News from Peef & Lo

Good Read... and Soup Night Results

2010-03-03T11:49:00.001-06:00

For those of you who are interested, we had a great Soup Night on Sunday. You can read all about it on the Burp! blog. Hope more of you can make it out to the next one, which will be on Sunday, March 28th!

Also -- Peef sent me an article this morning that I think it worth a read. Jeffrey Tang from The Art of Great Things writes about The Case for the Low-Risk Start -- which talks about some alternative to the infamous "leap of faith" most people think of when someone says "do what you love." Some really great thoughts here about taking it slow and being deliberate about your choices.

Let me know what you think!

More Soup... and Schaum Torte?

2010-02-26T12:18:00.002-06:00

Did you miss our January Soup Night?
If so, you missed a great time. We had over twenty people show up to last month's event. The soups were hot and the company was fabulous. And you can read all about it HERE.

Of course, there's no use living in the past. We'll be having our second SOUP NIGHT gathering this weekend -- Sunday, February 28, 2010. And we're cooking up another triad of great soups. We don't normally reveal the soups that we'll be making ahead of time. But, today I'll give you a hint. This month we'll be featuring some of the good old classics. A couple of meaty varieties, and one good old fashioned vegetarian classic.

Soup night runs from 4:30-7:30pm on Sunday night. Of course, if you're in the mood for a little bit of dessert afterwards, you could always take a trip over to Il Mito Trattoria on 69th and North Avenue. They'll be featuring our Chocolate Hazelnut Schaum Torte on their dessert menu from Sunday, February 28 through Saturday, March 6.

All of the net proceeds from the sale of our dessert will benefit the Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee! Read all the ooey gooey details on the Burp! blog.

Knitters Versus Crocheters: Which One Am I?

2010-02-11T19:38:00.007-06:00

So, I've been contemplating the fiber arts. Knitting. Crocheting. Needlework. After all, it's about time I found myself a hobby to keep me occupied in my old age.

Plus, I've been thinking as I sit, catching up on cooking shows and idly passing the time, that I could really use a more USEFUL hobby.

"But you already cook!" I hear a few of you saying. And I get where you're coming from. After all, cooking is probably a hobby. And a useful one at that. But, maybe it's more that I'm feeling a little bit CRAFTY. I'd like to make some stuff. Useful stuff. Stuff that's not, well... consumable.

I want to make socks (especially socks).
And hats.
And cute little mittens.
Blankets, even. Maybe scarves. And purses... I might like to make a purse.

I want to spend hours poring over the hand-dyed yarn at the farmer's market (it's so very gorgeous -- and just seeing it makes me want to buy it and use it for SOMETHING). I want to learn something new. Muse about my next project. Gee Whiz, I'd like to CREATE something.

A new friend of mine (R. from over at CakeWalk) has inspired me to check out the classes that are offered at Loop Yarn Shop in ~~Bay View~~ Riverwest. And I'm excited -- because they offer all sorts of classes, at all sorts of levels. But, I'm finding myself a bit on the uncertain side when it comes to deciding exactly WHAT I should learn.

Most people seem to have some familial connection to their art. They know someone who taught them what they know, and they were inspired to learn from that person -- often from an early age. By that token, I should be a knitter. After all, my Grandma Grace taught me to purl when I was 7 years old. And I might still have the turquoise scarf I started with my very first set of knitting needles way back in 1981. But, the truth of the matter is, that "scarf" only grew to be about 2 feet long before I gave up the art of knitting and took up embroidery (thanks to Grandma Gladys, who loved to sew). I embroidered for an entire summer before deciding it was silly and I didn't really care about being able to put French knots on pillowcases (they hurt your face) or towels.

The knitters (R. and Jess and probably my dear grandmother, rest her soul) are all convinced I'd LOVE knitting...that circular needles make the whole process easier... that the stitch lies "flatter"... but I'm not sure that I'm a "counter".

The crocheters (my sister, my aunt) have rallied to convince me that crocheting is the way to go... that one needle is easier than two, and that I'll love the versatility of the stitches... but I'm not sure about any of it.

The knitters have cool books (Stitch 'N Bitch, anyone?)
But so do the crocheters (The Happy Hooker... who can resist?)
How to decide??

I can't imagine that this decision is nearly as complicated as I'm making it out to be. Nor can I imagine that choosing the WRONG yarnly hobby would cause anyone irreparable damage. But, I'm not sure I really know the answer. Do I flip a coin?

How did YOU figure out which one you were? Is there any useful information out there to help a sista out?

Reasons we love Zoe: #1

2010-02-09T14:22:00.001-06:00

Mmm. Comfy.

Kitchen Stuff

2010-01-25T17:06:00.008-06:00

I'd say that 2010 has been pretty good to us so far.

Weather was chilly earlier in the month, so we're fully aware that it's winter, but God has held the snow at bay for some reason. I like to think that it's because Paul no longer works at Hal Leonard (thank goodness!!)... Every year in mid-January, he always packed up to fly out to Southern California for the NAMM convention. And every year, during NAMM week, Wisconsin would get pounded with snow. I know this because I shoveled it.

This was the first year in a while that Paul didn't attend NAMM. And wouldn't you know it? It didn't snow during NAMM week. Coincidence?? I think NOT.

We also have some good news to report in the kitchen! EVERY SINGLE cleaver, santoku, paring, tomato, bread, carving, and chef's knife in the Burp! kitchen is officially razor sharp -- thanks to the Chef's Choice sharpener we were able to purchase with the gift card we got from Peef's parents for Christmas.

Using our lovely new tools, which were apparently exceedingly dull before we ran them through the Chef's Choice, took a bit of getting used to... as can be verified by the slice I took out of my left index finger with the first chef's knife I picked up. Thank goodness sharp knives make clean cuts that heal quickly!

We were also very excited to receive meat grinder and sausage stuffer attachments for our KitchenAid stand mixer from Lo's parents.

It goes without saying that we're excited about the prospect of making our own sausage... in fact, my brain is busily thinking about all the possibilities even as I type. But I'm also pretty stoked about the idea of grinding my own meat in general.

Despite all the vegetables we eat around our house, we both love a great burger... and making meatballs is one of those therapeutic weekend activities that just makes the world a little bit better.

Unfortunately, most grocery store ground meat isn't worth the styrofoam tray it's sitting on. Having control over what goes into our ground meat is a huge advantage... and it gives us the opportunity to exercise all sorts of exciting quality control measures, right in our own kitchen.

Of course, we haven't used the meat grinder yet. Gotta set aside some time one of these weekends for that. And gather up some nice sausage recipes.

Anyone know of a good place in Milwaukee to get natural sausage casings?

Soup.

2010-01-21T16:58:00.006-06:00

It's been forever since we blogged, and we're not in denial about it.We've obviously been eating, since we've had quite a lot to say over at Burp! But, we haven't been writing much about all the other stuff that makes us who we are. Not sure why that is. Maybe that just means we haven't experienced many "bloggable moments". Or maybe we just haven't felt much like writing lately.

Either way, I'm hoping that 2010 will bring on a little bit more in the way of news from the Peef & Lo blog. The reality is, we're bound to set our sails for new adventures. And it would be a shame if we didn't stop to tell you about it.

In the meantime, we'd like you all to know that we're dredging up one of our old community concepts. And you're invited.

Remember Soup Nights?
The idea came out of a notion that I'd like to create more community within our families and among our friends & neighbors -- to unify some of the disparate groups that make up our circle of acquaintances. So, we've invited just about everyone we know to come over once a month (January through March) for a "soup night".

2010 SOUP NIGHTS will be held on the last Sunday of the month:

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Sunday, March 28, 2010

The BURP! Kitchen will be open from 4:30pm−7:30pm

The concept is easy. We provide the soup. And maybe a bit of wine.You provide bread, crackers, chips, cheese, dessert, or … even nothing at all. We hang out, chat, meet some new people. And everyone has a good time. Stop by for a bit -- or stay for a while. You decide. You can even bring a friend.

Anyhow -- we'll be having our first soup night on Sunday, January 31, 2010. We'll be featuring three different soups. And we'd love it if you'd join us.

The Miracle of a New Year.

2009-12-30T19:34:00.002-06:00

So, here we sit, in the last few days of a year that's been fraught with plenty of good -- but enough bad that I can't imagine wanting to hit "replay". And yet, I'm feeling very peaceful.

It's remarkable to think about the hope, the potential, and the joyful mystery of the new year. I'm certainly not delusional, but I've always somehow believed in the hope that springs new upon the eve of the new year. And, as I sit here contemplating what's to come -- I feel that hope.

Tomorrow we will wake up early. If we get up early enough, there will be coffee. And a bit of kranzkuchen. Steph will arrive and we'll drive off to gather our wares for another New Year's feast. This year, we're exploring Asian cuisine. We'll make up a bit of sushi, maybe some Chinese dumplings, a few eggrolls, some tempura, and whatever else we feel inspired to create. We'll cook all day, and nibble as we go. We'll laugh. Play games. Drink wine. And enjoy one another's company. At midnight, we'll crack open a bottle of champagne and toast the new year.

And when it's all over, we'll drift off to sleep with smiling faces and full bellies. And we'll wake up to a blank slate. A new calendar. And the hope that, somehow, an exciting stretch of days just waiting to be shaped into something new, lay before us.

Although it's virtually impossible to simply place all of our burdens down at 11:59 p.m. on the eve of the new year, and wake up to an utterly clean slate on the first of the year, it's certainly a contemplation worth having.

Our hopes and goals for 2010

Stress less, and pray more.

Love freely and deeply. 
Judge less, and be generous with our grace cards. 
Open up, and reach out. 
Stretch our boundaries.
Do more creating, and less tearing down. 
Eat well, and share meals often. 
Explore the boundaries of new cooking worlds. 
Focus on the immense possibility of possibility.

As you reflect on 2009 and step over the threshold of the new year, may only good await. And may your 2010 hold nothing less than miracles.

-- Peef and Lo                        

Beware Present Face

2009-12-24T13:30:00.003-06:00

Too Busy to Blog, But These Girls Rock

2009-12-17T16:26:00.002-06:00

Halloween Weekend with Peef & Lo

2009-11-01T18:31:00.007-06:00

October has been a complete blur.

Birthdays... weddings... Oktoberfest in Dallas, WI... a weekend in Minnesota with Paul's peeps... this was the first weekend we've spent at home in a looooong time. So, of course we had to rustle up some good old fashioned autumn fun.

First, we played in the leaves... and then we raked them all up into piles like good little homeowners should.

Then we brewed up a nice batch of creepy crawlie "shrunken head" autumn apple rum punch.

Mighty tasty -- and the shrunken heads (which were made of carved & dried Granny Smith apples -- thanks Martha!), were pretty kewl. Here are a few of our favorites:

Sneering dude.

Askeered dude.

Vampire dude.

And scary skeleton dude.

Steph came over and enjoyed our punch with us. And we feasted on delicious sweet potato gnocchi with sage browned butter, and bacon-cider mustard greens (sorry, no pix!).

This afternoon, we whipped up a batch of Root Vegetable Stew with Beef... which we enjoyed while watching Nightmare Before Christmas (for the 47bazillionth time... I think it keeps getting better).

Sing along with us, won't you?

Windows 7 now available

2009-10-23T09:43:00.005-05:00

And apparently you should throw a party?

For reals?

Wow.
What happened to that cute little girl that was on their commercials? I think she is a better spokesperson than this crazy bunch...

Ode to Mix Tapes -- ah! the memories

2009-10-21T08:00:00.009-05:00

RebeccaL sent me something this morning over email that I just had to share.

Ode to Mix Tapes
Srsly. You've got to read this one.

Do you remember the process?

Collecting those emotions.
Listening to the lyrics.
Making sure the mood was perfect.
Saying things we weren't brave enough to say ourselves.
Pausing, rewinding, playing... making sure the transitions "work".
It was all part of the process. And it was fantastic.

Makes me wonder about all the generations that will never experience that sort of "blue collar labor"...

Photo credit: Erica Marshall of muddyboots.org (via flickr)

My Birthday Poem

2009-10-15T14:36:00.003-05:00

Got this poem today from my friend, Caitie. Couldn't be more perfect.

Poem in October

by Dylan Thomas

It was my thirtieth year to heaven

Woke to my hearing from harbour and neighbour wood

And the mussel pooled and the heron

Priested shore

The morning beckon

With water praying and call of seagull and rook

And the knock of sailing boats on the net webbed wall

Myself to set foot

That second

In the still sleeping town and set forth.

My birthday began with the water-

Birds and the birds of the winged trees flying my name

Above the farms and the white horses

And I rose

In rainy autumn

And walked abroad in a shower of all my days.

High tide and the heron dived when I took the road

Over the border

And the gates

Of the town closed as the town awoke.

A springful of larks in a rolling

Cloud and the roadside bushes brimming with whistling

Blackbirds and the sun of October

Summery

On the hill’s shoulder,

Here were fond climates and sweet singers suddenly

Come in the morning where I wandered and listened

To the rain wringing

Wind blow cold

In the wood faraway under me.

Pale rain over the dwindling harbour

And over the sea wet church the size of a snail

With its horns through mist and the castle

Brown as owls

But all the gardens

Of spring and summer were blooming in the tall tales

Beyond the border and under the lark full cloud.

There could I marvel

My birthday

Away but the weather turned around.

It turned away from the blithe country

And down the other air and the blue altered sky

Streamed again a wonder of summer

With apples

Pears and red currants

And I saw in the turning so clearly a child’s

Forgotten mornings when he walked with his mother

Through the parables

Of sun light

And the legends of the green chapels

And the twice told fields of infancy

That his tears burned my cheeks and his heart moved in mine.

These were the woods the river and sea

Where a boy

In the listening

Summertime of the dead whispered the truth of his joy

To the trees and the stones and the fish in the tide.

And the mystery

Sang alive

Still in the water and singingbirds.

And there could I marvel my birthday

Away but the weather turned around. And the true

Joy of the long dead child sang burning

In the sun.

It was my thirtieth

Year to heaven stood there then in the summer noon

Though the town below lay leaved with October blood.

O may my heart’s truth

Still be sung

On this high hill in a year’s turning.

