Dance Recital 2009

This year Ellen, Arianna, and I were taking ballet classes at Columbia Ballet School. The studio put on The Wizard of Oz for the recital this year. Ellen was in two classes and performed as one of the "mayor's welcoming committee" in this crazy black and white tutu that you see below. She also danced as an emerald city girl and helped Dorothy get ready for the wizard. Arianna performed a really sweet piece in the lullaby league.

All of the pictures above were taken backstage. I was back there because I'm also teaching one preschool ballet class that performed as the farm hands in the show. A few months into the school year the studio manager asked me to help teach this class at one of the preschools in town. It had gotten so big with 18 little girls that they needed one more teacher. I had a great time teaching the class and my girls loved it because their favorite babysitter got to come over and play for one hour every week! Here's a few of the girls in my class pictured below. I hope to be teaching few more preschool ballet classes next year. I've already contacted another preschool that will be starting a ballet program with me. I may have a class or two at the studio as well. Next year, Ellen and Arianna will be able to come with me to help assist!


It was a great show. I think it was one of the best dance recitals I've been to -- and I've been to a lot over the years. I don't mean because of my kids (who stole the show in our eyes, or course) but because of the older dancers. The studio specializes in ballet training and the dancers that are just a few years older than our girls are amazing on point.

My dad, Daddy Bill, and Davie (pictured below) drove up from Baton Rouge to watch the recital. They are going to be in Columbia a few days. We are having a lot of fun visiting. William (daniel's dad), my mom and my nephew also came in town for the show. It means a lot to us to have family in town on these special occasions.


I mentioned above that I take ballet classes also. I have an hour long class every Monday night that I've been taking for 2 years. I usually get dinner ready and then run out the door for 6:00. It is an intermediate adult class, and is very good exercise physically and mentally. I can totally focus on my body and myself for a short time every week. For some reason I come home with new energy and a fresh feeling for my house and family. I'll be continuing that class through the summer.

Winter Queen Meets Summer Princess

The summer heat finally killed the Winter Queen-Garlic. Arianna and I (Daniel here) pulled this white gold yesterday and set it on a screen in a shaded dry space to cure. Once the leaves are dry and the necks sufficiently tightened we'll cut the roots and stalks.
Also-a reminder as the heat picks up. Something I am learning slowly:
We are getting a wave of serious heat. It's such a challenge to keep moisture in the soil. But remember, as a rough estimate tomatoes are 95% water, potatoes 80% and corn 70%. Plants need water. Low water during extreme heat can also transition the plant from "growth mode" to "crisis mode". These types of transitions can stunt growth and cause lower quality and quantity yield. The trick is to try and keep the plant in a steady growth mode. Stressed plants are also prime targets for disease and pests, kinda like the human body. Everybody's soil is a bit different so there's no magic formula for watering. Higher clay content means better water retention but too much means poor drainage. Higher sand content (our problem) means great drainage but no water retention. Of course row covers of mulch or hay can help the soil hold water by shading and protecting it from the sun's heat. If you're already generous with the water-good. I tend to be stingy and expect the plant to suck it up. Don't ask me why...but I'm learning.
-Daniel

Garden update and pesto recipe

The girls and I went to Navarre Beach, Florida last week and met up with lots of my extended family. There were 18 people in 5 families from 4 different states--Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Daniel is teaching 2 summer session classes so he couldn't join us. When we got back on Friday I was amazed by the growth of the garden.

We are bringing in lots of squash and zucchini. What's funny about our summer squash plants is we planted 8 of them thinking there would be 4 yellow and 4 zucchini. Now that the plants are producing fruits we have realized that we actually have 6 yellow squash and 2 zucchini. Even funnier is that Daniel and I don't even really like yellow squash! I can eat a few but if you've ever grown squash before you know how much squash you get from one plant--tons! We like zucchini better since I can make zucchini bread with it.

We have brought in about 4 pounds of cucumbers and I am trying to wait for a few more so I can make pickles. Anna, what recipe did you use last year when you made them?

The bush beans are exploding with flowers and small beans and we should have our first harvest of those this weekend or sooner. Daniel also brings in a handful of potatoes every few days. He does most of the harvesting in the mornings on his way to work (before I get up).

