Summer Garden

I always feel sad when it comes time to say goodbye to summer. Living in Minnesota we don't get a sufficient dose of heat to make me grateful for the cooler weather when it arrives. Yes, there is much to look forward to in fall. And with the stunning blaze of reds, oranges and yellows coloring my world this past week I am finally greeting her with open arms. But first, one last look back at summer before we are fully immersed in the celebrations and birthdays that fall brings for our family.

We harvested 46 heads of garlic this year. I'll go right ahead and declare that a raging success. Undoubtedly, garlic was our biggest triumph of the season. And no matter what else happened in the garden this year I feel a sense of accomplishment when, in need of a few cloves for dinner, I go down to fetch a head from the hefty bagful in our basement. 

The blue jade was just as cute and child-size perfect as last year . Still we only got one ear per stem of corn - quite a bit of real estate for not much return. I'm considering growing full size stalks next year, though I may not be able to resist those little blue ears staring at me from their seed packets come spring.

This cookbook, which is as much art as it is a compendium of veggie recipes, offered a delicious way to use my green zebras and late broccoli crop. We grew many tomatoes this year - 13 plants in all - including old favorites and some new varieties like gold medal, which was true to its description as one of the sweetest tomatoes I've ever eaten. Again our crop suffered from a fungus. The tomatoes are picking up their roots and relocating to a new bed next year. More sun, more heat. 

I was right about those peppers. Decidedly not habaneros. We concluded they were probably yellow wax peppers or banana peppers. I found a nice recipe to combine them with our neighbors' cucumbers that arrived en masse mid season and enjoyed them grilled with potatoes and other veggies. But I realized I am lacking in ideas for what to do with an onslaught of peppers. Ideas?

After a slow start I was pretty thrilled to have eggplants, which we devoured grilled with salt roasted tomatoes and ricotta, another recipe found in Vegetable Literacy. The kale has been abundant this year and grows stronger and sweeter with the cooling air. We grew dragon's tongue and yellow wax beans, bell peppers, a couple types of basil, carrots, raspberries, pumpkins and tomatillos that sprawled dramatically across their raised bed. We even harvested one single precious apple from our tree (the rest didn't make it or were snatched by the sneaky snacky squirrels) which we dipped in honey for a Rosh Hashana treat.

Among the vegetables we often spotted a resident fairy in rain boots who flitted around collecting berries, baby carrots, jack-be-little pumpkins and chamomile flowers for gnomie, who lives by a tiny pond among the zinnias. 

All in all, this was a successful year for the garden. And one that brought many changes for future growing seasons. Our neighbors erected the fence pictured above along the back of our yard. Two trees on the perimeter were removed to make way for the fence, extending the sunlight on our garden through the afternoon and increasing our growing space. Next year we will be able to expand into the other half of the back of our yard - having that much blank space to work with is mind boggling. I am grateful for the fall and winter months during which we will dream about this future garden before we dig in and start planting all over again next spring.

Pizza Night at Two Pony Gardens

As we begin our fourth year here in Minnesota we have nestled into a familiar rhythm of traditions that demarcate the passage of time, the seasons, and move us along the year. Our annual visit to Two Pony Gardens has taken on that significance for me -- it has become more than just a place we enjoy, but reminds me of our growth here in Minnesota, where we were when we arrived and how far we have come in the years since then. Things have changed there, as things inevitably do. But, to me at least, the essence is of what makes Two Pony Gardens special and unique is still there.

Bigger crowds at Two Pony necessitate more horse power. This year Mickey and Pete were joined by Abby and Sven. I was lucky to get a spot behind the coachman on our wagon ride. He held four reigns in his hands sandwiched between different fingers and try as I might to understand the logic of how he shifted them from finger to finger, hand to hand it seemed like a complex puzzle to me. I was in awe. The four horses led us through a trail in the woods around the property. I was reminded of Little House in the Big Woods and wondered what it must have been like to travel everywhere by horse drawn carriage along roads just like the one we traveled on. Bumpy. That's how it must have been.

