Frittata

I am so in love with frittatas, they are quick, easy, full of protein, and the perfect clean-out-your-frig meal.
Make a salad while it's baking and you've got dinner in under 30 minutes.

I loosely followed Art Smith's (Back toThe Table) recipe:
Preheat oven to 350. Saute some veggies of your choice (tonight it was sundried tomatoes, grated zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and a dash of  Italian seasoning), beat 8 eggs, add in some Parmesan cheese (a handful or so), pour the eggs/cheese over the veggies and let set for 3 minutes, then pop in oven for 15 minutes. Voila!

Here's another recipe: http://zucchini-fritatta.com/index.html

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While in Whole Foods this evening gathering my frittata ingredients, I thought I'd pick up some chocolate for dessert. They were out of my favorite, the Chocopologie Hawaiian Sea Salt and Burnt Caramel, but Michelle very kindly (and unexpectedly!) comped me some local (Raleigh) sea salt caramel truffles by Azurelise and they are delightful. I need to write Whole Foods and mention her outstanding customer service.

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Zoos and Tattoos

Last weekend brought a trip to the NC Zoo in Ashboro.

Confession #1: My expectation was pretty low.
Unfairly, the expectation was something along the lines of a gas station zoo with pacing cats, poo flinging monkeys, and bear baiting on the side.
But I was so wrong. There was not one cage. They don't have a plethora of animals, but the ones they have are all in quasi-natural environments, or as close as the North Carolina countryside  can come to a savanna (or savannah) in Africa or the forests of Madagascar. After walking close to seven miles, we still had not seen all of the North American portion of the zoo.
All four gorillas were out; the silverback was a particularly handsome and noble looking fellow. Hanging out in the sun with his three girls.
There seemed to be plenty of zoo folks around to stop ijits (there's always at least one) from annoying the animals with dangling bananas and such.

Confession #2: Some folks don't know a monkey (baboon) from an ape* (gorilla, chimpanzee). Fair enough. But how about someone telling their child to look at the monkey - and it's a LEMUR!?
You know what? I judge them. (okay, I judge those other people too.)

Dear god in heaven - at least read the sign. Don't pass your ignoramus-ness down to your children.


The aviary was fantastic, plus we had a break from hearing about "monkeys". These pictures are from the interwebz, but we saw each of them in the flesh:

Victoria Crowned Pigeon

Scarlett Ibis

Red Capped Cardinal

And these little brilliant green birds:

Blue-winged Leafbird

I would love to go back in the fall when the weather's cooler (and it's not Earth Day) and do the whole thing.

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On the tattoo front, I finally! got in to see Kathryn at Dogstar Tattoo last Tuesday. Paid my $50 drawing fee and go back in a month to see what she's come up with. A raven on a white oak tree branch is the plan.
I am really excited about it.

Tattoo'd Girls by Wylie Hunter & The Cazadores
http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=86514321&ac=now

"Oooh Lord you know
I love me some tattooed girls
Between their inkstained skin
and their mischievous grins
You know they're givin' my head a whirl"

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* Did you know the gibbon is the only ape with a tail?

Azalea Festival

Yesterday several of us went to the Azalea Festival in Wilmington.
I had in my head that it was a tour of gardens full of azaleas.
No.
The only azaleas we saw were at a rest stop. And I didn't even take a picture.
It was an arts and crafts fair (a big one) in downtown Wilmington.

It was a gorgeous day, about 70-75. We strolled, we tried on hats, we strolled, we bought stuff (my new pottery BF was there!), we ate, we strolled, we had a glass of wine and dessert, we boat rode, we strolled some more.
In other words, we had a great time.

Tiny cup - almost an egg cup. 

Going up

I would like to go back sometime when there isn't a festival and walk around. The architecture was great.

I'll Be A Monkey's Uncle

This Ancestry thing is crazy - even Sock Monkey Hat is finding  more relatives! Recently two more cousins have come to light:

The coin purse came from Wilmington - didn't even know I had relatives there. The other one was a gift from Steffi. That one could have come from a border state. Hmmmm.

