Lemon Log

CSA Day

2012-01-11T21:51:00.001-07:00

navel oranges, dill, butternut squash, daikon radish, fennel, carrots, chioggia beets

Well Played

2012-01-09T20:21:00.004-07:00

Today I showed up to a business meeting an hour late. Smelling of bacon and campfire.

(shakes head in shame)

CSA Day

2012-01-07T12:52:00.002-07:00

mizuna, shungiku, bok choi, navel oranges, tomatoes, spaghetti squash, braising mix, black spanish radishes, chinese cabbage

CSA Day

2012-01-07T12:40:00.003-07:00

rutabaga, daikon, arugala, mustard greens, pinto beans, navel oranges, winter bore kale, purple top turnips, cat

CSA Day

2011-11-30T19:04:00.002-07:00

rapini, red salad turnips, pac choi, summer squash, braising greens, tendergreens, lettuce, spinach

CSA Day

2011-08-17T22:19:00.003-07:00

summer squash, onions, cucumbers, watermellon, butternut squash, japanese eggplant, amaranth greens, basil

CSA Day

2011-08-17T22:10:00.005-07:00

basil, summer squash, tomatoes, garlic, eggplant, onions, okra

okra and stewed tomatoes

grilled okra, bbq chicken, potato chips

CSA Day (7-27-11)

2011-08-07T08:54:00.002-07:00

basil, armenian cucumber, onions, eggplant, garlic, tomatillo, tomatoes, crenshaw melon

making salsa verde (for chicken enchiladas and chilaquiles)

CSA Day (7-13-11)

2011-08-07T08:45:00.004-07:00

armenian cucumber, canaloup melon, basil, okra, eggplant, onions, tomatoes

i can take no credit for this awesome meal. home made fried chicken with okra and tomato over wild rice.

CSA Day (7-6-11)

2011-08-07T08:28:00.007-07:00

melons, pickling cucumber, tomatoes, eggplant, yukon gold pototoes, peppers, red onions

making baba ganoush. this batch i managed to screw up somehow, but the batch before was really good.

Do These Belong to You?

2011-07-13T21:48:00.004-07:00

CSA Day

2011-07-13T21:35:00.002-07:00

Armenian cucumber, canteloup, basil, okra, eggplant, yellow onions, tomatoes

Random Gross & Random Pop Culture (also gross?)

2011-06-20T20:27:00.004-07:00

My pork belly has a pig nipple.

And I think Muscles Glasses just walked down our alley.

Is This Yours?

2011-06-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

More Things in Jars

2011-06-15T20:14:00.005-07:00

The mango infused vodka was a bust. The habanero infused vodka was a bust. The pickled peppers were a bust.

But damn it - there HAS to be something we can make in a glass jar.

Last week the CSA gave us pickling cucumbers and he was able to find his grandmother's 24 hour dill pickles recipe. Fresh dill, onion, garlic, etc.

I couldn't wait and tried one at 22 hours - delicious.

Is This Yours?

2011-06-15T19:37:00.001-07:00

CSA Day

2011-06-15T19:11:00.002-07:00

corn, mexican gray squash, yellow wax hungarian peppers, yukon gold potatoes, red onions, tomatoes, armenian cucumber

Is This Yours?

2011-06-12T21:26:00.003-07:00

CSA Day (5-25-11)

2011-06-12T21:15:00.001-07:00

parsley, carrots, oranges, artichokes, nopales, onions, beets, goat cheese, yukon gold potatoes

CSA Day (5-18-11)

2011-06-12T21:11:00.001-07:00

red lasoda potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, artichokes, carrots, radicchio, onions, garlic, oranges

CSA Day

2011-05-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Color!!!! purple cabbage, spring onions, carrots, red potatoes, flatleaf endive, yukon gold potatoes, yellow sweet onions, grapefruit.

The only meal of note I can remember from last week was the fennel and carrot pasta. I was very scared of fennel because I dislike "licorice" flavor. But we picked a simple recipe (carrots, fennel, butter, onion, garlic, pasta) and it was very edible - nice and light, good summer meal. With as strong as fennel smells, it is hard to comprehend that the flavor is fairly subtle. We also threw in a little bit of that browned breakfast sausage which added a nice distraction.

Is There a New HGTV Show . . .

2011-05-10T21:10:00.007-07:00

. . .in which home owners are slipped rohypnol and then given putty knives?

We accidentally started remodeling our bathroom on Sunday afternoon.

Oops.

Sometimes we have conversations about what we might do in that bathroom in the future to make it less horridly ugly and outdated. We were having one of these on Sunday and decided to pop off one of the floor tiles, just to solve the mystery of what was underneath. Next thing I knew it was four hours later and we had pulled up two complete sets of tiles.

Under the black and white linoleum was a set of green and tan swirl asbestos tile. The asbestos tile had been stuck on using some kind of black tar paper adhesive which 1) stinks to bloody hell when angered and 2) has no intention of letting go of the wood floor under it without one hell of a fight. While the tub and sink had been tiled around on the top layer, they actually sit on top of the second layer - they are going to have to come out so we can get the rest of it up.

We really have no plans going forward now that we've created this mess. We do have a claw foot tub that we want to replace the existing tub with. Beyond that we don't have a clue. The room is so damn narrow we really can't seem to find a way to arrange everything (with or without totally replumbing - heaven forbid). But one thing at a time. That black crap has got to go.

