tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50702546462015154292024-02-07T04:45:48.903-08:00little shining stoneone small pebble in a big, big worldMeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466929392991541156noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-71881990501347005212012-02-29T18:38:00.001-08:002012-02-29T18:38:33.140-08:00Three point nine pounds.Lately I've been feeling the need for affirmation that the work I do in our home is valuable. Not that Jonathan doesn't tell me he appreciates the effort I put into hour home, but words aren't tangible; you can't quantify them like you can a paycheck...<br />
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I've gotten in the habit of weighing our garden produce when I bring it in. It shows me what grows well here, and what I might like to plant more of next year. I'd like to figure out how much money we'd spend on the food we can grow by comparing how much I've harvested to the prices at the market. And I realized today, it gives me a value that I can hold up and say "through all that hard and yucky work of sifting compost and picking bugs off of things, I earned this!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AyFvGplKf01EOm6po6TbKBQV5B0h-Rsqm0lvZzQ43lD9dFdJD_PcBUj_OtWHykLdTG38RDmF_eN8u8IkLvhUcmxdCh7xIq28BrgiX78FQbnfSyiMFnnH1YESjciyL4i2g4YkHbIZ8rN0/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AyFvGplKf01EOm6po6TbKBQV5B0h-Rsqm0lvZzQ43lD9dFdJD_PcBUj_OtWHykLdTG38RDmF_eN8u8IkLvhUcmxdCh7xIq28BrgiX78FQbnfSyiMFnnH1YESjciyL4i2g4YkHbIZ8rN0/s320/009.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">harvesting, the best part.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7b9Zt8mP9GW3czIBDcEu9-GUgjbeAeQPFybnWHMeZB27sl5EPV4Z7LxsbU6bunywgSI6cTcwC_50lC_2UmBuD9i3tMPE3agze-5Sb6VbXmAw07K0YN5t_YDa3ucIWZG3imczK6svuIHpu/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7b9Zt8mP9GW3czIBDcEu9-GUgjbeAeQPFybnWHMeZB27sl5EPV4Z7LxsbU6bunywgSI6cTcwC_50lC_2UmBuD9i3tMPE3agze-5Sb6VbXmAw07K0YN5t_YDa3ucIWZG3imczK6svuIHpu/s320/032.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">first meal 100% garden grown. lettuce, peas, calendula petals.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoaLmzuXY1YnJ4O_tMnXW-R-GoLEJwQtAGgI3PeZNq2keSh4TCrH62m1mQMr8TxhyBqsseHuM7v1sewis_Y1EYNhv8_xQns42Miabcq9g8ViMqDVMYdgsMKOKCQxUw2Ya2DtHilTppurIP/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoaLmzuXY1YnJ4O_tMnXW-R-GoLEJwQtAGgI3PeZNq2keSh4TCrH62m1mQMr8TxhyBqsseHuM7v1sewis_Y1EYNhv8_xQns42Miabcq9g8ViMqDVMYdgsMKOKCQxUw2Ya2DtHilTppurIP/s320/015.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">coming soon: our first carrot!</td></tr>
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Three point nine pounds was the figure, in case you're wondering. Three point nine pounds of homegrown produce, in one month! Most of which was chard, kale, arugula, and leaf lettuce. Let's rephrase that...not three point nine pounds of produce but <i>three point nine pounds of leaves!!</i><br />
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Dang. That's a lot of leaves. Now I'm really stoked about harvesting tomatoes...of which I will theoretically have about 12 plants...imagine the poundage!!! I'll beat 3.9 pounds in 5 tomatoes or less!!<br />
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Lest I get carried away, however, I must remember: You can't put value on the mystery of nature. It is amazingly interconnected (worms & germs = dirt = plants = food = us) and amazingly beautiful. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp6LyJTEfEfDJHxrk46Rh9lrRelQPJMh05vC50ywg-Hv4ld_6E9HaFVDesPU-PjW4jZENXcNikzH6an7Et4SNLilydMldibq4w7wKQ_9Lrqz6eGfJVB8Y5IpHeYEFNOeoVPB52ZzJeSOl/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp6LyJTEfEfDJHxrk46Rh9lrRelQPJMh05vC50ywg-Hv4ld_6E9HaFVDesPU-PjW4jZENXcNikzH6an7Et4SNLilydMldibq4w7wKQ_9Lrqz6eGfJVB8Y5IpHeYEFNOeoVPB52ZzJeSOl/s320/003.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the beauty of an average backyard veggie plot? priceless. </td></tr>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466929392991541156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-39597237185971984332012-01-31T16:39:00.000-08:002012-01-31T16:42:13.043-08:00change can be beautiful.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVc9qOJdbthFdOvQ1wnL6orf2qopI2_-CWHfIqRvVUv1eEfqgIjn5bMACh6XcnDrF_-iQoV1AK3zO473_x4ecVTV9rHDyLgZCRv-wBF_R6RygMUHS3-yz_YHlc92VjSzGgbFKu_xS-QYYh/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
If there's one thing true about gardening, it's that it's always changing. Having a garden has been an exercise in embracing change without even realizing it; my favorite morning activities include (but are not limited to): checking my email, drinking tea, eating toast, and going outside (usually in my pj's, bathrobe, and gardening boots, to the probable dismay of my neighbors) to check on the plants.<br />
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Remember when we <a href="http://www.littleshiningstone.blogspot.com/2011/10/transforming-our-backyard.html">toiled away this summer</a>, digging up our yard? Here's what's happened since then: <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFILZoad22SEzDweHZz_mbge42GJoQMo2SPT-ZlTNg7zEWBesaFYNKxVKk2yarnmuE0xybs1HWWv1ykl7l3ZfEsyfctb1oXYHB9iqyqlypa88Hov43l_g95g208gUipCQePi-GgkWqFTPL/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFILZoad22SEzDweHZz_mbge42GJoQMo2SPT-ZlTNg7zEWBesaFYNKxVKk2yarnmuE0xybs1HWWv1ykl7l3ZfEsyfctb1oXYHB9iqyqlypa88Hov43l_g95g208gUipCQePi-GgkWqFTPL/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the tall ones: peas and favas. next to the a/c: baby radishes. to the left of the path: garlic, onions, baby beets. to the left of the peas + favas: lettuce, arugula, chard. All those things in pots: kale, collards, broccoli</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRohjGPP8Ts-VZabG9WfMIlZkR_2Cei1-Gb5k_UIsU3_jAnOdtaJMTJjP369WTP0C3JIexoGTqILVkX26vhyphenhyphenlHuhh2A2nd7mWwsx0oTJCUX8aXljGltwBYcPuS9paSQrDY6NBZ5Q-_kJDf/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRohjGPP8Ts-VZabG9WfMIlZkR_2Cei1-Gb5k_UIsU3_jAnOdtaJMTJjP369WTP0C3JIexoGTqILVkX26vhyphenhyphenlHuhh2A2nd7mWwsx0oTJCUX8aXljGltwBYcPuS9paSQrDY6NBZ5Q-_kJDf/s320/004.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my personal fave: the greens plot. oh homegrown salad is the BEST!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIO0fOGcq-3MT61x-FvIQtacDZjL5vAhY77YJ9Ze81uY9rWvH_-s3U8y0H3JhjrVhjdaaj1Vrt6DhsYfZ2lmJnCRR8lj3hTRcvcUC40Dqyxbcm_orygFEQG7WKK2M4UWfb5yhRcFa0oFh/s1600/006.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIO0fOGcq-3MT61x-FvIQtacDZjL5vAhY77YJ9Ze81uY9rWvH_-s3U8y0H3JhjrVhjdaaj1Vrt6DhsYfZ2lmJnCRR8lj3hTRcvcUC40Dqyxbcm_orygFEQG7WKK2M4UWfb5yhRcFa0oFh/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a broccoli plant. I've been checking for signs of broccoli for days...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqekDeEt0M5ZZ2nLqyFfE-p4OfY8Kw13Rg-IKeUypeARSd4YKrJodfkWfCY2cSKz0l2-Vf54ztYse-QwRiUdCbU6_7stLc73V9wq-cYuubun5evsA5fl4Mt6HM5m6ocX1pEx4RKj9VlmH/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqekDeEt0M5ZZ2nLqyFfE-p4OfY8Kw13Rg-IKeUypeARSd4YKrJodfkWfCY2cSKz0l2-Vf54ztYse-QwRiUdCbU6_7stLc73V9wq-cYuubun5evsA5fl4Mt6HM5m6ocX1pEx4RKj9VlmH/s320/005.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">do you see the baby broccoli inside?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQX8BiSHRUwNOxsfJ-hY80CVo92G_ZW72MCFJSGqwRJG8NsQkPhhVan5uujW18YK2tiaPmt184m1_JJfFtYFIThu75e1-7rgZJDOT2gh7Qkb1GjEPS0Jw8NZBTWJXW4oKPIVWPbo7sZ8kE/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQX8BiSHRUwNOxsfJ-hY80CVo92G_ZW72MCFJSGqwRJG8NsQkPhhVan5uujW18YK2tiaPmt184m1_JJfFtYFIThu75e1-7rgZJDOT2gh7Qkb1GjEPS0Jw8NZBTWJXW4oKPIVWPbo7sZ8kE/s320/007.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oodles and oodles of strawberries: 50 plants in all. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVz5D-YmCczIwktHz_Jzt53k5c02KP1fRboWuK98SKNVYbGvVihX8KuL42wJw01cDnRf0OuW7mLMeePYsATP9phR8J7_pgt280CJAHkhFm3fYb5zX2X7L4aKshDQz8cTLDQTND5RhVdZ1o/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVz5D-YmCczIwktHz_Jzt53k5c02KP1fRboWuK98SKNVYbGvVihX8KuL42wJw01cDnRf0OuW7mLMeePYsATP9phR8J7_pgt280CJAHkhFm3fYb5zX2X7L4aKshDQz8cTLDQTND5RhVdZ1o/s320/014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the community garden plot. remember <a href="http://www.littleshiningstone.blogspot.com/2011/01/hanging-in-there.html">last year</a>? almost exactly one year later + lots of homemade compost = a healthy garden: left & clockwise: peas, garlic, carrots, leeks, onions, kale, parsnips, radishes, chard, and in the middle beautiful purple borage flowers, bringing in the bees. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVc9qOJdbthFdOvQ1wnL6orf2qopI2_-CWHfIqRvVUv1eEfqgIjn5bMACh6XcnDrF_-iQoV1AK3zO473_x4ecVTV9rHDyLgZCRv-wBF_R6RygMUHS3-yz_YHlc92VjSzGgbFKu_xS-QYYh/s320/009.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the bees have found our fava beans, too. :)</td></tr>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466929392991541156noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-43549509412957789932012-01-19T15:29:00.000-08:002012-01-19T15:29:55.016-08:00Starting Fresh<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">2012 is here, and I've got to admit, I'm feeling a bit lost. Last year was a huge milestone year for us, celebrating Jonathan's graduation from dental school and then getting married one month later. Preparing and planning for those two events gave us drive - and now that they are over, and the first six</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> (oh this is so new and exciting)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> months of marriage have passed, we're feeling a bit directionless. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Not that we are unhappy in the least - we continue to enjoy the life that we are living together and the home that we are making. It's just...weird...to not have some big event to focus our energy on!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I find myself seeing this situation in two different ways. Sometimes I truly feel lost and directionless, and sometimes I feel open to possibility - as in, for once I don't have some big plan clouding up my vision and I can just <i>live</i>! Those who know me well will nod in agreement when I say that I <i>love</i> plans. Hello - I planned our wedding and honeymoon for <b>two years</b>...and I keep a meal plan, and a housekeeping plan, and I planned out our garden to the nth degree...I think we can say without hesitation that I am a planner. So to <i>not</i> have any major plans is kind of a big deal. This year, the only big plans we have are to go to Alabama for my cousin's wedding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">There's not even anything off in the distant future to think about. Pick a college: Check. Pick a major: Check. Graduate, get a job, get married: Check, check, check! And though this sounds terribly ungrateful, it leaves one expecting something to happen next...and I have a sneaking suspicion that something is not so tangible, you know?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">2012 is here, and though I'm feeling directionless, I'm also feeling very open and hopeful. It really seems like <i>anything</i> could happen. There will be a lot of room for spontaneity this year, something I could definitely use some practice in. I won't be afraid what seems like a big, empty future, I will embrace each moment as it comes. And isn't that what I started this blog to do? To celebrate the journey that is life? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"This blog will be about my experience in seeking a holistic lifestyle.
My struggle to balance, to grow, to never stop adventuring."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The adventure begins anew in 2012, and I can not wait to share what unfolds.</span></span></span></div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466929392991541156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-56990937302594422922011-10-13T20:39:00.000-07:002011-10-13T20:39:51.346-07:00Transforming our BackyardI've been dreaming of putting a vegetable garden in our backyard for...ever it seems, but the uncertainty of how long I'd be living in this rental house kept holding me back from investing in digging around in the dirt. Now that it's looking like we'll be here for at least a year, we decided to go for it (with the landlady's ok of course) and spent the months of August and September turning our backyard from this:<br />
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Into this:<br />
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It's about 100 square feet of gardening space, 6 beds total. There's one you can't see because it's behind the a/c unit. You can see that the front bed will be for herbs (that's basil and sage) and in the upper left in the shadow there are two chard plants.<br />
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We decided to grow in the ground as it was more cost effective than building raised beds...but not exactly easier to prepare. We sure got some incredible workouts breaking up the hardened clay soil riddled with tenacious roots from our large shade tree!!<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to seeing what this garden will produce. On Monday I finished mixing in the compost and I seeded 4 of the 5 vegetable beds...so far there's kale, broccoli, turnips, beets, radishes, carrots, calendula and borage, chard, leaf lettuces, spinach, fava beans and peas. I've yet to plant cilantro, parsley, leeks, garlic, collard greens, and green onions. Amazing what you can pack in to such a small space!! Not to mention, we still have our plot in the community garden and on Tuesday I turned
some compost into that soil. I'm still deciding what I want to do with
it this season. We have so much gardening space now that I hope we get
some nice harvests...and I hope I can keep up with both of them!<br />
<br />
I've been checking on the beds multiple times a day like an eager child...and today I noticed some sprouts working their way up!! I'll post some photos next week of the garden as it should be riddled with baby veggies!<br />
<br />
I'm telling you, when I close my eyes all I can see are visions of vegetables. Am I obsessed or what??!?<br />
<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466929392991541156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-79951352198485482912011-09-21T14:04:00.000-07:002011-09-21T14:04:13.350-07:00Sun Tea and Peach VinegarBut not together. That would just be gross!<br />
<br />
I'd like to share with you the science experiments I've got brewing in our home. <br />
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Experiment number one: Sun Tea<br />
<br />
On our way back from berry and apple picking in <a href="http://littleshiningstone.blogspot.com/2011/09/let-this-day-go-down-in-history.html">Oak Glen</a>, Jonathan and I stopped by the home of our good friends from college, Andrew and Amanda. They were generous enough to give us some of their time rather last minute, and to share the secret of Sun Tea with us! Oh it was so good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFKPyg6op-ooI0xdgBok1vK6rY-5SwaVrubvRxmqNPy0Kc-RYpgNG6JDLOUGJsjnlHM6k-hjcOK_iWXP2cSKem8lv_-baH04ONl7FYS8MNA2f9BVUmMt8ZF75B0pjlwd4O7CCxTAMlXku/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFKPyg6op-ooI0xdgBok1vK6rY-5SwaVrubvRxmqNPy0Kc-RYpgNG6JDLOUGJsjnlHM6k-hjcOK_iWXP2cSKem8lv_-baH04ONl7FYS8MNA2f9BVUmMt8ZF75B0pjlwd4O7CCxTAMlXku/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's simple, really. Place four tea bags in a pitcher of water, stick in sun, forget about it all day, pop some ice cubes in a glass when you get home from work and drink your delicious, sun-brewed tea. Why not harness the power of sunshine, especially when you live in a place like Southern California?? Oh, and you can also do this with coffee in a french press! <br />
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Ok, number two: peach vinegar.<br />
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Really, I should say fruit scrap vinegar because you can use any fruit, as far as I know. So far I've done it with strawberry tops and now peach peels.<br />
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Isn't that just so pretty? The floating mass on top is all of the peach peels, the liquid below is the sugar water that's turning into vinegar. Heeeere's how you do it:<br />
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Step 1: Get the idea to make some sort of fruity delight. In this instance, I wanted to make peach butter.<br />
Step 2: Wash and peel your fruit.<br />
Step 3: Set aside the fruit peels instead of throwing them on the compost/trash.<br />
Step 4: Finish your fruit recipe<br />
Step 5: Remember your fruit peels! Say "aha! I will make vinegar with these peels!"<br />
Step 6: Place your fruit peels in a VERY clean jar.<br />
Step 7: Pour water into jar, covering fruit.<br />
Step 8: Mix in 1/4 cup sugar into jar, stir to combine. (I used a 24 oz jar. adjust ammt of sugar for a smaller or larger jar)<br />
Step 9: Secure a piece of cloth over the jar so it can breathe but the flies can't get in. Keep on your kitchen counter.<br />
Step 10: Stir every day.<br />
Step 11: In 1 week, strain the solids out of the jar and keep the liquid. Keep the liquid out with the lid covered with cloth, as before. Oh, and you can put your spent peels in the compost now.<br />
Step 12: Freak out a little bit when a glob forms on top of your vinegar in a few days. Research it and realize it's the "vinegar mother," and then celebrate when you understand that means you've successfully made vinegar!<br />
Step 13: Once your vinegar has reach the flavor you desire, scoop off the mother (don't throw her away, you can use her to jump-start future vinegars!), and refrigerate.<br />
Step 14: If you want your vinegar to last longer than a couple of weeks, you can heat process it as you would for canning. Don't ask me the recipe for this: I've never done it and have no clue how. Research this elsewhere :) <br />
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My plan is to make a peach vinaigrette! Doesn't that sound yummy?<br />
<br />
What kitchen science have you tried lately? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-13506191877234940982011-09-13T21:35:00.000-07:002011-09-13T21:50:00.419-07:00Let this day go down in history......as the day I harvested the most beautiful basil leaves.<br />
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Seriously, aren't those gorgeous? <br />
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So as many of you have probably figured out, I was in over my head with the blog the honeymoon journal posts. I couldn't meet my deadlines, adding the pictures took for ever, blah blah blah. So then I just said phoey, blog. I've got better things to do, and I went on living my life.<br />
