Dogs & Cats & Lizards...Oh My!

So, you know how I have this family here in Nashville for whom I function as sometimes kid-sitter, sometimes pet-sitter, and one-time-Bar-Mitzvah-chaperone? Well, this week I've donned my pet-sitter hat. Under my competent care is one slobbery black lab of an attention whore, two highly skittish felines with serious superiority complexes, and one baby leopard gecko lizard named Flicky who requires 4 live crickets every day.

Oddly, I am not entirely unfamiliar with the whole live-cricket-as-food-source thing. In the past, I have fed live crickets to my cousin's pet frogs and even had to make a pet store run on one occasion to acquire a fresh batch of live crickets. I also experienced a live cricket episode when I worked at ABX Air. We were unloading a whole pallet of boxes filled with live crickets to be shipped to various pet supply stores. One of the boxes apparently ripped or something and a bunch of crickets escaped into the dark recesses of the warehouse and for weeks afterwards it sounded like we were working out on the prairie, the chirping was that loud. Poor crickets.

Aaaaaanyway, in addition to the dog, the cats, the lizard and the poor crickets, I've also come in contact (well, eye contact) with a deer who has been hanging around the house. I've seen her twice now and one time I was so close (like seriously about 10 feet away) I couldn't resist trying to take a few photos. And while I fumbled with my stupid cell phone camera, she just stood there looking at me like, "um...could you hurry it up please, I have things to do". But she humored me and I apologized, quickly took her picture and then let her be on her way.







Yes, I am aware my photography skills SUH-UCK.

Mixed Nuts

I'm a freak. Weird things make me cry. Like this commercial that Alison posted on HER BLOG recently. It's a commercial for the Washington State Lottery - of all things - but it's just so gosh darn warm and fuzzy, and seriously puts a lump in my throat everytime I watch the damn thing. There's something wrong with me. Plus, I've always been strangely compelled to try hang gliding someday. *shrug*



In other news, we received more squash last night in our weekly CSA box. Yep. Squash. We can't seem to escape it. Daniel and I went out for dinner Monday night to celebrate his birthday (Happy Birthday!) and our meals came with a "vegetable of the day". Naturally, the "vegetable of the day" was a big ole steaming pile of mixed squash. Joy.

Speaking of birthday...remember how when it was my birthday a couple of months ago and I enjoyed a whole week full of birthday fun painstakingly planned out? 'Member dat? Yeah well, sadly, Daniel's birthday week was not nearly as masterfully planned because yours truly was in charge and I am not known to be an accomplished planner (just ask Donna). I'm much more of a "live in the moment" sort of person...well, that, or I'm just inordinately lazy. Um...probably the latter.

So, while I had all of these grand, half-materialized plans floating around in my head, none of them ever really came to fruition. I did manage to leave little happy fun notes all over (like in his shoes and taped to his cologne) for him to find during his birthday week. Notes like "you make me laugh so hard sometimes I feel like I'm gonna throw-up". Yep. I'm fantastically eloquent. I also picked up a couple of foodie magazines to replace the ones in our kitchen he's already read. On his actual birthday - while he watched the US Open (golf. gag.)- I cleaned his bathroom, his bedroom, and washed, dried, and put away his laundry. That may not be the most creative birthday present, but what I lack in planning abilities I make up for with mad cleaning skills.

Also, have I mentioned my summer tennis league started last week? Well, it did. And while my skills have improved drastically since the beginning of spring league, I ended up barely losing my match last week. But it was so fun and so close, that I didn't even care. I played again last night with an opponent who is new to the league. We were fairly well matched with me winning the first set 6-1 and her winning the second set 6-3. THEN, in this particular league, if there is a split set tie, you are supposed to play a ten point pro set instead of a full third set.

I knew this, but hadn't been in a tie situation for so long that I wasn't quite sure. My opponent insisted that she had read the rules and was certain it said "best of three sets". So, we played a full third set. It was hot. We were tired. We ended up playing for like two and a half hours and I finally won 6-0. You better believe I ran right home and read the league rules! Which clearly state, "DO NOT play a full third set" in big bold letters. See? I knew what I was talking about. Sheesh. Sometimes I have so little faith in myself...okay, lots of times, but so what.

More Squash? No, Thanks.