CSA Day

2011-05-04T20:25:00.004-07:00

fennel, lola rosa lettuce, parsnips, carrots, new red lasoda potatoes, dill, green onions, grapefruit and pork breakfast sausage

We didn't cook much of note last week. But one night we tried a daikon radish/onion/apple salad and some of the braising greens.

Turns out daikon radishes are spicy - think horseradish.

Turns out braising greens are tough and bitter.

More Jetsam

2011-05-03T21:07:00.002-07:00

Is This Yours?

2011-05-02T17:49:00.005-07:00

I often have ideas for little photo projects/themes I'd like to do. Probably my longest running one - and by that I mean the idea I've been THINKING about doing the longest - is stray shoes. I'm fascinated by lost shoes. How did it get there? Why is there only one? or Why are there two? Who did they belong to? What are they wearing on their feet now? I think it would be so cool to stop and take a photo of every stray shoe I see in whatever context it is in. Problem is that stray shoes are often places that are NOT conducive to stopping, like between lane two and three on an expressway or on the roof of an apartment building that you can see from the plane as you land at the airport. I would never be anywhere on time and would become a general public nusiance.

Anyway, I finally decided to act on one of my other ideas. I had been noticing a strange phenomenon in the parking lot at work. On windy days there is sort of an eddy right outside the back door of our office and all sorts of leaves, brush and trash blow by and swirl around for a couple of minutes. Considering that our office is in a business complex, the trash has always surprised me as rather personal. Lots of kid's school assignments and phone numbers jotted on scratch paper. Makes me wonder similarly to the shoes. I resisted for a while, on account of how crazy it would be to stand out behind work and chase trash with camera in hand. But then last week I came out and right next to a flattened gas station giant beverage cup was this . . .

So many questions, only a few of which can be answered here.

Basil

2011-05-01T11:07:00.009-07:00

Bought Thai basil the other day for a recipe. The store only had it in huge $3 bags - $3 is a lot of basil. So I used it in the recipe but had tons left over. Made basil lemonade. Still had tons left. I have zero experience trying to long-term store herbs so I decided to try a divide-and-conquer approach.

Group 1: Cooked up fresh into basil flavored simple syrup.

Group 2: Frozen.

Group 3: Dried.

The next day we had friends over for dinner. They brought us a big potted basil plant as a hostess gift.

CSA Day

2011-05-01T10:48:00.003-07:00

braising mix, eggplant starter, red green onions, endive, carrots, daikon radish, pecans, baby artichoke

The radish greens make me itchy.

CSA Day

2011-04-20T22:52:00.003-07:00

beets, grapefruit, carrots (an exceptionally large bunch of carrots, many of them oddly shaped, and one of them the biggest carrot I've ever seen), lettuce mix, parsley, artichokes, leeks, nopales (prickly pear cactus pads)

VCM - Only on Pay Per View

2011-04-16T22:30:00.024-07:00

Tonight, on
Vegetable Cage Match...

KOHLRABI vs. BEETS

Rib eye steaks, garlic mashed kohlrabi, beet and goat cheese salad.

Kohlrabi showed up to the match still reeking of last night's garlic. Beets brought his tag-team partner, Goat Cheese, and creamed his opponent.

CSA Day

2011-04-06T18:47:00.006-07:00

Here we go - round 2. From right to left . . .chard, kohlrabi, lettuce mix, frisee, carrots, dill, beets, not pictured: 3 oranges. Again, no perspective here, but this pile is roughly the size of a chubby toddler.

After seeing the volume from last week we wised up and from here on out will be sharing a share of our share with a friend. She'll be getting a chubby toddler arm or leg each week so that we don't have the guilt of watching it go bad in the bottom of the veggie drawer.

Update Update

2011-04-04T21:38:00.006-07:00

Pickling update: Verdict is in on the pickled peppers. I'm not a fan. The brine has some flavor in it that I just don't like - cardamom maybe? The texture and level of pickling of the peppers is good. Just not that flavor.

CSA update: So far I've had three mixed greens salads (salad mix, dandelion, radiccio). Toppings have included garbanzos, tuna, tomato, CSA carrots. We have had a radiccio omelete and took radiccio to a friend's bbq to put on burgers. Tonight we had oven baked green garlic red potatoes and sauted kale with our pork chops. I've had two of the oranges. We made baked rudabaga "chips." So far the only thing I really don't like is the dandelion.

CSA Day!

2011-03-30T21:48:00.013-07:00

I was right to be scared. So many leafy greens:

From right to left: red russian kale, rutabaga, dandelion (gah!), carrots, navel oranges, lettuce mix, and . . .well, I'm not totally sure. I thought the sign said radicchio, but when I Google radicchio it doesn't look anything like this. Until we figure it out we're calling it "bitter spinach."

I wish I had put something better in the photo for perspective . . .so you could see what a crazy amount of leafy greens this is for two people for one week. I'm so panicked for ways to use leafy greens at every meal that I'm trying to figure out which would taste best blended into a breakfast fruit smoothie.

Oh, and just for fun we blew a little cash on some local free range eggs. Dandelion omlete, anyone?

Sometimes He Dreams of Trains

2011-03-29T19:48:00.014-07:00

On Saturday we went to an outdoor concert in an old neighborhood in Tucson - a fundraiser for the local community radio station: "Festival en el Barrio Viejo." It was a good time. We had catfish & chips, solar powered ice cream, watched a mariachi band featuring a tall thin man with a small guitar standing next to a short woman with a large guitar and . . .saw Robyn Hitchcock perform. We even randomly ran into friends, not 3 minutes after lamenting to each other "Why is it we never run into people we know at events?"