The basil has really taken off. I made the first harvest last Saturday bringing in about 12 cups of washed and packed leaves. I made 3 cups/jars of pesto and sent the rest of the basil home with mom. I took the picture below this morning. I should be able to bring in plenty more over the next few weeks.
I am including my favorite pesto recipe. Most people, stores, and restaurants make it with cheese. I have found a great recipe in my Mediterranean Vegan Cookbook that is called poor man's pesto. I have modified it a little by adding nutritional yeast. This is the first year I have added that ingredient and I'm really happy with the rich and full flavor it has. I use walnuts instead of pine nuts since I always have walnuts and pine nuts are expensive. We put pesto on everything. It's great on pasta, toast, veggie sandwiches (especially with portobello), burgers, potatoes, pizza, etc. I make several batches at once and freeze what we can't use in a week.

3 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
6 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
2 to 4 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp cours sea salt or to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast or to taste (optional)

Combine everything in food processor except oil. Blend until ingredients are finely chopped. Add oil and blend until smooth and creamy.

Florida is fun but...

WE MISS YOU!

Arianna Flips

Arianna has been working on her front flip for a while and finally landed on her feet this week. Daniel started working with her on her back flip soon after she mastered the front. After only spotting her a few times Arianna decided to give the back flip a try on her own. She lands on her knees for now but I predict she will be doing full back flips very soon.

Kids in Print

The Richland County Public Library has a program where they invite children ages 6-18 to submit black and white drawings, one page writings, and photographs for their publication called Kids in Print. This year 440 pieces were submitted and Ellen's black and white drawing titled Spring was selected for publishing! They sent us a letter of recognition and an invitation for a reception to honor the artists that was held on Saturday.

The picture above was taken during the pre-reception slide show. During the reception a local author gave a speech encouraging the writers and artists in the crowd. At the end they awarded all the kids with free copies of the Kids in Print book.

The publication sells for $5 and is on loan at the library all year. The art will be on display in the library all month (see picture below). Afterwards they served cupcakes and punch. It was a special day for Ellen and we were all so proud to be there to celebrate her.

More Spring Gardening

Here's another harvest from earlier this week. We are definitely eating enough servings of greens these days!
I mentioned that we'll be getting greens like this for a month. I want to clarify that it won't be exactly like this for very long. We are noticing that the broccoli is already flowering and some of the lettuce is already beginning to bolt, but we will be able to harvest other lettuce (planted in shady spots in the garden), kale and chard for some time.


I am a little surprised that the broccoli didn't last longer. Both the broccoli and the lettuce that bolted were bought as seedlings from Lowe's so I'm not sure what varieties they are. Most of the lettuces that we ordered from Cook's Garden and started from seed are still growing and doing fine.

I took some more pictures of the garden for this week. These next two pictures were taken from the same spot. The one below is mostly cold season stuff -- lettuce, chard, kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts. We took up the broccoli salad greens that we had in the back left corner. They were attacked by flea beetles and never really formed any kind of broccoli-like head. Then, we put down some collard seedlings we started a while ago. Then, they were attacked by what we think were the flea beetle larvae. We found little black wormy caterpillar looking things eating the collards leaves. We tried to save them with diatomaceous earth but I think it was too late. There are a few collards left in that spot, and we put some hot peppers in with them. The peppers haven't been bothered by the beetles yet.

The next photo is of the middle three rows which are the classic summer veggies. The cukes, eggplants, tomatoes, squash, basil, and cantelope were started from seed indoors. The bush beans and okra we direct seeded after the frost date. Things are looking pretty nice so far. To the right of this picture are the onions, potatoes, garlic, lettuce and peas.
Here's a picture of the damage done by the flea beetles. These are baby eggplants that we started indoors. They are about 4-6 inches tall now. We also bought some bigger eggplant last weekend just in case we lose these guys.
We are using diatomaceous earth to control the flea beetles and it works really well. This organic treatment was recommended to us by our friends at Five Leaves Farm (the local CSA). It is a white powder that you can sprinkle on and around plants to keep any kind of small creatures/pests away. I've heard it being used for slugs, beetles, fleas, and even roaches around the home. It is made of the skeletal remains of tiny unicellular plants that are very sharp to a tiny pest. This is the first year that I've seen it at Lowe's hardware and you can also find it at a local nursery or seed and feed.

Below is our newly planted bed of peppers. Since we were only able to get a few peppers to grow from seed indoors we bought 4 different kids of pepper plants last weekend. We planted them here in this bed where we had winter greens. There are pole beans and snow peas growing up a trellis on the porch behind them.
Lastly, this is a bed of butternut squash and pole beans. I've also planted some seminole pumpkin seeds in the middle. We've never grown these pumpkins but a friend suggested them after having success with them last year. These pumpkins and the butternut squash are supposed to be less susceptible to the vine borer bug. We are hoping to win the battle against squash vine borers in this bed this year!

