home stuff

i seem to post here less and less lately ... i do blame ravelry.

i have today off. i traded this day for another ... and have thoroughly enjoyed being home today.





i also "saved" today for some home cooking ... bean soup !







recipe:

bag of mixed beans (rapid boil in 2qt chicken stock, 1qt water)

lower heat and boil for 60 to 70 minutes (with lid on).

add ....

1 chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 tsp chili powder
1 lb smoked sauged or ham hock
salt & pepper to taste

simmer another 45 minutes (w/o lid).

don't melt bag against burner and pot, and don't over eat yummy goodness ....

first serious/fun cooking of the new year

i have been sick since the (beginning) of the new year. i started to feel bad just before new years eve. needless to say, i haven't really been cooking. i've been making stuff, but not playing or trying to use a recipe.

tonight, i needed some inspiration for dinner. i paged through a cookbook and found something that sounded tasty.






i think it looks very much like some kind of peasant meal. it's a delicious combination of turkey hot italian sausage, garlic, onion, kale, chicken broth, and chickpeas. it's a little brothy, and packed full of flavor w/o added salt or pepper.

i'm always hesitant about cooking certain greens, but the kale wilted beautifully. it was a fun recipe to try out, and now i have leftovers for a few more meals.

i am pissed

that was the subject line of my post on whiteblaze today.

why? the story.

while we were all eating our blackeyed peas and greens, or whatever your tradition, meredith was fighting for her life ... in a place i love. a place i trust.

i wrote this email to a fellow hiker. someone who too knows what it's like on blood mtn.

*************


yes. the story about the hiker pisses me off. it pisses me off on so many levels.

she chose to spend her new years day doing something she loved ... hiking with her dog. so many people kick off the new year with a nice walk somewhere pretty, or a hike on blood mtn.

she did not choose to die that day.

though morbid, i wonder at what moment she thought, "shit, he's going to kill me." ? "fuck, this is IT." all those fleeting thoughts of life, plans, what tomorrow could bring, appts. the following week, friends, family, her dog, etc .....

i wonder a lot about those fleeting thoughts. the point of no return. it's just awful.

i hate it too ... being at the right place, at the wrong time. but, it can happen anywhere. it just takes being in the right place at the wrong time. that moment when you're near someone that thinks "hey, i'm going to do it". someone that means you harm. and it has nothing to do with who or what you are ... you're just a body that they think/know they can overcome, fulfilling that need to hurt or kill. i HATE it!

i hate how it unnerves my sense of security, whether on the AT or hiking in umstead alone, or out at the lake that has a paved greenway around it. i don't want to feel like a target.

and you can't judge a book by its cover. she was last seen talking with this sketchy fucker. that put him under suspicion. but sketchy looking people are a dime a dozen on the trail. you remember 'doc (holiday?)' ... not your typical hiker. but his intentions and heart seemed in the right place. but we didn't really "know" him. we didn't really "know" anyone. you just let yourself trust. what do you do? trust or live in fear? you don't always get a 'bad vibe' from bad people. some people continue to snow others, one after another .....

******************

i am still pissed. immensely saddened.

merry christmas

... you know that saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words ..." ?

greetings from the USPS

yum YUM! did it taste good ?!

you never know ...

... until after the fact.

call me scrooge

... i don't really care ....


is my mind on an island? perhaps on hispaniola?

regardless! this season always leaves me in a 'tizzy. and because of the timimg of my trip, and the holidays, i am SO unprepared!

but, it's okay. seriously. finally, i feel like i have an excuse for not being ready.

i am never ready. i am more of a go with the flow kind of girl.

and, if an inflatable snowman is dancing in my head, so be it .... !

all my pictures are over here.

the photos are on snapfish. if you can't connect to the link, please let me know and i will send you an invite.

trip

this is my favorite picture from my trip to the domenican republic. this photo was taken in batay 7, not too far from barahona. i was really hoping for just a landscape, but it's virtually impossible to take any photos without a child, or group of children, jumping into the photo. but, as luck has it, this photo wouldn't be my favorite without this little girl in her swinging dress in yellow.

the trip was fabulous. the only drawbacks were bug bites and bichos. aside from that, all was good.

i have not resettled though. this time of year feels a bit rushed and pressured. how do i deal with that? oh ... i stand like a dear in the headlights, "hit me baby !".

i have many more pictures ... all the rest are over here ... all untouched.

home cooked meal ...

even stuart appreciates the good stuff !


i went to jackie&thehippie's yesterday evening. we hadn't really seen much of each other in awhile, due to the holiday, travel, and visitors. it was great to catch up and hang out, watching episodes of grey's and private practice, and watching jackie cook a cracker barrel dinner! yum!

dinner was more than above pictured beans & pie (that was my plate of 'seconds'), but consisted of the lima beans with corn bread, apple sauce, and a pork chop. all made from scratch. all delicious. all in my memory bank so i can recreate in a fit of southern-hunger.

walking

... i went walking the other day at one of the nearby parks. though i was there for fitness, i kept pausing to enjoy the glorious weather and sites ....




the second photo is actually my favorite because i love the colors of the changing leaves with the dark bark lines in contrast. it gives me all kinds of knitting ideas ....