In a Jane Austen sort of mood....

Take the Quiz here!

Walk Out to Winter

Walk out to winter, swear I'll be there.

Chill will wake you, high and dry, you'll wonder why.

Walk out to winter, swear I'll be there.

Chance is buried just below the blinding snow.

- Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera)

Happy Easter from snowy Richmond! Whodda thunk it? Every flowering plant in town is in bloom, the trees are unfurling their leaves and the air is heavy with pollen.

I hightailed it over to Maymont yesterday morning before the crowds and had the place to myself. The Japanese Garden, having the most lush growth of trees, was like a tropical rain forest only what was coming out of the trees was snow. Here are just a few pictures of how the wonderland appeared before 10am.

What I'm thinking about

Sugar plums.... etc etc.....

All I can do right now is give you a hint of what I'm working on.

I'm thinking... I'm thinking....

Your Dominant Thinking Style: Exploring

You thrive on the unknown and unpredictable. Novelty is your middle name.You are a challenger. You tend to challenge common assumptions and beliefs. An expert inventor and problem solver, you approach everything from new angles.You show people how to question their models of the world.

What's" Your Thinking Style?

Old list

A little something I found while going through my hard drive:

25 Things I Appreciate Just As They Are:

1) Cold beer
2) Flannel sheets
3) A kiss
4) The sound of the tea kettle whistling
5) Casmir
6) T-shirts
7) The Outer Banks of North Carolina
8) French toast
9) Penny loafers
10) A kitten
11) Tall ships
12) homemade tomato soup
13) Crayola crayons
14) Sunsets/starry nights/full moons
15) A bubble bath
16) Violent, paralizing snowstorms....midweek
17) Potato chips and onion dip
18) A new hardcover book
19) A fire in the fireplace
20) Thunderstorms
21) Popcorn at the movies
22) Red lipstick
23) An old Bordeaux wine
24) oatmeal cookies
25) A ripe, ready-to-burst peach

What I did on my fall vacation

I just got back from visiting my cousin and her family in Superior, CO which is a tidy little community just outside of Boulder. I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to have relatives in high places....


On Sunday we went hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park. The hike we took was to Alberta Falls. It was a relatively easy hike but very enjoyable and of course the scenery was gorgeous.


On Monday my cousin and I went into Boulder and did a spot of shopping at the Pearl St. Mall, an open air shopping district in the heart of Boulder.

This is the window of a shop called "Paper Doll"
.

We then met my cousin's husband for lunch at the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House. It was one of the most amazing buildings I've ever been in and I would highly recommend it.

Oh and before I forget, this was the view from my window. Delish!

The latest book meme

1. One book that changed your life: On the Beach by Nevil Shute

2. One book that you've read more than once:Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: The Riverside Shakespeare

4. One book that made you laugh: The Death of David Debrizzi by Paul Micou

5. One book that made you cry: On the Beach by Nevil Shute

6. One book that you wish had been written: Daddy Fix It Please?

7. One book you wish had never been written: There are several on this list - mostly religious in nature.

8. One book you're currently reading: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

9. One book you've been meaning to read: The Queen of the South by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

You say tomayto... I say tomahto....

Last week my friend Ben brought me a tomato from his garden (shameless plug - that's Ben from "Hilltop Herbs" in Alexandria - catch him at the Clarendon Farmer's Market on Wednesday afternoon or the Old Town Farmer's Market on Saturday morning).

I had already picked some rosemary from my garden...


And then this past Saturday I stopped in at Ellwood Thompson's and picked up this lovely eggplant , known to some as the "sacred vegetable".



Now, a number of years ago, I picked up a cookbook in London with an excellent stuffed eggplant recipe but I didn't have all the ingredients this evening. On the other hand, I tend to be a culinary pirate. I see recipes more as sort of...guidlines... So without further ado, I sliced the eggplant in half and hollowed the halves out. I sautéed some onions in olive oil and added the eggplant flesh along with some mushrooms and some chopped cashews. I let that cook for about 10 minutes and then added breadcrumbs mixed with oregano and rosemary as well as a cup of quinoa. I stuffed the eggplants, topped them with the loveliest of slices from the wonderful tomato which Ben brought me, covered it all with a nice little bit of cheese (Chimay fromage) and baked it at 350ºF for about 45 min. C'est magnifique!!!