Life on the Farm

2009-01-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry I've been neglecting you. I just needed some "me" time.

I think of you often, and I look forward to rekindling our relationship soon.

Love,

Tracy

2008-11-18T19:13:00.001-08:00

I don't really have anything to say, but I thought that I'd post just to keep the rhythm going. (What rhythm?) wait, did I spell that right?

I am getting over a cold. Last night I thought I was going to lose my voice, but I didn't. Too bad for Mike.

Enjoy this photo of Mateo eating a football. I'm not sure where it will load. He is a good little Cal fan! Although it didn't help this weekend, they lost to OSU, BUT I can console myself with the fact that if OSU keeps their winning streak up, they will prevent USC from going to the Rose Bowl, so all is not lost.

I Am Not Afraid

2008-10-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

To ask stupid questions. Never have been. Whether this is to my credit or discredit depends on your point of view, I guess. The upside for me is that I learn many new things this way. For example:

The expression "running full bore" does not, as I had thought for, well, forever, have anything to do with the speed at which a wild pig runs in the woods. (And yes, I did think it was spelled "full boar", in case you were wondering about my spelling skills. Which, I might add, are stellar. Crap, better make sure there are no spelling errors in this post. If there are any, it's due to typos. Promise).

Anyway. Rather than bore (boar?) you with the details, here is a link to an old article in the NY Times magazine by William Safire (Sapphire!), the columnist who writes weekly musings on language and grammar. I must, however, give credit, to my dear husband Mike - who explained it, diagrams in all, in very clear, concise terms.

What else. Tonight I cooked a yummy (in my opinion) Sunday dinner. Roast pork (six hour pork roast recipe from epicurious), sweet and sour red cabbage, and polenta. Boy do I ever love comfort food. I love cooking with the fresh fruits and vegetables of spring and summer to be sure, but my true passion is slow cooked meats, hearty grains, and winter vegetables. Stick to your ribs stuff.

Last night we went into Portland to Luke and Rae's house for their first annual pumpkin carving party. They host an Easter egg decorating party every year, which is always tons of fun. However, despite our last minute pumpkin acquisition at our old neighborhood Freddie's on the way to their house, we never even carved ours! Oh well, still a week or so left until Halloween, right? Speaking of, I need to figure out a costume for Mateo...it will be more fun when he can choose his own, I think.

A demain, mes amis.

Misty

2008-10-21T12:07:00.001-07:00

It's been really misty in the mornings these days. I love it when the farm is shrouded in mystery, as is wont to happen when the mist hangs in the valley. Really hearkens back to the days of olde.

Hmmm not much going on here. Hosted knitting circle at my house yesterday. Note to self: do not cook anything with the word "crumb" in the description when you are feeding a group of 6 babies and toddlers. Thank goodness we have a decent vacuum cleaner.

I tried to go to storytime at the library today, but it was canceled. Argh! Is today talk like a pirate day? I think it should be.

Today I'm going to make oatmeal bread, and bake ginger cookies. I love to bake. Tomorrow is KCatherine day, I have a date with Katherine in the morning, and Catherine (and Jack!) for lunch.

Other than that, just mulling over some things in my head, and making sure Mateo does not crack his skull on anything. The general is on the move!

Thirtysomething

2008-10-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

My 20s are officially over.

I feel good about it! It was a great decade. I think I took full advantage of being young. Not that 30 is old. 30 is the new 20! But my 20s were great. I lived in many beautiful cities. I met tons of wonderful people, who are now scattered throughout the world. I was able to do what I wanted, and had a great time. Now it's time for the next stage...and I'm excited.

All this of course would not be possible without the love, support, and guidance of my family and friends. Mom and Dad especially, thank you for bringing me into this world and for giving me the opportunity to live the wonderful life I've been able to live so far. You have set a great example for me that I hope to emulate now that I have a child of my own. If Mike and I can be even half as good parents as you are, I'll be happy.

Happy Birthday to me!

The beginning of the end

2008-10-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Or is that the end of the beginning?

