Tea and deliciousness

One of the huge perks of working from home is fixing tea and drinking it all day long.

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Another huge perk is enjoying said tea hot out of a tea cosy handmade by shawneemonkey, and whitened with fresh sorta-local non-homogenized-yet-pasteurized milk bought straight from the farmer at Duncan’s Dairy Farm. And the icing on this cake of perks? the cherry on the sundae of wonderfulness that is today? Mike is working from home today, and even though we’re both noses-to-grindstones it’s so nice to be at home together.

Ride to work week

I’ve had a really good run this week – I’ve ridden in to the office every day. There’s been huge thunderstorms but I’ve lucked out and only gotten wet on Monday (the day I forgot my rain jacket). You may have noticed some tweets republished in this space regarding my  huge stinkiness because of a gas spill. That was Tuesday. The latch on the gas nozzle got stuck and I sprayed gasoline all over before I could get it shut off. And that inclues all over ME. ugh. I had to hang my clothes in the back room to avoid off-gassing myself (and my poor colleagues) to death.

Tuesday, though, I was sure it was going to pour and storm on me all the way home – my big dilemma was: do I put on the rain jacket over my nasty stinky gas laden clothes? Or rub dish soap all over my motorcycle jacket and *hope* for rain? I lucked out then, too. The storms passed by and I was able to ride home on nearly dry roads. And then I swapped into my 2nd motorcycle jacket for the rest of the week while the gas slowly evaporated.

and I did find a butterfly on my bike as I was leaving.

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Of course today when I walked into the office with my dress hanging out below my motorcycle jacket I was a huge hit. Everyone laughed. I made the hardest laugher take my picture:

When I ride the skirt flaps in the wind behind me. I think I should get a tulle tutu. Adorabs!

Tomorrow I’m working from home, so I won’t hit 5 days on my commute, but you know, I’m pretty happy to work from home, so that’s ok.

Pickles ‘n Fritters

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Made 6-pints of spicy dill sandwich pickles from The Joy of Pickling this week. it’s been ages since I’ve canned anything (OK, since last year) and I’m pleased to report that the washing/warming/boiling/jarring/canning/sealing bits all flowed together without any surprises. Maybe after about 5 years of doing this I’ve finally got the hang of it…

We had gotten dill from our CSA a month or so ago, and it was sadly out of sync with the cucumbers – so I froze a few heads of the dill and used them in the pickles. It seemed to work just fine, I am not sure how they will turn out but I can’t wait to try them. Homemade pickles are, potentially, my favorite thing in the entire world. Potentially.

 

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Last night Mike and I had zucchini and corn fritters. Instead of grating we jullienned (any excuse to use our awesome OXO Mandoline – it’s super affordable and works so so well. It makes pickling things seem so much easier!), and instead of scallion and cilantro we put in garlic and rosemary. Shown with delicious sriracha sauce.

I still have more pickling plans: green beans and cauliflower are next up, as is kohlrabi-in-lieu-of-radish. All I really need is 4 hours more every night and I’ll be totally caught up on my preserving.

  • O managed to get gas all over me filling up this morning. This is why I shouldn't fill up until AFTER WORK. #
  • This is going to be a long stinky day. I am a walking toxic smellfest. #
  • Um ok. I am not sure I can sit here in my own fumes. Any tips for de-stinking gas smelly clothes? Or should I just go home and work late? #

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  • things I should do: complete jarring my cuke pickles. things I can't stop doing: eating italian bread, mayo, and tomatoes. SO DELICIOUS. #

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  • extra tired this AM – bailed on run so pretending like lots of crunches are just as good. will run later. at little dudes football practice. #
  • “Our children are not our masterpieces.” from How to Land Your Kid in Therapy – http://bit.ly/qpVLUJ #
  • y'all, tell me about chia seeds. I have some from @RanchoGordo and haven't started to eat them yet. how/what/why? #
  • Its so warm tonight (and I'm so out of shape) that I was negotiating my walk intervals in 3/16th miles, not 1/4s. #

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  • dayjob irony: "[drafter,] don't accuse someone of being lazy when you're sitting at your desk reading the news instead of doing your job." #

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  • Waiting for train on leg 1 of my epic all-public-transportation-and-walking day that includes work and ladies night with the ladies! #
  • Oh hai train: http://t.co/OJp8FhE #
  • Walk through the woods to the office. Beware of spacy deer, giant poison ivy, and apparently widow makers. http://t.co/7G3jNUP #

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Sauerkraut

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Started a gallon of sauerkraut tonight with Mike manning the mandoline and myself in charge of recipe reading, mixing, and packing. We used 1/2 gallon jars – the largest I could find at our local supermarket with canning supplies – and filled and stashed two jars under the cabinet. We weighted the cabbage with ziplock bags of brine, as suggested in The Joy if Pickling. If it gets too hot next week we will move it to the basement.

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This used two heads of cabbage, we have two more in the fridge. We will probably make kimchi with the rest in Sunday (no matter how non-traditional it is to use white cabbage).

