Beet It comments: 134

Do you want to just throw up right now? I know, me too. Turns out my garden forager wasn't exotic at all; I staged a reconnaissance mission in the rainy dusk of Monday night and caught one of these gelatinous blobs in the act of slurping up my Chioggias. Six are completely gone, two more are almost done for. BEAST! My neighbor came out just as I found the marauder: two grown women, four rows of beet seedlings, and one slug. You would've thought I had encountered a piece of plutonium. The screaming (mine). The frantic pointing and prancing in place (mine) (as if on hot rocks). The gagging (mine). It was truly embarrassing. Not a native Oregonian's reaction. I couldn't believe myself myself. Fail.

So, Sluggo. Organic. I may also consider putting the copper tape or waterproof sandpaper around the top edges of the beds. Or hermetically sealing them.

Ah, such is the life of a dilettante gardener. There's nothing like gardening to make you appreciate the farmer's market, I tell you.

:-)

In other news (thank gosh there's other news), I have all of the fabric for the new quilt. The new cross-stitch just came back from the framer. The new web shop is in progress (it's slow — steep learning curve on this for me — but it's going to be really cool). My new yarn should be arriving any day. And sweet potatoes, marigolds, cosmos, dill, camomile, and tomatoes are now in the ground.

Homemade Pantry comments: 83

The weekend before last, Andy and I went to the farmer's market to get some stuff and then we spent the rest of the day making things from The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making by Alana Chernila. It was super fun. We made rhubarb-ginger syrup with lemon verbena (for pouring into seltzer water and making sodas), mayonnaise, ketchup, and hamburger buns! And I made another rhubarb custard pie (that thing is really good). We took turns whisking the olive oil into the egg yolk to make mayonnaise. I seriously don't know how one person could have the muscle strength to do this; our arms were yakisoba noodles after I don't even know how long it took (and we were also actually sitting down the whole time). Pffffft! The hamburger buns were seriously amazing. I couldn't stop looking at them. Our neighbors came for a cook-out later that night. We had burgers and sweet potato oven fries I sort of made up. I think they liked everything. They also thought we were kind of cracked but we're used to that. Then they had a neighborhood potluck party this past Sunday. (We have a lot of great neighborhood parties.) I spent almost the whole party talking to someone about suburban sprawl and someone else about window replacement and cedar shingles and I had a great time. I thought, "Ah. I must be in my forties."

After Dinner comments: 66

We're having an early summer, I think. Today it's raining, but the weekend was busy with outside things. The garden is almost entirely planted. My back yard container plants seem happier than ever. It's been neither too hot nor too cold; it's been just right. Friends visiting, late nights, food carts, pinball, bike ride, tomato planting, piano recital, fabric shopping, neighborhood potluck, eclispse watching. And something ate all of leaves off of about a third of my beet plants. It doesn't look like insect or slug; it looks like . . . something with teeth or beak? They went from one plant to the next plant, to the next plant in the row. Cafeteria style. Losers!

Today I'm trying to get organized. I've cut everything for the new quilt but the house is kind of trashed so I think I have some chores to do first. Getting kind of a slow start today. But it will be good to spend some time inside, I think. I've got some projects to show you.

Nice Week comments: 55

Carrots and potatoes are up : : Tulips finished, peonies coming : : Antiquing for Shelly's birthday : : The best potato salad at Natalia's : : My hexie cheater quilt : : More friends in town tonight from Canada : : Climbing hydrangea covering the studio window : : Picking fallen leaves out of the vegetable garden by hand : : Meditative : : Peas look a bit yellow : : Good good good good dog : : Hollyhill was adorable : : Driving the back roads with Andy yesterday and this song (cool random video) : : Finished my cross-stitch, took it to the framer's : : Finished my cowl : : Next up is Quill, just waiting for the yarn (in Antler, again) : : Going to be working on a new web shop this summer : : Starting the new quilt : : Hard to think about work in this glorious weather.

