a much-needed day off...
Our white Christmas came a week early. Work was cancelled, so I'm enjoying a day inside by the gas heater. And some frolicking in the snow on the fire escape...

Labels: winter

2:49 PM 0 Comments

under the weather...
Despite the beautiful day we're having today, I can attest that winter has indeed come to Asheville. The dreariness of Wednesday suggested that my nose should respond with runniness of Pamploma proportions. Then the drizzle of yesterday prompted a full on stuffy, sneezy, achy response. Today's been a smidge better, as I have recruited a phalanx of teas, tablets, lozenges, and liqui-gels to beat down the offending virus. But like the first green buds and chirping birds hearken the beginning of spring, the pile of used kleenex and the constant achoo are the signal for Winter to bring it on.
1:11 PM 0 Comments

mummy dearest...


I don't think I've ever just made gingerbread men. hmmmm.

Labels: food, halloween

6:11 PM 0 Comments

splitting peas...
We woke up this morning to the drizzly kind of rain that promises to stick around all day. Ah, fall in North Carolina. I remember coming to NC for college and being amazed at the number of days in a row it would rain, nonstop. As a Florida native, I was used to a 20 minute shower in the afternoon and an occasional thunderstorm or tornado. But the drizzle was entirely new. I learned to love the coziness of being inside while the dreariness ran on outside. Part of that is a cup of tea and toast, and another is a warm bowl of soup.

And so tonight, we're having split pea soup. Yum!

Labels: food

6:14 PM 0 Comments

Dad told me once...
...that the older you get, the faster time goes by.

Well, here I am on the cusp of 30 (gasp!) and can attest to the validity of that statement. The last few months have flown by at a speed only rivaled by a Mercedes McClaren on a test track with the Stig at the helm. Three months in the new job, and I’m just getting to the point where I feel like I have the energy and head space for projects again. Time is at a premium now, in a way it’s never been for me, and I find the need to carefully choose what I want to read, watch, make, research, or do to be a bit of a challenge. A dabbler by nature, I need to have several things going at once. Shoving that all into the four hours of free time I seem to have a day is a bit insane. So I can read while I exercise, and listen to books on tape while I make the bank run at work, knit while I surf the internet or sew while I watch movies, etc. Does all this multitasking take away from the enjoyment of each of the individual things? Or am I just naturally fidgety?
10:24 AM 0 Comments

now that I'm a working girl...
...I'm finding very little time for my own. Once I get comfortable in the flow of my job, I think I'll find a bit more time here and there, but right now, I seem to be learning a new major thing every day. It's more exhausting than I thought!
9:59 AM 0 Comments

bearing fruit...
My Roma tomatoes have started ripening like mad, and I'm having a problem catching them at the right moment before they get squishy spots. Four were ready today and i think I caught them at the perfect time...



Next year, I think I'll look for an heirloom variety that's small and cooks up well without too much pulp (since those are the qualities I like in my tomatoes, based on how they get used). Maybe they'll fare a bit better if they're bred for NC. I'm also nearly ready for a pepper harvest. The cayennes need to still turn a bit red before they're ready, but the jalapenos are a pretty dark green now and ready to go any time.



I've been knitting away at my lace scarf, and it's going quite quickly. I love the turmeric color and the pattern's shaping up quite nicely...

Labels: garden, knitting

1:50 PM 0 Comments