Little Tiny Vegetables...

so its late august, and my cabana boy and i have been working feverishly to keep our little garden growning in this desert, i water in the morning before i go to work, he waters in the evening when he gets back home, sometimes we go out together and water again...just for good measure. the poor little plants are breathing heavily and gasping for air...oh wait, thats jack, our black lab. anyway, its so damn hot here that even the weeds dont grow. seriously, i have only had to pull three weeds all season! i was just about to give up on my garden and walk right into oncoming traffic (i really really REALLY want to be a gardener!!) when voilah!! (is that spelled right?) much to my suprise, i had little tiny tomatos and peppers to pick!! YAY!! my very first harvest....just the right size for a barbie salad bar. now where did i put all of those barbies??

the beginning of individuality

its mid-august, and we are still in the nasty dawg-breath days of summer down here in the valley, but up in the gorgous mountains that surround us on all sides here in the high desert of utah...the nights are getting chilly, and the trees are finally starting to evolve into individuals.

my favorite time of year has always been the one thats just out of my reach, the one thats not quite here yet. in winter, its spring; fresh warm air through newly opened windows, the budding of leaves, the promise of colorful flowers to decorate our earth, the warm spring sun on my winter chilled skin...in spring, its summer: the lazy afternoons spent sitting in the shade, sipping lemonade and reading a book, the parades, barbeques and picnics, and summer vacations. by the end of summer, i look forward to autumn's cold refreshing wind, the smell of wood smoke and apple cinamon tarts baking in the oven, and the changing of the colors, when the thousands of trees become one next to another next to another, instead of a solitary mass of green! one dark green evergreen next to a light green maple, next to a silver green aspen...and then yellow, orange and red! each tree a mighty statement of individuality and yet part of a bigger force. the forrest. is there anything on this planet more amazing or more beautiful?

here are some pictures i took of our outing yesterday in the beautiful big cottonwood canyon, where the change is beginning to happen!!

i'm sorry, what did you just call me?

so i live in utah, and because i am am a gypsy, born to gypsies, i can be happy anywhere....for a certain amount of time. so life keeps me moving onward, and for now, i find myself in utah, for the second time in my life. how did i get here? again? well, theres the story we tell everyone, and the REAL story. the real story has alot to do with it being my turn to finally find true love and the safety, sanity and happiness that being with someone who is actually good, and sweet, and emotionally available, and not afraid to commit, and,oh yes, be FAITHFUL!! but, as with every happily ever after story, theres always something silly to still complain about. for me, its this goofy language that these crazy "utahens" all speak. seriously, i keep joking that i am going to write a book, but, i dont think i can wait til i have time to do that, so i decided to try a little of it out on any of you who read my blog. here goes....

the format i will use is this: the utah pronunciation, the actual word, then i will use it in a sentance. this should be fun...
pell ell - pale ale " i like this pell ell better than corona.
hunnert -hundred " i told you a hunnert times, NO!!"
cumferble -comfortable " these shoes are so cumferble!!"
sell -sale "i am having a yard sell tomorrow."
dill- deal "i got a great dill on these shoes!!"
mouw-en - mountain "the mouw-en is on fire!!"
wount- wouldn't " i wount have worn that to a wedding!!"
lay-en - Layton " i live in lay-en"
tore- tour " we are going on a tore of Alaska!!"
shore -sure " i'm not shore if i can go with you."
thishear -this year " i am going to Hawaii thishear."
lashear -last year " this is my lashear of school!!"

ok, enough cappin on these crazy "utahens"...but you see what i mean, right?? its hard to translate and listen to what they are trying to say at the same time...someone please just slap me if i ever start to talk like them!! oh my heck!!

Thirty sixteen

so... the alarm went off this morning as usual, and i hit the snooze button for the 11th time, as usual, and i really didnt want to get up and go to work, AS USUAL, and everything else was feeling the same "as usual", until BAM!! a tiny little lovenote stuck to my side of the bed from my cabana boy turned the whole day upsidedown. it said simply: "happy birthday babe". what the...??? awwwwwww crap! i'm another year older. damn it!! now what? 29 isnt believable anymore, and everyone is on to me by now anyway!! but wait a minute.., my sister, uhhhh- i mean, my daughter, sarah has the cutest way of refering her fast approaching big 3-0 as her twenty tenth birthday, so i decided, hey! if she can turn twenty ten in three years, why cant i be thirty-sixteen today? so thats it, i'm thirty sixteen....anyone got a problem with that? take it up with my cabana boy, he's got my back....wayyyyy back....