Things That Amuse Us: Freak Revolution

2009-09-29T17:34:00.003-05:00

Freak, (n). Alternative. Misfit. Outcast. Visionary. World-changer.
Revolution, (n). A drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving.
~~*~*~*~**~*~*~~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*

So, Peef emailed me today and told me to head on over to Freak Revolution.

"Read their manifesto," he wrote, "You'll love it."

And wouldn't you know it? He was absolutely right.
This is exactly the sort of organization that Peef and I would dream up some night while we're sitting there on the couch drinking glasses of wine and wondering what to do next. It's brilliant. And, best of all, it's absolutely true.

Let me read you just a little bit -- just to give you a taste.

We are living in a mass hallucination.

We think it’s normal to work all day every day at a dead-end job. It’s normal to fight with our spouses and our children. It’s normal to eat and drink and drug ourselves to escape, to veg out and stare at a screen for hours a day just to dull the pain. It’s normal to hate our lives and be miserable, it’s normal to be lonely, it’s normal to feel hollow.
The control paradigm tells us that we are tiny insignificant cogs in a big whirring machine where no one cares and no one will ever notice us. That is a terrible lie. We are brightly shining stars caught in a murky fog. All we need is the courage to shine and the knowledge that we can.

Gandhi had it half right when he said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” The second half is “connect with others.” If you go off and live on a mountaintop and never talk to anyone - even if you’re being the change you want to see in the world - you’re not changing the world. But if you come down from time to time and connect with people so they know you’re living your perfect life on a mountaintop, and if you tell them that they can follow their own dreams and live their own perfect lives, too? That’s revolutionary.

[...]All you need to do is be your authentic self and connect with others. That’s the kind of revolution we can get behind, the kind of revolution we’re building.
-- Pace & Kyeli Smith &/or Martin Whitmore, Freak Revolution

I guess I'm probably a freak -- cuz that message resonates with me pretty well. And I think I probably have a new blog to follow.

Fly your freak flag higher, people.
It's gonna change the world.

Download the manifesto yourself.
Read it. Love it. Live it.

New Cure for What Ails You: Pictures of You

2009-09-24T08:24:00.002-05:00

You've never seen the Cure performed quite like this before... AWESOME!

Things That Amuse Us: Olive the Octopus

2009-09-16T13:38:00.007-05:00

Olive, the Accidental Octopus
from greenkayak73

Why I love the Fair

2009-08-07T12:10:00.002-05:00

The 158th annual Wisconsin State Fair opened yesterday. And boy-oh-boy. It's a dandy this year. And we're not the only ones who think so. Karen wrote all about it on her Between the Bars blog.

We've actually got plans to make a trip out to the fair next week -- when all the excitement has has a chance to die down. I find that the fair is best after all the pigs have been judged, the contests have been adjudicated, and the overall "newness" factor has dissipated.

I do love me some of the fair. And so, I'm posting a little homage.

I love going to the WI State Fair because:

WI SF has a micro-brew beer tent that most certainly puts other fairs to shame
there's chocolate covered bacon
there's beer
who can resist the cheese curds?
and don't forget the deep fried oreos
there's always more beer
you can always find silly city folk that seem to think all animals belong behind bars
seeing washed up bands play is like watching a train wreck
people watching is always at its prime
there are pig races!

If that isn't enough to make you get up off your couch and go buy tickets to the fair, then you should check your pulse. Really. Just think of all the fun we had LAST YEAR!

AND if your heading out there, look for me. I'll be the one wearing the Skynard shirt and the trucker cap spilling my beer down your back. I'll probably even bring Lo along -- since her new hill-billy look is seriously stylin'.

You think I'm kidding? Heck, I don't want to look like no fool. I need to blend in so that I don't draw too much attention to myself. After all, I'm one of those silly city folk. And, now that I'm half famous from being in the Journal Sentinel, I don't need nobody recognizing me either.

Have fun at the fair y'all...

And the Diaper Bag Diva Winner Is...

2009-08-01T22:23:00.005-05:00

Thanks to everyone for participating in the Diaper Bag Diva Giveaway!

The winner, as selected by the Random.org integer generator, IS:

#88:
Erma, who said:

I love the JP Lizzy Strawberry Truffle Classic Tote Set cause it is so cute.

July 30, 2009 6:39 AM

Well, Erma -- I'll be emailing you in just a few moments to let you know that you're the lucky winner.

Party 'til Your Teeth Fall Out

2009-07-29T21:33:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, I felt like the universe was sending us a message.
Like "Don't have any more crazy parties."

Truthfully, it's probably more like:
"Don't eat carrots from the relish tray at your crazy parties!!!"
Yeah, it was pretty horrific. But, I tried to be a good sport. I even posed for a picture. Nice, huh?

Since the whole fiasco happened on a Saturday, I had to get it on with my big bad hill-billy self for the remainder of the weekend. Fortunately, I wasn't in pain. I was just... well... ugly.

I tried to paste the crown back into my mouth with some dental adhesive. But, that didn't work so well. The tooth would stay in for about 2 hours and then fall out again. So, eventually, I gave up.

When I went to the dentist on Monday, they pulled my tooth and provided me with a handy-dandy temporary bridge.

At this point, you can hardly tell that I'm a hill-billy. But, we all have our secrets, right?

The Diaper Bag Diva: Interview and Giveaway

2009-07-21T15:15:00.001-05:00

*** This Giveaway is now CLOSED ***

Even though we don't have children ourselves, we're surrounded by friends and family who have great little broods. And we're always on the look-out for snazzy gifts to give them.

A couple of weeks ago, we came across a great new Web site called The Diaper Bag Diva -- which carries designer diaper bags and baby gear that definitely won't break the bank. I exchanged a few emails with the "Diaper Bag Diva" herself, Ms. Kaydee Ivers, and I found out that she's a really cool lady -- with a great vision for both her life and business. She has three ADORABLE children. And she creates the best bags (honestly -- I'm tempted to buy one for myself!)

We love it when we can give a little boost to great little independent businesses who seem to be carrying a superior product for a fair price. So, we decided to give you a little more information about Kaydee's business. AND Kaydee has generously offered to host a giveaway. One LUCKY READER will receive an item(s) worth up to $40 from Kaydee's site absolutely free.

How do you enter? You MUST do three things (incomplete entries will NOT be chosen).

Read our interview with Kaydee below to find more about her business.
Visit her Web site, The Diaper Bag Diva. Check out the products and find your favorite bag or accessory (under $40).
Come back to this blog post and leave a comment telling us about the product you chose and why you think it's the best thing ever! If you do not have a blog with an email address listed (or we do not know you personally), please include your email address with your comment/entry so that we can contact you if you are a winner.

Extra Entries:

Tweet about this giveaway and be sure to link back to this post. After you've tweeted, come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.
Announce the giveaway on your blog; be sure to include a link back to this post. Then leave a separate comment (with a link to your blog) letting me know that you posted!
Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow "News From Peef & Lo" through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

We'll accept entries for the giveaway until Friday (7/31) at 10pm CST. The winner will be chosen by random drawing and announced on or before Sunday, August 2nd.

Lo : How long have you been in business?

Kaydee: I started this business around the first part of June, this year.

Lo: What inspired you to start your own business?

Kaydee: I have always wanted to stay at home with my kids; but during this economic climate, I felt that it would be great to contribute to the family finances. So I figured starting my own business presented a great option which allowed me the freedom to do the two things I love at the same time!

Lo: What makes your products special/different from the competition?

Kaydee: It seems to me that diaper bags range from one end of the spectrum to another in everything from price to style. My goal is to offer stylish diaper bags that you won't be afraid to spill a little milk on :).

Lo: What IS a “Diaper Bag Diva”?

Kaydee: Ha ha, this question makes me chuckle. To be honest, I am probably the farthest thing from a "diva" even a diaper bag one. Forgive me for my honesty, but I chose the name because it is catchy, but I think that it is important for moms to maintain a sense of style and not lose themselves in the middle of motherhood. Motherhood is hard. It's truly rewarding, but difficult. So, if you can have one fun piece that makes you feel a little bit more "stylish," then life may get a little softer around the edges. On the other hand, if you are one of those "already hip mammas," these bags will accent your already fabulous style

Lo: What did you do before YOU became the Diaper Bag Diva?

Kaydee: Pretty much the same thing I still do, with a little less time on the computer. I have three beautiful, high energy children (need I say more)? Well, since this is an interview, I guess I will, I do laundry, dishes, sweeping, mopping, diaper changing, etc. . . Prior to that, I graduated Utah State University with a B.A. in Elementary Education, and my husband and I have owned several of our own businesses including a couple pizza restaurants and a home flipping business.

Lo: What is the next step for your business?

Kaydee: I would love to increase my product line, but I want to keep the business end of it personal. I love hearing what women want, the products they like, and what they don't like, after all, am in the same boat most of my customers are in, and I never want to alienate myself from that.

Lo: What are your secrets to balancing work/home life?

Kaydee: I am still working on that! For me, work always comes second. I don't know if that is the best thing to say in an interview about my business, but I have to put my family first. They are who I am doing this for, and if it means that I can't take the time to meet their needs, it isn't worth doing. My balance comes between 1:00-4:00, NAP-TIME!

Kids Rock: Star Wars According to a 3yo

2009-07-15T15:11:00.000-05:00

Get a load of this:

Speaking of Growing Power: Urban Farms for Urban Schools

2009-07-13T10:06:00.007-05:00

Milwaukee Public Schools Division of School Nutrition recently partnered with Growing Power to provide farm-fresh produce for MPS students throughout the school year.

The Milwaukee Recreation Department recently filmed a video describing the program and illustrating students' responses to this innovative concept.

Check it out!

This isn't the first time that Growing Power has joined forces with MPS. In 2008, the program paired up with Bradley Technical High School to build and urban agricultural training space atop a "green" garage in the Riverwest neighborhood in Milwaukee. Plans for the garage included a year-round roof-top garden. Solar panels on a rooftop shed were planned to provide energy for heating water and soil for winter food production in the rooftop hoop-houses.

True Growing Power: Will Allen and the Good-Food Movement

2009-07-08T16:26:00.007-05:00

I absolutely LOVE it that Will Allen and Growing Power made it to the New York Times Magazine last week. And it was no "small potatoes" article either.

Now, this isn't the first time that Will Allen has made the headlines. Last October, I wrote about Growing Power as part of my Blog Action Day article. Allen had just received a $500,000 MacArthur Fellow award to support his work. And the New York Times published an article about his accomplishments. But, judging from the content of the July article, people are really starting to take notice.

If you're not familiar with Growing Power, I'd encourage you to do some reading. And check out their Web site. This humble non-profit organization works 24/7 with the mission of providing equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food for people in all communities. GP is part of what's been called the "good-food movement." And their vision has helped countless people across the country to establish systems of growing, marketing, and distributing food in sustainable ways.

Their farm produces produce which is grown and distributed locally ALL YEAR LONG (which means I can buy locally grown lettuce and sprouts even on the coldest February days!). If that's not exciting enough, Growing Power also manages programs like the Market Basket Program, which works similarly to a CSA to supply (affordable) sustainable produce year-round to interested families. They even operate a subset of the program at Marquette University -- ensuring that interested college students can benefit from fresh produce, even while living in college apartments and dorms.

Growing Power has to be, hands down, one of my favorite local organizations. Not only because Will Allen and his staff produce such amazing produce (they do!), but also because they do it with such vigor and incredible passion. These are people who REALLY care about what they're doing. And it shows.

Allen predicts that because of high unemployment and the recent food scares, 10 million people will plant gardens for the first time this year. But two million of them will eventually drop out, he said, when the potato bugs arrive or the rain doesn’t cooperate. Still, he was sanguine. “The experience will introduce those folks to what a tomato really tastes like, so next time they’ll buy one at their greenmarket. And when we talk about farm-worker rights, we’ll have more advocates for them.” (excerpted from NYTM article)

Growing Power isn't about real food for rich people. It's about real food for ALL people. And isn't that the point?

Thankfully, we're not the only ones who are excited. Read what Food Renegade has to say about this article. And check out all the great posts at Real Food Wednesday.

There are MORE than 25 Songs

2009-06-25T16:09:00.003-05:00

Sometimes being married is funny.
Just the other day, I posted my 25 songs I "can't live without," (a.k.a. the first 25 of my favorite/most important for one reason or another) on Facebook. I thought I did a pretty good job capturing songs that had real significance in my life. However, when I got home, Peef informed me that my list was pretty incomplete.

Me: "What was wrong with it?"
Peef: "Your list was alright. You just forgot some pretty major stuff, that's all."

I rolled my eyes, but let him talk.
Me: "Like what?"

Peef: "What about Del Amitri?"
Me: "mmm. Good one. I forgot about them."
Peef: "And how about the Borrowers?"
Me: "missed them too. it was pretty hard to keep it to just 25."

And then Ipod joined in on the harassment by playing "Apart" by the Cure. Yeesh. That song shaped the beginnings of our relationship in college.

Peef: "And you TOTALLY forgot about The Cure. I'm totally offended."

Anyhow -- apparently, my list isn't terribly comprehensive. But, if you ask me, it's a decent start. Enjoy!

