2 flowering bushes

Say what you will about the hot-cold-hot-cold weather, you can't beat the Spring fleurs this year. Even the dog willing posed next to a monster flowering bush in the front yard. Hmm...maybe she feels a kinship to it.

sugar

Here is my daughter covered in sugar for a photo shoot she was in while in Portland Oregon a coupla weeks ago. She lives in Chicago. Now. But today, with a tip from a friend (thanks Ron!) her mum-zy found an apartment for her to rent in NYC. And with the help of her dad, his quick action, decision and a run to the bank, it became her future home. I am so excited. She is really really coming east and to a great neighborhood, to a cute studio. I love Chicago but it is far away and at 25, with a book contract, agent and publisher in New York, she should spend some time here. And then if she wrangles a fellowship to London next year, her dream, she'll be ready. Sweet.

shiny

Voila, my beautiful new kitchen is almost fini.

What it was is below (and that was on a good day.) Amazing what only new cupboards, countertop and a minor rearrangement of things will do. (Okay, and I had it painted.)

But I am:

~proud of how little I spent

~kick myself for not doing this ages ago

~and ready to get back to cooking!

I am going to go butcher on that butcher block.

fern giant

These amazing ferns grow in a damp, shady spot next to the house. I don't remember planting anything so they are there of their own free will and each year there are more, and they're bigger. I used to try to eat the fiddleheads but had to admit that it was like eating grass. I am much happier marveling at their marvelousness.

Mothers Day

Organic, New Paltz farmer Pete Taliaferro gave me these beautiful columbines on the first day of the season for the Rhinebeck Farmers Market, yesterday. It being Mothers Day and all, I graciously accepted. It was just what I needed seeing that I was not with the one who makes me a mother and the day was chilly and my own mother had just hung up on me. Whimper. The rest of the day went well; a divine felafel from the new vendor, Aba, heavenly sheep cheese from the charming couple at Dancing Ewe, who travel hours to participate, a celebratory micro-mini kir from Clinton Vineyards, and happy, beloved Meri who sells my granola for me at her stand. After all that good goodness, we took ourselves to a late afternoon screening of Babies. Lots of awwwwwws. The day ended with the anxiously anticipated phone call from the busy, peddling daughter at the Toronto Comic Arts Fest (lerve) and even an apology call from mom (wha..?!)

a moment

This is Pip enjoying the sunset. She is a "sensitive" person, read: a nasty cat. When she was a kitten she had a bad eye infection which was probably brought on by the stress of too many in the litter for her comfort, thanks. And then when she came home with us the old household cat terrorized her. We finally moved her to the office in the barn. She refuses to go into the house ever again, even though the other cat has been departed for years. She was not happy about the addition of the puppy (now dog) to the family and what's more the dog's neighborhood dog-pal, Maxx hangs around the office, too. Pip skulks around, fuming, batting with claw extended at anyone who accidentally comes within her reach. Many have tried to break through the shell - and she will allow herself to be petted. Then, as you pull your hand away, she flails quite precisely and often draws blood.

However, like any sensitive person, she truly enjoys a beautiful moment.

lilackia

Okay, there is nothing I can say that these lilacs aren't saying, better.

green juicey juice

Good friend Hilary has recently been converted to raw eating and is now aglow with health - and boy, was she sick! Read about it on her blog (see below).

We have been treated to her new (not)cooking and it is all divine. She doesn't use anything but vegetables, seeds and nuts, some nori, she makes noodles from zucchini. She got lots of new toys and gadgets and is growing wheatgrass in her elegant kitchen.

We wanted in.

The fates seem to conspire because our newest author (we're publishers) is a cool old dame who just made her first skydiving jump (see youtube video- link below). She has spent 70 years being a vegetarian and most of that as a raw foodist. We were visiting her on Sunday and she gave us each big doses of what she has for breakfast, green juice. I have never been a big juicer or even smoothie-er (something about the banana thing),but when an 82 year old beautiful woman hands you something to drink from her fountain of youth, you drink. It wasn't awful or even bad, it was even kinda good. We went home and pulled out of the refrigerator kale, cucumber, carrot, celery, ginger, a pear, lemon and some pear cider. Threw it all into the blender. This is a picture of the beautiful colored stuff that was wrought. It is pulpy but I do not mind that. We drink it for breakfast ...and whenever we feel like it cause it can't be bad, it just can't.

http://hhhforecast.blogspot.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzB906wGlL4

ramp pesto

Here is what ramp pesto looks like. It has walnuts instead of pine nuts and no garlic or basil but other than that it is the same as regular pesto. And I only used the leaves of the ramps. It is delicious. I make pestos all year, the parsley or cilantro kinds in the winter but have never tried this before. As soon as I made it I cooked some rice pasta (trying to cut out glutens), chilled it down and threw on a blob. A perfect little Sunday lunch. Yesterday I swirled it on soup. Today I schmeered it into a bowl of sauteed vegetables for lunch. Make hay while the sun shines.