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It's June 19th....and out of principle I started wearing my summer clothing about three weeks ago. Forget the fact that in Oregon we are living through what many are calling "Juneuary" I keep telling myself that if I put on my summer attire, the weather will follow suit. Of course this has left me chilly on several occasions wishing for long pants and a sweater... but my feet are longing to be free of shoes, my legs are freshly shaved, and I plan on willing the weather into submission.

Ok, maybe not, but I am so ready for the sunshine! Don't get me wrong, I do love the rain (as an Oregonian you sort of have too) and I'm not going to lie, it smells delicious outside right now, as it started raining about fifteen minutes ago... Unfortunately there is also a wedding happening outdoors at Red Ridge Farms at this very moment... and I feel bad for the happy couple as they say their vows in the drizzle. Of course this morning I was prepped for rain... I had a back up plan.... the tables were set on the covered patio, the bar was under cover.... everything was ready because this storm had been predicted.... Sadly for the wedding couple we had a few moments of sunshine this afternoon, and all of my table placements were over-ruled by the mother of the bride.... now literally half of the guests will be either standing inside, or sitting outside in the rain, rather than under cover, next to heat lamps.... and the poor bartender is going to be rather damp by the end of the night... at least they seem like a very chill couple...and the bride is actually wearing rain boots... hopefully it will be just a quick shower. I just have to sit here and resist saying "I told you so" instead I keep repeating the mantra "this is not my wedding, and I'm getting paid to be here" But I do wish the mother would have kept my rain-proof table arrangement... after all this is not my first rodeo...

This is actually the second wedding at Red Ridge today... we sort of took on the mentality of "go big or go home" when it came to kicking off wedding season. I can safely say that the two weddings were the antithesis of each other... The first wedding was very much a whirlwind, and only the ceremony took place here, and they left as quickly as they came. For about an hour the grounds were dotted with bridesmaids in "pool" colored floor length gowns (pool is the actually color when you look at wedding color swatches... it translates into some sort of aqua blue). Everyone in the wedding party was chain smoking for most of the time they were here, and a few of them kicked off the morning with Keystone Light in the parking lot at 9AM. After the short ceremony, the bride and groom hopped on their motorcycle and drove off into the morning... gown and all...

Two down, nine to go in Event Season 2010. The really great thing about wedding season is that there is enough of a hiatus from November-June that I sort of forget about the chaos... its just enough of a break for me to regain my energy and enthusiasm for being attached to an event venue that caters towards brides. In those cold winter months when we are planning harvest dinners and corporate functions I forget about the high intensity of weddings, the reactions of mothers, the emotions that are caught up in that one moment, the hassle of moving chairs from lawn to event room...

My parents are hopeful that after a few more years at this job, I will decide to elope if I ever get married... Little do they know that my hours spent at other people's weddings, has really only groomed me for planning my own someday. And I will have a backup plan in case of rain.

I'd like to register for Life please.

The more I think about it, the more I think that we should be allowed to create a “life registry”. Forget weddings, or babies…. Why do the married and the childbearing get to be the only ones with a very specific list of gifts they would like to recieve? It is actually pretty ridiculous when you think about it. You go out into the world as a single person, and start accumulating your own set of stuff. Dishes, furniture, books, camping gear, etc until you finally settle down with another once single person who has accumulated all the same stuff, and then you have to get together, and sort through it all, get rid of a ton, and then gasp, register for more “grown-up” stuff. I argue that we should cut out the middle man… that being the wedding registry, and just start accumulating the good stuff right now.

Why is this the norm? Personally I would have liked to begin collecting the “good stuff” when I was right out of college. Frankly, I am more likely to use a Dutch oven now in my single life than when I’m married and actually put it on a registry. The same goes with a kitchen aid mixer, a good vacuum, cake plates, nice sheets, bathroom towels and a menagerie of other items typically found on a wedding registry.  Not that I want anyone to get any ideas, but think of the domestic goddess I could be by the time I am married if I already had all these things at my disposal. And for those people getting married, wouldn’t it be so much simpler if you already had nice cookie sheets, and didn’t have to worry about registering for them? Wouldn’t it be nice if people just gave you money towards your honeymoon, or a down-payment on a house, rather than having to worry about starting a new life without any of the basics? And though I realize this is not always the case, but why are people encouraged to give you stuff, when you are suddenly combining two incomes…. Granted I know there are a lot of expenses to consider… but regardless, single people still pay rent, and phone bills, and internet, and cable, and car insurance, and utilities… and most of those basic expenses are not going to increase with the wedding vows… in fact they often go down… so why is it that they don’t let us single people on a budget create a registry for our personal lives?