The verdict is in on the mango infused vodka. The test cocktail was simple - just the mango vodka and soda. It was good. Nothing to blow your mind, but good. The only thing is . . .it doesn't actually taste much like mango. It seems to have taken on the earthy side of the mango and a faint lemmony taste. It is missing any of the sweetness that is expected. So, totally drinkable but can't be chalked up as a success. Maybe a more ripe mango next time?

Can't Join the PTA 'Cause I Ain't Got No Kids . . .

2011-03-21T22:08:00.004-07:00

So today I joined the CSA.

Trying to lay the groundwork for a smooth transition to old childless hippy cat lady.

Although I'm not sure it is going to be all that "smooth." I didn't know fear of vegetables was really possible as an adult, but I am genuinely afraid of my share of Red Russian Kale. Wait, maybe that is just the effect of anti-communist propoganda (I just finished reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver). At any rate, I'm also terrified of dandelion greens.

Infused Vodka Update: danger! danger! things have gone awry with the habanero vodka. too many habaneros per vodka and wayyyy too long an infusing time it seems. whatever we could have done wrong, it seems we have. put away the shot glass - if you want to be able to drink this stuff without melting your internal organs, better find an eye dropper and a couple liters of mixer.

Growth

2011-03-17T21:00:00.002-07:00

Two tiny chive sprouts and one tiny rosemary sprout!

He ate a cilantro sprout and seemed surprised that it tasted like . . .cilantro.

I'm Old/Self Aware Enough to Know Where This is Headed, and I'm OK with It

2011-03-15T22:24:00.007-07:00

I bought running shoes. And running socks. And running shorts.

Ha ha ha, gasp, ha ha!!!!

I blame it on 1) an attempt to be a good, supportive, "i'll suffer by your side for the greater good" girlfriend and 2) spring fever (if they made a spring fever thermometer it would just read "Hallucinations^o").

I'm sure someone at Value Village Thrift Shop will totally enjoy these items a month from now. Happy Easter, lucky shopper.

Sow & Grow

2011-03-15T21:58:00.008-07:00

Finally potted some seeds I bought last year. Herb garden type stuff: dill, rosemary, cilantro, chives. And a few Wisconsin wildflowers found in a ziplock bag in a desk drawer (5+ years old). Have to keep them in the laundry room so the cats don't eat every shoot as they poke above the soil. Mixed results so far. The cilantro is going gangbusters, which is great because that's really the only one I'm committed to. Funny thing - the chives haven't shown a single sprout yet, but the laundry room and the pot I planted them in STINK of onions.

Lactic Acid

2011-03-13T11:06:00.003-07:00

Tried to go rollerblading this morning for the first time in many years. Made it two blocks. I could have probably made it four, but the surfacing of our neighborhood streets looks a lot like this.

More Glass Jars

2011-03-13T10:53:00.003-07:00

This week's experiment . . .infused vodkas. They're all the rage.

Starting with mango and habanero.

When in Doubt, Rave On

2011-02-22T21:38:00.004-07:00

Sunday night our lights repeatedly flickered and the whole house made an unsettling buzzing noise. We looked outside to see sparks shooting from the top of an electrical pole in the ally next to our house. We called the fire department who in turn called the electric company. They all hung around in the alley for a while and then left. We assumed they'd be back in the morning to cut back the overgrown tree that seemed to be interfering with the lines and make any necessary repairs. No sign of anyone Monday. No sign of anyone this morning. When I got home this evening I was glad to see an electric company truck in the alley. They were shining lights, riding up and down in the cherry picker, etc. About an hour later I noticed they had gone so I went out to check out the repairs. All I found was a three inch red glo stick tied to a low branch of the tree next to the pole.

Lets recap. Frightening electrical malfunction involving fire. Two days later, an inspection of the problem and . . .

. . . a glo stick.

Home Sweet Home

2011-02-21T19:30:00.004-07:00

Nice sunset tonight when I got off work.

Kind of refreshing after a weekend of howling winds and gloomy sleet in northern AZ.

Pickling Peppers

2011-02-06T11:25:00.003-07:00

Our latest culinary experiment is pickling our own peppers. At a local market we found some beautiful cherry bomb chilis and jalapeno peppers and found a fairly elaborate pickling liquid recipe online. Tune in April 1st (no joke) to see how they turn out.

Out with the Christmas Tree, In with...

2011-01-02T21:26:00.007-07:00

I started 2011 by fulfilling a silly wish I've had for a couple of years - to have a little writing desk. I finally found one on craigslist that fit both the vision in my head and my price range. Here's my baby . . .

There is just enough room for my laptop in the center in front of the fun mail sorting slots. Right now the slots are full of unpaid bills I've been procrastinating and thank-you notes I've been procrastinating. But they are neatly sorted.

On other subjects . . .

How much do you love garlic butter?

I love it a lot.

I love it enough that when I had leftovers after making garlic bread I couldn't bear to dump it down the drain so I made a heart shaped garlic butter nugget.

True love.

Things that Should Not be in My Bathroom Sink

2010-12-31T16:26:00.002-07:00

The Internet Saved Me $5 and 1/2 a Day

2010-12-29T13:11:00.003-07:00

For a while I've been meaning to make a plastic bag drying rack. I had envisioned something involving wooden dowels, drilling, etc. This morning I decided that today was the day - come up with a plan, go shopping for supplies and put it together. I started by looking online to get design ideas. After a few minutes of browsing I realized that a lot of people are a lot more creative than me and don't actually build racks - they makeshift a drying system out of stuff they already have around the house. Way more efficient. So, blatantly copying the ideas of others . . .