Mateo has figured out that there's a whole world that exists above him, and he's determined to figure it out. It's so much fun watching him pull up on things, mumbling and grumbling to himself. Sometimes he gets excited and shrieks. Sometimes he crawls over to the floor vents and yells downstairs...as if he knows that there are people down there. Desjawn and Sherry think it's funny. Oh! Speaking of which (they're the women who work downstairs, btw), we now share the house with not one, but TWO more dogs: Sherry's miniature chihuahua, Axel, and Desjawn's toy pom, Brandi. Maisie could eat them both in about 2 bites. Brandi sleeps in a little basket at Desjawn's feet; yesterday she was wearing a pink t-shirt that said "princess". Axel sits in a basket on Sherry's desk, and sometimes spends time in a Mexican-print woven shoulder bag that Sherry wears. Mike thinks it's ridiculous. I kind of agree, but I also think it's kind of cute.

I'm eating roasted squash seeds right now. I'm going to make soup today from some Heart of Gold squash I bought. I picked it out because I thought Mike would like the fact that it was named after a Neil Young song. Right?

OK back to it...gotta clean the bathroom before Mateo wakes up from his nap.

Stats

2008-10-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Mateo weighs 19 pounds, 12 ounces.

He is 30.5 inches tall.

I am going to be 30 in 3 days.

Aaaaaaaaaaaah!

I LOVE MY NEW FREEZER

2008-10-12T23:02:00.001-07:00

I LOVE MY NEW FREEZER

I LOVE IT

I WANT TO MARRY IT

Seriously though, having a separate freezer is THE BOMB DIDDLY BOMB. It allows you to:

a) buy a LOT of meat. So far we bought about 35 pounds of pork from our friend Katherine, and about 30 pounds of beef from Stirling. Price is comparable to what you'd find at the supermarket (well, maybe a bit more expensive depending on the cut, but when you average it all out, it comes out about the same...not to mention the fact that you know exactly where the meat came from, how it was raised, what it ate, for Pete's sake we even know their names!) While I am all for eating a plant-based diet...there is nothing quite like the braised pork chops with apples, onions, and FENNEL POLLEN (I don't know why I'm shouting so much, I must be really excited) that I made last night (or was it the night before last? I cant remember) that was SO FREAKING GOOD I could swoon.

b) get really geeked out about organization. For example, I have one shelf for beef, and one shelf for pork. One shelf for leftovers. And the side door is for ingredients, like chicken stock. Oh! That's another thing. I can make my own stock now and actually have a place to store it. But more about the organization! I posted a list next to the garage door (the freezer is in the garage) that lists everything in the freezer, and I taped a pen to the wall so I can cross off what I've taken out. I list things as I add them in as well, of course. Don't know what to have for dinner tomorrow night? How about 2 servings of chili and cornbread, conveniently labeled and located on the top shelf? That's what I'm talking about!

c) be ready for THE APOCALYPSE! THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND! ARMAGEDDON IS ALMOST UPON US!

d) you CANNOT make an omelette without breaking eggs. Ever cook will tell you that.

One of these days, I'm going to get really excited about our NEW CHICKENS, and I'll tell you all about it.

Warm

2008-10-08T07:51:00.001-07:00

One of the nice things about sharing space with Mike's office is that the women downstairs like to be comfortable. For instance, it's a bit chilly this morning - 36 degrees according to accuweather.com - and while Mike and I ordinarily would just suck it up and be cold to save money and energy, the office women run cold and knock on our door asking us to turn on the heat. Yay! So we're roasty toasty in here...almost too much, but I'd rather be too hot than too cold.

Mateo has started pulling up on stuff. Yikes! He hasn't started "cruising" yet but I can tell he's contemplating it. He still army crawls everywhere - we call him The General. Because really, who are we kidding - he's in charge! ;)

And yes, our new rug really DOES tie the room together.

It really does tie the room together!

