Day: 588
High Temp: 92F
As you can see above, today the high temperature is predicted to be in the low 90s. If this happens, it will be the first time this year that we have reached the 90 mark. It is a tad early, though, if you ask me. It will be great for the garden, but I was really disappointed to realize that it was time to turn on the AC, and it's still March.
Given that there is laundry and cleaning to do today, I am really thankful that we have air conditioning!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
We Grew This
Day: 584
High Temp: 82F
Check it out. Isn't it beautiful? I poached this one, and a few like it in some salted butter to eat as a side dish one night for dinner last week. It was divine.
So I realize that this blog may be turning into a gardening blog. It's kind of funny, because I am not sure I would ever call myself a gardener. But truth be told, it is the one thing in Austin right now that is most worth writing about/photographing. The green beans have sprouted, and its freaking beautiful. The arugula looks like it might flower- I didn't know arugula flowered. The garden is this ever changing, constant source of new, fascinating information. With my inevitable return to the city one day, I realize this garden could be the defining element of my time in Austin. I promise it won't ALL be gardening from here on out, but you've been warned.
High Temp: 82F
Check it out. Isn't it beautiful? I poached this one, and a few like it in some salted butter to eat as a side dish one night for dinner last week. It was divine.
So I realize that this blog may be turning into a gardening blog. It's kind of funny, because I am not sure I would ever call myself a gardener. But truth be told, it is the one thing in Austin right now that is most worth writing about/photographing. The green beans have sprouted, and its freaking beautiful. The arugula looks like it might flower- I didn't know arugula flowered. The garden is this ever changing, constant source of new, fascinating information. With my inevitable return to the city one day, I realize this garden could be the defining element of my time in Austin. I promise it won't ALL be gardening from here on out, but you've been warned.
Friday, March 18, 2011
You know what this is?
Day: 580
High Temp: 83F
It's a celebration, bitches!
Okay, so most of you did not expect to click on this post to find me quoting Kanye. But the truth is, this is sort of a celebration. More commonly, one might refer to it as a baby peach. Or perhaps a peachito (okay, melocotonito), or a peachling.
Tom and I have this really sad, scraggly looking tree in the back. When we first saw the Mint House, our landlady told us it was a peach tree, but said she wasn't sure if it had given fruit in the past few years. No surprise, looking at the poor thing. It's only a foot taller than I am, has cracks in the main trunk, and is leaning precariously at a 45 degree angle.
So we weren't sure what we had back there, but we did want to coax it back to life, if possible. It was green and leafy at the end of last summer, and so we watered it when it was active, hoping that would do it some good. Then once we saw buds starting to appear this spring, Tom began feeding it with this great organic seaweed juice. A few weeks later, we had a riot of blossoms, and soon after that, these little almond shaped fuzzy guys were everywhere. Celebration!!
And, do you know what this is....
It's a surprisingly big bowl of culled baby peaches. Apparently culling the tree when the peaches are about this size is good to ensure you have a nice crop of large and sweet fruit, as opposed to a plethora of tiny, hard and bland fruit. So, I did the deed this afternoon. It's hard to say bye to those little guys, but I swear, for each one I pulled off, there were 2-3 other on the tree. And fear not, these little guys will play an important role as compost for the fall garden!
If things continue on this positive path you might just find a jar of homemade Texas peach butter in your stocking next Christmas! Fingers crossed.
High Temp: 83F
It's a celebration, bitches!
Okay, so most of you did not expect to click on this post to find me quoting Kanye. But the truth is, this is sort of a celebration. More commonly, one might refer to it as a baby peach. Or perhaps a peachito (okay, melocotonito), or a peachling.
Tom and I have this really sad, scraggly looking tree in the back. When we first saw the Mint House, our landlady told us it was a peach tree, but said she wasn't sure if it had given fruit in the past few years. No surprise, looking at the poor thing. It's only a foot taller than I am, has cracks in the main trunk, and is leaning precariously at a 45 degree angle.
So we weren't sure what we had back there, but we did want to coax it back to life, if possible. It was green and leafy at the end of last summer, and so we watered it when it was active, hoping that would do it some good. Then once we saw buds starting to appear this spring, Tom began feeding it with this great organic seaweed juice. A few weeks later, we had a riot of blossoms, and soon after that, these little almond shaped fuzzy guys were everywhere. Celebration!!
And, do you know what this is....
It's a surprisingly big bowl of culled baby peaches. Apparently culling the tree when the peaches are about this size is good to ensure you have a nice crop of large and sweet fruit, as opposed to a plethora of tiny, hard and bland fruit. So, I did the deed this afternoon. It's hard to say bye to those little guys, but I swear, for each one I pulled off, there were 2-3 other on the tree. And fear not, these little guys will play an important role as compost for the fall garden!
