Space Girl

It's getting to be that season again. The summer season. A season defined by a high possibility for hot, volatile weather and GNTs. The season when science fiction, pulp, and grindhouse features emerge more prominently in my Instant Queue. Since last week's release of the latest Star Trek installment I have been a total space brain. My recent inspiration has been in the form of vintage images of space girls. Helmeted heroines have been filling up my sketch pads, accompanied by flashes of neon oil pastel and glitter. Here are some of the beauties I have found online.

Season's End

Today I said good-bye to my faithful bamboo plant. My mom bought him for me when I started college. He survived six moves, college dorms, apartments, rent houses, and our first home (well, really, just another apartment...but whatever). I thought that he was just browning like bamboo plants are want to do on occasion. However, I was wrong. The poor thing was not going to come back. It was sad to extract him from his vase and rinse off the rocks that had cradled his roots.

However, today was not all sadness. I planted four new plants on our balcony. Two ferns, a blue plantain lily, and purple coral bells. Our balcony is starting to look thoroughly cheerful again, and just in time for the summer season. I took my afternoon tea outside after I had finished planting. It felt downright decadent!

Things I Love This Moment

Today I am in love with surprising things, and some not so surprising things:

I love the color yellow,  I love the rain,  I love baking. I love coming home to a house full of pets. I love my turquoise jewelry. I love the sound of insects and birds in flight. I love strange bakeware. I love the smell of coffee and piñon wood. I love knowing that I am good at what I do. I love the sound of Grant's voice when he reads aloud. I love drawing with charcoal. I love when kids paint their fingernails poorly. I love warm fireplaces and cabins in the woods. I love savoring the last chapter of a book. I love you.

Spring Fling

Soda Bread and Other Glories

St. Patrick's Day is awesome. Especially for Grant and I. Back in 2006 we spent St. Patrick's Day studying at the mid-town Borders in Tulsa, eating soup and cafe sandwiches (they served real food back then), reading Mark Twain and George MacDonald to each other, and when evening fell we listened to a live band of seniors play Irish favorites in the cafe. Those were our first moments of flirtation, and the start of something wonderful. Ever since then, when the crabapple trees start to bloom and the public radio stations start playing Irish ballads we get a little bit swoony. 

We celebrated St.Patrick's Day this year with food, booze, some Yeats and a movie or two. The day started with OU's classical music station playing traditional Irish hymns, some ballads, and finished up its late morning segment with Irish rock. We were also blessed with proper Irish weather to help set the mood. A little overcast and a little chilly. With the windows open it was a perfect day for movie watching. On our list this holiday was The Departed (one of our favorites), Ondine  (a new one that we had never seen), The Secret of Kells (If you have not seen this, please watch it!), and The Secret of Roan Inish (a childhood favorite of mine). 

Grant made corned beef sandwiches for lunch and they were amazing. By the way, Grant is a master sandwich maker. If you are ever lucky enough to have him make a sandwich for you, don't question anything he puts on it, just eat it and be dazzled. These corned beef sandwiches were paired with sauerkraut, spicy pickle slices, stone ground mustard, Dubliner's cheddar, and onions - and all this goodness was then housed between two glorious pieces of rye bread. We also had a few bottles of Boulevard's Irish Ale to help wash those sandwiches down. 

For dessert we had the brilliant idea of putting Irish whiskey on top of vanilla ice cream. If you missed my first post about homemade vanilla ice cream, you can follow the link here. But we could not stop there, we also added salted caramels to this glorious concoction....because we are adults and can do what we want. 

But really, the highlight of the festivities was making honest to God Irish soda bread. 

Disclaimer: This recipe will have you baking bread at least once a week. It is just that awesome and easy to make. You have been warned. 

I have had authentic soda bread before and I must admit that I am a bit of a snob when it comes to soda bread. I believe it should be plain. There, I said it. Add raisins, nuts and other goodies to your bread for special occasions, but this is a working man's bread. It is sensible, with no frills about it. 

For those of you protesting, don't worry, there is nothing inherently wrong in adding goodies to your bread (obviously this makes it even more delicious!), but there is something to be said for maintaining tradition. But whatever, experiment all you want, I am off my little soda*box. 

The recipe I ended up using is from The Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread, yes this is a real organization. You can even join them on Facebook. This website is wonderful, you can research the history of soda bread, explore recipes, and even buy Irish baking products that support the website. There are several recipes listed on the site, but the one I used was for White Soda Bread. 

This bread was fantastic, you guys, seriously. And easy to make too. Slop the ingredients together, put it in a dutch oven and bake. We had ours topped with local honey, and served with green grapes and more beer. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day and special traditions, whatever they might be, to you all!

Atomic

“Liliana Orsi, a 22-year-old beauty in Rome, Italy, displays her new atomic hairdo and the photo of the atomic blast which inspired it. It took a hair stylist 12 hours to arrange Liliana’s coiffure, so it’s not recommended for daily wear. It’s an old fashion and something dangerously new.” - Acme Newspictures

Horror Vacui

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Soulful Shade of Blue