Passive-Aggressive Pruning

I guess my neighbor thought my tree needed a trim.

Easter Eggs

No hard-boiled eggs around here today, but I did whip some up with milk, cheese, oregano and red pepper flakes to pour over the stale bread and make a cheat souffle. Yum.

Potato Patch, Round 2

The seed potatoes arrived yesterday, right on schedule, and are now laid out and ready to sprout. They need a week or two of warm, light, and air and they will be ready to plant. Adelaide and I will put the finishing touches on the garden and then during spring break, we can plant! This year we will most likely put the potatoes in the raised beds and east side yard, as the west side needs one more year off before we grow potatoes there again.

that place that shall remain nameless

Morning conversation:

A: Mom, can we go to that place that gives out the goodie bags?

C: (puzzled look)

A: They have a big yellow M for a sign*. That place?

C: Oh, no, we don't eat there. That place doesn't have food that we eat.

A: Is it meat?

C: Yes, but it's not good food, hon. It's just chemicals and not really food.

A: But they have those goodie bags, so I want to go there.

C: Yes, they try to lure you in with that, don't they.


* Note: As far as I can recall, the name of this establishment has never been uttered by me in earshot of A.

A Wee Bit o' Glod

Adelaide spends one morning a week before school in the school office while I am in a meeting. We bring paper and markers and whatever other supplies she needs to entertain herself. This morning she had a half container left over from her hot bar breakfast last Friday, which she had plans to make into a "leprechaun trap." Not really sure where the idea came from, but when I emerged from the 45 minute meeting it was fully formed and executed. It includes "gold" temptations as bait, a lovely bit of decoration on the inside to tempt a leprechaun who might not be into cash but can't resist a good bit of interior decorating, and a verbal lure in the form of a rule to be broken ("do not take this glod.")Chances are good there will be some foul play in the living room tonight.

A Seed Takes Root

This afternoon I was laying out some supplies to do my usual cooking and prep for the week, when Adelaide came in the kitchen. She surveyed the veggies and items I had set out, and then asked if she could make herself a plate with some of the things she wanted. I got her a plate and a knife to chop, and she got really into bustling around the kitchen, pulling out more things from the frig and jars in the cupboards, and arranging a little feast for herself on her plate. She had already decided on twice-baked potatoes for her main course, but as we worked more and more items were added and arranged.She had fun setting the table and pouring drinks, and then we sat down to our feast.
I was excited and proud that she was taking her inspiration from the healthy foods around her, and she was proud to have had such a key role in the meal she was about to eat.
She made all kinds of interesting combinations of her raw materials, and at one point she closed her eyes and said "I'm in heaven." (Yes, some of this flair was for my benefit, but we both truly enjoyed the meal.)
She made it almost all the way through her big buffet before being full, and helped clear the table and put the leftovers away. What a great sous-chef!
Tonight was a nice reminder to me to persist in helping my kid enjoy food in a healthy way and to make room for her in my sometimes busy and rushed kitchen. We both benefit if I do.

Spring Cleaning

Creative Roomba cleaning.