25 songs:
(post the artist, song & youtube link)

1. "Being Boring" -- Pet Shop Boys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMtPu6QyRzQ

2. "Untouchable Face" -- Ani DiFranco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc4eYOhNnU8

3. "Rock Me Amadeus" -- Falco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trOij8SPIAo

4. "All This Useless Beauty" -- Elvis Costello
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhoLqfNjgpE

5. "Close But No Cigar" -- Thomas Dolby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rf_wrz1i34

7. "Birdhouse in Your Soul" -- They Might Be Giants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWw4azYTTm8

8. "Kitchen" -- Lemonheads
Live performance/Evan Dando http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_UZU8sAxSM
Lyrics: http://www.lyricstime.com/lemonheads-kitchen-lyrics.html

9. "All I Want" --- Toad the Wet Sprocket
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0e_clbyUbc

10. "If Red Were Blue" -- Brenda Kahn
No YouTube, but here are the lyrics: http://tr.im/plwJ
More on Brenda Kahn: http://tr.im/plu1

11. "Wrapped up in Books" -- Belle and Sebastian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBU-MxydbWQ

12. "You Suck" -- The Murmurs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfxvHVtMQ_w

13. "Rock the Casbah" -- The Clash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAkfHShATKY

14. "The Dream Before" -- Laurie Anderson
Another with no YouTube
Lyrics: http://www.lyricstime.com/laurie-anderson-the-dream-before-lyrics.html

15. "Feeling Good" -- Nina Simone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22kPiPILteQ&feature=related

16. "So Much to Say" -- Dave Matthews Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81PfFrl6Ars

17. "A Man is in Love" -- The Waterboys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bucQqV5OIsg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoGbbKV0hUU

18. "Cat's in the Cradle" -- Johnny Cash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We1BVMmcr2A

19. "Why Should I Cry for You?" --Sting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHhZKSoePio&feature=related

20. "You Owe Me Nothing In Return" -- Alanis Morissette
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD6Lo_7HCm0

21. "China" -- Tori Amos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYvslanGwow

22. "Circle" -- Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kpxNXZCLBg

Am trying not to repeat artists -- but if I could pick two, I also love "Love Like We Do":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vz-kcBjgNA&feature=channel

23. "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" -- U2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA0krVJeszE

24. "You Will Be My Ain True Love" -- Allison Krauss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xABb5uVL2Jg&feature=related

25. "I Am Eve" - Mediaeval Baebes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLsWTBQexWo

Foodie Mascots: The Way of the Future?

2009-06-23T07:57:00.009-05:00

William and Mary, known as "The Tribe" since the 1980's, will be changing their school mascot. According to the NCAA, their current feathered logo has to go -- and so they're looking for nominations.

Among the 375 suggestions so far, one suggestion (according to WISN) is an asparagus stalk. Or maybe, as I would suggest, an asparagus "spear."

Could this be a sign of a new foodie mascot trend?

I quote: "The asparagus stalk supporter notes that if served with cheese, the vegetable represents the school colors."

For more information about the mascot search, visit the William & Mary Web site.

The Job Brought Me Home

2009-06-17T17:06:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, my last job was probably the most "dream job" I could have ever imagined. However, it's possible that I should have been more aware of the fact that "dream jobs" are just that. When you hear or see something that is too good to be true... ya know?

My new job is a whole new ball of wax. Rather than focusing my energy on selling, I get to really get inside the heads of area business owners to see what makes them tick. They give me information on what works... and what doesn't work. I also spend more of my time attending meetings, events, conferences, and programs than you can imagine.

Yeah, even more than that.
Keep going... keep going...
Yeah, about THAT many... and now add a couple more for good measure.

What I like MOST about this job is that I work Downtown.
When I drive in to work in the morning, the first thing I do is find a spot in the cement jungle. I secure my car in the parking structure, take the elevator down to street level, and that's when it hits me. As I walk the 1/2 block to the office, I catch a whiff of the city.

Most days, it's that wet, fishy smell that reminds you that you're just a few blocks away from Lake Michigan. But, on other days, my nostrils fill with the odor of a freshly fired wood-burning oven that emanates from one of the local eateries. On days like that, I find myself feeling almost nostalgic. My scent memories take over -- and suddenly, I'm pulled back to those cool spring days I spent on my travels to Seattle. The days when I woke up, first thing, and enjoyed my eggs with a side of tender wine-braised octopus. The days when I didn't need coffee to get me going... but, coffee was EVERYWHERE if I wanted it.

As I walk, I realize that there's a lot I love about this city that smells of beer and ale wives. Cuz it's not just beer and ale wives.
My job has opened me up to a new way of looking at Milwaukee. I'm meeting new people. Seeing old places with new eyes. Getting around to all the hidden little spots I'd typically overlook because I've lived here too long. I've become a tourist (of sorts) in my own city. And that's pretty kewl.

So far, that's what the new job is like. It's new. It's good. And it's fun.
It's the best of the past... and the promise of the future. All rolled into one. And it's made me genuinely appreciate this city that I call home.

Srsly. What could be better than that?

My Soul to Keep

2009-06-10T19:04:00.001-05:00

This past weekend we buried my uncle. And I found myself getting into that thoughtful mode that occurs when someone close to me has passed on.

The fact is, death make me pensive.
Not sad.
Not morose.
Pensive.

Certainly, there was much to consider. My uncle was well loved by those who knew him. Those who cracked his crusty exterior found him a bit gooey inside -- and anyone who took the time, found him to possess an exceedingly big heart. In addition to being a worthwhile human being, he served his country well in the armed forces. And he had a great faith that saw him through the tragic journey we call life.

We respected his wishes and buried him as he saw fit.
We celebrated a life well-lived, and we cried for the loss of it.
And then, I got to thinking about my own mortality. And what I might want when my time comes... and I pass along into the ether. And I began to wonder if my vision is anything like what people might expect.

Most people who know me realize that I'm a hopeless food geek, so I'm fairly sure everyone would expect me to dream up some stuffy food-filled affair. But the truth is, when I imagine my farewell, I don't imagine anything stuffy.

I want people to eat thoughtless things at my funeral. And I want them to enjoy them -- without care for cholesterol or calories or trans-fats. Let all of that be set aside in favor of celebration.

I want hot dogs wrapped in crescent roll dough.
And mini cheesecakes made in muffin tins.
And peanut butter right from the jar -- eaten with abandon from teaspoons.
I want chai flavored chocolate.

I want giggling.
I know that you can't keep loved ones from crying (if, indeed, they did love) -- but I want mischievous laughter for all the times we spent creating. And scheming. And frolicking in our silly underpants.

You need not have a viewing. Or a burial.
My cremains can be scattered in some lovely place. Like in the tulip gardens that surrounded that football field in Mt. Vernon, Iowa... remember the one? We picked tulips there at midnight and filled our dorms with their lipstick red.

And the memories?
I want people to remember the whimsy. To pick up that box of collected shells and think about the oceans I dared dip my toes into. To read the dusty books from my library and dream the dreams I once wrote about. The ones I lived. The ones I didn't.

I want everyone to return home with a smirk -- and dare to be more than they imagined possible. To dance. To sing. To write. To remember.

To Live.

I know...

2009-06-09T09:45:00.000-05:00

You want to hear all about the new job. Well...it's going really well. More on that in a bit. I just stumbled across something amazing and I thought I should share. This is srsly cool.

You can find the collection here.

I'll be back in a little bit to tell you all about what I have been up to in the past couple of months.

Delhi to Dublin

2009-05-22T12:10:00.003-05:00

Amazing international fusion going on here.

I'm thinking we need to start an email campaign to get these guys to Milwaukee.
Irish fest, anyone??

Delhi to Dublin Web Site

How to Succeed at Networking Without Really Trying

2009-04-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

There are a variety things in this world of which I am not fond. One of the big ones is networking.

Interestingly enough, Peef's new job is ALL ABOUT networking and elbow rubbing. It's about knowing the right people and meeting more of the right people. It's about connections and communities and getting the right people together at the right time.

Peef is energized by the prospect of meeting new people every day. He looks forward to socializing and schmoozing and being an all around fun guy. On the other hand, just thinking about it makes ME very, very tired.

I'm the sort of person who has a few very close friends, and a great number of acquaintances. I tend to be a very loyal person, and I'm pretty dedicated when it comes to cultivating friendships. I pour a lot of energy into maintaining my friends, keeping contact with them, and creating quality experiences where we can interact, and grow, and change together. I have a much harder time when it comes to more shallow relationships.

On an intellectual level, I know that networking doesn't HAVE to be a stressful experience. Networking, at its best, is about developing relationships. It's about connecting and listening, and helping out. It's about exchanging value. And I'm GOOD at those things. So, why is networking so stressful for me?

I should be able to relax and enjoy the process of meeting new people, right? Yeah well, I can't relax.

I don't know these people. They don't know me. It's highly unlikely they're GOING to know me after a half-hour, or even 2 hours of quality contact. And, ultimately, I need to don the eternal smile and be interminably “nice” if my networking is going to be even remotely effective. The process is exhausting!

All of that said, it looks like my new life is going to include some networking events. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm definitely in need of some tips and tricks to keep the process from wearing me down.

Any great advice to share?

The Big Hurrah! And Something to Read

2009-04-22T16:33:00.009-05:00

First -- the BIG NEWS. Peef is employed!! (And just look at him -- who could resist?) He got a job and started this week. He's been too busy to post the news, but I thought it was too awesome NOT to share. That said, I'm going to let HIM post the details as he sees fit.

On another note, I glimpsed something fun today while I was poking around the Internets. It's a great article about Milwaukee that appeared in Air Tran's in-flight magazine, GO. Fun trivia and great information about all the cool stuff that's going on in Milwaukee.

Very recently, someone commented to me that only two kinds of people dislike Milwaukee -- those who have lived here all of their lives and those who have never been here. And it's really true. Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say -- and people who've never left the city won't appreciate what they miss when they leave. On the other hand, people who've never been to Milwaukee can't imagine that we're something more than a rusty old industrial town that smells like cheese.

Of course, some of us know better.
Milwaukee is really one of the better kept secrets of the Midwest.

Read it here: On the Town -- Milwaukee

Honestly -- it's validating for those of us who live here and LOVE our city. It might also be inspiration for those of you who haven't visited, but really should.

Open Letters

2009-03-30T16:12:00.005-05:00

Inspired by Jess over at Floor 22: The Annex.

Here's some open letters that summarize my life/our life lately.

Dear Pocketbook: You are more full than you think. After all, life is more than the green we keep. Love, Lo
Dear Elmo: Thanks for being a constant reminder of how important independence is. And cleanliness. With Gratitude, Lo
Dear Spring: It's time. Honestly, Lo
Dear Colleagues: Thanks for all of your support. I wouldn't have expected it, but it's been incredible. Couldn't have gotten through it without you. Seriously, Lo
Dear leftover corned beef (which finally ended up in the freezer): It's not because we don't love you. Our life has just taken a lot of unexpected turns when it comes to dinner. We'll revisit you soon. I promise. With sincerity, Lo
Dear Prospective Cohort Members: I promise you you won't regret it. Truly, Lo
Dear Those People: Please don't make us wait any longer. Desperately, Lo
Dear Universe: We're ready for the Good Stuff. Honest. Sincerely, Lo

Unbelievable how much can be expressed in such a small amount of space. Got some of your own to share?

Meet My Hero: Alice Waters

2009-03-17T14:28:00.004-05:00

It's about time someone spoke up in the mainstream about the importance of eating real food. And leave it to my hero, Alice Waters, to do the talking.

Watch CBS Videos Online

It's funny. So much of the "real food" movement seems intuitive to me. It's getting back to our roots. Remembering what our grandparents and great-grandparents ate. Understanding that those things were far superior (nutritionally, environmentally) to the prepared foods we're all too accustomed to eating in this day and age. We're certainly NOT perfect. But, I like the fact that we're trying to get back to basics. And I really do think it makes a difference.

It does make me sad to recognize that so many people feel that eating real food is both time-consuming and expensive. In my experience, it doesn't have to be either of those things. In fact, letting go of the packaged, processed, fake foods is pretty liberating.

My opinion: it's one of the best things we can do for ourselves and our world.

What do you think?

A Farewell: to the last bits of snow in my yard

2009-03-17T08:17:00.007-05:00

As the morning sun rises above the neighbor's fence, I bid you well. It was nice of you to cover the ground during the holidays. It sure did make it feel that much more festive. And remember that time when Lo and I came outside and we twirled around as you were landing? Yeah, that was a good time. We collected your flakes on our hands and shared them with each other to see if we could find one that matched. But no...you are too clever with your geometry. You fascinate me and excite me, and I appreciate the moisture you now provide the ground as it wakens from its long winter's slumber.

However, once again I have grown tired of you. I know you may come back yet for an encore performance. But for now, let us depart as friends before I change my mind. After all, you did try to kill me a few months back when you fell from the sky all wet and heavy like. You really did make me quite angry. But I forgive you. I know you were just doing what you needed to do. For being just crystalline water ice, you sure are high maintenance.

with much love and respect,
peef

Mashup

2009-03-10T12:17:00.001-05:00

Here's a nice mashup of the Beatles, LCD Soundsystem and the Kinks. Enjoy!

Bow-chicka-wowow: Getting Busy on the Weekend

2009-03-06T15:15:00.005-06:00

Getting started on the weekend a bit early over here. Makin' some Sweet Routan Baby Love. Virtually Foolproof. heh.

Meet the newest Lil Fredrich.

Bailout

2009-03-04T16:37:00.002-06:00

toothpastefordinner.com

Peef and Lo at the Car Show

2009-03-01T17:41:00.008-06:00

How did we spend our weekend?
Well... we made up some mighty fine fried chicken. AND, we also gawked at kewl cars.

Despite our usually calm dispositions, we go a little bit crazy when surrounded by so many fine automobiles.
Fortunately for us, a little bit of craziness is actually condoned at the car show. And we were happy to see that the experience was intended to be "hands on"...We were delighted with all the cool spaces that we could explore. Like this mini-van that came equipped with sleeping quarters...
... although there were times when we got a bit carried away fondling all the shiny new objects...
We looked at big cars. And little cars. And dumb cars. And...
Smart Cars! We love us a seriously intelligent auto. Perfect for a Sunday drive in the park.
Despite the fact that there were cars EVERYWHERE, we did A LOT of walking...
And maybe a little TOO much waving...
We enjoyed the cool breezes blowing through our hairs...
And the view through the sun roof of a car that we could NEVER afford...
Sometimes, the price tags caused a bit of sticker shock.
Fortunately, there was plenty at the car show that made us HAPPY!!!
... including this great little diddy.What did YOU do this weekend??

Yay for Cake!

2009-02-17T19:10:00.003-06:00

There's nothing bigger than celebrating your ninth birthday. Which is why Peef and Lo set to work creating the most amazing cake they could dream up.

Chocolate chip pound cake, filled with whipped chocolate ganache... and glazed with semisweet chocolate. Enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY "O"!!

[get your fill -- more cake photos over at BURP!]

Pontifications on Honest Work

2009-02-10T18:03:00.002-06:00

Today was a Bad Day at work.
I won't go into everything that means -- except to say that today I was having a very difficult time being grateful for my employment. And that gave me a bit of pause.

