Thursday, August 27, 2009

Treasure Hunting


So. Went treasure hunting this morning. Why I got up at 6:30 am on my day off... well, I'm just glad I got sleep at all. Insomnia, you know. Pretty soon I'll be starting underground fight clubs. I kid lol. What's weird is that lately, when I DO sleep, I just have crazy dream after crazy intense dream. But I suppose that's a story for another time, off the subject at the very least, so here ends that digression (there will probably be others though).

Anyway, I got up way too early for a day off and decided to go check out the garden. There's this zucchini I've had my eye on for several days now, and I had a craving for some zuc fried up with eggs and cheese for breakfie. Our zucchini crop has been quite pitiful this year, sadly, so we've all been like vultures circling the ones that do pop up. Well, I hadn't picked it yet when I noticed some tomaters near by... which then led me to a bare patch in the earth. Somewhat like a kitten following a butterfly, I suppose. This bare patch marked where I'd previously dug up a couple of yukon golds. It was a purely experimental dig- see, this particular potato plant had sprung up of it's own accord; apparently, we'd missed a tater during harvest last year and lo and behold, a volunteer!

Now, as I'd only pulled two big taters out of this spot and a handful of little ones, at 7 am this morning I thought, why not? There's bound to be more in there. So I started to dig. And by jove was it a fantastic and exciting treasure hunt, and like any such adventure should be, it was fraught with peril as well as rewards. Not the kind of Indiana Jones, finding gold and jewels, running from giant boulders and head hunters type of adventure, but plenty good enough for me. Yes, I had my share of peril. I encountered TWO nasty scary yucky grubs- tho of course I was gentle and placed them in other pastures even though they GROSSED ME OUT. Also I encountered a big fat earthworm, which yes I know is great for my garden but I have a phobia ok? I bravely ignored my squeamishness and carefully relocated heshe (as I'm pretty sure earth worms are, um, both sexes?).

Anyway, the terror and the dig were well rewarded. Look at this loot. I'm going to make a huge batch of bacon potato cheese soup (yes the former vegetarian has fallen so far) and I'm going to throw in some onion stems- the flower stalks have this exquisite flavor-and I'm going to spread the wealth. I'm going to take some to Mom and Potterman, and my awesome friends/ neighbors Ociffer Martooni (which does her funny side justice but she's a beauty too, also she is the aforementioned bestower and addictor of pedicures lol) and her hubby the king. Not that he is some patriarchal monarch, nor a crooner from Tennessee, but somehow he just ended up with that nickname.

Somehow it just seems like a miracle that this beautiful food grew right here in the dirt in my yard. And I tell ya, you don't see yukons this big in the store, nor would they be as tender as these if you did. It's almost like they have no skin at all. If only I had I good knife for chopping them. Working where I do, with quality utensils, makes me a tad displeased with what I have at home. LOL but I'm happy, and if junky knives are my biggest complaint, then I'm luckier than most.

Wow, so many hummingbirds surround me! (Sitting in the garden writing this.) The daisies are translucent with the morning sun, and even more pleasing to me than these little bomber humming birds is all the bees. They hover 6 inches from my face, scoping the flowers. I know that would freak some people out but it's worms and grubs that get me lol. When I see these bees legs laden and heavy with pollen it makes my heart skip with joy. Bees are the... messengers? harbingers? procreators? of our future. Not to go too far on a tangent, but human kind has tried to replicate what bees do for us and has so far failed. We NEED bees to pollinate our crops. The circle of life, yo. End digression.

Later I'll tell you about my new family members but at this point I don't want to jinx it. I've lost too many furry kids and these new ones are attaching to my heart at an alarmingly quick rate. Plus I think they make my nose run. Lol but it's more than worth it.

If you're lucky, I'll put up the soup recipe, and if I don't, it's really just cuz I'm a slacker. Please pardon my vernacular, like I said, I got up at 6:30 on my day off and I'm about ready to crawl back in bed.

As we always said at the dinner table when I was a kid: rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub, yay God!

P.S. Sorry if the pictures don't show up; I'm sure you've seen potatoes before. My hard drive blew up recently and not only was it a terrible time, I lost many things. Photoshop was one, and it was the tool with which I usually condense photos for the web.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

So, guess what?


The craziest, most unimaginable thing in the entire world happened. It wasn't this hawk, though that was pretty darn cool too. It sat in this tree about 25 feet up for at least an hour. It kept crying it's sad sweet cry. I think it had hurt it's leg, but luckily, not a wing because that would have been a death sentence. All the little birds were really pissed about it chillin' there and kept dive bombing it the entire time it sat there. The hawk would duck if he had to, but mostly just ignored them. And boy were they talkin' some schmack to it, too. Turns out it was a Ferruginous hawk (buteo regalis) and yes regal is a great latin name for them. They are the largest hawk species! Cool!!!! And I got million great pics but I was too lazy to put 'em up. Ha.

Anyway like I said that's not the crazy thing. Are you sitting down? I just cracked myself up because how many people STAND at their computers? Here it is: I got a job... that I LIKE. Omg I think the world stopped turning for a sec there. I never ever believed in such a thing. A job you like? That's like Unicorns and Dragons. A nice story, but pure myth. And the day I ran out of money (well, the liquid cash I'd been living on) I got a job. For good pay, too. I didn't know I was going to like it tho. I figured it'd just be, you know, work. Hopefully tolerable, but even if I hated it I'd have income. And it turns out, I love it.

I'm a sous chef and all I do every day is FUN STUFF!!!!!! I make cakes and pies and rolls from scratch. I peel taters and make tater salad. I even make the salad dressings! I make apple walnut salad and pasta salad and the darn YUMMIEST chicken salad ever!! I boil eggs and peel 'em, and that may sound menial, but to think that I get PAID to do it!!! I get paid to do one of my favorite things ever, prepare food! I mean, some of my favorite websites are just recipe collections and I love reading them. I was considering culinary school for sheesh sakes. Now I'm getting the real deal on the job experience can you believe it?!?! 'Kay I think I'm going to wear out my exclamation key now. Suffice to say, I'm stoked.