Tale of the Swatch-Happy Kid

Last night my friends Matel and Robert were nice enough to help me move a bunch of bulky kitchen items (rack, shelves,appliances) over to Tony's to lessen the load later this month. (I'll have you know packing is going really well, can't believe how much stuff I'm getting rid of!) Afterwards the three of us went to Menards (poor T is still on crutches and couldn't really go) to get some paint for the apartment.

It was actually pretty inexpensive thanks to a sale they were having. $14.99 per gallon of semi-gloss. I'd been hemming and hawing over colors for weeks and still wasn't very excited about the ones I'd chosen so Matel and I went through swatches to pick better colors while Robert looked at manlier things.
Top left swatch= "blueberry morning" chosen to be the color for the bedroom and guestroom
Top right swatch="coral bay" will be the living-room color
Bottom left swatch="moose antler" which will be the drawing studio, bathroom and hallway
Bottom right swatch="guacamole" the soon to be color of the kitchen

Am thinking about a job naming color swatches...

I'm sorry this is a pretty uninteresting post, but it's mostly for mom's benefit so she can assure her friend Tim (my landlord) that I am not turning his beige world into "Crazy-Hannah's Magic Candyland" which is pretty much what he's worried about.

Raise your hand if you want to paint! Woo! Hoping to do this before moving in my furniture.

That's all for now.

Moving Project

So, I'm moving into Tony's apartment Sept.1 (which is quickly approaching!), and I think it's okay to post under the premise that this is a project I'm starting. I have only moved one time in my life thus far. From Mom and Dad's to the apartment I've lived in for the past 5 years--the apartment I have love love loved for so long now. You might be asking, "why are you moving out of your beautiful, well-located, cheaply rented apartment Hannah?" Other than the obvious: need for more space (Tony's workshop and dog my huge assorment of stuff/clothes). I can give you 2 reasons I have come up with in the last 18 hours. Indulge me and let me tell you about the night I had last night.

I bartended last night until about 1:30 this morning, got home a little after that. I was reading to fall asleep--suceeded. Around 4:00am I was woken up by a tapping on my window screen. Tap tap tap. I tried to scoot against the far wall and turn off the light (can't believe I fell asleep with it on). Tap tap tap.
"Ma'am?"
I froze.
"Ma'am? Can you see me?" The voice was right outside my window. I about crapped my pants.
"Ma'am??"
"WHAT?" I growled.
"Ma'am, I know you're there, I was just wondering if you wanted some company."
"I HAVE COMPANY, GO AWAY!"
I turned off the light and lay awake for the next 45 minutes horrified and afraid to move because actually, I was home alone.

I wish I could say I slept in-I had set my alarm for 10:30 (much later than I usually sleep anyway), but instead I woke up before 9am to the sounds of a domestic squabble (from a usually quiet couple) across the courtyard. Doors slamming "f**k you, f**ker! Don't come back!" Blah blah blah. So I got dressed, grabbed my mathbooks (studying everyday I'll have you know) and went to the Meadowlark coffee house for a latte and slice of quiche.

There you have it. Two reasons to move out of my neighborhood before breakfast. I've been enjoying packing because I can get rid of a huge amount of stuff at the same time. Simplify is the word. I'm also excited to paint Tony's apartment and see if we can make it a colorful, uncluttered, happy living space. I will continue to update you on the progress we make, and look out for an invite to our house-warming. I'll talk about the garden in a couple days once I've seen where it's at. (Bell peppers are still a no-show! Can you believe it? How rude.)

Hannah

Everything's Growing Well

HOUSTON, WE HAVE TOMATOES! I can't believe it, but after picking off all the tomatoes with blossom-end-rot, things started to grow sans buttspot. I can barely relate my joy in words. Picture me doing a little dance around the yard because that is what I did.