Another new addition to the Two Pony experience was a puppet show by Open Eye Theater. Not exaggerating, this was one of the best puppet shows I have ever seen. The puppeteers performed The Amazing Cow Boat, which was part of their driveway tour this summer. They tour around performing four different puppet shows in peoples' backyards, front yards, parks and driveways all spring and summer long. We are still singing the catchy refrain around our house -- "part cow, part boat, part…ama-a-zing."

And then, of course, there is the garden...

Mostly dahlias of all shapes and hues with a smattering of echinacea, joe pye weed, tansy, anemone and many other lovelies towering in rows that beg you to run and hide among the colors.

And the long-awaited pizza...

We've learned that patience is of the essence when it comes to dinner at Two Pony Gardens. It is slow food after all. After 3 years of visits we've finally got our system down and brought just enough snacks to tie us over until finally the pizza arrived fresh from the oven. Undoubtedly, the hours of anticipation only make it more delicious.

Isn't this the thing about undiscovered gems -- pretty much the moment they are discovered they lose some of their "geminess." Once the word got out about how lovely and unique and secluded and delicious and quirky Two Pony Garden pizza nights are, they became busier, more expensive, more structured and populated by what felt like a less community-oriented crowd. But does success necessarily imply ultimate corruption? Change is inevitable, but I think Two Pony Gardens is trying to retain the essence of what makes it so magical. And as far as I'm concerned we will continue to return.

In this last picture Eli is sitting in the back of the horse-drawn sleigh that Mickey and Pete take out over snow covered trails in the winter time. I imagine throwing the Minnesota winter and cold into the mix will rekindle some of the essence of Two Pony that may be sacrificed when the crowds descend on summertime pizza nights. A quieter, more intimate escape to the woods with creative people who cherish the Earth and appreciate locally sourced, delicious food. What do you say we meet up there in January, okay?

A bag for Mimi

This is my Mama, Mimi. I've mentioned at least a couple times on this blog that Mimi is quite the prolific knitter. (Though the name "Grammy" was quickly relinquished when Ava first pronounced her "Mimi", yes, I am referring to the same woman in those old posts.) I am certain, however, the word 'prolific' does not adequately communicate how productive and generous Mimi really is with her knitting. 

I searched through my photos and gathered the small collection of images above of all that Mimi has accomplished in the 3 1/2 years since Ava was born. And friends, I do not exaggerate when I say "small collection". You can't even imagine how many beautiful sweaters, hats, mittens, booties and blankets Mimi has knit for these (and other) little ones. Let's just say they are in absolutely no danger of ever being cold. 

I was very happy to hear that Mimi has finally started knitting for herself, as she should be able to enjoy her beautiful work too. And I am looking forward to seeing her sweaters in person as I know they will be exquisite. Often when I make a small mistake in one of my own projects I just push forward thinking no one will notice it in the end - and most of the time I am right. But Mimi is exacting and will tear out rows and rows that may have taken her hours to complete just so that her sweaters are *perfect*. 

Given this keen attention to detail, you may be surprised to learn that Mimi totes her creations-in-progress around in plastic bags. Scroll up to that first picture of the lovely Mimi and you'll see the evidence resting in her lap. Now it's no secret that Mimi is a lover of ziplock baggies. (She may even love them as much as Poppy loves Lysol.) If you ever receive a package from her you'll be fully stocked with ziplock bags for the entire next year. And I'm not talking your run-of-the-mill sandwich bag variety. Somehow Mimi finds the most ginormous ziplock bags possible - they're practically large enough to crawl inside of (not that I am recommending you try it). While these baggies are no doubt impressive in stature and most certainly squall-proof, I've been thinking for a while that Mimi should have something a bit nicer and more earth-friendly to carry her projects along in as she knits her way from home to knitting store to Minnesota to everywhere in between.

So for Mimi's birthday in September I decided to make her a Super Tote knitting bag. I got the idea from Ashley's blog a while back. I felt the pattern would work perfectly for a knitting bag with it's large size and numerous pockets - not to mention it's so much more appealing than a ziplock. The pattern was extremely thorough and well made, and I am very happy with how the bag turned out.