If things continue on this positive path you might just find a jar of homemade Texas peach butter in your stocking next Christmas! Fingers crossed.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Tigress
Day: 550
High Temp: 72F
Two weeks ago, Tom and I were headed to the coffee shop near us for an afternoon treat when we passed a tiny storefront I had never noticed before. The door had a little frosted emblem that said "The Tigress - Lounge and Pub." I was immediately intrigued, and upon closer inspection discovered that there was, indeed, a tiny bar inside. Tom and I finally made it back over to The Tigress on Friday night to see what they had to offer, and let me tell you, it may have been the first time I felt sorry for people who don't live in Austin, Texas. For me, it may just be one of the best bars I have ever been to.
It is so good, in fact, that I hesitate to even write about it here, for fear that others will discover it, making it harder for me to get in! Then I remembered that my readership is limited to an elite (read: small) group of people who I would love to take to The Tigress for a drink.
But I wasn't exaggerating when I said it is tiny. There is room for six at the bar, plus two tables that probably seat four people each. Pair that with standing room space for maybe another 8-10 people, and you are at maximum capacity. The decor is simple, but charming, and the glassware is vintage. The lady behind the bar is both proprietor and bartender, although I am led to believe she does occasionally host guest bartenders.
As a patron, you can choose from a set menu of maybe 8-10 cocktails, many of which are classic in the truest sense. Although the proprietress told me that the menu does change often, I get the sense from online reviews that basic staples like Manhattans, Moscow Mules and French 75s are always available. But be warned, she doesn't keep a fully stocked bar, just the liquors, liqueurs and other specialty items needed to make the drinks on the menu. Although I am also told that the bartendress is willing to go off the menu if requested. And, to put the icing on the cupcake, each drink is only $7! That is a good $3-5 under normal market value, even for bars in Austin.
If a cocktail isn't your bag, you can imbibe from a small but thoughtful selection of excellent (and mostly local) beers served in genuine 20oz imperial pint glasses. And those are just $5!
We stuck to the hard stuff on Friday, and at two cocktails each, got an impressive demonstration of our host's mad skills. She is a goddess. And now, it is all that I can do to not suggest that Tom and I walk over for a drink EVERY night after work. For the sake of my bank (and temperance) I am glad they are closed on Monday and Tuesday!
High Temp: 72F
Two weeks ago, Tom and I were headed to the coffee shop near us for an afternoon treat when we passed a tiny storefront I had never noticed before. The door had a little frosted emblem that said "The Tigress - Lounge and Pub." I was immediately intrigued, and upon closer inspection discovered that there was, indeed, a tiny bar inside. Tom and I finally made it back over to The Tigress on Friday night to see what they had to offer, and let me tell you, it may have been the first time I felt sorry for people who don't live in Austin, Texas. For me, it may just be one of the best bars I have ever been to.
It is so good, in fact, that I hesitate to even write about it here, for fear that others will discover it, making it harder for me to get in! Then I remembered that my readership is limited to an elite (read: small) group of people who I would love to take to The Tigress for a drink.
But I wasn't exaggerating when I said it is tiny. There is room for six at the bar, plus two tables that probably seat four people each. Pair that with standing room space for maybe another 8-10 people, and you are at maximum capacity. The decor is simple, but charming, and the glassware is vintage. The lady behind the bar is both proprietor and bartender, although I am led to believe she does occasionally host guest bartenders.
As a patron, you can choose from a set menu of maybe 8-10 cocktails, many of which are classic in the truest sense. Although the proprietress told me that the menu does change often, I get the sense from online reviews that basic staples like Manhattans, Moscow Mules and French 75s are always available. But be warned, she doesn't keep a fully stocked bar, just the liquors, liqueurs and other specialty items needed to make the drinks on the menu. Although I am also told that the bartendress is willing to go off the menu if requested. And, to put the icing on the cupcake, each drink is only $7! That is a good $3-5 under normal market value, even for bars in Austin.
If a cocktail isn't your bag, you can imbibe from a small but thoughtful selection of excellent (and mostly local) beers served in genuine 20oz imperial pint glasses. And those are just $5!
We stuck to the hard stuff on Friday, and at two cocktails each, got an impressive demonstration of our host's mad skills. She is a goddess. And now, it is all that I can do to not suggest that Tom and I walk over for a drink EVERY night after work. For the sake of my bank (and temperance) I am glad they are closed on Monday and Tuesday!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Hating on Texas
The last 12 hours or so have been, perhaps, my worst since coming to Texas. So this may get a little snarky, but I need to get it off my chest and move on...