A small crock that's been empty on a shelf for years, clear glass marbles that came with a vase, five chopsticks and about two minutes later - plastic bag drying rack.

Now what the hell am I going to do with the rest of my day?

Who Said There is No Fall in Tucson?

2010-12-27T15:09:00.002-07:00

Big Night Out

2009-10-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we rode “The Trolley” for the first time – it was VERY exciting.

“The Trolley” is actually The Old Pueblo Trolley: An Operating Transit Museum. This local non-profit runs antique electric streetcars on a track between the University of Arizona and downtown Tucson on the weekends and during special events. It is just $1 to ride. The best part is that there is a trolley stop a block from our new house!

Saturday evening there were a handful of events we wanted to check out downtown so it was the perfect opportunity for our first ride. It isn’t the speediest way to get from point A to point B, but it has the most character. The cars are volunteer-operated and operating them entails the use of highly specialized tools like a giant pipe wrench and a crowbar. The volunteers like to answer questions, but the answers we got were chock full of dizzying streetcar-enthusiast jargon. Totally endearing.

So when we got downtown we checked out the last night of Pop Up Spaces presentation of ±92: Downtown Master Plans, 1932-2009.

Then we spectated the Tucson Zombie Walk. Apparently every year hundreds of people dress up like zombies and lumber around Tucson. Who knew? And counter intuitively, it turns our zombies are sticklers for rules! While passing a bar with street facing windows, one zombie pressed himself against the glass and growled terrifyingly at the patrons inside. The zombie next to him – without breaking his guttural zombie voice or lurching pace – said “Don’t touch the windowssssss. It is against the ruuuuules!” Priceless. Also priceless was the uber-nerdy, scooter-piloting, bright orange construction vest-wearing, space-case guy trying like a champ to solicit signature for his medical marijuana petition from lumbering packs of catatonic zombies.

We capped off the night by having dinner on the patio at the Cup Café at Hotel Congress. The all-ages zombie after-party was also being held on the Congress patio so we had front row seats to the spectacle of zombies dancing to the “spooky” sounds of the Mission Creeps.

Sunday Project

2009-10-19T21:00:00.001-07:00

Before...After...

Sick As A . . .Hippo?

2009-10-15T17:56:00.004-07:00

I’ve been fighting the flu since last Friday.

And yes, it is could be THAT flu – but I am choosing to call mine Hippopotamus Flu. I prefer to imagine that I caught it on a safari rather than in a barnyard. Better fake-adventure fake memories.

I won’t go into all the symptoms ‘cause the CDC’s got that covered. But it was rough.

I’ve been living off of Campbell’s chunky soups and apples with peanut butter. Eventually I remembered that I deserve Jello when I’m sick, so I made some and added that to the rotation.

When I called in sick everyone at work went into H1N1 panic. People called to grill me about my symptoms and everyone has made sure to tell me “don’t come back soon!” That made me feel great. I haven’t had a fever since early Wednesday, so I was planning on going in to work tomorrow for a bit. Or maybe not - I just got a phone call in which I was subtly told that the CEO of the company would rather pay me to stay home. Um…ok. Apparently I’m a leper.

So now I’m just working on cleaning up my cough so that it doesn’t turn into infection and getting my energy back up. I tried doing some simple things earlier this week (taking a walk around the block, cooking dinner) and they almost killed me. But yesterday I was able to do some basic tidying and cleaning and it felt pretty good. I filled up our hummingbird feeder and hung it outside for the first time. No bird sightings on it yet but I’m optimistic. I also cleared the clutter out of our “breakfast room” and fine-tuned the placement of the table.

This was kind of a crazy time to get a week-long flu. It came right after weeks of buying a house, moving, having company, and traveling cross-country. We are now at least a week behind where we thought we would be in “getting settled.” So it felt good to take a minute to put something in order, if only superficially.

2009-09-26T14:45:00.001-07:00

So hot . So dirty. So tired.

Sitting in a delightfully air conditioned Wendys eating Long John
Silvers.

Sent from my iPhone

Group Apology

2009-09-24T11:43:00.002-07:00

I've been really bad the last few days responding to emails from people asking questions about and offering congrats on the new house. I'm sorry!!! So very busy. So here are some random tidbits I offer in shame...

We got our keys last night at 5pm.

They left a ton of potted plants on the property which is pretty cool - nice cactus and such. They also left a few strange things like a retro bathroom scale and a retro butter dish.

We met a few of our neighbors who promptly told us a story about one time they were up at 6am because they partied all night and hadn't gone to bed yet...yikes.

We found one very obvious area of damage to the flooring in one of the bedrooms that no one noticed before. Not sure yet what to do about it.

For dinner last night we had pizza and beer in the middle of the livingroom floor in our empty house.

Parking my car in the garage for the first time was FUN!

Um...what else?

We've moved one trailerful of stuff so far - I'm hoping for two more today.

Yesterday I did all of my address change stuff with the exception of notifying friends and family. It feels good having that done.

My Civic is currently at the auto glass place down the street from me getting repaired and pimped with window tint. (not about the house but fun none the less)

2009-09-18T19:16:00.001-07:00

Oh my god. The f*ing cat just pooped in the middle of the f*ing
livingroom floor while we were eating dinner.

