Hello There

Hi there.  Did you miss me?  I've missed you!  I'm behind in even reading your blogs.  But I don't feel guilty, 'cause I'm busy again.  And now it feels good!

The weather has been beautiful today, and I brought my grading outside.  For once, I wished I had more to grade.  I got stuck out there.  Literally, stuck.  I could not get myself to stand up and come inside.  The laundry, the dishes, the other chores and projects could wait.  How often does a perfect day come around on a Saturday afternoon?

So what's a girl to do?  Why, grab her camera and play!

Rosie does not make a good playmate when the camera comes out.

"Aw Mom, again?" 

Poor dear.  So I started experimenting (these are unretouched).

One of my favorite nicknames for her is Rosie Toes, so of course....  Notice the little patch of white hair on the back foot peeking out between the others?  Now you know her secret: she's not pure black!  Shhhhhh...

Every once in a while, she gets distracted, and I can finally snap off a portrait.

Of course, once I had the camera out, I had to look around to see what else was worth shooting.  That's my kind of hunting--no messy cleanup!

Yes, we still have tomatoes coming in!  Just the cherries; I tore out all the others a couple of weeks ago.  These sweet little cherries are more like berry bushes right now.  The tomatoes are small, but there are tons of them.

Gotta love that Carolina Blue sky!  See the big white tub in the background?  I'm experimenting with growing potatoes in there.  I read (somewhere) that you can plant them in a bit of dirt on the bottom, then keep adding soil as the potatoes emerge.  It's easier than mounding soil in a garden.

We'll see how that works out for me.  I also seeded some mesclun mix in a couple of planters.  Yes, we can garden just about year-round here.  Fall gardening is still new for me, so I have to be prepared for mixed success.  Still, you can't grow anything if you don't plant it, so I'm giving it a try.

I have neglected the flower side of fall planting, so pretty blooms remain an elusive prey for my photo shoot.  Still, nature has her ways.  The basil does not want to give up!

And this...this flower is pretty and delicate, though in person it is small and unassuming to look at.

But oh, oh...if only you could be here, right next to it, and smell it!  Sometimes I walk out the back door and it nearly knocks me off my feet.  It's a sweet olive tree (which goes by several other names), and it blooms twice a year.  We "met" this tree down in Mobile, and when Miss Chef found some in the nurseries up here, she bought two.  They are planted in front of windows, so we can open them and let the flowers perfume the house.

Miss Chef obviously loves the way they smell.

~~~Φ~~~

And speaking of Miss Chef, and things that smell delicious, I've been wanting to post this picture of the yummy yummy dinner she made last Sunday.

Seared boneless pork chop in an
apple-cherry-butternut squash sauce,
with sweet potato/potato purée,
brussels sprouts and cauliflower.

You see, with all the lesson planning and grading going on around here--beyond our main jobs--the truth is, Miss Chef hasn't been cooking much.  People automatically assume that living with a chef means that I eat really well all the time.  Honestly?  I often have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner.

Many people also assume that's because Miss Chef spends so much of her work week cooking that it's the last thing she wants to do in her free time.  Honestly?  She loves cooking at home.  She loves cooking for me.  And she loves experimenting, playing with new ingredients and recipes.  She truly loves what she does.

But she doesn't have the time for it, or sometimes, the energy.  So when she does get inspired, I am truly grateful to have her in the kitchen.  I never take these meals for granted.  And I feel that they're worth remembering, and sharing.  I do wish you all could have a taste, I do.  But...I ate it all.  'Cause it was delicious! 

Tomorrow we are off to the North Carolina State Fair!  I'm sure I will find plenty to shoot with my camera there.  (If you're too impatient to wait, read last year's post and slide show.)  I am also trying to decide which crazy fried thing to try...Twinkies?  Oreos?  Butter?  Hee hee!  What crazy fried food would you like to try...maybe?