what I've been doing

I'm so sorry for the lack of posts. I think Dave is really my only regular reader, so he knows that we've been busy. For the 1 or 2 of the rest of you, I want you to know I have not been sitting on my butt, twiddling my thumbs. I've been

finishing up that BSJ
waiting (WAITing....WAITING) for Catherine to go ahead and have that little girl already!
preparing for our trip to the east coast this weekend
working
posting here
wrangling my little boy, who after nearly 6 weeks of sleeping through the night has thrown all schedules out the window.

I'm not sure if this is a growth spurt or teething, but the nights of going to bed at 8 and waking up at 6 are gone. He naps late in the day, stays up until midnight, and wakes up bright and early, sometimes before the sun. I'm sort of hoping 5 days in Virginia will shock him back into a sleep schedule, though I think it's more likely that it will screw him up even more. Bah, who needs sleep? I've got coffee!

pickle me beets

I used to hold an opinion about beets. Beets were the food that nobody really ate. They were there in the grocery store, but you never saw anyone buying them. Beets? Ick.
Three things changed my opinion:
1. Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robins
2. Falafel at Abu Nader
3. Our friend Kristin - she made us a salad once with fresh steamed beets, and it was heavenly

Since changing my opinion and deciding that beets are indeed delicious, I was delighted when Dave planted a mess of them this year. They are beautiful plants, the greens are edible, and it would be our first foray into picking for the year.We were terribly surprised to find them already to harvest, with the biggest beets being as big or bigger than a fist. We pulled them all up this weekend.
And got right down to pickling. We followed internet instructions here and here.
We started by chopping off the greens (and saving them for a big salad later). And boiling up the beets with skins on.

After the beets were cooked,
We peeled off the stems and skins.
And heated up the beets with onions and pickling solution - we used apple cider vinegar, cloves, and cinnamon - I'm not sure what else.
Dave spooned the beets and onions into our heated jars.

Then used a ladle to fill them with the liquid.

He put the lids on.
And them lowered them into the boiling water to seal them.
(we learned a little about water displacement when he did this).
After boiling for half an hour, he pulled them out,
And left them to cool!
I took off for the yarn store after the excited part was completed, so he heard the lids pop while I was gone. I was very jealous, next time I'll stick around.

We'll keep these beauties on the shelf for 6 weeks, and then we'll try them. It's a shame we didn't taste it before we put them up because the whole house smelled delicious. Beet-y and vinegar-y, it was intoxicating. I can't wait to see how they turned out! Dave did a fantastic job (and the lion's share of the work). I can't wait to pickle and put up more foods this year - we're definitely doing cucumber pickles, plus maybe picked beans and canned tomatoes and sauces. Fun!

self portrait, with baby

It's funny how having a baby transforms you. You expect the change, see it coming, plan for it - and still - it sweeps you off your feet. You try to listen to people when they warn you what it's like, but most of what people say is crap.

"You'll never get to go out anymore."
"Conversations with your spouse will only be about the baby."
"You can kiss all of your free time goodbye."

Oh, please. We never liked going out anyway; we've been looking for a good excuse to stay home since the dog grew out of puppyhood.

The real change, the one that matters, is the one that comes when you say "momma wants you to go to sleep" instead of "I want you to go to sleep." I try to keep myself from doing it, but I slip up often. I'm in third person now, not just a person - a concept. I'm somebody's mom.

The biggest surprise is that I'm no longer the most important person in my life. Maybe there's a similar transformation when you find your life partner - but this one is different. This little human relies on me for everything - food, shelter, love - while Dave was really sick, he told me that at one point he and Gus were in a doctor's waiting room, and Gus was upset. He didn't want to be in the stroller or the sling or wherever he was, and Dave had to walk around to keep him quiet. For those 5 minutes it took to calm him down, he was able to almost forget how sick and awful he felt. The number one thing he wanted to do was make the baby feel okay - and he felt sorry for having to bring him to the doctor's office in the first place. That change, that ability to forgo your own needs - that change from "I" to "we" is the one of the most surprising things about the last few months.

We're connected, li'l Gus and me and Dave. We're a trio, a little family of three. And that's pretty neat.

summing it up

Once again, the yarn harlot just sums it all up for me:

"knitting is one of the only times in your life you can make something perfect, make it the way you want it and totally be the boss of the whole thing."

garden update

I have done a lousy job keeping the blog updated with garden photos. Yesterday in the rain, I snapped a few shots. Who can resist lilies with raindrops?The first tomatoes are coming in nicely. These are a variety called Siberian.
Beets have been a ravishing success. Can't wait to pickle these beauties:
Nothing more delicious than peas right off the vine. I had my first taste this weekend, and these were as sweet as ever.
Nasturtiums are a new experiment this year. They are very other worldly - we were happy to see the first blooms.
Oh the greens. We missed out on spinach, arugala, and tat soi - they just bolted too quickly. We're still enjoying the romaine and the red romaine, as well as simpson's black seeded lettuce and bok choy. Here's one of the sections of red, with onions growing like crazy behind.
The garlic is doing that thing that garlic does. Scapes? Scopes? We have 3 varieties, and they've all shot out their beautiful little flower thingeys. We'll try these in an omelette tomorrow.
The bay plant is doing well. We hope to keep this one indoors and see if it'll live for a few years.
There are canna lilies all over the garden, and they are by far the showiest flower we have. They are tall, stately, and bright beautiful red. I think these ones by the composter will bloom first.
And now, the thing you've all been waiting for: Baby Gus in striped pajamas. I think this is pretty darn cute.