Garlic's ready

It really probably needs two more weeks, but Ned pulled one up to
check. I'll be happy to have it out of the garden to make room for
more tomatoes.

VFM opens June 6!

While Ned's at work today, I used my handy new iLife software to design a new Web site for the 2009 Vicskburg Farmers Market. Gone are all the wild colors which, though I liked them last year, just don't sit as well with me this year. Added is an interactive Google map. Google continues to amaze me. Check it out: www.vicksburgfarmersmarket.org.

An MPB Debut

Tonight, at 9 p.m., Above the Line: Saving Willie Mae's Scotch House will debut on Mississippi Public Broadcasting. Kudos to my friend Joe York who, with the Center for Documentary Projects at Ole Miss, produced the film that chronicles the work of John Currence (another friend, and hero!) and the SFA in rebuilding a restaurant in post-Katrina New Orleans. The show also features a brief cameo by Mary Beth, albeit with paint on her nose. Here's how this went: Joe sets me up on a chair in front of lights (it's about a 15 minute "get ready" period) and then he interviews me for about thirty minutes. Ned arrives to New Orleans, walks into the middle of the interview. We break the interview, I stand up and turn around, and Ned says, "Hey, you have paint on your nose." Thanks, Joe. Thanks. You didn't notice when you were adjusting all those umbrella lights? Nonetheless, he did a GREAT job with the film and I've found it in my heart to forgive him.

Braves Backpost

A week ago today, I had the pleasure of watching the Mississippi Braves beat the Mobile Baybears in Pearl, Mississippi, with a crew from Vicskburg. Note the smile: at this point, I'm not aware that I'll have to wait at the airport until 12:30 a.m. for Ned's delayed flight from D.C. Thanks to Sandy for the photo.

My favorite time of year

Glads are on sale at Kroger and Ned picks zinnias in our garden most every day.

Watching the river

River is at 47.4 feet today.

Beautiful hydrangeas

The vacant house across the street grows the most beautiful hydrangeas I've ever seen. I had to take some today. I'm worried that I might become a repeat offender.

Diss in progress

He's as mopey as he looks.

Zinnias everywhere!

MB's newest obsession

Congrats to Rosemary and Gus!

Our friend Rosemary is getting married! We've known since Christmas, but I e-mailed her today and realized that we'd never shared her happy news on our blog. Gus is the lucky groom. Here's a photo from our wedding, when we first met him. Their wedding is Labor Day weekend in Chicago, and Ned and I can't wait to take to the friendly skies to fly up there to celebrate with them. Their reception will be in the new Modern Wing of Chicago's Art Institute -- how fun!

Looking forward to summertime homecomings!

We've missed friends this year -- especially Liz, Sophie and Alex (not pictured). All of them are due to return to the 'burg soon. We can't wait!

Enjoying a full Saturday in the yard -- finally!

It's been far too long since we've had a full day to putter in the yard. But today, we did just that. Ned mowed the grass in the morning, poisoned some weeds, and tied up some peppers before heading to the office in preparation for his DC trip. Mary Beth planted impatiens and mulched the front beds, and added Miracle Grow to everything that was in the ground. Now we're home for the evening bellyaching about our sore muscles.
Our first glad bloomed. These are my favorite flowers ever.
The oleander looked better before yesterday's rain beat it all down. These buds are off the ground thanks to hidden hand support below the camera's frame.
And the zinnia bed -- it's huge and soon to be loaded with flowers. You can see a few peeking through already.

Glimpses from the garden

First blush from our first tomato. Now the plants are loaded with green fruits, and we expect our first harvest in June.
Squash blossoms have already started -- so have zucchini blossoms. We cannot wait for a summer full of grilled veggies!
Kentucky Wonders (beans) are starting to climb the poles.
Our first zinnias have made it to the kitchen. There are more in the garden, but we didn't want to get too greedy with our first picking.

Home again, home again

Too tired to even post a photo!  But we're safely back home after a very busy 10 days across the pond.  Tomorrow, we'll sleep late.  And we'll deliver garden photos, because our late night assessment shows that zinnias appeared while we traveled!

Paris in 7 Hours...

We started our day in the Cork Airport.  Then we spent 3 hours at Schiphol (where we found the turbo engine ready for a photo).
First stop in Paris was Notre Dame, of course.  It was beautiful, and we even caught a Mass there.

Paris in 7 hours...(cont'd)

a quick tour of Jardin des Tuileries 
A walk up the Champs d'Elysees to see the Arc de Triomphe.
And, of course, the Eiffel Tower at night (with ice cream).

Off to Paris!

We're at the Cork airport, after three very short hours of sleep, and today holds in store (1) a flight to Amsterdam (2) a train ride to Paris and (3) a mad dash to see Notre Dame before it closes at 6 p.m.  Wish us luck!

Ireland was AMAZING!

