Harley and the Ivory Tower

Here is the Ivory Tower built by Mister for Harley. This is something like the 19th rendition of the Tower. It was placed in different locations in the yard with varying shelf heights and placement. This turned out to be the one that Harley utilizes most. There is a ramp and shelves and its right next to the fence. Lots of climbing potential here.

Oh, and there is Harley, perched on his Tower.The Tower sits in the corner of the property giving Harley complete surveillance of four yards from one vantage point. How crazee is that?!

The top tier has a little roof so he can enjoy the out-of-doors and stay a bit dry even if it decides to rain in our fair corner of this country. It also provides a bit of shade on warm days. As you may be able to discern, Mister put a short 1 inch lip around the perimeter of the top tier so Harley can feel safe if he decides to nap there, which he does. We wouldn't want the little scamp to accidentally roll off the shelf. He is so not spoiled.

Just loved.

Lots.

And lots.

Just Watched: The Reader

Wow. Heartbreaking. Watch this, soon.

Kate Winslet is nothing short of amazing, as always. Intelligent, beautiful and talented. She nails the character and all the character's thoughts, emotions, traits and flaws. Hannah (Kate Winslet) is a transit ticket taker. Through random circumstance and what I can only think of as love at first sight, she meets Michael, a 15 year old boy. I did not know where this movie would take me. I stay away from (as much as possible) reviews and commercials. I like to watch a movie and be surprised (hopefully) where it takes me. This was a movie to ponder.

Did you see it? What was your take on it? Do you agree with how Michael 'handled' things? What would you dream of doing differently?

Banana Chai Coffee Cake

This was so very delicious! I took the original recipe found HERE for Chai Coffee Cake and substituted 4 really ripe, smashed bananas for the sour cream and I used a bit less butter (Earth Balance) than the recipe called for. Holy Monkey! Its the perfect cross between banana bread and coffee cake with just the right amount of crunchy goodness on top.

Its super tasty as is - well, with my slight substitutions.

However, (you just knew that was coming, didn't you).

If I were to make it again, which is likely, I would increase the spices in the topping. My guess is that there is enough spice in the topping if using the original recipe with the sour cream. Since I put in bananas, which have a strong and distinct flavor, I would, at least, double the spices in the topping. In my version, the topping is wonderfully crunchy and sweet, but the spices are barely discernable. I think this would be great substituting pumpkin for the sour cream and part of the butter too. Coffee cake is one of those recipes you can change up a million ways and its usually pretty good no matter how you slice it.

Bon appetit!

or should I say

Buono appetito!

Food Update - I obsess a bit

A few weekends ago, my bestest from Sonoma came up for the weekend and I posted about all the special food (nice) I had in mind to prepare and eat. The Artichoke Olive Crostini was really good. I didn't get around to making the chai coffee cake, but its still on my list of breakfast / snacky foods to try out. Let me know if you do and what you thought about it.

Earth Day 2009

Well, when I look at last year's Earth Day list and also Earth Day 2007 of what we wished to accomplish during the ensuing 12 months, we failed a bit.

Mister has not, yet, installed solar panels on our home. We, unfortunately, do not have the right exposure.

I have not ridden my bike to work more often. The real estate thing kep me from doing it at all last summer and fall. I had to be available with my vehicle most days. (excuses, excuses)

We do not yet have a solar vehicle. Mister either want to build one - we don't have a garage for him to do that in, at present and Mister refuses to buy into what he terms the ugly and ridiculous electric cars which have been mass produced to date. Electric cars do not have to be ugly i.e. check out the Tesla Roadster.

They also don't need to be that expensive. We're just waiting until its viable.

Anyway.

What have we done? Well, I've become rather anal and bring home anything from the office that can be recycled but not from the office. For example, plastic bags can not be put into the regular recycling, I bring them home and we include them with our bags which are returned to the grocery. I've also done this with old plastic food containers and lids from the office that would have ended up in the land fill.

We did, just last weekend, and when I say we, I mean Mister, anyway... we installed a wood stove into our home. We loved the one at my other house so much, now we have one too. Mister brings home construction materials (wood) from his work sites that would be recycled (so they say) but we take it and use it as fuel. You know, palettes and 2x4 ends, etc. I guess a lot of construction guys scavenge for stuff on job sites that would end up basically garbage and reuse it somehow.

Mister has pretty much removed all non-native vegetation from the back yard - with the exception of my tulips and a very few other plants. Our goal is to attract native bees and bugs and birds.

We have Mason Bee boards up hoping for native bees to come live with us.

They are far more gentle than ordinary honey bees and apparently are native to the region.

We've put up some natural bird houses. No birds living there yet, but that could be because there are tons of cats, including ours, in the neighborhood.

Mister and I commute together, when we can.

We have a compost bin and put all our vegetable scraps there for future use in garden beds.

That is all I have for now. We are doing what we can and always searching for new things to add to our palette.