The poppy print is a home dec weight fabric I found at Crafty Planet. Unfortunately the selvage is not labeled, so I don't know who the designer is. It struck me as being playful yet sophisticate and I hoped Mimi would like it (it's covered in Poppy's - how could she not!). The contrast fabric is home dec weight glimma by Lotta Jansdotter. The lining is a Kona cotton solid. I lined all exterior pieces with interfacing as recommended, so the bag is solid and structured.

I included pockets on the inside of the bag for stitch counters, scissors, measuring tapes, tapestry needles and any other knickknacks Mimi may tote along with her. After much consideration I omitted the zipper, as I couldn't get the thought of a knitting meets zipper catastrophe out of my mind - and I certainly didn't want to be responsible for such a disaster.

The large external pocket on the super tote seemed perfect for storing knitting patterns. I made and inserted my first piping ever on this pocket and am so proud of how it turned out.

We love you Mimi and hope your birthday celebration with us made you feel as loved as you are. We appreciate the warmth you send us with all of your beautiful knits and hope your new knitting bag serves well for toting your future projects wherever you may wish to take them. 

While Ava's away...

Ava starting preschool this month means Eli is finally getting a small glimpse of what it's like to be an only child - undivided parental attention, free reign of toys to play with (without the jarring interruption of a sister screaming "NOOO!" at him intermittently), and time to do whatever he pleases, however he pleases. Sometimes I marvel at how smoothly the morning goes when there is just one. Though I admit there are times I miss Ava's tendency to be a watch dog - like when things got a little too quiet in the living room and I peeked around from the kitchen to see Eli halfway out the open front door.

On this morning we both took advantage of the warmth we know is fleeting this time of year and headed up to the garden. When Eli is in charge of the watering, his waters his way.

You and I may not have realized it, but Eli knows the chicken is thirsty.

The rocks are too, of course.

The sunflowers that are as big as his head and the bunny tails that never quite sprouted their tails, well of course those are as well.

Maybe a little sip for the kale.

His clothes are always very thirsty.

Oh, and while we're out here on our walk, have we showed you our new garden bed? Will moved her from the other (shady) side of the yard. She is much happier in the sun. She needs more soil and compost, then we will plant her with garlic, garlic and more garlic in a couple weeks. I am enjoying the promise of an expanded garden next year and look forward to implementing the many ideas that one season almost under our belt has given us.

This boy of ours - yes, he really is transforming into a boy as the baby in him gradually fades - he enjoys his time alone with mama and all of the important work he does while Ava is in preschool. Tomorrow he starts down his own path to preschool with the beginning of Little Sprouts. It resonates as a significant shift to me - I remember Ava starting Little Sprouts back when we had just moved here from Michigan. I am happy he will finally do something that is all his own. That he will have the opportunity to make his own friends rather than always hanging out with Ava's buddies.  Our little man is growing up. 

As much as Eli is loving his alone time, at the end of the morning his smile never fails to burst forth when I ask him if he's ready to pick up his sister from school. sigh. These are precious times my friends.

Our House

I wasn't quite as active in the Celebrate the BOY sew along as I may have intended. Well, there's a reason - or several, really. But let's focus on the big one.

We bought a house!!! 

It's official. We are homeowners.

After years of renting both in Michigan and Minnesota, we finally have a house we can call our own. One that we aren't planning on leaving anytime soon. One in which Eli will have his own room - though I suspect he enjoys standing up in his crib in the middle of the night and peering across the room at us. There is only so much pretending to be asleep you can do when you share your (small) bedroom with a screaming, jumping up and down toddler who thinks your bed with all its pillows and blankets (and warm bodies) looks much cozier than his bare crib. A house in which Ava can fulfill her dream of a purple bedroom. But most importantly, a house that is ours. 