That's it. This night has officially gone to hell in a handbasket.

Sent from my iPhone

2009-09-18T19:10:00.001-07:00

Just got home from getting takeout - it seems something went arwy with
his order. His box contains just a giant 1 lb patty of ground beef and
a handful of potato slices.

Doh!

Sent from my iPhone

2009-09-18T18:45:00.001-07:00

The driver's side window of my Civic just fell down inside the car door.

Doh!

Sent from my iPhone

I Made This Pie

2009-09-08T12:05:00.004-07:00

Thanks, Mom.

List

2009-09-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

I have a mosquito bite on my left eyelid.

My boyfriend firmly believes that all women lust after claw foot bathtubs.

I have a hunk of ginger root in my pocket.

I left work early yesterday because I was bored.

I am drafting a letter to our landlord, informing him we don’t want to renew our lease when it expires at the end of the month.

Some of my friends are planning a girl’s night out at a dance club.

It bugs me when people post ads on craigslist selling a four person table with three chairs.

I just had to explain the concept of “best friend necklaces” to a coworker, but to keep the conversation “current,” I called them “BFF necklaces.”

Mange

2009-08-15T13:17:00.002-07:00

A friend of mine announced that he thinks he would like to own an African grey parrot. He told me to look up "Alex the parrot" on YouTube as evidence why it would be cool. What I found gave me the worst case of the heebies ever. I'm not sure I would go near one if you paid me.

California, Part 2

2009-07-30T18:32:00.003-07:00

So anyhoo, we go up the street for breakfast and find this:

As close to the real thing as you can get. We ended up eating there two mornings in a row, and walking away totally stuffed to the point of illness both times. It was great.

Saturday we hung out at a neighborhood block party where we ate, drank and slid down an inflatable children's water slide. That night we went with my friend's family down to the beach to watch the fireworks. It was pretty neat because you could see the fireworks from about five different beaches all at the same time.

On the way home on Sunday we stopped in Pomona to pick up some motorcycle parts. We made it back through Phoenix without getting caught in a photo speed trap. Speaking of which, I just realized we still haven't gotten our "ticket" in the mail yet. Hmm.

California, Part I

2009-07-14T19:15:00.007-07:00

So, more about our California trip.

We left after work on Thursday the 2nd and drove to Blythe, CA. We camped that night at a place called Mayflower County Park - a surprisingly nice campground right on the Colorado River. It was REALLY humid and hot but we survived and in the morning went for a swim which was great. When we left the crowds were starting to roll in for the holiday weekend - I bet things were a lot rowdier around there Friday night!

Friday we drove as far west as we could without falling into the ocean. We checked out the Santa Monica pier and beaches. It was chilly! We had churros, took in the great people watching and Arthur Nakane told us jokes. We sat on the beach and watched surfers.

Then back in the car and down the coast to Redondo Beach. After walking around and checking out the fish market we had dinner at Tony's on the pier. Not the best food, but great atmosphere and we had a blast just being together somewhere new. Then on to my friends house just south of Redondo where we were bunking for the weekend. I feel like we had barely gotten in the door before I was being handed a shot of tequila and two beers - welcome to LA!

The next morning (after I recovered from my hangover headache) we made a life changing discovery. We went for breakfast at a pancake restaurant near our host's house, which turned out to be....THE pankcake restaurant!!!!! I grew up in the Chicago area going HERE, and as I grew older my enjoyment of it, and the tradition of going there, grew and grew. Leaving it when I moved to Tucson was difficult.

To be continued...

Hello

2009-07-10T15:41:00.002-07:00

So. Time for an update.

Um...

Well, we went to LA last weekend. We stayed with a work friend of mine and had a really nice time. It was the first time I've been to the LA area, and only the second time I've been in Califoria so it was pretty exciting. It was a little colder than I have expected/hoped but it was still nice to be by a body of water and have a little adventure. Some photos and another post or two on the subject will probably show up before long.

Not doing anything this weekend. It is going to be too hot to do anything. We are already planning on going to the movies one afternoon just for the air conditioning.

I'm obsessed with the new Camera Obscura album My Maudlin Career. Or rather, I'm obsessed with three songs on the album. Non-stop for about a week. An intervention may be needed.

Leon had puffy eye, went to the vet. Less puffy now. Probably got roughed up by his brother. Damn cats.

I think that is about it.

A Mosquito Gave Me West Colorado

2009-07-03T12:44:00.001-07:00

Woke up this morning, walked out of the tent and into the Colorado River for a swim. Sweet.

Now we are in Loma Linda eating lunch at a Pollo Loco. The Loco gets a good review - I'd totally trade Tucson's La Salsa for a Crazy Chicken.

Sent from my iPhone

Flash! Flash! Snap.

2009-07-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Civic has been photo-enforced.

Thanks for visiting Phoenix - mail your check promptly and come back
soon!

Sent from my iPhone

Wiener2

2009-06-29T09:12:00.004-07:00

Now the back story and forward story on the whole Wienerschnitzel thing...

The first time I went checked my mail upon moving to Tucson I had received a bunch of ads, including an ad for Wienerschnitzel. It was the most revolting thing I had ever seen - it was as if they had gone out of their way to make the food in their ads look as unappealing and possible. Plus, they were advertising "specials" like: two chili cheese dogs, a chili cheese taco and chili cheese fries for $3.00. The thought of anyone eating that much chili cheese anything was enough to make my stomach wimper. I vowed I would never eat at a Wienerschnitzel.

