Monday, April 5, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
growth...
...in the fungal arts. this is ancient sourdough starter, a gift last year from our sylvan elvish friends. it took days and days of anxious tending to resurrect it from refrigerator death. see how nice and bubbly it is now?!
...in anti-phytate warfare. behold, michael delving's very first successful soaked whole grain sandwich-worthy loaf! i am bouncing off the kitchen walls with joy!
verily could i write an ode to its lovely crumb!
real sourdough schmeared with celtic sea salted butter and raw honey! eat your heart out, yellow cookbook lady!
(by the way, i no longer need my extensive collection of foolproof recipes for soaked whole grain doorstops, cobblestones, and shot puts. perhaps i should craigslist them. my poor family can recommend them for hours of tooth-shattering entertainment!)
...in our green thumbs. say hello to our rainbow chard!
and our lovely pickling cucumbers!
...in our hobbit feet. ela has grown into boookie's "house shoes" from last summer, and boookie is growing into his new "house shoes" for the summer ahead. (they should fit him in time for the warm weather, inside-outside play time, and dirty floors of mid-june; in the mean time, he's complaining that we need to buy him bigger feet.)
...in girth. this is an attempted self-photograph of my own hobbit feet. thirty weeks and counting!
...in grace. happy sixth anniversary, my love!
...and in joy. welcome to a rejoicing world, miss elanor elisabeth! we cannot wait to meet you!
...in anti-phytate warfare. behold, michael delving's very first successful soaked whole grain sandwich-worthy loaf! i am bouncing off the kitchen walls with joy!
verily could i write an ode to its lovely crumb!
real sourdough schmeared with celtic sea salted butter and raw honey! eat your heart out, yellow cookbook lady!
(by the way, i no longer need my extensive collection of foolproof recipes for soaked whole grain doorstops, cobblestones, and shot puts. perhaps i should craigslist them. my poor family can recommend them for hours of tooth-shattering entertainment!)...in our green thumbs. say hello to our rainbow chard!
and our lovely pickling cucumbers!
...in our hobbit feet. ela has grown into boookie's "house shoes" from last summer, and boookie is growing into his new "house shoes" for the summer ahead. (they should fit him in time for the warm weather, inside-outside play time, and dirty floors of mid-june; in the mean time, he's complaining that we need to buy him bigger feet.)
...in girth. this is an attempted self-photograph of my own hobbit feet. thirty weeks and counting!
...in grace. happy sixth anniversary, my love!
...and in joy. welcome to a rejoicing world, miss elanor elisabeth! we cannot wait to meet you!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
the ascot op'ning race!
it! has! begun!
mustard bitters take an early lead...
with tender lettuce sprouting close behind...
it's still anybody's race!
(except for the basil which seems to be taking a serene, almost buddhist approach to the race.)
"c'mon, broccoli, move yer bloomin' coleslaw!"
other munchable sprouts at michael delving:
they are simply delicious with butter!
mustard bitters take an early lead...
with tender lettuce sprouting close behind...
it's still anybody's race!
(except for the basil which seems to be taking a serene, almost buddhist approach to the race.)
"c'mon, broccoli, move yer bloomin' coleslaw!"
other munchable sprouts at michael delving:
they are simply delicious with butter!
Monday, March 22, 2010
patience
"clear, somewhat mournful eyes met mine. at least, that is how they impressed me; but i could see very little colour or outline as we sat in the dark and rainy shadow of the tree. the face seemed very lovely, and solemn from its stillness, with the aspect of one who is quite content but waiting for something."
george macdonald, phantastes
early spring at michael delving feels to me like anodos' beech tree nymph: delicately colored in rainy shadows, contented, and waiting for something not yet at hand.
the days slowly lengthen...
timid leaves gradually follow bold daffodils and crocuses into the cold, coaxing sunshine...
and hobbits remember how much they love growing things in good, tilled earth.
spring's labor begins! reviving the yard from its winter apathy is a new part of the daily routine.
choice weapons.
the quarry.
weeding five gallons a day takes a while, but it keeps my vitamin d levels up and my neuroses appeased.
the young apprentice affixes lattice-like grids to our square foot gardens.
it wasn't until these pictures of my four year-old and a power tool were uploaded that i realized - no daddies are visible. one of the many, many things i am slowly learning from the mayor is how to teach hobbitlings without irksome smothering. in this instance, he set the screws, showed boookie how to use the drill, and then patiently supervised from a respectful distance while boookie "did it all by himself!"
just look at this proud little boy!
when the grids had been expertly secured, the planting of twelve kale sprouts launched this year's gardening endeavors. thank you, stacey!
and in the kitchen, small hobbits hover over 102 tiny seeds and offer frequent reminders for grown-up hobbits to mist the soil. in ela's words, "some things are just taking such a very long time!" we are all learning patience.
fortunately, patience is the province of early spring.
george macdonald, phantastes
early spring at michael delving feels to me like anodos' beech tree nymph: delicately colored in rainy shadows, contented, and waiting for something not yet at hand.the days slowly lengthen...