Being grateful is something that I've committed to ever since Peef's job was whisked away in late November (many thanks to the Benevolent Dictator who left us with this gasping economy). After all, it seems I shouldn't have much to complain about when I'm making a fair wage for honest work. It can be remarkably fulfilling to leave WORK AT WORK at night and enjoy my passions AT HOME. Plus, I've always been adament that I'm NOT a careerist who needs her work to define her.

So, rather than dwelling on the BADness of my day, I'm going to take a moment to reflect. And I am going to recommit myself. To good, honest work.

In this time. In this place.
I have NO right to complain.

Maybe Todd Rundgren said it best?

That said, if any curious business owners are reading this and want to pay me a ridiculous amount of money to pontificate (or better yet, write marketing copy), I still have seven cell minutes left before we go over our allotment for the month.

From the Ears of Your Favorite Peef: New Music for the New Year

2009-01-22T11:59:00.013-06:00

I've been blessed with an unusual amount of spare time lately...ok. NOT REALLY. I have actually been busting my hump trying to find a job, but I've also managed to spend a little bit of time staying current with the music scene.

Today I bring you a group of bands that you may have already heard of but who all have something very special in common. EVERY ONE OF THEM has an odd band name. And we aren't talking Phish or Dead Milkmen odd, we are talking about bands that simply chose names that have little relation to their musical sound.

Band names always seem to conjure a specific mental image for me... and I can't be the only one who wonders what the heck they were thinking when the look and feel of said band and the mental image conjured by the band name simply DO NOT mesh.

This Christmas, my sis dubbed me with a handy-dandy little gift card to iTunes. This much appreciated gift went to good use just as the year (that shall no longer be mentioned) was coming to a close. Because there was a limit on the card, I found it necessary to spend my budget wisely.

The first thing I did was to make a list. Unfortunately, that did NOT help. The list grew and grew and grew. One evening, I showed it to Lo and she looked upon the lengthy list with a great deal of amazement.

"I have never heard of half of these bands" she said to me. "Are you sure you want ALL of these?" she continued.

"Of course I want them" I responded, "They are ALL the best and most talked about new bands that came to mind in the past twelve hours."

"I think you should start narrowing it down," she suggested, "Maybe start with the ones whose CD's you could live without. After all, these are DOWNLOADS."

I have to interject here. I am still a bit "old school" and like to have the physical CD, rather than just an audio file. It's not that I don't enjoy the inst-o-matic approach to downloading music, I just want to have a hard copy of it for posterity. I want a MUSIC COLLECTION. For me, a CD collection is immediately revealing. The ability to browse through the collection of CD's in my friend's living room is far less invasive than hopping on their personal computer to snoop around in their audio files.

Lo did not feel any great amount of compassion for my plight.

"Well, good luck with that," she smirked, and she sauntered away.

After weeding out all of the bands I decided I needed to possess physical evidence of... and then the ones that for whom owning a single song would do, I narrowed my selections down to two.

The Airborne Toxic Even t was a band recommended to me a few months back by a good friend in Seattle. I trust her recommendations, and after taking a listen on myspace, I decided they made the cut.

Vampire Weekend is not ONLY one of the most press-worthy bands of 2008, but they were also recommended (and hence, VALIDATED) by our VERY hip friends in Fargo, ND. Seriously, folks. Fargo IS the Promised Land, after all. And, if you don't believe me, just take a listen for yourselves. Thanks to sattelite raido, these Fargo-nians have great taste in music.

Another animal altogether is Girl Talk (Check it out at www.illegalart.net). Don't be fooled by the "pay what you like" mentality on his Web site, Gregg Gillis is seriously good. And so is his laptop, which he has affectionately named Girl Talk. King of mash-up (the art of taking rap/hip-hop and mashing it with top40/alternative/classic rock tunes), Girl Talk puts together some funky tunes -- things that will make you want to get up off the couch and do some serious grooving. Sensitive souls might be wary of a bit of the foul language that leaks in, thanks to liberal sampling of rappers like Too Short (don't ask). But, if you can overlook that, it's all golden. The New York Times Magazine has called his music "a lawsuit waiting to happen"... and bloggers everywhere have discussed whether his blatant "rip offs" are worth getting uptight about. Personally, I'm not getting my undies in a bundle. Gregg is just FAR too fun. Interested? Check out more at the Future of Music Coalition.

Now, I've rambled on for quite some time already. But, I have one last thing to share with those of you who've kept with me this far... I'd also like to give a shout-out to Neko Case, who happens to be featured in the February issue of Paste Magazine, where you can read all about the piano orchestra that she threw together in her barn. Since I'm a big fan of The New Pornographers (again, what's WITH these odd band names??!!), Neko is a natural pick for me. Her last solo album, Fox Confessor, showcases smart vocals and haunting instrumentation. But, she's also got a new album coming out. Middle Cyclone releases on March 3rd, and I'm totally looking forward to it.

You've made it this far, which is a serious accomplishment.
AND it just so happens that I can offer you something for your trouble.
Take a listen to "People Got a Lot of Nerve" -- Neko's new single.
In exchange, Neko Case will make a $5 donation to Best Friends Animal Society. Isn't that nice of her??

Enjoy!
Neko Case - People Got A Lotta Nerve

This week's list of GOOD things

2009-01-15T16:05:00.003-06:00

It always helps to make a list!

Interviews (of the job getting persuasion)
A working computer (mine has been down for much of the afternoon, so I'm feeling this pretty intimately)
Tamale pie
Ripe avocadoes
Coffee on a cold morning
Sunshine when it's -15ºF
The prospect of good news
Hand-made dish cloths
Roll-over minutes (We went over our cell minutes for the first time ever last month, and now I'm thinking these are pretty keen)
Healthy kitties (Elmo gave us a good scare this week, but we're pleased to say that he seems to be feeling better)

Happy 2009!

2009-01-13T10:59:00.001-06:00

Alright, we're signing on to 2009 a bit late... but we wanted to make sure it was really real before we spread false hope.

So now that we have officially slammed the door of 2008 shut tight and secured the deadbolt and threw away the key...Lo and I can forge ahead with 2009. Because we have put 2008 under locks, there is no point in reviewing the year and all of its...I just can't.

OK. The Nastiness of 2008 is done. Let's move on.
Here's to 2009!!

We have a new outlook on life. Prospects of a new job. Maybe a new car? Maybe a new city to live in? Who knows? Anything is possible when you're standing on the cusp.

The job hunt has been very successful -- considering the economic factor and the holiday factor. I've had a number of interviews, and new things crop up all the time. Things aren't moving QUITE as quickly as I would like, but you've gotta take what you can get. Indubitably, the job search will continue to wear on ... until that glorious day when a written offer is finally in my hands. Let's pray for that moment, shall we?

Lo is back at work after a nice long time away during the holidays. "Work is work," as she says; but, these days she's thankful to be working in a relatively recession-proof industry. Her job has been a bit "stressy," but she's off and running with her recruitment activities, and hopes to get a cohort together for summer 2009.

Elmo, Zoe, Izzie and Yoyo don't seem to realize that we've made the transition to a new year. But, they did get excited when we took down the Krimmus tree and gave them back their beautiful, sunny turret. Now, they're free to lie about, all lazy-like, in between their regular eating and poo-ing.

The house... is still standing.
The snow... is still falling.
And the music... is still playing.

Thank God for the music.

Telling Truths from Lies

2008-12-28T12:03:00.010-06:00

While we weren't looking, an award was bestowed upon us by Rachel over at Rachel's Ramblings.
I met Rachel way back in college, during my very short stint at Cornell College in Iowa. She lived across the hall from me, and we developed quite the bond. One of my favorite things about her is that she's always been a promulgator of truth, so it seems appropriate that an Honest Scrap award would be bestowed to her. By the same token, I'm flattered that she sees us in the same light.

Of course, the acceptance of this award has a few rules attached. The honorees are to: a) first list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep! B) pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

1. I suffer from a bit of social anxiety. I'm fairly certain that it's not clinical; however, I find myself dreading social outings. My fear is particularly acute when the gathering is 1) large (I find I do best in smaller groups) AND 2) comprised of people who I don't already know (As enjoyable as it can be, I tend to find the process of getting to know new people exhausting).

2. I love reading and writing and learning; but, I've decided that school isn't for me. Right now, at least. I tried to go back for my master's degree this past fall... but, it felt all wrong. For as much as I enjoyed the challenge, and the intellectual dialog, and the brain exercise, I found myself resenting every moment I spent working on my homework. After some really tough soul-searching, I've decided that it's not the right time for me to go on for my degree. Tough decision to make. But, I think it's all good.

3. I am hopelessly addicted to cooking. And entertaining. Some people relieve stress by working out. I wind down at the end of a long day by cooking dinner. There is something seriously "zen" about chopping vegetables and setting things to saute in a bit of hot oil at the end of a long day. It's gotten to the point where I can't think of much I'd rather do after a nasty day at work than roast a chicken. Entertaining people at our house is a close second. I can't think of much that's more enjoyable than having a few people over for dinner... unless I haven't had time to plan everything out (which is the only point at which entertaining feels like a chore).

4. Cooking has made me into a "gadget girl". I always swore that you only needed a few things in the kitchen -- a few good knives, some good pots & pans... the basics. And for years, I got along quite well with the bare minimum. However, in the past few years, I have managed to accumulate a variety of (very useful) gadgets. A panini press. A waffle iron. A cherry/olive pitter. A tomato knife. A pasta roller. A variety of cake decorating supplies, including a turn-table, 3 offset spatulas, and a cake leveler. Silpats. A cookie press. An outdoor convection cooker. And for Christmas -- a Le Creuset Dutch oven (yay!).

5. I sometimes lose my cool. My mother was a yeller. I always swore I would never follow in her footsteps. Unfortunately, frustration brings out the worst in me. And my vocal decibels rise. It's something I always mean to work on, but not something I've not been terribly successful in abolishing.

6. I am 100% certain that my marriage is meant to be. Peef and I have a pretty good marriage. Most of the time, it's a partnership of equals to which we both contribute our finest qualities. But, sometimes I wonder how Peef puts up with me. There are times when I KNOW I'd drive myself up a wall... and most of the time, he acts pretty unphazed. Even after ten years, we seem to be discovering new things about one another. Thank God for that.

7. I have never been thin. In fact, I have absolutely NO IDEA what it would be like to be thin. There is positively NO doubt that I could be thinner than I am -- but I am quite positive that it would be impossible for me to ever become truly THIN. I recognize this most easily when I try on clothing from the Vera Wang collection at Kohls. Some things will never hang properly on a girl who is 5'4" and curvy.

8. I am not the easiest person to get to know. Someone at work who I've been getting to know for a couple of years pointed this out to me just before Christmas. It's not something of which I was completely unaware; but, I dont' think that anyone had ever come right out and said it to me before. It's true that I'm more introvert than extrovert. I like people, and I have quite number of very close friends. However, I don't feel that it's vital for most people really to know a whole lot about my inner workings. Thinking back on examples of how this works, it occurred to me that I'd worked at Marquette for almost two years when a colleague who worked in my office asked me if I had any children... I guess that illustrates my point.

9. Hallmark cards sometimes make me cry. This is a fairly recent development. I used to be made of steel when it came to sappy movies and touchy feely birthday cards. But, these days, I can stir myself up into a whorl of emotion just by taking a walk down the greeting card aisle. Sometimes, it's a useful form of catharsis. I'd highly recommend it.

10. I am a bit of a control freak. For people who know me well, this is no mystery. I love overseeing the big picture and putting all the pieces in place. I don't need to control what everyone else does, but I like having jurisdiction over my own life. It used to be that I had every moment planned out to a "tee". Marriage has helped me to relax a little bit. The lemons that life has thrown us of late have also helped me to revamp my perspectives. These days, I'm working on letting go a little bit more. But, I'm still not perfectly comfortable letting someone else take the wheel.

And now, for the tagging! I don't think I'll quite make seven, but here goes my best shot.

Jess (at Floor 22) - who is a kindred spirit in the quest for honesty
Cheryl (at Free Range Living) - whose adventures always seem to ring true
Adam (from Baking with Dynamite) - whose insights on life (and dessert) are always worth reading
Paula (at It's All Gouda) - whose storytelling and cooking are an inspiration
Amanda (from Daily Diner) - who is a constant reminder that cooking healthy, wholesome food doesn't have to be costly or time consuming

... will be interested to read whatever it is that you decide to share!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T13:43:00.003-06:00

We've been busy lately with all the preparations that go along with the holidays.
Like baking cookies!

And decorating our Christmas tree!
However, we haven't forgotten about friends and family -- who truly make our lives worth living.

Here's hoping that each and every one of you has a very Blessed Christmas... and that 2009 follows with more good things than any of you can imagine.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-12T14:41:00.008-06:00

You probably know that the Winter Solstice comes December 21st; however, for those of us fortunate enough to live in the Northern states, winter seems to find us prematurely every year. Here is a nice photo that I took during this week's snow storm. If you're sharp, you can find our house over on the right!
Am happy to report that I've met with some success with regard to job opportunities this week. I had an interview with a marketing firm this morning and I have a couple of phone interviews set up for Monday and Tuesday of next week.

In the meantime, Lo and I plan to spend our weekend hunting for a Christmas tree. More photos and fun to come!!

Happy weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T20:48:00.004-06:00

We'd like to take this opportunity to wish ALL of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you've had the chance to feast on some great food today... and spend time with great friends and family as well.

As for us, we did feast. And now we're basking in the glow. We have a lot to be thankful for this holiday -- including a whole decade of wedded bliss. That's right. We celebrate 10 whole years together today. And that feels pretty darned... well, it's weird. I, for one, do not feel OLD enough to have been married for ten years. But, maybe that's not a bad thing.

Ten years is softer than nine
The corners have been rounded, and the edges beveled
We are no longer frightened by the shadows
Behind the others' eyes
For we find respite in the dark places.
Day breaks new on the old ones
And we pause in the tender forevers
Twirling about one another in swirls and patterns.
When we come to rest,
Smiling and in love,
We wonder of how we came to be
So, sweet and still.

OK, Pumpkin Picking Might be Better!

2008-10-31T16:48:00.000-05:00

OK -- maybe there's something that trumps apple picking... Pumpkin picking! This is another one of our October traditions. And it can be a load of fun.