I hope you all have a good day today. My thoughts are with you.

Lemon Coconut Bread

Lemon Coconut Bread. I first blogged about it HERE.

Its a must make bread / cake / dessert. Lemony, dense, moist, coconutty. Your friends and family will kiss your toes and beg for more. At least, that's what mine did. You take that risk upon yourself if / when you make this recipe.

Its easy, easy, easy. I did add a lemon glaze, lemon zest and toasted coconut to the top to make it pretty for a BBQ I had last Saturday. But, all by itself, it was delicious, even before the luscious drizzled and toasty tasty topping.

Are you getting the idea here, it was really quite good. I'll give it 4 stars and 2 thumbs up.

Wedding Attire

As you know by now, Mister and I will be in Italy to celebrate Mister's sister's wedding. I've been searching for just the right, super light-weight, easily packable, semi-casual, yet fabulous and appropriate dress for the wedding. Below are two dresses I ordered. Which do you think I should wear? Is red too much for a wedding? Are they too casual? I want comfort above just about all else. Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Outrage?

Courage

I turned 40 in 2008. Its no secret and its not that big of a deal. I have friends who turned 40 way before me and they all have said, "Dude, 40! You will love it." I didn't understand what they were talking about, you just can't understand a life "thing" (for lack of a better term) until you've experienced it yourself. Example: Having children - I don't have them and I know that I don't 'get' it. I can't. I have nieces that I would kill or die for and I know that their parents feel even more strongly than that about them. I can sympathize, but I can't empathize. Does that make sense?

Anyway, turning 40 has given me courage that I did not know I had. Well, I sort of always thought it was there, I'm just more of an internally courageous person. (hee hee - that cracked me up - how does someone be 'internally' courageous??? anyway...) I have stopped taking so much of other people's crap. (This started slightly before turning 40, but has gelled since the actual 40 without my thinking about it consciously.) What I mean is I'm the middle of the road person who sees both sides of almost all situations and arguments. I usually don't take a side, publicly. I might have an opinion 'on the inside', but dared not share it because I might be viewed as one-sided (a trait I have a difficult time with in others). I would have my own personal thoughts and I would just keep them to myself.

Anyway... I was recently graced in being included in a long, long list of cc'd people on an email from someone from my past, Pete. (DCR - you know to whom I refer.) It was a poll on whether we thought the 2nd amendment gave Americans the right to bear arms. The sender, given the context and his demeanor, is profoundly sitting on the right side of the political spectrum. Knowing this person as I do, my immediate thought was that he was trying to push an agenda and 'knew' no one would oppose him (he being who he thinks he is - a puffed up rooster who thinks he's the cock of the walk - see, me with opinions).

My 40 year old self responded, and responded "to all". (Are you tired of the quotes and parentheticals yet?) Here's my response. Please ignore the grammar, I was a bit hot under the collar (and even if a fall is on its way for me, a bit proud of myself for having the courgage to respond AT ALL, much less TO ALL). Ok, here's my response:

Given the context of the times in which the 2nd Amendment was written, every man in the country was in peril of being called up as a militia in the absence of an organized army. Each farmer was given the right to bear arms so they could bring their own weapons to fight the Red Coats (and the like). Also, the time in which the Second Amendment was written, people carried their muskets. That's not exactly the same as the anti-personnel weaponry which today's ordinary person who will never be called into a militia and asked to bear their own personal arms is asking the right to 'bear'. I haven't seen a "legitimate" claim anywhere stating ordinary people will be asked to hand over their .30-06's or .22's.

Thanks for sharing.

I have to say, I felt empowered, strong, courageous and a bit vindicated (you'd have to know our history).

I've not heard back from Pete on this but I did get responses from two (so far) other people who were on the 'cc' list. Both of whom applauded (but only to me - hmmmm interesting) my response.

Anyway, I have to give kudos to my Mister for at least half of my new found courage. He's been outspoken and loud and obnoxious about his opinions no matter who it annoyed from the day I met him. It can be annoying, but I love that he's who he is and it doesn't change depending on who is in the room.

So, there you go. My courageous act. I feel good today.

Ciao bellas!!

Recipes - Thai Influenced Burgers

Here's a monkey in Belize, just for fun. We were out in the wild looking for monkeys, and found them. You have to be careful when monkeys are in the trees overhead, they'll pee and or poo on you. Seriously!

Recipes I plan to test out soon. Just have not had the time.

Lemon Coconut Bread;

Fish en Pappillote;

Applie Pie Coffee Cake;

Cinnamon Swirl Buns - oh heavens, this one might be a long time away;

Roasted Potato Wedges - we actually make these occassionally, mostly in winter. Any of your favorite spices will do;

And these Thai influenced Burgers: Actually I'll post the recipe later on today. Come back and check it out.

