sandrinedarling

Karen and Brian In the Garden w/ Ozzie

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 20:10:30 GMT

Karen and Brian In the Garden w/ Ozzie
Originally uploaded by sandrinedarling.

Karen and Brad always take good care of Brian while I'm away on business trips. They invite him to dinner, thereby insuring he's not spending every evening at home watching Miami Vice, Seasons 1 - 5.

While I was away in the Bay Area, Brad and Karen visited the garden and Brad snapped this photo. (It's only taken me a week to get it posted - I blame this circa 2002 iBook which makes every digital task tedious.)

We see ourselves through shiny shiny tank

Tue, 15 May 2007 23:39:53 GMT

We see ourselves through shiny shiny tank
Originally uploaded by rosidae.

In advance of the Telegraph Open House on Saturday, Pat cleaned all the tanks in the brewery. I've never seen them shine like this, so Rosminah captured the glory (and our reflections) in a photo.

The Open House, by the way, was an absolute hit. We had about 200 people come through during the 4 hours. I was exhausted at the end of it all...and Brian was thrilled by the turn out.

Day Off!

Mon, 14 May 2007 22:55:26 GMT

I called in "sick" today because that was the truth, for the most part. I've just been exhausted for the past few days, and I wanted one more day to regroup before heading back to work. I slept in and then headed over to the library for some new books. I picked up a book on quilting and also Claudia Fleming's "The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern". It's now become a very rare book, and used copies run $100+ - so I might photocopy some of the best dessert recipes.

After spending time at the library with all the unemployeds and homeless folks, I walked around in search of a birthday gift for Brian. His birthday is in two weeks - I found a few good things for him and a dog toy for Ozzie. Another hard rubber chew toy that bills itself as "indestrucible". We shall see....

While at the garden yesterday, I snapped a few pictures so you can see the plots. Here they are:

The big, vining plant in the 2nd photo is the Kabocha (winter) squash plant. I had used it as a "control" plant for a new, organic fertilizer I was testing. I applied the fertilizer to it, and not its sister plant nearby. I think I can say with confidence that the stuff works!

Root Vegetables!

Wed, 09 May 2007 04:45:39 GMT

Carrots and Turnip
Originally uploaded by sandrinedarling.

The hot weather here in S.B. is making everything in the garden either take off or wither. Casualties included the last of the green leaf lettuce, the peas and the cilantro. Thriving would be the tomatoes, squash and chard. Oh, and the carrots and turnips! These are the ones we pulled out today. Not sure how to cook a turnip, Brian consulted Joy of Cooking and that's how we discovered braising can turn this oversized radish into something tasty.

We made it...

Mon, 07 May 2007 15:51:11 GMT

We're back from the Vicente Flat hike, which turned out to be one kick-butt hike. I'm still recovering...will post colorful commentary when I can write in complete sentences.

Garden Update!

Tue, 01 May 2007 03:32:37 GMT

The garden is coming along well and only 2 months in it beats the pants off some of the more established gardens. That's not very modest, I know, but it's true!

We've been harvesting sweet lettuce for the past two weeks or so, and the swiss chard has come in so nicely that I cut a whole load of it tonight and baked a chard tart. The true test will be whether I can bring the melons and squash to fruition without too much bug damage. It's an all organic garden so no sprays allowed! Thus, I've been reading up on natural pest remedies in the event that the beetles begin taking more than their fair share. I'm more than happy to let them nibble, to some degree, on the leaves...share and share alike.

Planted so far: pole beans; heirloom tomatoes; cantaloupe; winter squash; hot peppers; cilantro; parsley; lettuce; turnips; beets; basil; eggplant; swiss chard; carrots; spinach; onions.

That's a long list, but in reality it's only a few plants or so of each. Early yielders have been the turnips, greens and beets. One of my favorite things about the plots are that marigolds have freely seeded and are scattered throughout both plots. It makes for a nice mix of flowers and vegetables.

Close Call...

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:26:20 GMT

I almost lost a bird this morning. I woke up to find one of the female finches on the bottom of the flight cage - never a good sign. She looked in bad shape, and was obviously straining with a bound egg. Thankfully I was prepared, having read extensively on what to do with an egg bound female back when I had chickens....the treatment is warmth, isolation and quiet. I quickly moved her to a smaller cage, put her in front of a space heater and directed some encouraging thoughts her way. She looked near death, but finally she was able to pass the egg. Phew.

