Quiche

Cutting quiche
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I had cheese and eggs that are going to hit their expiration date in a few days. I had wilted spinach. I have tons of zucchini and squash. So it was obviously time to make quiche.

I also had bananas going bad - and that went into my banana chocolate cake for dinner tomorrow night at JH's. I also made one to thank B for the zucchini he brought over. When I brought the cake over, I got more offers of zucchini and zucchini bread in return!

I was so hung up over the numerous banana chocolate cake recipes that I quickly downloaded this quiche recipe. It was the only one that didn't call for pre-bought shells, OR a biscuit mix. Then I realised that the recipe didn't specify what size pan to use - and the dough ended up being a tiny, tiny amount. Then I looked at the filling and realised - there were no eggs added at all.

So I quickly downloaded this recipe and used this filling instead - and I threw in my spinach. It turned out well. I wasn't keen on the crust, but Simian liked it. He said most authoritatively that if it was any thicker, it'd be pie crust - the boy has come a long way :)

Foster kittens

Foster kittens
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

KITTENS! Can you say kittens?? I went to Alley Cat Allies today and these were some of the kittens waiting to go into foster care. One escaped and hid under the air-conditioner - hence they had to be put in a cage.

Zucchini

Zucchini
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

B, our neighbour came by with this giant zucchini from his garden. This year he put up a big fence so the deer don't get to it! He also brought the green pepper and Simian's favourite - a cucumber!

Incidentally I was making summer squash gratin when he stopped by!

Keychain

Keychain
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

This cute keychain came from Mom. Thanks Mom!

Humming at door feeder

Humming at door feeder
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Simian put up my new door feeder and the hummings have found it already! Will get better shots on a non-cleaning day. My dryer fell over twice today and the sheets had to be re-washed. Not fun.

Sykesville

Sykesville
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I stopped by Sykesville on the way home. I went down the most direct route, which happened to be a country road - one lane. It was slow but very scenic.

Sykesville is a charming little town, right outside Eldersburg. I walked into some of the stores there and the people were very friendly. I was given advice on gardening (pour boiling water on weeds), how to humanely remove raccoons if I so wish, and my cat bag was admired :)

Great Sage

Great Sage
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I had lunch at Great Sage today. Simian went into work and I was treated to lunch for my help with the church cats. The place is entirely vegetarian and pretty good. Next door, there's also a supermarket called Roots and an eco-friendly clothing store, Nest.

Tomato and Corn Pie, sliced

Tomato and Corn Pie, sliced
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I made a pie this evening - with all the gorgeous tomatoes I bought. Unfortunately, it was a bit wet (as one of the reviewers added). Perhaps I need to make more vents at the top for steam. They suggested making ''cuts" - doesn't one poke at it with a fork? It did however taste good!

Drying rack

Drying rack
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Simian and I got a drying rack from Home Depot, and then we bought a concrete based which he then attached the rack too and set with more concrete. It looks great!

Plums and heirloom tomato

Plums and heirloom tomato
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

It's a little early for heirloom tomatoes, but I managed to get two. I also got a bowl of plums. Unfortunately, there were hardly any fruits at the Farmer's Market for some reason today.

Purple cauliflower

Purple cauliflower
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

We haven't been to the Farmer's Market this year and when we went today, there seemed to be less stuff, possibly because of the 4H fair. I did however get a giant head of cauliflower for $1.50.

Maggie's

 

I saw a review of Maggie's of Westminster, and we decided to try it out today. It was pretty good - Simian had a blue cheese and herb quiche and I had a gazpacho and spinach salad. We'll go back for sure.

4H Fair

 

Simian and I went to the 4H Fair today. We wanted to go to the Farmer's Market and check out the 4H Fair at the same time. We did not however realise what a HUGE deal the 4H fair is here. I've never seen so many cars in the car park of the Ag Centre ever.

No, I did not try the double fried Oreo. Besides the fact that it cost $5, it'd probably contain ALL my calories for the week.

Driving around

Simian is going into work on Sunday as I have a semi-work lunch to attend. Though he's invited, he said it's probably better if I go alone. So we went down and checked out some stuff around here, including the Swap Shop in the Northern Landfill. It's a clever idea - if there's anything you have that is usable but that you don't want, you can take it there. You can also bring anything there home. We also went to a Battery Warehouse place, an equipment rental place and drove down to Upperco, which is close by. We were thinking of heading down to Eldersburg but decided to go another day.