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In case you were wondering (I was) - according to When Pigs Fly, "...In 1871 Darwin published the Decent of Man outlining his theory of evolution, sparking controversy that continues today. It seems Darwin’s scribblings not only added yet another excuse to snipe and name call, but also contributed to our English lexicon. I’ll be a monkey’s uncle was originally a sarcastic remark made by non-believers of Darwinism."

Music

"Youth" 
by Daughter


Shadows settle on the place, that you left.
Our minds are troubled by the emptiness.
Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time.
From the perfect start to the finish line.

And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones.
'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs.
Setting fire to our insides for fun
collecting names of the lovers that went wrong
the lovers that went wrong.

We are the reckless,
we are the wild youth
chasing visions of our futures
one day we'll reveal the truth
that one will die before he gets there.

And if you're still bleeding, you're the lucky ones.
'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone.
We're setting fire to our insides for fun.
Collecting pictures from the flood that wrecked our home,
It was a flood that wrecked this...

...and you caused it...
...and you caused it...
...and you caused it...

Well I've lost it all, I'm just a silouhette,
A lifeless face that you'll soon forget,
My eyes are damp from the words you left,
ringing in my head, when you broke my chest.
ringing in my head, when you broke my chest.

And if you're in love, then you are the lucky one,
'cause most of us are bitter over someone.
Setting fire to our insides for fun,
to distract our hearts from ever missing them.
but I'm forever missing him.

and you caused it,
and you caused it,
and you caused it.



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Slightly more uplifting - you can listen to an entire album from the Portland, Oregon band Horse Feathers here (I listened three times and pre-bought it on Amazon):


http://www.npr.org/2012/04/08/149850614/first-listen-horse-feathers-cynics-new-year?ps=mh_fl

A Roller Coaster of a Day

Bright and early, D. and I headed to the Durham Farmer's Market.
A perfect beautiful spring day, cool and sunny.

Here's my score:

 

Each of those heads of lettuce take up an entire crisper bin. 

The bowl (D. said it looks like it has sugar in it) is by Mark Kozma of Irons in the Fire. He might be my new pottery boyfriend. 

We spent a bit of time with Val who has the cutest Lego themed stuff. Her cake toppers were adorable. 

After harassing Bo at his booth for a few minutes, (he's a wood turner; makes really beautiful bowls and such), we headed over to Parker & Otis for some breakfast. Had what looked to be about four eggs scrambled with asparagus, ham, and cheese. Delicious.

Later this same day, four of us headed up to Cedar Creek Gallery for their Spring Festival.
Yes, I got more pottery.
No, I don't need an intervention.
But thanks for asking!
Then to Butner for the 1970's time warp that is Bob's BBQ.

After that I MOWED MY LAWN instead of taking a nap (that's worth points somewhere, right?). I've not mowed my lawn in four years (because a lovely gentleman is contracted to do it instead).
My neighbor came home while I was in the middle of the job and said, rather incredulously, "What are you doing?! I have never seen you do that!". 
This is my mower:

Makes up for not going on the walk.
Then I went over and hung out with my neighbors for a few minutes and got depressed. My next door neighbor (the incredulous one) was telling me they had to jack up their house.
I need to do that too. As well as get an under the house humidifier and a new water heater and siding or at the very least, new paint. UGH!

Oh, and I received a letter today from the IRS saying they needed more information for Mom's taxes.
More ugh.

Of Anger and Grief

April is settling in to be a real humdinger of a month.

Tomorrow would have been Mom's 76th birthday. April 30th will be thirteen years since my dad died. A nice little grief sandwich.

Yesterday I ripped a friend's head off about the amount of money to be spent on a wedding present. Scratch grief's surface and anger is lurking, just there.
Wait...maybe that's just me.

It feels as if I am weighted down with sandbags, there's a lot of sighing.
Last Wednesday, I cried in my car all the way back from Whole Foods, after having teared up at any small thing all day. Thursday, cried while on the phone with the VA - because I had to call them about a form they re-sent. They'd already told me in January that that form didn't need to be filled out.
Sigh. (see?)

Closing bank accounts, the last year of  doing her taxes, each thing is has a finality that I didn't experience with my dad's death. She probably did though.
I wish I had known to talk to her about it.