I’m reminded of the episode of Sex and the City, “A Woman’s right to Shoes” when a pair of Carrie’s shoes get stolen at a party. Carrie then realized that she has been to countless baby and bridal showers, and has each time brought a gift, and so when the hostess of the party refuses to buy her replacement shoes, she goes out and registers for them.  No, I would not go out and register for a pair of Manolos… but as a single-girl in my mid-twenties, why shouldn’t I be registered for things like an espresso maker, composting kit, and a vacuum that doesn’t have to be emptied every five minutes? Why can’t I create a registry that has things like cowboy boots, new running shoes, wine glasses, a file cabinet, and a Manduka yoga mat? These are all practical things that I would use on a daily basis (ok maybe not the cowboy boots… but you never know). Why do married people get to have all the fun?

Can you imagine how much simpler life would be if you just had a running list of things you would like? Gone would be the days of getting the “not quite what I wanted, but am thrilled you thought of me” gifts.  There would never be the awkward “I don’t really know what to get this person” moments. And even if you wanted to be creative and original and not get something off the registry, I find that registries are really helpful guidelines. It’s like the recommendations you get from online shopping. “Based on your recent purchase, we recommend these items” you can look at someone’s registry, and though you might not buy them the exact kitchen towels they were looking at, you can get an idea of personality, wants, and needs, and then pick out a gift that is appropriate, and personal. 

Registries seem to make the statement “I’m starting my life, and I want to start it with stability, and a few comforts” and isn’t that essentially what you are doing/saying when you give a wedding gift. “congratulations on starting your new life, here is something to make it a little bit easier” Well what about those of us who are unmarried, and whose lives started right out of college? Who says that I wouldn’t have been just as appreciative of a juicer at the age of twenty-two? Actually I would have probably been more appreciative of a juicer right out of school… or right now even!

Literally every piece of furniture I own (with the exception of a plant stand from Ikea) is a hand-me-down. The same can mostly be said of my kitchen equipment. I have a few new plates, and mugs, and a gorgeous set of mixing bowls, but everything else has been inherited. Not that it is a bad thing, I love being thrifty and recycling, and there is no way I could have ever afforded a couch like this, but sometimes a girl just longs for a new Cuisinart… And left to their own devices, I don’t think any of my friends would ever think to get me a potato ricer for a gift out of the blue. And though I am trying desperately to work on this, I have begun to form an attachment to some of my belongings… and I know that when I actually get married and have to begin dividing and getting rid of stuff it will be a challenge to part with some of my things… its ridiculous I know, but part of me just wants to say to hell with it, and start investing in my dream kitchen… relationships may come and go, but Le Creuset products are forever… so why not start out my “life” with one, and just take it with me when I’m married? I mean if I’m going to be forming attachments to things… It just seems so backwards to me… the idea of accumulating stuff, and then merging households, purging, and starting over. I mean both sides bring “stuff” into the relationship…. So why is it then, that people with stuff, get to then register for better stuff? Why it is ok for people getting married to ask for the stuff that they want to star their lives with, but not for people who have graduated college and who are striking out on their own? Why do people getting married, or having babies get to go to the store and pick out exactly what they want, but the rest of the world isn’t allowed to have a concrete list? What happens when we want the good stuff now… and why do I have to be married, or having a kid before it is socially acceptable for us to ask for it?

To be perfectly honest, sometimes I want gifts that are practical… This is not me looking the gift-horse in the mouth, or being un-grateful, and I will admit that I have delighted in several un-practical gifts. But in my case, I often go out and splurge on something un-practical for my birthday anyway, so if someone actually tied a bow around a hand-held mixer it would be a real treat! And yet, you can’t really ask people to get you hand-held mixers…. I mean you could, but I personally wouldn’t… and yet you give a bride a registry, and she will ask you for all sorts of practical items you would probably never think to give anyone unless they were getting married. I’m sorry, but married people are not the only ones who need basic kitchen supplies. Hello world, I’m single, and I like to bake things… where is my registry? 

Sort of along these same lines, I’ve always wondered why people don’t establish some sort of yearly guide for gift giving, similar to anniversaries, first year is paper etc. At least once we are adults. I would love it if I could say “oh so-and-so is turning twenty-six… that means we are all getting her bottles of wine” How much easier would gift giving be? You know in advance what you are getting, but it still allows for creativity and individuality on the part of the giver. You can select items in an already established category that have stood out to you, and are unique in some way, or remind you of the recipient. “This book reminded me of you” or “I know you really like Pinot Noir, and this is one of my favorite vineyards”

 I mean this essentially happens when people turn twenty-one, regardless of the circumstances, you usually get alcohol. So why not just keep adding on as the years go on? Twenty-two: books, Twenty-three: house-plants, Twenty-four: kitchen gadgets. You get the idea. I’m sure this would be much easier to incorporate amongst girlfriends… just set a gift-theme and let the year cycle out. I know I sometimes get into a “gifting rut” anyway, where I stumble upon one gift I like so much, that I just continue to keep getting it over and over again for all the people in my life… And in some ways it would be so much more personal too. I would rather pick out a fun houseplant that I know will look great it my friend’s apartment, and sort of matches their personality, rather than going to the store and picking out something less meaningful like a cd, or candle. And in some cases, I would rather pick something off of a registry, and know its an item my friend really wants, rather than just picking out something at random… Though I realize it is the thought that counts when it comes to gift giving... there is something to be said for knowing exactly what you want, and knowing it is exactly what you are going to get.    