We also found a little shop called Next Day Science!

Minotaurs

 

I drove down to meet Simian and F for dinner. Lots of other people from the lab also turned out at Brewer's Art. The menu at Brewer's is different again (and good as always).

There were two guys dressed up as minotaurs on the sidewalk distributing pamphlets. Then the guy who comes around selling pizza shows up(which he says he buys down the road). Pizza started out at $1 a slice and then dropped to 20 cents! And yes, some people DID buy it.

Blueberry struesel

Blueberry struesel
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Oh, Gourmet, Gourmet. Honestly, I thought I already had good blueberry crumble recipes - and I did, but F had a second helping of this recipe. Simian said, that this was the best crumble I ever made - and I can't disagree. Another winner from Gourmet.

Chickpea Pasta

Chickpea Pasta
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Simian has an old lab mate staying with us for the next two nights. F moved back to Germany late last year with his family and is a really sweet guy. He came to help us move last year and also brought stuff he thought we might need. We are in fact using their light over our kitchen table now.

Simian said I shouldn't worry about anything - F is very easy to please. In fact, Simian said he would cook. I decided to just make this pasta dish anyway which was a good thing. Now I'm no Martha Stewart when it comes to hosting and presentation, BUT this was Simian's idea of dinner when he realised they would be late.

Simian : Hey honey, I'm coming home with 10X for dinner.

Now Simian's 10X is good, but this was 10X he made last week. That's right, he was going to bring back week old 10X to heat up for a guest.

So pasta it was. I added edamame and sliced red peppers.

Junk food

Junk food
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

My Mom is an evil, evil woman. Yes almost as evil as the woman who left her two kids on the side of the road (funnily enough, my Mom's friend always threatened to do the same - but stopping the car off the side of the road was enough to get them to behave. I was hit once or twice accidentally when the two fought, so I appreciated the time out :))

But my Mom is a new category of evil because she KNOWS I have no control when it comes to broad beans. And that I break out when I eat them. Every time I eat them, I break out and promise myself, this will be the last time ever. Then another packet beckons.

Okay so my Mom actually SAID not to eat them all, but umm.... they're BROAD BEANS people. Broad Beans. How do you say no to a broad bean?

Anyway, Simian artistically arranged this on the table AND took a photo - he said doing in on the floor would NOT do. We both say THANK YOU for the awesome spread. Plus we are a packet of broad beans already. Arrrgggh.

Goodies!

Goodies!
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Look what came in the mail! The box was HUGE! I'm leaving it for Simian to see in all it's glory before unpacking it and taking more photos later. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Upside down squirrel

Upside down squirrel
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Seriously, how mad can I get when he does this?

Two Hummings

Two Hummings
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

It's really hard to get a photo, or even to see two hummingbirds at the same feeder at the same time. They're super territorial. Simian and I realise that most birds just are - even the goldfinches on the HUGE sock we hang out, have designated spots. Even if another spot is available, the finch has to wait for 'his' or 'her' spot to become available.

I went to help out with a mediation this evening in Bmore - which went fairly well I guess!

Workbench

 

Simian is very proud of his new workbench, made of 2 x 4s and plywood, with a chemical resistent surface held together only by dowels, with no screws. It's also fire proof. Will helped to move it in on Saturday, and Simian picked up the plastic today and put together the finishing touches this evening.

We've been lying on it to see whether it can take our combined weight (not a problem at all).

I cleaned the house today and baked some cakes to take over to some neighbours. Our rocket landed in both their yards and A had climbed over the fence into one of their homes to try and retrieve one of the rockets. Apparently the man came out to ask her what she was doing, but was nice after that.

At any rate, I went over to bring cake just in case anyone was miffed after our party. Both neighbours were very friendly and said it wasn't a problem. I even retrieved our rocket AND found out that the orange and white cat belongs to the people next door. I was even invited to climb back over the fence and not take the long route back :)

Strawberry Swing

http://www.babelgum.com/3022304/coldplay-strawberry-swing.html

Seriously, Coldplay has the best videos.

Quiet day

Quiet day after the party yesterday. Biggest decision today - what kind of clothes drying rack I want to get :) Simian is building me one but we saw a model at Home Depot which gave me pause so we're researching all our options.