Flash forward three and a half years...

We were out running errands and it was hotter than Hades. We got slushies from Sonic (another place I never had a desire to eat but had recently been introduced to) and then decided we were hungry for hot dogs. I voted for Luke's (Chicago style hot dogs) but the driver was hot and tired and still had to go to Ace Hardware for sheet metal to replace the floor of his Jeep (yep, he was rockin' it Flintstone style). So the driver decided we were just going across the street to Wienerschnitzel - yikes!! We chose the least offensive looking photo on the drive-through menu which was the Stadium hot dog.

And now the review...
I must start off by saying that they were CHEAP. They weren't huge, they weren't very good, but at less than $1 a piece I find it hard to complain too much. But I'll give it a try. The hot dog itself was terrible - bad texture, bad color and didn't have much of a flavor to speak of. Really, it would have been just about the same if they had just put the condiments on a bun. The condiments were strong (over compensating for the hot dog I assume) and the bun was unremarkable but edible. No one died, but I don't feel the need to ever repeat the Wienerschnitzel experience.

Wiener

2009-06-27T14:05:00.001-07:00

After living in Tucson now for three years we finally ate food from a
Wienershnitzel. We got two "stadium" hot dogs for $1.79.

My Breath Still Stinks

2009-06-21T08:30:00.004-07:00

Last night we went to the Agua Linda Farm Garlic & Onion Festival. This was a much bigger event than I thought it was going to be and the farm was beautiful. There were tons of great food options - I chose the prickly pear lemonade and roasted elephant garlic with baguette. We walked around the farm and sat for a while listening to the band and people watching. On our way out, I resisted the urge to kidnap the adorable baby goat.

Dinner For Two

2009-06-20T13:52:00.001-07:00

Open Air...

2009-06-20T00:11:00.000-07:00

...Star Trek!!!

Sent from my iPhone

Hello from...

2009-06-19T21:15:00.003-07:00

...the drive in! We finally got our butts over here after talking
about it for months. We are about half way through the first movie of
the double feature - Land of the Lost. It is...terrible. Doesn't
matter though. It is still fun. Plus we are really here to see the
second movie ...

Sent from my iPhone

Testing

2009-06-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

Testing

Some Stuff About Food

2009-06-13T10:18:00.004-07:00

Last Sunday I made chicken enchiladas verde from scratch. That is a pretty big culinary undertaking for me ...but it turned out pretty well. I made a total disaster sized mess of the kitchen and was exhausted but they sure tasted good. Anyway, the recipe (which I found online) made it on to a recipe card in my recipe box so it got the stamp of approval.

I got an iphone! (bear with me, this will circle back around to food) It was a bit of a saga deciding if I could justify that kind of excess and then actually getting it purchased but now I've had it since Tuesday night and like it a lot. It sure is a dramatic change from my old Nokia fossil with the pull-out antenna. My work friends who are all 5 years younger than me gave me never-ending grief about that damn antenna - jerks. Anyway, the first application I downloaded to my iphone was Urbanspoon, which is an application that helps you choose a restaurant to eat at. The thing is genius. And free. It has already proved a goldmine, in that I've discovered that Tucson actually DOES have a tapas restaurant, and it is totally close to our house. Couldn't be more excited.

Over the River and Through the Woods

2009-06-13T08:45:00.002-07:00

So we went on a motorcycle road trip May 29-31. It turned out to be fairly epic.

This was our route:

View Larger Map

We ate pie in a ghost town, had a beer with a beagle, made a new friend and found some amazing roads.

Pictures from the trip can be found here.

Abracadabra

2009-05-17T20:48:00.007-07:00

I started the day by rearranging the livingroom furniture. When I lived by myself I "had" to rearrange the furniture in my bedroom/dorm room/apartment once or twice a year for mental sanity. That has been hard to do now that I'm living with someone because not everyone needs or wants or likes change. I've lucked out though in that some change has been forced - like moving the TV to deal with seasonal temerature extremes and changing the bedroom around to accomodate new furniture. So that has tided me over until now. When I woke up this morning I knew it was time for change for the sake of change. So out came the table from the "breakfast nook" into the middle of the room. And away went the couch against the wall. And into the bedroom went the make-shift tall shelfy thing. I'm hoping that the new arrangement will encourage me to use the couch and the livingroom in general more. The way the couch used to sit awkwardly in the middle of the room wasn't very relaxing.

Yep. Big day. Clean floors, rearranged livingroom, and mac & cheese for dinner.

Happy New Vacuum Day!

2009-05-17T17:00:00.006-07:00

I finally gave in and got a new vacuum cleaner. The old one was just not cutting it. Or rather, the old one was just not sucking it.

So now I have a Kenmore Progressive Canister Vac from Sears (normally $300, on sale for $250). Choosing a new vacuum is Hard. With a capital H. Even with all the resources out there (Consumer Reports, Amazon customer reviews, etc.) it was still Hard. The Kenmore was confusing because it got a high CR rating, but some pretty poor customer reviews. I tried talking myself into going with a bagless upright...but just couldn't do it. Too far out of my comfort zone. We started by looking for vacuums made specifically for picking up pet hair - but most of them were uprights and the reviews wildly ran the spectrum. So we ended up with the non-specific Kenmore. But much to my surprise, it came with a special pet/fabric attachment that seems awesome. So there. Take that, Bissel Pet Hair Eraser - I don't need you after all. Anywho, I've only done one room with it so far but have no major complaints. Except that vacuuming is still a chore, even with a fancy new vacuum.

