earthly delights - csa bounty week 14

here is our csa share for this week:

 edamame

cucumbers

green beans

summer squash

ground cherries (see below*)

magic garlic

yellow onion

tomatoes

tomatillos

basil

jalapeños (or earrings for ned)

kale

sweet corn

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

here's a link to earthly delights farm

where our csa share comes from.

*are you scratching your head about

ground cherries?

oh, heavens, are you in for a treat.

they look like tiny yellow tomatillos;

like little lanterns.

here they are with a few tomatillos,

just so you get the idea...

you peel back their papery husks...

and they taste like pineapple.

curious?  click here.

♥

big day

such a big day here today.

ned started kindergarten...

and marian started middle school.

they both came home with smiles

{thank goodness}

tonight,

they fell soundly asleep within moments

of their heads touching their pillows.

and,

just like that,

summer has come to a close.

fall has begun.

♥

ducks in a row, ants on a log

{sigh...}

this has been a VERY full week.

we have so many changes happening here.

marian & ned will start school in the morning.

marian will begin middle school;

ned will begin kindergarten.

they are ready in every possible way.

my ducks are in a row,

thank goodness.

ned thought today was a good day

for some ants on a log.

{he always picks the blue plate}

♥

tree hugger

my sweet friend, jessica, makes jewelry.

jessica & i met a couple years ago at

miss ruby's storytime at the eagle public library.

we used to see each other every wednesday.

then one morning,

she asked me to hold her tiny newborn baby

while she consoled her older son
who had gotten hurt.

we have been friends ever since.

she recently had a contest on her blog 

to gather ideas for her 3 newest necklaces.

she wanted a word or short phrase

to stamp on a copper disk to accompany

her tree, bird, and flower charms.

she chose my idea for her tree necklace:

TREE HUGGER

so, i won!

last week,

she delivered my necklace to me in person:

~ i L♥Ve it! ~

thank you, jessica!

♥

want to order your own?

email jessica:

jesscall0214@yahoo.com

highlights

after searching hither & yon

for gothic grape converse all-stars,

here are three highlights of my day today:

#1: ultra-affectionate pip

{how much can you love a duck?}

#2: ultra-mellow patito

{taking a little nap}

#3: ultra-decadent coffee mousse
in a chocolate cup

{found at the grocery store bakery}

☼cheers☼

and happy weekend!

♥

summerboy + duck update

able to swim with floaties,

eat his weight in blackberries,

and do the hula-hoop.

look!  there in the pool! 

it's a bird.  it's a plane.  it's...

summerboy!

yes, ned is fo sho getting his money's worth

out of this last week of summer vacation.

and now, the duck update...

{thank you for bearing with me on this one}

tonight, we walked to the pond after dinner

to visit our favorite duckas.

out of the flock of a hundred ducks

they both came to greet us.

{pip}                                   {patito}

they pecked at us in the most loving way.

i let pip have a go at my earrings.

both ducks seemed great.

pip was a bit more at ease than yesterday...

 less rattled
by the rogue band of mannerless ducks.

she even shared her cracked corn
with a few of them.

we stayed for a good long while,

then walked on without incident.

{no worrisome quacking or following us home}

i feel worlds better than i did last night.

my heart is light.

i know that they will be okay

and i love the fact

that we can walk to visit them here:

♥

back-to-school + duck update

in the midst of sadness

over my very literal empty nest,

i have been busy

with the back-to-school rituals

for my kids.

emily started school on monday.

this is her friend, tolley, on the left.

{get a load of the first-day-of-school lashes on tolley.}

marian starts school this monday.

she has mastered the art of the combination lock

well in advance.

ned starts school this monday, as well.

per his grandparents' request,

he received a kindergarten haircut.

{before}                            {after}

and now, the duck update.

your comments from yesterday's post

have meant so much to me.

this has been tougher than i had expected.

this evening, we went to visit the ducks.

pip rushed to my side

and ate the cracked corn i brought.
pip sat in my lap
and checked to see if i was wearing earrings.
(you know, to try to peck them out of my ears.)
we did not see patito,
but it was getting dark and it was hard to see.
patito is better at being a duck & blending-in.
pip, less so.
and i worry about that.
thankfully, we were able to walk away
without pip following us.
i know it's only the first day,
but what will i do
if pip doesn't seem to crack the code of ducks?
what if pip would rather live with us?
emily reminded me tonight
that it was "the summer of the ducks,"
not "the lifetime of the ducks."

please remind me that i'm doing the right thing.

♥

if you love someone, set them free

dear friends,

i am trying to convince myself

that i made the right choice,

but i am inconsolably sad.

we decided that today was the day

to release our dear sweet ducks.

they are at the pond where we found pip's egg

with about 100 other ducks, presumably family.

i walk by the pond every single day.

i want them to be free.

i want them to live awesome wild duck lives.

but,

my head hurts

and my eyes are raw from crying.

we miss them terribly.

dear pip & patito,

please snuggle together under the full moon

on this your first night in the wide open world.

we will visit you tomorrow,

and the next day,

and every day after that.

may you fly far & fast.

may you eat every bug you see.

may you grow fat on the neighbors' breadcrusts.

our hearts are forever changed because of you.

we love you duckas

very, very, very much.

♥

earthly delights - csa bounty week 13

here is our csa share for this week

from earthly delights farm

one beautiful eggplant

tomatoes

tomatillos

cilantro

magic garlic

yellow onion

red cabbage

many cucumbers

a huge bunch of basil

summer squash

red russian kale

~ ♥ ~

please take a moment to appreciate

these aubergine bands of gorgeousness...

it's an eggplant rainbow.

happy monday, ya'll.

♥

summer's last splash

right in the center of downtown boise is

the grove.

in the wintertime,

it is the spot for the city's christmas tree.

in the summertime,

it is the spot with the great fountain.

♥

a kid in a candy store

{oh, dawn, you will love this...}

on friday, we checked out

powell's sweet shoppe

here in boise.

powell's is

candyland

they have every candy known to humankind.

(vintage: walnettos & mary janes)

(new-fangled: pretzel m&m's)

willy wonka was on the big screen

and the music was sugar-themed.

{"i'm a pepper, he's a pepper, she's a pepper, we're a pepper, 
wouldn't you like to be a pepper, too?"}

sugar, sugar, everywhere,

but i was fascinated with bacon:

a dark chocolate bacon bar

(at almost nine bucks, i did not try it.)

bacon toothpicks

and bacon dental floss

c'mon kids, time to floss! 

♥

jewelry + candy = RiNg P☼P!

 

♥