First, you've got to find a farm that grows pumpkins.
Then, you pull up the car and start perusing the wares.
We like to frolick in the pumpkin fields for a while.
But, then we begin our search for the perfect pumpkins.
We like pumpkins with very cool stems.
Especially little stripey pumpkins that are still attached to the vine!Yay for little stripey viney pumpkins!
Sometimes, the pumpkins we find do not meet our approval.
But, sometimes they make us very, very, happy!
There are some pumpkins that you just can't help hugging.
And other pumpkins that deserve to be held up high above the rest.
I think we've finally settled upon a few to take home.
Hurrah!!
The End.

Nothing Better Than Autumn Apple Picking!

2008-10-26T12:31:00.008-05:00

Some of you know that we make it a point to take a weekend in October to go apple picking at Barthel's Fruit Farm in Mequon.

Here are some highlights from our apple picking adventures.

Come on, kids! Apple picking is fun!!
And the apples are so purty!
Look at how fresh and dewsome they are!You can pick apples, or you can just hide in the trees!
Or you can play on the ladders...But, while you're there, be sure to pick some apples!And kiss them.
We're having so much fun picking all these apples!Well, some of us are having fun.
Yay for apple picking!
The End.

Life Begins After Birthday Week

2008-10-21T11:54:00.004-05:00

I'm pleased to report that birthday week started off fantastic -- and ended on an awesome note. Thanks to all of you who participated -- and helped to make it such a stand-out success.

I'm really pleased to report that, not only did we make it out to Barthel Fruit Farm to pick apples and pumpkins, but we had a great time! The Ida Reds were prime for the picking. And the pumpkins weren't half bad either. We took loads of great pictures (which we'll share when I get a chance to sit down at the computer to download them)... so stay tuned!

We also had an amazing dinner on Saturday night with Steph (of which, I'm sad to report, there are no photos). We seared up some delicious scallops, composed another batch of delicious arugula corn salad, and made homemade butternut squash ravioli (with browned butter, sage, and marscapone cheese). Yum. After dinner, we managed to stay up WAY past bedtime playing Trivial Pursuit and drinking pumpkin martinis (made with awesome, locally distilled Pumpkin Spirits and a bit of Frangelica)... so, we were pretty tired all day on Sunday. But, it was totally worth it.

Now, it's back to the old grind again. Peef working. Me working and studying. It feels a bit dull. So, I thought I'd share some random thoughts about things that are going on in our lives.

THE GARAGE. Not quite as exciting as birthday week, but I'm pleased to report that we finally finished painting our garage ... and we also bought a new service door(!). As soon as we get the door hung (hopefully this next weekend) we'll have pictures to share. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to see how great the "new" garage really looks!
THE PAPER. Some of you might know that Lo has been struggling with a research paper topic since the beginning of the term. But, she might be narrowing in on a possibility. For those of you who are curious, she's thinking about writing on women and the pressure to marry. She got a hold of some interesting information about an 18th century female "singleton"... and she might run with it.
THE GARDENS. Seems everything is wrapping up for the season. We still have a few peppers struggling to ripen. And the scallions are going strong. We might even get a few tomatillos before the season is through. But, I think we'll be taking everything down this weekend before the chill in the air gets too strong.
THE ELECTION. If you're reading this, consider yourself reminded to vote. This is probably the most important election we've voted in during our lifetimes. So, really. Don't let it slide.
THE BATHROOM. After we've done our part and voted in the election, we'll be hoping that interest rates fall just a bit. And that way we'll be able to take out a loan for our upstairs bathroom rennovation. Hurrah!
SUSHI. Oh -- did I mention that we had sushi for my birthday on Friday? It was awesome. But, I'm really looking forward to my next fix. So, who's going to come out for sushi with us??!!

A Good Birthday -- So far!

2008-10-16T16:41:00.006-05:00

I never know what it's going to feel like... turning another year older.

Somehow, I always expect that something dramatic is going to happen. But, it never really does. And maybe that's OK with me. Especially since I'm generally pretty happy with my life.

Some of you know that we celebrate Birthday Week at our house -- because one day is never enough celebrating. So far, birthday week has been pretty wonderful.

Lo had lunch with her Mom, Keri, and Reagan on Wednesday. And they spent a nice afternoon tromping around Costco and visiting.
We had dinner at Maxie's with Peef's parents (Lo got to eat gumbo and derby pie, and peef indulged in a really fantastic barbequed beef brisket and a fantastic arugula salad that we created over at Burp!)
We had dinner at Cafe Sourette in West Bend, WI (Lo had a pretty good orange ginger duck and a delightful chocolate raspberry cake, while Peef ate flat iron steak... are you seeing a pattern here?)
Lo took a few days off of work -- for lots of lazing about!

But, the birthday week won't be complete until we get a few more lovely activities in:

Lo will get her wish for birthday sushi on Friday night (can't wait!)
We're planning on our annual trip to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch this weekend, if the weather holds out. And then, I'm thinking there might be some baking in the cards!
Hopefully, we'll be getting together with Steph -- either for a birthday cooking extravaganza, or else a night out (Lo is hoping for La Merenda or Meritage).

Oktoberfest 2008

2008-10-11T05:44:00.001-05:00

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so ten pictures should be more than enough for one blog post, I say.

Fun, huh?

Lies. All Lies.

2008-10-10T17:33:00.002-05:00

So, we didn't drink our way through the vice-presidential debate. Or even the last presidential debate.
Although I think we're both getting to the point where we can't wait for November 4th to arrive. And be gone.

While waiting, we're trying to enjoy ourselves.

We spent the weekend in Dallas, WI... where we partook in their annual Oktoberfest celebration... a small town affair with feasting, Viking combat, and a whorl of other funny, kitschy delights). Eating photos HERE. Other errata to come.
I've been reading lots of early American literature. And a really great book about early American novels by Cathy Davidson (Revolution & the Word). Yeah -- I'm geeking out. Bigtime.
Peef has been traveling again. This week he was in Seattle. Ate at a fine little gastropub called SPUR. Very kewl.
Speaking of spurs. Did I ever tell you that I want to start a bluegrass band called the Pink Spurs? (yeah... another one of those far-fetched dream things)
This weekend we are planning to finally paint our garage! (yes, the self-same garage that we SCRAPED back in June and primed over the 4th of July weekend). The weather looks positively fabulous (70's, partly sunny). So, we're stoked. Really. Stoked.

Get Ready. Get Set. DEBATE!

2008-10-02T11:35:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Rebecca, who alerted us to the possibility, we know how we're going to be spending our evening.

The Official* Vice Presidential Debate Drinking Game!

It's not about taking sides, after all. It's about the beer (so buy the good stuff).

Remember to drink responsibly.

The Week in Brief

2008-10-01T09:34:00.004-05:00

When Monday starts off with a migraine, you can fully expect the rest of the week to be better. Right?

Tuesday: Peef and Lo part with a large sum of money (we had the roofers re-roof our garage while they were here to fix the leak in the roof of the house... so, the good side of it all is that we have all sorts of new roofing around our place)

Wednesday: A quandary ensues about what to make for dinner. After all, we don't want to miss the season premiere of Pushing Daisies.

Thursday: A quandary about whether or not to watch the debate. Of COURSE we'll end up watching. But, I really don't want to.

Friday: Preparations for our trip to Oktoberfest. The kitchiest, most wonderful festival in all the land!

More From the Pig Roast

2008-09-29T16:43:00.004-05:00

You can get the food end of the Pig Roast we attended at Pinehold Gardens this past weekend over at BURP! But, here's some additional photos that tell a little bit more of the story.

After all, there were free range chickens!
And a muddy little swine...
Who lived in a hut...
... that turned out to be a happy little OINK! hut...
And there were artistic scenes that revealed themselves in black & white...
...succulent grapes on the vine, so ripe that they filled the air with their sticky-sweet fragrance as we were walking past.There were bees... which we found out later are kept by the farmers at Pinehold to assist in the pollination of their fields.
There were bunches of garlic hanging up to dry.
And a nice man named Orlando (on the right), who tapped the beer kegs for us when we arrived.
In this photo, you'll spy a ghostly apparition in the background... looking remarkably like Peef.
Oh, wait. That was Peef. :)

How Many Have YOU Read?

2008-09-21T08:57:00.000-05:00

So, Jess got me interested in trying out this "books thingy."
Apparently, the National Endowment for the Arts apparently believes that the average American has only read 6 books from the list below. I simply don't believe it.

So, let's see how I fare.

Instructions:
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline (or mark in a different color) the books you LOVE
4) Reprint this list in your blog.

1 Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible -
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (most)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (it's truly amazing I've gotten this far w/o having read it)
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables- LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down- Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

*whew*
Well, that was relatively painless! Now it's your turn.
What are some of YOUR favorite books?

ARRRrrrr.....

2008-09-19T14:51:00.015-05:00

As you may recall, International Talk Like a Pirate Day is one of our favorite holidays of the year. It is a day when our innate silliness is condoned and our only concern is to have a little bit of fun. And we all know we can never have enough of that in our lives.

Since we look forward to the celebration soooo much, and I love to bring the Booty in for my co-workers, I planned ahead.

This was mistake #1. The past few years, we have bought the Booty the night before or the morning of TLaPD and it isn't a problem. Well, this year we bought 2 HUGE bags from Costco and I stored them in the pantry. We left in a hurry this morning, and what do you think I left in the pantry? If you guessed soup, you would be correct. But not all together on the right subject. If you guessed Booty, you would be absolutely correct!

This is how it played out... I drop Lo off at work. I cranked up the tunes and race off to work. At 16 minutes after 8, I pull into the parking lot. I park the car. And that's when I start feeling a little bit empty-handed. I am not taking anything into the office. This is odd. I usually have a messenger bag or lunch or something with me. But that wasn't all I was missing. I knew there was something else. I approached the door when it hit me like a ship hitting shore on a foggy night. I FORGOT ME BOOTY!!!!! ARRRRRRRGH!!!!

I was not a happy pirate. I stormed into the office and told the landlubbers to leave me alone. When some of the local wenches tried to calm my spirits with rum, I pushed it aside and told them that I was not a worthy pirate. How on earth could a pirate by the name of Cap'n Jack Bloodbucket forget that it was International Talk Like a Pirate Day??? And how on earth could this pirate forget to bring in the booty for his horde? Aye, it was quite the fright.

I decided instead of walking the plank, I would try to redeem myself. I would raise the Jolly Roger flag and be proud of the day. I could make this right. My heart was still in it afterall. I started calling my co-workers by their new pirate names (which I found for them at this handy-dandy site). The Jolly Roger (which I hung using tape and staples like any good office pirate would) flew proudly from the ceiling over my cube! This Will Be the Best TLaPD EVER! Turns out, this is Mistake #2.

Now, it just so happens that I had to leave me post on me ship to run home and meet the roofers who have yet to fix our leaky roof. As I drive home on my speed boat, I practice ways to tell them to "Walk the plank!" while still maintaining some sense of me dignity. After much adieu, I decide that it might be safest if I suppress me pirate persona for an hour or so. After all, I already missed a few perfectly good pirate hours this morning. So, another hour of talking like a "normal" adult might be the best thing at this point. (The good thing about all of this is that while I was at home talking normally with the roofers, I could capture the missing booty I spoke of earlier, and bring it back with me to the office.)

Once I finished me business with the blasted roofers, I get back on board me ship with me Booty firmly in tow. All of a sudden, I see a blinky light on me telephone (This is the 21st cent. and I have a very high tech ship). Curses. Cap'n Poopypants says -- since he is in command -- I can't hang my flag in these parts. I can either accept his challange and fight, or I can simply take down the flag and hang it on my ship's wall where it will be less obvious.

After much thought, and a bit of pirate frustration, I choose the easy (and less bloody) path. I take me flag and I hang it up in me cube. After all, I've fought me enough battles today already!!

Whew! What a day to be a pirate! I hope ye all have a splendid day! And don't forget the Booty or the bottle of Rum!

Cap'n Jack Bloodbucket

Crazy Stuff About Peef

2008-09-11T13:54:00.001-05:00

Here's a pseudo-meme inspired by MTP over at Floor 22 (but this time, from the female of the house).

15 things about Peef that I think most other people wouldn't know.

Peef really objected to the nickname "Peef" at first.
Peef hated asparagus until about 1999 when he tried it roasted.
Peef did not graduate from college in 1998 as many suspected.
Peef is a great deal smarter than he thinks he is.
Peef will graduate from college in 2008. YAY!
Peef's arms and legs shed profusely.
Coincidentally, Peef's favorite word lately is hirsute.
Peef sometimes avoids returning phone calls.
If you try to steal the covers away from Peef at 5 am, he will get up rather than steal them back.
Peef uses the words shallot, scallion, and scallop interchangeably.
Peef likes to eat mustard on everything. Or at least that's how it seems.
Peef is a clothes horse.
Peef can be sneaky at times.
Peef has the ability to buy the best Christmas presents EVER.
If you hand Peef two wooden paint stir sticks in the home improvement store, he can't help but snap them together all the way to the car.

Feel free to tell the world about someone you know well!

What's new? Peef Spills the Beans on Life & Home Ownership

2008-09-08T21:02:00.006-05:00

We haven't talked in awhile. Sorry about that. I'll get you up to date since we have been a bit busy...

First off, we've been watching political conventions for what seems like weeks on end. FINALLY, this week we have a reprieve and can return to our usual schedule. Well, sort of.

Lo is back in school. She is taking a class on early American Lit. Not super exciting (she's reading Benjamin Franklin, for goodness sake!), but I think she is enjoying it more than she lets on. Since she has reading to get done most nights, we've struck up an agreement of sorts for how we operate on weeknights. We start off cooking together; but, after most of the preparations are completed, she goes off to start her reading and I finish things off. After we eat, she finishes up her reading while I handle the clean-up. It makes for a fairly quiet life most nights, but we're getting on pretty well. As you can see from our posts over there at Burp!, we're still cooking up quite the storm.

On my end, things are settling back down a bit. Having finished off all of my summer school business in August (I made the grade in both Accounting AND Macroeconomics!), I'm looking forward to starting my fall traveling for work. Well, maybe "looking forward" is a bit of an exaggeration. But, a boy has to make plans, or nothing gets done! So, next month, I'm scheduling my semi-annual trip to Seattle, and then maybe another one to New York following that. I might also sneak in a trip to Minneapolis as well, but since I would probably turn that into a weekend adventure, it seems less like a work trip (and that's the sort of thing I like).