So in the last week I've read a LOT of vacuum reviews. My favorite quote from a review is off of Amazon and relates to the Kenmore Magic Blue 24195:

"The suction is so fierce, with a new bag you can lift a small child or pet directly off the floor."

Collective Junk

2009-05-14T11:44:00.006-07:00

My new obsession is browsing the “Collectibles” section on Craigslist. Hysterical. Scary. Fascinating. Here are some examples:

There are lots of dolls. Porcelain dolls, Cabbage Patch dolls, Betty Boop dolls, James Dean dolls and Troll dolls. There is even an Eminem action figure (doll) that comes with a “breakaway picnic table.” (?!?) But the ones that creep me out the most are the “My Size” Barbie dolls.

Sometimes there are furniture and household goods that people have deemed “collectible” because they are old or weird. We were inspired by this fruit bowl lamp to film our own “lost episode” of Star Trek (original series) and to use it as the “alien life form.”

Apparently dead animals are collectible. Who knew? There are bear skin rugs, giant South African Cape Buffalo heads, and – well, this…

Another random favorite…

The “Barter” section can also be amusing now and again. For instance, I am seriously considering trading my motorcycle for 82 pieces of Christmas themed china:

Who Farted?

2009-05-12T22:02:00.003-07:00

Our house is doing a new horrible thing.

It has been about 100 degrees every day for several days. So we've had the roof mounted swamp cooler running when we are home. But the air that the swamp cooler is blowing into the house stinks of sewage. That's right. Nothing like sitting under a vent of damp sewage air.

We figure that the air from a roof sewer vent must be being sucked into the cooler fan. Funny, it didn't do that last year. So it is suspect. And stinky. Another theory involves the house next door. It has been vacant for a long time. I guess it is possible that their system has dried up and sewer gas is running amok over there and drifting over to us. The new tenants are supposed to move in on the 15th. Maybe it will get better then.

In the meantime, I keep running around the house with my fingers in my nose yelling "sewage!!!!" It is really relaxing.

Cat-a-Log

2009-05-12T15:14:00.003-07:00

The boys got a new toy this weekend. It replaces the one with pink terry strings that slowly shrunk until only the bell was left. Leon is in love with it. When he wants to play with it but we are busy he goes into the livingroom and stands over it poking it with his paw and talking quietly to it. When we do play with it together, he will play all-out until he pants like a dog. Moto mostly just watches.

Baskins Case

2009-05-10T16:26:00.002-07:00

Listen, World. We need to clear something up.

Rainbow sherbet is ...

GREEN

(Lime)

ORANGE

(Orange)

and

PINK

(Raspberry)

Anything else is just three colors of sherbet mixed together ...and frankly, is crap.

And, Rainbow Sherbet is a requirement. Ice cream shops should not not have Rainbow Sherbet. That is just irresponsible. And if you aren't going to bother to stock Rainbow Sherbet, then don't bother to stock sherbet at all. That's just insulting. I mean seriously - pinneaple? daquiri? That does no one any good.

Please, World. Hear my words and come back from the dark side. You're breaking my heart.

-L

What We're NOT Doin'

2009-05-09T20:57:00.008-07:00

So we showed up a week early for the pig birthday party. That's right. We showered, got dressed, packed the present, drove to to house and walked up to the front door. The woman small-talks with us for a few seconds and then goes, "So, what are you guys doing here?" Doh.

It seems I need to work on my reading comprehension.

Side Note:
Earlier today I was doing a little counting in my head and was shocked to realize that this friend of mine now has NINE dogs. Four of her own (chihuahua, minpin, heeler, doberman) plus five fosters (a chihuahua family of three, the last three-month-old puppy of a litter of seven, and a stray puppy). Yikes.
So we pull up to her house and right away I see a dog in her yard I don't recognize. What? Ten dogs!?? That would be crazy. So I enquire and it seems she took in a mother dog and the mother's five five-day-old puppies. NINE. Plus SIX. That is FIFTEEN dogs.
And two pigs.

Other Stuff:
My AZ refund came in today. And I opened an ING Orange savings account. I'm pretty sure I did it for the higher interest rate, not because orange is my favorite color.

More Other Stuff:
Someone has taken to pooping on the floor next to the litter box. Someone also opened the lid of and climbed into the bucket containing the new litter, and peed in it. We seem to be having a few excretion related issues around here. I just hope the culprit is one of the cats.

Whatcha' Doin'?

2009-05-08T15:54:00.004-07:00

In 51 minutes I'm going to see Star Trek.

Tomorrow night I'm going to a 10th birthday party for a pig. I still need to wrap the present. (how exactly does one wrap an old comforter in edible wrapping paper? where does one get edible wrapping paper?)

I have "thrown out" my neck/back. I need a chiropractor, stat.

Tis the Season

2009-04-25T18:40:00.003-07:00

I went swimsuit shopping today. Uhg. There were several stores I walked into, looked at the 15 racks of suits, and walked back out without trying anything on. Such ugly silly crap.

I don't want ruffles.
I don't want neon.
I don't want hardware.
I don't want ten dangly strings.
I don't want animal print.
I don't want shiney.
I don't want bedazzling.

I don't think they make what I do want. Actually, I think they do - but only for catalogue or online order, which means you have the play the heartbreaking, expensive and time consuming game of ordering things, getting them in the mail, trying them on and shipping them back. I'm not that patient.