Hello my name is Tayler, and I've never read Jane Austen...

I have a confession to make… I’ve never read anything by Jane Austen. There, I’ve admitted it, let the chastising begin. I have no idea how this fact can even be true, as I have been obsessed with Jane Austen since I was a little girl. I was an English major for crying out loud! (well, more specifically Creative Writing, but they are very closely related, especially in the amount of required literature classes).

I’m still trying to figure out how I’ve made it almost to the age of twenty-five without devouring all of her novels. Sense and Sensibility has been on my reading list since I was ten years old! When the movie came out, I was obsessed, and I’m pretty sure that I rented it more than anyone else is our small town combined… it was practically the background of my childhood. I loved the flowing gowns, the English countryside, the wit, the language, the strong women, the romance, I loved it all! I know for a fact that several of my childhood friends were always bored out of their minds at my birthday parties as I subjected everyone to watch Emma at slumber parties. Thankfully my adult friends are much cooler… my college roommate has read Pride and Prejudice about five times (making me look even worse) and watched the movie probably once a week. 

I’m convinced that what makes this situation the most pathetic is that I adore Jane Austen… and as an adoring fan, you would think that the least I could do would be to read one of her books! Perhaps it would be a little more forgivable if Sense and Sensibility hadn’t been sitting on my bookshelf for the past five years. The book has followed me through six moves, and I’ve only picked it up to put it into and take it out of boxes. Maybe it would be more excusable if I had to put in a request at the library, or actually had to buy the book, but no, it’s been at my disposal, and I have neglected it. I’ve even gone so far as to read The Jane Austen Book Club… and yet nothing by her.

The story gets worse… I’ve actually spent time at the Jane Austen Museum in the city of Bath… I’ve walked through the Assembly Halls where several scenes from her novels took place… I’ve been inspired by the costumes, the language, I’ve even swooned after Colin Firth playing Mr. Darcy… so why haven’t I picked up the damn book already? 

I spent this past weekend in Ashland at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and naturally the first thing I wanted tickets for was Pride and Prejudice… (ok so I didn’t actually see ANY Shakespeare plays at the Shakespeare Festival… which is of course another source of English Major guilt) Though I will admit that the stage version is limited… there are only so many costume changes, and the scenes of course are not taking place in quaint estates in the English Countryside, but the language is still captivating. Several people in the audience even squealed a little bit when Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy finally kiss at the end.

So it’s two weeks to my Twenty-Fifth Birthday, and I’m trying to decide if I should pick up Sense and Sensibility… I’ve never been one to list out things I wanted to accomplish before reaching a certain age (which is kind of shocking, considering my tendency to list everything else). But it seems like maybe I should try… I mean putting something off for fifteen years is a little ridiculous. Yes I am a huge procrastinator, but this is a little much, even for me. Of course the next two weeks are ridiculously busy with work, I’m trying to squeeze in two yoga classes a day, and I’m right in the middle of the Steig Larsson Trilogy… not to mention the fact that I also just started reading Finding Beauty in a Broken World, and will start reading the Bhagavad Gita on Wednesday… Fact, I have given up TV this month, but juggling four books at a time is a little much… But maybe. It seems a shame not to try… I don’t want to be a twenty-five year old who has never even attempted to read Jane Austen…

June

Excuse me, but when did June happen? Halfway through the year already? I’m actually pretty excited for the month, though it will be a busy one. I’m using the month of June to get motivated (on many levels) and “detox” my life a little bit.

Firstly, I’m starting a Yoga Certification Program on the 2^nd. This means lots of intense yoga every week, with at least three hours of dedicated class time, and three hours of actual yoga outside of my personal practice. Hello Downward Facing Dog, goodbye muffin top… at least I’m hoping. I’m also really excited to explore the anatomy, as well as the spiritual side of Yoga. God only knows that I will need some meditation and relaxation as wedding season comes into full swing.  Of course with any sort of class comes the required homework, but I’m excited for the structure, and I’m optimistic that the reading will be interesting.

Since the days will be getting longer for a majority of the month, I’ve decided to spend more time outside enjoying the springtime (if the Oregon weather ever cooperates) and less time being a couch potato. In my defense, I have been sick, and traveling, and working a ton, and sometimes you just need to watch copious amounts of tv while doing nothing productive… But that time is not June. I’ve decided to give up TV for the month, and spend more time reading, running, frolicking outside, yogaing, and getting into a healthier routine.

