Garden Tour: get thee to Two Become One

Hi folks! I'm guest posting for Samantha over at Two Become Onetoday.

Go check out the flower garden tour I wrote up, and then take a look around while you're there. She's actually good at decorating the *inside* of her house. My eyes, they are green with envy.

in bloom: sedum

There's only one item in the front flower garden that's remaining from the days of the house's prior owner. We've been taking out various overgrown shrubs bit by bit as new plants have gone in. The last of the evictees, the azaleas, got the boot a few weeks ago.

The one holdover we've permitted to stay is the sedum. It takes zero effort from us to look good, and it flowers at the end of the summer, when the irises are long gone and even the anemones are petering out. I think it's pretty cool, too, that it's a succulent but still manages to survive as a perennial as far north as we are.

Best Ever Broccoli

No, we didn't grow this. Broccoli takes up a lot of space, and so far things in that category (see also, zucchini) haven't proven their worth of real estate in the garden.

It ended up being one of the best side dishes we've made in quite a while, though, so clearly grocery store produce can be pretty good.

Oven Roasted Broccoli
Broccoli, cut into spears
Olive oil
Rice vinegar
Garlic powder
Cumin

There are no quantities because it really, for sure, I promise, doesn't matter. This will taste good. I washed and drained the broccoli, then drizzled olive oil over it and tossed to coat. Then I drizzled some rice vinegar over it and tossed again. After that, I spread the broccoli out on a couple of cookie sheets and shook the garlic powder and cumin over it all. It went into a 375 degree oven (because that was the temperature for the chicken The Awesome Husband was making), and I flipped all the pieces when they had browned on the bottom.

Cook until it's done. For me, that means there's still a bit of crunch in the stems. For you, that might mean until it's solidly cooked through.

Enjoy!

in bloom: marigolds

I bought marigold seeds intending to plant them in and around the vegetable garden because they smell strongly and (supposedly) ward off critters. You know, things like cute little bunnies that seem precious and delightful until they eat all your lettuce in the span of three hours. We put up fencing around the veggies, though, so there hasn't been a need to employ marigolds as an anti-bunny force. Rather than let them go to waste (anything but that!), I planted some in the front flower garden and some in a little patch of questionable dirt -- sand, really -- at the end of our driveway.

Now, I'll give marigolds this: they're not kiddin' around. They germinated in that patch of sand and grew themselves a foot and a half tall. Everyone has their limits, though, and actually flowering when grown in sand is apparently too much to ask of marigolds. We have a rather bizarre looking plant all by its lonesome at the end of the driveway now. No pictures. Trust me, you're not missing much.

Not surprisingly, the ones I planted in actual soil with compost have done much better.

recipe card: easiest, tastiest pork

We don't give a recipe card to just any old list of ingredients, no sir.  It has to be something we're rather impressed by and want to be able to recreate.  I could certainly make this again without referring back to my notes, but the other purpose served by the recipe cards is to remind us to repeat dinners in the first place.  If we're stumped for ideas, sometimes we'll flip through the cards and get re-inspired by something we'd completely forgotten about. 

We can't forget about this one.  It would be a travesty. So easy. So delicious.

Easiest, Tastiest Pork Chops
- fresh basil (I used 15 large leaves), chopped
- garlic (I used 4 cloves), minced
- juice of one lime (lemon would work also)
- pork chops (I used 5 or 6 of the really thinly cut type because they were on sale)

Put everything in a bowl and toss to coat the pork.  Let it sit for at least 20 minutes.  Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Place the pork in the skillet - if there's no sizzling sound, the skillet isn't hot enough.  Cook until it starts to brown, then flip and reduce heat to just under medium.  Depending on how thick the pork chops are, it could be another 2 to 10 (I'm guessing) minutes.  When the chops feel less wiggly when you stab 'em with a fork, you can remove one to a plate and cut to the center to see if the pink is gone.

And that's it! Enjoy!

An Open Letter to the Governor

Dear Governor LePage,

I'll put this out there at the beginning: I didn't vote for you. I don't agree with your political stance on many issues (a notable exception, though, and credit where it's due: thank you for addressing the issue of domestic violence). Despite our many ideological differences, you are my governor and you are entitled to my respect as an elected official; my hope is that you will behave in a manner that earns respect as well.

