Friday, December 31, 2010

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Reunion Hike: 5 Years Later

Cloudy-day reunion hike in the Catalina Mountains with dearest friends, toting baked goods, and an enthusiastic pup, who ate pepperoni bites.

Friday, December 17, 2010

remembering good days


If I could relive just a few moments of history, right now, I'd really like to set back the clocks six or eight years to my grandparent's dinner table, after supper, when only stray knives and glasses half-filled with punch or melting ice cubes decorate the table. Annoying all my cousins and parents, per usual, I'd clank and tinker off-key tunes on the cups, with the knives, with Joe.

Monday, December 13, 2010

tucson definitely missed the winter memo

80°F | °C
Current: Sunny
Wind: SE at 5 mph
Humidity: 11%
Mon
Sunny
82°F | 46°F
Tue
Sunny
79°F | 49°F
Wed
Sunny
72°F | 49°F


Sunday, December 12, 2010

"growing gangbusters!"

WOULD YOU GET A LOOK AT THIS!?
Holy mackerel!





P.S. Our only sign of fall: yellow leaves beneath the pomegranate tree.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

with all the windows open

I'm spending the afternoon in the kitchen: tidying, scrubbing & perfuming the place with good smells. Baking off leftover buttermilk-bran muffin dough, whisking spices in a slurry of maple syrup (Rosemary Spiced Nuts & Pretzel Bites, batch two) and breaking sheets of peppermint bark for my mom, dad and Lisa to end the evening with something sweet.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Monday, December 6, 2010

latkes night!

This year I did a riff on our usual latkes recipe; instead of shredding a our traditional trio (potato, carrot and onion) I made it a quartet and threw a couple sweet potatoes into the mix!

Happy Hanukkah!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

poking out, headed toward sunshine

Rainbow chard & arugula sprouts! (To the right!)

Floppy brassicas; looking great!

Friday, December 3, 2010

home

I sometimes forget that with distance, a little reflection, getting on with my own trajectory and distracting myself with life-things in the day-to-day, I am able to so appreciate things that at one time, I took little or less notice of.

I feel this way about lots of stuff -- both serious and dopey. But lately, most acutely when I come home. Since living solo these last few months, I've started creating my own routines, deciding what I like and what I don't. I think I'm growing; plus, it feels good to be near the University hubbub and friends. But while I've always loved my southwest home (very, very much) I've found that I long for it and appreciate it in ways that I didn't think about when I was around everyday. I didn't think about the Ollie the owl, the never-ending stack of wool blankets, the compost bucket, my folks type-typing down the hall - always ready for political updates or out-of-the-oven snacks, the quiet heaven of neighborhood jogs.

I thought I'd show a picture of an afternoon last week -- a case in point -- when I couldn't stop smelling the lemon leaves beyond my childhood window, and watching the sunlight cast shadows on the drying clothes, the brick wall, my mom's shoes.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

grape growin' in arizona



Spent the afternoon wandering in and out of Sonoita and Elgin vineyards with a motley crew of land lovers. Felt a bit sad, driving back. Never feel satiated leaving my Arizona grasslands. Not quite enough time -- like having to leave a really good dinner party during dessert.