Once that was over, I was able to enjoy my toast and coffee with gusto. I baked some potato-poppy seed bread last night and it turned out really well.

This makes two-for-two this weekend - the chocolate scones I baked yesterday morning also earned a thumbs up from the husband. Call me house frau....

King of Kings?

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:19:38 GMT

My sister visited from Santa Cruz last weekend. A big dog lover, she always makes a point to bring something for Ozzie. This time she brought him a birthday hat - it's Scooby-Doo themed and sized perfectly for the noggin of an obliging fox terrier.

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 02:06:08 GMT

We are finally getting some rainy weather - what a relief! All the sunny days here in Santa Barbara can be so....oppressive. With a rainy weekend in the plans I can stay inside and work on the sewing projects that have been hanging around, and catch up on my back issues of the New Yorker. My sister was due to visit town, but her time in S.B. was very brief - less than 24 hours. After she left I lounged around the house w/ no regrets (it's rainy, remember) and caught up on my sleep. Perfection!

This morning - Sunday - I woke up with a start and felt inspired by the rainy, overcast morning to take a walk up the hill. I was the only one out and it was grand. Brian was awake when I got home, and I convinced him to take me and the dog up to the Mission for a game of catch. Again - no one was out. Perfection!

Once Ozzie was sufficiently tired out, we walked to Mission Canyon so I could show Brian a property that was formerly the home and studio of the artist, Ray Strong. In walking around, we took a left where we should have taken a right, and needless to say, the short walk turned into a long one...but that's okay. It's just nice to have Brian home with me, all day with no brewery duties. We got alot done together, including some time at the community garden. It's been a pretty great day.

The Great Communicator...

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 17:22:54 GMT

Our plans for dinner at Montecito Cafe were scrapped when these dinner rolls came into our lives compliments of Zora. Zora is from Serbia and has been visiting her son in the downstairs apartment for the past month or so. We've found her to be a baking dervish and recently her efforts have been spilling upstairs into our lives. So last night we fashioned a simple pasta dinner around these rolls and some fresh lettuce from the market.

Because I've been off work and baking alot myself, yesterday I was able to trade in kind - Zora and I exchanged cakes (hers a chestnut (?) lemon cake and mine a chocolate bundt cake). It's hard to know exactly what Zora has made because she speaks very little English. But the rolls and other things she's shared, including some awesome cabbage rolls, speak loud and clear. How do you say "Yum" in Serbian?

My Santa Barbara Vacation

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:54:18 GMT

Okay, it's nearly 10am and I'm still in my pajamas. I guess I'm having some success at vacationing....

I asked for the week off so I can de-stress and start the next quarter off refreshed. Thus far this week I've accomplished a lot of baking (scones, a chocolate cake and biscotti) and some gardening (both here at the house and at the community garden). I'm also trying to read more of the book "Ghosts of Spain", but the political situation of Spain is so confusing. I have to constantly put the book down and reference wikipedia for political terms so the book has an appropriate context.

While pottering around the yard, I was shocked to see that the geranium that I had moved from the Montecito property to the side yard had suddenly bloomed. I'm thrilled! I've had the plant for three years and this is the first time it has bloomed. And, really, after the move I wasn't sure it would even survive, so this is a real treat. I've taken two pictures - an overhead shot of the blooms and close up of the flower. The close up shot I took really so Rosminah could see the macro quality of my camera (pathetic, no?)

Tiki Triptych

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:26:29 GMT

While visiting David and Erika we got a chance to learn about the art of tiki carving. David has been carving tiki since he was in Santa Barbara - one of the tiki that couldn't fit in the moving van is in our front garden - and apparently, Carlsbad is an epicenter of all things tiki.

Of these three tiki, two are David's. The third, on the far right, is a tiki I took a picture of while visiting Palm Springs about a year ago. I added it here so you can see the difference in styles. I love the fact that David is not sticking to the traditional style, but is interpreting it and incorporating his own elements.