Greens

I love this time of year. I get to harvest fresh salads and greens every morning! I take my basket outside and pick the biggest heads of butter crunch and red leaf, a few leaves of chard, kale, or collards, some mesculin mix, and a head of broccoli (that's what's pictured below). We should have enough planted to do green harvests like this for another month. I store all this in the fridge for the day then wash and prepare with dinner tonight. I'll add some nuts, fresh green onions, and oil and vinegar. Yum!The winter/spring garden is nice because there aren't as many bugs and pests out yet. The onions, potatoes, and garlic don't require much water or extra feeding. Basically they go in the ground and we don't really worry about them till harvest which should be coming soon.

This is just a picture of another harvest from a few days ago. Being in the garden with all the colors, textures, and sounds is such a nice way to start the day!
This is a portion of the broccoli bed which is growing nicely.
Here's a row of lettuces, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccolli, and onions.
Lettuce up close.

Being near greatness

A call from brother Dave last week brought unbelievable news. Against all expectation he offered Jennifer and I two tickets to the Dave Matthews Band concert Friday night in Charlotte. Mystery surrounds the acquisition of these tickets. They were a gift and our gratitude is immense.

For any who don't know Dave Matthews is our vote for one of a handful of precious treasures of our generation. We wonder how he captures so acutely much of the essence of our existence and moves us deeply-his compositions, lyrics, melodies, rhythms striking chords and tuning moods in the deep parts of our hearts (sorry-too much honesty?).


We arrived at the Verizon Pavilion in Charlotte and walked through the crowds of tailgating fans to pick up our tickets. We were overwhelmed. Not only had brother Dave given us tickets but we had center section, front row seats. Let me repeat-there was no one except Dave Matthews in front of us. And, inside our ticket pack were two purple passes to the "lounge." We began to inquire about the use of such passes and eventually figured out that we had special access to free drinks and food. This was a relief given the $11 beer. And we did take advantage. So look closely. Those are genuine front row seats and special passes to DMB concert. We were royalty for an evening-- strutting our tickets and passes through the sections most had no access to.


No cameras were allowed in the pavilion but Jennifer snapped this shot from her cell phone (above). The show was incredible. We were right there. They played a mix of old tunes, including some of my favorites "So Damn Lucky" and "Crush," as well as some tunes from their soon to be released new album. The band performed from 8:30 to 10:30 without a stop and then came back for a two song encore. DMB plays with such intensity and energy. And they JAM like crazy so you get a different spin of solos and musical duels between each of the fantastic musicians.

We left tired and enchanted. This was a real special treat for our simple homely lifestyle. I am not much for accepting debt that can't be repaid but I'll happily live a debtor to a brother. Thanks Dave. Thanks also to dad and sister Anna for treating the girls to a movie and hanging out with them while we partied.

Daniel's Columbia Green Grant and Project

A few months ago, Daniel wrote a grant for a new landscape design on the island at the entrance to our neighborhood. The organization called Columbia Green was giving money for neighborhood beautification projects and Daniel's design was accepted and awarded $500. He worked together with another neighbor to organize a weekend work day with the community. Daniel ordered all the plants and collected free mulch for the island.

This is what the spot looked like before. There is a large dogwood with azaleas in the center and a few dwarf nandina bushes scattered around. I think there is a trimmed crape myrtle in the back.

What is so great about Daniel's design is that he used mostly edible plants, bushes, and trees. He ordered a lapin cherry, fig trees, blueberry bushes, echinacea flowers and a few yellow lantana for the front. They also moved the nandina and azaleas around and added tons of mulch. The plants are small now but in a few years the neighborhood is going to be able to make all kinds of foods from the fruits of these plants. It is certainly more beautiful than before.


Way to go Daniel. I am so proud of this project. Although I wish I could have been there, I am thankful for the way you represented our family and for all the hours of labor you put into it last weekend while I was on vacation!

Arianna's First Art Show

The USC art department offers art classes every semester called the Young Artists Workshop. Arianna was VERY excited about FINALLY being old enough to participate this Spring. Ellen has done it twice already and Arianna has patiently waited until she turned 6 to sign up. The class is a hour and a half every Friday for 6 weeks. They do projects with acrylics, watercolor, clay, etc. There is a reception after the last class where the teachers display the works and serve refreshments. It is a nice event since we are able to get to see everyone's work in such a professional way. The kids are always so proud.
These are some of the clay pieces. Arianna's is the yellow horse head.
Here's Arianna's self portrait that was done to look like a batik.
We took them out to dinner to celebrate Arianna's first art reception.
This is Ellen's lizard.
Sorry to the grandparents for not giving notice of this event. It really snuck up on me this year and I was not expecting the weeks to go by so fast!