Pictured above are a few ripe Green Zebras, and ohmygod let me tell you, they taste incredible. Justin Jones, if you are reading this ever, you are a liar. Green Zebras taste just like any other absolutely delicious garden tomato. Also, I think they are prettier and have the benefits of being organic heirlooms. Not to say that my red tomatoes aren't just as delicious. they are slightly thicker-skinned and are growing pretty nicely now.
We also have squash now. One day we didn't, the next...bingo. I haven't checked in a day and a half so I bet these suckers are even bigger now. I was just told yesterday that squash blossoms make for some good eatin' and that I ought look up some recipes online for them. Only like, 4 minutes later as I was reading in Plenty-Eating Locally on the 100 Mile Diet the authors gave a recipe for Squash Blossom Soup that sounded pretty good. They said they're good dipped in egg batter and fried as well (but what isn't good fried?). This all happened while I was working the door shift yesterday at the Zoo Bar FAC (Friday Afternoon Club 5-7pm) and it seemed everyone had some input. Willie said I could pull the blossoms off once there was any sign of squash and it'd still grow just fine. Dianne and Sherri were skeptical. So, perhaps if there are still any blossoms when I go garden tomorrow I shall gather them and give them a try.

Squash Fower Soup

(Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon--authors of Plenty

1 TBSP Butter
1 Onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 Squash Flowers
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Hot Chilies, ground
5 Cups Seasonal Vegetable Stock
1 Egg, beaten

Chop squash flowers, including any attached stems. Melt butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft and turning golden. Add garlic and flowers and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in salt and chilies. Add soup stock and bring to a low boil. Slowly pour in beaten egg. Remove from heat and cover until egg is cooked. A recipe from Mexico City to the world.

I am thinking I'm going to give it a try provided I have the neccessary squash blossoms. Will report back on whether or not squash grow once you pluck the flower. And, nothing to report on bell peppers...yet. They are (and have been) flowering, but little more.

Another note of note, I had a good haul from the farmers market today and am making a lovely salad for lunch...and dinner...and possibly lunch and dinner again tomorrow. It is nearly all local (my favorite salad dressing is Annie's Sesame Shitake not from hereabouts). Bell peppers and salad mix from Shadowbrook farms (near Denton), red onion from a lady that lives right outside Lincoln, eggs (hardboiled) from near Lincoln too, Tomatoes I grew, and cucumber from a friend's garden. Very exciting and incredibly good.

That's all I got for today. Tomorrow morning I am weeding...which is unexciting and sweaty. And then I am studying math for my ACT retesting (which is infuriating and I don't want to talk about it.)

Take care everyone,
Hannah

Blossom.End.Rot

Between the Thespian Festival in June and the Zoo Bar 35th anniversary Festival I have become a terrible blogger. With no festivals or trips in sight I promise to be a better blogger and a better gardener.

Now, onto a matter of extreme importance, I have a problem...or rather, my tomatoes have a problem. I believe the term is "blossom end rot" and above is what it looks like. I think the soil has too much nitrate from a layer of pigeon poop layed down last year. The plant's leaves are yellow-brownish and all the fruits have this funky brown circle on their booty.

There are still some fruits without the brown spot on the celebrity and I think maybe it can be saved if I can figure out the right thing to add to the soil. It might not even be the nitrates at all because my bell pepper plant still looks good and my squash are blossoming nicely:

Now, I can also happily report on the status of my Green Zebra heirloom plant. It's growing large and covered in little stripey mini-watermelon-like (in appearance) tomatoes. I did notice that one had the spot on the bottom, but that could just be because it fruited early. I planted the Zebra in Matel's perennial bed which she informed me she never covered with pigeon poop...so really, it only goes to say...nitrates be damned--unless the soil is lacking them, do not add them. A Ph test is a good way to tell and I plan on getting over there tomorrow morning to do the neccessary leg work.

I really hope that my friend Justin (who orginally told me Green Zebras taste awful) is wrong because it's very possible that these little mutants are the only tomatoes I'll be eating from my garden this year.

