Civic-minded Kitty

Yes, Ginger's parents did their civic duty today. We voted.

Who did we vote for? Well, that's quite a personal question, but I'll give you a few hints . . . . .

Hint #1: We voted for the patriotic, proud-to-be-an-American guy who can produce a copy of his US birth certificate (without being prompted by a lawsuit) and does not 'socialize' with freaking terrorists.

Hint #2: A man who's wife is proud of her country (all the time, not just recently) and who realizes that her shit stinks just like everyone else in the 50 states. Can you say that about the wife of the 'other' candidate?

Hint #3: A man who thinks I'm mature enough to make decisions about my money. Who doesn't believe in 'rewarding' some lazy ass with my hard-earned money.

You know, when you think about it "Change" is a six letter word . . . . . but so is "fucked."

How was your commute?

Since DJ and I both work from home (the majority of the time), we find ourselves with free time that usually coincides with 'rush hour' for all those office workin' folks. What to do with this time?



I know. Let's go kayaking. So, we set off a little before 5 PM on Tuesday for a short 'yak attack. As we're paddling along, I looked left and saw the Neuse River bridge filled with commuters on their way home. I turned right and saw my husband's bright orange kayak and his cute little self wearing his favorite John Deere baseball hat.

"DJ, since we work from home, is this (our 'yak attack) our version of the end of the day commute?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

I love my life.

North Carolina State Fair

Most of y'all know that the first year DJ and I were married, we lived in Chapel Hill. That year, 1998, was my first year attending the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. Ten years later, the NC State Fair is just as fun.

Although it was cold (high 50's most of the day) yesterday, we still had a great time wandering through the blacksmith exhibit, a dozen garden displays (where we fell in love with the look of Mexican petunia and pineapple sage), the tractor exhibit, the children's barnyard, watching a belted Galloway class and gawking at lots and lots of produce that could have made guest appearances in the X Files. We saw a 146 pound watermelon and a 700 pound pumpkin. Now that would make a lot of pumpkin bread.

Forget the rides, concerts or food vendors. Although it appears that this part of state fairs get bigger and bigger, I don't want it. How could you be interested in a turkey leg when you just saw the majestic bird, in its fine feathered regalia, it came from? I am fearful of the day when the state fair no longer has representation from the farming and livestock community. How can we appreciate our food if we don't understand where it came from? Who grew it? What hard work it takes to get that nourishment to your table?

Sweet potatoes, honey, corn. These are examples of the astounding produce that comes from the farm. But, do you look at your plate and think of them as miracles? Tomorrow, remember to give thanks to the farmers and effort it took to provide that bounty on your table.

2008 Trick or Treat

An early 'Trick or Treat' gift to my wonderful blog readers. I hope this; and the possibility that the 'wrong' president elected could significantly increase your taxes, reward the lazy with your hard earned money and lead us down the path to a socialist government; inspires you to get off your bum and vote. Remember, early voting is available in many areas.

Author's note: I could list 27 million ways to November 4th about who you should vote for and why, but I'll pass. You are all adults and I have faith that you will do your research, look at the issues, the character of the candidates, their patriotism, tax plans, etc and make an informed, educated decision.

'Yak Attack

Sunday was Another Gorgeous (yet breezy) Coastal Carolina day! The pictures say a thousand words. Which is good considering that I don't have that much to add.

Check

Rainy weather? Check

Cold temperatures? Check (didn't get out of the mid-50's today)

Clean, warm polartec blankie? Check

Lack of initiative to do anything in this weather? Oh, yeah. In spades.

That's OK. I think our three member family needed the rest after a very busy (but highly productive) week.

And what did you do on World Bread Day?

Yeast, flour, salt and water. Basic pantry staples, right? But, put 'em together and what do you get?

Ahhhhhhh! Bread!

There is nothing like the smell of a kitchen while bread is being baked (or proofing). And that was the smell that permeated our kitchen, and entire house, today in honor of World Bread Day. It is heavenly, unworldly, a sensation that can not be described with any of Webster's words.

However, the smell of fresh baking bread leads one to eat bread. And, that is exactly what I've done. Eat bread (and cheerios) all darn day long.

Since I couldn't devote all day to bread making, I stuck to two of my rarely-fail, crowd pleasers; rustic white and simply honey wheat. Different, yet divine in their own way.

Oh, and for those of you who wanted an update on the status of my freelance project: It is going very, very well. I sent what I've done to date to the woman who contracted me and she was very complimentary. Can someone please tell me why I doubted myself in the beginning?

Water and a beefy tidbit . . . .

I wanted to share two things with y'all this evening.

1. I love living on the water. I love being back down south. I get giddy when I look up from working and see the our resident duck couple (the most recent additions to the menagerie) heading to our dock for their mid-afternoon feeding.

2. Water begets water. Living on the water has stimulated my interest in this precious, under appreciated, life-giving commodity. Did you know that if 10,000 people replaced one beef meal with a vegetarian option just once a week for a year, we'd save enough water to fill roughly 605 Olympic-sized swimming pools? And that is for just 10,000 people! Imagine what would happen if a million people substituted just one beef meal a week with a veggie meal? The results could be staggering (in Mother Earth's favor)! Man, The act of growing cows sucks a huge amount of precious resources.

Chew on that tidbit.

Quote for the day

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

--Lao Tzu

Sounds like a principle that could be practiced in other areas besides nature.