In other news, even after five years, I'm still floored by how much work is involved in home ownership. It seems that, despite all of the work we put in over the past few months, we still seem to have a few unfinished projects around the house that we need to finish before the cold winter snow starts blowing. First, we still need to finish painting the garage (we managed to primer it back in July, but we tired of painting in the heat and humidity, so we put the project off for cooler days). In conjunction with that project, I need to take some measurements and make a trip over to the local door shop and get a new wooden service door, which we've been needing for a while. Last winter, a gap in the lower portion of the door got so bad that we had snow blowing right underneath the garage door and drifting into lovely little piles right inside the garage! Finally, we'll soon be looking forward to clearing out the gardens, winterizing the lawn, and digging up and splitting up the perennials. I'm getting tired just thinking about it!

I'd like to think that once winter hits, we'll be through with the household projects. But, it seems they never really end. Once the cold weather hits, we'll simply take to the inside projects! We've got some painting we'd like to do. And the basement could use a bit of cleaning out. Looks like another one of the things we'll be considering this winter is a small renovation to the bedroom as well. We've both been waking up feeling pretty creaky lately... and we're starting to suspect that our 10-year-old mattress is to blame. I think we might be leaning towards a sleep number bed... we ran into one at the State Fair this year, laid down on it, and pretty much fell in love. But, we'll take any suggestions you might want to offer!

Alright, it's getting late. So, I'll let this suffice for now.
But, let's try not to let so much time get between us. It really is good to talk to you...

What you don't know about the Lo

2008-09-02T17:56:00.003-05:00

Here's another pseudo-meme inspired by MTP over at Floor 22: 15 things about Lo that I think most other people wouldn't know.

Lo is funnier, quirkier, and more whimsical than she may seem
Lo is a blanket thief. In the middle of the night, she puts her mask on and takes all of the blankets and tucks them all around her body and refuses to give them up.
Lo worries more than she should, or maybe just more than me
Lo is almost always cold (probably why she likes to steal the blankets)
Lo is happier staying at home than a night out
Lo falls asleep after eating sugar
Lo can move heavy objects like nobody I know
Lo would let you rub her feet or hands for hours
If stuck, Lo always finds a way out
Lo can sleep longer than you
Lo would rather drive. Otherwise she will be out like a light the minute you hit the highway.
Lo has a collection of food magazines that go back 10 years or more
Lo has a hard time sitting still
Lo loves a good challenge
Lo remembers EVERYTHING

Feel free to tell the world about someone you know well!

Starting Over: The First Day of School

2008-08-27T13:09:00.006-05:00

The first day of school is always a revelation for me.
It wreaks of all things new and exciting. And it reminds me that there is always hope.

I've been done with my undergraduate work for longer than I care to admit at this point. Twelve years, in fact, if my math isn't too rusty. Although I've played around with course work since then, I've mostly observed others when it comes to the first day of school. The undergraduates look so fresh after a summer of doing as they please. Sure, some of them spent the summer working the register at Dairy Queen. But, at private universities, like this one, you'll find more students who spent the summer interning for a Fortune 500 Company or laying on lakefront piers perfecting their tans. Usually, I sit and observe. And I watch as that "first day of school" look turns into a squirrely mid-term gaze and then an end-of-semester frenzy.

Unlike other years, this time I'm actually in the frey. And I'm feeling the first day of school again in a new way. I've got the butterflies in the pit of my stomach. And the worry over whether I bought the right books. Most of all, I've got the urge to put on a sweater.

Yes, it's true. For over 25 years now, I have denied every urge I've had to wear a brand new sweater on the first day of school. It's not a particularly difficult decision, since indubitably it is far to warm to wear anything close to a sweater at the end of August. But, I have to talk myself out of it nonetheless. Sometimes it works. And sometimes it doesn't.

This year, as I don my unseasonable (and slightly scratchy) sweater, I'm truly filled with hope. Degree or non-degree, I'm back where I belong... in an English department. Smelling the smells of the dusty books. Listening to the sounds of academic prattle. And wondering what the writings of Benjamin Franklin have to do with anything at all...

It's a good thing, this new beginning.

State Fair Part 2: The Peoples

2008-08-12T18:10:00.004-05:00

Our adventures at the fair didn't end with the animals. No, no, no.

Although the Fair was filled with some vicious varieties that we hadn't seen anywhere else...
And we were awfully amused by the offerings of this particular catfish. Take special note of the deep fried macaroni & cheese on a stick. We didn't try it out, but we wondered about it all day long.
We were also pretty stymied by the amount of JUNK available for sale.
We managed to resist the Sponge Bob Squarepants dolls, but Paul couldn't resist giving himself a milk mustache with some delicious Wisconsin icecream. If you look closely, you'll see that his nose got in there too!
Meanwhile, Lo decided that it would be a good idea to eat the lemon that came out of her beer.
We couldn't resist trying on some of the oh-so-fashionable cowboy hats we found at one vendor.
Apparently Lo couldn't control herself around the Dean's Chocolate Milk Chug dude either.
Fun, fun, fun...

Being Brave Pays Off

2008-08-11T15:35:00.002-05:00

I am pleased to report that I have lived through the GRE, yet again.

As an added bonus, from what I can tell, my scores are quite respectable. I'm still waiting to see what my analytical writing scores look like; but, to be honest, I wasn't all that worried about the writing end of things. I was more concerned that my verbal scores were somehow going to take a nose-dive... which would have been a fair tragedy, considering I'm trying to sell myself to the English department.

I can't say I'm THRILLED by my scores. But, then, am I supposed to be?
I'm mostly just relieved to have it over with. And, I would guess that Peef would echo my thoughts. He has, after all, put up with me and all of my crazy studying for the past 4 weeks.

Life can now begin again. Yay!

State Fair Part One: The Animals

2008-08-10T17:25:00.011-05:00

OK, it was just one day of the weekend (the rest of the time I've been studying for the GRE). But, it was a load of fun.

We made sure that we went during the day this year so that we could catch a glimpse of the animals at the fair. And what a glimpse we did catch!!

First, there were the pigs. Lots of cuties at the fair. But, this one caught our special attention with his Elvis-like smirk.
And then there was this fella, who donated his derriere to the Midway.
We saw lots of goats.
Greedy goats, who were trying to eat other goats' food...
Pretty goats with floppy ears...
And there were lots of goats who wanted nothing more than to eat Lo's fingers!
We also saw plenty of adorable bunnies, including these floppy fellas:
We saw chickens with big feathery feet...
And stripey Tim Burton-esque chickens...
And even some Tina Turner/Andy Warhol chickens...
There were ducks with toupees...
And even a lizard or two...
And then we entered the House of Moo: Where we found Award Winning steer, who had been sold down the river for their meat...
And pretty little calves sleeping peaceful as could be...
And others spending quality time with their mothers... In the end, we were very sorry to have to leave. But, alas, it got late. So, we ate.
(See exactly what we ate over at Burp!)

Me? A Bad Wife?

2008-08-01T12:43:00.004-05:00

You Would Make a Horrible 1930's Wife

You are way too non conformist, independent, and sassy to be an ideal retro wife.

You may be so wild that you aren't even considering marriage!

Good thing we don't live in the 1930s anymore!

Would You Have Been a Good Wife in the 1930s?

Everything in Sight is Blooming

2008-07-30T06:25:00.002-05:00

It's a happy sight to walk out the door and see so many flowers blooming. The other day, when I stepped out in the yard, I was greeted by a rainbow of color. So, I thought I'd share.

First, the double petunias.
Then, the black velvet nasturtium.
The grape colored day lilies are in full swing...
And you can almost see the dwarf coneflower blossoms multiplying as you watch.
A bit of flaming fuschia bergamot is peeking out from behind the Italian parsley in the herb garden.
And a pink "wave" petunia has found its way in between the leaves of the sage.
These are "tiny tunias" that we have planted in one of our hanging baskets. They're about 1/3 of the size of a regular petunia, and a flood of blooms cascades over the side of the pot.
Not far off, there are more daylilies.
And one of my favorites -- the pompom shaped poppies that reseed themselves in my back flower bed every year, wild as can be.

It might be time to create a bouquet. What do you think??

Concrete Park

2008-07-27T10:15:00.002-05:00

Should you ever wander north of Wausau, WI, you've got to visit Concrete Park.

Fred Smith, a retired Wisconsin lumberjack who could neither read nor write, turned out to be a handsome sculptor of concrete.Embellishing his creations with glass and metal, he created over 200 sculptures, which are now at home in Concrete Park.

I took plenty of pictures, so you can see some of it for yourself.

There are lots of cement people in the park. Many of them are pointing... they're not usually laughing, though. The figures are generally fairly emotionless -- though their body language is sometimes telling.
There are also plenty of sculptures that capture nature -- totally understandable up in the north woods!
Fred's wife, who knew how to type, took Fred's dictation about each sculpture -- and his words are smattered on postings between the sculptures. Click on this, and it should be readable.

Here's Mable (the aforementioned cow), being milked.
And here are Fred's comments about his sculpture of Sacajawea.
One of the most impressive displays is Fred's depiction of the Budweizer wagon.
It's displayed complete with all the Clydesdales...
The level of detail for each horse is really impressive. This was actually Fred's last piece. Shortly after completing it, he suffered a stroke and could no longer sculpt.
I wasn't sure what to expect when we entered the park. But, overall, it was pretty cool. For one, Fred was impressively productive! He also made use of quite a bit of cement and glass (conveniently, he owned a nearby tavern, so he had access to quite a few beer bottles)! This is folk art at its finest -- a great snapshot of history through the eyes of a common man.

More on Concrete Park.

Back from the Wild White North

2008-07-25T09:14:00.007-05:00

I have returned from my wild and wonderful trip up north... and am prepared to share some pictures of my adventure.

First -- a bit about where I spent the past four days.
Ever heard of Fifield, Wisconsin? Well, that's the spot. A friend's aunt owns a cottage near there, and we went up to spend a few effortless days lounging about.

It was a welcoming little spot, and we were settled in in NO time at all!
Isn't it cute??
OK, that isn't actually the cabin. It's the storage shed. Here's the real deal:
And what did we do, besides lounging? Well, the well-shaded porch was equipped with two comfy rocking chairs and a lovely swinging chair -- so we spent much of the daylight hours out there, sipping coffee and reading. First on the list was the Princeton Review GRE study guide (titillating stuff). And then, there was The Hummingbird's Daughter (Urrea) -- which is really pretty astounding. Lovely prose, plenty of magical realism, nearly 500 pages long ... the perfect novel for a nice, relaxing vacation.

Steph read an amusing tome entitled To Hell With All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife...
We communed with nature... right in the backyard. (We tried taking a walk down the road and through the woods, but gave up once we started being attacked by ginormous horseflies!!)
And the wildflowers were in bloom!
We also built some really great campfires, around which there was much chitchatting and many late-night libations. Read all about the things we cooked around the fire at BURP!
We did take a few daytime outings -- one to St. Germaine, WI where we found some lovely pottery... and furniture made from twigs! And another to Concrete Park -- a grotto-esque place featuring cement and glass folk art. More on that.

For now, let's suffice to say that a good time was had... but it's always nice to be back home. Where there are less mosquitoes :)

We've been tagged

2008-07-25T08:04:00.003-05:00

We were tagged by Rachel over at The Essential Rhubarb Pie.

1. Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater?
We don't go to many movies. But, we did manage to see Juno in the theatre... two, three months ago?

2. What Book Are You Reading?
The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea

3. Favorite Board Game?
Trivial Pursuit wins by a long shot. But, I also like Scrabble.

4. Favorite Magazine?
Food and Wine, Bon Appetit. Body and Soul

5. Favorite Smells?
Lilacs, garlic and onions sauteeing, impending rain, freshly mown grass, chai tea...

6. Favorite Sounds?
Rushing water, silence, birds chirping first thing in the morning, a bit of thunder in the distance

7. Worst Feeling In The World?
Forgetting something important, being late, putting on a pair of pants and finding that it doesn't fit!

8. First Thing You Think of When You Wake?
Morning... already??!!!

9. Favorite Fast Food Place?
OK, this is a tough one. First -- we don't eat much fast food. Secondly -- I'm not sure I'd consider it my favorite. OK, I do like MD's french fries...

10. Future Child's Name?
We like two names -- Emma and Phineas. Of course, now that they're public, I'm not sure we can actually go through with using them.

11. Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money, I'd...
... purchase loads of pottery and take more trips abroad. Ireland and Greece come to mind.

12. Do You Drive Fast?
Yes, but not crazy fast.

13. Do You Sleep With a Stuffed Animal?
No, but I occasionally wake up with a cat on my head!

No.14. Storms—Cool or Scary?
Very cool -- that's what I've always though. Although the amount of rain we've had this season has really made me think twice about that answer.

15. What Was Your First Car?
1983 Monte Carlo

16. Favorite Drink?
On the mild side, I'll always vote for water or iced tea. Coffee if it's cold out. On the other hand, if you're talking alcoholic, I like a good red wine, a gin & tonic, a margarita, or a cuban sidecar. I'm also fond of beer.

17. Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…
... go back to school to get a culinary degree (in addition to my more practical English master's degree)... take up crocheting... bake more bread.

18. Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli?
Absolutely. As long as they're tender.

19. If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be?
Have dyed my hair "any other color" -- usually that means red. But, I'm back to blonde these days... and liking it.

20. Name All the Different Cities In Which You Have Lived
Milwaukee, WI
Kewaskum, WI
Germantown, WI
Green Bay, WI
Iowa City, IA

21. Favorite Sport to Watch?
I don't really enjoy watching other people play sports. But, I'll make exception for the Olympics, which somehow seem more appealing.

22. One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You
Rachel is a great storyteller, and I really enjoy her blog.

23. What’s Under Your Bed?
A bin filled with my pj's. And probably a good deal of cat hair.

24. Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again?
Sure. I'll try anything twice.

25. Morning Person or Night Owl?
Night person. But, I REALLY love the early morning -- if someone pries me out of bed.

26. Over Easy or Sunny Side Up?
I think I just learned the difference this morning. I'm fine with either -- as long as the white of the egg gets cooked, and the egg is still runny.