2008-10-07T18:03:00.001-07:00

So I haven't blogged in over a month...or more if you don't consider me listing random foods I have/have not eaten a legitimate update. Sorry about that. I just get in a rut and don't feel like posting anything. Hopefully I will be inspired with the cooler weather. Hmmm. Anyway, I just wanted to write something. I have some new cute pictures of Mateo to upload, so look forward to those. In the meantime, I need to go, since Mateo is about to eat some wires, and I think he just pooped. Later.

The Omnivore's Hundred

2008-09-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

I found a link to this list on Chocolate & Zucchini, a food blog that I read from time to time. She got this list from Very Good Taste, a British food blog. I had fun sorting through it - the idea is that you cut and paste the list into your blog or journal, highlighting or underlining the foods that you've eaten, and crossing out the ones that you'd never even try (I highlighted those in red). If you're into food, it's a fun little project. Here is my list, won't you share yours?

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison Bambi? What?
2. Nettle tea I've had nettles on pizza, and in pasta, and have taken it for allergies...does that count?
3. Huevos rancheros claro que si
4. Steak tartare I'd only eat this from a reputable source...
5. Crocodile see you later, alligator!
6. Black pudding Hmmm well I guess I've had Boudin Noir...does that count?
7. Cheese fondue I love a fondue party.
8. Carp why not?
9. Borscht made by my Russian friend Yury's mom
10. Baba ghanoush Bill Jones makes a great Baba ghanoush!
11. Calamari to fry or not to fry, that is the question.
12. Pho pho sho!
13. PB&J sandwich Sarah's favorite
14. Aloo gobi Fun to say!
15. Hot dog from a street cart memories of NYC...oh and TOP DOG but I don't think that counts.
16. Epoisses the cheese that got me the job at Provvista!
17. Black truffle I would like to have more real black truffles. Most truffle things I think are nauseating.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes Not yet, but we have a bottle of Alaskan berry wine in our pantry!
19. Steamed pork buns yum yum dim sum!
20. Pistachio ice cream I still maintain that Ben & Jerry's was my best job ever.
21. Heirloom tomatoes growing in the garden right now!
22. Fresh wild berries in my backyard
23. Foie gras I heart foie gras.
24. Rice and beans beans and rice
25. Brawn, or head cheese I would eat this, albeit begrudgingly...just sounds gross
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper I'm not a masochist.
27. Dulce de leche love it with a little fleur de sel on top!
28. Oysters raw or Rockefeller, I love it all!
29. Baklava Baklavicious.

