Boulder, CO. here we come!!!

Jamie & I leave at 8 am. this will be our view driving from Denver into Boulder. Booyah! so excited! Be back in a week. until then, imagine me making sweet mountain magic ;-)

my silly siblings

jess & greg (aka bubby) at long beach island. they're great. since they've returned from california (santa cruz and santa barbara, respectfully) my brother always wears his sunglasses at night. and now plays a harmonica. jessica is crafting homemade jewelry with wire, crystal and found objects such as driftwood and fools gold. Really interesting, pretty pieces. They bought an inflatable raft and were riding the ocean waves together. They're too great!

salsa verde, people!

so, i bought a box of tomatillos from the jersey girl farmer on saturday, and she so kindly supplied me with this recipe for salsa verde. How is it that I never touched a tomatillo before? what a beautiful fruity vegetable! this salsa turned out amazing (if i might say so myself) just a little bit spicy, smoky and sweet. so yummy. 

Salsa Verde

1 1/2 lb tomatillos

1/2 C chopped white onion

1/2 C cilantro leaves

1 T fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp sugar

2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded & chopped

salt to taste

1. Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken skin.

2. Place tomatillos & all the other ingredients into blender or food processor and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.

the old injury

so, i was in a car crash last summer. and i really hurt my neck. its been feeling a lot better for awhile (after thousands of $ in chiropractor bills, etc) and felt like i really got my functional body back.

then i don't know what happened, the injury has been re-triggered and its like I'm back at square one. Oh, the mystery of soft tissue injury. The pain is extreme when i try to turn my head to either side. Yet i'm kinda in denial b/c i'm still doing all my daily activities. Actually I cried last night it hurt so bad & b/c i was so angry about it. I'm just really fed up that it won't heal and be done with.  Anyhoo. i'm icing it. taking advil. doing the reiki. about to ben gay it. whatever!

I'm supposed to go down the shore today, to spend time with the fam in Ship Bottom nJ. My little sister wants to go sea kayaking together. This was actually one of my summer goals, to go kayaking. and i'm poo pooing everything that i can't . well, i am going to go though. I have a self pitying plan to lie on the rental couch, fuss and grit my teeth & cry to my momma. If there is some sort of life lesson i'm supposed to be learning from this nonsensical long ass healing (not-healing) process, i wish it would just present itself in a more straightforward fashion and lets be done with it. Universe, this is bullshit!

 

sunflowers! summertime!

my boyfriend's boyfriend

Woody & Jamie. Bff.  they showed up for our double dinner date last night in matching shirts. obviously the cutest mistake EVER.  

what i ate for lunch

i cannot stop eating tomatoes. today was a toasted piece of oatmeal bread, slather vegenaise, layer the fresh basil then the big fat tomato slices with  salt and pepper! my diet is hardly varied at this point in the summer. its all tomato all the TIME!

i can't grow them to save my life (i've given up folks. next year its just gotta be something else) but eat them... I shall! Clark Park Farmers market, here i come. tomorrow morning. to buy every single tomato!!!!

and speaking of environmental justice

i was looking up superfund sites in my area... and i guess it is no surprise that Philly ranks as one of the most polluted cities in the us.

the above site will even show you the name, address (and even phone numbers...if you'd like to harass) the industries in your neighborhood, and exactly which substances they are emitting and at what levels. amazing. My inner geek activist public health nurse is pissed off and drooling over it.

there are maps too. and a few places down the street from me as well.

I really like this scorecard site, that tells you how your city/state ranks in all kinds of pollution, what type of substances and what levels they are being emitted at, and what health concerns there are (y'know, cancer, birth defects, respiratory disease)

okay. thats my break from studying. i guess i really do like this information in a sick, angry way.

things i want to say

1. yesterday emerged an obsession with eco-resorts. i've been rampantly researching and imagining myself in a treehouse in the west indies, or upscale camping in the virgin isles. i get on these research kicks. if its not puppy searching, its ecotourism. is this awful? i should be studying for my final tomorrow

2. i miss jamie's family. its been a year now, since we last visited wichita. his aunt sends us a letter about once a month. its always meandering with light hearted gossip throughout. i think she gets lonely. anyhoo. they have two small dogs, and when we visit, we'll take the dogs on walks around the trailer park. really, every thought leads back to dogs today.

3. i'm going with a friend to look for a new apartment for her tonight. well, soon. in like 15 minutes. i am getting some giddy vicarious pleasure through this.

oh okay so i'm going!

late afternoon at my place

my sunroom garden. morning glories that bloom and shrivel daily. heliochrysum in the foreground, that apparantly has alot of medicinal qualities, that alas, i couldn't keep alive for long. sweet potato vine is my new favorite. pale green!

jasmine that flowers sprinkle the livingroom with sweetness & jade (one of hex's old stoic plants)

the mermaid room

Miss Kansas. animal guide extraordinaire.