My Spring Rain Quilt comments: 65

This quilt is so big I didn't even try to capture the whole of the design, but you can track its evolution here and here and here and here. It's soft and fluffy and puffy and warm and makes me happy. I am about to start another quilt now. This one will be a triple Irish Chain. Classic, with a creamy background, but scrappy and random (and small patches!). I have always loved the Irish Chain design and I've always wanted to make one. I thought I would do another very random patchwork, but then I felt I just needed a little more structure than that in my life right now. I may try to back all of my quilts in cotton lawn, like most of this one, from now on. It's really expensive (though I did find all of these pieces on sale and had been holding on to them for years; doubt that will be happening again, or at least not for a while), but you just can't believe how soft and squishy and light it feels. Also, the wool batting is seriously scrumptious. The whole thing sort of reminds me of a Pavlova. And the kitters is pleased, so there's that.

Things to Do in Portland, Oregon comments: 135

Should you find yourself in the Rose City, here are a few suggestions for you. No list could be comprehensive; I compiled this one from this blog's local reader comments (thank you!), and added several of my and Andy's favorite places and activities. If you have further suggestions, please leave them in the comments for others to find. For more photos and posts about outings we've taken, the Portland and Oregon category (on my right-hand sidebar) may give you some ideas as well. Enjoy!

Must See and Do:

Washington Park ::: Gardens, the zoo, the arboretum, tennis courts, playgrounds
Powell's Books ::: You must!
Farmer’s Market ::: Our favorite is at Portland State University on Saturday mornings
Saturday Market ::: Largest continuously operating outdoor arts and crafts market in the country
Multnomah Falls ::: Take the Historic Columbia River Highway and stop at Crown Point
Timberline Lodge ::: A great historic hotel on Mt. Hood
Cannon Beach, and anywhere along the Oregon Coast ::: It’s all gorgeous
Clackamas County Fair and Oregon State Fair ::: In August, though we wait all year

Hotel:

Ace Hotel ::: Hipster heaven, and right in middle of it all
RiverPlace Hotel ::: Fancy, perfectly placed on the river, and within walking distance of downtown
Kennedy School ::: Renovated 1915 elementary school, with a soaking pool and characteristic McMenamins’ flair
The Jupiter Hotel ::: Edgy, pet-friendly, green, and urban cool
Hotel deLuxe ::: Hollywood glamour, and home of Gracie’s restaurant, where we go for lunch during the Christmas season

Fabric stores:

Fabric Depot ::: The largest and most complete fabric store in the country
Mill End Store ::: The best wools, silks, and linens in town, in my opinion
Bolt ::: A cutting-edge collection of contemporary sewing supplies and gorgeous fabric
Cool Cottons ::: Colorful, well-organized, perfectly chosen quilting cottons
Pendleton Woolen Mill Outlet ::: Wonderful wools in every color
Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe ::: Eeeeee! Cottons, gorgeously displayed
Pioneer Quilts ::: Tiny calicos!!!

Yarn store:

Happy Knits ::: Modern, airy, inspiring and always friendly
Close Knit ::: Warm and cozy collection in a great neighborhood for browsing
Yarn Garden ::: Lots and lots
Twisted ::: The place for sock yarn!
Knit Purl ::: Small but right downtown and on the streetcar line
Northwest Wools ::: Nice selection in cute little shopping area

Craft stores:

Collage ::: A curated collection of encaustic, mixed media, paper and other crafts
Gossamer ::: Fiber crafts, wool arts, and Waldorf supplies
SCRAP ::: Creative re-use, education programs, and affordable materials
Knittn’ Kitten ::: Vintage fabric, patterns, notions, and supplies
Acorns and Threads ::: Cross-stitch patterns, fabrics, and supplies
Playful Needle ::: Needlepoint and crewel patterns, fabrics, and supplies
Button Emporium ::: Buttons and ribbons galore

Antiques:

Monticello ::: Big and beautiful, with an emphasis on Shabby Chic-type things and great garden accessories and furniture
Stars and Stars & Splendid ::: Across the street from each other, both have a generous mix of great stuff
Dusty Tiger ::: I’ve found the best stuff at the best prices at this place, I tell you! Or maybe I shouldn’t tell you!
Antique Alley ::: Old school, baby.
Found on Fremont ::: Well curated collection of your favorites