It all started at 2am this morning, when a very crazy, or very incapacitated, woman totally lost her shit and started breaking out the windows of an SUV parked in a driveway off the alley behind our house. She was definitely pissed off at whoever was in the SUV, and was screaming and sobbing, and basically loosing her mind trying to destroy this car. I wasn't sure exactly who was in danger in the situation, but I called the police and soon enough 3 cruisers were on the scene to sort it all out. I would estimate we were awake for an hour and a half, listening to her ravings and the car alarm and arrests.
When my alarm went off at 6:15, I rolled over to Tom, wished him a happy birthday (yep), and said I wanted a do-over on the day. Unfortunately, that middle of the night rude awakening was an omen of the additional fun the day had in store for us.
While a majority of the rest of the country has been dealing with a major winter weather event, Austin has "suffered" the fate of temps dropping below freezing for an extended period of time. It is definitely cold here, and none of us is really acclimated to such weather, so it can be hard to cope. However, the ineptitude, incompetence and general ridiculousness displayed so far today simply cannot be forgiven.
Let us start with our pipes, which froze over night as the low temp dropped to 16 degrees. They froze in less than 7 hours, although our heater was cranked up to 74 degrees to counteract the lack of insulation and old, leaky windows. I literally could not believe it. I lived in Chicago for 10 years, experiencing weeks on end where the HIGH temp wouldn't get above the single digits. But as long as you had he heat on, it was fine. But apparently here they don't insulate their pipes... even if you are building a pier and beam house, which will guarantee that your water pipes will be all but exposed to the elements.
The excuse I have heard is that it almost never gets this cold here, so why waste the money? Instead, let us once or twice a year leave all of our faucets running for days to ensure we don't freeze up. Unfortunately, no one mentioned we should do that, regardless of how high our heat was cranked. I know ultimately this situation is sort of our fault, but come on, Texas! I will say that our landlord was really sweet, and is taking the blame herself for this one. She knows we are Yanks and she admits she should have called to school us on the cold weather protocol.
And then there are the rolling black outs. Just at the time when one might need electricity the most, the grid has been overwhelmed here in Texas, and state-wide scheduled blackouts have started. It makes sense that an increase in heating usage would tax the system, but we all knew the coldsnap was coming. It turns out that the power plants in Texas are built different than those in colder climates, and some of them here in Texas have shut down, or slowed down because of the cold. That is right. I said, because it is this cold, the Texas power grid cannot perform at peak output. Is this for real? Although it is somewhat rare, it does get really freaking cold here sometimes. And it happens even more often further north, in major cities like Dallas. And when this happens, people will ALWAYS want to turn on their heaters.
Finally, and hopefully this really is the final thing to wreck my day, the heater at the School of Nursing is broken. It was on this morning, but went down around 10am. No word yet on if/when it will be fixed, and for right now, my office is colder than I would like, but not intolerable. But I tell you what, I am not coming here tomorrow if it isn't back on. It is already literally freezing in our lobby, with students and staff coming in and out all day, and it is just too cold outside for the building to sit over night without heat and still be habitable tomorrow morning.
The good news is that Tom just call to say that we have cold water again (and there is a well stocked liquor cabinet waiting for me when I get home).
It all started at 2am this morning, when a very crazy, or very incapacitated, woman totally lost her shit and started breaking out the windows of an SUV parked in a driveway off the alley behind our house. She was definitely pissed off at whoever was in the SUV, and was screaming and sobbing, and basically loosing her mind trying to destroy this car. I wasn't sure exactly who was in danger in the situation, but I called the police and soon enough 3 cruisers were on the scene to sort it all out. I would estimate we were awake for an hour and a half, listening to her ravings and the car alarm and arrests.
When my alarm went off at 6:15, I rolled over to Tom, wished him a happy birthday (yep), and said I wanted a do-over on the day. Unfortunately, that middle of the night rude awakening was an omen of the additional fun the day had in store for us.
While a majority of the rest of the country has been dealing with a major winter weather event, Austin has "suffered" the fate of temps dropping below freezing for an extended period of time. It is definitely cold here, and none of us is really acclimated to such weather, so it can be hard to cope. However, the ineptitude, incompetence and general ridiculousness displayed so far today simply cannot be forgiven.
Let us start with our pipes, which froze over night as the low temp dropped to 16 degrees. They froze in less than 7 hours, although our heater was cranked up to 74 degrees to counteract the lack of insulation and old, leaky windows. I literally could not believe it. I lived in Chicago for 10 years, experiencing weeks on end where the HIGH temp wouldn't get above the single digits. But as long as you had he heat on, it was fine. But apparently here they don't insulate their pipes... even if you are building a pier and beam house, which will guarantee that your water pipes will be all but exposed to the elements.