Also had another snowball - root beer flavour. My new brainstorm is that I ought to mix the different snowball flavours WITH the ice kachang base. It'll be a hit :)

Blast Off

 

Everyone got to set off a rocket. We lost our first two rockets though. They went really high and landed too far away for us to find. You can see the parachute deployed - and you the rocket retrieval team trying to get the rockets back. The last rocket, which was an LED rocket we set off after dark, was great. We set it off thrice!

Simian and Will also tried to fly the birthday present he got from Will and A - a remote control plane. HJ and E also got Simian "The Last Word" which I love. Then we all played Uno, and then a game called Bullshit.
Simian also got Will's help to move in his new table!

Surprise party

 

What Simian didn't know was that we had planned a surprise birthday party for him. Will and I had snuck out on Tuesday to go to a hobby store (the Overlea store in the photo) before meeting A for lunch.

When Will and A came, Simian was playing with his piano, nose flute AND stylophone. He totally was not expecting it - nor the cake I baked today when he wasn't looking :)

The party was a rocket party. Everyone was going to build and then set off rockets. Knowing this group, everyone was so competitive, their rockets had to be cooler, faster and better than everyone else's :) And they totally lived up to their reputations!

Indigo Bunting and Cardinal

Indigo Bunting and Cardinal
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

When we got home, I was excited to see this indigo bunting. I saw it for the first time yesterday.

Finksburg Library

Finksburg Library
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Simian and I had an exciting day. He cut his own hair, using the electric comb we got at BJ's Unfortunately, I cut his hand during the two seconds I offered to cut off a stray lock!

I got a phone call from the feeder yesterday - there was a problem and that necessitated some phone calls, before we went to the Finksburg Library to see the brother of a friend of Simian's play. We also wanted to check out the library.

I enjoyed the performance, and the library was small but nice. It just opened a few months ago. We signed up for library cards and none of the books seem so be electronically tagged - it's an honour system. You can borrow an unlimited number of books and magazines for up to three weeks. You can also borrow, get this, 25 DVDs for up to a week. This includes stuff like TV series in box sets.

Country living

We live in the country - not the country-country where your nearest neighbours are miles and miles away, but country enough for Maryland. Right now as I type this, one of my neighbours is driving by in a tractor.

I was tickled to hear one of Simian's colleagues (who doesn't know where we live) describe the country as being "Up 83 and then off 695" (Interstate numbers in case you're wondering). That is exactly where we are :)

One thing about living in the country, it makes you more immune to (1) bugs and (2) soil. When weeding now, instead of jumping up when I see an insect, I just brush it off or ignore it. Same with the little holes in the earth - I just don't stick my hand INTO them. I do have gloves on after all. Though I would like someone to explain to me, why even with gloves, I STILL get dirt under my nails.I'm never going to have nicely manicured nails again. It's a good thing I never did.

Even with lots and lots of sunblock (just finished another bottle) and a nice big hat care of suntaneye, I am definitely more tanned. I have a nice little white strip on my foot where my sandal strap is. I think I look more healthy - and I hear my Mother weeping in distress :)

It's not the gardening though - or not the gardening alone. I told Simian other people get tanned from doing super exciting things like beach holidays. Me? I get tanned from feeding the birds and hanging the clothes out in the sun. And yes, I now put on a hat and sunblock for that too because I realised how long I was taking to put up all the clothes (but oh the luxury of baked sun dried clothes, towels and sheets).

M, who is very wise about many things said that I would grow to like gardening. I don't. But I DO hate weeds. I hate then with the hatred of a thousand burning suns. If God had a reason for putting Canadian thistle on earth, I don't know what it is (Actually I do - they're meant to tell you the soil is poor).

Still, did I mention I hate thistle? They're there to taunt me. They stick their little thistle-y bodies out to specifically piss me off.

One other thing I hate - dirt on the floor. So if you see someone imitating the Charlie Chaplin walk up the stairs, trying not to trail any dirt on the floor, that would be me. I should probably just get some nice covered shoes and that would end the problem.

The funny thing is - I love it out here. It's true I didn't quite know how countrified it would be when we moved in. Still, I was so glad to get back after the mediation to the house and it's not even that the church was in a bad area at all. I've always thought I was a city girl, but maybe I'm a kinda-country girl at heart. I love the birds. I love the lilies growing in the garden right now and blooming wildly. I like how quiet it is at night and how you can see the stars. I even like the raccoons (shhhh, don't tell Simian). What don't I like? Thistle.

