Scenic Drive

The way we were trying to go:


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The way we ended up going:

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How did we miss a major interstate turn off?
How did we not know we were going the wrong way for nearly 40 miles?

garden guest

The kids found this guy in the back yard the other day:

I can't figure out how he managed to even get in the yard. We have a wrought iron fence and the openings are nowhere near big enough for the turtle to get through. And there isn't anywhere along the fence to slide under either. I guess it will just be one of those mysteries never to be solved.
Isaac was feeding it different things and tried a stick. The turtle snapped it off with its strong jaws. Good thing it wasn't anyone's finger. I've heard they don't let go once they clamp onto something.

Terminator's Sister

Slowly, one procedure at a time, body parts are being replaced with titanium ones. It started with root canals and crowns; then orthodontia. I had surgery to repair both jaw joints. Next, I got 4 metal plates in my mouth - above and below my teeth; my palette expanded, my whole jaw repositioned, and a deviated septum fixed. I even had my chin repositioned and a metal "z" plate installed. But apparently it was too much for my body to take. One side of my jaw never healed. In fact, it started disappearing.

All this leads to the next procedure: an artificial jaw joint. On July 2nd, I'll add 16 more screws to my head. And finally getting my face somewhat back to normal, on the outside at least. Still going to be bionic on the inside!

Making a grand total of 56 screws, 5 titanium plates, and 1 plastic fossa.

Can't wait...

Fun in the Kitchen

I have been toying around with starting a separate blog for my cooking experimentation, but I think I will just do an occasional post here.  We cook quite a bit in our house.  On Friday, Toby made red curry with shrimp for lunch, because, hey, he was in the mood for red curry.  Today Aspen made a lattice top apple pie, because, hey, she felt like making a pie.  When Isaac was 5, he would get up and cook himself a quesedilla for breakfast.

We also do "theme cooking" in our house.  Typically I go out and get a couple cookbooks, and cook that theme for a year or so.  The major themes we have done are breads, Thai, Indian, and ice cream.  Betsy has also done a bunch of soups and salads.  The theme cooking works its way into the usual dinner rotation, which is how you end of having red curry for lunch on Friday.  The two current themes I have going are waffles and kind of a "food science" theme, playing with different textures and cooking techniques.

First, the waffle theme.  I got a Belgian waffle maker for my birthday, and we have been making different types of fancy waffles.  I also got this 200 year old waffle iron off eBay for about 15 bucks.  The hinge was broken, so I got a clamp at Home Depot to hold it closed while making waffles.

The coolest part of the waffle iron is the patterns it makes on the waffles.   There are two patterns on each side, and the sides are different.

Lemon poppy seed waffle with homemade blueberry sauce.  We have also done ginger waffles with peaches, chocolate waffles, and a couple other kinds.

In the food science category I have done a few different things.  I may do a catch up post later.  Here are a couple fun things we did recently.

Jalapeño chicharrones--made from pureed jalapeños, starch, and salt.  Could have been a little more spicy, but they were fun to make.  They puff up completely in about 1 second.

Caviar with creme fraiche.  At least that is what it is supposed to look like.  They are actually little root beer floats--root beer caviar (made with agar), and vanilla whipped cream, on a cookie.  The kids had fun helping make the caviar.  Betsy thought this was one of the best things I have made so far--fun and delicious.  

Garden update

Parts of my garden are doing great:
More lettuce and spinach than I know what to do with. Starting to get some beets, squash and zucchini. I even have a few tomatoes and peppers that are starting. Only one pumpkin so far though.
The peas were so-so. I didn't get them staked early enough. And there just were that many. But the herbs are flourishing. And I hope the beans start producing.

A few pest problems:
I ordered some ladybugs to deal with the aphids, but I'm not sure that was entirely successful. The pill bugs are doing their part of the damage too. And now the pumpkin, cucumber and melon plants are yellowing and dying. And though there are plenty of blossoms, most of them shrivel up and die. I don't think they are getting pollinated. I haven't seen too many bees. If I had more yard I'd get my own hive.

Other parts have failed miserably.
My broccoli grew great foliage - but NO broccoli. The melons probably won't make it either. As soon as I get a composting bin, I'll replace the spent stuff with flowers.

I guess the first year is always an experiment. I'll try again in the fall.