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Of course, in the last 2 months there have been moments when I've happened to have my camera and I've happened to think "Oh! This will be great for the blog!" *Photo Snapped and Saved* Not to mention a few of you have asked "When will you be blogging again?", which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and happy that someone wants to read about my life, in cyberspace, lol.<br />
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With any major life change, there's an adjustment period, and that's precisely what's been going on around here since June 18. Actually, the beginning of July. Honeymoon doesn't count - that's just living on cloud nine. It's been a lot of fun, figuring out how to live with each other, and finally our lives are beginning to slip into some sort of routine. It involves lots of watching a lot of "The Office" together, frozen yogurt runs, evening walks, cooking for two, and getting over the fact that I'll always be the first one to go to bed. <br />
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I suppose that little reflective paragraph is another stab at explaining my absence from the blog :)<br />
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But alas, I miss the blogging world and so I am back in action. Since July, we've really done a lot in the way of homemaking and general adventuring:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvtyu228G52NJVf7O5QiM1S9DjJl2UIIfbVTLElzum5Tf2ZZo-bv-lngJv-hUfWpa6F7EwAQz7AcsC5oGrq3oxAfJFSzkcpges3crT9FAu7VRiIOPMIuRj2rBrkJ8GA0hxUSVrLwqBEVu/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvtyu228G52NJVf7O5QiM1S9DjJl2UIIfbVTLElzum5Tf2ZZo-bv-lngJv-hUfWpa6F7EwAQz7AcsC5oGrq3oxAfJFSzkcpges3crT9FAu7VRiIOPMIuRj2rBrkJ8GA0hxUSVrLwqBEVu/s320/001.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Project: Put veggie garden into backyard. This is a before pic</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR302KLi6wpo-sttx6tXsgy9JaBaM-dUrJE6w6mq3q7MTtA63mld2pKfiPMpCCOHNV8D3RjbME0TO810ikzeoKgN_4aXOaaLgPGrm3TxWPfxnz1J0KQQtjeOUx6qEPYk6ybGs9S8QFSTyv/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR302KLi6wpo-sttx6tXsgy9JaBaM-dUrJE6w6mq3q7MTtA63mld2pKfiPMpCCOHNV8D3RjbME0TO810ikzeoKgN_4aXOaaLgPGrm3TxWPfxnz1J0KQQtjeOUx6qEPYk6ybGs9S8QFSTyv/s320/052.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's an in-process pic. Will show what it looks like when it's all done!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fWJws3y8Q8TRy6Llq3w8QPFrCSdOfko5kReBIzsoHXwIB3zG1MsiqQ002Yvto-ADboPr2SJBAWy0nGHR32tRqelLtFNuVVjQOtuYrDXN3V40JyQOSZi7OpZGmXMz0qiOoaG02p-xpo6R/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fWJws3y8Q8TRy6Llq3w8QPFrCSdOfko5kReBIzsoHXwIB3zG1MsiqQ002Yvto-ADboPr2SJBAWy0nGHR32tRqelLtFNuVVjQOtuYrDXN3V40JyQOSZi7OpZGmXMz0qiOoaG02p-xpo6R/s320/025.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonathan made this awesome sifter out of an old shipping pallet and some hardware cloth. Now we can sift our compost.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqm9rbhTTX0KK634ZdBlKbf9-HJ-_O_5sgH50Zxf7mOe034QiIXeQ00k0usQfrMuiMyQPX45_yXwp19vzia3MzJjkH2ag6q2Zb9WSuAbTFNt98DD4lVYFWR41LYgEpxy9PEbDpf-wyHPy/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqm9rbhTTX0KK634ZdBlKbf9-HJ-_O_5sgH50Zxf7mOe034QiIXeQ00k0usQfrMuiMyQPX45_yXwp19vzia3MzJjkH2ag6q2Zb9WSuAbTFNt98DD4lVYFWR41LYgEpxy9PEbDpf-wyHPy/s320/031.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday night is farmer's market pizza night! Gotta love making new traditions.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsXNd0mo9qBQ_j-gzLmOiu-p3ZiXBa0WIrytyDzC8JhZGEVWaQKDCzfjxNTBZ8NTUvsvz5YLPTAGYFevoqq8cAhhn3PMKiGFnAnByyUaBmXTZtTTfLdnLvBPVToUTx2dBxWrkAWQ9YP3l/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsXNd0mo9qBQ_j-gzLmOiu-p3ZiXBa0WIrytyDzC8JhZGEVWaQKDCzfjxNTBZ8NTUvsvz5YLPTAGYFevoqq8cAhhn3PMKiGFnAnByyUaBmXTZtTTfLdnLvBPVToUTx2dBxWrkAWQ9YP3l/s320/034.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That table was $10 at a yard sale. Jonathan sanded and refinished it. Doesn't it look great??</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrGlJ7ZwkW9ntw5o2sNK4vnScaEBAFDneVfQEFBayJwkB9XdnKX_IpU4gZZs2NGXpCLfk9ac6D9MScJSUyXvzMeSbGVFp-DUEKTixEMFNoX40BiiMgngQ_3Hj-O-_D1K0Sftrh3vzhIkl/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrGlJ7ZwkW9ntw5o2sNK4vnScaEBAFDneVfQEFBayJwkB9XdnKX_IpU4gZZs2NGXpCLfk9ac6D9MScJSUyXvzMeSbGVFp-DUEKTixEMFNoX40BiiMgngQ_3Hj-O-_D1K0Sftrh3vzhIkl/s320/037.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went apple picking in Oak Glen...which made great applesauce!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEJhSqwGiTANLDS2bmc45K4pIfKafrgGWIV9rSa_nIFQ0ZlVwjxdYGjn46FDv-abFio3mkfZHu-VCKTdcAe8Xs9_BL2ZzmdJnwrkVgHJmCIZZzfjp6v7SsN_t354YaPxJ3N5kDxit4MDR/s1600/042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEJhSqwGiTANLDS2bmc45K4pIfKafrgGWIV9rSa_nIFQ0ZlVwjxdYGjn46FDv-abFio3mkfZHu-VCKTdcAe8Xs9_BL2ZzmdJnwrkVgHJmCIZZzfjp6v7SsN_t354YaPxJ3N5kDxit4MDR/s320/042.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picked some raspberries, too. Made raspberry-mint sorbet with our new ice-cream maker. Yum!</td></tr>
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So, there you have it. We're still alive and kicking and learning new skills along the way. I just realized - each of these photos represents something we just learned how to do: put in a garden, build a sifter, make pizza from scratch, sand and refinish a table, make applesauce and sorbet...wow, that's a lot! No wonder I'm tuckered out!<br />
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Until next time, folks!<br />
<br />
xoxo,<br />
M<br />
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P.S. I'll post the honeymoon pics on facebook soonish, so FB friends have no fear you'll be able to see the rest at some point in time :) Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-70851409061718398672011-07-21T23:01:00.000-07:002011-07-21T23:01:34.333-07:00Travel Thursday? (did you know geckos make a noise?)Looks like the once a week thing is proving to be difficult. Oh well. It's Thursday, and I'm here to tell you all about our third day in Belize!!<br />
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Again, going off of what is written in our travel journal (this time I'm the writer)<br />
<br />
...6/21/11 (summer solstice)<br />
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0643: Jonathan's alarm went off, and we wondered if we hit snooze or if the phones are just acting weird now that we're in another country. Note to self: next time bring an alarm clock or watch! Anyway, no matter...today is our first big excursion...to the Mayan Ruins of Caracol! We took turns sleepily freshening up and then headed off to breakfast at 20 after 7. Oh also...it was raining! I woke up at 4:30am to the sound of thunder and slept rather fitfully with the sounds of the rain until we got up. Anyway, we found an umbrella in the closet and trotted off to breakfast.<br />
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Breakfast today was the same option as yesterday, so fo course I chose the French Toast. J picked the Big Belly, which included eggs cooked to order, corn fryjacks and beans, sausage, plantains...and if there was something else I can't remember.<br />
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Oh wait, backtrack. Last night we noticed a HUGE cockroach-like beetle had taken up residence over the eave of our front door. It was still there in the morning!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAZwpPwBKilhT6aHUeh9aIko-L-a68CQZVeaYo1TDsfIjHhyeGWcCpUYWYD4LN9BFRTDOUeAtR2xa0aWS4BPGSbA_seHSGaw62zrnhT9ciQXHEg1ya9BmECMFmHpRCI9QqXaD2pzx8Q2g/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAZwpPwBKilhT6aHUeh9aIko-L-a68CQZVeaYo1TDsfIjHhyeGWcCpUYWYD4LN9BFRTDOUeAtR2xa0aWS4BPGSbA_seHSGaw62zrnhT9ciQXHEg1ya9BmECMFmHpRCI9QqXaD2pzx8Q2g/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+321.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gross giant bug. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ok, so we ate breakfast and watched the birds eat bread that was left for them out in the rain. Then we headed back to the room to pack up (we bought ponchos for the rain just in case), and filled our hiking backpack with necessities (water, sunblock bug spray, etc.)<br />
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We met Greg (George's son), Kristen (Greg's girlfriend), and Freddie (our driver) at the front of the inn, handed Misael (the inn...manager?) our room key, and piled into the van to begin our 1.5ish hour drive to Caracol!<br />
<br />
J and I had a great time getting to know Greg and Kristen. Turns out they each just finished their freshman year at their respective schools. They grew up together in Wisconsin. They like rock climbing and are both studying some kind of environmental sciences. Conversing with them made the road to Caracol fly by.<br />
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Soon, we arrived at a military base, where we all had to get out and sign in. The military keeps track of how many people visit Caracol and where they are from. They also provide guard services to tourists at Caracol as the Guatemalan bandits took to robbing tourists in Belize 8 or 10 years ago.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuoV64GP_WlaOD7wFEjQivXKAeAmc_jbDVw35vEMavULMFWiQDcoddWPjsIRbhM6a4Hc1d6qVvYoaGN-VpcUVN3Nq-npUqSdTMGsqnUGFYBPFBrws3oPrpW4zToXJWS86F9TkcxKMSs6N/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuoV64GP_WlaOD7wFEjQivXKAeAmc_jbDVw35vEMavULMFWiQDcoddWPjsIRbhM6a4Hc1d6qVvYoaGN-VpcUVN3Nq-npUqSdTMGsqnUGFYBPFBrws3oPrpW4zToXJWS86F9TkcxKMSs6N/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+322.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">military base</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On the way to Caracol, we stopped at Rio Frio Cave, a huge cave (well you can see both ends open to daylight at once, but it was a HUGE room). There was a stream running through it and steps carved into the limestone. There were many stalactites, and a crack running along the ceiling; damage caused by a large earthquake. Freddie guided our steps with his flashlight, cautioning us about a sinkhole that you'd have no idea was there if you didn't know about it. We felt very safe with Freddie as our guide, keeping us away from danger!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipT3XbYX3KPuqUITKLG7bNvnXXW9YMhYoqMgO1SFnMCdXZJbE1y2m1WU0gBAflVLyYKopPfMlrP69AyFXQwtEoaBNhn6QmJ8YYmByggAccYMSQBbn-_UUSXf_ZLyHW_fBKCGnaXoBzYr-l/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipT3XbYX3KPuqUITKLG7bNvnXXW9YMhYoqMgO1SFnMCdXZJbE1y2m1WU0gBAflVLyYKopPfMlrP69AyFXQwtEoaBNhn6QmJ8YYmByggAccYMSQBbn-_UUSXf_ZLyHW_fBKCGnaXoBzYr-l/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+337.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rio Frio Cave</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivaVldOf2LjX-pVLmpTJjMFJWKSskbajGg2kryBFDdXSqe_FVEhVf0FKuKuB0Avfe9K7ZFCi0hJPvblQ1Y66h5uqiD6f_d2JNKgXyWr150AC_yEeCYJCRAcq0UP4jDrqdZ3x5-Wm21Pqqx/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivaVldOf2LjX-pVLmpTJjMFJWKSskbajGg2kryBFDdXSqe_FVEhVf0FKuKuB0Avfe9K7ZFCi0hJPvblQ1Y66h5uqiD6f_d2JNKgXyWr150AC_yEeCYJCRAcq0UP4jDrqdZ3x5-Wm21Pqqx/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+340.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg, Kristen, Myself, Jonathan</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
After wandering on the shore of the stream for a few minutes, we headed back to the van and to Caracol. It took another while of bumpy road until we got to the paved part that leads to Caracol. Apparently, right where the unpaved road becomes paved is where Freddie recently saw a pair of Scarlet Macaws. They appear to be making a nest in the area as they've been there on multiple occasions. No luck for us today; we didn't spot them. <br />
<br />
About 10-15 minutes later we arrived at Caracol!! Jonathan paid our park fee and we were on our way. Freddie first took us to a place where the Mayan people resided, a Mayan suburb if you will.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhFp8S8lqPDM7X_1rvs6u5Zd_EBgczEmkKLvE434E5mT2K61p1pik63Nfa3uXIvKrOTVN2cjtgDJqFQP2Z1IFgjIuwu7PzwphgSFG9roOudCohvJRGRY75CBjy4xMypGXEsX1_j940Es0/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhFp8S8lqPDM7X_1rvs6u5Zd_EBgczEmkKLvE434E5mT2K61p1pik63Nfa3uXIvKrOTVN2cjtgDJqFQP2Z1IFgjIuwu7PzwphgSFG9roOudCohvJRGRY75CBjy4xMypGXEsX1_j940Es0/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+352.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockin the Suburbs</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbceBELxmidBPMs6mHdYk6GfcJyOUUBSNPjG-YjT7hJkwxK_2BNVnIs4WsYjT7eRDLnuTvP_2HyfHwSYQaoyU4t4Ma7sr3McxQULzOUkEwq4yMT-RKxyk9XWdJxft5R1tIadFzn6AI6ph-/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbceBELxmidBPMs6mHdYk6GfcJyOUUBSNPjG-YjT7hJkwxK_2BNVnIs4WsYjT7eRDLnuTvP_2HyfHwSYQaoyU4t4Ma7sr3McxQULzOUkEwq4yMT-RKxyk9XWdJxft5R1tIadFzn6AI6ph-/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+351.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we saw this millipede. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The ruins at the 'burb were cool, then we went to a place that has only been partially excavated. Freddie wanted to show us that the jungle really cloaks the ruins.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37V9D7XGE7C00vkIhtv3DvFnVLtxDDFnpCdM_m9go0ibhrhirc9dzPlzmsJaZ1gqfIDzcbr1yWdrHwumL4L8BmRGC1jJof4h0EAkhc-W-SCOIP4et8nnQeW7rZdKw7L5rnEQtBkEpJ3FV/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37V9D7XGE7C00vkIhtv3DvFnVLtxDDFnpCdM_m9go0ibhrhirc9dzPlzmsJaZ1gqfIDzcbr1yWdrHwumL4L8BmRGC1jJof4h0EAkhc-W-SCOIP4et8nnQeW7rZdKw7L5rnEQtBkEpJ3FV/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+361.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cloaked. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Then we saw the big temples! The steps up the ziggurat were at least 2 feet high each, which is ridiculous because a Mayan was generally only 4 feet tall. We climbed the top of the tallest building, which had three levels: administrative, the king's home, and the sacred sacrifice/ceremony level. Freddie explained that the kings were like god-priests and would perform the ceremonial rituals. There were some great views from the top. And some tombs to crawl around in!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9s1hqZkDRn-Rr_Z5tXMFEKAPfoZmrr-hyqpGeNtqEbI-5S_PngsqdWRnMTmMfOahIk8O2dRawinLdtd4-uvCUMfbb-1YLjqrLmbHXndM7bQ9NnK_0uzPmX9qykG0YoEp5_XGEIGXMtZC/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9s1hqZkDRn-Rr_Z5tXMFEKAPfoZmrr-hyqpGeNtqEbI-5S_PngsqdWRnMTmMfOahIk8O2dRawinLdtd4-uvCUMfbb-1YLjqrLmbHXndM7bQ9NnK_0uzPmX9qykG0YoEp5_XGEIGXMtZC/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+366.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of smaller temple from the ground.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hfSVNbqZN5IxiUpKKAuBMw6eJZHWs02El5ZlgOkGW87VzIakRd30wFaya4tC7KA5BBu4zwU-TCjJNyZ6spPydQ7KvXqG3KdvZfs7WnqyALHPmvWDVojjSi25D5JAphv6xpoLg432RPyf/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hfSVNbqZN5IxiUpKKAuBMw6eJZHWs02El5ZlgOkGW87VzIakRd30wFaya4tC7KA5BBu4zwU-TCjJNyZ6spPydQ7KvXqG3KdvZfs7WnqyALHPmvWDVojjSi25D5JAphv6xpoLg432RPyf/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+367.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mayan steps</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7YhHsvTFKN4HZm-aOaQQWa-nPSNTYVW3LggK-brLr7ugsTvOGhfu5kZVx-ffQj3EBardVLKbsOJKjAFjKqCHKYIgeKME_pA9B0zcSk1rYxel7T4Q3D8y0rXhNhHxp1Si5VYH93j56ioC/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7YhHsvTFKN4HZm-aOaQQWa-nPSNTYVW3LggK-brLr7ugsTvOGhfu5kZVx-ffQj3EBardVLKbsOJKjAFjKqCHKYIgeKME_pA9B0zcSk1rYxel7T4Q3D8y0rXhNhHxp1Si5VYH93j56ioC/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+371.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from level 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCJOIw1u7QP70WC7vuGxQFLznp5WCmOSf-1ROTuet09mMzHwMlLk7v2A8Gay9gE3k1SLd4NGhDFXBVSBdMksNj1UB8prf_QwoHk6Is6SoSoazNrjou3v1s0QF_DROVTx9u1cDr-L_N0Ru/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCJOIw1u7QP70WC7vuGxQFLznp5WCmOSf-1ROTuet09mMzHwMlLk7v2A8Gay9gE3k1SLd4NGhDFXBVSBdMksNj1UB8prf_QwoHk6Is6SoSoazNrjou3v1s0QF_DROVTx9u1cDr-L_N0Ru/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+376.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tomb</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJObjIWKXxdP_0HR_noomvUWr2KDq8iS3-_EOjebhr1Bvlpio-G4VM7R-8ugm9iWTKnQX7YPWg5N__CmsJlu6BA8o-0eQVXhfHTYMc9MmDOV1kRhPfyq6kzYaRznd4wYICk7NcfiUtV5eM/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJObjIWKXxdP_0HR_noomvUWr2KDq8iS3-_EOjebhr1Bvlpio-G4VM7R-8ugm9iWTKnQX7YPWg5N__CmsJlu6BA8o-0eQVXhfHTYMc9MmDOV1kRhPfyq6kzYaRznd4wYICk7NcfiUtV5eM/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+380.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freddie: "let's put the lid on!" lol!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIoMhlYxtk4ABkueIW1xY-330EWKDe_5VMtP5wGIEO7KcDJDO024XtakwleR7jvv96XiCz1BQz4skIraSmGfhDt0uWWX4p-yFRWSezyHzF4Wh9-QkxMPW5afPMQDlPO1pJJ39Ypbx5g10/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIoMhlYxtk4ABkueIW1xY-330EWKDe_5VMtP5wGIEO7KcDJDO024XtakwleR7jvv96XiCz1BQz4skIraSmGfhDt0uWWX4p-yFRWSezyHzF4Wh9-QkxMPW5afPMQDlPO1pJJ39Ypbx5g10/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+382.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the third and topmost level that's Guatemala in the background.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YnOz4e8h3B8w3660SHQknSWGUyFEmmQXFUJZpdOLADjDCd_mtUa-AUxDPsKSBctuljeHrxZheQefT8kTSUB3icAwqrGeohbS0dWzpGSDvCDkt1TINSX3gwTQ7TQh5kCQ_UinINNM-Rv4/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YnOz4e8h3B8w3660SHQknSWGUyFEmmQXFUJZpdOLADjDCd_mtUa-AUxDPsKSBctuljeHrxZheQefT8kTSUB3icAwqrGeohbS0dWzpGSDvCDkt1TINSX3gwTQ7TQh5kCQ_UinINNM-Rv4/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+385.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">xoxo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0CIss3DRW5X0eDgK3KL0SboIHFjDK_nW7xxepbKgyF2tDDWZDeiyv99PpaOHBr06-6aTdcKnBOp2_DtRpmFqpSCbivy5ag8CRpxkK4afDm5aaMSu_QjPapHH0fmr41nVWsY5dqLNOlwD/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0CIss3DRW5X0eDgK3KL0SboIHFjDK_nW7xxepbKgyF2tDDWZDeiyv99PpaOHBr06-6aTdcKnBOp2_DtRpmFqpSCbivy5ag8CRpxkK4afDm5aaMSu_QjPapHH0fmr41nVWsY5dqLNOlwD/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+387.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mayan ruin adventurers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwM1TA_mN3mZTu4iY_eSh3cAwU_fw3d7S3MpjOj7BV5ac9BoNdY1feVehcIVfLIhyphenhyphen8t2ZGAEPg6bqX_rvUYkAkqJ5kAYY649hfUWrpFCHfqm2o_FfcBi1WwXVgHIFAQnMNq0MrAlRXvS2/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwM1TA_mN3mZTu4iY_eSh3cAwU_fw3d7S3MpjOj7BV5ac9BoNdY1feVehcIVfLIhyphenhyphen8t2ZGAEPg6bqX_rvUYkAkqJ5kAYY649hfUWrpFCHfqm2o_FfcBi1WwXVgHIFAQnMNq0MrAlRXvS2/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+392.