Out of Africa

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:36:01 GMT

This weekend we drove down to Carlsbad to visit Erika and David. They had a secret event planned, and we had much fun imagining what the weekend had in store. Our guess was ATVs and guns, which they agreed would have been a good plan. But what they had in mind was a trip to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. It was an amazing day, which David so expertly captured with his digital cam. (His 2 foot long telephoto lens puts my pocket digital cam's pictures to shame....) The mountain gorilla enclosure was the most riveting - they are so human-like! Here are some photos from our little safari (including an awesome photo of a piranha).

Wine Country Weekend

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:44:23 GMT

I've been meaning to post these photos from a wine tasting day trip we took on President's Day weekend. We met up with Saji and Nina and started at Sanford Winery in the Santa Rita Hills. It is such a nice tasting room, set in the rolling hills and it is very small and rustic. The happy Buddha presides over their back patio.

Perfection

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:39:53 GMT

breakfast and gardening
Originally uploaded by rosidae.

Wow! Here's a picture with so many of my favorite things: coffee, Daily Grind muffin, seedlings and flowers. Perfection!

Although i haven't taken any recent photos of the garden plots, you can see that my seedling futures are looking good. That's three heirloom tomato seedlings - Black Krim, Costolulato, and Persimmon.

Azalea madness

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:30:26 GMT

Azalea madness
Originally uploaded by rosidae.

Spring has really hit Santa Barbara within the last week. Witness the azalea that Rosminah and I found in a neighborhood in the upper East. We tried to have a conversation on our walk, but we (mostly me) kept interuppting ourselves to marvel over all the flowers. The previous day I had gone to the beach with the fox terrier and the sands on East Beach were in bloom. Actually, it was a low, ground creeping plant that was blooming, but the effect was of blooming sand. The mutt didn't really care about that though, because there were three dead birds on the beach (including a pelican) for him to roll all over.
Yep, taking the dog for a walk is always a pleasure...

Seedlings

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 01:32:59 GMT

I'm spending a lot of time speaking encouraging words to my seedlings. I just want them to grow up to be big and strong...is that too much to hope for?

Community Garden Plot

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 22:44:05 GMT

Here is a photo of the two community garden plots I rented in mid-January. By the time this photo was taken the plots had been cleared of weeds, the soil turned and spent grain from the brewery worked into the soil. It's all prepped for planting and the soil is excellent - filled with a tons of worms, and loose. I have the feeling these plots - which receive full sun all day - are primo and have been worked consistently.

Next post: I'll list what I've planted so far, and what I still intend to plant.

Lotusland Oddities

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 04:36:36 GMT

Our friend, Ron, had the inside scoop that this was Lotusland's community appreciation week - free tours for the community! I took a half day off of work so I could tour this 37-acre botanical garden built by Ganna Walska over 43 years. She moved to Montecito in 1941 and began acquiring exotic and rare plants: cycads, exotic lotus and waterlilies, epiphytes, succulents, aloes etc. Despite sparing no expense on her plants and her property, she died with 10 million still in the bank and created the foundation that operates Lotusland for public tours. I took more than 30 pictures of plants, Spanish tiles and trees and I'll share them over time.

Photos left to right: a cycad with a massive fruit/cone; a plant in the succulent garden that has sent out a brilliant flower spike; a grouping of golden barrel cactus; the flower of the Dutchman's Pipe plant

Fiesta Perfection

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 22:43:02 GMT

It's been another perfect Fiesta year. This year I amended the usual Fiesta activities with the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast at Alameda Park with Monique and had pancakes served up by John "the Palm" Palminteri.

I took in my favorite event last night, Las Noches de Ronda, at the courthouse. The combination of beautiful dresses, Spanish music and dancing within the Sunken Gardens of the courthouse equals perfection for me - it's always inspiring and so beautiful I almost burst with happiness. Nina brought salmon cakes and mango salsa and we brought a $4 bottle of Trader Joe wine and some brownies. We enjoyed this little picnic about 40 feet away from the stage, and then Monique found us in the crowd and joined us!

Now, I'm prepping for my business trip to Philly. I'll miss the boy and the finches while I'm gone, and I think they'll miss me too. Especially the finches - they are afraid of Brian.