We have squash coming out our butts. We're into our third week of farm-fresh produce and we've gotten armfuls of squash every week so far. Trust me, it's a lot of freakin' squash.

Week 1: ZUCCHINI, YELLOW SQUASH, PATTY PAN SQUASH, asparagus, strawberries, and green onions

Week 2: ZUCCHINI, YELLOW SQUASH, cucumbers, broccoli, strawberries, romaine lettuce, green peas, green onions

Week 3: That's right, ZUCCHINI, YELLOW SQUASH, broccoli, strawberries, cucumbers, green onions, beets, a couple different kinds of spring lettuces, cabbage

We've grilled squash. We've sauteed squash. We've baked squash. Daniel made a squash and rice dish with cumin and onions. And I made some kind of cheesy squash casserole. I think we're to the point where we may end up shredding some of the zucchinis and freezing them for future zucchini bread endeavors.

While most of the produce I'm loving - especially the strawberries, broccoli and lettuces - I am tired of SQUASH. Please, No. More. Squash.

Nashville Props

2 years, 4 months, and 5 days.

That's how long I've called Nashville home. I'm a Yankee transplant, as are many of the people who live here, who has slowly fallen for this town. I am no fan of country music and the fact that I don't hide my dislike was amusing to my friends and family when I announced I would be moving to Nashville Tennessee. After all, Nashville is all about the country music, right? I certainly thought so.

I was wrong. Nashville is much more musically diverse than most people realize and those of us who come to Nashville with pre-conceived notions of rhinestones, red necks and record labels are pleasantly surprised to find the depth and breadth of talent teeming throughout the city.

So, I wanted to pass along the link to THIS ARTICLE written 9 months ago by Ann Patchett for the New York Times. She presents an accurate picture of what the Nashville music scene is really like...and it is good.

Entrepreneurial Spirit?

While in Seattle, my friends and I couldn’t help notice that the indigent population of Seattle has a sense of humor despite being homeless in a damp, gloomy, hilly city. As we walked around the Northwest Folklife Festival, one such person held up a sign that said something like, “Homeless. Hungry. Ugly. Please Help.” Another person had a sign held to his chest upon which was written “SEX!” in big black bold letters. Underneath it said something like, “Now that I have your attention, any help is appreciated”. People were not only donating, they were flocking around and taking pictures with the sign holders. Good work, I guess, if you can get it.

A little later, we encountered another, more aggressive, tactic than the benign humorous sign holding. As we settled on the grass for some lunch, a middle-aged woman came by and handed each of us one of these



It's a bookmark. About 6 inches long and 2 inches wide on gray cardstock. As you can see from the photo, it has photocopied ink drawings of sign language letters spelling out “I Love You”. The woman didn’t say anything, she just handed these to each of us and then hovered expectantly while we looked at them and each other in semi-confusion.

On the back of the bookmark, this is printed in black ink



It says:

“Hello! I am deaf, I drew and made the art work. I hope that you will accept my sale gratefully. This book mark costs any price you wish. Thank you and may you be blessed.”

I was sort of stunned and hurriedly fished out a dollar from my bag to hand to the woman in exchange for the bookmark she was “selling” me. Now, I suppose I could’ve handed the bookmark back and just smiled or politely declined, but I would’ve felt totally guilty doing that. It was like guerrilla pan-handling.

As soon as we all paid her, she moved on to the next unsuspecting group of tourists to “sell” more of her bookmarks. The more I thought about this incident, the more annoyed it made me. I mean really, who has the balls to hand strangers pieces of paper and expect them to “gratefully” pay you for them? I don’t care how unfortunate my circumstances, I wouldn’t have the nerve to pull something like that off.

Yes, it was only a dollar and no, I wasn’t forced to pay her, and yet it rankled me.

I’m over it, don’t worry.

You may not be able to tell from the photo, but the date on the drawing is 7/14/97. It makes me wonder if she’s been doing this for 11 years. And if she has, I wonder how much money she’s made? I mean, she can get at least 8 of those bookmarks printed on one 8.5 x 11 sheet of cardstock at Kinko’s for, what?, like a buck fifty maybe? She made four dollars just off of me and my friends in a matter of seconds and there were hundreds of people at the Festival. I’m no numbers geek, but that seems like a pretty sweet gig.

Seattle homeless…not your average panhandlers!