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the king's throne. you're not allowed to sit on it! </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We climbed down and headed across the lawn (avoiding fire ant hills!) and learned about the opposing structure. This structure had a wisp of butterflies gathered at the base, and Freddie explained that they're extracting calcium from the limestone to make their mating more successful.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4J6wBVIdaLh_TtyX-Nxbmun3k4IkL9c1pBmCICSvdq_AQaXoRIZaXEI2VkBX_PmHZyWLcYlqNsAURNmhaWTFLuD_eja6CQ8BtMjqVw1MSglqmGBd20bptcP5H3dNz5J8nTQNIn1gXJqZN/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4J6wBVIdaLh_TtyX-Nxbmun3k4IkL9c1pBmCICSvdq_AQaXoRIZaXEI2VkBX_PmHZyWLcYlqNsAURNmhaWTFLuD_eja6CQ8BtMjqVw1MSglqmGBd20bptcP5H3dNz5J8nTQNIn1gXJqZN/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+396.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">too tall to pass as a Mayan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdf1P5AwROpnGlNrCC1yL8ygRrx1UKLPwSduOxdYloMs5LfB_dx4MipKSMlNHDF71vYEpI6utdw_MqL3p9GUDo-fq741e1jGVO16I4p6t4igKXDD3CiHvzb33QWsUj55jVr6B4I_KVykz/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdf1P5AwROpnGlNrCC1yL8ygRrx1UKLPwSduOxdYloMs5LfB_dx4MipKSMlNHDF71vYEpI6utdw_MqL3p9GUDo-fq741e1jGVO16I4p6t4igKXDD3CiHvzb33QWsUj55jVr6B4I_KVykz/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+400.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayan steps</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB575Lc-PfRhisZ8mlDcvlit6wCVsM-zCQbPlhGvuXYhbSQP7rA9v2YH8H0q78eaAPF3ury1y9PrKdqs9eAwDNFB7KWzhE6TygGzQf3vng2eB9Mcd0cSJFOErootrULgBbDwmPRh81LkfI/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB575Lc-PfRhisZ8mlDcvlit6wCVsM-zCQbPlhGvuXYhbSQP7rA9v2YH8H0q78eaAPF3ury1y9PrKdqs9eAwDNFB7KWzhE6TygGzQf3vng2eB9Mcd0cSJFOErootrULgBbDwmPRh81LkfI/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+404.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">butterflies</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Uk9Bvj3ayMTSAjNl_4xtfu5dVXm54VcYlFXZ9TOyJlIxdoK-kkgbk79MKpPQwwrgrwhKmQANWOEYdMNA8YoMkxqBH8SAhHgOnVd8RqmfZ1kVK1xh2385RoDBJ_9krMQvd6LUcVEI1dpc/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Uk9Bvj3ayMTSAjNl_4xtfu5dVXm54VcYlFXZ9TOyJlIxdoK-kkgbk79MKpPQwwrgrwhKmQANWOEYdMNA8YoMkxqBH8SAhHgOnVd8RqmfZ1kVK1xh2385RoDBJ_9krMQvd6LUcVEI1dpc/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+408.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they were so focused</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0aAX2Yq52w4e0rZC9lS4RcEaVvqUIEBXhBwVw1pF4tvC-xsZJANqz3znsanuTsJovjp0h5RPiiTQ5k5b6njMIA5b6ieJYHx0wZ6cke2Mzr0gJDuFIv0ajM58EZ90plLvfVnlV_pEuzMr/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0aAX2Yq52w4e0rZC9lS4RcEaVvqUIEBXhBwVw1pF4tvC-xsZJANqz3znsanuTsJovjp0h5RPiiTQ5k5b6njMIA5b6ieJYHx0wZ6cke2Mzr0gJDuFIv0ajM58EZ90plLvfVnlV_pEuzMr/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+409.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they let me get super close!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRv6M5xQIYgloMJLOrDWg4dV_dyqZY-5xHnZ-2jvbZc-ySKa-YPItGMtYGD9oi7pNl848rKIXcMCeIQv-HkX11VZkQyhvxOZNSv_LgrGIYeXBzcVO6o3ovRSQKO-tGnoks_njScYXVaLSQ/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRv6M5xQIYgloMJLOrDWg4dV_dyqZY-5xHnZ-2jvbZc-ySKa-YPItGMtYGD9oi7pNl848rKIXcMCeIQv-HkX11VZkQyhvxOZNSv_LgrGIYeXBzcVO6o3ovRSQKO-tGnoks_njScYXVaLSQ/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+411.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">especially this one</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q02uKDZQyo4uWnJbWQSrTa3Y6faxLSmJFmfX77FuYjtG2tHM6Ehv4LbuBPtdfceEsS50SUcjOGuztpbEugTisNhzCvXoa1P2CyVNOhVgvXxvAq7AkeLCaHyWpSzRQfKZKmx9E0JOCH3k/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q02uKDZQyo4uWnJbWQSrTa3Y6faxLSmJFmfX77FuYjtG2tHM6Ehv4LbuBPtdfceEsS50SUcjOGuztpbEugTisNhzCvXoa1P2CyVNOhVgvXxvAq7AkeLCaHyWpSzRQfKZKmx9E0JOCH3k/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+414.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the structure we just climbed down. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We went on to learn about Mayan ball sports (winner gets the jewelry/valuables the bystanders have on them, loser gets sacrificed), various birds including the Montezuma Oropendula, saw the big Ceiba tree (600 years old!) saw the astronomer's structure, learned that if you get poisoned by the bark of the poison wood tree then you just bathe in tea made from the bark of a gumbo-limbo tree, saw the rain basin/collection area and a large monument commemorating a scribe-king, evidenced by his monkey-belt. We walked through the archaeologists quarters, now empty because they're off for the summer, and settled in for a yummy packed lunch. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOWINExrfrC2b6IaFoHbu1ZNEfDvpd50tHOGOakJnprWpgAHK-x_BnG2QzkbuoOWcZKLGVLbOwi-rgUHo8qyNFkWEyd42qe6Aa-BYhGYo92KnJ8rF5wX5_m94naFKFcGlHf5hyKgCf1aY/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOWINExrfrC2b6IaFoHbu1ZNEfDvpd50tHOGOakJnprWpgAHK-x_BnG2QzkbuoOWcZKLGVLbOwi-rgUHo8qyNFkWEyd42qe6Aa-BYhGYo92KnJ8rF5wX5_m94naFKFcGlHf5hyKgCf1aY/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+427.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Ceiba</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lU1bwrU9JCkQm7A0LobqpUzzynEjtSpfur_pAVOa9W0nnb4RIS9kOU-KEmKCiGjxJA1ZgeABPVL9fuZDIKSULqESdpMpKpk4suSCgHfeDKvpKqRnoqa5ShEZuMs5nS7vwJyVnafVGloF/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lU1bwrU9JCkQm7A0LobqpUzzynEjtSpfur_pAVOa9W0nnb4RIS9kOU-KEmKCiGjxJA1ZgeABPVL9fuZDIKSULqESdpMpKpk4suSCgHfeDKvpKqRnoqa5ShEZuMs5nS7vwJyVnafVGloF/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+441.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nests made by male Montezuma Oropendulas!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUPQKkiSQhBM2UhFTdEtIt1n4PEom33JIqOrALXm0IZL2x9KewM6hm3VeF2s7JVqzDfKWHbGurftMDd8a4uXMHh7eHN7KikGSoRbUoRvwXqMDJEZzlReZ2CKePtB3KfkJVIxtk-QbdUKC/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUPQKkiSQhBM2UhFTdEtIt1n4PEom33JIqOrALXm0IZL2x9KewM6hm3VeF2s7JVqzDfKWHbGurftMDd8a4uXMHh7eHN7KikGSoRbUoRvwXqMDJEZzlReZ2CKePtB3KfkJVIxtk-QbdUKC/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+449.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the astronomer's temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm35RXBpRjG0kHwvUga9R6j6zy7-ZgiQMpho4dWF0JkB1vFedbnycxsM5K6hBQwcNFBbIWvhuy-kJ8eMmzI6_CR0QIjItnPe7O3xljQrnU2ttK2dfo7N1OuN4dTQz-KB_TydRNZDksoN9Q/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm35RXBpRjG0kHwvUga9R6j6zy7-ZgiQMpho4dWF0JkB1vFedbnycxsM5K6hBQwcNFBbIWvhuy-kJ8eMmzI6_CR0QIjItnPe7O3xljQrnU2ttK2dfo7N1OuN4dTQz-KB_TydRNZDksoN9Q/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+471.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fire ant hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWOc-w6dHHCJnt-t9pI6rSQXhg0dbREIdw-__oMz4sjOctb4jd1ywecuXQKejOY9i3KZindn4DzGVjGAl6uNyPEExqjHI61N83WDWE2FvhohovOj3MTantrT-jgAjd_S140BvZVc_uuzt/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWOc-w6dHHCJnt-t9pI6rSQXhg0dbREIdw-__oMz4sjOctb4jd1ywecuXQKejOY9i3KZindn4DzGVjGAl6uNyPEExqjHI61N83WDWE2FvhohovOj3MTantrT-jgAjd_S140BvZVc_uuzt/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+475.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">archaeologists housing</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeOnMK0ZL28f_hlmU99d9kddAKlSPBrK0sS-1riXiCnQKZ1ubUWOP01qM9o-xx5Qs9XURNTBPdGCE0gRLPjiMSO06THjfL_KJfuolQ99u-kMSpSQ0Fa9RQKMFeel-p4qJs_uHUJ6OrUTX/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeOnMK0ZL28f_hlmU99d9kddAKlSPBrK0sS-1riXiCnQKZ1ubUWOP01qM9o-xx5Qs9XURNTBPdGCE0gRLPjiMSO06THjfL_KJfuolQ99u-kMSpSQ0Fa9RQKMFeel-p4qJs_uHUJ6OrUTX/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+481.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picnic table</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aj3gKZwqjJgFOdpBGGd1TL8_KwjhiNR-aU1A3H11vsCj3F2Vn79GuwNhmtssLXrltWpLBD2xjZc2JbAdo_CT7uUWBA2Iz_mOB08hkpjoQQtcjGj8DA0COXnckRKbYfUVGPKolfsQeERS/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aj3gKZwqjJgFOdpBGGd1TL8_KwjhiNR-aU1A3H11vsCj3F2Vn79GuwNhmtssLXrltWpLBD2xjZc2JbAdo_CT7uUWBA2Iz_mOB08hkpjoQQtcjGj8DA0COXnckRKbYfUVGPKolfsQeERS/s320/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+483.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lunchie! I was so hungry I accidentally ate with the serving fork. Freddie thought that was hilarious!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On the way back to the Inn we stopped by for a refreshing dip in the Rio On Pools, a series of cascades and pools in the Rio On. We had a grand time scrambling the rocks, slipping around on the moss-covered granite, and sitting at the bottom of the mini-cascades for a natural massage. There were even a couple of places that made natural water slides. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwCJdZn7LnZ7QvRQxxDZo0JgW19lEcd8MqwwRGEkndLNDllukCHSM9jGee4SWMpEAQaRTBRdV3K0FCbskCVia3_3i2H12dMwEKSh4CxBoudpH3TmsIKvXs1RTx3mxDYAxjcxquamxYGb9/s1600/Belize+-+undahwatah+stylez+062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwCJdZn7LnZ7QvRQxxDZo0JgW19lEcd8MqwwRGEkndLNDllukCHSM9jGee4SWMpEAQaRTBRdV3K0FCbskCVia3_3i2H12dMwEKSh4CxBoudpH3TmsIKvXs1RTx3mxDYAxjcxquamxYGb9/s320/Belize+-+undahwatah+stylez+062.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">playing in the falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7z7Myw7Oc2KS2yNSUblWuKJmi8aiDr2oeRoChczgTaWiYOEcir2zRvstC0iTtI1mEUu88TwUvsMq_pt_vU97Eg6fKGpJzz2lc4KxnlPAuRGWByrI8vwY-W90_sY8tNmItCTuWOwjMh0Tb/s1600/Belize+-+undahwatah+stylez+066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7z7Myw7Oc2KS2yNSUblWuKJmi8aiDr2oeRoChczgTaWiYOEcir2zRvstC0iTtI1mEUu88TwUvsMq_pt_vU97Eg6fKGpJzz2lc4KxnlPAuRGWByrI8vwY-W90_sY8tNmItCTuWOwjMh0Tb/s320/Belize+-+undahwatah+stylez+066.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ahhhh natural massage</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiCzEMyKiHVyLV3tBE12h0ncXX5ReZJ4zZ2CMpFZlGllADLfax6OXEro3BHpUJF2hYxtlLopou7PRyLl6GW5UTVSJQNLmXFg7nBeq0tcfopgwNd8BrI21g_Nb83lAbhkm07XWDVEXvwZY/s1600/Belize+-+undahwatah+stylez+068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiCzEMyKiHVyLV3tBE12h0ncXX5ReZJ4zZ2CMpFZlGllADLfax6OXEro3BHpUJF2hYxtlLopou7PRyLl6GW5UTVSJQNLmXFg7nBeq0tcfopgwNd8BrI21g_Nb83lAbhkm07XWDVEXvwZY/s320/Belize+-+undahwatah+stylez+068.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rio on pools</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_SfjaNn4qzu4O0kBxPNzJOooojKHNy44DfBLHpDs_JuCvFbr_bRUfk-rkdGsBWwoAqbOtMnZHV-Ad9gde-Fwny6mrGIb86U6-NutuSSajCXvhpa36R9Hg3FOthZDtSHNTOBkjaXkVyf9/s1600/Belize+-+undahwatah+stylez+071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_SfjaNn4qzu4O0kBxPNzJOooojKHNy44DfBLHpDs_JuCvFbr_bRUfk-rkdGsBWwoAqbOtMnZHV-Ad9gde-Fwny6mrGIb86U6-NutuSSajCXvhpa36R9Hg3FOthZDtSHNTOBkjaXkVyf9/s320/Belize+-+undahwatah+stylez+071.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">such fun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After swimming, we completed our trip by dropping off Greg & Kristen at the farm and heading back to Hidden Valley Inn. Once at the Inn, we were greeted by Misael from whom we obtained our key and told about our adventures. We went back to our room (exhausted!) and freshened up for dinner.<br />
<br />
We had a new server tonight, Tito. He was great and so was the food:<br />
<br />
1) Mediterrenian Salad and Garlic Rolls<br />
2) Shrimo Empenada with Garlic Mayo<br />
3) Rack of Lamb with Cabbage and Potato<br />
4) Fresh Tropical Fruit on a caramel-filled, whipped cream topped meringue.<br />
<br />
We also go to meet the chef. She came out and we sang her praise!<br />
<br />
After we finished dinner, we came back to the room. The plan was to change and go back out under the stars, but we were so tired! Instead, here we are: J is reading, I'm journaling, the crickets are chirping, and there is a baby gecko watching us from the cool tile floor.<br />
<br />
Did you know that geckos make noise? A chirping-ribbit-kissing sound?<br />
<br />
You learn something new every day :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-67102455576827934192011-07-19T21:41:00.000-07:002011-07-19T21:41:22.065-07:00Travel Tuesday Becomes......Travel Wednesday! Hold on to your hats, folks...will post about part 3 of Belize tomorrow. After my first two shifts in our new hospital building, I'm pooped!<br />
<br />
xoxo<br />
MegUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-2525838664566285192011-07-12T23:38:00.000-07:002011-07-12T23:39:13.854-07:00Travel Tuesday: Belize Part 2. Vanilla Comes From an OrchidOh man I bet you all have been just salivating for this next post, checking and checking to see if I'd forget....well have no fear it's 10:45pm so I have 1 hour and 15 minutes left and then it's no longer Travel Tuesday.<br />
<br />
Can I make an excuse for taking so long to write this? Jonathan and I spent the morning at his parents house loading up our new bed that they're giving us and taking his mom out to a birthday breakfast and then driving back to the house and then moving furniture around and then running errands preparing for our upcoming trip to Arizona for his good friend's wedding that he's in. We're busy, ok? ;)<br />
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So now I'm sitting in my new bed with the new sheets next to my new husband typing away about day 2 of our incredible honeymoon.<br />
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I think when we left off, we had just arrived at the inn, and I showed you some pictures, right?<br />
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OK so day 2...I'll just use Jonathan's words from our travel journal:<br />
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"0930: We woke up late to one of the staff members (Ofelia) knocking on our door and asking us if we would still like breakfast. We had found out yesterday that breakfast was from 7-9am and so I had set my alarm cell phone stylez for 8am. Unfortunately, it didn't go off or we somehow slept through it (unlikely) - but Ofelia was kind enough to come and get us so that we could have food in our tummies. Ps we encountered our first storm here in Belize last night. Meghan awoke to the rain beating on our room's tin roof and then woke me up so that we could look out side at the plants swaying in the torrential winds. Anyway, at breakfast, I ordered the Eggs Benidict with Streaky Bacon and Meghan requested the French Toast. Mine was good, but the French Toast was astounding - and we don't even tend to like French Toast.<br />
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(Inserted by Meghan after the fact): What made the French Toast amazing was that it was dusted with nutmeg, had a warm banana on top and a piece of bacon on top of the banana. Then it was drizzled with strawberry sauce. Mmmmm!<br />
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(Back to Jonathan's writing) It was one of those dishes that you expect to be the usual standard item, but that surprises you oh so pleasantly - just like the green beans at Bucca di Beppo back home.<br />
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So after our meal, we got ready to meet Uncle Mark's friend George, who was picking us up for a waterfall excursion. We applied a bunch of sunscreen/bug repellent and then waited in the lobby with our towels and hiking pack. George drove up in his big Jeep and greeted us warmly and with a sort of twinkle in his eye - which I didn't realize until later must have been his delight at knowing Meghan and I would have a great time today. George drove us down some narrow paths that crossed multiple rivers until we reached a dead end with a small walking trail branching from it. We got out as George hoisted a large pack onto his back explaining that his wife Melina had made us lunch and that we would have plenty to drink during our stay at the waterfall. <br />
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The path to Orchid Falls was beautiful and surrounded by a plethora of interesting flora; however once I could see the waterfall and the thatched hut/gazebo next to it, I knew that this would be a day to remember. We made it to the falls after navigating past some very slippery rocky spots made wet by the many springs feeding into the river. Then George gave us the lunch pack and a walkie-talkie, instructing us to call him when we were ready to be picked up. He sauntered off cheerfully, leaving us to enjoy ourselves at his family's private waterfall without anyone around for miles.<br />
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Meghan and I started by climbing to the top of Orchid Falls to take some photos. We followed that up with a jump off of the small dock/deck that was over the pool at the base of the falls. After fighting the current near the falls for a little while, we went back to the dock to grab a couple of beers, jumped back in and then rested on a rock shelf next to the waterfall to enjoy our beers. George had packed us some Belikin, which is the "Beer of Belize."<br />
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It was good, and after finishing the beer and having our toes nipped at by minnows, we went back to the gazebo, realizing that we were hungry. We set up our picnic lunch of curried chicken salad, black bean and corn salad with tortilla chips, buttered bread, white wine (a Chilean Chardonnay 2008), and some homemade snickerdoodles. It was all delicious, and afterward we rested in hammocks that were hanging inside the gazebo.<br />
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PS: we found a beautiful moth that doesn't move any more (aka the moth was dead) - I think we'll try and take it home with us.<br />
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So after relaxing for a spell, we took some more photos and then decided to go for another swim. Sadly it was getting close to dusk, so we packed up our things, radioed for George to come pick us up and trekked back along the trail to where George and the Jeep were waiting for us. He drove us to his house along some fire channels that had recently been made to combat a wild fire that had started because of some dry lightning. The burnt pines and underbrush were still marvelously picturesque in the fading orange sunlight as we drove up to the house, stopping to meet George's son Greg and Greg's girlfriend, Kristen. They seemed kind, and we are looking forward to our adventure with them tomorrow at Caracol (Mayan ruins).<br />
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George's wife Melina was sweet and amicable and their dog, Bella, was excited to meet us. After reviewing our plans for the week and chatting for a bit on the veranda, George drove us back to the Inn via the road that takes you past a lake that his father made by damning up the river. (Lake Lolly Folly...the most idyllic summer camp lake name you could imagine).<br />
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After showering, we weren't quite hungry so we took our books to the hotel lobby and I read some of J.D. Salinger's short story "Franny" while Meghan tried to identify the orchid she had seen in the wild by the falls. There is a book on the shelf in the lobby with numerous orchids drawn in it. We also learned that vanilla comes from and orchid. Anyway, dinner tonight was great. Four courses again:<br />