30. Bagna cauda Sometimes we would have it for lunch at Provvista with fresh veggies. I am spoiled.
31. Wasabi peas I love Asian grocery stores.
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl the best is from the Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach
33. Salted lassi I've had mango lassi, but not salted...that sounds interesting
34. Sauerkraut Stinky and good!
35. Root beer float these were fun to get at breweries when I was pregnant!
36. Cognac with a fat cigar This one's a maybe, because if I did, I was probably too drunk to remember.
37. Clotted cream tea As in, clotted cream IN your tea, or a tea made from clotted cream? I am confused.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O Um, a jello shot? Then, sadly, yes.
39. Gumbo I think I had gumbo and crocodile at the same meal in South Carolina.
40. Oxtail Just in soup.
41. Curried goat I'd like to try goat meat someday.
42. Whole insects I'm not sure if I could eat bugs.
43. Phaal It's supposed to be super spicy...but I'd try a bite
44. Goat’s milk Funny enough, I've never had straight up goat's milk.
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more I said yes to this one because I'm sure that I must have, given Mike's old BevMo! hookup.
46. Fugu I'm too much of a chickenshit.
47. Chicken tikka masala I think so?
48. Eel I love unagi.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut this is America, right?
50. Sea urchin It's possible that I might have eaten this, but I just can't really remember.
51. Prickly pear I was reading that in Malta, they distill a liqueur from this. One more reason to want to go to Malta!
52. Umeboshi I'd like to try, I love pickles!
53. Abalone from a stranger in the parking lot of an Oakland A's game
54. Paneer Saag Paneer, my favorite!
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal um, this is still America, right?
56. Spaetzle and schnitzel with noodles. Oh wait...hmmm...
57. Dirty gin martini with three olives...or as many will fit on the toothpick
58. Beer above 8% ABV not only is this America, but this is OREGON!
59. Poutine my quebecois ex-boyfriend was good for something!
60. Carob chips I did live in Berkeley, after all.
61. S’mores so messy, and so good. Gotta be Hershey's.
62. Sweetbreads must be prepared well, or blech.
63. Kaolin I'm not sure why you would want to eat this.
64. Currywurst Sausage, curry, what's not to love? Oh, maybe that's why you'd want the kaolin...heh...
65. Durian Stinky, but I like stinky so I'd try it.
66. Frogs’ legs they really do taste like chicken!
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake Disneyland churros are the best.
68. Haggis Sarah says it's actually pretty good...
69. Fried plantain I miss Cha Cha Cha's fried plantains!
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette I've had andouille, does that count?
71. Gazpacho My mom makes a killer gazpacho.
72. Caviar and blini I have expensive taste.
73. Louche absinthe I really would love to try absinthe!
74. Gjetost, or brunost What? A cheese that I have not had? The horror!
75. Roadkill Gross.
76. Baijiu I always like to try new drinks.
77. Hostess Fruit Pie I also had a Hostess Cupcake while in Nebraska recently!
78. Snail Not a huge fan...might as well fry up some garlic in butter and give me a piece of bread.
79. Lapsang souchong I do like tea, and smoked things, so yum!
80. Bellini I love the bellinis at the Lush Lounge in SF.
81. Tom yum yum yum!
82. Eggs Benedict If it's on the menu when we go out for breakfast, I will order it.
83. Pocky I love Asian grocery stores.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. Hmmm, my 30th birthday is coming up...
85. Kobe beef sounds fab!
86. Hare how is this different from rabbit?
87. Goulash Love my mom's!
88. Flowers I've eaten rose petals before, does that count?
89. Horse I guess I'd eat this...it is quite popular in the south of France
90. Criollo chocolate and Trintario and Forestero, too!
91. Spam I can't believe I've never had this....and I've even been to Hawaii several times!
92. Soft shell crab Mostly on spider rolls...
93. Rose harissa I guess if I've had this, then I've eaten flowers by default.
94. Catfish blech.
95. Mole poblano I would love to make my own mole from scratch someday.
96. Bagel and lox Gerard & Dominique, yum!
97. Lobster Thermidor Sometimes lobster does not agree with me, but I'd go for it nonetheless.
98. Polenta Just call me Tracy Polenta!
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee not worth the $$ in my opinion.
100. Snake Sure, I'd try it!

Somewhere in Middle America

2008-08-28T15:08:00.001-07:00

We got back from Nebraska Tuesday night...well, Wednesday morning technically, since we didn't get home until 1 AM. A long day, especially considering that both Mike and Mateo had a bit of a cold (Mike more than Mateo - who's the bigger baby?). Mateo's first cold - didn't seem to be too bad, he just had a runny nose, and sneezed a lot, and seemed generally out of sorts. All better now, though, thank goodness. Anyway, the plane rides were fine. I tell you, the boobs are an excellent secret weapon. Mateo pretty much nursed and/or slept the whole way, while I clutched Mike for dear life during the bumpy parts. I'm not sure why I hate flying so much - perhaps it's because every time I get on a plane, I think I'm going to die? And now they want $7 for a freaking gin and tonic (not that I had one, but it was tempting).

Regardless, we got there and back unscathed, and had some fun adventures in between! Mateo got to meet his Great Grandma Fitle, and his uncles Matt and Chris. He went on his first boat ride (which I think he would have enjoyed a lot more were it not for the life jacket, but safety first!) and enjoyed playing with Grandma and Grandpa Smith. The visit seemed to go by quickly, but it always does - especially with a day of travel on both ends.

Mateo is almost crawling - he can sort of army crawl for a few feet, but then gets tired, or distracted, and stops. It's not the prettiest movement, but it's something. I'm excited for imminent mobility! And also a little wistful for the blob stage, let's be honest. But I should get to experience that again soon - Catherine is due any day now. I can't wait to hold a newborn again! Uh oh, is that my uterus throbbing?

