How on earth are we going to get him out of there? And how is it that Pickles -- recently promoted to Sergeant in the Rodent Roundup -- can't smell him? She's risking demotion, this one.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Mouse House
There is a mouse hiding under the couch right now.
How on earth are we going to get him out of there? And how is it that Pickles -- recently promoted to Sergeant in the Rodent Roundup -- can't smell him? She's risking demotion, this one.
How on earth are we going to get him out of there? And how is it that Pickles -- recently promoted to Sergeant in the Rodent Roundup -- can't smell him? She's risking demotion, this one.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Guest Blogger Surprise for Todos Santos!
Hi, it's AJ here. SOME people are always telling me that I, too, have access to the House from Mars blog page if I would ever like to post something myself. I'm doing it! No stopping me now! Really I wanted you to see how yummy the chicken soup looks with slices of roast pumpkin in it. An excellent pairing.
Also, I wanted to share our Dia de los Muertos/Todos Santos altar with you. We took some time last night here on Mars to sit around the altar and share some nice thoughts about loved ones who have passed. For me, those memories and those touchstones on the altar are a bit like bringing them into the room with us.
And I made this beautiful pan de muerto. It was very exciting. And it is delicious.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Happy Halloween!
Halloween is in full swing on Mars.
We have the lights off, and are hiding from the tiny ghosts, goblins, superheroes, and princesses plaguing our streets.
Adrienne is making a delicious chicken soup from scratch:
...and roasted it with cinnamon, nutmeg, and chile powder:
Meanwhile, we have a special protection detail, sent here from Animal Control to make sure that the nasty possums that hang out in the yard don't disrupt the festivities:
We have the lights off, and are hiding from the tiny ghosts, goblins, superheroes, and princesses plaguing our streets.
Adrienne is making a delicious chicken soup from scratch:
I cut up my one and only pumpkin from the garden...
...and roasted it with cinnamon, nutmeg, and chile powder:
Meanwhile, we have a special protection detail, sent here from Animal Control to make sure that the nasty possums that hang out in the yard don't disrupt the festivities:
Officer Pickles, of the Possum Patrol, reporting for duty!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Pumpkin Progress
Last month I wrote about the tragedy of hacking up the dying, non-producing pumpkin plant in the front yard, & being shocked to find this hidden under all the giant leaves:
Good news! After a whole month sitting on the windowsill, it has finally turned completely orange:
Just in time for Halloween!
Monday, September 16, 2013
36 + 1 Birthday Weekend
On Saturday, I turned 36 + 1 (I'm thinking that if I always start by saying "36", it's like I'm actually more or less still 36...I'm pretty sure this will work), and Adrienne threw me the best birthday weekend ever!
It started with Saturday morning birthday pastries, coffee, and presents:
Then, later, Amanda, Matt, Susie, & Robin came over for whiskey tasting fun:
And pickles:
And delicious cheesy, saucy noodles:
A good time was had by all, and I, for one, learned something about the whiskeys we tried.
The birthday fun continued on Sunday morning, when Adrienne made me an ultra-special breakfast:
Add a little fancy champagne, and some potent hot sauce Amanda gave me, and it was the perfect breakfast for easing on into yet another year:
Thank you Robin, Susie, Matt, Amanda, and Adrienne for making my birthday weekend so wonderful! And a special thank you to Jon, who handled finding the perfect birthday blueberry pie (there are no pictures, because unfortunately, it was so delicious it disappeared in an instant...oops)!!
It started with Saturday morning birthday pastries, coffee, and presents:
Wine from Rachel, pickles and Portuguese pepper paste (made & canned by Adrienne!), a poster, and a terrarium in a...um..chemistry thing!
Then, later, Amanda, Matt, Susie, & Robin came over for whiskey tasting fun:
And pickles:
Two types of cantaloupe by Adrienne, okra by Adrienne, eggs by me, and some amazingly fantastic kimchi that Susie brought for the festivities!
And delicious cheesy, saucy noodles:
A good time was had by all, and I, for one, learned something about the whiskeys we tried.
The birthday fun continued on Sunday morning, when Adrienne made me an ultra-special breakfast:
Poached eggs on grilled polenta, with parmesan sauce, bacon, & heirloom tomatoes!
Add a little fancy champagne, and some potent hot sauce Amanda gave me, and it was the perfect breakfast for easing on into yet another year:
Thank you Robin, Susie, Matt, Amanda, and Adrienne for making my birthday weekend so wonderful! And a special thank you to Jon, who handled finding the perfect birthday blueberry pie (there are no pictures, because unfortunately, it was so delicious it disappeared in an instant...oops)!!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Puttering Around
Took a break from studying to get some small projects done this weekend.
Project #1: Add a shelf to the Disaster Cabinet
We have one cabinet in the kitchen that has proven just impossible to keep organized:
The mess -- and the hassle and racket whenever we try to get anything out -- drives us both crazy. On Saturday, I made a shelf out of a leftover 2x4, along with a pair of stops to keep the baking sheets from sliding away from the wall:
Much better!