Sweet Ass Stir Fry

... it's week 4 of my new practically vegan lifestyle, and i have lost somewhere between 8-10 pounds!! thats respectable, right? anyway, i went to the only whole foods store we have here in salt lake city, "good earth" and while it is no "trader joes" it didnt completly suck!! i found vegan "mayonaise", "butter", "yogurt", "sour cream", "cream cheese", and even "cheddar cheese"!! yummy!! so anyway, i am so excited to try new things, and last night i created this awesome vegan knock off of the Rumbi Grill's Jamaican Jerk rice bowl. i wrote the recipe as i created it, so here it is...

2 T soy margerine

1/2 tsp. sea salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. (1/2 pkg) firm or extra firm tofu, cubed 1/2" cubes

2 T pickled sushi ginger, minced

1/3 c. pine nuts

in wok or large frypan, melt margerin (yes! it melts!!) on medium to high heat, add everything else, and saute, stirring often, until garlic and pine nuts are lightly toasted. Meanwhile, prepare the following:

1 c. each: matchstick cut carrots, broccoli stalks, zuccini, and yellow squash.

1/2 c. each: red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red onion, and celery, cut into 1 " pieces

1 c. broccoli florets

1 8oz. can sliced water chestnuts

1 T margerine

Carribean Jerk Sauce (look for an organic version at your whole food store)

add 1 T margerine to the saute, then add carrots, broccoli stalks and florets, and celery. Stir fry 2-3 minutes on medium to high heat. Add remaining vegetables and stir fry just to heat, about 2 minutes. Serve over brown or wild rice. Drizzle 2-3 T of Jerk Sauce over the top, and HOOVER!! Soooo good!! Oh, serves 6.

by the way, LOOK what i did!!

yes, me...its all my fault!! every square inch of their cuteness, and intelligence, and perfection!! i am solely responsible, and if you dont believe me, ask me!! Elliot, Delaney, Fisher, Bryar and Truman...my second generation children!!

Smoke 'em if ya got 'em!!

so, its the 4th of july, and we're a pretty patriotic family. we have a traditional BBQ in the backyard with whichever of our children happens to live by us at the time. now my backyard is more of a destination, than a place to store our crap, and its one of my favorite places to be. we live in the desert, but im not afraid to plant flowers, and i have torches, and lanterns and lots of candles placed better homes and gardens style here and there. a couple of weeks ago, my cabana boy and i bought this cute little iron and glass bistro table and two chairs for the "deck". ( its really a slab of concrete, but being a "mental traveler" i'm also a "mental deck owner", got a problem with that?) well, it didnt take me long to find a cute dragonfly candle holder, and a pretty little indoor-outdoor table mat to adorn my new bistro table with!! so, we decide its time to move the chips and salsa, glasses of wine, and all the kids outside for a nice little game of bacci. it's just before dark, and all of the torches, lanterns and candles are lit. the backyard looks amazing. i'm pretty pleased with myself, and everything looks and feels perfect. did i mention that it was kinda windy? oh yeah, it was kinda windy. odd, windy on the 4th of july? whatever...so were out on the grass, its my cabana boys turn to toss, and he looks over at my new bistro table and its clear there is something wrong with the picture. the wind had blown the chip bag onto the dragonfly candle holder which immediately burst into flames, inviting the new table mat to join them in thier patriotic explosion of color and light!! what the? arent 4th of july fires supposed to involve faulty gas grills, or fireworks, or lots of intoxication mixed with fautly gas grill or fireworks? CHIPS AND SALSA AND DRAGONFLY DECORATIONS? are you kidding me? well, my cabana boy grabbed the hose, and my son grabbed the baby, the dog was barking like his life depended upon it, and as quickly as it began, it was over. so was the bacci game. oh, i salvaged the dragonfly candle holder. the bistro table is unscathed, but the chips and the mat? may they rest in peace...