When things go badly ....

That's all you can do.

So have a post I want to post....

but I can't. It's for the MotH - I'll never make it to his birthday, but perhaps I can hold out till our anniversary. Maybe. *
Tom Petty's right - the waiting is the hardest part. 










*  Likely not. bugger.

Daylilly Day - 10 May 2010

First Daylillys of the year - at least for me. This seems really late to me, but I'll check the books and see what I have*.  They opened early this morning so they are not quite at their best at 6:00pm, but finally the first one. I have hundreds of daylilies and know not a single name - I'm not that type of gardener -- there are some plants I bother learning the botanical name, but not many - maybe that's a new project for me... Like I need another one. 
I have daylilies that sprout baby plants off their stems when they bloom - proliferations. It's a super easy way to increase your population easily. I also have decent luck planting the little black seeds and I've never needed to refrigerate them - that seems silly for a plant grown on the gulf coast.  Other things in the garden (top to bottom, duh): Stokesia, low roses (Katy Road I think), Oregano in the Herb Garden


*4/15/2008; 4/8/2009

Beer Garden: Magic Hat Summer Wacko

Billed as a crisp summer beer, I had great hopes for Magic Hat Summer Wacko. There was also only one six pack left so I had to buy it even though it was Cinco de Mayo and save it for a few days. It was certainly cold enough, but the finish was just too sweet for me. "Big malty aroma," I get it and "a subdued hop bite" (as described on the website), but, "slightly sweet finish?" How about overly sweet finish - almost like maple syrup.  And for the love of pete, did it have to be pink?*
Okay maybe the over the top packaging should have given it away but different often times is better, but I was going for the "crisp summer beer" that I went for and I just don't think it was there. The front was nice, but it was the finish that did me in. 
Never know until you try - who knows when you'll find something that pleasantly surprises you. 


* I did not know it was pink until I was um, pouring the last bit out - so it has no impact on my thought. Besides, I rather like pink. 

Currently Blooming

Rose from my next door neighbor who took a cutting from her grandmother - how cool is that? MotH dug this up as it was a runner that had rooted itself. Lovely purple.
Top = Apple Blossom Amaryllis; next Easter Lily and last purple Clematis (whose name I never remember)

Cinco de Mayo

Excellent excuse for a cerveza hecho en Mexico. That is the extent of my Spanish and it's probably wrong.  
I've been keeping up with the different beers we've been trying - actually writing them down and making notes, so I plan to put them here w/photos to help me remember better. 
I'm a fan of Tecate - it's simple, smooth and easy to drink - a good beer for warm weather - it's inexpensive too, which isn't bad either. No it is not complex, not fancy, but it works for us. A great choice for 5 May 2010. 
Our local paper started a column today with a local review of beers - finally, but I notice it's never on the front page of the food section where the wine is.... hm. 

My Georgette Heyer Thing

Jane Austen has one serious flaw - only one, but it's kind of bad - Only 6 complete novels. Now I read them all, once a year or so and occasionally watch a BBC version, but that's not much when you really get down to it. So this past year (2009), I found and began reading and buying Georgette Heyer novels. Most are Regency romances and truth be told they are formulaic, but still engaging. The majority of her heroines know how to speak their mind - very 21st century of them.  Her knowledge of the period makes me wonder about time travel and or reincarnation - was she really alive during the Regency era? She has a sharpness of wit and a flourish of style in her writing that I enjoy. Her ability to describe a scene or a dandy or the ton is spectacular.


So far, I've read, Why Shoot the Butler?, The Toll Gate, The Corinthian, Black Moth, The Reluctant Widow, False Colours, The Convenient Marriage, The Grande Sophy, and Frederica. So I haven't yet made a dent. Additionally, I have a small stock waiting for me to read. Obviously she's not Jane, but with 50 novels including a few murder mysteries (oh goodie) and some historical fiction, it's a pretty good deal.

Hedgehog - He's mine, mine I tell you.

I've taken too long to post this but ... this is my new friend. You'll find him hanging around in my kitchen. He's the best and his name is Spike. Dimdi's etsy site is great - she's amazingly talented and I plan to order more. 