Mediation

I went and helped mediate in this case today. It reminded me again of all I liked and hated in my years doing mediation in cat related issues. One thing I have to say - it was nice to just say what I needed and it was all provided.

Makes me wonder though if I have the energy to do this again! :)

Squirrel on No-No

Squirrel on No-No
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

When it comes to animals and getting at their food realise this - they will ALWAYS, ALWAYS get to the food. And they are smarter than you, or at least me.

Empty feeder

Empty feeder
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

The problem is this - the raccoon empties out the feeder. I don't even know WHEN he did this as I was keeping tabs. The next morning when the birdies are out for their morning grub - no food in the house feeder.

Raccoon rummaging

Raccoon rummaging
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

To think Simian and I used to be so excited when we saw the raccoon. Now we keep up Coon watch for Rac 1 and Rac 2. Rac 1 usually chases Rac 2 away.

I went and bought food for them. They apparently love sweet corn, so I got ears of corn, and some other lovely nuts and food. But do they eat it? Of course they do.

Aloha Snowball

Aloha Snowball
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I had another snowball today and it was plain old chocolate - no marshmellow. It was hot today and the snowball went down perfectly.

New nemesis

New nemesis
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

We saw the raccoon on the house feeder last night. Simian then knocked on the window and he ran off.

This morning we found the entire soda bottle in the house feeder sort of ripped out. We went to buy another bottle and Simian fastened it in with cable ties.

The raccoon was just outside on the feeder again, though he didn't seem to be ripping the bottle. When I opened the door, he just appraised me quietly, then ran off.

Egg custard

Egg custard
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Simian and I had the traditional favourite snowball - egg custard and marshmellow. We had the marshmellow in the middle. The marshmellow was a bit gooey and thick - and not really marshmellow so it's vegetarian.

Snowball stand

Snowball stand
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I decided it was time to partake of the Maryland summer tradition - the snowball. Simian and I went to this store which is right next to our beloved 5 Guys Fries. All the stores look pretty much like this.

National day songs

M sent me the new National Day song by Electrico. This got Simian and I talking about the old catchy Singaporean National Day songs that had us humming along. So we decided to check up who had written them.

I was shocked *SHOCKED* - and so was Simian, to learn that the National Day songs that were the 'best' (ie the ones we were most brainwashed into singing and hence can remember all the lyrics to) were not written by a Singaporean. Nope. Stand up for Singapore, Count on me Singapore and We are Singapore - all written by a Canadian. I feel kind of cheated all of a sudden.

Wegmans

 

We went to Ikea for Simian to get some brackets, then we realised that the route we took also led by Wegmans. We've never been so we stopped in. M - when you come up, we're totally going. It was fantastic. No wonder everyone here loves it!

Not only did it have a HUGE store with just about every kind of food, they also had several cooked food bars, with food at $7.99 per pound. Simian hustled me out saying that it was not a good idea to shop hungry.

The other plus point - the faster route is also a lovely scenic drive from our home. Minus point - the cashew chilli was not great.

Simian's birthday

 

It is Simian's birthday today - and here are some of his presents. M and I both got him the Swedish fire wire - but he says he is keeping both as you can't do with too many!

He also got a sling shot monkey that emits a loud simian chatter as it flies across the room, and his favourite new toy, the Stylophone. He's been playing with it all day. I also got him a pair of running shoes but they are too large so we'll need to change them.

I baked him a raspberry buttermilk cake from Gourmet. He had two slices so I guess he liked it!

We went out in the afternoon, then came home and I made the same mushroom, sour cream pasta I made two days ago and which he really likes.

Happy Birthday Simian!

7-11

Perhaps you have never wondered why it is called 7-11. Someone mentioned that it was because the store used to open from 7 am to 11 pm, which is strange for a 24 hour convenience store. Now, however, you too can discover the huge revelation that I just read about - apparently, that's the day, the store was FOUNDED (and incidentally Simian's birthday!) and they're giving out free slushies ! I do love me some slurpees!

Apparently, here are some fun facts about the slurpees - and indeed what is the difference between a slushie and a slurpee?( I just googled - slushie is the generic term).

It is also surprising to me that they blow air into the slurpees in the US 7-11. Do they do the same in Singapore? I now have to try one - just for the sake of science, you understand.

