Projectile snot

Just when I think I've seen everything that could possibly come out of a child's nose, Alice concocts this amazing new mixture that is viscous enough to stay in her nose (making it difficult to breathe, speak, and eat) but fluid enough to fly out in huge globules with a sneeze. She's managed to soil a number of items from some distance this morning. I'm so...grossed out...but fascinated.

CSA share July 29

A delicious blend of sweet and savory, all excellent quality. This is the first week I felt I got my money's worth ($14 a week), but only because I received a double share...a friend is out of town and I get to eat her share. Below is a single share's worth:

4 cherry tomatoes

2 Walla Walla sweet onions

1 pint small red potatoes

2 sweet peppers (green bell and white bell)

1 pint blackberries

2 summer squash (good size, not too big)

1 branch of basil (18-24" long)

Taking home a double share of this crop was fun. Since we're not big pepper-eaters, I chopped and froze them for fajitas or chili later. Alice and I consumed the first pint...and a half...of blackberries on the way to pick up Bobby, so the rest are his, but I don't know why I say that because I don't think he's eaten ANY of them yet and it's been a whole 16 hours! The basil got wilty, so we're dehydrating it. The potatoes and squash will go into something for dinner tonight...something tasty, hopefully. We're not big onion-eaters, either, so I may freeze or dehydrate them for quick meals later.

Missing Heather Already

My sister Heather has only been gone for a couple hours, but I already miss her. She was my sister buddy growing up. We share a lot of common memories...well, the ones I remember at least. She remembers a good number of things I let slip a loooooooooong time ago, which makes conversations with her so fun and insightful. If you ever want to know what my childhood was like, ask Heather, not me.

Anyway, this visit was the first time Heather and I have been alone together as adults ("alone" meaning no other Poulson family around). I am absolutely amazed at this mature, confident, and beautiful woman that I never knew existed until now. Where have I been?! That's part of my sadness in seeing her go, I suppose. I was just starting to get to know her as an adult, as a friend: how clever, thoughtful, and observant she is, her convictions, her dreams, her capacity to love. I never saw them before now. Where did she find that graceful confidence that had her chatting and joking with my friends in a matter of minutes when it takes me years to feel that secure about anyone? What a woman. What a big sister.

Bobby's Sunday Summary

This week started out like a normal week, which lately has been very different for us.  But soon that changed.  On Thursday Susan’s sister showed up for a visit, and is leaving this afternoon.  It has been nice to have her around.  Alice even says her name, although in her own way.

Also this week a present showed up from Susan’s mother.  It is the baby doll that Alice fell in love with when we first went to visit them.  Susan already told you all about the baby but did not include any pictures. I don’t really have any pictures of Alice carrying around the doll here at home, so I have included some of the pictures from our trip.  I will leave the rest of the pictures from our trip for Susan to post on the blog.

CSA share July 22nd

A smattering of oddities this week...

2 cherry tomatoes (yes, just 2)

2 small heads of fresh garlic

2 Walla Walla sweet onions

1.5 cups small red potatoes

1/2 cup blackberries

1 large bunch of purslane (a succulent weed)

2 banana peppers

1 bell pepper

2 semi-tart apples

The blackberries and cherry tomatoes didn't last past dinner the first night. I'll be freezing the onions, peppers, and ground garlic. We ate the potatoes last night (steamed/roasted with herbs and olive oil). The purslane went straight into the garbage...sorry, I just couldn't bring myself to eat something I've been fighting so long, and I refuse to put it in the compost pile. Alice has been eating the apples fresh.