The Garden on the Last Day of July

The fact that matter cannot be created or destroyed has always boggled my mind and our garden has added to that bogglement. We put seeds in the ground - some the size of pinheads - and they grew so, so big that I simply cannot understand how that "matter" was not created. The energy potential in a seed has to be on par with an A-bomb. Our garden exploded.

Zucchini a few weeks ago:



Zucchini now:



Our trellis is finally getting some relief as the peas are starting to die. For a second there I was worried it would buckle under the strangulation of hundreds of tiny little nooses (vines).



Here are some overviews:





If deer weren't so damn cute I'd have their carcasses strung up from every tree in our backyard. This is one of our healthy strawberry plants:



This one's not so healthy. I hope it tasted good, Ms. deer.



-a.

The Ideal 4-Way Stop

I've never seen this happen but every time I approach an intersection with a 4-way stop I hope for one of the following scenarios to play out:

1.) At the exact same time, all four vehicles turn right.

2.) At the exact same time, two vehicles turn right while the other two pass each other and turn left. (This scenario is more unlikely as the physical size of the intersection needs to be quite large. But, it is possible.)

Rest assured, I'll keep everyone posted and if either of these happen you'll be the first to know.

-a.

Licorice: A Confectionery Joy

Does anyone like licorice anymore?

Personally, I love it. But the finding brethren in this tasty pastime proves to be very difficult. We are an elusive group apparently. I inherited the palate from my mother, who in turn received it from her father.

This was my grandfather’s choice (Läkerol has a number of licorice varieties and I can't remember if this was the flavor he used to like, I just remember it being quite potent.):

Growing up I remember my mother opting for a more conventional choice:

And this is my latest licorice craving:

So if you like licorice, let me know. I feel like I’m carrying the torch all by myself.

-a.

PS - And don't even talk to me about "red licorice." Blasphemy!

Perfect

[Image via Le Bouton]

My dream would be to dress like this every single day. Every piece of clothing on this site is perfect.

–c.

Tissue Box Cover

There seems to be a void in the world of tissue box design. For whatever reason, the patterns that adorn boxes of facial tissue are inevitably horrible. And this isn't a new revelation. Grandmothers across the globe have been crocheting tissue box covers for years now and others have come up with even more impressive solutions. For example, one of my favorite remedies does away with the box altogether:


Since Crystal and I battle the occasional allergen and we have boxes of tissues throughout the house I wanted to try and ease our eyes from the patterned hell. I focused on our bedroom where end table space is limited and access can be a problem. Here was my "solution":







-a.