Veggies @ MindSay

Can you tell we were running? Haha. :]


Ida Maria. :] She's so pretty! And I love how she was like, "This song is about drinking." She had two like that. Hah. =D Briana was not even two feet away from Johannes (he walked up to the balcony.) and she could have taken a picture with him! D: She just said, "Ohmahgaw, that guy is so cute!" *gonk*




GLASVEGAS! Whoo...last night was fun. The last one is my favourite picture that I took. :]
I'm currently uploading a video right now. Dx;; It's about a half an hour long, so I'm not sure if I wanna share since the sound quality is probably going to be crap. We'll see. :]

I just got back from Virginia a few ours ago... Epic, but I've been dying to sleep. I had lunch there and I wasn't expecting such a big platter. I asked for fried noodles with vegetables only...no beef, and I was sure to make that clear. :] They put tofu in it and it was AMAZINGG. But was HUGE. x_x;;; Jenny said that I only ate two tenths of it. I had to take the rest home, and I kept saying that I'm never going to finish it. There's so much and I rarely eat. A lady thought that Jenny was the eldest child. Dx She's taller than mee~! :3 Or maybe I look youngg? Haha, naww... ;_; She is taller than me, I think all of my siblings were/are/are going to be..

My mom and step dad are very proud of me right now. It's really weird.
It's so weird that they plan on getting me a new car....and it's going to be pink and white. [xD?]
I really don't mind my car right now though. It's old, but it still runs and loves me. x] I didnt' die, and the gasoline intake is amazing. Cha5rlene always said that my car was good at that. :] I don't think I'll find another car like it... so very reliable to me. 1991 Toyota Tercel, I don't even think they make that model anymore. It's gonna be so sad the day I have to part ways with it...
And.....I actually had a nice conversation with my step dad. Which is rare. There was no fighting whatsoever. Yay.


Jade misses her boyfriend TONS right now. D: Phwee.... I hope he's alright.
--Baby, if you're reading this, I love youu. You are my everything, I mean it, so don't forget that. :] I miss you so much. ♥!!!

everyone in portland comes outside in summer. to eat in cafes, to ride their bikes, to garden, kayak, visit farmers' markets and shop for the exotic at the Portland Saturday Market under the Burnside Bridge. What a great event... with people of all shapes and sizes and colors and decoration coming together to listen to music, get hennaed, buy fun stuff and eat from the dozens of food venders. I dont know what I ate was called but it was from The Horn of Africa booth and was delicious. And jimmy gave me a hat for High Holy Days.green velvet and funky. and I got a few tips from the very kind milliner of adding pins to fabric flowers.

 

 

This morning we went to the farner market at wilson high school and brought home tomatoes grown in ctual dirt, zucchini, green beans, chanterelles , berries, peaches, arugala, and calla lilies. I am a sucker for fresh flowers and the abundance of them is heavenly. So for dinner  we sat on the deck, calla lilies in the middle of the table and the little candle lantern my friend Celeste Sabel ( A GREAT  potter) traded me for a silk tallit and we had risotto with chanterelles , garlic, and chives from the flower pots. and a salad of sliced tomatoes, mozzerelle, and basil leaves sprinkled with balsamic vinegar. Does it get better?

 

 

My sewing buzz is still loud and fun and I am getting a lot done. abi tries to play with the threads and then finally goes to sleep after a few "no abi" comments. I started a new tallit today; dyed the silk in the morning and starting laying it all out this afternoon. The studio ceiling fan has made all the difference in my ability to stay there for hours and the new embellisher machine is  the worlds best tool for someone like me who loves color, unpredictability and spontaineity. I love giving up some control to the fiber gods. tomoorrow i will make some flats of thick felt to shape into a fat for embellishing. That should be interesting as I have only sewn hats before.

 

what I really need to do is build up a stash of made things and get my hips over to some local craft fair. Amen.

I am not a big veggie person.  When I eat salad, I like to make it a whole meal.  I add all kinds of things like crackers, ham, turkey, cheese, seeds - lots of non-veggie things.  Then everything take a huge dip into the salad dressing!

As you have seen, I do have a little garden in the backyard.  If you actually seen it, you'd say "damn - little it right!"

So, I am slowly pulling the fruits of my labor out - and eating it.

Today, I pulled out one of the cucumbers.  I got on the web and looked up some pickling recipes.  Kinda complicated and long time line - 2 weeks.  Almost like preserves - sterilizing jars, etc.  I needed a shortcut.

I sliced the cucumber into rounds, thin slices.  Then, make a bath of vinegar, honey (just a little), pepper, salt, and a little soy sauce.  Into the brine and into the frig.

About 6 hours later, took a taste.  Very good, but not really a pickle yet, so back into the frig.  I'll check on them tomorrow.

When I planted the garden, I had few expectations.  I've seen other plants grow before and others not at all.  What I expected was the okra and beans to take over the garden, and everything else to wilt, dry up, and blow away.

The sunflowers were the most interested to grow.  The seeds looked just like the ones you eat.  We put them in the soil and cover them up.  In about a week, they poked up thru the ground.  Then, they started on their upward climb.

up, up, up, Up, Up, UP, UP!!!  Yikes!

The tallest one is about 10 feet high - easily sticking over my neighbors fence.  The biggest flower is about 11 inches across.  I didn't spread the seeds out evenly, like in row.  So, they had to compete for sunlight.  It was funny to watch the slower growers grow sideways first before grow skyward.

They also took a LONG time to flower.  The stalks just grew and grew and grew.  G lad the flowers came out and look the way they do.

I about ready to strip the garden and plant some new stuff.

Here are some garden pictures.  Over time - doesn't look like this again.