The excuse I have heard is that it almost never gets this cold here, so why waste the money? Instead, let us once or twice a year leave all of our faucets running for days to ensure we don't freeze up. Unfortunately, no one mentioned we should do that, regardless of how high our heat was cranked. I know ultimately this situation is sort of our fault, but come on, Texas! I will say that our landlord was really sweet, and is taking the blame herself for this one. She knows we are Yanks and she admits she should have called to school us on the cold weather protocol.
And then there are the rolling black outs. Just at the time when one might need electricity the most, the grid has been overwhelmed here in Texas, and state-wide scheduled blackouts have started. It makes sense that an increase in heating usage would tax the system, but we all knew the coldsnap was coming. It turns out that the power plants in Texas are built different than those in colder climates, and some of them here in Texas have shut down, or slowed down because of the cold. That is right. I said, because it is this cold, the Texas power grid cannot perform at peak output. Is this for real? Although it is somewhat rare, it does get really freaking cold here sometimes. And it happens even more often further north, in major cities like Dallas. And when this happens, people will ALWAYS want to turn on their heaters.
Finally, and hopefully this really is the final thing to wreck my day, the heater at the School of Nursing is broken. It was on this morning, but went down around 10am. No word yet on if/when it will be fixed, and for right now, my office is colder than I would like, but not intolerable. But I tell you what, I am not coming here tomorrow if it isn't back on. It is already literally freezing in our lobby, with students and staff coming in and out all day, and it is just too cold outside for the building to sit over night without heat and still be habitable tomorrow morning.
The good news is that Tom just call to say that we have cold water again (and there is a well stocked liquor cabinet waiting for me when I get home).
Thursday, January 6, 2011
A Remembrance of a Midwestern Winter
Day: 509
High Temp: 69F
Tom and I returned to the Mint House on Sunday night high on the buzz of another wonderful Becker Christmas celebration. It was so good, in fact, that the heartwarming memories have even been enough to fend off my normal bout of post-family blues. Here's the highlight reel:
Mom's cookies and candies. She continues to outdo herself each year, making huge assortments of delicious cookies and candies in huge numbers. I may very well have ingested 2 dozen raspberry cream cheese truffles. And let's not forget the brownie cookies, the chocolate dipped macaroons and the peanut butter fudge.
Abundant Twin Nephew Lovin. The boys get cuter each time I see them. They are so lovely, and good-tempered. I particularly enjoyed the realization that they are both really ticklish on their backs and necks. The sounds they make are beyond adorable
Best Christmas Present Ever. I am blessed to have many amazing people in my life, who love me, and who I love right back. And while I got and gave many amazing homemade presents this year (honestly, they were so good that this might warrant a separate post) I was most enamored with my brand new Kindle! That thing is the best!
Puppy Love Overload. We drove this year, which means that Homer joined us in St Louis for the fun. Add to him the two adorable miniature beagles my parents recently adopted, and my brother's 3 dogs, and it was a very doggy Christmas. Although it can be a bit much, I secretly love every minute of it.
Family Love. From Christmas day, to post holiday open houses, to movies and drinks at the local bar, I got the chance to see lots of family this year. I even had a chance to catch up with two of my favorite bloggers (my gorgeous cousins from A Foreign Land and The Book and Its Cover)
High School Reunion. Although we missed Mollie and Dan this year, I had a wonderful annual holiday reunion with two of my high school besties and their families, Jenna and Jenny. I got a chance to check out Jenna's growing belly (she is expecting a son in March) and to marvel over Jenny's two gorgeous and beyond smart kids, Noah and Lucy.
And if all that weren't enough, we squeezed in time to visit my favorite painting that the St Louis Art Museum, get coffee at the legendary Coffee Cartel, eat Obama's favorite pizza at Pi, see the new Cohen Bros. film True Grit, sleep late nearly every day, enjoy a fun New Years Eve dinner at Hacienda, drink lots of good beer and wine, and spend a crazy amount of time reading (on my new Kindle of course!)
I feel so blessed to be able to share such wonderful memories, and my incredible luck is not lost on me. Here's to a great end to 2010!
High Temp: 69F
Tom and I returned to the Mint House on Sunday night high on the buzz of another wonderful Becker Christmas celebration. It was so good, in fact, that the heartwarming memories have even been enough to fend off my normal bout of post-family blues. Here's the highlight reel:
Mom's cookies and candies. She continues to outdo herself each year, making huge assortments of delicious cookies and candies in huge numbers. I may very well have ingested 2 dozen raspberry cream cheese truffles. And let's not forget the brownie cookies, the chocolate dipped macaroons and the peanut butter fudge.