timid leaves gradually follow bold daffodils and crocuses into the cold, coaxing sunshine...
and hobbits remember how much they love growing things in good, tilled earth.
spring's labor begins! reviving the yard from its winter apathy is a new part of the daily routine.
choice weapons.
the quarry.
weeding five gallons a day takes a while, but it keeps my vitamin d levels up and my neuroses appeased.the young apprentice affixes lattice-like grids to our square foot gardens.
it wasn't until these pictures of my four year-old and a power tool were uploaded that i realized - no daddies are visible. one of the many, many things i am slowly learning from the mayor is how to teach hobbitlings without irksome smothering. in this instance, he set the screws, showed boookie how to use the drill, and then patiently supervised from a respectful distance while boookie "did it all by himself!"
just look at this proud little boy!
when the grids had been expertly secured, the planting of twelve kale sprouts launched this year's gardening endeavors. thank you, stacey!
and in the kitchen, small hobbits hover over 102 tiny seeds and offer frequent reminders for grown-up hobbits to mist the soil. in ela's words, "some things are just taking such a very long time!" we are all learning patience.
fortunately, patience is the province of early spring.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
coup coup kachu!
i want to type good morning even though it's half past noon. but i'll settle for pouring my thrice nuked cup of coffee (bleh) down the drain and brewing a fresh cup while i contemplate how best to take-over this blog.
with few exceptions, most people i know share the opinion that blogging is a colossal waste of time. posting blogs wastes time. checking them wastes time. despair.com says what we're all probably thinking each time we sit down in the fish-belly glow of our computer screens to update or to blogroll:
"never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few."
(by the way, same goes for facebook and twitter.)
we hobbits at michael delving have spent the winter months busily living real life. and we truthfully haven't missed utilizing this blog except on rare occasions.
like when ela stepped outside into the nasty early morning of daylight savings time sunday, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "it smells like beautiful!"
or when boookie woke up in the middle of the night wailing, "it's asleep! it's asleep!" the mayor rush to help reengage whichever little limb had lost circulation. "what's asleep, son?" boookie pointed weakly to his own chest and answered in a devastated squeak, "ME!"
with few exceptions, most people i know share the opinion that blogging is a colossal waste of time. posting blogs wastes time. checking them wastes time. despair.com says what we're all probably thinking each time we sit down in the fish-belly glow of our computer screens to update or to blogroll:
"never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few."
(by the way, same goes for facebook and twitter.)
we hobbits at michael delving have spent the winter months busily living real life. and we truthfully haven't missed utilizing this blog except on rare occasions.
like when ela stepped outside into the nasty early morning of daylight savings time sunday, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "it smells like beautiful!"
or when boookie woke up in the middle of the night wailing, "it's asleep! it's asleep!" the mayor rush to help reengage whichever little limb had lost circulation. "what's asleep, son?" boookie pointed weakly to his own chest and answered in a devastated squeak, "ME!"
the potential beauty of blogs (at least the ones i waste my time with) remains in their celebration of small things. and i think that is why and how this blog will be recommissioned. it is for family, and all those who might as well be family, to see pictures of our hobbitlings as they grow. but it is also a chance for me to look at my mundane world with the expectation that i will find things worthy of celebration. "no doubt to others, our ways seem quaint,” said a famous (and overly-quoted) hobbit on the big screen. “but, today of all days, it is brought home to me: it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life!"
three more days until the simple life of spring begins and, with it, a new leaf of our blog at michael delving.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Fall at Michael Delving
Rather than trying to catch up on posts, the Mayor decided to start with Fall. Here are the hobbitlings enjoying some fresh air out at the Farm in Snohomish.
Ela hobbitling eyes a likely pumpkin.
The hobbit mommy holding her hobbitlings as they pet a kitty at the Farm.
Ela clowning for the camera - this is what happens when hobbitlings are given Laffy Taffy.
This is another picture of what happens when a hobbitling is given sugar.
Hobbitlings looking out the window at Starbucks, waiting for one of their favorite grandmas.
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Boookie in his Robin Hood costume for Halloween.
Hobbitlings posing for pictures in their costumes.
Ela with her baby doll.
Boookie playing drums with his new drumsticks.
Ela playing drums with a friend.
Ela hobbitling eyes a likely pumpkin.
The hobbit mommy holding her hobbitlings as they pet a kitty at the Farm.
Ela clowning for the camera - this is what happens when hobbitlings are given Laffy Taffy.
This is another picture of what happens when a hobbitling is given sugar.
Hobbitlings looking out the window at Starbucks, waiting for one of their favorite grandmas.
Boookie in his Robin Hood costume for Halloween.
Hobbitlings posing for pictures in their costumes.
Ela with her baby doll.
Boookie playing drums with his new drumsticks.
Ela playing drums with a friend.
2018 update - the Mayor found some gems from summer/fall 2009 and had to add them to this blog post.
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