Anyway, here are some pics of the trip. Blogspot only lets you upload 4 at a time, so if you want to see more, let me know and I'll e-mail them to you!

Party!

2008-08-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

Our party was, if I might say so myself, a smashing success! There is nothing I like better than seeing all of our friends, together in one place, having a good time. We hosted about 40 people (and at least 10 dogs that I can remember!) Most of the old Portland crew was there, plus some Provvista folks, people from Mike's work, and a bunch of moms from my mom's group (including their significant others and babies, of course). Mike was a maniac at the grill(s) - he had 3 going at once. Smoker for the tri tip, and 2 webers for the corn and chicken. I baked a boatload of potatoes, and everyone brought a dish to share. There was a ton of food and drink and I think that everyone enjoyed themselves! The only drawback to the day was the weather - I think it reached over 100 degrees on Saturday. Oh well, better than rain I guess, and people took advantage of the air conditioned interior at various intervals throughout the day. Lucas and Rae even camped out in our backyard that night! If we're here again next summer we will definitely have to make the Smith Family Farm Party an annual event.

I'm sure you'd love to see pictures - but of course, we didn't take any. Sorry. I just get so caught up in everything that I forget to take them! Hopefully some of our friends will send us some pics - I noticed Martin shooting quite a few, so I'll get him to send them to me.

We're getting excited for our trip to Nebraska! We leave in 2 days. I really hope that Mateo enjoys flying more than I do :/ Hopefully, I'll be so concerned with making sure that he is happy and comfortable, that I will forget to be nervous. Wish me luck. We change planes in Salt Lake City with a 3 hour layover, so hopefully that will give us all time to regroup. I just want to get there, already. Mateo is getting close to crawling (at least I think so - he's scooting backwards, in circles, and doing lots of push ups) so it would be neat if he took his first "crawls" while we're visiting Grandma and Grandpa Smith!

It's raining today, which is refreshing. Makes me want to knit, or read, or something.

Crisis Averted

2008-08-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

I thought that we had run out of coffee this morning. But we had some! Stashed high away in a cupboard, some really cheap Italian stuff that came with our stovetop espresso maker. It's not good, but not bad either. I am an addict.

Today is Mike's birthday! I am going to make BLT's for dinner (his choice). Fine with me. I am not sure why he likes BLT's so much. I'm going to have a BLTA. Yum.

Went to Eugene Tuesday to visit mom and dad and to watch some of the Olympics. The Olympics is about the only time when I really miss not having TV. I love to watch the gymnastics, and of course anyone who knows me knows about my secret crush on Bob Costas! It wasn't the same without Katie though...she and I always have fun making fun of the leotards, and counting the number of clips in the Romanian gymnasts' hair. Although they didn't really show too much of the Romanians...in fact one might have assumed it was just a competition between the US and China. Sigh. It was still fun to watch, and there was one Chinese gymnast who might have been wearing about 20 clips, so it wasn't a total loss. But boy were the leotards ugly!

As you can tell I think I am losing steam on the blog. Please help me to get back in the game! i just get bored easily. I do have some photos I need to upload, so maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

I'm excited for our party Saturday!

Oh and Mateo! He can sit up unassisted all the time now. He can't crawl quite yet, but when he's on his stomach he scoots around and around in a concentric circle. Sometimes he scoots backwards. He does push ups too. But so far no forward motion...Ah well, everyone says I should enjoy it while it lasts! ;)

I hear the babe a-stirrin' so I should go...maybe I'll write more tomorrow, but maybe not.

Camping photos, finally

2008-08-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

I finally have a free minute to post some pics of our camping trip. We all had a great time - I think now was probably the best time to go camping with Mateo, before he starts crawling, because I've heard that camping with a crawling baby is pretty crazy...especially since the terrain up here is usually very dusty in the summer. I think Maisie thought she died and went to heaven! Mike took her out in the canoe and got some great photos of her and Mt. Hood which you will see. (We went to Lost Lake, which is on the north side of Mt. Hood. Kinda far from where we live now, but totally worth it!)

