A Mythical Creature Comes to Visit or How Does that Owl Know My Name?

I was lying in bed one night about a week ago playing Boggle in between Scrabble games on my iPhone.  When I heard someone saying my name outside.  Even LunaBelle looked up, so no, I wasn't imagining it.  I exited out of the game and the cat and I sat in silence, waiting.  Then we heard it ( I can say we because when it happened Luna looked right at me) "Willow Tree.....Willow Tree."  The only reason I was really shocked was because only my good friends call me that.  So who would be out in the yard saying my name?  I kept listening.

Then it dawned on me.  It wasn't my friend, in the human sense, it was an owl.  It was one of my mythical friends.  I love owls!  They are mysterious, but what I really love about them is their rich history.  Culturally, they have been both good and evil.  They have been feared and revered.  That is what truly interests me.  We, as humans, have tried to understand these nocturnal creatures and created attributes for them to help us explain their presence and the way we feel about them.

Well, I for one would love for this little winged beauty to come visit as much as she likes.  Both Luna and I appreciate her late night calls.  

 

I Moved! or Dreams do Come True....

Since I left Portland I have been dreaming of love.  I even had very specific love requirements, they were all written down in my journal, which made them very official.  I wanted this love to have hardwood floors, big South facing windows, arched doorways, a garden, and room for a kitty.  What I didn't know when I was creating this very thorough list was that I was describing my childhood friend's house.

So after leaving my job and traveling for a while, I ended up visiting this house to tell my girlfriend, Ericka, all about my trips.  Coincidentally, two of her roommates had just moved out.  Which was perfect since I needed a room and an office.  

 The rest goes down in history as perfect timing.  I guess this is what everyone meant when they told me to be patient life would work it all out.  As usual my friends and family were right.  

Arugula Sprouts

During a brief afternoon of sun a week or so ago I threw some arugula seeds into a hanging pot on our back deck.  The weather here has been awful since then, so this afternoon I went out to see if anything had happened.  I was very excited to discover all these little beauties popping up.  I can't wait until they are ready to eat.  I love arugula's peppery flavor.  It is great in salads and my favorite is putting it on eggs with pesto in the morning(or early afternoon for you morning people out there).  Grow little sprouts grow!

Signs of Spring

    

My Perfectly Round Pizza

I've been making pizza for a few years now.  It's easy and it's delicious.  Never in all these years  have I ever made such a perfectly round pizza. Most of mine turn out looking more like an amoeba, which is just as appetizing as it sounds. Perhaps, you have managed to make a perfectly round one on the first try.  Congrats to you, some of us are slightly more challenged and therefore deserve the right to brag about simple feats like this on their blog.



Here is the break down, so you too can make a perfect pizza.

1.  Buy Trader Joe's Pizza dough. 
2. Throw some flour on the pizza stone and take the dough out of the bag and set it on the stone too.
3. Forget about it for twenty minutes.  Go water your plants or talk to the cat or make a cocktail and watch PBS.  (You have some freedom on this one, those are just things I like to do)
4. Okay, wander back into the kitchen at some point, during a commercial or when the cat decides she's too good for you.  
5. Start stretching the dough a little bit at a time like they do on tv.  Do not try to throw it into the air, trust me on this one.
6. Roll it with a rolling pin covered in flour of you need to.  Work really hard to make a circle.  
7. Once you have a circle or something close to a round shape roll the edges a little to make a crust.  
8. Then begin to add your ingredients.  I brush on some olive oil, add basil and fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.  I topped it with some garlic powder and chili flakes.  
9. Then bake according to the dough instructions. 
10. After removing from oven and allowing to cool.  Cut with kitchen scissors or a pizza cutter if your fancy. Enjoy while you gloat to the cat about what a talented chef you've become.

Bon Appetit!   

Cute Weeds

If you are going to have weeds, at least have cute ones. 
Found these little beauties in one of my neighbors yards during a walk with my Momma.  

2011 Garden Season Has Begun (For Me Anyway)!

I got a little excited and already started seeds for this years garden.  

Not sure of this was wise, but it sure made me happy.