Quote for the day

"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present."

---Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

I got a freelance job on Friday. The 'final product' is due October 22nd. I'm excited and nervous as hell. Since accepting this opportunity, all my old insecurities have festered to the surface like splinters working out of skin. I think that is why the quote above struck a chord when I found it earlier today. These are words that I'm mentally repeating to (1) stay present and (2) remind myself that I have kicked ass in the past and I'll do it again. This week.

Krafty Kitty

As if my days weren't filled by searching for a job, starting my fall bread-baking season, trying to make new friends and enjoying AGCC days, I've got a few crafty projects going on. I'll show finished projects in the coming weeks, but wanted you to know that I have some scrupulous supervision.

Ah, Grasshoppa!

In this household, it is all about the kitty. Kitty's comfort, kitty's emotional state, kitty's education, kitty's entertainment, etc, etc. Keeping such a fickle, scholarly, brilliant kitty engaged is very challenging to her bi-ped parents. So, when DJ found this HUGE grasshopper on Sunday, his first thought was 'sharing' his find with the kitty. Did y'all know grasshoppers can spit? Ask DJ.

Considering that Ginger has never seen a grasshopper that could eat small children, it was quite the experience for her. She found his antics amusing, but soon grew weary when she realized all he could do was chirp and jump. Ugh. Now how do we broaden our 'furry' child's horizons? Any suggestions?

PS No animals or insects were harmed in the process of taking these photos. Mr. Grasshoppa was released into the wild shortly after these pictures. This time, without the addition of bodily fluids.

Fish Tales - - Meet OP

Both Saturday and Sunday were AGCC days. Which was a good thing considering that the second largest festival in the state, the NC Seafood Festival, took place in Morehead City. In years past, over 120,000 folks pack downtown Morehead City to look at crafts, listen to live music and try just about every variation of fried seafood known to mankind. Unfortunately, there weren't very many heart-healthy seafood options. Guess the vendors were hoping that the omega-3s from the seafood would temper the effects of deep frying the crap out of a fillet or shrimp.

That's OK. As most of y'all know, we love to look at the culinary offerings, but are most interested in people watching, the arts and crafts and the music. So, the money that other people would spend on artery clogging, deep fried shrimp basket and funnel cakes, we spent on purchasing our newest 'family member.'

Please meet O.P. Mark Cunningham, of Gloucester, VA, hand-crafts a variety of coastal fishes and fowl. Once you pick out your wildlife of choice, Mark will then customize it with your name, a saying, address, etc. Since red drum are quite the popular (and tasty) fish of the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound, we selected a red drum.

Now, what to put on it . . . . . . We wanted something representative of us, but not necessarily our names. Out of the blue, my creative-minded husband said, "What about One Particular Harbor? This would give homage to one of your favorite Buffett songs and the fact that we live on a harbor."

And such is the story behind OP (who now greets people on our front porch).

'Yak Attack

ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS COASTAL CAROLINA day. I have a gut feeling that this wording will appear in this blog to the point of distraction (or annoyance, your choice). So, I've come up with a solution. AGCC. Yes, folks, the newest word (or in this case, acronym) for the Do you anjuu? blog is AGCC.

Guess what? Yes, today was an AGCC! So much so that the husband and I were 'driven' to be outside and on the water. I am amazed that we have the good fortune to enjoy a 'yak outing before most people show up to work. We are in the boats by 7 AM-ish and back on the porch eating breakfast by 9.

Although our beloved ospreys have migrated, we are not at loss for wildlife. Three blue herons were sighted within the first 10 minutes of our trip. (Can you spot one in the first picture? Look closely for a darker lump in the sky.) Then, we 'yakked (literally) right into a huge flock of mighty chatty song birds, who then lead us to a deer taking an early morning drink out of the river. Although the wildlife is amazing, the flora puts on a pretty good show too.

Another truly amazing day!

Preparation

First, let me make a comment about the weather. IT IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! A perfectly painted, coastal Carolina early fall day. Oh my gosh. It was one of those days that gives you a feeling of hope and all is right with the world. That miracles do happen. And, you would totally be hating yourself if you didn't get outside and stay outside all day.

So, I took God's hint and spent most of the day outside doing nothing but enjoying the sensory overload that comes with a perfectly painted, coastal Carolina early fall day.

Then, I remembered that World Bread Day is in two weeks! (And, no, I do not make this shit up. How dare you suggest that!) Oh my goodness. What sort of yeasty delights will I bake? What neat, new, exciting ways can I play with flour, water, yeast and a few other select ingredients? So, I got off my sand-stained butt and went to the library where I picked up The Bread Bible. Figured that should be full of possibilities.

To Do List

October 1, 2008

'To Do' list

1. Get up (after removing cat from husband's chest)
2. Update CV/resume and craft a 'summary statement' that would make any employer salivate over the prospect of hiring me as a new employee (regardless of the 1 year plus lack of employment)
3. Go to gym-short workout day
4. Eat lunch and review CV/resume changes with husband (curb desire to eat a 55 gallon barrel of candy corn-my Halloween season weakness)
6. Remember that this is Breast Cancer Awareness month and make mental note to do self-breast exam in shower this week
7. Feel need to take some sort of action today in honor of breast cancer awareness month and go to http://www.armyofwomen.org/
8. Post blog entry encouraging all women to go to http://www.armyofwomen.org/ and join the 'army'