On a different note (and oh man, forgive me if I sound preachy--it's unintentional), in the time since I last blogged I've spent a lot of time reading Barbara Kingsolvers Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - A Year of Food Life about her family's efforts to eat only locally produced (in almost all cases, on their small-very small farm in southern appalachia) food. It is a well-written, always interesting, funny take on farm life. I liked it so much and am so moved that I've decided I'm educated enough to eat meat now. My views have evolved so much over 13 years of vegetarianism I never would have thought I'd want to. That's not to say I'll start ordering steaks or getting the pepperoni pizza or anything like that. I plan on only eating "pasture-finished" meat (which probably won't include red meat anytime soon anyway--I don't think my enzymes could handle it). "Pasture-finished" is the difference between an animal that ranged freely it's entire life and subsisted on a diet of mostly grass and an animal that was raised on a CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation). I guess it just comes down to me having a better understanding of where food comes from and really learning to respect that cycle not curse it.

"When you kill a beast, say to him in your heart:
By the same power that slays you, I too am slain, and I too shall be consumed.
For the law that delivers you into my hand shall deliver me into a mightier hand.
Your blood and my blood is naught but the sap that feeds the tree of heaven.'"
-Kahlil Gibran

It's just where I'm at right now. The book is really full of great gardening advice too (though nothing about blossom end rot!) and any gardener would enjoy it. I started reading another book on the subject, Jane Goodall's Harvest for Hope- A Guide to Mindful Eating which is already proving to be another well-written little trove of knowledge.

Okay, until next time.

Tomayto Tomahto

You know, a lot of people have gotten spooked by this tomato recall and I can't help but think about it in terms of what happens to this fruit while it travels some 2,000 miles or more that it mingles with feces and becomess dangerous to eat? Why are we willing to risk our health to have certain foods year round?

When put this way I really need to take better care of my tomatoes, but time has been a real crunch the last 2 weeks and I haven't even gone to check on them after the rounds of severe weather. Tony assured me that the storms would only make my tomatoes stronger, but I still worry about them. Matel has more than once told me I need to come over, weed, and get my cages up to protect them, which makes me feel like a negligent mother the tomato social services are keeping their eyes on. Also, apparently my green zebra is fruiting! I'm going over tomorrow morning to take care of all my babies--I won't have them taken away! Hopefully Dad is up for bringing the cages...haven't heard back. Oh! The herb garden I've got on my front porch is rocking! The Dill is huge and I've been tossing some basil leaves into my salads! How nice! I think I'm going to have to transplant the basil and the dill--they don't seem to want to share space with the rosemary and chives (neither of which I know what to do with...so if anyone has recipes or suggestions, I'd love to hear them!).

On the tennis front, not a lot is happening as of late. A few weeks ago Dave informed us that the summer schedule will begin and he wasn't sure when we'd be able to have class. This has really been bumming me out and I'm going to call him today and try to get some weeknight worked out for everyone. Lately my weeks have been incredibly active even without tennis...Sundays and Mondays I spin, Tuesdays are ultimate frisbee, Wednesdays and Thursdays I run... I think it'd be nice to get tennis back in there somewhere to keep it fun. I've been trying to enlist friends to practice tennis with me so I don't lose any skills I may have acquired (doubt doubt)and tonight I was going to play doubles with pals Isaiah, his twin Drew and Melody...but Melody canceled this morning and now I don't have a partner. BLAST! So if you read this today and want to be my partner, call me.

It's hard to blog when there's nothing to blog about, but that keeps me in the projects...I find myself setting up games or reading books so that I can write something. Finishing up Animal, Vegetable, Miracle --so good. I think I'm going to order a copy of The 100-mile-diet that Lily suggested. All this reading about local eating makes me feel slightly guilty when I don't. It's just so hard in the midwest. Again though, risking health, taste and jobs is a really high cost I'm not sure I'm willing to pay.

