Life's Little Details: Knitting, Sewing, Green Living, Frugal Living and Cooking In A Little Corner of Southern French Countryside.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Zoom! Zoom!


Anybody else remember that commercial where they just sing zoom over and over again in their jingle? I don't even remember what they're advertising. But that jingle could be my theme song these days. And, that first picture there is the perfect image for it.

Things are just really busy around here. Taking care of three small kids is no walk in the park - unless you're taking the kids for a walk in the park, in which case it's a stressful walk in the park as they dart left and right out of your line of sight. They are cuties, though - despite the fact that Lambchop #1 is annoying the heck out of me, begging to play her computer games. What can I say? My turn!

In case you're wondering what that first picture is of, I'll just come right out and tell you. No time for beating around the bush today. Every year, there's a Rally car race that passes in front of our little dirt road. For several hours on that day, we are trapped at home or away from home, as that's the sole access route to our property. This year, the kids talked their daddy into taking them to see the fast cars slide around the curve in front of our mailbox. He even tried to take pictures. He got a few of the road completely carless. Then, he got some headlights straight on. Not very interesting. I really like this one though - most likely because it suits my life so well these days. The race didn't last very long, though. Apparently there was an accident or some other security issue, so it was canceled. The problem with this particular race is that its reputation has diminished over the years, and now only amateurs who lack the proper safety features on their cars participate. A real pro's car could handle almost anything, but I don't think these cars could. So, it's probably for the best that it was canceled.



Now, I'll quickly share a bit of our fall harvest with you. It's kind of strange. We've still got some veggies coming in. We never had time to get rid of the almost-dead summer plants and plant winter stuff. Wish we had, but the rains last month revived the tomatoes, onions and zucchini, and bizarrely mild temperatures had tons of flowers out there. So, I had a decent little haul the other day. Hooray for global warming, huh? Very odd. We have had a few fall goodies, too, as you can see in this other picture. I think these are Hubbard winter squash, but I'm not certain about that. Some of the plants they came from were planted using seeds from a store-bought pumpkin, but they look like smaller versions of the squash I'm getting from my Hubbard plants. These have to be some of the tastiest things I've ever had. I cut them in half and bake them in the oven till their outer skin is soft. Then, they can just spooned right out. Mixed with some salt and cream, they make a delicious puree. They have a very sweet flavor that reminds many people of chestnuts. And, they're sweetness makes them wonderful for sweet pumpkin pies (and, I've made a really tasty savory one, too).



And, one last photo for you before I give up the computer to Lambchop #1...

This is a very nice work-in-progress - not mine, but definitely worth showing off. It's the bathroom in the new house. Our favorite, very handy Muttonchop has been slowly laying that wood down there. He laid the floor a while back, but the other night I walked in to find he'd gone up the side of the bath already. This is exactly what I had asked for, but I hadn't expected to love the look of it THIS much. Feels like a sauna. I think bathrooms are often very cold looking with all their blues and greens. Those colors can be pretty, and they work well with the water theme of a bathroom, but I've decided I want a warmer feel for the room I get nekked in. Know what I mean?



Knitting pictures should come soon. I started swatching for something new, despite the hubster's objection to me not fixing the neck of his sweater first. Doesn't the man know a certain amount of detachment is necessary to rip part of a finish work?