Ned preferred Murphy's, actually.
We stopped for a photo in Ned's homeland.
At the Rock of Cashel, where St. Patrick did some baptizing.  The place is a bit old -- built in the 11th century, we think.  They "only" have history of this area dating back to the fourth century. Thanks to the gentleman whose tombstone served as a prop for the camera.
Our gracious hosts, Denis and Carmel.  We got to visit with them on our last evening, which was a terrific treat!

Happy Mother's Day!

We'll send virtual flowers to our moms today (see above). These wild scrub bushes all over the country are blooming and beautiful. They're evergreen and covered in thorns, and spread like wildfire, per the locals. At least they're more attractive than kudzu.

We weren't sure where this gate in Kinsale led, but Ned was fearless and checked it out. Answer: empty lot.

Here we are, on the Ring of Kerry.

Fr. Donal was a wonderful guide for us yesterday, driving us all over the Ring of Kerry and then treating us to dinner. It's fun to visit a new place with a local guide. Here we all are, courtesy of the self-timer on my camera, overlooking Kilarney.

We made it to Ireland!

The trouble started with the car. The drive to Midleton nearly ended our marriage, but -- fortunately -- we made it. Ned was a bit stressed and held onto the grip handles pretty tightly, but MB was confident (not in the directions, but in how to operate a car). Crazy fact: the blinker and the windshield wipers are opposite in cars over here.

Fabulous lunch at Farmgate.

Ned got a diploma while we were over here -- he's a master taster for Jameson now.

On our way to Ireland!

Here's a monument to sex workers of the world.  Note its proximity to the local cathedral.  This church is surrounded on all sides by legal brothels.
Couldn't resist a peep show photo.  Don't worry -- MB didn't let him go in.  :)
The line to tour the Anne Frank house was too long, but the photo opp by the house was quick.
We're off to Ireland.  Internet connections will be spotty at best, non-existent at worst.  We'll update again on Tuesday, at the latest.

Thursday in Den Haag

The day began with a visit to the MC Escher exhibit in Den Haag.  The building that houses the collection is almost as fascinating as the art itself; it's the formal royal palace, and every room has an ornate and artful chandelier.  One's shaped like a spider, another an umbrella, a third a skull, and so forth.  We walked around the Peace Palace built by Andrew Carnegie, but had no tickets (or time) to tour.  MB settled for a photo by the world flame of peace, which Ned remarked seemed rather small.  Other photos in this post (and the next) are from our wanderings.  You see odd things in this town.

More Thursday Photos

Mama would have loved the miniature store.  And we're not sure what the giant chicken was about, as the text was all in Dutch.  As best we can figure, it must have something to do with a new campaign for labeling by the EU.  No matter the campaign's intent, giant chickens on public streets are always bloggable.

Celebrating the Edge

I know that he won't brag about himself, so I'll do it for him: the one and only John T was named to Who's Who at the Beard Awards this week.  CONGRATULATIONS!  Why the delay in the post, you ask?  Because I've been waiting to get his photo first, before posting.  And, just this morning, I've lifted it from Tom Freeland's blog.  The news about John T is exciting, but not surprising -- we've known he was one of the five recipients for awhile now.  And, for those of you who don't know this great guy that I work with, here's a little info:

John T. Edge is director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, where he documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South. The SFA has completed more than 300 oral histories and 20 films, focusing on the likes of fried chicken cooks, row crop farmers, oystermen, and bartenders. Edge is also a contributing editor at Gourmet. He writes for the New York Times. He is a longtime a columnist for the Oxford American. His work for Saveur and other magazines has been featured in six editions of the Best Food Writing compilation. Edge is the author of six books, including the James Beard Foundation Award–nominated cookbook, A Gracious Plenty: Recipes and Recollections from the American South (2002). He is the editor of seven books, including the foodways volume of the New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture (2007).

The Netherlands: Divide and Conquer

Today Ned and I headed our separate ways.  Ned spent the day at the meeting that is the reason for the whole trip.  He discussed sustainable maritime navigation with Arnaud, Jacques, Rolf, and Geert for a few hours (in English, thank goodness) before touring the port of Rotterdam, land of windmills.  I headed towards Gouda, a land known for cheese.  It should also be known for candy and sweets, as there were countless bakeries and confectionaries, which I visited after touring the 15^th century stained glass windows at St. John’s Church.  (They didn't allow photos, so check out the link.)  The church was originally a Catholic cathedral, but was ceded to the Protestants after the Netherlands ousted the Catholics in 1573.  The windows are famous, and have lasted all these years in part because they’re removed every time disaster looms.  They were stored for safety most recently during World War II, when the church hid the glass in earthen bunkers normally reserved for aging – you guessed it – Gouda cheese.

Ned loved the windmills.  I loved the candy stores, as you can tell from our photos.