I was disheartened to hear recently that you chose not to attend a meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA). Certainly, I understand that scheduling conflicts occur, and that one cannot attend all the events and conferences that are available to position our state for future success. What disappoints me is the reason you cited for choosing to attend the annual Potato Blossom Festival in Aroostook County instead of a meeting with your peers: you said "it's non-partisan and that's a problem, because it's gridlock. Everybody is divided and we can't get anything done." I also heard some of your remarks in a radio piece on the subject. I couldn't find a transcript of that statement, but I do recall that you cited what you view as a "politically correct" atmosphere at NGA events, and you feel you "don't belong" within that context. The radio piece also indicated that you've found attendance at Republican Governors Association events to be more productive.

Governor LePage, much like I recognize the need to maintain respect for you despite the disagreements I may have with your positions, I do wish that you would recognize that you govern all Mainers -- those who voted for you and continue to agree with you, and those who did and do not. To that end, perhaps you could consider attending nonpartisan events and trying to work with those who hold viewpoints across the political spectrum in our country. Engaging in productive conversation with governors of other states -- particularly those governors with whom you disagree -- might go a long way toward conveying a sense that you understand your role as governor of all of us Mainers, and toward earning the respect I referred to above. If you feel as though NGA events involve too much gridlock, may I recommend that you attend and try to be part of a solution? If you don't feel comfortable communicating your viewpoints in a logical, reasoned manner (which I assume you meant when you said you "don't belong" where there's so much "political correctness") I would respectfully suggest that you may be in the wrong line of work.

If the current state of the national political arena has told us anything, hasn't it told us that the country is yearning for and truly needs more discussion and collaboration across party lines, not less? I fail to see how retreating to the comfort of engaging with only those who share our opinions, tempting as it may be, will allow us to solve the challenges we face.

Skipping the NGA event serves as an example, but I implore you to re-examine your approach overall. Please reach out to and work together with people and groups of varying political perspectives. It is, in my opinion, an important part of the job you signed up for: governing all Mainers.




*Anyone wishing to share their opinion respectfully and without hostility is welcome to do so. Obviously, anyone in that other disrespectful and hostile camp is not.

last weekend was 99% fantastic

If you ignore the part about the foot injury, I had a pretty great few days last weekend. One of my dearest friends (she doesn't have a blog, but you can go read about another time when I talked about her) got married. This is the friend with the fiesta-themed shower a couple weeks ago.

It was really fun getting to watch someone else go through the whole actually-getting-married process almost exactly a year after having done so myself. For one thing, the rehearsal on Friday was a decidedly lower-stakes event, that's for sure. The rehearsal dinner they hosted -- 20 of us around a hibachi table! there was drumming! -- was pretty much the polar opposite of what we chose to do -- drinks and mingling over hors d'oeuvres before dinner -- but it was great to see how each approach was ridiculously fun in an entirely different way.

Saturday was an absolute hoot, wherein I poured mimosas (a calming elixir, don'tcha know) and took care of random odds and ends. Walking down the aisle of a church knowing everyone was craning to see past me, not bothering very much to look at me, was pretty awesome too.

One thing was definitely more difficult, though. The toast. Good lord, the toast. I gained an entirely new level of appreciation and admiration for my friend sitting next to me in her white dress, recalling how eloquently she spoke about me last year when the shoe was on the other foot. My voice wavered and my eyes watered and I got through about half of what I intended to say about her and her husband (HUSBAND!) before I cut my losses, asked everyone to raise their glasses with me, and wished the happy couple years and years of the joy together that they so richly deserve.

The Awesome Husband and I twirled and spun on an empty dance floor when the song we'd used for our first dance was played, commenting to each other how much more enjoyable that was without the pressure of all our loved ones staring at us. Later in the evening, the song we'd used as a processional wafted out of the DJ's speakers; I sobbed uncontrollable tears of a thousand different emotions into my husband's tie (the first few bars might always do that to me), and thankfully I think nobody else in the room noticed.

Crying-in-public aside, though, the wedding of one of your favorite people in the whole wide world is pretty much the most fun day you can have without actually getting married yourself.

Oh, and bonus: if anyone wants to invite me to a swanky holiday party this year, I'm set, because the bridesmaid's dress she chose was a super fun black cocktail number. (See, I toldja she's pretty awesome.)

