I Just Love People

I was in the post office yesterday and in front of me was this little old man.  In his mouth was a very large cigar.  I thought it was very cute and funny so I snapped a photo.  I blurred his face because he didn't know he would be a topic in my blog.  Anyway, these are the types of moments in life I absolutely love.  When I showed the picture to Geoffrey, he said that he had been in the post office several days before and this man was there then also.  That time he had obviously just finished his cigar because Geoffrey could smell it (a truly wonderful smell, glad Geoffrey smokes the occasional cigar - I love that smell).  Yesterday, he hadn't lit this particular one but it got me asking all sorts of questions.  What age did he start smoking?  How old is he?  Does he take it everywhere he goes?  I find people fascinating and I am always curious about their back story.  And before anyone criticizes an old man for smoking cigars, I am of the mind that when you are in your later years, you should be able to do whatever you want to your body.  The end of life should be about enjoyment and screw the critics.  As long as what you are doing doesn't hurt anyone else physically, live on.  If I reach my 90's, it will be ice cream, beer, and pizza everyday. Oh, and gin and tonics. Whose with me?

All About Kids

Here are my little dearies!

As it says in my bio, I am a mom and a teacher.  I have been working with kids since the summer of 2000.  That makes almost 12 years of experience with young ones.  Most of that time has been spent with kids ages two through six and most of those have disabilities.  My own kids are three and almost five.  Between my job and my mommy-hood, I have endless kid-related thoughts, opinions, and experiences.  On this page I will be sharing stories about kids I have worked with or raised.   I hope you enjoy listening to the one area of this world I feel comfortable saying I know a lot about.  I would love to hear from you to know what you would like to know about kids.  As a mom, I know we could all use a sounding board when it comes to dealing with our little dears and I would love to put my knowledge base to work for you.  In no way am I suggesting I have answers to all of the difficulties facing parents, however I do have a bag of tricks to help with many situations.  Maybe some of those tricks would be of interest to someone out there.  

Re-Purposed Gardening: Beginnings

I have recently started our spring garden. After doing a little research online, I decided that we were going to try re-purposing items around our house to use as containers.  One of the ideas I loved was using an old dresser as a vertical garden.  This was recommended for people who didn't have a lot of space to grow gardens.  We have lots of space so we changed the idea up a little.  When I graduated from college and was very poor, I bought a dresser at a thrift store for around $20.  That was eleven and  half years ago. The dresser finally died a structural death but we salvaged it enough to turn it into the garden you see above.  Two drawers were modified so that their bottoms are window screen, not wood.  This will allow for drainage and stops any pesky subterranean rodents who may want to eat some fresh veggies. In each of these drawers we planted the following plants:

• tomatillos
• jalepenos
• marigolds
• garlic

This is a close up of the largest part of the dresser garden.  We used the main structure of the dresser for a deeper raised bed.  It was also modified with a screen bottom and all of the cross members were removed (they can be seen lying next to the big box in the first photo).  We are using those as the stakes for the taller plants.  The end (or what was the original bottom) of the dresser also needed some reinforcement to hold the weight of the dirt and water.  In this raised bed we planted:

• tomatoes
• tomatillos (love these)
• onions
• garlic
• marigolds

As you can probably guess, we love Mexican and Italian food so we choose to grow many of the ingredients necessary for dishes such as homemade chili verdes, salsas of various types, marinara sauce, etc.  As of this morning, we have ten baby tomatillo flowers already.  I can't wait for harvesting!!!!

In the small containers at the end of the garden, we planted mint, parsley ad marigolds.  Herbs are something I feel is a must grow.  I get physically ill when I see how much grocery stores charge for fresh herbs.   BUY THE PLANTS!!! One plant that will produce for months if not years costs virtually the same as one small pack of herbs. I also have rosemary, cilantro, and thyme in other locations.


We have plans for an additional bed to be built out of salvaged wood from various projects around the property.   I think we will be adding squash, watermelons, and some more herbs (chives, oregano, and sage).  I also have one more small drawer from the dresser that may be put into use.  I will post more pics as the garden grows - stay tuned!!

Why More Cakes and Ale?

More Cakes and Ale

I have been writing a blog about mice infestations for the past several weeks and have enjoyed the experience more than I would have thought.  Writing seems to be a very relaxing activity for me and I came to realize there were so many other facets of life that interest me.  My sister is also interested in writing so we came up with an idea to write about our life experiences as a way to chronicle our family's happenings.  So, we have both started new blogs about our lives and interests.  Our hope is to branch out to our cousins and try to form a web of living and sharing.  If you choose to follow my rantings, please also follow my sister's blog: http://brieinthebutterdish.wordpress.com.  I hope you enjoy both. 

My sis, daughter, and me

To begin my new blog, I feel I need to explain why I chose the name More Cakes and Ale.  Some of you reading this are familiar with my past and know I studied theater.  I hold a degree in directing for stage.  If you didn't know that but have met me face to face, you probably guessed that I had some sort of theater ties based on the dramatic nature of my personality.  The title is actually a direct quote from my favorite Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night. The actual line is:
"Dost thou think, because thou art
virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale (please forgive my bastardization of the iambic pentameter)?"
  
I had the privilege to see this play in London at the Globe Theater produced as it originally appeared with an all male cast - a lifetime highlight to be sure.  So the first  reason for the title is a simple love for the play and theater itself.  Secondly, I watched that play with my sister as we traveled throughout the UK and Europe.  Twelfth Night represents a family memory and new experiences.  I hope to share my new experiences with all of you.  The next reason is the vocabulary itself represents some of my favorite things - good food and a good drink.  Enjoying food and drink will come up frequently in this blog since I think about what I consume all the time.  The last reason I choose the title is it reminds me of laughter and happiness.  I hope to share happiness with anyone who wishes to spend a moment with me. You can do that in the flesh or by taking a few minutes to read my whirlwind of thoughts.  No matter how we spend time together, there should always be more cakes and ale.