We went to visit our new house soon after closing. In its current state it is full of echoes and promise. The possibility of empty space is so exciting and a bit overwhelming. Ava was very helpful in keeping Eli out of the fireplace, which he, like Tom Kitten, kept gravitating towards as we walked through the house as 'our house' for the first time. She dissuaded him from climbing up the stairs by putting up her "Noah block sign". (Our girl has become obsessed with the story of Noah and the Ark and insists that we call her Noah - because Noah loves animals and so does she. Naturally. It all started with this song, which we now play on repeat for hours in our house. No, I haven't gotten sick of it yet. Give me a couple more days.) 

Ava also helped take pictures to document the house as it was when we bought it, before the demolition party that ripped out the contents of the kitchen and Eli's room. We'll be snapping images along the way as we step-by-step transform this place into our home. I imagine we will need these images to remind us how far we have come when the work starts to overwhelm and stretch endless before us. And I giddily look forward to the day I can set before and after pictures side-by-side in triumph of a job completed.

I'll wait to post pictures of the house until we've made some progress on our renovations - because some of the before pictures are little too scary to show. But here's a glimpse of one of my favorite parts of the house - the yard. We were so lucky to find this property, which is twice the size of most lots in the city. I am grateful for this little sliver of nature to call our own and look forward to realizing our dreams of what this homestead can become.

This will be a busy and trying upcoming couple of months, but I'm hopeful we will be ready and happy to move into our own home at the end of April. Ava made the move with us from Ann Arbor to Minnesota, and she seemed like such a big girl at the time. But really she was only a year and a half (hard to believe that she has lived more of her life here now than she lived in Ann Arbor) and didn't really internalize what was happening. She is so much more aware and attached to place now. She has moments when she says, "but I love this house" and my heart breaks a little as I reassure her that she will love our new house just as much and maybe even more. It is challenging to harness my own anxieties and fears about moving and about our new house and all the work that needs to get done. Admittedly, I don't always do a very good job of it. But it is so important to keep those thoughts in check for the sake of my sweet girl, who is now mature enough to have anxieties of her own in addition to the ones she channels from us. 

It is so comforting to know that after this next move we will be establishing ourselves in a place that is ours. A place we can settle into knowing we won't be leaving anytime soon. A place where we can plant perennials and watch them grow bigger with each season. Our own home. 

Hearts, Flowers and Chocolate

Some say Valentine's Day is a contrived holiday, one not worth acknowledging. But give me any reason to celebrate, especially in the middle of February (one of the toughest months of the year for me) and I will gladly take it. And when we are celebrating the people we love the most, celebrating love itself, how can you complain? Especially when the holiday specifically calls for eating chocolate.

Yes, there were hearts. Many of them. I'm certain with more time we could have cut out even more hearts and found creative ways to hang them throughout our house. But we did the best we could. As Ava was going to sleep the night before Valentine's Day she said, "perhaps tomorrow we can hang more hearts...." That's my girl. You can never have too many hearts on Valentine's Day. 

Yes, there was chocolate. Lots of chocolate. If you've never realized how easy it is to make truffles, I warn you not to look at the recipe; you may never stop eating them. Making truffles has become something of a Valentine's Day tradition for me, so I was already planning on whipping up a batch. Then as I was looking through my dessert recipe stash I found one for whoopie pies adapted from Zingerman's Bakehouse in Ann Arbor. I felt I had to make them too as a way to incorporate our beloved old town into our Minneapolis Valentine's celebration. 

Will actually got a bit miffed when he found out I was making both truffles and whoopie pies for dessert. In his defense, he was tired, hungry and dinner was running a tad late because I was busy adding sticks of butter by the half tablespoonful to the buttercream filling, whipping it constantly as I prepared our feast (yes, I say "sticks" of butter - I won't dare tell how many went into the whoopie pies). I assure you, I heard no complaints while he was eating them. 

And, of course, there was Valentine's Day crafting. I found these irresistible heart barrettes from Purl Soho. A perfect project to use up all of those felt scraps leftover from cutting out hearts.

