosaic-jam. Two mosaic-people, two mosaic-flowers, and only one more mosaic-person to go. Yay! And then Aaron and I worked on the brochure, and I cooked really nasty carrot cake that was way to healthy (ew).
Sunday, up early. Aaron washed clothes while I spent the entire morning carabouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460279353822663409noreply@blogger.com0