all before 0900

 My morning in photos.

No words needed.

the end is nigh - i hope

I'm not gonna lie, Thursday's are rough.  I don't know if it's because it's almost the end of the week, or if I stay up too late on Wednesday evenings or what, but even the puppy is kind of slow towards the end of the work week.  Today she's at "doggie daycare," as I got a bunch of coupons for free days by email.  We got up; I had my coffee and she her bone and then she just climbed into my lap and we sat there for a bit, trying to get excited about the day....


I never realized just how much joy and companionship that little bundle of fur would bring into my life.  She tires me out, costs money, makes noise and I have to pick up her poop, but it's worth every bit of it.  Waking up to her staring at me every morning and going to sleep with her chin on me every night is the best. 

So, Thursday it is.  I'm ready for it all to be over with already, but I suppose it will be soon enough.  There's a stack of books and a little gardening to make my way through this weekend and I'm looking forward to it.

just throw it all together

Being that it is still just too hot to want to cook much of anything, much less eat anything too terribly warming... I'm still on the cold dinner kick.  However, I have graduated to homemade tabbouleh and avocado.  Here's my slap-dash tabbouleh "recipe," in the style of Grandma who just kind of throws things together until they look/taste right!


1.  Cook some couscous.  I made about a cup (dry) which became something like 2 cups cooked.

2.  Chop up some parsley and mint, tomatoes and cucumbers.

3.  Stir together the couscous, herbs, tomatoes and cucumber and drizzle olive oil and lemon juice to taste.  Also put in as much black pepper and salt as you like.

4.  Wala!  You have tabbouleh!  I top it with some avocado and maybe a little more lemon juice and eat it for several days, warm at first and cold from the fridge later!

I'm particularly proud of this concoction because it allows me to use the tomatoes, mint and parsley I have growing on the patio.  It feels good to know you've had a hand in part of the meal!

hot tamale! (or jalapeno baby..)

Garden Update:


The peppers are starting to ripen!! This summer's pot gardening experiment is turning out to be pretty successful.


I kind of didn't know what to expect from these peppers, but hey! they're doing what they said they would! Now I just have to figure out what to do with them. Hot pepper recipes will be on the google lineup today...

will work for chicken fried chicken

This week I visited three states in one day. Twice. And this photo above pretty much sums it up!

How did this happen to me? I drove from D.C. to (get this name) Fort Indianhead Gap, PA to cover some military training maneuvers. I went, I saw, I managed not to get a sunburn.

On the way home my partner in crime and I stopped at the Cracker Barrel we planned to stop at on the way to our site. And it was good. Really good.

This isn't much of a story, but I had fun and well... at the end of the day there was a big old plate of biscuits, potatoes and chicken fried chicken with my name all over it!

one huge squash and a lot of bread!

Monday morning my editor walked into the office and asked me:

"Do you know how to make zucchini bread?"

"Sure do," I replied.

"Here," she said.

And handed me this:


She had it tucked under her arm like a club.


Seriously THE BIGGEST ZUCCHINI I HAVE EVER SEEN. She said she had gotten it from a friend who just forgot to pick the ones in her garden and was not desperate to get rid of the massive amount of squash she had growing out back.


That sucker weighed in at 5 lbs. I had to take a photo just so you would believe it! I think it could have won a prize in a state fair somewhere.


But for now we'll just have to make do with zucchini bread! I'm guesstimating there is enough of the vegetable to make at least 6 loaves of bread. This morning there was one loaf sitting on Judith's desk when she walked in and another sliced up for office morning coffee in the kitchen. And lots of jokes.

speaking of fairies

Books are beginning to take over the house and stories are beginning to fill my teeny brain to overflowing these days. Over the weekend I did a little of the life reconnoitering I was planning, and a whole lot of reading.

While we Greenes have always been a family of readers, I find myself become more and more aware of the important role books and stories play. To me, reading is a way to experience the world from home, provides insights into other worldviews and experiences, a way to confirm or solidify my own thoughts and beliefs and the best form of entertainment. Books are most certainly brain food.

Lately, I'm seeing a little renaissance happening in my reading habits. A re-awakening of my childhood fascination with fairy tales and folk stories. When I was younger I would read every book about faerie I could get my hands on; every poem, every description. And here I am again, reading these tales birthed in ancient stories and traditions again and enjoying them just as much as before.

I don't know if my reading patterns "mean" anything, but as I continue to fall down the rabbit hole I am beginning to tune into the idea that fairy tales teach us just as much as they entertain us. By creating allegory for the unexplained and inexplicable, fairy tales provide a window into the soul, be it light and airy or dark and scary. (How's that for poetry!)

I just happened on these two links today, both of them speaking of stories. I particularly like the New York Times one, as the connection to medicine really provides an interesting look at the sort of work I've been doing lately.

Practicing Medicine Can Be Grimm Work - Valeria Gribben

Fairytale Reflections - Joanne Harris

** They're everywhere, these accounts of the importance of story and myth! Let me add this artist's musings about fairy tale and nature, as well as her work on the cover of a book I'm about to order.

Dark Mountain - Rima Staines

weekend plans

As the weekend draws closer, my list of things to do gets longer and longer. Simplifying, streamlining and re-configuring all the moving parts of my life certainly can be hard work! However, it's worth it. I feel it's healthy to take a close look at yourself from time to time and re-evaluate what is working and what isn't. As I continue to tweak myself and my life closer and closer to my goals there is one constant theme ~ a need for positive changes and frequent evaluations of where I am and what I am doing. Exciting stuff, really. For me anyhow.

