Having It Made

Yesterday, I had a very Sunday kind of day, which for me means a fair bit of domesticity.  I made a lot of stuff!  First, though, I went to Penny Cluse for breakfast.  Yummm!  When I got home, I did a spring cleaning of my room, which now feels very pleasant and calm.  Next, I gave the kitties a bath (pet spring cleaning, I guess).  As usual, they hated it.  Amazingly, I made it out without a scratch.  Here they are all shiny and lavender-smelling after pouting sufficiently.

Okay, now to show off what I made!

vanilla almond maple granola

Granola making is somewhat routine, but I still get excited about it.

red wine vinaigrette

Really carrot-y coleslaw!

I tried this recipe... I think it might be a bit too sweet, but I have to see how it tastes now after more flavor melding time.  If it IS too sweet, it might just be the carrots.  We'll see...

rhubarb sauce

part of sock #2

Such a very nice day - ahhhh :)

Summertime and the Livin' Is Easy

I'm pretty sure that I've used this title for a post before... maybe even annually... maybe even more often than that.  What can I say?  The classics never die. 
Anyway, here's the deal with my summer:
In an attempt to add some structure to my life, I found a second summer job.  Now I work at a bike shop again - YAY!  I started yesterday and immediately felt very much at home.  I also reset and "started" to read Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell.  I got about 100 pages in last summer during the road trip then put it on hold all school year.  I've made a bunch of iced tea.  I've spent a lot of time walking around and eating at food carts.  And I've also eaten some summer fruits - strawberries(!) watermelon(!).  I've finished up my winter knitting project.  Check it out:

Okay, I'm not feeling like I am writing well tonight, so I'll leave it at that. 

So Stoked on Home Bubble Tea Success!

First, behind the scenes: cook then cool tapioca pearls, soak pearls in simple syrup, make and cool tea of your choice.  Then...

1. Get a glass

 

2. Put the tapioca pearls and some syrup in it. 

 

3. Add some ice. 

4. Pour in a bit of tea.  .

5.  Now, the milk

6. Stir it up, little darlin'.

7. Yum!

I'm so excited this worked!

Thanks, Mama...

... for putting up with me. 

 

 (actually taken in 06, btw... not sure what's up with the timestamp... not my camera)

...and Caita - I'm glad you kept her around, too.

Home Sweet Home

Well, here I am in Vermont in the Spring.
Everything feels very familiar, which is strange.  The way the air feels, the way the weather is behaving, the plants and animals that I see around.  It's all very home-like.  The seasons are really different out west, and it has been 5 years since I spent the cycle in Michigan, this climate zone (wow!). 
Now, the plants are blooming and budding when they are supposed to be.  The cardinals, red-winged blackbirds and robins are flitting about now, at just the right time.  Perhaps most importantly, the rhubarb is coming into season right in time for my birthday pie!  Yesterday I received a picture from Beth that the mayapples are out, so she knew it was my birthday, which made me so, so happy.  I now have my local naturalist friend on the case, checking his notes to let me know where to go around here to see some for myself.
So, my multi-home problem/blessing is expanding, I think.  Last year at this time, I was realizing that I had expanded my "homes" from 2 two to three, adding Oregon to Colorado and Michigan.  Now, I suspect Vermont is getting added to the mix, but I'm not sure.  Maybe just the similarities to Michigan that are really making it strike a chord.  I do like it here, though.  It's kind of like an Ann Arbor, Boulder hybrid, and that's a good thing, to be sure.
When I introduced myself to new participants in the bike tour, and we were telling everyone where we were from, I would say, "I am a Michigander/Midwesterner whose heart is in Colorado, and I happily live in Portland."  I'm surprised that could be getting even more complex.