  • working from home today: auspiciously to provide little dudes with late afternoon supervision, but also have to clean for the cleaners. bah! #
  • We have a bunch of thyme fm CSA – want to try infusing vodka. Anything else to add to mix? @Snufkin any suggestions? #
  • planning: sardine sandwich w. cukes and tomatoes on hamburger bun (only bread in the house). working fm home permits stinky food for lunch! #
  • Sardine sandwiches w mustard, lemon juice, cukes, and tomatoes. I made two – come over quick before I eat them both! http://flic.kr/p/a7zhZX #
  • Didn't do today: sauerkraut, pickles, clean fridge. Did do: boatload of work – guess i AM productive! coupla posts (http://t.co/oGVegRS) #

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Sardine Sandwiches

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How have I never made sardine sandwiches before? I didn’t even think such a wonderful thing was possible until last month – normally I’ve just had sardines straight up, from the can, probably on crackers.

This sardine sandwich includes a nice spicy yellow mustard, a squirt of lemon juice, chopped cucumber, black pepper, and slices of tomato. I’m eating it on a whole wheat hamburger bun because that’s the only bread in the house – honestly, I don’t really eat a whole lot of bread, especially lately. Not to be all 1980s diner-diet-menu, but I think this would be delicious served without bread and inside of a hollow tomato.  If I were a little less hungry and a little more thoughtful I would have put in a pinch of chopped fresh dill.

I used Season Brand sardines, in water, no salt added, and found in the deepest darkest corner of my cupboard. These sardines may be 4 years old. I will report back if that is an issue. Hey, they’re from Morocco! I didn’t know that!
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I’m not sure if it was the brand of sardines or the water pack, but I noticed that the sardines mashed so easily with a fork – much easier than tuna – and didn’t have nearly the fishy flavor that tuna does. Why on earth are sardines so scary to people? Sardines are nicer for the environment and can have a much more delicate fish flavor than your traditional albacore.

The sandwich was delicious. Wish you were here! I ate yours, though. Sorry, I didn’t think it would keep.

Working from Home

Normally Mike will work from home on Wednesdays so he can manage the boys in the late afternoon one day a week. We have an alternating schedule – they are either at our house on Monday-Wednesday-Friday nights for an overnight or they are here for the Wednesday. I can get them a couple of times a week but on weeks when we have them 3x it was becoming disruptive to my job to have to jump up and leave at 4:30 every other day. We schedule all kinds of awkward stuff for Mike to manage when he’s at home, for example our every-two-weeks cleaners come on Wednesdays too.

But today he had to go into NYC for an all-hands work-activity, so I am working from home so I can let the cleaners in and get the boys at around 5PM. He gets home around 630, when we have the little dudes.

And I’m shifting floors to stay out of the way of the cleaner – she did the upstairs bathroom and I worked in the dining room, and now she’s doing the downstairs bathroom, kitchen-dining-room-living-room combo and I’m hiding in the upstairs library.

Book is also hiding:

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He is awfully handsome, isn’t he? We think he may be a French Chartreux. Mike’s mom saw a television program about them and told me all about it. It fits – he has the tiniest meow, and he’s a fabulous hunter.
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I Love To Do Dishes is back stateside, and I believe she’s figuring out her next steps and living arrangements – so poor melancholy Book, don’t worry. Your Human will come and fetch you soon. Sometime.

  • Just took break outside do I could screen iPhone text msg alerts without bugging cube neighbors. So nice out here, do not want indoors! #

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  • RT @MissAdventuring: You know that guy. Don't be that guy. http://t.co/zzYKIJX #
  • not only do my painted finger nail and shoe color match, but they also match my travel mug and underpants. no worries: no photos. #
  • hmmm was afraid this may happen: RT @vegdem: @karinajean while not worried, i am a bit disappointed by the lack of photo http://t.co/74Xd8Ug #
  • It's demoralizing: no matter how early I leave I always seem to arrive the same amount late. #

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New motorcycle gear

Got a crazy new bandana filled with water absorbing microbeads – it cools you off as the beads slowly release the water. I’m trying it out and giving the health and safety supply buyer at Day Job feedback. There are so many perks to environmental consulting, you know?

It kept me really cool on my ride home through upper-90 deg temps last night. AND it matches my jacket. Awesomepants.

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  • I woke up maybe 50 times last night [*may be slight exaggeration]. PERFECT PREPARATION FOR MY NINE HOUR MEETING TODAY. thanks, body! #

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  • got to sleep in with @mikegrundy and now we're each out to get a little exercise before motorcycling north to family bday party. #awesomeday #
  • Is it still a lucky penny if I find it in the bathroom? http://t.co/sk53sj3 #

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Nails and knitting

Turns out I accidentally picked the exact same color as my knitting. nerd party!

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Hairs cut

I worked from home today so I could get my hair cut. I’m super short now for the first time since college, when in to the Vidal Sasson teaching salon for an “orbit” and came out with a less coolly named cut. it’s wonderful, I’d been feeling for the last couple of years that my long hair was getting in the way, like it was taking over my head and overshadowing my personality.

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So the thing that is shocking me is how well my bangs and I are getting along. They’re not that hard to manage, they don’t make my forehead hot, and I don’t feel like I’m hiding behind them. I’ve avoided bangs vehemently since 7th grade and now I kind of like them. Oceans are boiling, people.