I love hedgehogs. They are so very cute, but not the least bit cuddly. There was a little family of hedgehogs that lived near our cottage in England. If you were out in the evening you would see them about. Mama and little babies. So cute. I never tried to pick them up, though they didn't seem phased by me being there. Either used to people to some degree or just didn't give a damn because they have, um.... spines. This watercolor is just the damn cutest thing ever. 
I just think Etsy is a great idea. How cool is it that people from all over the world can sell their original art to others in a simple fashion. My watercolor came from Italy - a tiny town that, though I studied art history and had a good sense of Italy, I have never heard of ... and used google maps to find.* No hedgehogs on the gulf coast, but we do have ... bunnies, almost as cute, but not quite (no spikes - too bad).


* What would we do if we didn't have google? Scary to think how dependent on it everyone is. 

Jazz Fest - what an experience!

Wow - how much fun was that? Now, we were only there for a single day, but it was outstanding.  To start, the weather was perfect - I'm not kidding - perfect. Nice breeze, sunny, with occasional clouds, and dry  - unlike last weekend's mud fest. We rode the shuttle in which was super convenient - easy quick trip, no hassles, all organized and well done. The place is huge. Now I've seen the map, but until you walk it, you just don't get it. It was easy to get turned around, but there were several convenient maps around the festival. 

There was more food than it was possible for me to believe. Had beignets and looked like a total pig doing it, but they were good. MotH had a crawfish sausage and beignets. The Boy drank lots of orange crush and snagged a beignet (he also looked like a pig). There was too much canned Miller Light for me, but we had a couple of beers - many people had LOTS more... Seems if you buy several beers at once and tip well, the beer vendors will give them to you in a box with ice - therefore, once you're settled, you don't have to go anywhere (except the port o potty - eeeww). 
We travelled through the whole place and stopped at different tents - boy the gospel tent was rocking, and so was the blues tent - too much fun. I really want to know how many people were there - was it was crowded?... esp for a Thursday? I'm curious. It was just pure craziness and every type of person you could imagine - most w/tattoos. Now there were some strange ones there - the guy in the mini skirt w/the white lacy undies I could have done w/out. Also, guy wearing apparently only a long towel-like thing...sad. 

After wondering around, we settled in at the Gentilly stage for Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. I was expecting some nice picking and some good bluegrass, so it was a great bit of fun when they totally rocked it out (in a bluegrass way). Plus it was more like a comedy bluegrass show. Martin was his usual goofy self between songs and even in songs - a song for atheists - so amazingly funny. Martin cannot sing, but the Steep Canyon Rangers harmony were just so sweet. They closed with Orange Blossom Special - great great and even better, something I thought about, but never thought would really happen. King Tut. The Boy just stood there, like, huh? Growing up in the 70s did have some perks - even if they are goofy perks. It was a hoot. 

Then Elvis was on. One of the two remaining people I wanted to see live, and I finally did it - with MotH and the Boy in tow.  It was Elvis Costello and the Sugarcanes, so I knew it wouldn't be my Elvis - you know from 1977 - until about 1996, but I figured there had to be some big ones - I mean, it's Elvis after all. Well, I wasn't disappointed. Alison, New Amsterdam, Blame it on Cain, America without Tears, Everyday I Write the Book, and closing with the perennial Peace, Love, and Understanding. He did a great cover of Femme Fatale by the Velvet Underground and a cover of the Rolling Stones' Happy. Would I have liked more of my Elvis, of course, but it was still worth it. 
All in all - great time. To top it off. When we left this morning it was humid and drizzly - ugh - that would not be fun at Jazz Fest, so it seems we really got lucky. Cool. 
Am looking forward to going again next year.  
Photo credits: Elvis Costello & From Gentilly Stage - David Grunfeld, The Times Picayune; Steve Martin - Susan Poag, The Times Picayune

Going to ...

New Orleans Jazz Fest - can't wait.  Finally (!) going to get to see Elvis Costello. 
There are so many songs I want to hear:
Alison
Everyday I Write the Book
Watching the Detectives
Angels want to Wear my Red Shoes
The World and his Wife
Two Little Hitlers
Radio Radio
Waiting for the End of the World
I could go on forever....
Alison is probably the most important to me because the Boy, when 3 1/2 used to think it was his name, not Alison. The Boy might not even think about it - it's been a few years after all, but it would mean a lot to me.


Super Super excited (like the silly girl I am). My aim is true.