Ta
da!!! I cooked. OK... so I'm not that humble... I've got to toot my own horn a little more than that! I didn't just "cook"! I dreamed, planned, worked, toiled, sowed, watered, tended, fretted, waited, waited, waited, harvested, and THEN I cooked.
Woohoo! Fresh from the garden: one tomato and a bushel (how much
is a bushel, anyway?) of green beans! There's some home-grown basil in there too, but it's kinda hard to see.
That's chicken, by the way, dredged in flour mixed with salt, pepper, garlic and Italian spices, then lightly pan fried in olive oil. A slice of fresh mozzarella, just-picked tomato and a sprinkle of crumbled bacon and right-from-the-deck basil, finished off the dish. I know green beans don't exactly scream to be paired with a basil and mozzarella entree, but I couldn't bear to let them go bad while we're gone for the next few days! I wanted to eat them fresh off the vine before the rabbit that I spied in my garden had a chance to tell all of his rabbit buddies. That's right: they've found my garden. Gasp!
I guess it was inevitable. I've seen them around the neighborhood and figured it was just a matter of time before they smelled the yummy goodness growing in my postage stamp of a yard. Sigh. I'm holding out hope that he was just lost and there by mistake. You see, I walked down the back steps to find him sitting in the middle of the grass. He freaked out when he saw me and ran towards the house, where he sat (under the deck) and looked slightly confused and statue-like. Then he ran closer to the house and found a gap between our house and our neighbor's yard, which he popped through. I'm optimistic that he was a first-timer judging by the way he didn't seem to know his way around.
My theory is that the water-meter guy opened the gate to check the meter, at which time Peter (Rabbit) hopped through. Then the water-meter guy, having finished his meter-reading, left our yard and closed the gate, trapping Peter inside. At that time, he froze, contemplating his next move. He failed to notice the fresh cucumbers on the vine, lush green tops of the carrots (not ready yet, I picked a couple already -looked yummy, tasted flat), thick broccoli stalks, and abundant green beans. He just sat there, trying to figure out how to get home, when I walked down the stairs and startled him.
Seriously. I think that's what happened. Nothing has been nibbled on. Nothing has been touched. Everything looks as beautiful as it did two days ago when I last checked.
So I figured I'd pick what I saw and enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of my labor while they were still there. We'll be at a wedding all day tomorrow and driving to Indiana on Sunday. I won't see my garden until Wednesday evening, at the earliest, at which time a lot of it could be gone.
Wascally wabbits! No! I'm not going to think like that! They haven't really found me yet and cute little Peter was just directionally challenged. He won't tell his friends that it's there. Will he??... :(
We arrived in Orlando on my birthday and had dinner reservations at The Rose & Crown, one of the restaurants in EPCOT's "United Kingdom" section of the World Showcase. Outside the R&C was this Guy Fawkes effigy. My b-day is Guy Fawkes Day in the UK (and in South Africa, where I grew up). (For those of you who don't know - read "Americans"- Guy Fawkes was the leader of a group of Catholics who tried to overthrow the English King, King James, and parliament about 400 years ago. Obviously, it didn't work. And yes, I had to google some of that info.; I can't take credit for all of it!) It was kinda cool to see the set-up... in SA if I told someone my birthday was November 5, they'd say, "Oh! Guy Fawkes Day!" In the US they just say, "Really? Mine's _____." 
The Pixar section of Hollywood Studios was new since our last visit. It was very cute. Giant toys and games EVERYWHERE! We waited 80 minutes to ride the newest attraction, "Toy Story Midway Mania." It was a fun ride, but not worth the wait. We went back on Saturday to get fast passes and they were all gone really early in the day. The last we checked the wait was up to 110 minutes! We weren't going to wait that long so we only did it once. Oh well... next time. 
Because we waited in the Toy Story line for so long...
....I ended up with several pictures from our wait time!
We stayed at the Port Orleans French Quarter resort. It was really nice! The grounds were quiet and had an authentic New Orleans feel. 
We now have 4 pictures that look just like this one: one from Disneyland in '03, one from Disney World in '04, another from '06, and this one from '08. No... we're not going back in '010. I mean, '10. I think we'll wait a little longer between visits from now on. Don't want to be the crazy people who go every other year or something. Oh... wait. Guilty. 
I love the little aliens from Toy Story! This was outside the "Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin" attraction - fun ride, no wait! My other favorite thing from this section of Magic Kingdom was the "Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor," a "live," interactive stand-up comedy show featuring some of the characters from the movie. It was so funny! Very clever.
The view from under the EPCOT dome, "Spaceship Earth". They have redone the attraction and it now includes a fun little make-your-own video from the future! Can't explain it, but it was fun!
That boils down to about 12 fast food meals (yech!), 20 potty breaks, 200 radio station changes (we love you Sirius Satellite Radio!!!), and 2700 miles! Yikes! It's good to be home.
Ta da!!! I cooked. OK... so I'm not that humble... I've got to toot my own horn a little more than that! I didn't just "cook"! I dreamed, planned, worked, toiled, sowed, watered, tended, fretted, waited, waited, waited, harvested, and THEN I cooked. Woohoo! Fresh from the garden: one tomato and a bushel (how much is a bushel, anyway?) of green beans! There's some home-grown basil in there too, but it's kinda hard to see. 
It is with great sadness that I tell you that Pern's mom, Fran, lost her battle with lymphoma last week. A case of pneumonia sent her back to Northwestern Memorial in Chicago, where she succumbed to complications. She was a wonderful, loving, funny, generous, and caring woman and we will all miss her very much. 