Cool new little neighborhood restaurant:

St. Jack ::: Rustic French in a gorgeous space on one of my favorite corners anywhere
Equinox ::: Industrial + beautiful + seasonal + delicious + recycled materials = gottaloveit
Toro Bravo ::: Spanish tapas
Little Bird Bistro ::: Doesn’t get much cuter, or much more central, than this
June ::: On a busy street, but still intimate
Pizza Fino ::: Neighborhood pizza and more
Girasole ::: More neighborhood pizza. Probably can’t have too much neighborhood pizza.

Food carts:

Potato Champion ::: Andy’s favorite
Lardo ::: Andy’s other favorite
Grilled Cheese Grill ::: Everybody else’s favorite
Koi Fushion ::: Korean-Oregon infusion
Big-Ass Sandwiches ::: Prolly needs no explanation
Khao Man Gai ::: Just one thing on the menu

Breakfast:

Slappy Cakes ::: Make your own pancakes, and I really love the light here.
Broder ::: My favorite atmosphere and decor in the whole city. Especially wonderful in the morning, for some reason.
Zell’s ::: Classic neighborhood breakfast spot, complete with café curtains and eggs Benedict
The Waffle Window ::: Legendary in our house, and best on a day with no rain
Pine State Biscuits ::: With sausage or mushroom gravy, thick-cut bacon, fried chicken, eggs, grits, and preserves. I think you get it.
La Petite Provence ::: The best -- and best-priced -- French bakery/café in Portland. Don’t leave without taking home an éclair, seriously.
Helser’s on Alberta ::: Crowded but really wonderful

Outdoor restaurant dining:

Meriweather’s ::: Fancy date, or a lovely, grown-up place to take the in-laws
Departure ::: Uber swanky rooftop
Piazza Italia ::: My favorite sidewalk dining on Friday nights in the summertime
Por Que No ::: Mexican patio, and I seriously love their summer fruit juice drinks
Tin Shed ::: Playful and fun, kinda like being at great backyard party
Basta’s ::: Romantic and quiet grapevine covered patio

Burger and fries:

Little Big Burger ::: So simple, so perfect, and with truffle-oil fries: Andy’s requested birthday lunch
Violetta ::: Slow food fast, and in Director Park, a great new location for people-watching
Castagna Cafe ::: This one's good
Besaw’s ::: OH, this one is even better, but there is nothing I don’t love about Besaw’s. Stop here after hiking in Forest Park in the fall, and sit in the front room. Love love love.
The Observatory ::: A beloved veggie burger in an up-and-coming neighborhood
Café Nell ::: I haven’t tried this one, but it looks delish

Microbrew:

Hopworks ::: And The Derailer is a great chicken sandwich.
Bridgeport ::: Our neighborhood joint, so we love it.
Deschutes ::: It’s always good, and the pub is cool.
Captured by Porches ::: Definitely the best name

Coffee shop with a plug for your computer:

Water Avenue Coffee ::: Great coffee, great light, great colors, and not claustrophobic, which is why I love it
Caffe Pallino ::: Bright and streamlined, with gelato, food, and usually decent music
Cloud Seven ::: On a nice day you can sit outside, and this one even has good people-watching in Jamison Square, to boot.
The Press Club ::: With wine, crepes, and great magazines to boot.
Extracto ::: I haven’t been to either location, but they got several mentions

Coffee shop with people watching:

Stumptown ::: Daily
Ristretto ::: Another several-times-recommended shop I have to try
Fresh Pot ::: Watch the comings and goings in some of our favorite neighborhoods (Hawthorne and Mississippi) here
St. Honore Boulangerie ::: So adorable, so French, so crowded, so expensive, but so delicious

Garden:

International Rose Test Garden ::: If you do one thing. . . .
Portland Japanese Garden ::: Magical. Go on a weekday morning before it gets crowded, so you don’t have to hear a bunch of other peoples’ conversations. This is a place for quiet.
Lan Su Chinese Garden ::: So very beautiful on a cloudy day, especially
Elk Rock Garden of the Bishop’s Close ::: I love this place. It’s beautiful.

