day one...

[[[ new camera!  ]]]

thank you Mom and Dad!!!

Random, the birthday cat.

Where we first met one year ago...  His old hang-out outside our kitchen window...


Before he became a plump cat.

wines not worth mentioning...

...so i won't say anything more.  but here's two photos for reference.

 [these three deserving of an only-one-word review:  "meh..."]

The Girard 1999 Red Wine below was quite delicious (please ignore Random's expression, as he's not a big wine drinker).

But, actually, please don't ignore his expression, the picture's more about him than the wine anyway.

well, hello

The summer's been hot and I've been lazy.  Not much to report in the land of new ventures, thoughts or progress--I really just haven't done much besides work, reading, and trying not to die of heat exhaustion.

I wish that I didn't wish that we had air conditioning.  Part of me believes that living without AC should make me a stronger, more resilient person--relying less on man-made energy and living simply.  Surviving as humans have for thousands of years.  But the heat is just so draining.  Who wants to do anything when it's nearly 100 degrees?

The above photo was taken last year at Woodland Cemetery, an old charming cemetery just a few blocks from our home in West Philadelphia.

"Mary, Mother of God, please just help me survive until the end of summer!"


Regards.  And stay hydrated.

minted pea hummus

On Sunday, I tried this easy recipe of Minted Pea Hummus and loved it.

Here's the recipe:

   2  cups frozen green peas, thawed            1 1/2  teaspoons olive oil

   2  garlic cloves, minced                                  1  teaspoon water

1/2  cup mint leaves                                        1/4  teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.  Yield: 1 1/4 cups

I also added one minced dried chile (reconstituted), mostly for purposes of using up the ridiculous amount of chiles we have.  And I used more garlic than they called for, because I love garlic so much.

To be honest, I'm not even very fond of peas, and Christopher doesn't even like mint, but we both liked the end result.  I might change it up a bit next time, but it's really pretty good served on pita bread.  We even used it as a spread on chicken breast sandwiches.  The sandwiches were super tasty; the hummus added a ton of extra flavor and goodness.  Mmmmm. 

Try it, let me know what you think!