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*Black bean with lime soup (and rolls)<br />
*Tomato stuffed with pesto and mozarella (this was the first time I've eaten a whole tomato)<br />
*Sesame encrusted red snapper with potatoes<br />
*For dessert, Meghan chose chocolate ice cream and I got Banana Tres Leches Cake (I made the better decision, it was fantastic)<br />
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Needless to say, after dinner we were super stuffed, so we went to sit by the pool. There is an area there enclosed by a screen and elevated several feet above ground. Inside this structure there are chairs and hammocks but no lights, so in the darkness of the night with the gentle background lights of the inn, Meghan and I swayed in the hammocks listening to the jungle nightsong of the Pine Mountain Ridge in Belize. It is so relaxing. We went to be shortly after and set our alarms again in anticipation of our adventures tomorrow.<br />
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And so ended our amazing first full day in Belize. It set the bar very high - we will see what the rest of our adventure has in store.<br />
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Bring us that horizon, <br />
Jonathan<br />
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PS: we saw a firefly while we ate dinner. It was nice.<br />
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PPS: We used our underwater camera today at Orchid Falls!" <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the orchid I saw. but not the orchid that the falls is named after. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-82704390996005752152011-07-09T07:41:00.000-07:002011-07-09T07:41:25.650-07:00Marriage: Whodunnit?Ok people, we'd not been back from our honeymoon one full day, sorted our laundry <i>together</i> and watched each other clean out our pockets. So how did this happen??<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">that would be melted gum, covered in lint. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all over our dryer...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It only ruined one shirt, and it wasn't a shirt anyone was particularly fond of (phew!). Thankfully, there was no argument after it happened, only laughter and comments from each of us - "It must have been me! Oops!" I couldn't help but think that this is something that's more likely to happen when you have kids...so if we've already done gum in the dryer, what's to come when our family gets bigger?<br />
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We watched a plethora of you tube videos which offered all sorts of remedies, most notably "get a dryer sheet wet, stick it to the gum, and then run the dryer and the gum will transfer to the dryer sheet." I doubted that would work and decided to clean it just like I'd clean anything else in my house - with some baking soda and a rag, and lo and behold it worked like a charm. Took a bit of elbow grease, but our dryer is now gum free. Score one more for baking soda!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-3703825576286341652011-07-05T10:46:00.000-07:002011-07-05T10:47:01.829-07:00Travel Tuesday: Belize Part 1, getting thereWe survived! The wedding, I mean. Everything went off without a hitch (mostly) and we blasted off on our honeymoon to Belize. It was incredible. It would take FOREVER to blog about the entire trip in one entry, so I'm committed to writing about it every Tuesday until we've reached the end. And as the title of this post suggests, maybe I'll write about travel every Tuesday. It's a hope, not a promise.<br />
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Anyway!<br />
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Step 1: Get married <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mission accomplished</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Step 2: Get home at midnight. Wake up at 3 am...board an airplane<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm telling you. we were TIRED!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWA8-UVSrg468CZdCtNwUlliBu-fOSZZA789Vs6Vc18fzDdyN2Gq8wJEmO0sSbE2F185dW2j17NZDDUYxLUcarIM8nNy2sJOOckLonGjahm6Om4IC9-zxPmwGo-6eGwsFgePFIPlukZQz/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWA8-UVSrg468CZdCtNwUlliBu-fOSZZA789Vs6Vc18fzDdyN2Gq8wJEmO0sSbE2F185dW2j17NZDDUYxLUcarIM8nNy2sJOOckLonGjahm6Om4IC9-zxPmwGo-6eGwsFgePFIPlukZQz/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+027.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and so happy. It was worth it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Nw-6dHupm_aB3WOhTkaRPwlY-WZmC5ZNjbujx5kNapP1hbfDDTy2SM0GshJzLWASMaVvCZMMzDoefwg-bgnMctKOrj8e1WODd_zciiOofTDm_jlw7wyWBIFq52WORsUfaZmHKXZt2zal/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Nw-6dHupm_aB3WOhTkaRPwlY-WZmC5ZNjbujx5kNapP1hbfDDTy2SM0GshJzLWASMaVvCZMMzDoefwg-bgnMctKOrj8e1WODd_zciiOofTDm_jlw7wyWBIFq52WORsUfaZmHKXZt2zal/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+008.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Texas + Gulf of Mexico. My first time flying over water!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
We landed at 2:55 Belize time at the tiniest airport I've ever seen in my life.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTngssZbeDm3Z6iAvaShI2B15o5W_rQddr3hrAa25VTQhnrrYvIqB4bfb0znJ7OyP-1bJSyzSw09sWP7Cyk5iykRXjI3jSHbjXKULAt-S8blDhHod1LABUDkoaIRSR6jPFgRWfzDOBgYp/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTngssZbeDm3Z6iAvaShI2B15o5W_rQddr3hrAa25VTQhnrrYvIqB4bfb0znJ7OyP-1bJSyzSw09sWP7Cyk5iykRXjI3jSHbjXKULAt-S8blDhHod1LABUDkoaIRSR6jPFgRWfzDOBgYp/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+037.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this photo does not really show how tiny the airport was. just trust me on that one</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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We proceeded through immigration, baggage claim, and customs, all of which were housed in the same room. And then we headed outside to wait for our ride to Hidden Valley Inn.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLam6Byy9as3flt1Wy365LP-n-REnCu46eqVJTG-w8-KJuFkdmqgNBk_B0VXM_bCcJaU3KqMO4HJixHdYIDReEzE0fivb-T7UAwHTL3Kr5jFen798KeP5AqqwiIQvy_SX_8uXoZ4auegp/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLam6Byy9as3flt1Wy365LP-n-REnCu46eqVJTG-w8-KJuFkdmqgNBk_B0VXM_bCcJaU3KqMO4HJixHdYIDReEzE0fivb-T7UAwHTL3Kr5jFen798KeP5AqqwiIQvy_SX_8uXoZ4auegp/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+040.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tired but excited!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5cwbho8AAXW91HC1SCXcOEILd04ZfUlYlaE6F6UZLS0fXsOEZQ5htdD6BJTntVhZgr4R5GsTxztd_7j0XyXXOZZkDUgcxlYrEuQJkU_Pk_m52Sb08TT-BFyskfRh_MTzc778E1xs7p3h/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5cwbho8AAXW91HC1SCXcOEILd04ZfUlYlaE6F6UZLS0fXsOEZQ5htdD6BJTntVhZgr4R5GsTxztd_7j0XyXXOZZkDUgcxlYrEuQJkU_Pk_m52Sb08TT-BFyskfRh_MTzc778E1xs7p3h/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+041.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">behind this smile, my thoughts are: omg here we are in a foreign country where at least they speak English waiting for a stranger to pick us up and trust that he will take us to our hotel. this is a little scary but I'm embracing it as adventure!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The taxi drivers assured us that our van would be arriving soon. And it did. Rick picked us up, apologized for being a few minutes late, and was an excellent driver and tour guide as we traversed the bumpy Belizeian roads. He pointed out lots of interesting facts as we traveled through the countryside<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcqESMztyKRLiLQQb6tZdGqq8KTwojwz_0mqhTeF_FCJCDFUHIoIJrpq3r-34RgeRIN6Yvgpa9qeADfbvXCzBcPiasINVVs9e_tR9TNSZFPT9QGt4MZGqmSbWO3r0oH9VMkkgGwDAERKd/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcqESMztyKRLiLQQb6tZdGqq8KTwojwz_0mqhTeF_FCJCDFUHIoIJrpq3r-34RgeRIN6Yvgpa9qeADfbvXCzBcPiasINVVs9e_tR9TNSZFPT9QGt4MZGqmSbWO3r0oH9VMkkgGwDAERKd/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+043.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the van. no clue what river that is.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirpGuBIdLqA4RRK4Bt0aG_dOB2RXwmDSQ2q8Ws8rtE8nAoUQE3Cdyn4tZEekgOSwsOomcR_2V4yDkMMIR6r4Kbr_lGciB9VysiuO0IfuNWNt9WJem5-TAttU2IkHfCDlhz4kyS6f_0d8G/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirpGuBIdLqA4RRK4Bt0aG_dOB2RXwmDSQ2q8Ws8rtE8nAoUQE3Cdyn4tZEekgOSwsOomcR_2V4yDkMMIR6r4Kbr_lGciB9VysiuO0IfuNWNt9WJem5-TAttU2IkHfCDlhz4kyS6f_0d8G/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+044.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belize has 4 paved highways. This is one of them. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVMZMrqqzxtzxDD8uh96sUyrRuS61ueenzz0-n6GUhtrm4atAMStn87uh-ecO0f99BDlbeWCT_Df3L3qwHtw4Lt4L6YpGprq_XFyGUCpnap47MhEPms91BCT5J9iXxXESFV8s0iKHQJjE/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVMZMrqqzxtzxDD8uh96sUyrRuS61ueenzz0-n6GUhtrm4atAMStn87uh-ecO0f99BDlbeWCT_Df3L3qwHtw4Lt4L6YpGprq_XFyGUCpnap47MhEPms91BCT5J9iXxXESFV8s0iKHQJjE/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+048.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you make out the "sleeping giant"? </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_blTFmD4fA_Lsdss0Aog8G1tGQ3taUNQCBhgLzrPB2PncMqisoQRq-FhIsXcr1iPcXR2yz5hmNzcHxEvbUFJERhzXlKrRT5vPsonnxjfNrS-IwGu6EMDvInDBIJ-Qk8b9SeINIEwNfPAv/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+051+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_blTFmD4fA_Lsdss0Aog8G1tGQ3taUNQCBhgLzrPB2PncMqisoQRq-FhIsXcr1iPcXR2yz5hmNzcHxEvbUFJERhzXlKrRT5vPsonnxjfNrS-IwGu6EMDvInDBIJ-Qk8b9SeINIEwNfPAv/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+051+-+Copy.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">for those who can't afford a car (mainly its upkeep), there are horses. They also double as lawn mowers. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsD97XixIWZcTqPl1QAfGToA8bA227iQShU5kyYXijl4iEzDWKULTJ94nXadz-LKKx07zDHm6sfatpQoHlFyXPBex8dZVxCv7B0PYd6I9I2fdVBFT8bdDCCpm1yyrmbX-xiABTZkHy_gC9/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsD97XixIWZcTqPl1QAfGToA8bA227iQShU5kyYXijl4iEzDWKULTJ94nXadz-LKKx07zDHm6sfatpQoHlFyXPBex8dZVxCv7B0PYd6I9I2fdVBFT8bdDCCpm1yyrmbX-xiABTZkHy_gC9/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+052.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last few miles of the trip took just as long as the first many miles...due to the unpaved roads. These drivers are incredible. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Did you note how GREEN everything is?! The countryside is beautiful!! Belize is beautiful! We knew already that we were going to love this place.<br />
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By the way, this is where we're headed. See Belize City on the map? That's where our plane landed. We drove through Belmopan (the capital) and then turned off the highway onto that dirt road. <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleyinn.com/index.html">Hidden Valley Inn</a> is the little red square on the map. We pretty much drove from one side of the country to the other. It took about 2 1/2 hours. And I'm telling you, the dirt part took just as long as the paved part! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_2P5ntcL8b67rVN4iKpWXFKDNypuWq5Dld_kYRsPCh9zpD0lfXfggHABBsUL52KHZW2fI7RZvhoYUgY2Cq2Gb1PHHnAQGBpXbtqAgmLoIgDFshY43md9Bwm5sfOu49qQOiPiTaJy3cdn/s1600/HVI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_2P5ntcL8b67rVN4iKpWXFKDNypuWq5Dld_kYRsPCh9zpD0lfXfggHABBsUL52KHZW2fI7RZvhoYUgY2Cq2Gb1PHHnAQGBpXbtqAgmLoIgDFshY43md9Bwm5sfOu49qQOiPiTaJy3cdn/s320/HVI.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
After a looooong day of traveling (3 hours of sleep + 6 hours of flying with one layover + 2 1/2 hours of driving through a foreign and beautiful country) we made it to our first destination! Hidden Valley Inn, Mountain Pine Ridge, Cayo District. Let me tell you, this place is incredible. I included a link above to their website, and here are some of our pics from the inn.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaVRhpNPBvuK4EqfH0gpk_9CoYHjeUmWpLK6Qcjcn9H8vdytXpWrustcPHoYaZAr9ILJXaSt1yddNb6oULqEabUKTv3hEljsuuZdrc-g3-eac0zYi1NqBjnMsDuHm_OdHgWnkzPsffWLK/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaVRhpNPBvuK4EqfH0gpk_9CoYHjeUmWpLK6Qcjcn9H8vdytXpWrustcPHoYaZAr9ILJXaSt1yddNb6oULqEabUKTv3hEljsuuZdrc-g3-eac0zYi1NqBjnMsDuHm_OdHgWnkzPsffWLK/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+075.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the type of van we drove in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruCHZiNV9OdKCozk6UCFhuFhioeatznnDCHkwapqarGbVTOCZXtBcHqGIejZqb23THI94YuwnreSOvjMoKrNDBk_KbiRrD4sVBHzuaBDAq6szXl0Orr3AOg1ARP_pc-eAcpw4sp7EL3l5/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruCHZiNV9OdKCozk6UCFhuFhioeatznnDCHkwapqarGbVTOCZXtBcHqGIejZqb23THI94YuwnreSOvjMoKrNDBk_KbiRrD4sVBHzuaBDAq6szXl0Orr3AOg1ARP_pc-eAcpw4sp7EL3l5/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+074.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">front of the inn</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YGEqjCoE3AQM_V4ZYdrt8FsU1F2Lik7fPtbS59-KTKKYpPvPO2u2vYXAE38qgch7Zyu7EAXUleJ9O5JjpZMaqkwbQUC-c5BubUxij08hdgYb1dNRLkiT4XMbgEG3QuaYUKHRLu7oh0Ml/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YGEqjCoE3AQM_V4ZYdrt8FsU1F2Lik7fPtbS59-KTKKYpPvPO2u2vYXAE38qgch7Zyu7EAXUleJ9O5JjpZMaqkwbQUC-c5BubUxij08hdgYb1dNRLkiT4XMbgEG3QuaYUKHRLu7oh0Ml/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+072.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chillin in the lobby</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJmZow9C1SW2vxFkPVDqYdLTSw9G1McTHxPencKvByqLha8cl6OlmRctentmSgZhw9FLTEPwJgf8fz26kVOXNIm0G7K4LMXvsFD4iuxjH2bBfR78Vb2TIEyUCDlcXjHPbAvKLHDZz720v/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJmZow9C1SW2vxFkPVDqYdLTSw9G1McTHxPencKvByqLha8cl6OlmRctentmSgZhw9FLTEPwJgf8fz26kVOXNIm0G7K4LMXvsFD4iuxjH2bBfR78Vb2TIEyUCDlcXjHPbAvKLHDZz720v/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+070.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">back of the main building. on the right is the dining area, middle is the lobby, left is the kitchen</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbUpdjWCqHfhTetko6sreBOALK3RJQQYw-O3EjD0_ktfIRkb0MzdlwZO4BzExqgdVNguY4h6hEdnkwGfxp0VDikC8EkRXI7UuH0e4ZvK6hzZKcua5kdR9vi14YJxjn_xYHohw-iCOc0Kd/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbUpdjWCqHfhTetko6sreBOALK3RJQQYw-O3EjD0_ktfIRkb0MzdlwZO4BzExqgdVNguY4h6hEdnkwGfxp0VDikC8EkRXI7UuH0e4ZvK6hzZKcua5kdR9vi14YJxjn_xYHohw-iCOc0Kd/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+064.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">path to cottages</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIHBwL0FUPFTbPV6_LTo1IEBrzsSQc2flFgjazOsuxcJYal8-NJRusO3Y7LsAeyztWZXeXodqfb6Be-cM9QFK0vnojcf5GsZagFeqXEwO4Y7nM_Ie1ZG4GGMtKdvZaZ16E6LeOU2PLZ5m/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIHBwL0FUPFTbPV6_LTo1IEBrzsSQc2flFgjazOsuxcJYal8-NJRusO3Y7LsAeyztWZXeXodqfb6Be-cM9QFK0vnojcf5GsZagFeqXEwO4Y7nM_Ie1ZG4GGMtKdvZaZ16E6LeOU2PLZ5m/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+063.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cottages</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwosGXrqxeii_9T5DQOj_Cj4nF8rA7fGs-2k12TJUYI1JRdSLf3H63t7v3d-P10-Ob8ilu6n4wVdfZD-Bd41JLm8ctLPOXdDawaJoGxCheZNa7yT2hVB6j3hMHihevE8feC2kDr3jBJwD1/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwosGXrqxeii_9T5DQOj_Cj4nF8rA7fGs-2k12TJUYI1JRdSLf3H63t7v3d-P10-Ob8ilu6n4wVdfZD-Bd41JLm8ctLPOXdDawaJoGxCheZNa7yT2hVB6j3hMHihevE8feC2kDr3jBJwD1/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+055.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our cottage!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28-Q-aXWaDHp_4c6PwAuldD2hSLOY0m1hEavJkyIF3Bg_L_10XFWTYp6pINGsjnNZm-g8dvgedD7IQyoX1uOnQXYqfcumrdn_JpBdXlbMjZK1t7rqb7rKuC8LZq3Oo9DGs12V0mpXpTuQ/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28-Q-aXWaDHp_4c6PwAuldD2hSLOY0m1hEavJkyIF3Bg_L_10XFWTYp6pINGsjnNZm-g8dvgedD7IQyoX1uOnQXYqfcumrdn_JpBdXlbMjZK1t7rqb7rKuC8LZq3Oo9DGs12V0mpXpTuQ/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+056.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lucky number 12</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kUuj_BGVVohsQ4IWHrRu_gfqAR_QBqMy1QIOXevuUZLeu2ypswfAJFLaQr4PKJUPCQ4lxkuQWVIXNui35qI5a_jjNrZnKONtwaVEoIJ8Se9e7PAej3ZzLIFW1xadLmMD0P-AT-5nWrbR/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kUuj_BGVVohsQ4IWHrRu_gfqAR_QBqMy1QIOXevuUZLeu2ypswfAJFLaQr4PKJUPCQ4lxkuQWVIXNui35qI5a_jjNrZnKONtwaVEoIJ8Se9e7PAej3ZzLIFW1xadLmMD0P-AT-5nWrbR/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+058.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">comfy bed</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9d4A7M5j8vYmWw8mcjLwunGeMaklj9ZdZ5T8TWP-dbX2mKNSlyn2tcpJydTzaabsksGX4xGL5HnMDrFFUdVleg2ea1oTXQSY2pnpStHoPP_ANBLxoSW21WPiodudmADEywpFBtT5rNE0/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9d4A7M5j8vYmWw8mcjLwunGeMaklj9ZdZ5T8TWP-dbX2mKNSlyn2tcpJydTzaabsksGX4xGL5HnMDrFFUdVleg2ea1oTXQSY2pnpStHoPP_ANBLxoSW21WPiodudmADEywpFBtT5rNE0/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+059.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cozy room</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMyi_KfKxh1qtcxjKZbP98N9pYc1LwICyDfyR0eD_mglqBhGUK8VX7wDdoxE9LzStaWsdZq-JV5ojz8-S2VASQzMypRicMLYpQsE715qtMdM0Mg18IN_r7l-Jlugg8LIahAgww62OBTyg/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMyi_KfKxh1qtcxjKZbP98N9pYc1LwICyDfyR0eD_mglqBhGUK8VX7wDdoxE9LzStaWsdZq-JV5ojz8-S2VASQzMypRicMLYpQsE715qtMdM0Mg18IN_r7l-Jlugg8LIahAgww62OBTyg/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+060.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">typical bathroom</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Here's some of the flora we saw around the Inn:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2pNS2d2GLrLftco3lJeYDtPA5bFZwXa8903sWqxfadK0qohdkwhSSUORmIPS8WTS6Gt4x5kRFPyPNE4aFbsb5LFwcIFkSJXrjY_QJXXXzPsCalLLj45sQpV5rjpTwcAKXKn2aL2MwfWb/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2pNS2d2GLrLftco3lJeYDtPA5bFZwXa8903sWqxfadK0qohdkwhSSUORmIPS8WTS6Gt4x5kRFPyPNE4aFbsb5LFwcIFkSJXrjY_QJXXXzPsCalLLj45sQpV5rjpTwcAKXKn2aL2MwfWb/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+077.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaR1kfegdn9HlQ9pTSvQV24FAWg0TN-XFj7-YaHxahsr_-DXB9GPURueiNyhKaWDXiwU9wHst-CzMdVYQu2l8O9V8DXqszqrc8QGB2l16wutVaJhToZmideqNDE4VBJDzEIkk2uOPBt3v4/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaR1kfegdn9HlQ9pTSvQV24FAWg0TN-XFj7-YaHxahsr_-DXB9GPURueiNyhKaWDXiwU9wHst-CzMdVYQu2l8O9V8DXqszqrc8QGB2l16wutVaJhToZmideqNDE4VBJDzEIkk2uOPBt3v4/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+080.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkBEJMIaP-U5la2wat98HitT4KznoiuNhyphenhyphenNOFomBb1X45VphSicjJ5SE0c4U3IQl5IDZzdH89GuDznFMqR7-9yblUrI7sxh5vP111WoTlnk52KIp1Jih_Wo3xvoUjr-he2qPf345UGk-Z/s1600/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkBEJMIaP-U5la2wat98HitT4KznoiuNhyphenhyphenNOFomBb1X45VphSicjJ5SE0c4U3IQl5IDZzdH89GuDznFMqR7-9yblUrI7sxh5vP111WoTlnk52KIp1Jih_Wo3xvoUjr-he2qPf345UGk-Z/s200/Belize+Trip+aka+Honeymoon+078.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