So, I'm off to enjoy Friday evening and look forward to a weekend of clearing out spaces both internally and externally. Have a great weekend!

thursday = sloth day

Here's a taste of Thursday mornings around here:


Some days (Mon-Wed) you get up energized and ready to start the day ~ others, not so much. This morning the air was cooler and much less humid so I opened all the windows for a bit and Beulah and I sat on the couch, contemplating whether or not I was "feeling well enough to go to work!" Turns out, I'd rather visit Germany this fall than play hooky today. I had to have a conversation with the puppy about how I was the human, which meant I was in charge. As I left the house, she was giving me that forlorn "don't leave me" look...

Is it Friday yet??

dog days of summer - literally

Seeing as today is Tuesday, the least inspiring day of the week, I figured I'd just take the easy route and share some photos a dog-park friend of mine took and sent our way.


The other dog is Dude, Beulah's best bud. The feet are mine. Looking relatively clean for a trip to the park with the dog..


Annnndddd an action shot of mah poodle's mid-wrestling move with Dude. That's a face only a mother could love.

garter yoke cardigan

Remember when I said I wanted to knit a sweater in 2011? Well, not only have I done it, but I have surpassed my greatest expectations and done it twice! This weekend marked the completion of my Garter Yoke Cardigan. You know, that project I've been working on forever?


I would have finished it earlier, but I mean, it's 100 percent heavy-duty wool! And it's hot outside.


However, I'm pleased with the outcome. It fits nicely (a little snug, but I think that it will stretch out a bit as worn) and it will certainly be warm! (I promise to check and move the tp out of the way of the shot next time...)


Choosing the buttons turned out to be the best part of this project. These aren't the most fun ones ever, but I like that they look kind of Celtic-y.


Anyhow, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! And I'm already planning the next one! One thing is for sure, I'm not going to be cold this winter.

too hot to cook

It's too hot to do a lot of cooking these days. The minute the oven is turned on the air conditoner kicks into overdrive and I'm sweating in the living room.... So, last night's dinner looked like this:


Avocado, miniature red peppers, onions, and ~ drumroll please ~ tomatoes fresh from my garden!


Boy, was it good! Perfect dinner for a hot summer evening. I think this will be a trend for the next two or so months.

words of wisdom

As I continue to think about how to live life more simply, I've been re-reading several of the books I own and re-discovering some of the treasure trove of words sitting on my bookshelves. Last night I came across a book of quotes Mother sent me some time ago. Here's just a few that stood out to me. I though you might enjoy them too.


"May I be medicine for the sick and weary. May I be their doctor and their nurse until the sickness appears no more. May I quell the pains of hunger and thirst with rains of food and drink. May I be a torch for those in need of light, a bed for those in need of a bed, and a servant for those in need of service." ~ Shantideva (7th century), India


"The true secret of giving advice is: after you have given it, to be perfectly indifferent as to whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right." ~ Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911, USA)


"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." ~ Nathanial Hawthorne (1804-1864), USA


"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love." ~ St. Francis of Assisi (c.1181-1226), Italy

a good start

Despite the damp air that wrapped its arms around me when I stepped outdoors this morning, the day started off on the right foot.

Banana bread (one of my renewed attempts at reducing food waste) and coffee in the garden:


Where I noticed three ripe tomatoes!!


Aren't they beautiful?? Now, we know how I feel about tomatoes ~ I only really like them made into something ~ but, I may have to break my own personal rule with these babies and might just attempt fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, home grown basil, salt and pepper for dinner this evening. Doesn't that sound good?

Summer living at its best!

time to get moving

My holiday weekend can be summed up in one photo:


Not a whole lot of activity, one might say. It was nice, real nice, but after three days of lounging (interspersed with occasional jaunts to the park to wear the pup out) last night I decided it was high time to get myself back into gear.

And so I give you:


This. I like to call it, "A Glimpse of Dorian Gray, Post Destruction of Said Painting." Things aren't too pretty in Chez Emily at 0545.

But, it worked out well. Beulah and I went for a long walk (with coffee in hand) around the neighborhood. I went for a post-walk run, ate breakfast, packed lunch, chased the dog around the house and headed to work, a little muscle soreness paying me back for being lazy for over a week.


So, no more lounging around the house. No more pizza. No more beer. No more not paying attention to the money I spend on crap.

Time to get moving, accomplish some more of this year's goals, keep the momentum up. Even a 0545 wakeup is cool, as long as it gets me closer to where I want to be.

I'll be buying more coffee later today.

summer nights

I have to say, of all the seasons, summer is my favorite. As much as I love the change of seasons and the excitement that comes with it, it is summer that suits me best. The days are slower, the sun is out, the windows are open and there are a million opportunities to go outdoors and play. I love that I don't have to bundle up before heading outdoors, wear real shoes or worry about the weather. I love the hum of insects in the flowers and even the humidity we get just about everywhere in the South.

Most of all, though, I love summer evenings. It is so nice to leave work while the sun is still in the sky and have hours of soft light left in the day. There is something so relaxing about getting home and opening the windows, lighting the candles and cutting up an avocado for dinner. This summer I seem to be spending a lot of time on the patio, reading books and enjoying the warm air. Beulah moseys in and out the open door between the living room and garden, her little toenails clicking on the floor. I leave the lights in the living room off until I come in so as to not attract too many bugs. You can hear the traffic from the road nearby a bit and people going in and out of the doors of nearby condos, but those sounds are muffled by birds who seem to stay up awfully late and squirrels running up and down tree trunks, talking to each other in the branches. Once it is finally dark outside and I'm done for the evening, sleep is so much more peaceful because of the time spent relaxing without the television going or the stress I the long cold walks Beulah and I take in the winter.

If I had my way summer would never end.