spring! spring! spring! spring!

FINALLY!

Awesome:

the weather is warming up, there are buds on the trees, NHL playoffs are about to start, and we may get our first spring thunderstorm tomorrow. we have peas, radishes, and lettuce coming up in the garden, and tomato, basil, and onion seedlings started indoors. my hairy feminist legs and i have even gotten to rock a pair of shorts this weekend!

Not So Awesome:

i broke a toe last week, the Jeep has a little coolant leak, the weather's been too fickle for us to use our new telescope, and i am fighting off a cold.

strong chai tea with added honey, lemon, and ginger should take care of the cold (especially if i throw a little whiskey in), and for good measure, i am adding middle eastern garlic paste to all of my food. no time for sick! can't happen!

last week, E woke me up and said she had something to tell me. "i made an emotional purchase", she said. "please don't be mad!"

immediately i worried that maybe she'd bought a puppy. (we really want a dog, but now is not a good time!)

she opened the bedroom door to reveal...a telescope! a REAL telescope, that will show us Mars and Jupiter and the rings of Saturn and the Orion nebula and just about anything we want to see! we can get up close and personal with the moon!!!!! obviously, i was not mad AT ALL. we can't wait to take it to Fest, and we're planning a weekend trip to the dark sky park near Mackinac City this summer.

two weeks from now, i will have a brand-new tattoo. it's a memorial piece for my late kitteh, Lucky, who was born when i was 11 and lived for 20 years and 8 months. she was my baby, my Tickypants Piefacehead, and i've wanted to ink her sweet face on my skin since she passed 3 years ago.

oh! E has started 8-hour shifts! she likes it much better, though we both wish the company had waited a wee bit longer. she was already pulling overtime, and the switch to 8's took away her usual days off, so last night was her first night off in 11 days. poor girl!!! she's been in really good spirits, though, and definitely has more energy. yesterday she stopped at the grocery store on her way home for milk, coffee, and roses (just because!!), and made me breakfast - something she loves to do but hasn't had much time for. (i'm perfectly ok with making my own breakfasts, but that girl makes eggs in a nest like no one else!!) she's fast asleep right now, and i'm about to make a big pot of tomato/beef/green bean stew that she can chow on this week. we can even have dinner together before she goes in! what a nice change!

here's the Tomato Roast Stew recipe:

1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 lbs beef stew meat
Olive oil
2 15-oz cans tomato sauce
1 6-oz can tomato paste
Water
2 pkgs frozen green beans

In large pot, brown the stew meat with garlic and onions in olive oil. Add the tomato sauce, two can-fuls of water, tomato paste, and green beans. bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer for another 20 minutes. Salt to taste.