Really, now, are we surprised?

Last year I ran my first (and only) 10k.  It took me an hour and 13 minutes; I was pleased to've finished, but wished I'd done better.  Perhaps I would have if I'd trained more, but, well, wedding planning and all that...

I signed up for the same event again this year, and it's happening this Sunday.  I've been determined to train! And improve my time! Yes!  I was doing ok - stressing about whether I was really doing *enough* but at least doing something - up until this past weekend, when tragedy struck.*

I stumbled over my own foot (and a poorly marked step, but it's funnier to say I tripped on myself).  I soldiered on through some pain for several hours, and the next day I had difficulty walking.  It's been improving steadily since, but it's still anyone's guess whether I'll be able to run on Sunday, not to mention any more training runs this week.

Based on the fact that my left ankle is still swollen to roughly twice the size of the right one, I'd say it isn't looking too good.

*I should say, too, that the weekend was lovely, for reasons I'll explain later.

It's a cape! It's a shirt! ...It's the swiss cheese blanket!

Have I told you about Mr. Cecil's swiss cheese blanket? It used to be in the shape of a rectangle but is now riddled with holes due to Cecil's determination to get his recommended daily allowance of patterned blue fleece. Thankfully he sees no need to ingest particles of any of our other textiles.

Anyway, this thing is permanently covered with dog hair. Seriously. Washing it doesn't help. Vacuuming it is futile. But he, of course, loves it. He pulls it out of his crate every morning, sometimes shakes it around (and oh, the cloud of hair that's unleashed....), and spends a good part of each day gnawing away at it.

The other day, The Awesome Husband draped the blanket over Cecil like a cape. I don't have to tell you how entertaining that was, do I? I wasn't quick enough to get any really good pictures of the blanket-cape, but I did manage to capture when Cecil had subsequently rolled himself up in it. If you'll notice the shots where one of his paws has a piece of blanket draped over it? That's where he'd managed to put one of his front legs through one of the holes. Like a shirt.

Mmm, fleece. Tasty, tasty fleece.

anniversary mini-vacation: castine

The Awesome Husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary the other day (as I'm sure you could tell). I had vague plans to write up a post about marriage and teamwork and challenges and successes, but nope, you're getting a travel post. We went to Castine, Maine, an adorable seaside town, for a 24-hour mini-vacation.

We stayed at the Manor Inn, which was lovely and which we would absolutely recommend.

Breakfast at the Manor Inn was particularly delightful. Pecan waffles with fresh berries. Too delicious to be photographed.

We got spiffed up and went out for dinner:

Yes, there was food. No, we did not have only beer for dinner.

And we wandered around, admiring pretty buildings and historic sites:

So fun, so relaxing, so well-timed. Three cheers for Castine!

365

Awesome Husband of Mine, I still promise to treat you with the respect I would wish for myself,

to comfort and support you always,

to work together toward our shared and individual aspirations,

and to apologize with sincerity when I stumble in these efforts.

I'm so lucky to have you as my friend, my love, and my husband,

beside me and apart from me,

in laughter and in tears,

in conflict and tranquility,

to honor and cherish,

for our similarities and our differences,

as long as we both shall live.


Happy anniversary, my dear. Here's to many, many more.

in the home stretch

Oh, you guys.  This summer has been a whirlwind.  And yes, yes, I know, summer doesn't *really* end for a few weeks, but Labor Day weekend is sort of the last hurrah psychologically, ya know?

Right now I'm in the home stretch in terms of work (one more day before a week of vacation!) and then that week off will sort of be the home stretch for some other stuff on my plate.  Our first wedding anniversary is coming up, so the planning for that will be over soon.  A dear friend is getting married, so the anticipation surrounding that will subside as well.  I'm signed up to run in a 10k, so once that's over I'll be able to go running without spending a lot of mental energy on the "will I be able to beat my time from last year?" question.

Then around the next corner, the garden will start winding down. It'll be too cold to go kayaking.  So I suppose I'm in the home stretch of trying to make the most of those things as well.  The home stretch of having the gardening and the kayaking and all that competing for my time. (Other items will fill the void, I assure you.)

Mostly, though, it's the work thing.  I need this week off so I can be more effective when I return.  Come on, vacation!  Home stretch!