27. Favorite Place to Relax?
In the kitchen. Up north.

28. Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?
I am a huge fan of Haagen Daz coffee icecream. But, I'll also flip for anything from Kopp's custard (OK, that's custard... but close enough??)

29. Of All the People You Have Tagged, Who Is the Most Likely to Respond First?
No clue. But, I'm thinking that Jess is pretty good at "meming" ;)

I'm going to tag:
Jess at Floor 22
Amanda from Daily Diner
Cindy from Hungry Girl por Vida
Lisa at What We Eat

Peef likes pop

2008-07-22T19:25:00.005-05:00

Pop music gets a bad rap thanks to the top 40 radio stations where all they play are those 40 hits over and over again until you go through not liking the song, to thinking that it isn't so bad, to sorta liking it, to liking it, to absolute dread of ever hearing that damn song ever again. This happens in about the first 2-3 times you hear the song that same day.

All this aside I like pop music. I like having a bad song stuck in my head every once in awhile. (Now mind you, I HATE having a really bad song in my head for more than it is welcome.) I'm amazed at the wonder of a well crafted pop song. How the melody and lyrics work side by side and hand in hand to drill itself into your cranium. It's amazing really.

Well, let's talk about what I've been listening to lately...I have had Shout Out Louds (from Sweden) on the iPod for a couple of months now and it wasn't until I needed some tunes whilst mowing the lawn that I actually gave them a decent listen. To me, they sound a little bit like the Cure or maybe even a similarity to Belle & Sebastian. I think if you like either of those you should check out Shout Out Louds.

There's this quirky little sound that seems to be coming from the Sweden region that I am hooked on apparently (I told you about Jens Lekman awhile ago). The latest one that I am hearing quite a bit about is Lyyke Li. She's cute. She's Swedish. Apparently I am not the only one that is into Swedish Pop. There is a blog dedicated to the subject. Check out Swedesplease.net for all things Swede. I think I need to stop. So...

Finally, not from Sweden but from L.A., is Willoughby. I think would classify this as Hipster pop. 1 part Beck, 1 part '60s pop, 1 part quirky. Check him out and let me know what you think.

Being Brave in Rural Wisconsin

2008-07-21T08:55:00.003-05:00

After a jam-packed weekend with Peef's family (a bridal shower, a birthday party, and a visit from his brother in Antigua... *WHEW*), I'm heading off to northern Wisconsin. Yessiree, my friend Steph and I are getting away for a few days of good old fashioned rest and relaxation.

Of course, I'm hauling those GRE study guides along with me... because, although I'd like my brain to be clean and refreshed when I get back, I can't go forgetting everything I know. After all, the exam is coming up fast (Aug 11).

Anyhow -- since I don't anticipate having anything CLOSE to an internet connection up north, you won't be hearing much out of me. But, I'll be back...

Being Brave.

2008-07-15T14:44:00.002-05:00

I signed up to take the GRE today.
It's the second time I'll be taking the exam. The first go-round happened 11 years ago (eleven years??!!).

Needless to say, I'm a little bit scared. I always vowed that if someone told me I had to take the GRE again, I'd simply change my plans. But, now I'm pretty convinced that I'm not going to let some big old nasty exam scare me away from the possibility of possibility.

So -- wish me luck. And say a prayer for me.
I see a great deal of studying in my near future.

Grilling on the cheap

2008-07-09T09:52:00.003-05:00

How many grills do you own?

If you're like us, you have at least two. We have a large Weber that we use for backyard grilling, and a smaller Smoky Joe that we take with us for picnicking.

The Smoky Joe is an effective, compact grill. But, it's still pretty nice (and it's a modest investment at $50). So, for some excursions, a cheaper model is preferable. Take, for instance, tail-gaiting.

The people who hang out in the parking lot at the ball park look pretty friendly. Everyone is happily munching away on their food, drinking beer, and being just lovely. But, it's not unheard of for grills to disappear while they're cooling down out on the concrete during the game. That's why our friends invested in a $15 grill for our most recent tail-gaiting adventure.

Purchasing a cheap grill (or a disposable model) is one option. But, creative types might want to build their own. SO, for those of you who would like to try your hand at building a pretty great small grill "on the cheap," Serious Eats has a pretty nice solution. You can build the grill they feature for under $10. Which is pretty cool.

I Never Harmed an Onion

2008-07-08T13:06:00.005-05:00

Lo and I recently received the first disc from The Muppet Show Season 1 through Netflix. This forgotten gem comes from the 5th episode. Enjoy!

Favorite line:
Once I saw a salad dressing.
My face got radish, my oh my.

Independence Day Weekend

2008-07-06T19:00:00.007-05:00

You would not believe what an "All American" weekend we had!

Essentially, we accomplished three things:

We grilled out for the 4th of July (and ate fantastic cupcakes).
We sanded and primed our garage.
We went to a baseball game (Brewers vs. Pirates)

First, you've got to witness the amazing garage transformation.
Remember this?
Well, after 12 more hours of hard labor (lots of sanding and then a nice coat of primer), it now it looks more like this:
There's still more work ahead (we don't have it painted yet). But, I'm sure you'll agree that it has undergone a pretty dramatic transformation. And that's fortunate... because we're starting to wonder why we didn't just rip it down!!

Fortunately, our time at the ballpark on Sunday was a LOT more fun. First, we tailgated (such a good time, and really a prerequisite to baseball gamedom here in Milwaukee). Here you see our set-up. And M. washing her hands after unwrapping the burgers we brought.
Our feast included buffalo burgers, buffalo hotdogs (affectionately referred to as "wennies") and mom's homemade baked/grilled beans. Oh, yes -- and beer, of course.
After eating and drinking our fill, we headed on into the stadium.It turned out to be a great game, with plenty of action and quite the crowd (over 42,000 turned out for this game).
And you can't beat the Weiner Races! (Incidentally, the Italian Sausage won)

What a great weekend.
We both need a nap!!

At the Market

2008-07-02T16:54:00.004-05:00

We were completely stoked this weekend when we ventured out. Seems that FOOD products have finally arrived at the farmer's market! Hurrah!

This weeks venture brought us a myriad of lovely things -- like shelling peas, sugar snaps, zucchini, and strawberries.
There were some lovely flowers, but we managed to resist.
But, we couldn't resist the sweet peas... and neither could the crowds around us. I had plans for a grande pea & asparagus risotto, so we took home about a pound of shelling peas as well as some sugar snap peas for eating out of hand.
The peas were awesome, but our very best find was local strawberries. They were really at their prime -- deeply colored, sweet, and uber flavorful. The smell was positively irresistable.

And we weren't the only ones who thought so!

A Glimpse at the Gardens

2008-06-28T12:02:00.000-05:00

In case you're curious about the status of our gardens, which are now nicely weeded, despite swarms of deadly mosquitoes, I thought I'd share some photos.

And there are flowers too!

Status: No longer amused

2008-06-27T15:24:00.007-05:00

I am trying (really hard) to be a good gardener and homeowner. But, it's not easy. I just came in from weeding the garden. Not only is it exceedingly HOT out there, but I am COVERED in mosquito bites.

I was wearing mosquito repellent, but the suckers didn't seem to care. Some of the critters actually bit me THROUGH my clothing. And now, I am a sweaty, itchy mess.

I am no longer amused.

However, while we're on the topic of insects, I thought I'd share this interesting little tidbit with you from a fellow blogger, esprout (Sprouted in the Kitchen).

Slow Times on the Blog

2008-06-27T12:38:00.003-05:00

As you've probably noticed, we've been a little slow around here on the blog. There are a number of reasons for that.

First off, Peef has had his head buried in accounting homework for the past 6 weeks. After spending hours and hours buried in homework, he FINALLY finished the course off yesterday! So, give him a big round of applause for that one. I, for one, am not really sure how he made it through. I would have been toast after the first week.

We've also been trying to keep up with tasks around the house (like scraping & painting the garage, and getting someone over here to give us an estimate on the garage roofing job). I'm not sure if we'll be able to paint the garage this weekend or not, since there seems to be a threat of rain showers. But, we're hoping to at least get some of the yard chores finished -- like mowing and weeding. Our vegetable gardens are doing great, but they've gotten completely overrun with weeds with all the rain we've been having!

And, of course, we've been cooking.
This week, our CSA brought us a great deal of bounty, including:

broccoli
golden beets
broccoli greens (these are new to us, so we're excited to try them)
eight ball zucchini squash
lettuce
spinach
asparagus

We're particularly excited about the greens, since we eat so many of them around our house. But, I'm also looking forward to the first zucchini of the season. We haven't had zucchini since last summer (we try not to buy it out of season), so it's going to be a real treat.

It Always Gets Worse Before it Gets Better

2008-06-22T21:31:00.008-05:00

We've been making excuses for our garage for years.
"Shabby Chic" we've called it. "Charming." "Quaint." "Well-used."

It's time to stop fooling ourselves. So, this weekend, we got to work scraping paint. And we were at it for at least 10 hours before we finished.

We were exceedingly pleased with our work. Now our garage looks twice as bad as it did before. And it's all our fault.

7 a.m.....................................7 p.m.

7 a.m. ...................................7 p.m.

Now, let's pray that the rain holds off for a while so that we can get it primed and painted.

Coffee Buzz

2008-06-18T10:19:00.008-05:00

I had an exam this morning, and when I finished, I decided to drop by Lo's office for a bit o' joe. This resulted in the following:

Mmm.. this is Lo chiming in. At a slightly higher level.
But, then again, I have the rest of the pot of coffee right next to my desk.

Local Eating Resources for WI

2008-06-18T08:50:00.003-05:00

As the weather warms up here in Wisconsin, we always get re-energized in our quest to find more local eats. No, you won't find a local source for avocadoes or pineapples here. But, we have access to some pretty good stuff. And here's proof.

This cool interactive map was created by students at UW-Madison. It shows food producers, restaurants, farmers' markets, and other food resources within a 100-mile radius of Madison, WI. Good stuff here, guys.

Another great resource is the Farm Fresh Atlas, which includes nearly 100 local farms.
Thanks to Amy over at Daily Diner, I also found a great listing of local sources for pasture-raised meats at Eat Wild (I've pointed you at the Wisconsin farms, though they provide information for farms throughout the states and Canada).

What great resources for people interested in trying to eating locally -- especially in these northern climes!

Wisconsin Foodie?

2008-06-16T17:28:00.004-05:00

Has anyone caught this show airing on WISN (channel 12) in the Milwaukee area? Is it still running?

Wisconsin Foodie aired for the first time in May, 2008 -- and is set at the Milwaukee Public Market. We've not caught an episode yet, but it seems like something that would be right up our alley. Their focus is on local food attractions, and it could definitely have potential.

Cats Have Hobbies Too!

2008-06-16T11:06:00.002-05:00

Can I just vent here for a moment?
I'm really tired of humans acting all surprised when they find out that us cats have hobbies. Just the other day, Lo took this picture of me (I'd just finished up submitting my latest article for Jewish Feline magazine when she came around)... and you should have heard the hooting and hollering that went on at our house as she described my (apparently) hilarious behavior to Peef.

Seriously, folks. You humans lock us up in your homes and expect that we're sitting around doing nothing? What do you think we do all day while you are off galavanting out in the world? Sleep?

Well, I'm here to let you know that it's simply not true. We spend our time doing any number of interesting things. I, for one, spend my time studying the Torah (and I have become quite the guru in my own circles). I also enjoy writing in my journal, mastering the human language, and teaching Izzie Cat not to act so neurotic. I'm not certain I'm being terribly successful with the latter, but I'm hoping for a breakthrough very soon.

Speaking of crazy little Izzie, she spends most of her time doing odd things that will eventually earn her a place of honor at I Can Has Cheezburger. But, she keeps a pretty good cover while Peef and Lo are around. Yesterday, they caught her balancing precariously on the edge of one of the wicker chairs in the turret, but I don't think they suspected anything.

Yoyo has a modeling contract, the terms of which are often somewhat difficult to manage since she can't work outside the house. But she manages quite well by posing in the front windows. For such a young one, she really does keep herself quite busy.

Believe it or not, even Zoe spends her free time productively. Her hobbies include knitting blankets for homeless outdoor cats, teaching herself Engrish, and (more expectedly) plotting Yoyo's demise.

For those of you who have been frustrated by the ignorance of humans, I'm here to tell you that you're not alone. I also have a few words of encouragement. Take heart, my feline friends. It's probably just as well that no one suspects that we are productive members of society. It's far easier to get things done when the humans leave us alone.
Signing out for now... elmo

Something I Read Today: Alternatives to bottled water

2008-06-13T12:15:00.006-05:00

We've been trying to cut back on bottled water at our house for quite some time. There are all sorts of reasons to do this... the environment being a really big one.

We know why people love bottled water. It is is ever-so-convenient. And habits can be difficult to break.

BUT, I found something that might help. Amy's got a really great list of viable alternatives to bottled water on her blog. Including an option for people who love to drink SPARKLING water (something I never thought about).

And trust me, these things really are do-able.

The only place I'd depart from her wisdom is with regard to the Brita pitcher recommendation. If you look into Brita, you'll find that the filtering process is only marginally useful (and really only filters out chlorine taste/odors when it all comes down). So, I'd recommend an alternative. We use a PUR pitcher, which is effective for water in our particular area. But, depending on your water conditions, I'd recommend a bit of research in that area.

America For Sale!

2008-06-12T13:48:00.003-05:00

There's no doubt that the American dollar has seen better days. And unfortunately, it seems that the whole of America is now up for sale.

We were watching a report this morning about the possible sale of Anheiser Busch to beer giant, InBev. Also mentioned was the possible sale of the Chrysler Building. And the recent sale of the Flatiron to the Italian Sorgente Group. It's crazy how much of the U.S. may soon be sucked up by foreign enterprises.

Well, never fear.
Some of you may already know that Peef has an uncanny knack for finding simple solutions for the "big issues" in life. So, you won't be surprised when you read what his response was to all of this.

"I think we should sell our house to the Germans," he said with a wink.

Something I Read Today: Growing Better Tomatoes

2008-06-11T17:47:00.006-05:00

If you're interested in raising vegetables, you'll find some interesting stuff at Grow Better Veggies, a site that promotes biodynamic approaches to vegetable gardening.

