Agrarian Dreams

It all started with a vision, a fifth of an acre, and an old, borrowed rototiller. We started up that bad boy and broke ground. Due to my small stature and absence of arm muscles, the thing pulled me across the lawn! We managed to snap this picture in the two seconds that I was able to hold it. My agrarian dreams were nearly shattered until a tall, dark handsome man grabbed the heavy machinery from me and plowed our meager plot. Seeing my man work the earth like that got me all rather hot and bothered! We didn't use a team of horses or a mule, but somehow I still think that Wendell Berry would be proud.

Sarah Gets a New Look

While my mom was here, we played beauty salon. She cut and styled my hair and we went over to Time Bomb Tattoo for a little nose stud. Look closely.... What else is there to do on a rainy Monday than let a tattooed man press a needle through the side of your nose?

FAQ

1.) Yes, Erik knows about it. He is fairly conservative, but remember that his father's family is from Mumbai. His grandmother has her nose pierced. So do most of his female relatives. If I wanted my belly, eyebrow, tongue or nether regions pierced, we'd have some serious discussions. (Actually, I am way more conservative than Erik.)

2.) Yes, it hurt a little bit, but it was very fast. I figure this: I've had the rabies series, go to acupuncture twice a week and had a Hepatitis vaccine on Friday. I'm not exactly scared of needles. I have been sneezing more than usual, however.

3.) Yes, it is really there. It's just really small.

Garden 2008 2.1

After the rain...

Garden 2008 2.0

My backyard garden has undergone a dramatic transformation since we moved here in February 2007. It started out as a pile of dirt and grass with a pink garage as a backdrop.

The back porch was collapsing and the fence was a hideous, odd shade of green.
We had the patio put in and got some patio furniture at a rumage sale.
We had to paint that terrible garage a more neutral shade of green-grey. My daddy helped me lay the stepping stones and we started to build a fountain.
When my mom came to visit last year she and I designed and built a fence!
Erik and I built the fountain out of rocks that we found on a mountain and added some ferns.

My mom is back in town and we've added quite a few new plants!

Happy Mother's Day!

My mom is here for the week! Erik is going up to see his mom for Mother's Day and my grandmother is spending the weekend with my father, so each one is with her own child. My mom and I have already gotten our hands dirty in the garden- a joy we both share- and she's been cooking up a storm. I will make dinner on Sunday for her, but it is a little intimidating because she is a far superior cook than I am. She has also been cooking much, much longer. I'll try to wow her with a fresh Caesar salad and my famous Greek-Style Kale and Sausage Stew with Egg-Lemon Sauce. Is fresh kale still available? It is getting a little warm for my favorite veggie.

Today we'll break ground for the vegetable patch! What will we plant? The usual of course: heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, peppers, leeks, and carrots. We don't like squash, so we probably won't plant that. I also want to grow asparagus, lentils, kohlrabi, and berries. We'll plant a bramble of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and currents. No strawberries; I am allergic to them. They even make my hands break out if I pick them. I want to grow a small nut tree, too, but haven't decided on that. We have a pear tree in the yard that was struck by lightening last year that needs to come down. The empty lot next to us has a cherry tree and an apple tree, so we'll probably plant another pear tree or a peach tree. Erik's mother used to make peach jam from the tree in their back yard. I may have to get her recipe and pass it on!

There is a lot of work to do, so I must be off! May God bless all the mothers out there.

Hempel Studio News

I am going to try to post more regularly on the studio news blog. Today's post features a photograph of my studio... just to tempt you!

hempelstudios.blogspot.com

The Perfect Weekend

This past weekend Erik whisked me away to The Grand Hotel at Point Clear, Alabama. We arrived late Thursday night. When we awoke on Friday, we headed to the art supply store in the neighboring town of Fairhope. Then we plopped ourselves beneath a tree. Erik napped in the shade and I painted a little sail boat. We sipped on drinks and enjoyed the afternoon.

We had a bite to eat and went to another part of the grounds where I could paint a portrait of my beloved. He took a picture of me painting a picture of him. I really need a travel easel. That evening we cleaned up and enjoyed drinks at the Birdcage lounge. I ordered a mojito and it completely knocked my socks off! The simple syrup was made on site, the mint picked when they poured the drink and the lime juice was squeezed fresh. The liquor was not too much, not too little. In short, it was the perfect mojito. I only wish that my mom had been there to enjoy it with me. She is crazy about mojitos!

The next day the rains came down and it stormed and stormed and stormed. We headed over to the spa. The schedule was as follows: steam room, cold shower, sauna, cold shower, lounge in the "quiet room," drink a mimosa, linger in the whirlpool, back to the steam room, another cold shower, another mimosa, whirlpool, mimosa, read a magazine, back in the whirlpool and then a facial. By the time we were done at the spa the sun had come out for the most glorious day!

In the evening we donned our finest attire and dinned at the Grand Dining Room. As we were sitting down at our tables, we caught a glimpse of the chef picking greens out of the garden. Eat your hearts out, Locavores! The sun was beginning to set over the bay and provided the most perfect evening entertainment for these two lovers.

The chef titillated our taste buds with the teeniest bite of a wild mushroom spread on a weeny little crepe. The flavor exploded in our mouths and we were ready for the amazing appetizers! I had a crab cake atop a fried green tomato and some Italian wine. It was heavenly. Then the waiter prepared our Caesar salad table side and it was by far the greatest Caesar salad I have ever had in my life. Next was the soup course. I got the famous gumbo. It was spectacular, but a little incongruous for the progression of the meal. That was my own fault because I ordered it. I was getting rather full at this point! The chef offered us a small scoop of homemade raspberry sorbet to cleanse our palettes before the main course. Erik had the kobe beef, which sent him into a rapturous food moment. When the waiter asked him what he thought, I serious thought that he was going to start crying from gastronomical ecstasy. I had the tower of halibut on a risotto cake. It was delicious, but I was so full at this moment that I was having a difficult time enjoying it. I didn't eat the whole portion and the waiter was concerned that I didn't like it. I shouldn't have gotten the soup; it was too filling. On to dessert. Erik had the key lime tart and I just had some coffee and chocolate shavings. I don't do well with sugar, so I rarely ever order dessert. The chef sent out a sampling of homemade truffles. How could he let a woman finish a meal without dessert! We danced a little bit to some tunes played on the piano, took a stroll around the grounds and then headed back to our room.

The next morning we took a nice stroll and enjoyed the grounds before getting back on that damned plane and back into our reality! (Though our reality if is pretty sweet, if you ask me.)

Lovers by the bay.

School's Out, School's Out...

Who let the monkies out?

Today I have my final and I turn in my paper. Think of me around noon today. For those of you who have been in school longer than me, God Bless You! This is way too stressful.

Off to cram for the next hour or so...