We ate the first of our homegrown peas with lunch and dinner today. With dinner, they were sprinkled on a salad of homegrown lettuce and topped with homemade feta cheese. (For lunch, we ate them straight from the pod.) Very yummy! Caitlyn went to her third Solstice Parade at Fremont this weekend. We met with friends, picnicked on breakfast carbs (thanks for the idea, Abra!), and had front row seats for the general wackiness that is Solstice in Fremont. Caitlyn got to draw with chalk in the middle of the street, collect candy tossed by parade participants, and then follow …
Category: Seasons
Caitlyn and I had our lunch outside in the garden today, all informal and picnicky, perched on the stepping stones eating our sandwiches while Wasabi took in the sun. She wanted to know if it was popsicle time yet. We’ve planted the peas. Caitlyn has her own “garden”, a large planter where she’s put in peas and hopes for corn. She helped plant the first of the lettuce seeds, carefully sprinkling then covering and watering. I have to keep her from over-watering the beds or from digging where we’ve planted. Til the seeds come up, it’s just so hard to …
Sometimes Caitlyn likes to read (she turns the pages and makes up a story which may or may not have anything to do with the pictures she’s looking at) to me at bedtime, instead of the other way around. Last night, it was The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching, complete with special appearances by Pooh, Cinderella, Christopher Robin, and several cats. Tonight, she opted just to sing along with her lullaby: “Rock-a-bye-baby cradle of leavesSing me lullaby of dweamsTuck clouds under my chinBlow that moon out – pfoo – please.” She’s not in tune or on …
We hosted the Christmas festivities this year, something we’ve never done before. Here’s what I learned: three pies is excessive for eight people calculate serving portions based on the weight of the chicken breasts, not on the number of chicken breasts if serving a large breakfast to the assembled masses, reduce the scale of dinner – don’t overstuff everyone twice hot spiced cider may have been more popular than wine at 4pm when menu planning, figure out not only how much of what ingredients to have, but also plan baking times so that you don’t end up with a completed …
Two days before Halloween, Caitlyn discovered the dress-up box in her closet and started playing with the scarves, purses, and robes there – including getting tangled up in the pocket-sleeves of an authentic kimono. Today, the day after Halloween, she is right now napping while wearing her Halloween bunny tail (Thanks, Jeannie!). It took awhile last night, but eventually, she was running to the door when the bell rang. Once someone parental had opened it for her, she would carefully hand out candy to the kids outside. Most kids in our neighborhood don’t dress up, probably either religious issues or …
While this year marked Caitlyn’s second Fourth of July, this was the first year we actually attempted to notice the holiday. We spent yesterday afternoon by Lake Washington, where Caitlyn occasionally put her toes in the water when she could be pried away from the sand. She jumped in the sand, she ran in the sand, she fell down in the sand, she shoveled the sand, she carried the sand. She also asked whatever family member was handy, “I need more water, PEAS!” I’m feeling particularly pleased with myself for being aggressive about the sunscreen, even remembering to reapply it …