When blogs converge

This cracked me up so much I couldn't help it. So, PurpleTwinkie and I have actually met, and we've done videoblogs, but if we were to meet live and videoblog? OMG. I think it would be something like this...

various quizzes and identifications

Oh I know I'm totally dialing this one in.

You Are Brownie Batter Ice Cream

You've been known to lick *everything* clean

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

Your Drag Queen Name Is:

Sissy Pantz

Drag Queen Name Generator

Your Travel Profile:

You Are Extremely Well Traveled in the Midwestern United States (100%) You Are Very Well Traveled in the Western United States (74%) You Are Well Traveled in the Southern United States (46%) You Are Well Traveled in the Northeastern United States (43%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Latin America (33%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Canada (20%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Australia (13%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Asia (8%) You Are Untraveled in Africa (0%) You Are Untraveled in Eastern Europe (0%) You Are Untraveled in New Zealand (0%) You Are Untraveled in Scandinavia (0%) You Are Untraveled in Southern Europe (0%) You Are Untraveled in Western Europe (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Middle East (0%) You Are Untraveled in the United Kingdom (0%)

How Well Traveled Are You?

Better living through lists

Things that have my panties in a bunch today

1. Anything related to Paris Hilton
2. Tweakers who walk down the street yelling at each other
3. People who don't pick up after their dogs
4. Bloggers who don't follow blogging etiquette
5. Stupid people
6. All the white men in power raging about abortion
7. Comcast's inabilities to provide clear signals for local stations
8. How much the new iPhone is. I really want one.
9. Having an ultrasound, and not for a good thing

Cathartic. What's on your list today?

Summer makes me happy

This song, and these flowers, are making me very happy today.

I'm learning how to cook Thai food this summer (Yep, it's on the official "Things We Want to Do This Summer" list, along with going to the beach to let Wink run like a wild thing, and going to a Beavers game on a hot summer night, to name a few). And last night I made Drunken Noodles. Super delicious. Note for next time however: cut the jalapenos to about 1/3rd of what this recipe calls for. Yowza! Spicy! For the ingredients it called for a stop at Uwijimaya, which is always fun, though always a trip. Standing in the grocery aisle, staring at products, looking at the pictures because you can't read the language they're written in, and having no idea if you're even close to finding the actual product you need. I've had that experience in different countries, but it's a trip to have it in Beaverton. Ha! Here's the goods:

Better living through big boned dahlias, Mika's fun music and spicy Thai food. Woot! Woot! Summer '07!

Something strange is afoot at the home of this Duck

I live with a Duck. (I, myself, am a Wildcat.) But this Duck who shall not be named is an avid Duck. Once I wore orange on the day of Civil War and was called a traitor and had to go change. All I did was get dressed. Sheesh. So it's with great humor I overhead this conversation this afternoon, between the Duck and her dog.
"This is a duck household, Wink. Duck. However, we support college baseball. ANY team from Oregon. Got that? ANY team. Even if they're orange and black and from Corvallis, they're still from Oregon. Game starts at 4:10. We're going to support them!" I believe this was all in preparation for watching this afternoon's game.

I can't believe my favorite duck is actually rooting for the Beavers. And for those of you from out of state and smirking, yes, it's the Beavers.

In search of Summer Cocktail 2007

Did a little mixology last night with herbs and fruit from the garden, muddled and combined with different liquids. Brought along the camera and you can follow the process and see all the photos here over at Sassy Gardener...What a gorgeous night for the summer solstice.
While I didn't find the perfect drink for Summer 2007, we sure had fun trying. And then matching the color of the drink to colors in the garden.

It must have been around 10pm when I took this photo last night: there was still light in the sky. I love summer so much. I don't ever want to come inside.

Northwest Meat Company

One of my most favorite signs in North Portland. So classic, so basic, so straightforward. I've been meaning to get a photo of this sign because I know it will be gone soon.

All you gardeners out there

I've packed up Sassy Gardener over at OregonLive and built a whole new site at www.sassygardener.com. Yes. It even has its own domain. Fun audio, photos, slideshows and stories are over there, and I hope to add lots of links and stories about organic gardening, urban gardening, and just having fun in the garden. I mean, come on. I live in Portland. They say you can throw seeds at the ground here and they'll grow. I don't know about that, but this sassy gardener is in the house...

Ah ha!

I love running into bloggers in real life, and here's one who was at the Pride parade and got my picture! And, some pictures from the parade in general. Thanks Mark! I have no photos for you people: being in it means I was busy handing out flyers, not taking pictures of the guys in leather chaps or girls with duct tape X's for shirts. But I did see something I've been wondering about. At the end of the parade the bajeezus followers with their signs saying we're going to hell, and that God hates us, we should repent for our sins bladda bladda bladda, they had their video equipment all set up and were recording very carefully everyone who was in the parade. I think this was just a form of intimidation, or, are they going to use this stuff for some purpose? Creeps.

Today is the Pride parade

Today's the Pride parade, and as I did last year, I point you to an essay I wrote during my first year doing Lelo in Nopo. I read it every year, and it is always my truth.

For something a little more fresh, check out The Portland Mercury's collection of essays, printed in their current Pride issue, especially this one by Recovering Straight Girl, and even one by yours truly.

Happy Pride, y'all.

Someone is ready for Pride

A trip to the groomers, some purple bows in her hair, and of course, her rainbow shirt. I'd say she's just about ready, wouldn't you?

