The massive lull in blogging can be explained by two things:
1) The pile of boxes in my living room. My new living room, that is. Two weeks ago, on April 3, 2007, my husband and I moved into the house we’ve been renovating for 8 months. The work is not yet complete, and as a result, the cat and the computer remain at the apartment, with frequent daily visits to check in on both of them. At some point, the internet, ethernet and phone connections will be hooked up at the house and I’ll be able to post more Weekly Top Tips to the website (technical difficulties have prevented me from doing so since the move).
2) A cluster funk with my blog setup feature. Press one little button and *poof* – all my formating, design set up and graphics are gone with no way back. Undo, undo, undo! To no avail. Oh well, here’s to impermanence. So you may notice a slightly different look to the Blog page, one that I hope to amend and improve in the near future.
In the meanwhile enjoy these ramblings about life in the new house:
This is a whole new beginning for me as a homeowner. We have hardwood floors, a kitchen with a refrigerator that opens all the way (instead of hitting the wall across from it in a narrow galley kitchen when you open the door), a bedroom that actually requires walking to get from the closet to the bed, and a yard that makes people in Los Angeles say, “Wow, this yard is HUGE,” upon sight. We have a front porch just begging for a bench and fluffy pillows, some potted topiaries and a quippy welcome mat that says something like, “trap door.”
Once we get unpacked, I look forward to tackling the front and back yard garden projects. In the meantime, I get to dream about what I’d like to plant in the raised beds, and think about what I’d like to see out my window in the kitchen and bathrooms. Potted plants, or a fountain? Italian ceramica or a vintage wrought iron plant rack? Maybe it’s time to dive into the copy of Frances Mayes, Bringing Tuscany Home that I got for Christmas last year. Her writings are always inspiring and this book is no exception with it’s pages full of pictures, recipes and eye candy for home and garden.
When I began working the raised beds in the garden, I planted fava beans to condition the soil. To my surprise, an artichoke plant surfaced. Apparently it had been sleeping under the soil all winter long. Now I have an artichoke to pick and cook. Do you have any good ideas for how to use 1 artichoke? Post them here.
