These are a Few of my Favorite Things

I like Burlington. I admit it - I'm a fan. It's quirky, it's compact, it's progressive, and it's so close to Vermont... (that's a joke for the local folks). Anyway, I have a few large projects that I've recently finished that I will blog about as soon as they are properly documented, but for now I thought that I would share a few of my favorite things around town:

My favorite yard sale find ($4 total!):



My favorite bank threat:



My favorite way to pay for a drink:



My favorite tip jar:



My favorite "Open" sign:



And, last but not least, my favorite rear view mirror ornament:


Here's to enjoying your favorite things, whatever they are.

The Berry of Champions

Today I finally claimed the Vermont summer as my own. How, you ask? Why, by picking my own blueberries, of course! Nothing says "New England Summer" like berry picking and boy did I pick berries. After neurotically calling every berry farm within 20 miles to find the cheapest price per pound (winner: Pelkey's in Charlotte at $1.85 a pound), I drove on down scenic Route 7 to the farm:


It was a perfect day - overcast, not too warm, a nice breeze - exactly the rare summer day that doesn't give me heatstroke due to low blood pressure and an inability to regulate my internal temperature. And it was lovely:


I picked 6 sumptuous pounds of the antioxidant powerhouses in a little over an hour:


While in the past I've feared solo expeditions, I admit to thoroughly enjoying the experience by myself. It was peaceful and meditative. It was also great fun listening to grandmothers exchanging pie recipes, mothers keeping track of a cadre of renegade 5 year olds, fathers frantically proclaiming that they had found THE most prolific berry bush, a little girl bestowing the title of "favorite cousin" to whichever relative gave her the most "tester" berries to eat, and watching families be families... laughing, scolding, chatting, enjoying each other's company. It was a great day.

And then I made jam!



Yeay jam and yeay blueberry picking. I highly recommend heading out and discovering the joy of finding a stash of blue jewels in just the right patch of bushes yourself.

I Am My Own Favorite Experiment Take Two: Henna

I'm a bit, as they say, adventurous with my hair. It's been long, it's been short, it's been brown, it's been purple, it's been red, it's been highlighted, and yes, it's still on my head. I cut and dye it myself because I am a) a cheapskate and b) terrified of having anyone to blame for a hair catastrophe but myself. So I woke up this morning, rather bored with my current color (which is, surprisingly enough, my natural hair color) and decided to dye it with henna. Prepare for a hair odyssey, my friends, that began at 10am this morning:


Observe: my natural color:



The set up - more cooking than cosmetology:

Essentially, henna (the green powder) plus acidic water plus pectin equals a kind of lumpy hair gel:



After letting it sit for a 1/2 hour to let the dye release, you get this lovely concoction:

Mmm mmm mmm! The time is now 11am.


And now for the fun part! I glopped (this is a technical term) the gel onto and into my hair:


And wrapped it in a plastic bag:


Then I sat for an hour and a half looking my loveliest. At this time it occurs to me that I have basically cemented plant jelly to my hair and I had to figure how to get the darn stuff off. Well, with my shower on full blast, two heaping handfuls of shampoo and a whole lot of scrubbing, I finally got it all out. I may still smell like I slept on a hay bale, but I really like the result:


My final thoughts? Since henna is plant based and non-toxic, I failed to poison myself with the usual wasteland of chemicals in off the shelf hair dye - pro. I had an excuse not to shower until after noon on a Sunday - pro. The color is really neat - pro. I got to play with mud all morning - pro. On the other hand, clean up was a bitch - con. Did I mention my hair smells like hay? Con. Will I do it again? Absolutely - pro.

The time is now 1pm.

The Tip of the Tongue Taking a Trip

After weeks of watching dinosaur specials on the Discovery, History, and Animal Planet channels, I have a discovery of my own to share. Best dinosaur name ever? Majungatholis. Try saying it a few times. Not bad, huh? I was tickled pink hearing narrators say it over and over. But, then again, I have the sensibility of a 12 year old boy.

I Am My Own Favorite Experiment

Exhibit A - My latest acquisition:


a 5 1/2" x 3 1/2" bruise on the back of my leg. It is the most amazing thing I've done to myself in a long time. I am in awe of my body's ability to produce those colors. But of course, I would prefer it without the searing pain when I sit and it hits the edge of the chair.

FYI - my ex-husband (emphasis on the ex) once gave me a helmet for my birthday so I had some padding the next time I ran into a wall. I am, to say the least, a tad bit on the side of accident prone...

Housewarming Gifts are Awesome

Thanks to lovely individuals Josh and Ed, I have of late received three really dynamite housewarming/travel gifts that I adore. I submit for your enjoyment (da da DAH) the wonderful world of presents!

Submission #1: The monkey dish


Now, granted, this was a re-gift from Ed, but what a re-gift! It fulfills my love of tacky objects AND monkeys. My home feels warmer all ready. Technically it's an ashtray and I'm allergic to tobacco, so I think I'll use it hold my canadian coins. Why? Why not?

Submission #2: Seeing:

This is a delighfully quirky tome that Josh picked up while helping his friend move from Chicago to NYC last week. It is truly awesome. Essentially Seeing: is a book of photos that make every day objects look like faces. Like this:






See (no pun intented)? Is that not fabulous?

Submission #3: Picasso Kitty Stickers



I think the title pretty much says it all. Josh gets high marks again for this one. It combines my love of bright colors, cats, and asshole spanish painters.

So thank you to all who have wished me well on my new abode and especially to those of you who have sent nifty gifts. I am thrilled to have family and friends who have a solid understanding of my desire for the weird and wonderful.

Alas, Poor Manny! I knew Him, Horatio.

All of us in red sox fandom today shall bid a sad adieu to Manny as he makes his way on to Mr. Torre and the Dodgers. I would love to have been a fly on the wall to find out what issue soured this relationship so badly that he would be unceremoniously shipped out while still producing some of the highest home run numbers around. Is it truly just that Manny was being Manny? As AJD pointed out to me, the sox have put up with much more than that in previous players. No, this is a travesty. I just hope someone is there to hug Ortiz and learn how to give complex celebratory handshakes.