taking over the city/menu

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

taking over the city Current mood:green Today is a beautiful Spring day, no kidding. It is still, and sunny. Crisp still in the morning, but we did put some diapers on the line before I went to work and they're probably dry by now (less than an hour later). We are considering some travel for our upcoming four day weekend. But we'll have to see. The delicate matter is that my big test is in 10 days, so this upcoming weekend is really crunch time. But we'll see. We are pretty sure about traveling to Japan in July, but even with that, we keep postponing the purchase of our tickets. Isaac's solo steps are becoming more frequent, but he still hasn't switched mobility modes, and that's just fine with us! He has started to communicate a little more with sounds other than primal screams, and also with his hands. He is a little eater, that's for sure. We are always thinking of nicknames for him since it turns out Isaac is a popular name. I think Peach is out of the running, however. At church, an "interim pastor" sat by us this week and gave us a brief sketch of the sermon. She has been put in charge of taking care of us, I think. Beginning yesterday, Orry started taking care of a little bear puppet we have at the house. We are talking about sending him to preschool starting in May so we'll keep you posted. The hills are greening, the dandelions are taking over the city, and the cherry blossom petals are littering the streets. We went hiking on Saturday morning and took some more photos, which we'll have to share. One of the critters we photographed is a red squirrel. Now, I thought I knew what a red squirrel was, but, being a native American, I didn't know, really. the "red" squirrels in the New World are not red squirrels, see. Red squirrels are Old World squirrels. And their ears are extra tufty, giving them quite a distinct appearance. Moreover, they don't have to be red. The one we saw was a charcoal gray color. No signs of morels yet. I haven't been able to determine if they exist here, but I suspect they do. Tuesday, April 28, 2009 taking over the menu Current mood:sea snaily Dear reader, it has been too long since I reminded you of the culinary delights I feast on from day to day. Lest you imagine, in your mind's eye, that I feast on hamburgers or mashed potatoes and gravy for my school lunch, with a side of canned corn and a brownie or some chocolate pudding for dessert, let me remind you: no. Today, for example, we had what I guess after some translation attempts are sea snails. Yes, I just found it: Sea Snail Salad featured on this page. Sea snails, vegetables, and of course, pepper paste. And the verdict? I have to say Yum. The other day, the surprise was squid and apple salad. Now I guess Spring is the season for these curious salads, but this, too, was slathered in pepper paste. And again, Yum. A curiously rewarding combination. Other than that, lunches are the usual. Some soup, usually spicy. Rice. Kimchi. The occasional fruit, like the cherry tomatoes we had the other day. We also had a curry with pineapples and raisins in it recently. I know it's not common to get two blogs in one day from me, but here they are, today. The beautiful Spring day turned cold Winter, that cold beast void a soul, licked his lips and took back the day, bringing cold rain and black clouds, and nothing for us to do but shiver in his icy breath. Coming up, I must at some point blog about torrents. Wow. And still waiting is the blog about where dead Koreans go. For now, all my best.