And that, my friends, concludes our first day of being in Belize! It was a long journey (I should have taken a picture of my swollen ankles!!), but so worth it. <br />
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More to come!<br />
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xoxo<br />
MegUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-49385489174736274442011-05-19T11:46:00.000-07:002011-05-19T11:46:11.284-07:00Test Tube Burgers?I know I said I wasn't going to have any new posts until after the honeymoon, but I heard this news story on the radio today and was perplexed.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, NPR aired an interview of science writer Michael Specter, who wrote an article for The New Yorker about labs which are experimenting with in vitro meat. Using stem cell technology, scientists have come up with a new solution to the problems of world hunger and animal cruelty.<br />
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Cool, now somebody can patent animal flesh along with GMO seeds and salmon. Just fascinating. <br />
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<a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/05/18/136402034/burgers-from-a-lab-the-world-of-in-vitro-meat">Click here to listen to/read the article.</a><br />
<br />
<br />
In a world where much of the food products we consume originated in a lab, I'm almost not surprised that this is the next wave of food technology.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-38599989769503792172011-05-09T19:49:00.000-07:002011-05-19T11:35:04.636-07:00what's occupying my mindWith the wedding a month or so away, my mind is certainly more focused on the zillions of little projects I've committed myself to than on my garden or what I can whip up in the kitchen. In fact, my gas bill was at a record low last month because I hardly used my stove. I've been busy splitting our list of invitees into "yesses" and "no's" as I get reply cards back in the mail, being the guest of honor at a couple of bridal showers, putting together favors, finalizing details with vendors, applying for a marriage license, figuring out what song I want to walk down the aisle to, calling my parents often because I miss them, etc. etc. etc.<br />
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Usually when I have a lot on my mind I find solace in my garden. Not right now. What's the light at the end of the "omg there are a umpteen million things to do to finish planning this wedding" tunnel? My friends, it's planning the honeymoon (to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize">Belize</a>!!) And today, I put together a sample itinerary so I could make sure I budgeted the right amount of ka-ching. When it was all said and done, I was bursting at the seams with excitement. Allow me to share said travel plans....<br />
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Day 1: Arrive in Belize at 2:55pm. <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleyinn.com/">Hidden Valley Inn</a> to pick us up from the airport. Dinner at the Inn. Do a little exploring as daylight allows, settle in to our room. <br />
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Day 2: Free day. Unwind and rest from traveling, explore property some more if we want. <br />
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Day 3: Trip to Caracol (Mayan Ruins, still being excavated), Rio Frio Cave, Rio On Pools, and Hidden Valley Falls<br />
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Day 4: Day at Butterfly Falls (I'd like to see if the inn will let us do the romantic lunch thing here instead of at Secret Pools. They give you a picnic lunch and sparkling wine and the falls are yours for the day). <br />
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Day 5: San Ignacio (village with shopping and good food), Cahal Pech & Xunantuich (more Mayan ruins) and stop at the Mayan village of San Antonio on the way to or from. <br />
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Day 6: Breakfast at the Inn. Drive back to Belize City with stops at Belize Zoo, Caesar's Gift Shop, and Cheers for lunch (highly recommended by my uncle). Take the water taxi from Belize City to Ambergris Caye and arrive at <a href="http://ambergriscaye.com/cocotalbelize/index.html">Cocotal Inn</a>. <br />
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While we're on Ambergris, we'll have to explore the island to get food since our Inn doesn't have a restaurant. I imagine we'll have some meals on the north of the island and some meals in the main city of San Pedro. We can cook if we wish b/c our room has a kitchen, however I feel like we probably won't want to do much cooking! <br />
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Day 7: Relax, + 1/2 day snorkeling at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a protected reserve where we can see sea turtles, rays, grouper, and huge schools of fish.<br />
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Day 8: Full Day Trip of Snorkeling + Manatee Watch, lunch included<br />
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Day 9: Take the water taxi to Caye Caulker for lunch and spend some time exploring. <br />
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Day 10: Free Day. Relax, explore, mourn the end of our honeymoon, and take a Romantic Sunset Cruise. <br />
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Day 11: Head back to Belize City for our flight home. Sniffle!<br />
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Doesn't that sound miraculous?<br />
<br />
Back to the subject of gardening for one second. Dad, here is the proof that the tomatoes are flowering, and some other snapshots of recent garden additions:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp4pGbc-2V9Phqy2NrBGrYfKh4cFiauErSp6nw1MOux3IXaIqXVrG1qu1Ts_b3bjohA707DJCk8w16fmTrmUger9QDKPx5YVog56JIAcRNxtOXqt8JLEZvQzbxBCgxKcYx0SjTvqRVWbE/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp4pGbc-2V9Phqy2NrBGrYfKh4cFiauErSp6nw1MOux3IXaIqXVrG1qu1Ts_b3bjohA707DJCk8w16fmTrmUger9QDKPx5YVog56JIAcRNxtOXqt8JLEZvQzbxBCgxKcYx0SjTvqRVWbE/s320/016.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">brandywine tomato flowers look strange</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQcno4AzZnR2Q9Z2ybmlnEHpPyQ6qVoqsk9d2m9_Jx5-is6M9iWSKH6GkSI0WyPxUfwWdRs-IJ4PctRtOGdUtAODUW0puocRkhOHE-rJFII2dr2Vb_m_5JB2C9m-tgjKXiOU6pIxXmNON/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQcno4AzZnR2Q9Z2ybmlnEHpPyQ6qVoqsk9d2m9_Jx5-is6M9iWSKH6GkSI0WyPxUfwWdRs-IJ4PctRtOGdUtAODUW0puocRkhOHE-rJFII2dr2Vb_m_5JB2C9m-tgjKXiOU6pIxXmNON/s320/018.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cherry tomato flowers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yFFiTgCFPBwnOkbEJGrYaxxIpVU13SxuDbZJbg8jH3FnfmhFFDrzMYH9E7LREHubCo3u3JvOebl7A8olstGNeFv3hIFvcvePDt6A1hd37ksdxOms-1jUAFnurIBs4SzgZHDQWUDYLv3A/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yFFiTgCFPBwnOkbEJGrYaxxIpVU13SxuDbZJbg8jH3FnfmhFFDrzMYH9E7LREHubCo3u3JvOebl7A8olstGNeFv3hIFvcvePDt6A1hd37ksdxOms-1jUAFnurIBs4SzgZHDQWUDYLv3A/s320/020.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chard is getting bigger</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gjsA-8BFtLY9OdDPt1ZVyIn3-lhUyzq-XeDB7Jo-ZLZsj_GCSRmgrWKk91rPZHRA4HOpWrOAKHgFVmXp_kGSgaEju92Crrm-SskewzW6kUG9FJkBao7PJnKnyBrCL-dNhol5-4YHVU1Q/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gjsA-8BFtLY9OdDPt1ZVyIn3-lhUyzq-XeDB7Jo-ZLZsj_GCSRmgrWKk91rPZHRA4HOpWrOAKHgFVmXp_kGSgaEju92Crrm-SskewzW6kUG9FJkBao7PJnKnyBrCL-dNhol5-4YHVU1Q/s320/023.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hello. I am an okra sprout. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZ4ar5Bl6hEQGAmJir5J0eSKsZ-eaPlmtu9c8PfOJCaGL0L6AnbX-bPm_fo_bG2i0jf6M29mAuvpZfFEPpyiqIEmfqJ9ImXRAbVIpAG9U-TXwpGvoNsG2nauj3ihXZ9iM7uI41oGlSAWk/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZ4ar5Bl6hEQGAmJir5J0eSKsZ-eaPlmtu9c8PfOJCaGL0L6AnbX-bPm_fo_bG2i0jf6M29mAuvpZfFEPpyiqIEmfqJ9ImXRAbVIpAG9U-TXwpGvoNsG2nauj3ihXZ9iM7uI41oGlSAWk/s320/024.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...I planted too much basil in this pot. oops.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Alright folks. I'll be back with a full report from our tropical getaway. Off to finish wedding details, get married, and spend 10 days in honeymooning bliss. Don't expect any new posts until July.<br />
<br />
xoxo,<br />
<br />
MegUnknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-13048828350154153712011-04-21T22:01:00.000-07:002011-04-21T22:01:03.996-07:00invitations, tomatoes, and how do you prepare fava beans?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
This blog post has been a few weeks coming. I've been taking lots and lots of pictures of the general goings on around here, but you know.<br />
<br />
Ok. First I was really busy putting these in the mail. (Thank you to all who helped! It was really a group effort!) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhci93nWud3yzh3V9ItIIH6WnOoWZhoRdWcNbvy1xiIzhgy5uNQw1dOAjAMjSYT7yL2GLLVHyiHJSWR-qcIJC-mkURdcL-EEi8kcU2iG1_8rMuJxKTJ18t8aQcE7QLQ67n1kLNyDPHR-h3u/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhci93nWud3yzh3V9ItIIH6WnOoWZhoRdWcNbvy1xiIzhgy5uNQw1dOAjAMjSYT7yL2GLLVHyiHJSWR-qcIJC-mkURdcL-EEi8kcU2iG1_8rMuJxKTJ18t8aQcE7QLQ67n1kLNyDPHR-h3u/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then I got sick with a cold that had me sneezing for 4 days straight. It left me with the I-just-blew-my-nose-for-four-days-straight-mustache look. Cute.<br />
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And between the grand mailing-of-the-invitations and the catching a cold, I've been working a lot (at my job and in the garden) and taking lots of pictures. <br />
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A <a href="http://littleshiningstone.blogspot.com/2011/03/chickens-peas-and-seed-story-of-century.html">couple of posts ago</a> I alluded to a newspaper pot tutorial that I was going to put up here. Well, someday I'll get around to telling you all about how to make newspaper pots. But even if my tutorial never makes it up onto the internet, no one will ever go for want of knowing how to make a pot out of newspaper because there are a zillion other people who have put up tutorials on their blogs showing how it's done. So for now just google it.<br />
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In the meantime, I'll show you some photos of the tomato plants that have grown up out of our newspaper pots. I'm very pleased. They're almost the same size now as the starter tomatoes you can buy at the store. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3-rNyF0M7cuYOJQUt5SxVnyJKLp2-KcXuZf1pb6FMpCCacv2kZuPYvTO4UfqQ80uZ6Qfvq739Q6sNSB2_WDhT-ELq-bNDD0M8uGKIDHolc-1YFCpX95PDmmQBNAgxbVBmH2Bc0WKZbde/s1600/062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3-rNyF0M7cuYOJQUt5SxVnyJKLp2-KcXuZf1pb6FMpCCacv2kZuPYvTO4UfqQ80uZ6Qfvq739Q6sNSB2_WDhT-ELq-bNDD0M8uGKIDHolc-1YFCpX95PDmmQBNAgxbVBmH2Bc0WKZbde/s320/062.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry Tomato, mid-March. Just potted it. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPHveV4yoOmmDsqX4ffQQOVdCFkJ5pyH58dM4pN_xrlFlMCfrljyLkfyswdXVmVTl_0PjW3ulWD9XUAsLK1oXwqXQ2m_BBeEt8EazN7YV19vnOrMIU1el0nRmVowqhIUu7fjlroP6FkC1/s1600/069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPHveV4yoOmmDsqX4ffQQOVdCFkJ5pyH58dM4pN_xrlFlMCfrljyLkfyswdXVmVTl_0PjW3ulWD9XUAsLK1oXwqXQ2m_BBeEt8EazN7YV19vnOrMIU1el0nRmVowqhIUu7fjlroP6FkC1/s320/069.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Brandywine Tomatoes, mid-March. Note: They are in newspaper pots (circa January) in a box of homemade compost that my dad brought down for me as my compost pile is not yet...well...composted. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2yYMej5Me0ZB_qbljynHdZ2lenlJdZGbALzKXSzQ-RAN4kS6gbt-1xrQFNiKFQ8LjLXN4ZkFYDcik2URbnjUwyoDyL1KeAKby14EV-EGsjRTpd9GiTk3I1m9EOKEdHAsV-qQmcGNi5i-/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2yYMej5Me0ZB_qbljynHdZ2lenlJdZGbALzKXSzQ-RAN4kS6gbt-1xrQFNiKFQ8LjLXN4ZkFYDcik2URbnjUwyoDyL1KeAKby14EV-EGsjRTpd9GiTk3I1m9EOKEdHAsV-qQmcGNi5i-/s320/004.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry Tomato. The last photo made me think he wasn't going to make it. This looks more promising. mid-April.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0U3rZyPtk5SYuGiitOSviEjzzhdMAEj155Oy6PPCOETbfmSbctWxTOsCgqHlhgyNj-F0gqcQdbEt0Yc5CYJNLmZ4cdyQ_Wx8ktk9MmuRu0W5Nb85N-JwwChSFLWnQBonLXTAHM-OZw1j/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0U3rZyPtk5SYuGiitOSviEjzzhdMAEj155Oy6PPCOETbfmSbctWxTOsCgqHlhgyNj-F0gqcQdbEt0Yc5CYJNLmZ4cdyQ_Wx8ktk9MmuRu0W5Nb85N-JwwChSFLWnQBonLXTAHM-OZw1j/s320/006.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brandywine has taken off!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRM2feO9LctK-Bq3DxgnXSyPntg91zwLwoJjhRmLji1d4Q4UymE0nxvIZUQM2l4g7Gc1uuNRt-p9AQEbYzcKEgZR5T14KvjmZ6pE9vkV1RE6DNL1VMxYko-LsH9Xg-uxr4qSfELG2F7LiY/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRM2feO9LctK-Bq3DxgnXSyPntg91zwLwoJjhRmLji1d4Q4UymE0nxvIZUQM2l4g7Gc1uuNRt-p9AQEbYzcKEgZR5T14KvjmZ6pE9vkV1RE6DNL1VMxYko-LsH9Xg-uxr4qSfELG2F7LiY/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brandywines mid-April</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6XxakLZoqHMcM3FimgFukZshlVnsN2IqnMeMgAfVU4adORAiLjFO7Yq_qKb-rNveU82uy_EHMqHgOT8e6GWTUgBD3nlY8OAmnmPSlw7BhzSh5oBkVUjzPfmv-98JqVZI_gDUEXoFIwrd/s1600/094.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6XxakLZoqHMcM3FimgFukZshlVnsN2IqnMeMgAfVU4adORAiLjFO7Yq_qKb-rNveU82uy_EHMqHgOT8e6GWTUgBD3nlY8OAmnmPSlw7BhzSh5oBkVUjzPfmv-98JqVZI_gDUEXoFIwrd/s320/094.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry Tomato today. No longer being supported by the toothpick!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVs6NRsC1UzGZUXsV9cMS2-I9G4g83qCvZkR_LbNEyjVUqBxCKS2vWzAJaVFq8v-ib7m7TdbdMvaGt16OGEAF7N3GzH7nyG595r58duabN2NeO6rKO9NuVTx4qoJnxBohCRb5qnaq2PCt/s1600/091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVs6NRsC1UzGZUXsV9cMS2-I9G4g83qCvZkR_LbNEyjVUqBxCKS2vWzAJaVFq8v-ib7m7TdbdMvaGt16OGEAF7N3GzH7nyG595r58duabN2NeO6rKO9NuVTx4qoJnxBohCRb5qnaq2PCt/s320/091.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brandywine today. They've grown a lot in the past couple of weeks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2jH7WnTkCsHAIzVRGNdgOE7Yu4vmS8X8xN0QHbqQLFic1xl36gf293TWxC6mkW5Huw8r70TKE9Brqn0yAH5LLvMNNJ3Cmxr8MXUb8kUkSd5KyPqcbICGlTn5o_Lm1XObeeKoR5LBKE_I/s1600/097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2jH7WnTkCsHAIzVRGNdgOE7Yu4vmS8X8xN0QHbqQLFic1xl36gf293TWxC6mkW5Huw8r70TKE9Brqn0yAH5LLvMNNJ3Cmxr8MXUb8kUkSd5KyPqcbICGlTn5o_Lm1XObeeKoR5LBKE_I/s320/097.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These photos are especially for you, Dad. I hope you're reading! And I hope your tomatoes are growing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
So that's been fun, watching the tomato plants grow. Hopefully we get some delish fruit off of them. Homegrown tomatoes are the best.<br />
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I didn't bring my camera with me, but the bean plants at the community garden plot got tomato cages placed around them, too. Wait you didn't know about the bean plants?? Oh right, I haven't told you yet. I planted a zilllion beans at the<a href="http://littleshiningstone.blogspot.com/2010/11/we-christened-it.html"> minifarm</a>. In counting the ones that have sprouted, I think the tally is 16 black eyed pea plants, (hope we like black eyed peas...), something around 8 green bean plants, 2 "royalty purple pod beans" (sounds exotic) and 1 golden wax bean. The directions for the beans said to place structures for them to climb around on <i>before</i> planting them, but I was eager to get my seeds in the ground. Now that they've sprouted, I'm short on time (and creative energy) and thus chose the easiest bean jungle gym I could imagine constructing - tomato cages. Hopefully beans like tomato cages and my experiment doesn't turn into a disaster ha. <br />
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And while we're on the subject of beans, the fava beans are coming into their glory and I picked a gorgeous harvest today. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0J2-UrQRkSZJt3TM3rjHnB5r_3-Vi_aw2X5dEwvJ_g_Et3UWnv4lh5NzdyKvdVA47md_BHu8pf3svJOZpw9-Hrqpq1hcSS8HI4W8NdFe5wg3AUYUUfDnZDeKH0inHRdP0ypj6dwEqi1Uh/s1600/089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0J2-UrQRkSZJt3TM3rjHnB5r_3-Vi_aw2X5dEwvJ_g_Et3UWnv4lh5NzdyKvdVA47md_BHu8pf3svJOZpw9-Hrqpq1hcSS8HI4W8NdFe5wg3AUYUUfDnZDeKH0inHRdP0ypj6dwEqi1Uh/s320/089.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe someday I'll post a tutorial on how I made this little veggie bag. Suffice it to say it was easy. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
There are some peas in the mix as well. This is by far the biggest harvest I've had of homegrown goodies.<br />
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By the way, growing my own vegetables is getting to be addicting. <br />
<br />
Now...does anyone have any good fava bean recipes?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-74102340870759815362011-04-03T08:39:00.000-07:002011-04-03T08:39:28.353-07:00a sort of essay about the beauty I witnessed this morning.If ever I doubt that beauty can exist in Los Angeles, I stand corrected. Watching a morning unfold as I did today was astoundingly graceful and I can only hope to describe it true to form.<br />
<br />
I awoke this morning at 5:15 feeling rested and ready to start the day. This is probably due to the fact that I lumbered into bed at 9:30 last night, the weight of the last four days of constant going finally coming down on me. I slept like a log. It really was no surprise to me that at 5:15 I felt ready to go. I was hungry, but I ignored the grumbling in favor of a cozy bed and a library book and savored this extra time to do as I pleased. I'm currently reading "Prodigal Summer" by Barbara Kingsolver, the beginning of which is riddled with poetic descriptions of springtime beauty. As she described the different types of birdsong to be found in Appalachia, I realized that a symphony of chirping was beginning out my own window.<br />
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I decided to arise when the light through my window had brightened from little blue lines between the blinds to something warmer. It was 7:15. Two hours of relaxed reading bliss? Excellent. I walked to the second bedroom and peered through the curtains. I'm not sure what I expected to find as that window looks straight at my neighbor's stucco wall, but daylight was there, fresh and crisp, and in the sky there was a blanket of white and gray clouds. Fresh. Cozy.<br />
