Tuesday, September 29, 2009

'Tis the season...











for Apple Picking!
To celebrate the fall-fabulous weather, we drove to Utica, Ohio to pick apples at Barnstool Orchards.It is a picturesque little place, run by very nice people, and ideal for picking apples with small children who may not tolerate a lot of walking (Amazing how Will can run for hours at the park, but ask him to walk 10 feet at the market and suddenly "my feet are so tired"- ugh).

Note: this last photo was taken before I turned the infant seat around. No Child Endangerment here!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Where did you go during Hugo?

Twenty years ago last night my mother, brother, and I hunkered down in the hallway of a house in Summerville, South Carolina while Hurricane Hugo, at that time the most powerful storm to ever hit the East Coast, raged all around us. These are some things I remember from that night and following days:

The weather on the afternoon before the hurricane was gorgeous- crystal clear blue sky, fluffy white clouds- and very quiet. No birds sang; no cicadas droned; there were absolutely no sounds of nature.

My dad was captain of a submarine at the time which had to be driven out into the ocean and submerged so it wouldn't get banged up in port. My dad said that deep under water, they could still feel the boat rocking.

We lived on James Island which was evacuated. So we went to Summerville to stay with another family whose dad was on the submarine with my dad- not nearly far enough inland as it turned out. Several days after the storm, President Bush (the first one) was photographed in front of the house across the street which had literally been cut in half by a fallen tree.

The lightening was green.

We had a battery powered radio and listened to a station all night (broadcasting from where I can't remember) that kept playing songs like 'Rock You Like a Hurricane' and 'Your Love is Like a Hurricane'.

We took in a cat that was dumped in the parking lot of a grocery store. We named her Iris after the Tropical Storm that came after Hugo.

It was my friend Caroline's birthday. Happy Birthday Caroline!

We all survived safe and sound and twenty years later I am blessed to have spent the night sleeping (in between infant feedings, of course) an untroubled sleep in a cozy bed. On the Anniversary of Hurricane Hugo I say a little prayer for people who spend their nights without safety and security, whose lives are in turmoil, and who lack the basic needs of shelter, food, and loved ones to protect them.

Monday, September 21, 2009

This one time at Porter Gaud...


At this year's Country Living Fair, I ran into a friend of mine from high school. But this was no random run-in, oh no! He was there doing a cooking demonstration and promoting his new cookbook 'SIMPLE FRESH SOUTHERN'.





A couple of years ago I was perusing an issue of Martha Stewart Living when I ran across an article about The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt and Ted Lee. Huh. When Ted and I were on the track team together Porter Gaud School in Charleston, we called him 'Deadly Ted Lee'.


Oscar Mayer was one of the fair sponsors and Ted was demonstrating southern hot dog toppings. If hot dogs are something you occasionally indulge in, you should for sure try Ted's recipe for Carrot Slaw:








Carrot Slaw
Yield: about 2 cups, enough for topping 8 jumbo beef franks
Time: 10 minutes

8 oz. carrots (about 6 medium)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp. crushed dried red chile
1 clove garlic, minced with a microplane
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Peel and trim the carrots, grate them with a food processor, and transfer to them to a medium bowl. Add dill, garlic, and crushed red chile, and toss with tongs until the ingredients are evenly mixed throughout. Pour vinegar over the carrots. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slaw will keep, covered, 4 days in the refrigerator.

Buddy Walk

My amazing friend Mary works tirelessly for the Love of her daughter Leah and the National Down Syndrome Society. This year she invited us to participate in the Buddy Walk which promotes acceptance and inclusion and raises money for education, research, and advocacy programs.

All I can say is, What an amazing experience!
Thank you, Mary, for the opportunity to be a part of your Huge Act of Love!

Sigh.....

Well I guess it is has been The Summer of Beautiful Weddings.

The first weekend of September (and she couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather) my lovely friend
Kara finally tied the knot with her beau Jeremy. I only say 'finally' because this was for sure a traditional, long engagement.
Apart from the fact that it was such a gorgeous, joyous celebration, it was a lot of fun for me to see the folks I have been missing while on maternity leave and some of our graduated residents who came back.
Jeremy- you're a lucky fella. Take good care of our Kara.
Love you guys!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Hallelujah and God Bless Starbucks!


Today I had my very first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season!
I was so jazzed I forgot to ask for decaf... which made for a bit of a jittery morning for me and the nursing baby.

But it was worth it.
Man, am I ready for fall!