April and everything after

All is well for us in the Big Easy. We've been enjoying crawfish boils, time with our new nephew, beautiful weather, much wedding planning, I've been expanding the garden, and my sister's gorgeous wedding! . . . more on the way . . . 

First crawfish boil of the season—for Easter Sunday.

Just a Sunday evening...

first strawberry in the garden.
I decided to leave it on the plant to fatten up.
But then something ate it!

the party favors I planted for Megan's bridal shower. 

I love the way this crepe looks like lace.
I made crepes with a mushroom filling; they were so delicious.

cold drip coffee

There's nothing like brewing cold-drip coffee in the summer—

for all the Mothers

a bunch of flowers and fresh herbs from my garden.

spring garden

I recently expanded into the remaining garden beds and have planted some new plants for spring. Here's a look at them so far:

yellow squash

a kind of creole tomato

Brandywine tomato

parsley

sage

eggplant.

pretty flowers—purple.

cayenne peppers

zebra striped tomato (green)

purple kale

rosemary

I plan to plant a few more herbs—maybe chives, thyme, mint, basil—my brother tells me if planted along the edges of the garden bed, they deter the bugs from munching too. Once summer hits, I'll need some mulch to help keep the beds moist. 
I love gardening. 

happy weekend!

...starting the weekend right with some blue dot donuts. 

Anne Carson's "NOX"

I recently finished reading a remarkable book of poetry by Anne Carson. I don't want to give too much away in the event that you decide to read it, so I'll only tell you that it's an elegy to her brother. Here are some peaks at this beautiful book:

isn't it lovely?

popovers in the morning.

YUM. 

My first try at the popover—came out very good, and they're gluten-free too!

CHICAGO

Ray & I recently flew up to Chicago. It wasn't exactly a vacation—I went up for AWP (a writer's conference) and Ray went up to see some music buddies, but we were able to meet up for some good meals... much of what you'll see in the photos. 

Our first morning, coffee and waffles at Clark's Diner.

(Alex, this one is for you!)

Lunch at XOCO, one of Rick Bayless' restaurants—
besides a decadently thick hot chocolate (see photo below)
we had pork belly soup and some spiced peanuts.
It was grand, and so nice to enjoy some warm soup after walking around in the snow!

And many thanks to the lovely Sarah and David for being such wonderful hosts!

busy, busy, busy

Sometimes we go about life thinking we are too busy to read this book, or too busy to spend an afternoon out with a friend or family member, too busy to exercise, TOO BUSY. And of course, we often do have full lives and full schedules, but reading this article from the Wall Street Journal has changed my perspective—it kind of forces an honesty about what we actual spend our time doing. It is likely an article I will return to many more times.


By the end of the article the writer, Laura Vanderkam writes that it all comes down to the language we use... she writes: Instead of saying "I don't have time" try saying "it's not a priority," and see how that feels. Often, that's a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don't want to. But other things are harder. Try it: "I'm not going to edit your résumé, sweetie, because it's not a priority." "I don't go to the doctor because my health is not a priority." If these phrases don't sit well, that's the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don't like how we're spending an hour, we can choose differently. Perhaps this tidbit will help us find what is most important in our lives, we just might be in for some surprises. 

Thanks to Joanna Goddard for posting this on her blog and to the writer, Laura Vanderkam, for writing a very important article; I think it is one we can all take to heart, one that will help us build better lives and become better people. 

mardi gras mambo 2012: part 2

There are plenty of misconceptions about Mardi Gras. A common one being that it's all craziness, booze, and indecent exposure, when in fact I find you can cultivate your own Mardi Gras experience. It can be these things, surely, but it's kind of up to you. If you watch the parades on Bourbon Street you will certainly have a different experience than if you watch elsewhere along the parade route. 
One of my favorite things about Mardi Gras is the diversity, and how all of these people come together out in the streets to celebrate the season. There's always a friend around, some good music to be found, and tasty food to be eaten. 
Another misconeption is that Mardi Gras is a single day event. On the contrary the parades begin to roll nearly two weeks before Fat Tuesday. And these are usually the parades you want to go to. Mardi Gras day is fun all right, but there's a certain feeling that it's the close of something that has been going on for far longer.
One thing I love that is new to me is that now following each parade there is a float on which you can throw your beads for recycling!
I read an article from Washington Post that speaks to these myths (5 Myths about Mardi Gras), and a well-plotted blog post considering why it's good to take your children to New Orleans for Mardi Gras (10 Reasons You Should Take Your Kids to Mardi Gras).


That said, here are more photos from this year's Mardi Gras season:
A few from Zulu!

And a few from Rex:

It was a Happy Mardi Gras!

mardi gras mambo 2012: part 1

Okay, after feeling overwhelmed by the load of photographs from Mardi Gras I decided to break this up into parts. Here's part 1 of Mardi Gras for you lovely people... 

Here were are, looking pretty good mid-way through a big day of parading.

Bacon wrapped shrimp and Josh's pork loin
stuffed with garlic, goat cheese
and was it rosemary?
DELICIOUS

Dad. Loved his attire. Especially that feather.

Thanks to Uncle Jr. for making sure we ate very very very well out at the parades (and all of the time)!
Pictured here he is grilling buttered french bread and some very delicious oysters with cheese and yes, more butter!

This man was having such a good time dancing his way through the parade.

February—the big little month.

It's been a while since I've posted, but it's been a busy month in the Crescent City; among the usual things, we've had Mardi Gras, wedding planning, a bar shower for Megan, poetry readings, preparing for our trip to Chicago, and the arrival of a very peaceful baby nephew! 
Here's a peek of Mardi Gras. In the meantime I'll get some more photos together. . . 

The newly famous Sucre king cake. 

visiting Blaine and the horses.

We started the day by caring for Brees' hooves (named after Drew Brees, she is a young sprightly horse). In the background, Aida and Luna wait for Blaine to work with them. 

It was really great to see the change in Aida and Luna's response and interactions with Blaine over the course of the day; they grew to be much more comfortable and responsive to him. More trusting and curious, less uncertain. 

Shoveling manure, which he composts—now I've got some to fertilize my garden!

Taking a break to walk along the hay bales...

Let's play chase! Blaine has taught the horses a game of chase—it's good to do some running everyday. It was so cool to watch them play. If they run with him, they're rewarded with something tasty to eat, something other than the grass they find in the fields, which they welcome.

Bayou likes to run along too. 

Greta always follows close behind.

 back to work with Aida and Luna—

Thanks Blaine! I love these horses—can't wait to go back.