Always hoping it's interesting and informative on some level,
Hannah

Busybee

This has been a nutty week. I've been working much more than I'd like to (not actually true I guess since I signed up for the bar-tending shifts voluntarily) and haven't had much time for the internet, which my inbox is reflecting.

I did, however, get a chance to garden. Last weekend mom helped me plant some tomatoes, basil, bell peppers, and squash in Matel's garden. I planted 4 different types of tomatoes: Better Boy, Jet Star, Celebrity and an heirloom Green Zebra just for giggles. I would have liked to plant a better heirloom than that to show mom that they aren't "disgusting." I have been told by lots of people (now that it's in the ground) that the Green Zebra tastes awful but looks cool. Great. I wanted to plant all heirlooms since I've been reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (about her family's efforts to eat completely local for 1 year--the book is really really good so far). She goes into great detail about Monsanto ("Monsatan") and the seed companies which are pushing many breeds of plants into extinction. Mom just wants some damn tomatoes this year and I understand. Next year though...next year I'm doing heirlooms from seeds since I have a couple friends willing to save me a few from their crops.

Another project I'm undertaking this summer is learning to can. Mom is a pro at it and was nice enough to promise some lessons. Tony (my boyfriend) is also interested so that'll be good. A couple that cans together...eats canned food together every winter... ahem. hm.

This weekend I'm headed to Boulder, Colorado with some friends from work and I'm running the Bolder Boulder 10k on Monday. I'm absolutely not running for time- just fun, but wish me luck! I'll get some good pictures up next week!

Happy Holiday!

"You're getting a lot better at not sucking so much!" -Rachel Black

Sorry it's been a little while since I last posted. What I thought was seasonal allergies has actually turned out to be some mutant strain of the cold virus that I absolutely cannot shake. I haven't been able to do much but work all week (and even then, it's been rough goin's).

Our lesson last week was really fun. Matel couldn't rouse herself in time, but my good friend Lily came along. She is something of a natural at pretty much everything so it didn't take long before she was swinging at the same level or better than me. However, Dave reaffirmed my belief that I finally understand serving. He said I was "on fire." Yes! Something!

(Lily above)

(Ace!)

Halfway through the lesson, Dave called over this young lady, Dominique (probably 10 years old...maybe 12) to hit some balls with us. She was incredibly good, and fast. She was very focused on her form and I actually learned a little something watching her. Says I to Dominique,
"Wow, you're really great!" She shrugs. "No really, how long have you been playing Dominique?"
"Um...since December I think." She never takes her eyes off the balls Dave is continuously hitting at us. No time for small talk for this girl.
I later remark to Dave about Dominique's skill and he replies, "oh, she's been playing a long time." "ACTUALLY DAVE, no. Since December." "Oh, well yeah she's good."

Our friend Rachel Black showed up about the same time the prodigy started playing with us. She came to heckle and take pictures (and to hit on Dave who happened to be the assistant coach at LHS when Rachel played tennis there). This coming Saturday after our lesson she's going to come hit some balls with us at the UNL courts.

Again, most of the pictures turned out slightly blurry...but the tall guy to the right is Dave. One thing I really liked about last week's lesson was that he got us running for balls. That was really fun and helped us to see where different hits come into play. Maybe this week he'll have us hitting to each other? That'd be neat.

On the gardening front, I haven't done much. The weather has been less than inspiring on the weekends. Nice and warm in the middle of the week, rainy and cold on the weekends. Ridiculous and rude of mother nature to say the least. Next week we're going to Eureka Springs, Arkansas for a friend's wedding and hopefully by the time we get back the warmth will be here to stay and I can start planting. I know I should have started the lettuces already, but like I said...less than inspired. I'm going to scan my garden plans in sometime this week so you can all see what's going to be growing on this summer and make a few dibs on some of nature's (hopeful) bounty.

Til next time,
H