As with all things, I think moderation is key, as is not being over extreme, so I am allowing myself the occasional nightly news update, and to watch the one or two televised Red Sox games that don’t conflict with my work schedule… oh and I’ll be watching Top Chef, but there are only two episodes in June, so I refuse to feel guilty about that! (really the show serves as more culinary inspiration than anything else).

I’m envisioning lots of evenings spent on my front porch with iced tea, and a good book…

And then there is the running… I’m not as excited about this, but I’m getting there. In a moment of insanity I signed up for a half-marathon in September, and as of today I am starting the training countdown. This half-marathon isn’t going to run itself (although my highly motivated sister-in-law could probably just run it once for me, and once for herself) so here I go into the world of running.

Though I only have one wedding at work this month, June is crazy busy with corporate events, classes, private dinners, seminars, brunches, as well as regular working hours, so I am gearing up for lots of early mornings, even more late nights, and the over-all insanity that comes with working summers at Red Ridge.

I’m very much looking forward to the solstice as well! (There may or may not also be a mile-stone birthday happening at the same time) … thankfully I think I already had my quarter-life-crisis earlier this year, so I’m approaching it without any angst or inner turmoil about what I’m doing with my life. I’m not sure yet exactly how I will celebrate… I already bought myself a trip to Boston, so the day itself might be a little anti-climatic, but I know that there will be mojitos involved  and hopefully I will be eating something that resembles this  And even though it won’t actually be here on my birthday, the cake will be something like this

To List or Not to List.

Normally I am a lover of lists. You know, I’ve blogged about it, and typically I love making them. I love the finality of crossing things off of them, and I love anticipating getting things checked off. That being said, there are some things in my life that I feel I do not need to list out. Things I need to accomplish, groceries, work tasks, people to invite to things etc are all totally acceptable. I’ve even so much as listed out things I would possibly like to splurge on in the future, books I want to read, and potential life goals; However, I have not, much to my mother’s dismay, mapped out the exact characteristics that I am looking for in a husband…

Frankly, I don’t even really know what to say about this. Perhaps it is baffling to some that at the ripe old age of twenty-four I am not incredibly concerned with marriage… at least not in the immediate future. Ok, so I’m not planning on becoming an old maid either, but I can honestly say that I do not spend my days planning out what characteristics I want my future husband to have. (which actually, I think is quite healthy thank you very much). Perhaps it has a lot to do with my current surroundings, and the people that I am around the most. I remember a few years in college when my roommates and I were pretty much taking our cues from Teen Girl Squad, and we all had a crush on every boy; but nowadays a majority of my friends are married, engaged, or significantly attached, and so it’s not like I have a lot of single girl-friends on the prowl. Perhaps if there were more of us, I would spend a little more time whimsically planning out my romantic future… but I kind of don’t think so. I don't spend my days thinking about what I want in a husband, because I'm not too concerned about it. I'll know it when I find it.

It’s been a challenging year, and one that has really solidified for me that I need to start really living in the present and not projecting things onto the future. I’m really trying to embrace things in the here and the now, and making my life what I want it to be, rather than waiting for all the right circumstances, and waiting for things to happen to me. Thus far, I’m thrilled with the way it is working out, and am finding that I am a whole lot happier than I was a few months ago. That being said, I’m still trying to figure out my own life, and what my own wants and needs are, and the idea of listing out what I’m looking for in a life-partner seems a little bit overwhelming. I don’t even know what I want to be doing a year from now, so trying to think about what type of person I want to be spending the rest of my life with is just so not where I’m at… but could someone please explain this to my mother?

She means well, she really does, but our brains work in totally different ways, and I think there is part of her that thinks I am somehow emotionally defunct for not having my “dream-man quality” list at the ready. Granted, it makes it even more challenging when this is something that I typically wouldn’t discuss with my mother, even if I had a physical list filed away somewhere. It just works out better for everyone involved if the sharing about my dating life is minimal. This is not because I’m hiding things, it’s just how my relationship with my mother has worked out (I am totally fine with this fact, she is not. What can you do?) It is challenging to explain without getting into huge amounts of detail, but in general I just feel like dating is between two people, and I like to have time to form my own opinions and figure out what I’m feeling, and where the situation is going before discussing it with anyone, and this for some reason doesn’t sit well with her. She likes things to be done with her timing, and her timing is always me sharing things pretty much the second they happen to me… so not my style. I think it actually has a lot to do with my writing. I’m constantly editing, and tweaking, and re-writing, and I like things to be in a place where I’m comfortable with them before putting them out into the world. The same is true with my life, I like to share things in my own time.

And there have also been a few occasions in the past when my mother (well let’s be honest, both of my parents) have tried to take matters into their own hands when it comes to my dating life (again they mean well, I know this) and as a result it makes me even more reluctant to share. Knowledge is power… and there is a huge part of me that is terrified that if I actually give my mother a concrete list of things I am looking for in a husband, I will suddenly find that she has set up a profile for me on E-harmony.