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I opened my front door and stood, looking through the screen. Birdsong now amplified, uninhibited by the sound barrier of the door. Washing over me. Beautiful. I opened my back door and stood on the landing. The morning is cool, fresh, alive. Still in my fuzzy robe and slippers, I padded out to check the seedlings. Tomatos: thriving. Lettuces: now have three leaves instead of two. Chard: far surpassing any of the chard I attempted to plant at the community garden. Hope that I have done something better the second time around? I walk a little farther, off of the cement and onto the little path I made with brick squares. I examined the buckwheat I planted, now sprouting everywhere, hoping it will improve the soil in my little dirt yard.<br />
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I'm startled by the sprinklers when they turn on; almost laugh out loud when I jump backwards in attempt to avoid getting wet. They interrupt my thoughts and they interrupt the peaceful sounds of the morning: the birdsong, the quiet hum of the highway, the occasional car. I realize that the sprinklers come on in sections, starting at the top of the yard, I am at the bottom. I think to myself that I've never actually watched them run before, and so this is good. Good to make sure they're all working, since at some point I'd like to plant vegetables in the dirt and it's nice to know that everything would be watered evenly. The buckwheat sprouts stand in contrast to the darkening ground, looking proud and green and prolific.<br />
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I turn my attention to my seedlings once more, leaky hose nozzle making me wonder if as much water is spilling onto the cement as is going into my watering can as I fill it. I water my seedlings, and as the buckwheat did they stand out against the darkened soil.<br />
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I head inside and turn my attention to breakfast, pulling leftover pancakes out of the refrigerator and heat them in the microwave. I remember that the blueberries I put in the pancakes were not so good, but I asked too much of them: I made blueberry lemonade with them twice and then not wanting to throw them away cooked them in pancake batter yesterday. They tasted mealy. I searched the cupboard for some homemade jam: I know there must be some in here somewhere, a Christmas gift from my aunt and uncle in New York. Aha! Behind the canned beans. Strawberry Jam, 2010. I find half of an avocado in the refrigerator and sprinkle some salt on it. I heat up water and make hot chocolate. I spread butter and jam on my pancakes. <br />
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Where to sit? I'm not through enjoying this morning, I decide. Besides, the kitchen table is covered with half-finished wedding invitations and the back door has a beautiful beam of light coming through it. The doorway it is. I really must invest in an outdoor table, as I've taken to eating more and more meals on my back step in the sunshine. I sit. I savor my breakfast (picking out the blueberries, apologizing to my taste buds and the berries that I tried to make their flavor last longer than it could), sip my cocoa, watch, and listen.<br />
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From my doorstep I can see the balconies of my neighbors. Not a one has stirred. I can see the top of the tree that grows in front of their house. It is in bloom. It is the same kind of tree that grows outside the kitchen of my parent's house, and the yellow blossoms have an intoxicatingly sweet smell. Something like jasmine or honeysuckle. A woodpecker drums away. A large black bird flies determined across the cloudy sky. A swallow alights from the sweet-smelling tree. An ant climbs among the fibers of my fuzzy blue bathrobe. The cool air bathes my face with the most gentle of breezes, almost like the morning is inhaling and exhaling around me. I get the feeling that I'm camping, except I'm here, eating breakfast on my back step, in a suburb of Los Angeles, and the freeway is within walking distance. <br />
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The morning has blossomed before me. I am glad I took the time to experience it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-3388060648797171572011-03-24T09:14:00.000-07:002011-03-24T09:15:37.535-07:00an alternative to coffeeOk so I love coffee. But I don't love coffee's after-affects, you know the palpitations, the increased nervousness...once I weaned myself off I realized that I'm a much less anxious person without all of the caffeine. But I missed the routine of drinking something warm and rich in the morning. Tea is too thin, and I tried Miso Soup (as touted by one of my favorite blogs <a href="http://www.rootsimple.com/search?q=miso">here</a>), but I have a sweet tooth and miso just didn't cut it. Although it is delicious and very good for you.<br />
<br />
So I've gotten into the habit of making hot chocolate every morning. Not from a mix, but from cocoa powder. It's delish! Here's my "recipe":<br />
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Fill a mug 1/2 way with just-boiled water.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQwGf_CdpbYwJqVwxmvez5hcIpfd_9rKorvDR6rciC8AFDdsluJFxZ067CY0F43w4cKDE2P6eRjx1ecfzIaYj8AY8yOvX-kunFc6ZaDa5ChdXm6zXo4Y0xW2nQcVqVQ_U1axqH540yhxL/s1600/tea+kettle+martha+stewart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQwGf_CdpbYwJqVwxmvez5hcIpfd_9rKorvDR6rciC8AFDdsluJFxZ067CY0F43w4cKDE2P6eRjx1ecfzIaYj8AY8yOvX-kunFc6ZaDa5ChdXm6zXo4Y0xW2nQcVqVQ_U1axqH540yhxL/s200/tea+kettle+martha+stewart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Put at least 1 1/2 heaping spoonfuls of cocoa powder into the mug. Stir well.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdGuOuQewvLfrOilhw9_sUzJKXy3Ez5njfUekYz3JdnHWtSi-PJX9SfGFQCjbZwaki-jY-j-i3iJyqcNLEYscKWmX7BrTCbh8n3aoQs60hzkloOiaEBoCrIvCjj7TTZt315miYPxpzOq1/s1600/cocoa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdGuOuQewvLfrOilhw9_sUzJKXy3Ez5njfUekYz3JdnHWtSi-PJX9SfGFQCjbZwaki-jY-j-i3iJyqcNLEYscKWmX7BrTCbh8n3aoQs60hzkloOiaEBoCrIvCjj7TTZt315miYPxpzOq1/s1600/cocoa.jpg" /></a></div>Add a squeeze of local honey.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEAHwgwA6KA59X5JY7dFZ4UkY5D8bWr6LkZwmbr5Uh65KLqXXwZ4nOkVXIgle91XdAeGry5n7QzKsa8YBk52ExFVBoN9QamUm8J732jCU4jvnI4vVo72M_yjcaMqNYhg-UsC8CLIcKxij/s1600/bare+bees+honey.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEAHwgwA6KA59X5JY7dFZ4UkY5D8bWr6LkZwmbr5Uh65KLqXXwZ4nOkVXIgle91XdAeGry5n7QzKsa8YBk52ExFVBoN9QamUm8J732jCU4jvnI4vVo72M_yjcaMqNYhg-UsC8CLIcKxij/s200/bare+bees+honey.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.barebeeshoney.com/">Bare Bees Honey in La Verne, CA</a><br />
Find 'em at your local farmer's market!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Fill the mug the rest of the way with milk. I've been using whole <a href="http://www.organicpastures.com/">raw milk</a> and have noticed none of my previously experienced lactose-related tummy troubles. For those of you afraid of raw milk - I've been drinking it for a few months now and have been perfectly healthy. This is purely anecdotal, but I'm pretty sure that one is more likely to get sick eating out at a fast food joint/restaurant than drinking raw milk from a reputable source. So try it! :) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-OV7fuIpDE2Zo8lOG0Nj6cXOY2CAXP9dfnsrz9P1c9gO8-nCSiI6Gtx1OKV2EAsGAiMUS4chq0qEGLUy3NnTX0pr0npbSieKiSZeWvafAZUVxkbPN5-7XPJdo7MtrRicawv184us9fZP/s1600/raw+milk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-OV7fuIpDE2Zo8lOG0Nj6cXOY2CAXP9dfnsrz9P1c9gO8-nCSiI6Gtx1OKV2EAsGAiMUS4chq0qEGLUy3NnTX0pr0npbSieKiSZeWvafAZUVxkbPN5-7XPJdo7MtrRicawv184us9fZP/s1600/raw+milk.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Haha and no, I was not paid to advertise for any of these companies. I just think they're great products and wanted to include some pictures! :) <br />
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Now go enjoy a cuppa hot cocoa!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-54866905531874880732011-03-07T09:47:00.000-08:002011-03-07T09:47:00.946-08:00Chickens, Peas, and The Seed Story of the Century.Um, ok for real? The last time I posted was January 24th?<br />
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It's certainly been a busy time - wedding plans are full steam ahead, and while I've been working in the garden and continuing to"live simply" I haven't been writing about it.<br />
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So, here's what's new.<br />
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First of all, and this is something I'm super excited about, our friends are in a chicken co-op and they had trouble finishing all of their eggs. We asked if we could split their share with them in exchange for helping to buy feed and clean the coop when it's their turn. It's so nice to have fresh eggs! I'd been looking for a source for a while, ever since the Sierra Madre Farmer's Market closed and I couldn't find anyone who sold fresh eggs :(<br />
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Honestly, I don't know what's more fun - opening the carton of multi-colored, multi-sized eggs every other week or visiting the chickens. I like holding them - they're (surprisingly) so soft! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyny7jy2Lj19aR1HAqAe7PC1rR6iCjbWNxaZq8vMHWvdw9-MRQU7PhDLqydOC493bU08aW8nfhY9Qz_J9Hjyo5WdDxF7QsGEj9CtZ3ST_Wy6rp3R_N85wy1KuykZeQhoRb2EWbh3nGEWFE/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyny7jy2Lj19aR1HAqAe7PC1rR6iCjbWNxaZq8vMHWvdw9-MRQU7PhDLqydOC493bU08aW8nfhY9Qz_J9Hjyo5WdDxF7QsGEj9CtZ3ST_Wy6rp3R_N85wy1KuykZeQhoRb2EWbh3nGEWFE/s320/photo-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">here I am with either Curry or Nugget and loving it. (photo by <a href="http://www.danielandmeganphotography.com/">Daniel Lundgren</a>)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So that's fun. I'm glad J and I are learning about the care and keeping of chickens in a second hand kind of way, as we've talked about having them someday. Now we have a glimpse of what we'd be getting ourselves into, especially since yesterday was coop cleaning day!<br />
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The community garden plot has been a <strike>disappointment</strike> learning experience. It's ironic that we nicknamed it the mini-farm because that's just what it is - full of mini radishes and mini-kale. Like barbie-sized lol. It's obvious that there are some nutrient deficiencies that we'll have to overcome. The peas and fava beans continue to do well. We've been harvesting peas for a couple of weeks now. No fava beans yet.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsRNJnGc6MzyiYGkVqV5_XVHDA-R548MB7MgKo5h2tlC6lU3VwVxw9tR3fREw43EFOm3QSE1P-qWaxesyzII-73vMaBMVsFMw5GXvXUthjlThFgKAd-ZMTH2B-tQWAt7cTS9l6uZP1jW_/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsRNJnGc6MzyiYGkVqV5_XVHDA-R548MB7MgKo5h2tlC6lU3VwVxw9tR3fREw43EFOm3QSE1P-qWaxesyzII-73vMaBMVsFMw5GXvXUthjlThFgKAd-ZMTH2B-tQWAt7cTS9l6uZP1jW_/s320/010.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pea harvest</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0SMc9AeB2Sklcej0I0ATRXypJxIByAT9xTJuIGeGB43VZ5v_6i2KL5XsVUwqIn7oOEz7An4f0yQRVzsHNwUm5jNCwJVvjRlZrgw0TxnUJgX-Z07y3BF5WApJuoVGQ4Bgadyd_I1XBw_1/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0SMc9AeB2Sklcej0I0ATRXypJxIByAT9xTJuIGeGB43VZ5v_6i2KL5XsVUwqIn7oOEz7An4f0yQRVzsHNwUm5jNCwJVvjRlZrgw0TxnUJgX-Z07y3BF5WApJuoVGQ4Bgadyd_I1XBw_1/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lettuce in a pot</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0Ly0b4hqxPVq9Ch86uw5GgeMnZyZDvQyoRrs0f5_ZnkbJS4R0x3CmEPgwfu7Ri6D6xe23UzXyGRIhIG3zkOuqUDUxErWF9Ty68nqNJ1KqGV6ssggsZg9l2Dk0G-8nyvt6TYf1ngvcXfD/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0Ly0b4hqxPVq9Ch86uw5GgeMnZyZDvQyoRrs0f5_ZnkbJS4R0x3CmEPgwfu7Ri6D6xe23UzXyGRIhIG3zkOuqUDUxErWF9Ty68nqNJ1KqGV6ssggsZg9l2Dk0G-8nyvt6TYf1ngvcXfD/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">slllooooowwww growing spinach in a pot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It's time to start thinking about summer crops. I don't know how much I'll be able to reasonably grow this year as the wedding's in June and I'll be super busy until then and taking off on a ten day honeymoon to Central America (yahoo!)<br />
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I'm still hopeful that I'll be able to devote some time to the garden. I've decided to grow only beans at the community garden plot as the soil seems to be nitrogen deficient and they'll a) tolerate it and b) help it, at least until I get some finished compost. Now that J and I are going to be able to stay in the house I currently live in, I'm not worried about "what if we have to live in an apartment without a balcony and the only dirt we'll really have is the dirt at church?!" Our current house has a little yard and even though most of it is shaded there's still some space we could use to grow some veggies. Yahoo!<br />
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I bought some herbs, beans, calendula, and peppers at the store the other day. There were other seeds I'd wanted to try (like eggplant) but couldn't find them at the store.<br />
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Then a miracle happened at this week's <a href="http://www.produceinthepark.com/">Produce in the Park</a>. As I was getting ready to take my chard and avocado and head home, a young man showed up with a 5 gallon bucket and a sheepish grin. He explained that he had bought a seed starting kit but no longer had any land to grow the veggies, so he decided to GIVE AWAY THE SEEDS at the produce exchange. Aaaah! It was a frenzy! He had at least 300 varieties of seeds - many of them rare and heirloom. (I told you it was a miracle!!) So now I have two varieties of eggplant, two more types of beans, okra, more peas, a couple of types of lettuce, black radishes (??), yucca (???), corn, amaranth, two types of onions, a belizian tomato, and cayenne pepper. No need to buy any more seeds this year!!! Thanks, buddy! Hopefully they take, and I can bring the harvest to the exchange and he can reap the benefit of his generosity!<br />
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There you have it; a snapshot of what's been going on in my world.<br />
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Stay tuned for a newspaper pot tutorial (featuring my dad and some baby tomatoes) coming soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-42060862411591198832011-01-24T20:15:00.000-08:002011-01-24T20:16:52.497-08:00spring's first promiseI practically skipped around the garden when I checked it after church on Sunday. Why? Because this was waiting for me there:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Fw68Sq41ubDTRYknoAjsBLDY_sgTQ_29PNW9UEiXhFkA5U4GTuBi6R6mS5PpoQE7fR4nVaAxDab3rtK0HWbY85nTpYBJ3gds81G6MQ_YguQetNlXyUhBmrKLOfDJ1UN4XswLVSrUvzaq/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Fw68Sq41ubDTRYknoAjsBLDY_sgTQ_29PNW9UEiXhFkA5U4GTuBi6R6mS5PpoQE7fR4nVaAxDab3rtK0HWbY85nTpYBJ3gds81G6MQ_YguQetNlXyUhBmrKLOfDJ1UN4XswLVSrUvzaq/s320/002.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">that my friends is a home grown pea pod!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMBTehj1bP-0fuLzpJknoq1tWTu1TRua0zWOdwkucBv3tIaMAuUV3xByK5yudVyG_tXwErjG_5GaA0Aw52AGY2pUD5i2FRuqfk0TdFOOiucNFxQORWEhMbIP1EhRbioMmwBvS9_szl03E/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMBTehj1bP-0fuLzpJknoq1tWTu1TRua0zWOdwkucBv3tIaMAuUV3xByK5yudVyG_tXwErjG_5GaA0Aw52AGY2pUD5i2FRuqfk0TdFOOiucNFxQORWEhMbIP1EhRbioMmwBvS9_szl03E/s320/003.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">favas are flowering</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Looks like we've done something right! We're well on our way to pulling something edible out of this first attempt at gardening. I hope they taste as good as I imagine! <br />
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<3<br />
MUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-31035048106428786292011-01-18T21:46:00.000-08:002011-01-19T21:25:16.560-08:00hanging in there.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5ODiShko7Vo5Fy279IlcWp8O7feNJFBMm3PTHIMgkD8cwk4kFmAu1bCSgt89eQKT8NV1NGsFFNOYeH27g8L_UPuWJUffIQmnDPGZti8oFvGNzQ5PglTid5YEZvDUTvwR6w8QSmF1jAEx/s1600/042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5ODiShko7Vo5Fy279IlcWp8O7feNJFBMm3PTHIMgkD8cwk4kFmAu1bCSgt89eQKT8NV1NGsFFNOYeH27g8L_UPuWJUffIQmnDPGZti8oFvGNzQ5PglTid5YEZvDUTvwR6w8QSmF1jAEx/s320/042.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
January 18th. Yikes! Our wedding is exactly five months away, and this date marks one month since my last post. Can I say I've been busy? December had Christmas, and so far January has been...you guessed it...wedding wedding wedding. Hence why I haven't updated the blog in so long!<br />
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While some days I feel like I'm truly "hanging in there," the title of today's post is really in reference to our little plot. Just before Christmas, I noticed that our seedlings were looking pretty sick. Examples:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kcEEtSWqdZmpnYex4r4cDfOXJo0wB77qVfOJOB115E1h80UMxxkcCMpUMLZzJ69qPMYRroveNzizrZrnSy2jqROoG8-qED1WWrnsjNaH38jvdY-kJ_mVo96Jxb_-1tI8xPKzgG7rhp8u/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kcEEtSWqdZmpnYex4r4cDfOXJo0wB77qVfOJOB115E1h80UMxxkcCMpUMLZzJ69qPMYRroveNzizrZrnSy2jqROoG8-qED1WWrnsjNaH38jvdY-kJ_mVo96Jxb_-1tI8xPKzgG7rhp8u/s320/034.JPG" width="179" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdXXXNL7ImBpKyWVRySXheUbarsVQskGSA2M4ONtY1kZ4FAiLMtW_16C2bdbion3M6_UxgP5us-VEdoOFUCvAXOGKDZGWbPhKURg99ATpWLtbV-EC3Pzi8w7iLfQFCxVbYgAIdbTl27s-/s1600/038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdXXXNL7ImBpKyWVRySXheUbarsVQskGSA2M4ONtY1kZ4FAiLMtW_16C2bdbion3M6_UxgP5us-VEdoOFUCvAXOGKDZGWbPhKURg99ATpWLtbV-EC3Pzi8w7iLfQFCxVbYgAIdbTl27s-/s320/038.JPG" width="179" /></a></div><br />
(poor babies!)<br />
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Thanks to some quick internet research, I learned that our seedlings were suffering from nutrient deficiency, most likely nitrogen. I posted some photos on <a href="http://downtoearthforums.com/forum.php">down to earth forums</a> and the community there agreed with my diagnosis.<br />
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Basically, J and I learned the hard way that healthy soil is the first step to healthy plants. The forum-goers offered all sorts of wonderful advice on organic fertilizers, and kindly pointed out that the bark mulch was robbing the soil of nitrogen as it decomposed (oh.). We were advised by a few to start over, after amending the soil, but being stubborn as I am I decided to fertilize like mad and hope for the best.<br />
