blog hiatus...

is now over. Apologies.

Life got in the way of blogging about...life.

case closed.

A few days ago, I noticed one of my pots of pansies looking sad. And a little squished. See Exhibit A:
Then last night, I caught the culprit in the act. See Exhibit B:

I think the bunny sometimes sits up there and feasts. But I do not have the proof. Yet.

state worker furloughs

This was announced yesterday morning by Gov. Perdue. With the amount of speculation that's been going on about this in the last few months, I guess I'm not too surprised by the use of furloughs. It will be interesting to see how exactly this will impact the different state agencies and departments when the details emerge. And needless to say, I'm waiting to see what this means for me too (while being very thankful I still have a job).

fresh and local foodstuffs

Wow - have we been happy with our CSA! Today we got our 4th box of goodies from Vollmer Farm. It contained:

totsoi
strawberries
radishes
broccoli
collards
tomatoes

And here's a recap from the last few weeks:

Week 3
baby specialty lettuce
strawberries
sunburst tomatoes
sweet potatoes
turnip greens
*bonus - a reusable tote bag

Week 2
baby specialty lettuce
strawberries
green onions
sunburst tomatoes
spinach
collards
*bonus - a bottle of Betty Vollmer's Poppy Seed Dressing

Week 1
baby specialty lettuce
strawberries
green onions
seedless cuke
sunburst tomatoes
sweet potatoes

And we're hoping to fit in a trip to Vollmer to check it out...and to take advantage of strawberry season - it's the only place in the state with organic pick-your-own berries.

composter update

Our Earth Machine is installed! I set it up a few weeks ago, and it's already at least 1/3 full - maybe even 1/2. Use the provided Matt scale bar to assess the true size.

Black Mountain Greenway Challenge!

On Saturday April 4th, we participated in the Black Mountain Greenway Challenge 10K. (I tried to link to it, but the website is now mysteriously missing on the supermation infohighway.) I found out about the race a few months ago while randomly searching the NC race calendars. The proceeds went towards the Greenway project in Black Mountain, and the event was hosted by the Pisgah Brewing Company. And as if that wasn't enough motivation to sign up - neither of us has done a 10K before and this one actually fell on a perfect weekend in our half-marathon training schedule. We were pumped.

We drove out that morning (the race wasn't until 2pm) and both the drive and the weather were gorgeous. There was a nice turn out - a little over 300 people ran - and it was pretty much split between the 5K-ers and the 10K-ers. The course allowed us to see a lot of the beautiful area, while "appreciating" firsthand the difference in elevation and terrain of Black Mountain versus Raleigh.

After the race, there was the requisite post-race party - but this one will forever hold a special place in our hearts. There was live, local music. There was delicious organic, gourmet pizza and ice cream (the way to my heart is through my stomach). And there was plenty of awesome Pisgah beer on tap! All the runners got 2 free pints of their choice. We tried: Pisgah Pale Ale, Endless Summer Ale, Pisgah Porter (Matt's fav), and the Nitro Stout (my fav).
After a few hours relaxing in the sun, we started our trip back East. And made one of the best detours EVER. Google Maps and our GPS tried to sabotage us, but our stomachs could not be denied. We eventually found our way to Lexington Barbecue (a.k.a. - Lexington #1 or Honey Monk's). Before we walked in, I told Matt that even though I was starving, I was going to eat slowly and savor. We ordered a chopped plate and a coarse chopped plate, which are accompanied by hush puppies, fries, and slaw. Suddenly the food is brought to us. And our conversation ceases. For pretty much the whole meal. Except about halfway through, when we talk briefly to coordinate switching plates so we get to try both styles. Maybe the next visit (which, despite the distance, we hope will be soon!) we'll be a little more civilized.

am i a bad person?

I saw this experiment mentioned in a CNN article a few days ago. The experiment has an interesting design, if you have the time to read the original paper published in Animal Behaviour, but the Reader's Digest version goes something like this: while most agree that hermit crabs (and other decapods) have nociceptive abilities (detecting and avoiding noxious and/or harmful stimuli), the investigators found evidence that the hermit crab may actually feel pain, and remember it. They found that future behaviors from crabs in the "shock" group differed from those in the "no-shock" group (ie - the natural, survival-driven behavior), supporting the conclusion that the change in behavior may be motivated by the memory of the "shock" experience. I should point out that these shocks were kept below the level that would cause the immediate evacuation of the crab from the shell - the idea being that while the shock was meant to be uncomfortable/painful, it was not enough to superseded the most salient survival motivator for the crab - avoiding vulnerability by remaining in the shell, which is their main line of personal defense. [sorry about the ridiculous plethora of clauses in this paragraph, I'm feeling lazy about editing]

So I read this experimental paper, and I have to admit, my knee jerk reaction was to cringe at the thought of the hermit crabs' relative - the blue crab - being steamed alive in a giant pot so it could be eaten. And then I started to salivate. Because that crab is being cooked with Old Bay. And someone is going to get to pick the meat from that crab. And then dip it in more Old Bay. Or maybe melted butter. Or vinegar. And that someone is going to get to drink cold beer between bites. They'll be sitting at a table (probably of the wooden, picnic variety) that is covered in brown paper as the tablecloth. And maybe they're in a backyard, or out on a restaurant's deck overlooking the water. And that someone is going to spend hours picking, eating, drinking, and chatting with friends and family.
And that is one of the things I loved most about Maryland Summers.