Enraptured by the Mystics

We're hanging out with long-time Mystics fan and O family BFF Molly-o. Later, sushi on a conveyor belt! All in all, a good day.

The future is in the past

(At least for me.)

Weegee and Liam

This is Nylonthread's bird. Pretty!

Running around at the farmer's market this morning

No chickens for the Os

Due in large part to the help people generously offered here and on Twitter (thanks, guys!), I finally was able to reach someone who could tell me if we're allowed to keep hens in our College Park, Maryland, suburban back yard.

No, in fact, we are not.

But several people pointed out that I would have problems only if my neighbors narc'd on me, and that they might be able to be bought off with eggs. Something to think about, anyway.

For those of you who are still interested in how backyard chickens can be a part of sustainable living — not to mention the DIY free-range, organic eggs — My Pet Chicken looks like a decent one-stop-shopping site for chickens, coops, feed, and how-to guides.

Fresh eggs for everyone!

Am I crazy to consider getting an Eglu, especially now at the precipice of serious financial insecurity? It would be about $800 for a hen house and run, two gingernut rangers (that name makes me giggle like the 12-year-old boy I am inside), and 50 pounds of organic feed. The chickens would give us our free-range, organic eggs at the rate of about a dozen per week.

We wouldn't get a rooster, and the hens are supposed to be pretty quiet. But it couldn't possibly be that easy, right?

I love that when I brought the idea up to my husband, instead of pointing out the many reasons why this is a ridiculous idea, he strategized with me about where we could put it and whether we could build one ourselves for less money than the Eglus sell for. That man of mine is a such a peach.

My dear little big-girl

We've been working more firmly than ever toward getting Liam to sleep by himself lately. It's funny how it had always seemed imperative before, but now with Todd starting school in two weeks, it's down-right desperate.

Tonight, Liam was in rare form, wailing and carrying on as I tried to settle him down in bed. I was at my wit's end when Thea came to the door and said in a clear voice, "Liam, remember the M&Ms! If you sleep through the night by yourself, you get M&Ms in the morning, and a star. Seven stars mean a big Thomas train. You can do it, I know you can. You can sleep through the night because you're a big boy and I know you can do it and I'll be right here in my room going to sleep by myself, too, and in the morning we get candy!"

It was like a switch flipped. After a brief pause, the tears dried up and Liam happily chirped, "M&Ms in the morning and seven stars and I get a big Thomas!" He lay down, covered himself up, and was asleep in minutes.

Thanks, Thea! She amazes me how empathetic she is. I think she gets that from her dad. While I often flounder when dealing with the murkiness of other people's emotions, she seems to know instinctively just what to say.

There is a connection

It's a good day for art and justice

Have you seen Isabella Rossellini's Green Porno films for Sundance? They are amazing. Go watch them and tell me if you agree, the woman is an artistic genius.

Also, congrats to our gay brothers and sisters on the marriage-equality victory in California! Hells yeah.

I am luckier than I deserve

Happy Mother's Day!

A day early, but I know some of us can relate:

Beet greens rock

One of my favorite things about spring is the return of the local farmer's market. I sauté beet greens in olive oil and soy sauce, sometimes adding tofu dredged in corn starch then lightly fried. So. Good.

Mad dog

I'm home sick today and was organizing our photos. I forgot I took this one about a month ago:



Tina and Hank are so in love.

Black Mountain zinfandel is crazy good for the price

Despite the failures of the dinner I made last week for Jennifer (whatever, it was all edible and done when we got home; close enough!), the wine was nice. And as Daniel points out, there's a FBW rule — Finish the Bottle of Wine — when serving risotto. I had a Black Mountain zinfandel from Trader Joes on-hand from a wine-buying excursion a few weeks ago. I usually don't drink a lot of red wine, mostly because we're on a tight budget and cheap red wine seems meaner, more cruel and unforgiving, than cheap white wine. But I do love zinfandels, and at $5.99 the price was not bad. It had a lovely velvety, fruity spiciness that helped make up for the mediocre chicken.

Speaking of budgetary concerns, Todd gave his notice at his job on Monday. He's quitting to go back to school full time, starting with the upcoming summer session. He plans to get a teaching degree, most likely a double major of education and geology. Although the next few years are going to be tight and insanely busy, it'll be worth it when he's able to have the same schedule as the kids when they start school. I couldn't be more excited and proud of him!

Cool kid

Thea borrowed these glasses from her best friend at school, Samery.