Outdoor fountain:

A walking map of local fountains is here.
Jamison Square ::: Really sweet little setting for kids, like a piazza with a tidal pool
Ira Keller Fountain Park ::: One of Andy’s favorites, an urban warren of waterfalls
Magnolia Park ::: In Hillsboro, with lots to do

Picnic spot:

Council Crest ::: On a clear day, this view is hard to beat
Wildwood Recreation Site ::: This looks gorgeous. Can’t even believe we haven’t been here yet. Will report back.
Commonwealth Lake ::: A suburban park with a lake that looks good for those with small kiddos
Pittock Mansion grounds ::: I always pretend I’m going to a wonderful party when I’m here. Except that I’m paying to get in. But still – the lawn is free.
Skidmore Bluffs ::: Sometimes I feel claustrophobic in Portland. Not up here. Love the view, and the neighborhood. Always feels like a different town to me.

Day hike:

Anywhere in Forest Park ::: The book Portland Hill Walks by Laura O. Foster is awesome.
Cascade Head ::: The mountains at the edge of the sea, with wildflowers
Angel’s Rest ::: A heavenly view
By the way, the Portland Hikers Field Guide web site is spectacular.

Bike ride through the country:

Springwater Corridor ::: We love to go from OMSI down to Sellwood, or from SE 136^th out to Gresham.
Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail ::: Totally wanting to do this from Tooth Rock to the Bridge of the Gods trailhead
Champoeg State Park ::: Such a cool place, with a little of everything

Swimming hole:

Opal Creek to Opal’s Pool ::: Oooo, oooo, oooo – I wanna go here!
Dougan Falls ::: Very pretty, very cold
Eagle Creek Trail to Punchbowl Falls ::: Quintessentially, gorgeously, lusciously Oregon
Oxbow Park ::: Close to town but feels like it’s a million miles away
Dabney State Recreation Area ::: Close to town, kinda scruffy, but if you find a good spot you’re good to go for an afternoon

Wildflower meadow:

Catherine Creek ::: Go in April or May, even if you’re in a wheelchair – this is a universal access path (yay!)
Mollala River State Park ::: I love this area
Tom McCall Nature Preserve ::: Oh this looks beautiful – a bit past Hood River in the Gorge.
Cairn Basin from Vista Ridge ::: A difficult hike with a creek crossing, but looks incredibly beautiful and includes lupine fields (sigh).
Dog Mountain ::: Another difficult (steep) hike, but wow.
Sauvie Island u-Picks ::: Oh, now these are easy! Try Bella Organic, Kruger’s, or Sauvie Island Farms for flowers.

Rented canoe ride:

Blue Lake ::: Close to town, and such a fun way to spend an afternoon together
Detroit Lake ::: Lots of things to do here: swimming, boating, camping, hiking, too.
Trillium Lake ::: On Mt. Hood, doesn’t get more beautiful

Waterfall hikes:

Trail of Ten Falls hike ::: Here are 10 falls, including the majestic and wonderful Silver Falls, in 8.8 miles.
Pool of the Winds ::: Short and pretty
Wahkeena to Multnomah Falls ::: Described as a waterfall lover’s paradise
Horsetail Falls ::: Family-friendly, low-elevation, and only 2.6 miles roundtrip
Oneonta Falls ::: Challenging to get to (you’ll be in the water), but it is my dream to figure out how to get my bad foot to this spot someday. Someday.

Pittock Mansion comments: 106

On a hill in the woods overlooking the city sits century-old Pittock Mansion (and its former servants' quarters, Gate Lodge). It's a beautiful house and has all of the old house-y things I love: butler's pantry, breakfast room, sleeping porches, cedar closets. From it you can see the mountains (that's Mt. St. Helens through the window), and the air smells of pine needles. The woodland gardens are also lovely and gentle. You could hike the Wildwood Trail to get up here and make a day of it.

comments: 62

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a very happy Mother's Day xoxo.