We had a love-filled, admittedly a bit hectic, Valentine's Day. Not all of us made it through to the end of the night - the boy has had quite a cough and was not in the mood for exclaiming "whoopie" at his dessert along with the rest of us. But amidst the fatigue and crankiness, the coughing and sniffles, the rushed dinner, the abundant cards and gifts, Will and I reminded ourselves that some Valentine's Day in the future (perhaps 30 years from now) we may find ourselves sitting at a quiet table feeling just slightly bored. And while today there is some small part inside of us that longs for a reminder of what it actually feels like to be bored, I know when it comes we will be thinking back to these days of abundance as precious fleeting times. So today we celebrate and rejoice in the fullness of our home, our family, our lives, our loves.

I hope you all had a sweet, love-filled Valentine's Day.

Once around the sun

Last weekend our boy turned one year old. In one year he has grown so much, learned so much about the world, just as we have learned so much about him. The night of his birthday I stayed up late after everyone else had gone to sleep and fell absorbed looking through pictures of when he was born and of him as a newborn. I then went back even farther and glanced through pictures of Ava as a little babe and noted such distinct differences between them even then - differences that are reflections of their contrasting personalities. Why do we ever imagine that two humans would be the same? How can we possibly be surprised by their differences? These two little ones, so perfecty complementary, make our family feel - complete.

On his one year birth-day we celebrated our sweet boy Eli, but internally there was also a celebration for this mama too as I reflected back on the days leading up to Eli's birth. He and I worked hard in those days - and really it was all just the beginning. I can see both how much Eli has grown in his one year and also have more of an inkling of how this is still just the beginning - how much more change and growth and learning for us all - is to come. His birthday reminds me, too, of how far we have come here in our new home. He was just starting to stretch my belly when we arrived here in Minnesota. A year and a half later our family has grown, as has our community and comfortability in this place we call home.

This boy of ours is pure joy. Even at one year old there is so much that we know about him, so much that is apparent of who he is and will be. He is strong, patient, persistent, engaged, a good problem solver, confident, a man of action, and, so far at least, a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I know his tickle spots. I know how to make him giggle. I know that some of the worries I had about him when he was born have subsided - and some of them will remain on indefinitely. I have observed many differences between him and his sister. Lately, though, as he grows and matures, I am seeing more similarities: his attention (though he may choose to pay it to something other than her favorites, books and animals); his gentle nature; his (mostly) even temperament. I am so very proud of him, and each day I grow more amazed with all he is learning and how he is growing. I love his deep gutteral laugh and wide toothy grin. I love the way he is so warm and snuggly in the early morning - our little snuggle package. I love his wild, exuberant, two-handed wave. I love how he climbs all over me like a monkey and teeter totters on his chubby legs as he practices taking steps over and over again. This boy, who will always be my baby even if he is now 'officially' a toddler, he steals my heart.

Eli's celebration was in some ways less grand than Ava's first birthday bash. Our lives were quite different then, living in Ann Arbor amidst a rich and vast community of friends. And, let's face it, having only one child makes accomplishing anything - like planning a big party - quite a bit simpler. But Eli's birthday celebration, spread over the course of a long weekend and shared with his Grandma and Papa, was perfect in its own way. A trip to the zoo where he leans up close against the floor-to-ceiling tank of tropical fish pointing and squealing at each blaze of color as it flitters by, dinner out at a favorite restaurant, a visit from friends who couldn't resist bringing him his first doughnut, gifts, cake (carrot), and most importantly, quite a bit of cuddling and family time. 

I finished Eli's birthday crown just in time with the help of Janet at Felt on the Fly, who sells the most fabulous 100% wool felt in every color imaginable and who so expeditiously rushed a felt order out to this procrastinating Mama.  I loosely followed the crown pattern in Amanda Soule's book The Creative Family. I was inspired by the absolutely beautiful crown that my dear friend Angela made for Ava's first birthday, starting a tradition we will cherish for birthdays to come.

I remember sitting at the dinner table before Eli was even in my belly, feeling this barely perceptible, but very much present feeling that someone is missing. With Eli here with us and the four of us together, that feeling around the table has changed to an ah yes, here we all are.

Happy Birthday, my sweet boy. We love you so so much.