Wait...I'm not ready!

(Daniel here): Our dog Jay is quite the handful. As many of you know he is a treasure. Right now he is chewing his hind end up and so wearing one of those cones. We'll just add that to the list of "Jay accomplishments"! But over the weekend he was the catalyst for the following conversation. Thanks a bunch Jay:

Ellen: "Dad why does Jay have an "N" on his tummy?"

Dad (unaware of impending unpreparedness): "That means Jay got neutered."

E: "What is noooooootered?"

D (Arianna now tuning in): "Well they go in and cut out some of Jays 'organs'."

E&A: "Really, why?"

D (sheesh): "Well, dogs and cats breed really well and so there are too many around. In order to prevent them from doing so any dog or cat that makes it to the pound has his or her organs cut out so they can't make babies."

Ellen: "How do they make babies?"

D (shuffling, hesitating, uncomfortable): I'll just skip the X-rated content explained in the most simple and easy to understand format I could muster on the spot with as little detail as possible. Something about all mammals and eggs and little swimmy-guys with tails and the miracle of life...

E&A: "REALLY?" (with contorted faces and quite a bit of surprise THEN far-off looks quite the signs of internal work rendering external appearances dim and blank).

D: (Looking around, sun still shining, birds singing, all appearing well). "Hey who wants to water some plants?"

There it came and there it went. So much of life happens without my approval.
Seriously, thanks Jaydog.

Flowers and other stuff

Columbia is so beautiful in the spring. The dogwoods, azaleas, and wisteria are blooming all over the place. We have all those trees in our yard and it is such a pleasure to walk outside. I especially love this wisteria that is growing up a teepee bamboo structure that Daniel built. It smells so amazing. We talk about how we find ourselves walking around it all weekend just to be near its scent. This is not a great picture of what we see everyday since it is close up but here it is anyway.
We planted dianthus flowers and gerber daisies in this bed in the front yard. I love having instant color. Although it is in the front of the house the flowers are a little small to see from the road but they are a pleasure to walk by throughout the day. We (the girls and I) spend a lot of time with front and back doors open. We go in and out all day while we sit out for lunch, take breaks for playing with the dogs, or just wander around in the sun. I am so thankful for the beauty that surrounds our house, and even more thankful that I'm home most of the time to enjoy it.
We have been eating from this patch of collards all winter. As the weather has warmed and the days have gotten longer the plants have grown huge. I took this picture after we harvested a large grocery bag stuffed with collard leaves. I noticed at Earthfare that a bunch of organic collards were about $2.50. We have been eating a bunch every day for free! In case you are wondering how we eat them, I usually chop them and then saute them with a little oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and soy or tamari sauce. Then I add them to everything--beans and rice, burritos, grits, pizza (actually I add them raw to top of pizza before cooking) or we just have them as a side dish.
Daniel planted loquat trees in the front yard. He pulled these up from around a large loquat tree at Midlands Tech where he teaches. He got them last fall and put them in pots and mulched them over the winter. He dug out this new bed a few weekends ago and planted these 4 trees in the front yard and they have some new growth! Loquats get to be about 25 feet and produce an edible (pear-like) fruit in the late summer.

Here's some watercolor paintings the girls did over the weekend. The design came from one of our drawing books. I put them on this mat board and we have it hanging in the playroom. I like to change the art in the playroom every few months.

These last three pictures were taken by my friend at a party this weekend. She loves taking pictures. It's a hobby for now but she's building a portfolio in case it ever turns into something more. Jennifer King Photography 2009

Scarecrow

We are trying to wait a few more weeks before planting our summer veggies. It's hard to hold out for the frost date (April 15) when we have all these wonderfully warm days. We planted lots of flowers this weekend. Some Daniel started from seed and planted around the vegetable garden. They are small now but soon the zinias, marigolds, and daisies will add beauty and attract beneficial bugs to our veggies. I bought some 6 packs of dianthus flowers from Lowe's and we planted them in the front yard.

Ellen had the idea of putting up a scarecrow in the garden. They all worked together and this is our newest addition to the backyard! Look closely and you can see the face Ellen just finished working on.