Patties:

2 lb hamburger (or whatever)

2 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cup bottled Thai sweet chili sauce

4 green onions sliced

1 cup kettle chips (any variety), placed in a bag and smashed

Thai Salad:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T olive oil

3/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp Thai sweet chili sauce

1 T peeled, grated ginger

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cucumber, julienned

1 red or orange bell pepper, cut into matchsticks

Cilantro Mayo:

1 cup may

1 T lime juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

6 good-quality burger buns.

Make the mayo and the salad first and let them sit while you make and grill the burgers.

Bun, mayo, burger, salad, more mayo if you so desire, other half of the bun.

Enjoy.

I've not made these yet, but they sound amazing and the person who gave me the recipe said they were great. The kettle chips freak me out a bit, but, I'll try it once at some point this summer.

Spring

I've been swamped with 'stuff'. Not much time for the old blog, but its on my mind so here I am.

What have I been up to? I know you are about to wriggle out of your pants waiting to know this stuff!

Last night I went to a 'makeover' appointment with my sister-in-law. Not really my thing, but, as unofficial, local, maid of honor, it was my duty. Plus, I just like her and hanging out is fun, even if its not something I would normally do. I ended up having the best time and the woman made me look amazing without making me feel and look like I had a ton of makeup on. It was the first time that's ever happened to me. I'm pretty much a mascara and maybe eyeliner if I'm going out for the evening. Maybe some tinted chapstick (Burts Bees to be exact). But she was great and made my eye 'pop', plus, we had wine, so that was good too. I think we were at the appointment for 3 hours chatting and having fun.

What else.... my bestest from Sonoma, CA will be here this weekend. I'm bummed its supposed to rain, I had hikes and bike rides and walks in our plans. But now, we'll mostly eat good food. On the menu: Oatmeal, pecan, yellow raisin cookies - these are currently in the freezer in the shape of cookie dough balls. We can eat them cold or make fresh ones at will;. Nearly Raw Tahini Noodles for dinner - all I can say is OY, these are completely easy to make and 100% worth the making;. Chai coffee cake a new recipe I've not tried out yet, but looks tasty and may be a good thing to have sitting on the counter for noshing; and artichoke, olive crusty bread - also a new recipe. I love the artichoke, parmesan cheese dip that we all have either made or had as an appetizer at restaurants, but its got cheese, and Mister and I try to avoid dairy. So, when I saw this version, I jumped on it. I'll have it in the fridge and we'll warm it all up toasty in the oven when we want a little sumthin'. We'll also have much wine and probably a cocktail or two. Let's just be honest about it.

We also had a friend/family couple get married last weekend. That took up a lot of time, parties and dinners and gatherings and ceremonies.

I've been reading two books, Brisingr on audio and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down in paper. Mister and I were commuting together so I didn't get much Brisingr listening lately but will soon. I've been reading the other book forEVER. Its a bit long, small type, emotionally heavy and not an easy read. I'm about half way through, its good, just a committed endeavor.

Trying, albeit not that hard, to get ready for Italy.

So, on paper, it doesn't look like I'm all that swamped, but, the getting ready for weekend company takes time. Clean the entire house, dust, vaccuum, cabinet fronts, freshen the spare room, de-cat hair the furniture, shop for the food, create as much ahead of time as possible, hang with Mister, etc, etc.

I took a few photos last night, didn't upload, will sometime soon.

This is my desk, well, a portion of it, right now. Looks like I need more water.

There you go. Me in a nutshell. What have you been up to!?!

Oatmeal, raisin, pecan cookies

You've seen this recipe in other variations before here on my little website. Well, I've come up with another version that is so delicious, you must make them immediately. I am posting a 1/2 recipe because, well, that's where I am right now. A half recipe won't sit around long enough, post baking, to turn stale. Oatmeal Raisin Pecan Cookies (aka heaven with raisins) 1/2 cup margarine or butter, your choice 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 egg 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 1 cup quick oats 3/4 cup yellow raisins. If they are dried out, boil water and soak them for a few minutes until tender, then pat dry 3/4 cup chopped pecans Use the standard cookie making / mixing formula and Voila! 350 degrees for 9 - 10 minutes, just depends on how chewy you like your cookies. Enjoy. Ciao Bellas!

Crisis - of sorts, and of my own making, stinko!

Tonight - I have a bridal shower for the soon to be wife of the brother of the fiance of my sister-in-law - nothing to wear.

Tomorrow - I am going to brunch with a few of my core girl pals, then to Wicked (yeah!! I'm so looking forward to seeing this play) and then a birthday party (the Wicked tickets are the gift to one of the aforementioned gals) - nothing to wear.

Sunday - I have a wedding to attend (see bridal shower info in the 'tonight' paragraph above) - nothing to wear.

May 2 - I'm hosting a bridal shower for my sister-in-law - nothing to wear

May 31 - Another wedding (sister-in-law), in Italy nonetheless, nothing to wear.

Do you see a pattern forming here?

Oh, and PS - I despise shopping. Therein lies (lays, lyes, sp?) the crux of the matter. I really should get on this situation.