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Step 1: Get back from being at your parent's house for Christmas, see that your planties are looking worse, rush to the garden center and buy whatever has the most nitrogen in it (bat guano), and use as directed.<br />
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Step 2: Visit the garden with your fiance, then rope him in to helping you pick the bark mulch out of the 24 square foot plot. Laugh a lot and realize that tedious chores are always more enjoyable when performed with a best buddy. Walk back home a little happier. <br />
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Step 3: Check out the garden section of your local Whole Foods, then realize (joy of joys!) that they sell worm castings. Tell yourself that you don't need to start a worm farm now that you know where to get the good stuff. Starting a regular compost bin will do. Buy the castings and mulch your plot with them.<br />
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Step 4: Be really really excited when your plants regain their color and show signs of producing something edible!!!!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dSMwvs5z99DSDD8KvLnE_X1skgI37HlNqdLm-WCjkmXxGb4-fR8-QGTo7jMc7bfALDzPyWeiiiD9Z80y8FSN6UMD9PIOukDe8cTrV3sT6xOYbjTXBibQq_3msdEPEGpKZ66GVce9c6G5/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dSMwvs5z99DSDD8KvLnE_X1skgI37HlNqdLm-WCjkmXxGb4-fR8-QGTo7jMc7bfALDzPyWeiiiD9Z80y8FSN6UMD9PIOukDe8cTrV3sT6xOYbjTXBibQq_3msdEPEGpKZ66GVce9c6G5/s320/032.JPG" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fava Flowers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPN90P4mVnD4gTjQ_u5j4-p84zYdduliy2BqjD0EZvzc-mEaMy5iXK7fzvC0Z3k0RCNHqznwoukXCC4elwp1fULsvpBtv9yv_U3bDIwdOdKRBqX0-ApDJE4WdkQvXWq0_-_8v0iH1xd5qC/s1600/048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPN90P4mVnD4gTjQ_u5j4-p84zYdduliy2BqjD0EZvzc-mEaMy5iXK7fzvC0Z3k0RCNHqznwoukXCC4elwp1fULsvpBtv9yv_U3bDIwdOdKRBqX0-ApDJE4WdkQvXWq0_-_8v0iH1xd5qC/s320/048.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like real kale</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHtMy87P8tYfP546pcOIxhY1u6EsgrOVC7IGb3waO9issdtsIz-aansWPDvhOqm7csW82vu7k4-XpBAqhl8YETHuF7apZeood8r-RfP22h2RYMCYUuUkSkegMis60GrvPjdt3ENJypZ-M/s1600/038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHtMy87P8tYfP546pcOIxhY1u6EsgrOVC7IGb3waO9issdtsIz-aansWPDvhOqm7csW82vu7k4-XpBAqhl8YETHuF7apZeood8r-RfP22h2RYMCYUuUkSkegMis60GrvPjdt3ENJypZ-M/s320/038.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swelling Radish</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-99Tmc6wjxZurfIdHdneA7CAEtZ36QhKj25WgFXzn70VIPjB_vvk2XawJxvy0m4cDH5NWroyPQZ5bE5JOfnZDYSPTnD5qDy7SzFavcs-PajdiYdLqPA7Rg-gBmUZXx4ytgHBiqjDmJuy/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-99Tmc6wjxZurfIdHdneA7CAEtZ36QhKj25WgFXzn70VIPjB_vvk2XawJxvy0m4cDH5NWroyPQZ5bE5JOfnZDYSPTnD5qDy7SzFavcs-PajdiYdLqPA7Rg-gBmUZXx4ytgHBiqjDmJuy/s320/035.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pea Flowers!</td></tr>
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So that's the story about how this nurse nursed her garden back to health. And in keeping with my ultimate credo that prevention is the best medicine, I've started a compost bin in my back yard for kitchen scraps and the like. I've even got a date to pick up manure to add to the bin from my buddies who have back yard chickens. The idea being that once these crops are done, the compost will be ready and I'll be able to add it to the plot just in time for summer planting (yum!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2te0d-4s1t4kdB5EHp7kWg0JB5kKwAizwN0gUwRYjyLq-s5OpyAt9mVZ_3rCYX3Ketc53A722KKQUOx5f1nrEe4eiu1G3wDolnP1qJ3c0N1jw_SY9kYyQiqqH7mMiM0d2NpqagA0ehZS/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2te0d-4s1t4kdB5EHp7kWg0JB5kKwAizwN0gUwRYjyLq-s5OpyAt9mVZ_3rCYX3Ketc53A722KKQUOx5f1nrEe4eiu1G3wDolnP1qJ3c0N1jw_SY9kYyQiqqH7mMiM0d2NpqagA0ehZS/s320/001.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bike basket brimming with palm fronds, after I rode around the neighborhood looking for "dry brown things" for my compost bin. I'm turning into a crazy person, I really am.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-4288348220403472212010-12-17T09:49:00.000-08:002010-12-17T09:49:39.974-08:00Kitchen Cosmetics: No-Poo Update, Deodorant, and MoisturizerIt's about time I post a little something about how I've been "greening up" my personal hygiene routine. While I enjoy the peace of mind that I'm not exposing myself to unnecessary chemicals, I especially like how economical these methods are.<br />
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First, a no-poo update. If you've been following along, you're well aware that I've given up shampoo and conditioner for the "no-poo" method of cleaning my hair. Read more about it <a href="http://littleshiningstone.blogspot.com/2010/08/vinegar-and-oil-and-baking-soda.html">here</a> and <a href="http://littleshiningstone.blogspot.com/2010/10/general-updates-and-goings-on-with.html">here.</a> I'm still going strong with that, and have even got a friend on the bandwagon with me. She shared similar frustrations with finding a shampoo/conditioner that didn't grease up and weigh down her hair but also didn't dry her scalp. If you're curious, go to the two links above as they describe how no-poo works. There are 2 things I do differently now: 1) I put a sachet of dried lavender into the bottle of vinegar which scented it and has helped soothe my itchy scalp and 2) I clean with baking soda and vinegar less often - I've got it down to once a week. Once your hair stops overproducing it's natural oil, you don't have to wash nearly as often. I still wash my bangs daily, however since they tend to get oily fast. I use soap for that (Dr. Bronner's Shikaki Soap, if you're really curious), so I guess I cheat a smidge :)<br />
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Next, deodorant. In this great less-chemicals-more-naturals lifestyle many of us are trying, deodorant/antiperspirant is one of the big bad guys. I won't go into detail about the chemicals in cosmetics, that's for website articles like <a href="http://www.naturalcosmeticnews.com/toxic-products/dangerous-chemicals-in-deodorant-antiperspirant-a-detailed-review-of-the-chemicals-research-avoidance-tips/">this</a>. Many of us have tried natural varieties of deodorant only to be disappointed by the fact that they don't really work. Enter: baking soda. It deodorizes trash cans, refrigerators, smelly shoes and yes, your armpits. It's quite simple, really. I put some baking soda in a small cosmetic jar (that used to hold some kind of facial cream). I put about 10 drops of lavender essential oil, screwed on the lid and shook it to mix in the oil. You can use whatever scent you like, or none at all. I tried applying the powder with a makeup brush, but that made a mess so now I get some powder on the brush, brush it onto my hand, and then apply with my hand to my underarms. Mess-free, keeps me stink-free (at least that's what J has assured me because I asked him a lot in the beginning!!), and best of all chemical-free. I've been going strong for about a month now, so I think this is a habit that is going to stick. (Not stink...hahahahaha)<br />
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Finally, moisturizer! I had such a hard time finding a facial moisturizer that worked well. I have combination skin, and I found that commercial products would either end up leaving my skin super oily or not moisturized enough. The better products I found were in the $30 range; not very economical. Then I read about using oil as a moisturizer. I was skeptical at first - oil would leave me oily, right? I bought coconut oil and jojoba oil at my local health food store and fell in love. Coconut oil is wonderful, smells delicious, and while it goes on greasy it absorbs quickly. In the summertime, I used it at night before going to bed but now I use it twice a day as the winter air is more drying. It works well for a facial and body moisturizer. Jojoba (pronounced "ho-hoba") oil is lighter and also absorbs quickly. I used it more often in the summer. Sometimes I'll put a bit on the ends of my hair if I notice they are dry. Coconut oil will become solid below 75 degrees, but have no fear, once you touch it the right amount will melt due to the heat from your finger. The jojoba oil has always stayed liquid. I've heard of people with very dry skin using olive oil as well, but I haven't tried it. <br />
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Have any of you tried these methods? What kitchen cosmetics have you found to be useful? This is a topic that really interests me, so I'm curious to know your opinions.<br />
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Blessings!<br />
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MUnknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-64368251604484382612010-12-10T15:42:00.000-08:002010-12-10T15:46:45.246-08:00look who decided to join the party!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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The parsnips have arrived! Hip Hip Hooray! Now the mini-farm is complete. Hopefully I continue to have a green thumb and each variety makes it to fruition.<br />
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Today I did the nasty (albeit necessary) task of thinning. This is what the damage looked like.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3Qzb1OrvYZ00RDWEwJmq1l9f1fygrYJJNW_0a1LO0DL0JHyjC025icCVcaYH_tyPbqx-2yJYya8hwoBJjwEjT6cvxOdvBe38LbPP1oH0iqew-8yA0N6mhXMY-jkuFHrWtN3RpyTvxB73/s1600/102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3Qzb1OrvYZ00RDWEwJmq1l9f1fygrYJJNW_0a1LO0DL0JHyjC025icCVcaYH_tyPbqx-2yJYya8hwoBJjwEjT6cvxOdvBe38LbPP1oH0iqew-8yA0N6mhXMY-jkuFHrWtN3RpyTvxB73/s320/102.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
That big pile in the front are the turnips. There were so many sprouts!! The stringy ones are leeks, and then there's kale, carrots, and broccoli. It seems like cruel and unusual punishment but if I really want to eat a turnip then I have to make room for growth. <br />
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In other news, something munched on this pea plant! Apparently it didn't like it because I didn't see any evidence of munching on any of the other peas. (phew)<br />
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A happy row of peas and favas. If all goes well we'll be quite well fed!<br />
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Snapped on the way to the garden. Proof that L.A. does have seasonal changes, however subtle. ;P<br />
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Happy weekend, all!<br />
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MUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-3610846990229583962010-12-05T16:43:00.000-08:002010-12-05T16:43:12.282-08:00lessons in patience, then joy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKG9mOYzrAxpzgKKy_LFb1IS2U-p3ouoWcs7MGq4qBpxeLaps9uL9a0pYAvYMVOZ6iTx7hkwDMX6ZTlXO0WT2UhchGCewBAIa55kQg5N6XF_FSsJepdAo1G6qc4oCMPxUdIsJkATEfsMp/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKG9mOYzrAxpzgKKy_LFb1IS2U-p3ouoWcs7MGq4qBpxeLaps9uL9a0pYAvYMVOZ6iTx7hkwDMX6ZTlXO0WT2UhchGCewBAIa55kQg5N6XF_FSsJepdAo1G6qc4oCMPxUdIsJkATEfsMp/s320/004.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made some "row" markers</td></tr>
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I'm learning that this whole growing your own food thing takes a lot of patience. And a lot of trust that what you plant in the ground will actually produce something edible! I've been checking on the mini-farm about every other day, and while there is progress it is slow going.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg832CwM4R1d83U895EURL-h04q0f1um-TbLZWh0w_kkl5-CRUJroLxx1gPkA6Oa0YHO8bVysF3gePblQnYBgY_Y-HimCLcKvk8-AL1OCzVzpewfQtuVWRRDEf0feChkWjua9e-CPsR6LOX/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg832CwM4R1d83U895EURL-h04q0f1um-TbLZWh0w_kkl5-CRUJroLxx1gPkA6Oa0YHO8bVysF3gePblQnYBgY_Y-HimCLcKvk8-AL1OCzVzpewfQtuVWRRDEf0feChkWjua9e-CPsR6LOX/s200/004.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pea 11/24</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFiXWlgKOx56fZZl0xqzzFeqEriFetOfHOP5uGqRe5VVw1mWDPL_R13JG5Fs5dr4OXtiiNlCpPLjezwUUnxt6XSLqB2maKNqEoFR3rs1l8hB0Fz9H5WIzrSqXOu-niYgp_mlsOgjwDquK/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFiXWlgKOx56fZZl0xqzzFeqEriFetOfHOP5uGqRe5VVw1mWDPL_R13JG5Fs5dr4OXtiiNlCpPLjezwUUnxt6XSLqB2maKNqEoFR3rs1l8hB0Fz9H5WIzrSqXOu-niYgp_mlsOgjwDquK/s200/026.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pea 11/ 29</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFiXWlgKOx56fZZl0xqzzFeqEriFetOfHOP5uGqRe5VVw1mWDPL_R13JG5Fs5dr4OXtiiNlCpPLjezwUUnxt6XSLqB2maKNqEoFR3rs1l8hB0Fz9H5WIzrSqXOu-niYgp_mlsOgjwDquK/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pea 12/5</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vG2Mn8ulA5lb1qPULBSA2lTB4XSRICTsj26hG_aOxQaE_J6Z4WDkcXSyQLm6fOiBb40hPASe0L1B1PqxBRU1oDnPOgFalXUG1oOvHbJ_2NjD_cxq7O_x8qA_do1qsImTptbOTOZoK6TQ/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vG2Mn8ulA5lb1qPULBSA2lTB4XSRICTsj26hG_aOxQaE_J6Z4WDkcXSyQLm6fOiBb40hPASe0L1B1PqxBRU1oDnPOgFalXUG1oOvHbJ_2NjD_cxq7O_x8qA_do1qsImTptbOTOZoK6TQ/s200/010.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pea Signage</td></tr>
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I'm sure this impatience is a symptom of living in a fast-paced society where anything I want is fairly easily within reach. If I wanted peas I could just go to the store and buy some. Why plant them myself and wait for them to grow? I mean, really; if I wanted soup I could just go to a restaurant and buy some. Why make it myself?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1K_J1tpiNua1Qp7U03MHsh8Ubtta0w7QdEoduhMfLYLtYwZ4R4ESOwOvCOlkUdECkT0I04SR1qzjZAg6pL_SosGCgI2Un2YZ1CbNI5oqLmFG3M_cr9vadZEkcg1lPhf4qTzR7WeFlHqg/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1K_J1tpiNua1Qp7U03MHsh8Ubtta0w7QdEoduhMfLYLtYwZ4R4ESOwOvCOlkUdECkT0I04SR1qzjZAg6pL_SosGCgI2Un2YZ1CbNI5oqLmFG3M_cr9vadZEkcg1lPhf4qTzR7WeFlHqg/s200/005.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turnips 11/24</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbE1VgSemLt8dlQRcYlNn38eZwiqWF0lrFoKOi-YRz8QCjdM6wYFpvzJfgvXWmPuBL47nxM25KaLjTNLIH99IYav4k0lr2A0yDHzvQgL5AUgT6FEgKJSWCk2gR_ddwJtbZN2m5vx2pWq7/s1600/054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbE1VgSemLt8dlQRcYlNn38eZwiqWF0lrFoKOi-YRz8QCjdM6wYFpvzJfgvXWmPuBL47nxM25KaLjTNLIH99IYav4k0lr2A0yDHzvQgL5AUgT6FEgKJSWCk2gR_ddwJtbZN2m5vx2pWq7/s200/054.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turnips 11/29</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAMZY_SFKXugtdweGDaEmmXm8Dnh6BKWnJlc0EjC-jpnaPmQbZbqhywIDZQdLuiVDyd772m83hy8rTwSNcojWVzMgcmoYHUDurp1bwh6ZB1a9OsHKJOBNJm3jAJ_qk0hPy9IJcKpw_xHr/s1600/085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAMZY_SFKXugtdweGDaEmmXm8Dnh6BKWnJlc0EjC-jpnaPmQbZbqhywIDZQdLuiVDyd772m83hy8rTwSNcojWVzMgcmoYHUDurp1bwh6ZB1a9OsHKJOBNJm3jAJ_qk0hPy9IJcKpw_xHr/s200/085.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turnips 12/5</td></tr>
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Why? Because the art of caring for oneself, of knowing how to nourish oneself from the ground up is becoming lost and I want to keep it alive. And I know that in learning to tend to the lives of the plants that will sustain us, I am learning how better to sustain myself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXTRsOQKUdkotipBptEaDQ_Zto-8sHV6hquSc5Oop4LwVSXCpxLK-6hv7IXZTGsyvUnvsFlLO1wr3dHyq1X3-TDXnKx09s_iCOQKLi7J5ZGtKEtq0qYhLTuPNk5Ykd7DJr05pFk4gyTVq/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXTRsOQKUdkotipBptEaDQ_Zto-8sHV6hquSc5Oop4LwVSXCpxLK-6hv7IXZTGsyvUnvsFlLO1wr3dHyq1X3-TDXnKx09s_iCOQKLi7J5ZGtKEtq0qYhLTuPNk5Ykd7DJr05pFk4gyTVq/s200/007.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broccoli 11/24</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0yGA-q45eVp2HN9nRYjLtRG1v3qvA6CVsCHLfT_k8VvmIXjD8qfEdXvghG1KHpy1Mefg9fXLx9AjaGX9xrGExLou6U8C8MzH_GmvcIpZqUuhCIHvMc2XO6bWX8KUa8CGy5zUXcbZZY0S/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0yGA-q45eVp2HN9nRYjLtRG1v3qvA6CVsCHLfT_k8VvmIXjD8qfEdXvghG1KHpy1Mefg9fXLx9AjaGX9xrGExLou6U8C8MzH_GmvcIpZqUuhCIHvMc2XO6bWX8KUa8CGy5zUXcbZZY0S/s200/034.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broccoli 11/29</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyPVrEZKDYAAuanHvkuBxT4bIpDGCkd50fV9WY84K-29Y2FRde-9XwWNXJsFr3P0wh-JkVhWwyQmJrG1oSaJaxJDj6LU3Q616FfUCVhE6QEo7NYlpf2FCF_u_N3T_hKJuIbiTRlBPXr1X/s1600/080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyPVrEZKDYAAuanHvkuBxT4bIpDGCkd50fV9WY84K-29Y2FRde-9XwWNXJsFr3P0wh-JkVhWwyQmJrG1oSaJaxJDj6LU3Q616FfUCVhE6QEo7NYlpf2FCF_u_N3T_hKJuIbiTRlBPXr1X/s200/080.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broccoli 12/5</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeOa96_udFbHGndmHTd_kXDxqd6dWBAEarCTQtP1RNrruIyvPPKy1RoH3v8EcdANyTbq8i5-HkQPaSBcpc8baPvHrdIaU4aS_kx69sVkwvDb0XDjYrk6DWbJ7mSGZH98VGdRDqS0mrb5i/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeOa96_udFbHGndmHTd_kXDxqd6dWBAEarCTQtP1RNrruIyvPPKy1RoH3v8EcdANyTbq8i5-HkQPaSBcpc8baPvHrdIaU4aS_kx69sVkwvDb0XDjYrk6DWbJ7mSGZH98VGdRDqS0mrb5i/s200/007.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broccoli Signage</td></tr>
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Besides being a place which will contribute to our physical sustenance, I am finding that the mini-farm is a restorative haven. I love visiting. My favorite part is listening to the ground absorb the water. It sort of snap-crackle-pops its way down to the roots of the little baby veggies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWrdQ1hv42Ei0npLbeNgGSyzVQHt-fEK8IbMiH7EpQegWoYJ8KeW0crqrp-zsdf7EtBnmYYyrfYWRm4FXDB83R62eIhHX-A1oimIHb970R6aMpPYVMJWo1PMyGbMHhaOHY1OS6TFiQWX0/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWrdQ1hv42Ei0npLbeNgGSyzVQHt-fEK8IbMiH7EpQegWoYJ8KeW0crqrp-zsdf7EtBnmYYyrfYWRm4FXDB83R62eIhHX-A1oimIHb970R6aMpPYVMJWo1PMyGbMHhaOHY1OS6TFiQWX0/s200/010.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Radish + Beet 11/24</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVlTNgXafTaPBenF_iZ_6KH_WWW-8UCVK9kaqRTtJQiENUQJ4JTO5lrfSBfHNQtsgI7sfHQNZRf9SXKSoND73lFvbEW3IZHVubW-Gy8g0vf5879oTIsrXL8kFBwCN02cw8Z7_9dY9IAEh/s1600/036.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVlTNgXafTaPBenF_iZ_6KH_WWW-8UCVK9kaqRTtJQiENUQJ4JTO5lrfSBfHNQtsgI7sfHQNZRf9SXKSoND73lFvbEW3IZHVubW-Gy8g0vf5879oTIsrXL8kFBwCN02cw8Z7_9dY9IAEh/s200/036.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beet + Radish 11/29</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV_msqzV-nPSwMJLSut4IpxNt3WgB5boyEXlGG8kBBqHphAQg_Ja0GILCx5FDcDyFE9dmi6SHdrVSi3jbBhj_CVytQz5bb03ugRSCOKvhXJxkZdjWTfK02bf_x1O_ctLW1Nrz1tjuCK3W/s1600/008.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggV_msqzV-nPSwMJLSut4IpxNt3WgB5boyEXlGG8kBBqHphAQg_Ja0GILCx5FDcDyFE9dmi6SHdrVSi3jbBhj_CVytQz5bb03ugRSCOKvhXJxkZdjWTfK02bf_x1O_ctLW1Nrz1tjuCK3W/s200/008.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuK2LkG2x75Oa1GIEf9zArNch0q3tQJDv4Cj9QCDBLLWIrPHPKlr-yRdza-QOr74fEaY3cnS0ow41UA-Lcf41paRQwFc7R_ETSeUlrAwVKie5hbrAf_A89YyU4nu_PH13vYVyHkgtWSqp/s1600/077.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuK2LkG2x75Oa1GIEf9zArNch0q3tQJDv4Cj9QCDBLLWIrPHPKlr-yRdza-QOr74fEaY3cnS0ow41UA-Lcf41paRQwFc7R_ETSeUlrAwVKie5hbrAf_A89YyU4nu_PH13vYVyHkgtWSqp/s200/077.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Radish 12/5</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0eVZfE0tut7ekgn1n53vxajEe9KK-K3OA5wMW5fVlYRgRAZY-fsbkHEdJ8ZhE_SjpZadzWCIJr_Etkf-9IdY47mB9AqN1G4tBSN5mMCeP1ld8npEJCup2fafkY5DVa6ZTkvlzg5ZldEbj/s1600/078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0eVZfE0tut7ekgn1n53vxajEe9KK-K3OA5wMW5fVlYRgRAZY-fsbkHEdJ8ZhE_SjpZadzWCIJr_Etkf-9IdY47mB9AqN1G4tBSN5mMCeP1ld8npEJCup2fafkY5DVa6ZTkvlzg5ZldEbj/s200/078.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beet 12/5</td></tr>