Project #2: Clear out the dying pumpkin vine in the front yard
The pumpkin vine in the front yard has grown very large, but the plant is succumbing to the dreaded powdery mildew, and the pumpkins are rotting on the vine. Its days are numbered. We have six or eight different succulent cuttings -- generous donations from Jennifer, Jon, & Susie -- just about ready to be planted in the yard, so I decided today to pull out the vine to make room for the replanting to begin.
Much to my surprise, after I had already hacked the vines apart, I found this under the giant leaves:
It will be hard to be back at work this week, knowing that that hammock is out there, but I will be brave and do my best. I'm only working three days this week -- taking the two days off before my birthday! --- so I'm sure I will survive somehow.
Project #1: Add a shelf to the Disaster Cabinet
We have one cabinet in the kitchen that has proven just impossible to keep organized:
The mess -- and the hassle and racket whenever we try to get anything out -- drives us both crazy. On Saturday, I made a shelf out of a leftover 2x4, along with a pair of stops to keep the baking sheets from sliding away from the wall:
Result:
Much better!
Project #2: Clear out the dying pumpkin vine in the front yard
The pumpkin vine in the front yard has grown very large, but the plant is succumbing to the dreaded powdery mildew, and the pumpkins are rotting on the vine. Its days are numbered. We have six or eight different succulent cuttings -- generous donations from Jennifer, Jon, & Susie -- just about ready to be planted in the yard, so I decided today to pull out the vine to make room for the replanting to begin.
Much to my surprise, after I had already hacked the vines apart, I found this under the giant leaves:
DAMMIT!
Project #3: Do something with the rosemary tree
We bought a hammock this week that fits perfectly in a semi-shady/semi-sunny corner of the yard, right next to a overgrown and mostly dead rosemary tree:
To make a little more room to get in and out of the hammock, and to reduce the number of spiders that could drop on an unsuspecting napper, I removed the left side of the tree.
Meanwhile, there is a nice craggy part at the same level of the hammock that would make a perfect place to rest a drink, with just a little modification. A few taps on a chisel later:
Afternoon snoozing perfection:
It will be hard to be back at work this week, knowing that that hammock is out there, but I will be brave and do my best. I'm only working three days this week -- taking the two days off before my birthday! --- so I'm sure I will survive somehow.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Where Does The Time Go?
Well, that was quite a hiatus! I traveled a little in June, and then work began to get stupidly busy, and the weather was crappy so I neglected the garden, and then I up and decided to apply to grad school for some reason, and then here we are, all of a sudden, on August 8.
There are a couple sets of photos that I have to share, but today I'll just start with an update on what I did last weekend: I painted my office!
In June, I found out that my company will pay for a masters degree, as long as it's related to my job in some way. In that case, I figured, since it's mostly just a question of my putting in the sweat for a few years, it would be worth it in order to set myself up with more options later. So I started looking into online Master of Business Administration programs (dragging my butt downtown to a campus in the evenings for 3 years is a non-starter), found a good one with the concentration I want, & applied in July.
I found out the first week of August that I got in, so I decided to finally paint my office last weekend, to make it as comfortable & pleasant as possible for all this studying I'm about to do (what?). Here's how it turned out:
No more pink trim! The black strip is Contact Paper that works like a blackboard -- I can put exam dates, etc. up there & not have to worry about forgetting them. I also put up one of my grandmother's paintings, & a Blessed Mother that had belonged to her. Thanks again for sending those, Mama & Papa O'Brien!
As for this blog's mascot, Mrs. Zoey Pickles, she's doing well. A neighbor moved a few weeks ago & left behind a cheapo, folding electric treadmill on the sidewalk that we dragged home, & have been training Zoey to walk on. She's making good progress. Video of that soon. In the meantime, on our vet's advice, Adrienne has been bringing her to a physical therapy place to help get her back legs a little stronger. Here is a video of Zoey on the underwater treadmill there:
There are a couple sets of photos that I have to share, but today I'll just start with an update on what I did last weekend: I painted my office!
In June, I found out that my company will pay for a masters degree, as long as it's related to my job in some way. In that case, I figured, since it's mostly just a question of my putting in the sweat for a few years, it would be worth it in order to set myself up with more options later. So I started looking into online Master of Business Administration programs (dragging my butt downtown to a campus in the evenings for 3 years is a non-starter), found a good one with the concentration I want, & applied in July.
I found out the first week of August that I got in, so I decided to finally paint my office last weekend, to make it as comfortable & pleasant as possible for all this studying I'm about to do (what?). Here's how it turned out:
No more pink trim! The black strip is Contact Paper that works like a blackboard -- I can put exam dates, etc. up there & not have to worry about forgetting them. I also put up one of my grandmother's paintings, & a Blessed Mother that had belonged to her. Thanks again for sending those, Mama & Papa O'Brien!
As for this blog's mascot, Mrs. Zoey Pickles, she's doing well. A neighbor moved a few weeks ago & left behind a cheapo, folding electric treadmill on the sidewalk that we dragged home, & have been training Zoey to walk on. She's making good progress. Video of that soon. In the meantime, on our vet's advice, Adrienne has been bringing her to a physical therapy place to help get her back legs a little stronger. Here is a video of Zoey on the underwater treadmill there:
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