And then there was this pose. Um, there's something just a little bit naughty about this pose. I'll chalk it up to her newly shorn hair may feel just a little bit odd. Feets up!

It's high gardening time

Lots and lots of stuff going on in the garden, or, El Jardin, as we call it here. Not too many plants going into the ground—well, a few that I just could not say NO to—but mainly plants have been going into pots. And I'm proud to say everything is potted, fertilized, watered, and placed. Now comes the on-going watering throughout the season but it's worth it to me. I love putting pots and plant and flower combinations together. It combines choices of color, size, texture, contrast, movement, form with needs for water, heat and sun. And it's three dimensional. Combine that with smell, foliage and life expectancy and you have many variables. I love the challenge.

Some of my favorite pots to plant each year are the front porch pots. They're copper, and I really love their unusual color. Here's what I did this year...

And these are some of the plants that went into them...

Mango, terra cotta, peach flambe...don't these names make you want to eat them up?
Actually, one name got me in trouble a little bit...

I love these black sweet potato vines. Their rich black leaves provide the perfect contrast of limey yellow and chartreuse coleus. I bought a few too many of them, and walking into Interstate Fred Meyer I was telling AdRi I needed more plants to contrast with the Blackies (as you can see, the name of the plants). Evidently I repeated the name several times and she finally told me to keep it down. Yeah, I guess out of context it's not the best name to repeat loudly in public. Especially not in the Interstate Fred Meyer. :)

And then there are the plants that I buy simply BECAUSE of their name. I could not walk by this plant and not buy it, could I?! (note: it's the latin name that hooked me)

I don't know about you, but I need some inspiration

Here's some for you.
How wonderfully well written and thoughtful is that? I couldn't agree more.

It's a shame we just can't get things to grow here in the Northwest*

*sarcasm intended

Roses roses roses and more roses

It's high rose season here in Portland, and I actually experienced an entire Rose Festival Parade today. Though it was from the dry perch of a downtown parking garage: that is the way to do it. Screw the tape and camping out. Pay $7 for a parking spot in a garage and have a perfectly situated set up, out of the elements, to take in the parade. It was actually fun.

But for the real rose experience, we trekked down to St. Paul the other day for a visit to one of my favorite places in Oregon, Heirloom Roses. Imagine eons of roses, dripping from every corner, sprinkling petals at your feet. All different kinds, all differently scented. I bet I stuck my nose in hundreds of roses that day. And it took everything in me to not buy one. We have nine heirloom roses in our garden now, ten if you count the suckers coming up from the area where we dug out a rose last year. And oh how I love them. Now if you're thinking these are the fussy roses that get blackspot and rust and have to be coddled, you're wrong. Those are hybrid teas. I'm talking about the old fashioned heirloom roses, like moss roses, grandifloras, ramblers, climbers, albas. These are decadent flowers that smell like the rose water perfume grandmas wear. Some smell like citrus, or musk. Before I show you photos from our trip, here's what the roses cut from our garden look like...

And here's what they look like growing at Heirloom Roses...




I know you think this one is called Candycane, but it's not.

And because I am not capable of stifling my sarcasm, I give you this. I think she had a little too much to drink.

For some reason I don't think this is the best name for this plant.

And the following photo? Well, I couldn't help myself. You go, girls! (I'm tempted to say this is a photo of me and my parents but then I'm afraid some of you might actually believe it.)

Okay, I think that's enough photos to keep your browsers loading for awhile. Happy Rose Festival to my fellow Oregonians, and to all who love a little romantic flower in their lives.

Ah, the Portland skyline

Finally rode the tram yesterday and took this shot from the landing up at OHSU. Lovely lovely lovely. But wait. Look closer into the photo. What's that? Huh? Ah ha. Smells like Rose Festival spirit!

The parental unit is visiting from Texas and we were off on an urban adventure yesterday, riding the streetcar and tram, traipsing through Northwest, Brewery Blocks, and ending with beers at Bridgeport Brewery. You know those things you don't always enjoy and do in your own city but always adventure around when you're traveling? We had one of those days in our own city yesterday and it was fun. I was reminded why I live here and love Portland so much. We're off to see roses today....in the rain. Of course!

Have some ice cream, now go next door

Continuing on the theme of signs of North Portland, here's the fabulous classic front of The Portland Ice Cream Company. The ice cream vans playing those irritating jingles through your neighborhood most likely fill up here, as I've seen them parked out front. Why the air conditioner unit is tagged "more" is beyond me.

And when you're done with your ice cream, you can go next door to Alcoholics Anonymous for a little 12-step. In espanol.

Things I've been doing

Cooking in the new kitchen...here are a few pics of that....


**UPDATED** Props to PurpleTwinkie for providing such fantastic recipes on his blog. Ya'll know he's a chef, right? You, too, can learn how to make the delicious looking item above by going here.

Potting plants in the garden...

Buying lots of marbles on sale and throwing them in the garden gravel paths...

And here's a plant I have to get in the ground this weekend. We were out and about in St. Paul visiting nurseries, and as I was checking out at Ferguson's Fragrant Flowers Nursery I asked if they carried this plant. Voila! They do! So I got it. It's common name isn't listed on its tag, and its common name is because of what it smells like. Who knows what plant this is and what it smells like?

(I've got money on Bemused Musings
getting this one, but let's see....)