I'm still trying to figure out blogger's photo tools so forgive me if the pictures show up in a weird spot...

Sorry for the short, vague post but I'm just not in a chatty mood right now.

Enjoy the photos!

We're going camping today!

2008-08-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Woo-hoo! I promise to post pictures when we return...really I will.

Cheap Date

2008-07-29T21:15:00.001-07:00

I seem to have lost my blogging rhythm. I knew that this might happen...but I promise to do what I can to right the situation and return to a more frequent frequency.

Mateo is really tall! We went to the doctor yesterday (he got examined, I gave him a ride) and he is 28 3/4 inches tall and 17 1/2 pounds. That puts him off the charts for height, or as the doctor put it, "no boys are taller, and all boys are shorter". He is just about "average", weight wise. I am not sure why this makes me proud, since I know that height is programmed in our genes, but I still am proud.

I am on a quest to make soap. Real soap too, not just grated soap you reconstitute with your own perfume and stuff. I am going to make goat milk soap. I have a recipe, and some books, and a gallon of frozen goat milk (I love craigslist!) All I need now is lye (sodium hydroxide - sounds awful, but in the process of saponification, some kind of magic happens and all traces of lye mysteriously disappear), some old pots (because damn if I'm going to put lye in my all-clad), a scale, measuring cups, lavender essential oil, soap mold (you can also use tupperware, or window extenders), various kinds of oil, distilled (or rain) water, and some other things I can't remember now. I'm going to make lavender soap with the lavender growing on the farm! I have some drying right now, it smells divine. OK, so I have a ways to go before I actually get around to making soap. But I've been scouring craigslist, and thrift stores, and garage sales because I'm sure that I can find most of what I need there. Except the lye, of course. I figure that my initial investment in my soap-making hobby might be around 50 bucks, but most of it is a one-time expense. And each recipe makes like 30 bars of soap, which is a lot. Guess what everyone's getting for Christmas this year! I should make a list, who wants soap, who wants jam. Because I think I will have a lot of both.

Speaking of jam, I made blackberry jam today with some blackberries from the farm. Not that blackberries are especially special in Oregon this time of year, they're pretty much a weed, and you can harvest them practically anywhere, like on freeway offramps (OK maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit...) but, it was my first time making jam without Anne, and I think it turned out pretty well! I am going to keep on keepin' on with the preserving...we are going to have so many apples this year, not to mention pears and plums, that I need to practice!

Also, I'm trying to find the Trader Joe's "diamond in the rough" cheap wine. I know it's out there. My criteria are simple: 1. it must be $4.99 or less, and 2. it can't be Charles Shaw. Not that I am particularly opposed to 2 buck chuck, but there has got to be something better, that is either the same price or a dollar or two more. Has anyone found anything worthwhile? Right now I am drinking a Valipolicella, Gaetano d'Aquino, $4.99. Not bad. I think I would buy it again. I had some white wine the other night from Chile that was baaaaaaad. Can't remember the name but it had a picture of a bull on the label I think. Stay away.

Mahna Mahna.

Holy Guacamole!

2008-07-24T15:08:00.001-07:00

The blog that doesn't blog

2008-07-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

That is what Katie officially christened my new blog.

I like it!

I'm still here!

2008-07-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

I'm still here...just been really busy! I've started doing some work for Mike's company (really boring data entry stuff that I can do from home) so when Mateo naps, that is what I do. I'd much rather be blogging though! So please, dear reader, accept my sincere apologies. I still love you.

I can't remember where my old blog left off and my new one began, so...I'll just leave this post as it is and start fresh tomorrow. Or, next week. Whatever.

If you're bored, here's a link to my livejournal.

http://tracyjean1016.livejournal.com

Oh, by the way, if you have feedback on my new blog, please let me know! I can change the color and stuff, it's pretty nifty. I like the green, I think it is very a propos. You know, life on the farm and all.

Bye!

Life on the Farm, part deux

2008-07-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

I think this is going to be my new blog.

What do you think?