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As a nurse, I work three twelve-hour shifts a week. Sometimes I have to stop by and water on my way to work at about six am. On Friday I did just that, and knowing that I would be taking care of a patient who is dying I took an extra moment to thank the earth for giving life even when life is being lost. That act helped give me the perspective I needed to keep my attitude positive throughout the shift.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXThsG0bvK02zq3yigWQn9gsjK4yVYHtJYGAmiaGFz-w-GNy5KfaoSGVSyj7NuZDsJbTd9J8cNCW22X4-xSBvwCn74rZqFu7Xeht564FJdhpzLqOO6-99eeYdtD6Ea81EeYazzEQov2acu/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXThsG0bvK02zq3yigWQn9gsjK4yVYHtJYGAmiaGFz-w-GNy5KfaoSGVSyj7NuZDsJbTd9J8cNCW22X4-xSBvwCn74rZqFu7Xeht564FJdhpzLqOO6-99eeYdtD6Ea81EeYazzEQov2acu/s200/013.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrot 11/24</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYzbmuY-TFD5CEI3HuTYihc3VJ1spxcTqfgBgzMhptmYno_ZBjZx3GqtaAYvDiDjS-GRvS3zhjkviYjV74mnmba7x1v9GdA4y-9tqvkys05HEtVXDsS8-y5K7CTI-XLBG3cC3n8sfALGo/s1600/075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYzbmuY-TFD5CEI3HuTYihc3VJ1spxcTqfgBgzMhptmYno_ZBjZx3GqtaAYvDiDjS-GRvS3zhjkviYjV74mnmba7x1v9GdA4y-9tqvkys05HEtVXDsS8-y5K7CTI-XLBG3cC3n8sfALGo/s200/075.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrot 12/5</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSm1LHtfDzB9bdRk0fJXg380HsAnToP3-nfJkBEWjnTH0BqBLWT7lD2qaQv9HsRJnQwJcg2ReXpftJBNSMRxgQ8YBmbu8sthrmvIRNxsLCc9Sgd2r1ihvO6MfOYR3altiMPdDQ0Up0TmpP/s1600/042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSm1LHtfDzB9bdRk0fJXg380HsAnToP3-nfJkBEWjnTH0BqBLWT7lD2qaQv9HsRJnQwJcg2ReXpftJBNSMRxgQ8YBmbu8sthrmvIRNxsLCc9Sgd2r1ihvO6MfOYR3altiMPdDQ0Up0TmpP/s200/042.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrots 11/29</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRIGI23oOV-0ORucuMi3yZXa0jQdSq4wAw41DuA4QGnM1Qzf_s7fhyphenhyphenwzdXl2feHATHgKD_rw0fiUoE6JZ-DRTdCfDRDHaDReMk1AMvejQzctBHgsYaGB8taP_TZTkoQaBfLxOPrRXy2gM/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRIGI23oOV-0ORucuMi3yZXa0jQdSq4wAw41DuA4QGnM1Qzf_s7fhyphenhyphenwzdXl2feHATHgKD_rw0fiUoE6JZ-DRTdCfDRDHaDReMk1AMvejQzctBHgsYaGB8taP_TZTkoQaBfLxOPrRXy2gM/s200/006.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Another joy I've discovered is in sharing the garden with others. Today J and I watered the garden after church, and in doing so attracted some of the children. We showed them what plants we were growing, and they giggled with delight when the water "accidentally" squirted them. As we were about to leave, a couple of our friends asked how the garden was growing, and we eagerly led them back to the garden to show off its progress. It is fun to share the joy of new growth, a foretaste of the joy that will come in sharing the harvest.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-v3jKg9Y7E0YbtH_D4KAvv1bTOuo6fjJ9_e4zobs8kMW-2VRkKUO3Yjj6ZJKu3qpb0LbxzdYftoYC7lsptDZn_7IwVXMTe-iSp2exuXfO63HEM3Twn0B3nwvd0BDsW6t3kfJOrgbL15eY/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-v3jKg9Y7E0YbtH_D4KAvv1bTOuo6fjJ9_e4zobs8kMW-2VRkKUO3Yjj6ZJKu3qpb0LbxzdYftoYC7lsptDZn_7IwVXMTe-iSp2exuXfO63HEM3Twn0B3nwvd0BDsW6t3kfJOrgbL15eY/s200/005.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCQrjpE4IAaoqqPL2ygstuBL5Xw_IKrL7qPid5dZQzYT1nk3pmVFbPBchCX0pER_10uqkwr16NyDxfUEEaO1-2l0ZZfpHBFGBXsFoXBoqz_dSA-MZj9icJ0uXlGAuFJVdU0b0YSM07Mdr/s1600/043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCQrjpE4IAaoqqPL2ygstuBL5Xw_IKrL7qPid5dZQzYT1nk3pmVFbPBchCX0pER_10uqkwr16NyDxfUEEaO1-2l0ZZfpHBFGBXsFoXBoqz_dSA-MZj9icJ0uXlGAuFJVdU0b0YSM07Mdr/s200/043.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leek 11/29</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdde1zktOtaILixmylqDrq8q6iokHq1el2uHFkDg1ZGGGgYZUvBMJfV_kkjoCZ5CmEHri6WIkXgJP1-GZl8HOejDHc6pdpa_AXr4Uo7J-yT4DVllmQkHn34ffOyZqPOFEl0F0iH5hLkVEN/s1600/074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdde1zktOtaILixmylqDrq8q6iokHq1el2uHFkDg1ZGGGgYZUvBMJfV_kkjoCZ5CmEHri6WIkXgJP1-GZl8HOejDHc6pdpa_AXr4Uo7J-yT4DVllmQkHn34ffOyZqPOFEl0F0iH5hLkVEN/s200/074.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leek 12/5</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Except for the parsnips, everything we have planted has begun to sprout! The chard and kale look a lot like the beets and broccoli, respectively.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD4QEmVIBZQIzF6wuXb1TYYA7EpwBe-k10iaTTZ7SHKFEyfJwnGG7NSAI5kA97Db9vJ7gJ2_aF9kARiLEIqNHb997DPAKGtLWz0mTkBWZees_iv4a_pVU4CILcXJhbYkQxo9VePmtf2GG/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD4QEmVIBZQIzF6wuXb1TYYA7EpwBe-k10iaTTZ7SHKFEyfJwnGG7NSAI5kA97Db9vJ7gJ2_aF9kARiLEIqNHb997DPAKGtLWz0mTkBWZees_iv4a_pVU4CILcXJhbYkQxo9VePmtf2GG/s200/016.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chard 11/24</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEGYSmFBFSV6DWkVbapj0DLLQcEs6RlTbUb0b4HBq9Lnm89LObmJuy2rvPDuuiVQeRezmj5RXNDfX9cy7qYSrLL7pv80FIJ2OGlLZX-0llgXOJuoIHY6z6Y0LOtOKx3loHxyNBdHt-u8C/s1600/048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEGYSmFBFSV6DWkVbapj0DLLQcEs6RlTbUb0b4HBq9Lnm89LObmJuy2rvPDuuiVQeRezmj5RXNDfX9cy7qYSrLL7pv80FIJ2OGlLZX-0llgXOJuoIHY6z6Y0LOtOKx3loHxyNBdHt-u8C/s200/048.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chard 11/29</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHrANTlxoAte9iAwTowggat9f9yBtlXANRRmZq8O27bR2pFBadKLnnLFIX_u5wQidYO-8VnGbn8t1Qhj8NyqNk7H1aWiekbNitV_Vmeandj6JJflf11E7FkYG5WwilnFyfZR_85Wc6ji7/s1600/087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHrANTlxoAte9iAwTowggat9f9yBtlXANRRmZq8O27bR2pFBadKLnnLFIX_u5wQidYO-8VnGbn8t1Qhj8NyqNk7H1aWiekbNitV_Vmeandj6JJflf11E7FkYG5WwilnFyfZR_85Wc6ji7/s200/087.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chard 12/5</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvHHNv5OxWnEuz-gTU1RLfQlKsb80Udwpmfbb4Az5su7Fbt8BkzanH0RyM-jGvGWivrKshwpEypXJjgk_Xxrk_LD3M-Rkl9qwU12QkjYqrsRfRAfdO35BoyyaE9FE99320nXYxY95Cur2/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvHHNv5OxWnEuz-gTU1RLfQlKsb80Udwpmfbb4Az5su7Fbt8BkzanH0RyM-jGvGWivrKshwpEypXJjgk_Xxrk_LD3M-Rkl9qwU12QkjYqrsRfRAfdO35BoyyaE9FE99320nXYxY95Cur2/s200/015.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kale 11/24</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgVYorFPXNPOT9rIPd7DHbN5qJ2s926hOQetZVDRKvLR_raM_TljxTfmmhGH2TTHJa9KeVaE9AE4AUQKh3y2xrYfkNXsehHGEj0AKE6QQ2osdMRStpM3ExdvfekM_sEfVaBXAuq9wm0Uv/s1600/086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgVYorFPXNPOT9rIPd7DHbN5qJ2s926hOQetZVDRKvLR_raM_TljxTfmmhGH2TTHJa9KeVaE9AE4AUQKh3y2xrYfkNXsehHGEj0AKE6QQ2osdMRStpM3ExdvfekM_sEfVaBXAuq9wm0Uv/s200/086.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kale 12/5</td></tr>
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I've saved the best for last; my favorite are the fava beans!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSepTW147ePSChDYMPjdgssTVJAuCo4tVmuyv8Vp4Odu8cwyt3zz0ciQWxA9Uy9z5V_KX65LdNA-qoQdMzquatVAQIFDjjph6px5qwXGRoa1zbmBU5OpICsdLnYl1CMuPXB7BFwKvsz6BE/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSepTW147ePSChDYMPjdgssTVJAuCo4tVmuyv8Vp4Odu8cwyt3zz0ciQWxA9Uy9z5V_KX65LdNA-qoQdMzquatVAQIFDjjph6px5qwXGRoa1zbmBU5OpICsdLnYl1CMuPXB7BFwKvsz6BE/s200/011.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2H1bla-GAUVx9YY-_U9rPov_PIC_520oiz3DiB41NMjojkD22ToTeA3o7fAwQhnea4nG5UDok8nlUowBZpacfEnWxZlWZzsXhCRT0OzQiM62OuOFnDW733HlMHfGT5T5rYnyPKY6rbsl/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2H1bla-GAUVx9YY-_U9rPov_PIC_520oiz3DiB41NMjojkD22ToTeA3o7fAwQhnea4nG5UDok8nlUowBZpacfEnWxZlWZzsXhCRT0OzQiM62OuOFnDW733HlMHfGT5T5rYnyPKY6rbsl/s200/030.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fava 11/29</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXIEaXO3C8ylAJMkKraPAauhukuTdOvBSC3YmhYm-H3DB0bTgZ7sByLybaUSIuZmBnBc4uI4voUJVrcCVRc9zvd32nNd49D-Q6OuoZI2MGCA9D4cJC2AmmiKuETl9rpnJ-5Yk2TFwwewl/s1600/082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXIEaXO3C8ylAJMkKraPAauhukuTdOvBSC3YmhYm-H3DB0bTgZ7sByLybaUSIuZmBnBc4uI4voUJVrcCVRc9zvd32nNd49D-Q6OuoZI2MGCA9D4cJC2AmmiKuETl9rpnJ-5Yk2TFwwewl/s200/082.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fava 12/5</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Waiting for the crops to grow is an exercise in patience, but there is joy to be found within the process.<br />
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What are you waiting for? How can you find joy in the space that is created by waiting? <br />
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Blessings,<br />
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MUnknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-83058730293166114032010-12-01T09:24:00.000-08:002010-12-01T09:26:47.102-08:00I'm glued.I've recently joined a forum called "<a href="http://downtoearthforums.com/forum.php">Down To Earth Forums</a>." It's a space where do-it-yourself-ers gather and talk about all sorts of things like growing your own food, raising livestock, making your own chemical-free cleaners, making your own soap, crafting, cooking, etc. It's basically home ec for those of us who are too young to have had it in school! It's a great place to ask questions - example: when my radishes didn't seem to be growing, I made a post on the forum and got some much-needed advice. (Namely, thin your radishes even though it seems like cruel punishment and give it time).<br />
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Anyway...I've titled this post "I'm glued" because yes, I am glued to Down To Earth Forums, and thanks to a post someone put up I'm glued to this mini-series documentary called Victorian Farm and that's why I haven't blogged about The Minifarm in a week or so even though there is plenty to write about. I've spent every spare moment watching this show on youtube.<br />
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Here's the first 10 minutes so you can be hooked too:<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/msw6jWhJocw?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/msw6jWhJocw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-30126712475634135592010-11-21T19:10:00.000-08:002010-11-21T19:12:46.991-08:00radishing radishes.I know, I know. All of my attention has been focused on The Mini-Farm. So much so that you thought I'd forgotten my humble radish and carrot plot right outside my own front door. Not so! I've been checking on it almost daily (and watering as often).<br />
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Here's what I've found:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbnGSNDSjfc-SP162ikD1D-6LGb7bLe5s_Xe7axIOpKZm3Tbe4uOo5X1Z3Dv4SUF54PjJj7cpELvwF9ofxR_k1g5F0gMDFr_PO0X-OgOyn6zlcryEmenyYC7_cha6H_Bot7inxLUCMMMo/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbnGSNDSjfc-SP162ikD1D-6LGb7bLe5s_Xe7axIOpKZm3Tbe4uOo5X1Z3Dv4SUF54PjJj7cpELvwF9ofxR_k1g5F0gMDFr_PO0X-OgOyn6zlcryEmenyYC7_cha6H_Bot7inxLUCMMMo/s320/018.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">radish poster child. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'd say this one is almost ready to be picked! It is also the</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> most normal looking radish of them all; the rest of the stems are long and horizontal to the soil as they reach for the sun. Even growing sideways, they are beginning to swell!</span></span><br />
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</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070254646201515429.post-69308584714577442262010-11-20T10:37:00.000-08:002010-11-20T10:37:36.783-08:00We christened it...(by "it" I mean our little plot in the community garden)...J&M's Mini-Farm. Or The Mini-Farm for short. Yahoo!<br />
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J and I began work on our plot 6 days ago. Here is a chronicle of the events:<br />
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Step 1: Bought all of the seeds and took hours planning where each plant should go. See my <a href="http://littleshiningstone.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-bought-seeds.html">last post</a> for all of the details.<br />
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Step 2: Measure and mark off the the 1 foot by 1 foot squares using stakes and twine.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1_JTM4UzXn56fN95gjJpyTWwRuLrZtOiTzZ_5AsCwZBcmbRRFz5ckvVencAC5p_xPZAyOKkVb3-3nlBkbPKOPQsatXJ7HVFFUiJj93v7EnLJfgXQaG4fTItSd2p0KGbmRmxlWJpH9WHR/s1600/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1_JTM4UzXn56fN95gjJpyTWwRuLrZtOiTzZ_5AsCwZBcmbRRFz5ckvVencAC5p_xPZAyOKkVb3-3nlBkbPKOPQsatXJ7HVFFUiJj93v7EnLJfgXQaG4fTItSd2p0KGbmRmxlWJpH9WHR/s320/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">J tying twine to a stake </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuD0Nsn8l1LoHIpwZdrQ62WMFmRqmEQugB47341xzLUOBJYrJ1vXr_NnSKcKLPSFQ-ghfrtK21T7GIKrwjqF0HIM4vujcthkj9c8o2tWBPzFTn6g6veYHN5gET6Or2ujPQo7n9dMsapiq/s1600/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuD0Nsn8l1LoHIpwZdrQ62WMFmRqmEQugB47341xzLUOBJYrJ1vXr_NnSKcKLPSFQ-ghfrtK21T7GIKrwjqF0HIM4vujcthkj9c8o2tWBPzFTn6g6veYHN5gET6Or2ujPQo7n9dMsapiq/s320/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The grid takes shape</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>Step 3: Study the "map" and start planting!<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVBuKbFNaJncPZDWDuw0bngAwesIt-g10k4lR9NqhXGPk6RMb0Cc4zXNKGto3ROFOECS0tmTukpCzhcJVPaPxO4BPWlgNVFVyOgQstdfbnnO0HW0CO6e2W7ooCfYI-XDmBDI2tEShvnDH/s1600/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVBuKbFNaJncPZDWDuw0bngAwesIt-g10k4lR9NqhXGPk6RMb0Cc4zXNKGto3ROFOECS0tmTukpCzhcJVPaPxO4BPWlgNVFVyOgQstdfbnnO0HW0CO6e2W7ooCfYI-XDmBDI2tEShvnDH/s400/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+008.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">The map. A little hard to read, but you can sort of see that I have a place for each crop and how many of each crop can grow in a square foot. The map is based on the websites I shared with you in my last post. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Step 4: Get really bummed because I forgot that some of the seeds had to be soaked overnight before going into the ground. Hence the beans, peas, beets (much to J's disappointment), chard, and parsnips had to sit out planting day. Boo! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Step 5: Shrug it off and plant the rest of the crops. Leeks, carrots, kale, broccoli </span> </span>and turnips are in the ground! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Step 6: Water, water, water. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt111wYrDW7NGYFZb3cxyDhSsfT4ziI7lOzxhxDDzcjk88qMRMISFKWFVDzPpj7TR6NtJRKefZsEC-WjBRTHIk4rJxBhZaw8wE5DqNETzdkgqPjjNmSnDrFnMUCzQu3tdVs3q36z58w0jh/s1600/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt111wYrDW7NGYFZb3cxyDhSsfT4ziI7lOzxhxDDzcjk88qMRMISFKWFVDzPpj7TR6NtJRKefZsEC-WjBRTHIk4rJxBhZaw8wE5DqNETzdkgqPjjNmSnDrFnMUCzQu3tdVs3q36z58w0jh/s320/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+015.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">a watering pro</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Step 7: Go home. Place the beans, peas, beets, chard, and parsnips in ramekins of water and let soak.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GlQQLpFvkdobVfAZ0y4v9D6nJ6BQ6Ma_zkQm7S-TVVK31bFZJ72bm-V3KS3eLtBPsihmQf0kCD0N6UF-G71EwbAuTxT-LlG3WeiqsA2AiCcHfb-zfAFmt-O3Y-3NytOAxb0A6ewK98mY/s1600/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GlQQLpFvkdobVfAZ0y4v9D6nJ6BQ6Ma_zkQm7S-TVVK31bFZJ72bm-V3KS3eLtBPsihmQf0kCD0N6UF-G71EwbAuTxT-LlG3WeiqsA2AiCcHfb-zfAFmt-O3Y-3NytOAxb0A6ewK98mY/s320/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top row: beets, peas, chard </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bottom row: Beans, parsnips</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Step 8: Return to plot a day and a half later, plant the remaining crops, now happily primed for germination. </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1-R5ROBHL375PiIDY851yPl4yfnZCeshUwKusp5SJqteDCd7d-ayYhxTqpLzUyzuXeyYCiVmtGNZCj8VCForZ6UVRFOI36kYcyjVEGmic9pAJGE45tEAOEkWNKI8lTfFGeu5k39HiB_8/s1600/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1-R5ROBHL375PiIDY851yPl4yfnZCeshUwKusp5SJqteDCd7d-ayYhxTqpLzUyzuXeyYCiVmtGNZCj8VCForZ6UVRFOI36kYcyjVEGmic9pAJGE45tEAOEkWNKI8lTfFGeu5k39HiB_8/s320/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+034.JPG" width="240" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">pea in a hole</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Step 9: Water, water, water. Then proudly stand over your plot, beaming in the sunlight. Photograph it. </span> </span> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlHr8oZVaujMYYlYWleeZLaDuw5E_N61_1YVayH2Cq9QT64WJG8BG3-TXRUbkGOt3nGFpREWoI4_Dx3FJZm9GKJCHsRW05HHgBce30R5gCUbBLNfMPdOff6HbfAgx1GMmg4SCOXwBsv8W/s1600/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlHr8oZVaujMYYlYWleeZLaDuw5E_N61_1YVayH2Cq9QT64WJG8BG3-TXRUbkGOt3nGFpREWoI4_Dx3FJZm9GKJCHsRW05HHgBce30R5gCUbBLNfMPdOff6HbfAgx1GMmg4SCOXwBsv8W/s320/Community+Garden+Planting+Day+040.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> The Mini-Farm. In all of its glory. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh, and in case you're wondering, those two craters you see in the front corners of the plot are where the leeks are planted. As the leeks begin to grow, we'll fill in the dirt around them to blanch the stems. </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, there you have it! Our first planting endeavor. I went to water the Mini-Farm yesterday (which would be Day 5 post planting) and I saw little turnip sprouts! So far, so good!</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Will keep you posted on the Mini-Farm's progress. </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Blessings, </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">M </span> </span></span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1