adventures in west hollywood (adjacent)

i spent the last week in los angeles visiting our friends sarah and orion. the six days flew by and i had a great time enjoying their company, some sights and the warm california sunshine.

on thursday night, we went to see brick at the arclight theatre and as we were leaving sarah leaned in and whispered, "do you think that's cameron diaz behind you?" i turned around (trying to be casual) to look then turned back and said, "she looks more like charlize theron," and sarah said, "that's who i meant!" and we both realized that it was, indeed, charlize in a little "newsies"-type cap to disguise herself. but we outsmarted her! with an a-list celebrity sighting under our belts, we went to mashti malone's for ice cream. maybe it's half indian, half irish? the legend of mashti malone is on the wall in the photo below, but it doesn't really clarify that issue. anyway, they have very interesting flavors made with ingredients like rosewater and lavender and saffron. i had mango and it was delicious.


we spent an afternoon at the beach in santa monica. it was a little overcast, but it was great to be oceanside. as always, the people-watching was fun, especially the woman who was having her own private all-out dance party with her walkman (or maybe just the music in her head). some dolphins even decided to frolic in plain view.


in keeping with the forever summer theme (see previous post), i made a few dinners from the cookbook, including the slow-roasted garlic and lemon chicken. it's super easy to put together--just chicken, garlic, lemon, thyme, olive oil, white wine and black pepper. it does take nearly 3 hours in the oven, but it's 3 labor-free, waiting hours, so not bad at all if you can get an early start. the chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender and roasted garlic is always delicious. we also had yummy quinoa and artichokes on the side. note the purple orchids on the table. sarah and i got them on mother's day at hamburger hamlet when we didn't convince our waitress that we aren't moms. pretty flowers seemed worth a little truth-withholding.

for all of you "america's next top model" fans, we had a j. alexander sighting at doughboys bakery on tuesday morning right before i left! i've been treated to some good L.A. breakfast spots, and doughboys was truly excellent. we later found out that their red velvet cake made gayle king's list of best cakes in the country on oprah.

it was a great trip. i'm already missing those crazy kids and i'm looking forward to our next visit, whether it's in iowa or california (aka pulmonary thromboendarterectomy central--sarah, how about a link? pretty please?).

project green

my parents came for a visit last weekend and on saturday and, after a fruitful spin through the project green plant sale, there was much gardening and yard work to be done. like true champs, they pitched in to help us get the new stuff into the ground and remove pesty old stuff. my dad even cut out the ancient primestar satellite dish that had taken root like a big outdated metal weed next to the house. he and rob made quick work of the jungle that had sprung up next to the garage. mom and i planted the flowering perennials (including purple and yellow coneflower, black-eyed susan, violets, forget-me-nots, red corn poppy [on joyce's recommendation], indian blanket, and wallflowers) along the driveway and in the backyard and i'm crossing my fingers that they'll thrive.
the mystery plant mystery is solved--it's a pink delight salvia. i vaguely remember jean giving this to us last spring, but once it died back, i pretty much forgot about it. it's blooming even more now with those pretty crescent moon-shaped flowers. let's hope the big jack-in-the-pulpit she bought us at the plant sale will fare as well.

this is our happy nameless gnome who watches over the backyard. he attempts to keep oscar from trampling the hostas, but this is a completely futile endeavor, even for a magical little creature (i know he's a resin statuette--please suspend your disbelief).

a bird in the garage...

...is worth...well...i don't know, but he sure was confused. i was putting away some gardening tools and he started flitting around and it freaked me out a little. he kept trying to fly out the (closed) window. after taking this photo, i managed to shoo him out the door. i guess the birds are starting to get a little wily. i had no idea that feeding is supposed to be a seasonal deal--this morning on the radio they recommended taking in the bigger bird food for the summer and putting out nyger seed for finches and sugar water feeders and orange halves for hummingbirds and orioles. who knew?


may brings the start of farmers' market season. hoorah! last year i tried uprooting and replanting our little bleeding heart plant, but didn't do such a great job. since it hasn't poked its little head up yet, i think it's gone. i spotted this beauty this evening and knew i'd have to bring it home to replace the one i inadvertently...well, you know. i also picked up a bag of baby greens and a lovely bunch of asparagus. there were morels aplenty at $8 per container, but my big money went to the bleeding heart.

I'm So Stoked

I swear to god i'm going to start doing blog entries soon in much the same way that Carrie does so that I can bore you all to tears with my hobbies. Carrie's hobbies are interesting... mine, not so much. But that doesn't mean i'm not going to stick them up here! That being said, i'm so stoked about this movie and hope it will go into wide release soon because I have to see it soon. It's called the Godfather of Green Bay and will probably include a lot of mullets and ice fishing.