Government service

I have made the not really surprising discovery that government services all around the world are the same. I went in to get fingerprinted for my green card last week, and got a letter today saying that I needed to do it again. My fingerprints were apparently not clear enough or something (it's all done electronically now - not smearing ink on your fingers).

I then tried to call and check if I could move my appointment up. I had to call up the number given, listen to all the options and try and guess which was closest to the one I really wanted (ie talk to a real person). Eventually I got one on the other end of the line. She was not helpful, and was indeed rather surly. Ah - the joys of familiarity of government service. It's like Ikea - the same anywhere you go around the world.

Sharp shinned hawk with kill

Sharp shinned hawk with kill
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

I saw a hawk yesterday from the deck as I came in through the back door, and he took off the moment he saw me.

He came again today though, as I was in the study. I was just laughing to myself he'd have really slim pickings because the birds are not so keen on the new feeder. Then he swooped, and I saw two birds fly past. He was back on the house feeder in a minute - probably less.

I crept closer, wondering why he was holding a piece of paper in his talons (and look at those talons!), then I focused with my camera and realised it was a little bird. The slittle bird was holding a twig - guess it was building a nest.

I was trying to figure out whether to shoo him away, but the bird didn't even twitch, so I was pretty sure it was dead. I read up after and most of the birds are killed instantaneously.

The hawk took off, prey in hand, and flew straight up and away.

Customer at feeder

Customer at feeder
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

The birds have been super wary of the new feeder. This morning, I saw my first customer - a titmouse. They're usually pretty smart and brave. This afternoon, more are making the attempt, and more are switching to the house feeder, which (I hope) is creating less mess.

Cute little Nemesis

Cute little Nemesis
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Today one of the squirrels stood right under the baffle and stared up. I swear, it's only a matter of time before he figures it out.

Lemon mushroom pasta

Lemon mushroom pasta
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

Today was cleaning day, and because I had to make a quick run to get bird seed and new feeders, I decided to make a fast dinner. I used this recipe, with some tweaks, and it turned out well. I did however (1) cut down on the pasta - I used half a box, maybe half a pound (225 grams), and (2) cut down on the sour cream - 2 cups??? Seriously? I cut it down to half. I also (3) sauteed some mushrooms in olive oil and tossed it in there. I had no parsley so I did away with that and sprinkled mozzarella on top.

The next time I make this, I'm going to use less lemon, and maybe some kind of nuts or seeds, or even bread crumbs on top. Simian declared however this was the best pasta ever. He's easy to please that way - and also very generous in his compliments. The nicest compliment he paid me though was on Monday, when he told me the toilet was 'scarily clean'.

Feed me Seymour!

 

I doubt the bird on the left is a baby, so I am wondering if this is courting behaviour. I know cardinals do the same thing.

New feeder

New feeder
Originally uploaded by ariel1511976

My seed has been disappearing at an alarming rate. I DO know that some squirrels have been hanging from the feeder and thus spilling seed all over. It's also possible that with all the birds mating, they're eating more.

Whatever it is, I went and bought the feeder on the right to replace my hanging feeder. I told Simian that it would save us money in the long run if I buy less food. Simian of course said that if I wanted to really save money, I should just stop feeding the freeloaders. What a kidder!

So far, it's working already - none of the birds have gone near the new feeder, but to be fair I only put it up in the evening. Also we had a hawk visit this afternoon and the yard completely cleared out. Not a cheep was heard.

Simian and I saw two of the foxes as we went for a run just now. Also the raccoon who has been visiting, came right up the front steps just now and sniffed at the mat. He scared the deer away and went to snack under the bird feeder.

Wren in nesting box

The bird food is disappearing at a shocking rate. I think it's because quite a few birds are building nests - like this one in the tree outside our front door.

Tahina

 

I went down town to get a facial done, and then picked Simian up. We stopped by Tahina's, which I have been wanting to try. The food looked so yummy, I wolfed it down and forgot to take a photo, but they have a sauce bar for your fries. How cool is THAT? Simian and I are definitely going back again.

You basically go in and the concept is similar to Five Guys, except you get to put your fillings on either a salad or a wrap. Plus the fillings are gorgeous - there was grilled eggplant, hummus, chickpeas, spicy feta dressing, onions, and on and on. Again, YUM.