She wouldn’t really (I don’t think) but she has gone so far as to give out my phone number to one of her patients who was under the influence of anesthesia… I’m not even kidding. This guy pretty much woke up with my phone number, and though he and my mom had a bunch of great conversation when he was on the drugs, he doesn’t remember what they talked about. In her defense, he was pretty cute… and we went on a few dates…but in the end, he was actually addicted to pain pills, and he was a Yankees fan, and after things went south I decided that perhaps blind dates that start with anesthesia are not really my cup of tea.

Maybe I am not in a hurry because right now marriage is not high on my priority list (it is slightly higher than children, but not very). I’m only twenty-four, and I have a lot going on in my life right now, and the idea of spending the rest of my days with the same person is completely foreign to me. Not that I am anti-marriage, or against relationships, I just haven’t gotten around to that yet. Perhaps my priorities are a little askew, but I’m young, and certainly not interested in settling down any time soon. I’m much more concerned with my career, writing, graduate school, traveling, and overall figuring out what makes me happy! It’s not that making a concrete list of what I’m looking for in a husband makes me uncomfortable, but I honestly just haven’t thought about it. Again, this is apparently really hard to believe, especially since I have maybe given a thought or two to what I might what in a wedding. I also blame this on the “being a product of my environment theory”, because I am around weddings all the time. Last year I was in three, had a handful of old roommates get married, and spent a good portion of my work year dealing with brides. When you take into consideration that I am an Event Coordinator by day, so I spend a lot of time advertising weddings, going to bridal shows, and get complimentary bridal magazines sent to my office, I think it would actually be extremely unnatural if I didn’t give any thought to what I might want in a wedding! And weddings are easy! It’s all about your personality and what you like, and reflecting that… and it is only one day! I think it is so much easier to be able to pin-point what you might want in a bouquet, or for wedding favors, rather than to pin-point what you might want in a man you are planning on spending eternity with.

Perhaps I am making the argument that the man is actually more important that the flowers, so maybe I should be spending a little more time focusing on what really matters. But I’ve always believed that things would happen when I least expected them too… so, sitting around thinking, listing, waiting, seems unnatural to me. I sort of embrace the metaphor of the watched pot.

So in the past few weeks, my mother has brought this subject up more than once. I know that she is reading about book about praying for her adult children, and this is probably a chapter focus or something, but every time it comes up, I sort of just roll my eyes. Especially when you start to ask her about the qualities she was looking for in a guy… because to my knowledge, my dad doesn’t have a lot of the qualities on the list (and they are totally perfect together!) And then you ask my dad what qualities he was looking for, and he just sort of laughs, and said he didn’t have any specifics in mind. (Apparently I am my father’s daughter). Even so, it is really hard to try explaining to my mother that I’m still trying to figure out what sort of qualities I want my own life to have!

Anyway, the list thing has been coming up a lot with the family. It doesn’t help matters, that my brother of course had a mental list of what he was looking for, as did my sister-in-law, which therefore solidified the fact that I am the odd-ball in the family for not giving it a second thought.

Then to my surprise I was at work, and one of my co-workers out of the blue asked me if I had made “THE list” (ok it wasn’t exactly out of the blue… we were looking through the before mentioned bridal magazines looking at flowers). Actually one of my best friends had told me a few days prior to this conversation that I needed to start being specific and asking the universe for exactly what I wanted, so I thought it was pretty interesting that now my co-worker and my mother were asking me to make specific lists. Anyway, we got to talking, and apparently my co-worker had numerous friends who were completely frustrated with their dating situations, and so they made “THE list” and both of them were married in six months. I will admit, this perked my interest a little bit (not because I want to be married in six months… more like six years) and I started to think about my current dating situation. I have always sort of been the type of woman who wants what she can’t has (I’m working on it) and I’ve never really had a “type”. Every guy that I have ever dated, or lusted after, or had a crush on, has been completely different from each other in looks, personality, interests, and attitude, and I’ve pretty much always believed that the second I started getting down to specifics of what I wanted, I would fall for someone completely different.