Their advice on growing tomatoes is really fabulous, although I'll warn you that they recommend putting a whole BUNCH of stuff into those planting holes. We stopped short of the fresh fish heads. But, we are taking a bunch of her advice to heart.

I know this post is coming a bit late for some (after all, it's mid-June), but I also know that quite a few of you haven't quite gotten your gardens underway this year, due to lots of inclement weather. Plus, with all the news about salmonella in the grocery store tomato supply, growing a few of your own might not be a bad idea at all. So, I'm sharing. If nothing else, you can stow away the good info for next year's garden!

Being Grateful

2008-06-10T09:55:00.004-05:00

Yeah... the weekend was a bit tragic for us. We're still trying to get a hold of our roofer so that he can survey our damage. And, in the meantime, we're trying to dry things up. But, we're really very grateful that things aren't worse.

Surveying the damage that others in the state of Wisconsin have incurred, we can't help but feel thankful for the fact that our home is intact. The photos of some of the damage in the Lake Delton (Wisconsin Dells) area really illustrate this well. Lake Delton is a popular resort area in the Dells. During the storms this week, the lake drained into the Wisconsin River after a highway embankment failed and water poured out of the lake, essentially emptying it.

We'll be sending out thoughts and prayers to all the families who weren't so fortunate this time around. And we'll be praying that the rain holds off this week so that everyone can dry out!

The Terrible, Horrible, No-Good Weekend

2008-06-08T14:46:00.008-05:00

Normally, we live for the weekends. It's the time when we can lie back a little, relax, and spend our time doing things that we truly enjoy. Unfortunately, this particular weekend had other plans for us.

We weren't looking forward to this weekend QUITE as much as we might have, in part because we planned to spend it painting our garage. For years, I told people that the garage was "quaint" or "shabby chic". But, those of you who have SEEN the garage know that it is actually a mess of chipped-up paint right now, so this is a project that has been in the works for quite some time.

Well, the painting plan was the first to go wrong. Turns out, the weather was destined to be stormy. We'd both taken off on Friday to take care of the painting prep work (scraping, sanding, etc.), so we had the day off... we'd also called the A/C man to come and inspect our central air unit for the upcoming warm season. (Yes, we do get one of those. Even here in Wisconsin.)

When the A/C guy showed up on time at 9:30am, the day was looking like it might look up. Until he gave us the bad news. We had a bad capacitor on our a/c unit -- and it would cost a bit to replace. Not only that, but the failed capacitor had everything to do with a leak in the unit, so we'd have to refill the freon (more $$ down the tubes). And we hauled out the checkbook... STRIKE ONE.

Rather than dwelling on our less-than-good luck, we decided to reclaim our time. We called up our garage painting friends and took a field trip to the LakeFront Brewery for an afternoon tour. Fun, fun... When we got done there, the sun was shining, so we grilled out (and had bison weenies!). Yay! All was right with the world.
Our hopes up, we entered into Saturday with a great deal of enthusiasm. After cleaning the house, we headed off to the farmer's market to see what we could see. Not much available yet (although there were plenty of plants there, symbolic of the bounty that is to come!), so we headed off to run a few errands. On the way home, we got caught in a serious downpour that left us sitting in the car in the yard, watching the rain, for about a half-hour after arriving home. No big deal. Or so we thought.

Turns out that nasty, monsoon-like down-pour, had wreaked some havoc on the house. We found water streaming down one wall of the basement. And down the wall in one of our closets. After some investigation, we determined that the water was emanating from the roof. Peef was Very Brave and he got into the (tiny) crawl space in our eaves and hunted around for the source of our grief. Sure enough, there was a problem with the roofing in a section of the eaves. BLEH. STRIKE TWO (complete with photo).
Peef called out to Lo, who was sitting in the closet with a flashlight pointed into the crawlspace. "Can you run and get a bucket?"

So, Lo tromped down into the basement to retrieve an appropriate water-collecting device. On her way down, she stopped short of the last step. Water was rising slowly against the bottom step in the basement. The sewer drain had backed up. STRIKE THREE (we've spared you the photo). She held her screams to a minimum as she hopped OVER the water to retrieve the bucket for Peef. Running up the stairs, she tossed him the bucket and ran back downstairs to see what she could do about the water.

A bunch of mopping, some rags, and a few nervous breakdowns later, we had at least some of the water under control. Now, it was time to wait things out. As the storm receded, so did the water in the basement. Thank goodness. We'll be having someone out to look at that once Monday rolls around. The roof is another story. Looks like we'll be calling our ne'er-do-well roofer for another go-round. Hurrah for us!

Sunday has come and (almost) gone. But the rain hasn't (and the forecast seems to indicate that we're going to be dealing with storms all week). So, we've been faithfully emptying our bucket, changing our rags, and waiting. The power was out for about 3 hours today, which curtailed some of our activity. STRIKE FOUR? (God, isn't that enough?) Maybe. But, there is still enough light to read, so Lo is working on "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" (Kingsolver) and Peef is managing to get some of the studying for his accounting exam done, despite all the craziness.

Maybe tonight the rain will stop. Maybe.
We're crossing our fingers.

CSA Season Has Arrived!

2008-06-05T20:45:00.008-05:00

We are exceedingly pleased to announce that we did decide on a CSA to join for 2008. And today was our second pick-up. Yes, our second... since Paul stole the camera and escaped to Los Angeles, we couldn't get pictures of our first "harvest". Plus, the excitement was diminished a bit since he was out of town. So, today was the first pick-up that we could enjoy together.

And what a feast! This week's share includes:

Lettuce (Flashy Trout's Back and Italienischer)

Asparagus

Rhubarb

Spinach

Arugula

Garlic Chives

Sorrel

Small red radishes

Red Kale

The farm we chose this year is called LotFotL (an acronym for: Living off the Fat of the Land). And you can read more about them online.

The pictures have arrived!

2008-06-03T14:43:00.009-05:00

Paul got back from Los Angeles yesterday... and he brought the digital camera back with him, safe and sound. He was a bit jet lagged when he got back, but he's finally had the time to download some photos.

What that means is that you can now see all the pictures of our fabulous yard projects! CLICK HERE or just look below.

Aren't you excited??

If that doesn't flip your lid, you can always check out the pictures of last night's dinner (lamb burgers with a side of grilled asparagus)!

Thoughts on Gardening -- BYO beer... and photos

2008-05-29T15:50:00.029-05:00

This time of the year is always viewed fondly at our house.
The anticipation of getting our hands dirty out in the garden begins during the ides of March and it builds and builds until we're finally able to bring our grande plans to fruition. In Wisconsin, that's usually somewhere around mid-May. This year, the weather was pretty chilly so we postponed most of our work until Memorial Day weekend.

Every year, we vow that we won't start any big projects.
And every year... there's always something.

This year, we put in a small stone "patio" to house our grill, hose reel, and umbrella stand. Not bad for a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon, eh?

We also expanded the garden around our lilac bushes. My hope is that this will be the perfect location for our lovely lavendar plants... and a better location for my the scads of lamb's ear that I've managed to propagate.

Although I wasn't inspired to start seeds this spring, we did manage to plant a pretty decent vegetable garden. You'll see we three kinds of tomatoes in there, along with six varieties of peppers (2 sweet, 4 hot), lots of basil, some dill, and a few seedings of scallions, spinach, and kale.

I always forget how much work a garden entails. But, gardening teaches me good lessons. It reminds me that everything that's worth having takes a little bit of blood, sweat, and tears to bring around. Nothing in a garden performs well unless we're paying attention, so it's also a lesson in humility. If we don't stay on top of our game, the gardens suffer. So, we can't be selfish. And we can't rush things. We just have to be diligent and patient -- and the rewards will follow. I can actually say the same for the photos that go along with this post. Peef took the camera with him to Los Angeles this week... and the photos I need haven't been downloaded to the laptop yet. harumph! Rest assured, we'll get them posted when he gets back!

My favorite gardening reward?
A warm tomato, fresh off the vine in mid-July. Just what the doctor ordered.

What's yours?

Adventures in Herbing

2008-05-28T17:58:00.005-05:00

8:00 a.m.
*WHEW* We made it. The event officially starts at 9am, but the early bird really does get the herbs in this case. And the crowds start gathering early!

9:00 a.m.

Finally, they open the doors, and everyone starts gathering in the harvest. That's Lo in the yellow shirt (moving so quickly she's all in a blur)!

9:15 a.m.
Some of the vendors are already having a hard time keeping their tables stocked!

9:20 a.m.
Sometimes our eyes get bigger than our arms, so we have to label our boxes and leave them for pick-up near the cash registers. Those gardeners have got to LOVE us.
9:40 a.m.
Eventually, we have enough of everything... and we load it all back into the car.
10:15 a.m.
Our reward for all of that hard work? Why, a bit of brunch at Comet... complete with a couple of Bloody Marys, of course!

Checking In

2008-05-27T15:29:00.003-05:00

We had a crazy busy Memorial Day weekend! But, we can't complain.

In between bouts of reading (me) and studying (Peef), we spent lots of time working outside. The weather was fabulous, and there was plenty to do out in the yard. In addition to routine tasks, like mowing the lawn, we also got the chance to tackle some fun stuff. We got the veggie seedlings and seeds all settled into the vegetable garden, planted some new perennials in the flower beds, and even managed to cut ground for the expansion of one of our existing beds to make room for even more plants!

One of the highlights of our weekend was our visit to the Herb Fair and Heirloom Plant Sale at Concordia College. This sale has become an annual tradition at our house. We love fending off the crowds in pursuit of delicious herbs, spending too much money, and coming home loaded down with more plants than we really need!

Stay tuned. We'll share pictures just as soon as we have a moment to spare!

Graphical representation of pop songs

2008-05-23T09:38:00.006-05:00

Swell Season: Milwaukee Show for Download

2008-05-22T13:16:00.004-05:00

This is pretty cool.

Swell Season recorded their May 8th show at the Riverside Theater, and they've put it (as well as a myriad of other shows) up on the Web for downloading. The entire show is $9.95. As you can probably imagine, I'd recommend it.

Just thought I'd share.

A silly (abbreviated from its original form) Wednesday Survey

2008-05-21T17:31:00.001-05:00

What's bothering you right now?
There’s this sort of gnawing feeling in my stomach. Feels like undigested raw carrots. Probably is.

Next time you will hug someone?
I don’t generally plan these things out – but I’ll commit to hugging Peef the next time I see him. I’d love to follow Jess’ lead and hug one of the cats. But, they hate that.

What was the last thing you ate?
Aforementioned raw carrots.

What do you want?
I’d really love for Peef’s accounting class to be over so that I can have my husband back.

Do you believe in soul mates?
I do. And I believe I have proof.

Where do you want to live when you get older?
The Pacific Northwest. But, I’d be content if we ended up remaining in the Milwaukee area.

Do you burn easily in the sun?
There is nothing I do more easily in the sun.

Who do you miss?
I told you. I miss my husband.

What do you usually do during the week days?
My daytime activities include talking with students, LOTS of emailing, Web updates, course planning, and other miscellaneous administrative tasks. At night, I go crazy in the kitchen and then settle in for some reading or silly television.

Are you on someone' s mind right now?
I like to think so. But, hopefully I’m not weighing too heavily.

If an ex said they hate you, you say?
“Wow. I’m not sure I even remember who you are.” Cuz I probably don’t. It’s been a long time since I was dating anyone. Or breaking up with them.

Would you curse in front of your parents?
Would I? I wouldn’t prefer to. But, I have. Being all grown up has made me into a monster, I say.
Do you like drama?
I’m probably more addicted to drama than I will admit to you here.

Do you take daily vitamins or medications?
Yes. Vitamins. Most days anyhow.

Where is your computer located?
On a desk. In a room. Under a ceiling… ok, I’ll stop.

What was the last item you bought?
pita bread

Are you afraid of roller coasters?
No, I love roller coasters. But, they tend to give me headaches.

Do you wear anything with skulls?
No skulls, I’m afraid. Where do some of these questions come from?

What would you change about yourself?
I'd like to worry less. And stop and smell the roses more.

At what age do you want to be married?
I wish to be married by the time I’m… OK, let’s get real. Am already married. And am apparently too old for this very long swiped-from-myspace survey. Which makes me feel OLD.

Where is your mom right now?
You know, I haven’t seen her in weeks.

What are you supposed to be doing right now?
Not sure. I’m at work, but it’s beyond office hours. So, I think it's OK that I'm not working.

Are you slowly drifing away from someone close?
I hope not!

Can you play guitar hero?
I'm sure I CAN. I just never HAVE.

Do you prefer warm or cold weather?
On the cooler side of warm. Please.

Is any part of your body sore?
Yes – the backs of my thighs are stiff. From hauling flagstones around the yard over the weekend (we installed a small patio to house our grill and hose reel).

What is the last movie you watched in theaters?
Oh, my. I can’t remember. Could it have been “27 Dresses”? I’m kind of embarrassed!

How old do you think you will be when you finally have kids?
Really not sure.

Are you where you thought you would be at this point in your life?
Truthfully, no. I think I’ve exceeded some of my own expectations – and gone quite astray of others.

Are you happy with the choices you've made?
With minor exceptions.

Thirsty?

2008-05-21T16:39:00.002-05:00

In case you were wondering, there is more than one way to get a drink around here.

Yoyo -- in prime form.

Something I Read Today: Pre-Grilling-Season Tips and Cheesy Bits

2008-05-21T12:38:00.008-05:00

Spring has (mostly) sprung here in Wisconsin, but the temperatures are still resisting the rise above 60ºF. We've hauled out our trusty Weber grill for the season, but still find ourselves opting for indoor cooking methods most of the time.

Some of you might know that Mark Bittman isn't always my favorite chef. His tendency toward simplicity (often at all costs) makes me squirm a bit. And he always seems to be pointing out things that seem rather obvious to the likes of me. However, I have to hand it to him. He makes some good points in his recent article about "oven options" when it's not quite grilling season.

I'm especially intrigued by the recipe for mock tandoori chicken -- which is sure to get some oven time at our house.

I also ran across a review of one of my favorite cheeses (Oregonzola) over at Vanilla Garlic. So, I thought I'd share. Lots of good cheesy foodie bits there.