Abundant Twin Nephew Lovin. The boys get cuter each time I see them. They are so lovely, and good-tempered. I particularly enjoyed the realization that they are both really ticklish on their backs and necks. The sounds they make are beyond adorable
Best Christmas Present Ever. I am blessed to have many amazing people in my life, who love me, and who I love right back. And while I got and gave many amazing homemade presents this year (honestly, they were so good that this might warrant a separate post) I was most enamored with my brand new Kindle! That thing is the best!
Puppy Love Overload. We drove this year, which means that Homer joined us in St Louis for the fun. Add to him the two adorable miniature beagles my parents recently adopted, and my brother's 3 dogs, and it was a very doggy Christmas. Although it can be a bit much, I secretly love every minute of it.
Family Love. From Christmas day, to post holiday open houses, to movies and drinks at the local bar, I got the chance to see lots of family this year. I even had a chance to catch up with two of my favorite bloggers (my gorgeous cousins from A Foreign Land and The Book and Its Cover)
High School Reunion. Although we missed Mollie and Dan this year, I had a wonderful annual holiday reunion with two of my high school besties and their families, Jenna and Jenny. I got a chance to check out Jenna's growing belly (she is expecting a son in March) and to marvel over Jenny's two gorgeous and beyond smart kids, Noah and Lucy.
And if all that weren't enough, we squeezed in time to visit my favorite painting that the St Louis Art Museum, get coffee at the legendary Coffee Cartel, eat Obama's favorite pizza at Pi, see the new Cohen Bros. film True Grit, sleep late nearly every day, enjoy a fun New Years Eve dinner at Hacienda, drink lots of good beer and wine, and spend a crazy amount of time reading (on my new Kindle of course!)
I feel so blessed to be able to share such wonderful memories, and my incredible luck is not lost on me. Here's to a great end to 2010!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Weather Obsessed
Day: 494
High Temp: 66F
It is time that I fess up... I am OBSESSED with the weather here. It's not necessarily a positive or a negative thing. It is just so vastly different from what I grew accustomed to during my many years as a midwesterner. I cannot get over how strange it is. The fact that I must announce the day's high temperature at the start of every blog should only go towards proving my obsession. The subject is endlessly fascinating to me. And in an effort to prevent myself from musing about every day where the weather is unseasonable my my midwestern sensibilities, I am writing this little post.
So, it may interest you to know that it was 80 degrees yesterday. Should you not totally understand the significance of this, I should also point out that yesterday was December 21- the first day of WINTER! We still have lettuce, beets and carrots in the garden. I wore a sleeveless dress, without stockings, to take Homer for a walk last night.
I am not sure I will ever get used to a warm winter, but I also have a hard time complaining too heartily about it. Besides, with Thanksgivings spent in the snowy Sierra's, and Christmas in the chilly midwest, I suppose I do get enough winter to meet my ingrained expectations.
And as I am not coming to terms with my obsession, I would also like to apologize to my siblings-in-law for the many times I made fun of and rolled my eyes at their enthusiasm and elation over even the smallest snowfall at the cabin. Too many years of heavily snowed-in winters made me jaded, and I had forgotten the magic of snow. I hope you will all forgive me.
High Temp: 66F
It is time that I fess up... I am OBSESSED with the weather here. It's not necessarily a positive or a negative thing. It is just so vastly different from what I grew accustomed to during my many years as a midwesterner. I cannot get over how strange it is. The fact that I must announce the day's high temperature at the start of every blog should only go towards proving my obsession. The subject is endlessly fascinating to me. And in an effort to prevent myself from musing about every day where the weather is unseasonable my my midwestern sensibilities, I am writing this little post.
So, it may interest you to know that it was 80 degrees yesterday. Should you not totally understand the significance of this, I should also point out that yesterday was December 21- the first day of WINTER! We still have lettuce, beets and carrots in the garden. I wore a sleeveless dress, without stockings, to take Homer for a walk last night.
I am not sure I will ever get used to a warm winter, but I also have a hard time complaining too heartily about it. Besides, with Thanksgivings spent in the snowy Sierra's, and Christmas in the chilly midwest, I suppose I do get enough winter to meet my ingrained expectations.
And as I am not coming to terms with my obsession, I would also like to apologize to my siblings-in-law for the many times I made fun of and rolled my eyes at their enthusiasm and elation over even the smallest snowfall at the cabin. Too many years of heavily snowed-in winters made me jaded, and I had forgotten the magic of snow. I hope you will all forgive me.
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