I began to discuss this a little bit more in-depth with my co-worker, because both of us have mixed feelings on the subject. I hate the idea of making a list of shallow, surface level things, and yet also hate the idea of making an incomplete list. “Dear Universe, this is what I want… I think… but I reserve the right to change it at any given time, and add on qualities when they come to me” … My co-worker fully admits that if she made out a list of what she thought she wanted, she would have completely over-looked her current relationship. Of course she is totally happy, but her boyfriend is twenty years older than her, and he is very into cars and fishing. She never would have pictured herself falling for someone like that, and yet here they are. Interestingly enough, her ex-husband is pretty much perfect on paper, and had so many of the things that she would have listed. He was a poet, and into farming, a great father, very literate, and yet things went awry, and the marriage fell apart. The same goes for my ex-boyfriend… on paper there were so many similarities, so many common interests, and so much of what I was looking for… only he is an ass…

So though I am more intrigued now by putting a list out there, I am also a little bit more reserved about it. It seems like perhaps it is a good starting point, but the list needs to be flexible… perhaps generalizations rather than specifics… I want this quality(ish). Now I sort of visualize “THE list” as being a connect the dots picture, with each list point being a dot, and the lines are all the stuff I haven’t quite thought of yet…. So I’ve been giving it a lot of thought the last week…. I still don’t have anything tangible (meaning I haven’t written it down), and it’s still not something I’m quite ready to share with my mom… but I guess having a starting point is better than the alternative?

Veggie Minded

“This is the emerald season of spinach, kale, endive, and baby lettuces. The chard comes up as red and orange as last fall’s leaves went out. We lumber out of hibernation and stuff our mouths with leaves, like deer or tree sloths”

“That’s how springtime found us, grinning from ear to ear, hauling out our seedlings”

- Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Spring in the Pacific Northwest has been a little slow this year… At least it seems that way… I realize this might not actually be true, since it has rained on Memorial Day weekend pretty much consistently since I’ve lived here, but for some reason this year the cold dreariness has seemed to linger longer than usual. I’m actually rather ok with that though, because it has allowed me some extra time to come up with a game plan for my planting endeavors.

I should probably start out by saying that I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, and though I have always had a love for gardening and local produce, it is probably safe to say that reading this book has pushed me over the edge into gardening fanaticism… well as fanatical as one can get while living in an apartment with no real land to call my own.  For the past two summers the only real gardening space I had consisted of two window boxes. Considering that I lived in the world’s smallest apartment I was actually pretty happy with that, and was able to grow some of the basics. I had basil, rosemary, sage, chives, dill, one giant container of mint, some thyme, and one box of flowers. Pretty good, right?  Plus, the weekly farmer’s market was literally right outside my front door, and the organic grocery store was half a block away, so I was able to supplement my boxes with tons of fresh, local produce.

Then this past summer we put in a small garden at work, and having no idea what to really do with the produce (most of the employees already had large gardens) I was able to take home tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini throughout most of the growing season, which was pretty great. All of the benefits, with none of the real labor.  And though I have no problem slapping down a few bucks for a head of lettuce at the farmer’s market, I do have to admit that there is nothing more satisfying than making a meal out of something that you have grown yourself (even if it is just sprinkling fresh basil over pasta. )

So this past February when I was looking for a new apartment, I was drawn towards this place because of the incredible porch. It is expansive, and though it slants a little bit, and is made of tin (weird right?) I could definitely see the potential for container gardening (not to mention all the stellar summer evening soirees I plan on throwing). And so I began to dream past the two window boxes. At first I thought I would just grow some lettuce, and expand my herb selection a little bit. Nothing too crazy…

That was February… this is May. And though I think I have done a fairly good job controlling my vegetable planting impulses, I definitely have expanded my container gardening horizons…  Though I will partially blame that on Barbara Kingsolver… The way she writes about food is breathtaking. I was hooked after the chapter on asparagus, worked my way through spring, and by the time I got to August I had to actually restrain myself from buying six different kinds of tomato plants.

I constantly struggle with finding a balance between my urban desires and my suburbanish lifestyle. I love so many conveniences of the city, but lately I’ve really been embracing the simplicity of a more rural life-style, and I have to admit, the idea of living on a farm for a year and growing a massive vegetable garden is greatly appealing to me. Sure, cleaning chicken poop off of eggs, and slaughtering my own meat sounds less than glamorous, but a season of fresh produce everyday is something I could get behind. Growing up, my family always had a large garden, and I grew up with the flavors of home-grown vs. grocery bought. I love how garden-fresh carrots taste like dirt in an incredibly delicious way.

Since I do not have any land to call my own, and I cannot really dictate what goes into the workplace garden, I have spent the past few months trying to make creative suggestions to my parents about what they should plant in their garden. I had to laugh when I was reading about Barbara Kingsolver being listed in a book as the “74^th most dangerous person in America”. I think my mother might agree with her though, because just about every day as I got through another chapter I would start suggesting a new vegetable. “Mom, what about fingerling potatoes… and onions? Lets grow tomatillos. Do you still have a food dehydrator? How would you feel about raising a few chickens?” She stopped listening after I started to suggest that they turn part of their lawn into a raised bed. She insisted that someday her grandchildren would need to play on the lawn… I tried to argue that that my future bulldog AKA the only grandchild in the foreseeable future wouldn’t need very much lawn to play on, but that didn’t go over too well.  I can’t really complain though. My parents did buy a fig tree (at my suggestion) and a kiwi vine (without my suggestion!) and they just signed up for a CSA, which I will gladly pick up for them when they are on vacation.  Though I don’t think I will be able to convince my mom to start canning things with me in the fall, or to grow enough onions so we have a supply all winter, at least she will share the figs.