Anyway, after several hours of shopping I bought three suits from two different stores (that is three total, not six). Tonight I have to make some decisions about which one is the least objectionable and show up at a pool bbq tomorrow displaying some level of confidence about the whole thing. Yikes.

The good news is that I'm pretty sure that my deep rooted love for the sun and swimming pools will overcome my selfconsciousness and I'll be fine.

I hope.

Oh. And when I tell him I'm going swimsuit shopping he goes, "pick me up some swim trunks too while you are at it." I can't even buy clothes for myself, let alone other people. Glarg.

Review: Blanco's Tacos & Tequila

2009-04-21T21:53:00.002-07:00

Located in La Encantada, Tucson, AZ.

Ho hum. Ok. Not bad. Not great. Be warned: the mole isn't really mole.

Review: The Steak Out

2009-04-21T21:34:00.005-07:00

Located in Sonoita, AZ. Hands down the best steak restaurant we've been to in the Tucson area. Just went there again recently and was blown away all over again. $25 gets you family style salad, rolls, steak, side (baked potato, beans, etc.). Spend a little extra and get some local wine and dessert. The live music isn't bad - but ask to not sit right in front of the stage as it can inhibit conversation. Take a moment to look at the photos and articles in the lobby from a few years ago when the restaurant burnt down to the ground. Well worth the hours drive. If you are in that area during the day, stop in to the Dos Cabezas tasting room across the street from The Steak Out and pick up a bottle of their Viognier. Yum.

Review: Jack and the Bean Soup

2009-04-21T21:14:00.006-07:00

Found this at the farmers market the other day. They sell packets of bean soup mix. So, pouches that contain beans, spices, etc. You throw it all in a crock pot with a mess of water and 6 hours later you have soup. Taste tested some at the market and it was promising. We got an Autumn Lentil and a Black Bean. The Autumn Lentil was great. A little sour cream on top made it even better. We just tried the black bean tonight. Hmm. First off, it isn't really what i would call "soup." Really it is just black beans. Which is fine, and actually as i look closer at the package, it kind of says that. But they were super bland. Snoozefest. We had it over white rice with some fried egg and a little queso fresco. Zzzzz. Oh well. They have several others we'll try.

4 Day Drop

2009-04-12T10:15:00.001-07:00

Taxes in the mail!

Ta Da! $25

2009-04-06T19:02:00.001-07:00

Sprouts

2009-03-30T10:37:00.002-07:00

I'm trying to grow my own cilantro.

In a little pot.

From a seed packet that I bought at Ace Hardware.

Why, Craig? Why?

2009-03-04T15:55:00.002-07:00

We really need a filing cabinet. A four drawer black metal verticle filing cabinet. But it turns out that such a thing is very expensive. Like $170 expensive. Woof.

So I've been patiently combing craigslist for months. Nothing. A few two drawers, a few lateral. Nothing for me.

What's a disorganized girl to do?!?

Home Made Goodness

2009-03-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

I'm going to have one of the Samoa's right now...

Cat-a-Log

2009-02-26T16:34:00.004-07:00

In anticipation of having company this weekend, we gave the cats baths last night. They are all shiny clean and soft now! Almost like completely different cats. See for youself:

Blue/Green/Salmon

2009-02-26T09:12:00.002-07:00

The mourning period is over. The blog can go back to having color now.

I still miss you.

Munch.

2009-02-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

Peas

2009-02-25T09:23:00.002-07:00

Anyone watch the Republican response to Obama's speech last night?

I'm just sayin'.

Listen for yourself: Jindal -- Kenneth

Day 2

2009-02-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

Lunch.

2009-02-23T18:04:00.002-07:00

So I used my new container for the first time today. I was a little disgruntled at first because not everything fit but part way through the day I figured out how to better organize things. Ham sammich, ruffles, onion dip and dried fruits/nuts. yum.

i now need to get a couple of those silicone baking cups to put dips and things in. blast it all that i didn't think of it at Bed Bath & Beyond yesterday.

Scraggle.

2009-02-22T20:13:00.009-07:00

Our front yard had a serious case of the scraggles. Grass scraggles. Weed scraggles. Aloe scraggles. Palm scraggles. Prickly pear scraggles. Trash scraggles. Poop scraggles. Unidentifiable scraggles.

So I spent the weekend de-scraggling. Tools used included Grass Hog, pruners, loppers, rake, broom, gardening gloves and three brown paper yard waste bags. Turns out our yard also had a roll of packing tape, a dead bird, two beer bottles and what I'm guessing is a crack pipe.

But, when all the work was done, the results were impressive and scraggle free. I think the property values in our neighborhood just shot up. Photographic proof below.

New and improved view:

Cat-a-Log

2009-02-22T19:12:00.009-07:00

The boys love their Kitty Clubhouse. They've spent all weekend out there. I caught them taking a break from watching birds . . .

Cute little snuggle bugs.

Helpless.

2009-02-22T13:03:00.004-07:00

I just bought this one.

Because it was the cheapest and easiest to obtain.
($10.00, Bed Bath & Beyond)

I'm not sure I'm happy about it. We'll see how it goes this week.

Help. Even More.

2009-02-17T14:46:00.006-07:00

and there is this: (click photo for website with diagram)

and this: (click photo for website with diagram)

They look ideal but have a few bad reviews relating to flimsy lids.

So confused. This is getting harder, not easier.

Movie

2009-02-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Just got tickets to go see Coraline in 3D tonight.

Yippie!

Dinner

2009-02-15T21:49:00.002-07:00

Pot Roast