Lilac Time comments: 91

When she sticks her tongue out like this I just melt into a foamy puddle of butter.

For the winter squash, eggplants, and cucumbers (that Andy wants to pickle), my neighbor (who is a garden wizard) told me to build little paper (I used parchment paper) bubbles to protect them for a few weeks. We took some little tubing (that we usually use for the water dispenser in our refrigerator door) and made two little hoops on either side of each plant, then crossed two pieces of parchment paper perpendicularly over the hoops, and weighed down the edges of each piece of paper with some stones. One of the eggplants is busting out, so I (as my neighbor told me to do) cut Xs in the top of the papers, so the leaves could come out. I think the plant will be a little bit colder with that opening now; one is still completely covered, so we'll see. Contest!

My cabbages definitely have four new leaves now, and my beets each have two new leaves. All of the lettuce is really sprouting; still no sign of germination for the carrot seeds or the spinach (or hyacinth beans). My mother came over yesterday to help me take out all of the candytuft on the front wall and it's all going to good homes. It was just too big for that precious little wall. A bunch of big rocks came out of the parkway, so they're going in the bed on top of the wall now (where the candytuft was) and some sedums and succulents will make a nice little rock garden out there. Most of new sedums and succulents will come from the overplanted rock garden on the side of the driveway which is also busting out at the seams (already!).

Worried about all the naughty neighborhood cats getting into my raised beds, I thought about mulching with hazelnut shells but haven't yet. Naturally, the only cat I've seen go in there is our own eighteen-year-old dowager queen, who, though she has barely left her heated kitty bowl in five months, had no problem trotting outside and hopping right up into the first bed no problem, then looking at me like, Oh, perfect, thank you for building me my own enormous litter box — that was pretty nice of you. I went racing down the stairs toward her faster than she's seen me move in about fifteen years, causing her to do a goggle-eyed double-take when she saw me coming, like a cartoon cat, and jump out faster than I've seen her move in about four years. The whole thing just went so much differently than how she thought it was going to go, poor thing. She gave me a very dirty look, and then I explained that the hazelnut-shell option is still very much on the table. She's the type of half-human cat who understands English and likes to get good grades, but we'll see.

The lilacs are blooming; we have three bushes, and our neighbors over the back fence have one huge one. They smell like home.

Rhubarb Custard Pie comments: 91

Ah! Pie! Rhubarb custard: sweet, tart, creamy, crusty, and generally awesome. Simple spring pleasure. It worked out well! Now (naturally) I want to grow rhubarb but I don't think we have enough room in any of our sunny spots. Need to find a spot.

In other garden news, my little teeny lettuce seeds that I planted six days ago are sprouting!!! You know I got choked up about that. Well, it's been a hard year.

I was thinking I would take a photo of the raised beds from the upstairs window every Wednesday, just to watch how they grow from a different perspective. It's supposed to be fairly warm (though fairly cloudy) all week. I have to say I really love this time of year, which feels like pre-summer. Summer itself stresses me out, because it feels like 1) it's too hot, 2) it's too sunny, 3) it's too busy, 4) it's too hot and sunny, and 4) it never really seems like it goes how I want it to. I always wind up feeling kind of . . . frantic. I don't know how to change it, but I think that feeling has been with me since childhood. Great expectations?

I swear I think it has something to do with the light coming from straight overhead. Interrogation. I have trouble with overhead lighting, even in the house. Makes me anxious. I prefer a lower angle.

And speaking of dresses (yesterday), a tree peony–colored one wouldn't be bad either. Jeesh. Planted ten years ago, in a pot the size of a bucket, this poor thing is one of the most neglected plants we have, yet it rewards us every year, without fail, with the most gorgeous and enormous blossom. And this year, two of them. Splendid angels. They're like six or seven inches across, seriously. I'm truly afraid to transplant it, or move it, or otherwise care for it (other than adoringly gawk at it this week), lest I break some unspoken arrangement between us and actually upset her. It's so hard to know.