Of course the real fuel to my gardening flame is mostly due to the fact that I work at a specialty plant and herb nursery. My co-workers are all extensive gardeners, some of them with their own farms and CSAs and my boss is a Master-Gardener. Being around these people for over two years I am inspired by the way that they eat, and I will admit in the summer I am always jealous of their lunch.  After being around these people, and in a place that is all about growing and nurturing, it should be of no surprise to me that the second I got a porch I marched out to the green-house and started spending my latest pay check. It started with a planter full of lettuce… lettuce is the gateway vegetable.

And the thing of it is, I don’t feel any guilt whatsoever  spending money on plants. Sure, most of them come from my place of work, so I get a great discount. But even so, I can justify spending $3 on a basil plant that will last all summer, when I often spend $3 for roughly six leaves of basil in a package from the store. Plants are basically the gift that keep on giving.  I love that I can buy a tomato plant for $1.50 and it will get me through more than one salad… so with that logic, what was once a few simple plants, has turned into a porch full of glory.  I still have the basic herbs… rosemary, dill, basil, chives, sage… I also have three different varieties of thyme, red veined sorrel, cilantro, French tarragon, lemon verbena. Yes I have the essential spearmint…. I also have apple mint, mint julep, peppermint, and chocolate mint. I have a stir-fry garden with kale, spinach, swiss chard and bok choy.  I have my lettuce pot with red leaf and mustard greens, and a wine barrel with snow peas, Romano beans, and multi-colored carrots. And even though it took great restraint, I only let myself buy two tomato plants. (I had every intention to buy only one, but who can choose between the delicious little yellow ones, and the green zebra striped ones? ) In the next few weeks I fully intend on bringing home a few more varieties of basil, a cucumber plant ( I have a sneaking suspicion the tin porch will be the ideal growing climate for the heat loving cucumber) , and a pineapple sage. (Seriously, if you don’t know about pineapple sage, you are missing out) 

 The Row of Mint

My Little corner of edibles

The Tomatoes in their walls of water

Beans, and Carrots and Peas, Oh My!

A little excessive for just one person? Maybe. But think of the salads! Think of the stir-fries! Think of the beans drizzled in olive oil! Think of the cooking adventures, and the summer soirees! At the very least think of the copious amount of mojitos! (I know, I know…five different types of mint might be a little extreme… but if I had my way it would already be growing waist high in some obscure corner of the yard… )  I might not be ready for my own farm quite yet, but I’m damn excited for the summer and my small harvest of vegetables.

The Epitome of Perfection

I'm helplessly and permanently a Red Sox fan. It was like first love...You never forget. It's special. It's the first time I saw a ballpark. I'd thought nothing would ever replace cricket. Wow! Fenway Park at 7 o'clock in the evening. Oh, just, magic beyond magic: never got over that." - Art Historian Simon Schama

In a moment of impulse, I bought a plane ticket, joined Redsox Nation, and decided to escape the Pacific Northwest for a few days of baseball bliss before settling into “Wedding season”.

Let me start off by saying it was the perfect vacation...Seriously, it could not have been more ideal. Of course I almost missed my flight, but it wouldn’t be a “Tayler vacation” unless some sort of fiasco almost happened. I thought I was being very travel savvy, I didn’t check a bag, had my ticket sent to my smartphone, even had the perfect spot in long-term parking. I arrived at the airport in plenty of time to get through security, buy a cup of coffee, and take a Dramamine, or so I thought. Of course after getting through the line, there was a problem with the ticket sensors and I was sent back to the check in counter, only to be informed it was too close to my departure time to get a boarding pass. Long story short, I demanded one anyway, waited in line again, (the whole time muttering & fidgeting about karma and vacation, and of course this was happening to me) ran through the terminal, and was the last person to board the plane. For a split second I also thought I left my ID in one of the plastic totes at security. (which thankfully I did not, but I spent a few minutes in full blown panic, not worried about how I was going to get on a plane to come home, but more concerned with how I was going to buy beer once in Boston).

Lately I’ve been struggling with life happening around me, and not being able to fully embrace what it is I want in my life. So a mini-vacation doing exactly what I wanted to do was a huge step in the right direction. It was incredibly refreshing to be on MY vacation. It was fantastic to get up at my own pace, wander around at my own pace, see what I wanted to see, eat what I wanted to eat etc. To be perfectly honest, I was there for the baseball, and so long as that happened I was happy, and pretty much everything else was an added bonus. I spent my first morning in Boston wandering around the Museum of Fine Arts. Their Egypt section was spectacular, as was their Etruscan section. I loved meandering around taking everything in at my own pace and not having to worry about rushing someone else, or slowing everyone down. I got to hang out in a room with works by Monet and Picasso, and just study the paint.