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 10:53:23 GMT

It's murderously hot here in Santa Barbara this weekend, and even at 3am people are still sitting out on their porches cooling off and talking. I can hear their voices drifting in through the open windows, and the dog (who is lying here at my feet) would normally take offense at this and start barking. But he, too, is too hot to even bother.

We spent the evening at a barbecue hosted by a generous friend who shared his hillside deck facing the ocean. The breezes and the view made me rethink for the 100th time today why we had this mad desire to live downtown. From the deck we watched a thunderstorm over the ocean light up the sky with orange bolts of lightening. It was dramatic, and the evening was swoozy - lots of good food, good beer, good company and happiness.

Yeasted Waffles

Mon, 15 May 2006 02:31:52 GMT

1-3/4 cup whole, low-fat or skim milk
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. instant yeast
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat milk and butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat until butter is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool milk/butter mixture until warm to touch. Meanwhile, whisk flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in large bowl to combine. Gradually whisk warm milk/butter mixture into flour mixture; continue to whisk until batter is smooth. In small bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla until combined, then add egg mixture to batter and whisk until incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 12 and up to 24 hours.

Following manufacturer's instructions, heat waffle iron; remove waffle batter from refrigerator when waffle iron is hot (batter will be foamy and doubled in size). Whisk batter to recombine (batter will deflate). Bake waffles according to manufacturer's instructions (use about 1/2 cup for 7-inch round iron and 1 cup for 9-inch square iron). Serve waffles immediately or hold in low temperature oven.

No rest for the weary

Mon, 01 May 2006 16:16:01 GMT

The moving weekend is over and I'm exhausted. It was the most strenuous move ever, because we did it ourselves, although with much help from Brian's brother and brother's girlfriend for the large items.

We gave the cottage one last scrubbing before waving goodbye, but our best efforts didn't make it sparkle with the promise we saw in it on our moving in day almost 2 years ago. I supposse that's the way it works - you're always more excited about where you're moving onto to....Even though we're tired, we're so excited about the new place.

The new apartment has so many windows and so much light that I'm finding it hard to be lazy. The light triggers activity, I guess, which is much needed as we try to sort out what goes where. So, no rest for the weary.

The scoot in to work today was not as picturesque as my former ride, which took me along the waterfront, beaches and past the bird sanctuary. But, it's easy - a straight shot down Olive Street to my company's parking lot. This bodes well for me actually getting to work on time, but no guarantee.

Believe the hype

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 16:26:01 GMT

Our new Dyson vaccuum arrived yesterday. It was after work and I was tired, so I was just as happy to let it sit in the packaging until we moved. Not Brian. He tore the box open as soon as it was in the house and fired it up.

Two words immediately came to mind: "wow" and "gross". Wow - it really was easy to use and super powerful. Gross - I'm disgusted that all that dirt was in my carpet this entire time. And I vaccuum weekly, sometimes 2x weekly!

So, all I can say is - Believe the hype. The Dyson is an awesome invention and i predict someday we'll the inventor will be known as Sir Dyson. (I mean, they do give knighthoods to just about everyone now....)

All in all....things have worked out

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 16:26:05 GMT

We learned today that the property is being sold to a couple of contractors who are brothers. They are going to make major renovations to the property, and would have asked us to move out. So - all in all - things have worked out. We're SO glad we did our early reconnaisance work and proactively found ourselves an alternative home.

Speaking of homes, Goldie and Barred Rock will be moving to their new home on Sunday night. They'll now be residents of Carpenteria and their new owner will be Jane. She's wonderful - a first-time chicken owner, like myself, and equally conscientious and caring. The girls could not do any better, for sure. This worked out well, as Jane lost her Buff Orpington suddenly, too, and her remaining chicken has been at loose ends.

Brian's mom and dad are in town this weekend to lend us a hand with the move. We're doing it gradually over a week's time, so we're not feeling any stress. And it will be awfully nice to have extra help to move everything over because now that we're on the 2nd level, there's a winding staircase to navigate!

Oh! Time to head off to the book group discussion. We read Dave King's "The Ha-Ha". Wow! It's a totally intense read, and I highly recommend it.