It was also totally refreshing to be in a totally strange city by myself and just figure out where I was, where I was going, and what I needed to do next. I’ve traveled quite a bit, but on most trips there is usually someone familiar meeting me at the airport, and I don’t have to worry about navigating to my final destination. It was fun to explore and to get from point A to point B unassisted.

And then there was Fenway. What can I even say about it? This happens to me every time I am in an awe-inspiring, and dare I say life changing place. I feel like words (at least the words I have) are not adequate to describe the experience. A few years ago I had this same feeling when I was visting Tintern Abbey in Wales. A poem that I wrote while there describes it as "the epitome of perfection" and I have to admit, that my new epitome of perfection may very well be Fenway Park. It is the coolest feeling in the world knowing that 39,000 other people are having the same experience, and are all gathered in a place where, for just a few hours, you all want to same thing. I was grinning like an idiot, and sort of bouncing around pretty much the whole time we were waiting in line (and even after we were inside). Being a members of Redsox Nation the first thing we did was head to entrance C, and wait for batting practice. Red Sox Batting practice isn’t open to the general public, and as a “Nation” member you get to go into the ballpark before everyone else and watch from the Green Monster. Talk about the perfect “first time” experience. I’ll always have that memory of walking up the outfield steps, and the very first view that I had of inside Fenway Park was from essentially the best seats in the house.

Of course our actual seats were phenomenal as well. I probably splurged on this trip a little more than I should have, (naturally I came home with an abundant amount of Red Sox gear, including tee shirts, sweatshirts, underwear, and shotglasses) but I sort of took on the “go big or go home” mentality. First base field box, section 15, box 25, row M, seat 4. AKA first base line, center of the dugout, (right behind the N in Boston) ten rows back. We were sitting directly behind first base, which of course meant an all night view of Kevin Youkilis and a stellar view of Home Plate. Did I mention the constant grinning & bouncing around? I was like a little kid on a sugar high. I’m sure I was actually terrible company most of the time, not only because of the bouncing & radiating excitement, but because I also just sort of went into my own little mental happy place for most of the game. I didn’t talk much, just sort of let the experience wash over me.

Naturally there was junk food and beer, and naturally the first thing I ate was a Fenway Dog… you know, when in Rome. (who am I kidding, hot dogs are like my guilty pleasure food, but as a recovering vegetarian who is still on the brink of a meat free life, I like to pretend that it wasn’t a crucial part of the experience…. Even though it was!) There is that quote by Humphry Bogart "A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz" and I have to agree.

I was actually pleasantly surprised to find Veggie Dogs and Veggie burgers on the menu there, and allegedly they were also selling vegetarian burritos somewhere, though we walked the entire stadium looking for them, and they were not to be found. I wouldn’t have had my Fenway experience any other way, and that of course includes the hot dogs, but it was nice to know (maybe for future reference) that vegetarian options were available.

And then there was Sweet Caroline. Maybe someday I will figure out how to post a video on my blog (then again… its pretty much me singing really really loudly and really really badly, so maybe it’s a good thing I’m not as tech savvy as I like to think I am). Again, it goes back to the whole 39,000 people acting in unison all hoping for the same outcome, and all singing their hearts out. So good, so good, so good.

Varitek hit a home run, Daisuke pitched a great game, and there was much joy in my heart. There was still joy in my heart the next day, even though the game didn’t go quite as well, and our seats weren’t quite as prime. It was all about the experience though. The right field grandstand is not quite as glamourous as the first base fieldbox, and our view might have been obstructed a little by the foul pole, but it was still Fenway Park, still the same feeling… and a much more vocal fan base. Tim Wakefield got his 2,000^th strike out during the game, I got to see the Ted Williams seat, and we didn’t get rained on, so all in all I call it a successful outing. (though we never did find that vegetarian burrito)

Afterwards we decided to see what we could of the city, and walked most of the Freedom Trail. Very cool, very historical (plus I spotted two bull-dogs along the way. Which I am choosing to take as a sign that there will be one in my near future).

All-in-All it was a fabulous trip, involving a lot of junk food, copious amounts of beer, a good buddy, historical sights, lots of fun, and my first time to Fenway. I can now say that I have closed down Boston Beer Works on a Tuesday night, eaten a Fenway Dog, frolicked on the Green Monster, and been close enough to the Red Sox dugout to see the light reflecting off of Kevin Youkilis’ head.

My one complaint… the two sections of Yankees gear in the Red Sox Team Store. WTF? And I didn’t get to see Papelbon Pitch… but considering I did get to see the Knuckleballer, I’m calling it a trade off.

Oh, and I didn’t get the chance to seduce Theo Epstein either,(which is my new backup-backup life plan) but overall it was still exactly what I needed in a vacation. And I’m thinking my first real trip to Boston, will not be my last.