Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

I feel like lately all I write amounts to blatherings on how our gardens are progressing. Yesterday I wandered around and wondered at how everything seems to sneak open and surprise me though I pass by the garden everyday. All around our house the purple irises have been blooming, but now joining those are a purple/yellow blended iris; pink peonies have burst forth from their tight fists into glorious flowers; day liles are still present and trumpeting; lilies of the valley clang in the wind--white bells; now I am pacing back and forth waiting to see the fruits of our more recent labors. TSO's gladiolus are tall and leggy, but flowerless; my triteleias are growing, steady sharp points, but so far from flowering that I grow impatient looking at them. I am now looking eagerly for signs of all of last weekends work; scanning for sunflowers, cosmos, broomcorn, anything new that will add to our gardens beauty. Down at my garden plot watering my mounds of pumpkins...

I know I am a little ahead of the game--the 50th anniversary isn't until July--but I saw this article  yesterday and had to share it. For many of us To Kill a Mockingbird was required reading in school--for me it never was, so I took it upon myself to read it. I came to To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in seventh grade; my family had just uprooted from a private school back to public school (nearly an hour away); I was virtually friendless, lonely and unhappy; I didn't know who or what to believe in anymore and I was angry at the world. I fell into Harper Lee's book; was amused with Scout, who reminded me of myself; envied Atticus Finch, who's patience was something to marvel at. It has been nearly 20 years since last I read To Kill a Mockbird --though only months since last I watched the movie (which I love)--so it is time to read it again. Here's to you Harper Lee. Happy 50th. "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that...

In New England it is usually good to wait until Memorial Day to put your seeds and plants (unless otherwise advised) in the ground. But, after reading the weather report for this week leading up to Memorial Day I decided that it would probably be okay to start putting seeds in the ground. Last year TSO and I shared a garden plot, which is what we'll be doing again this year, but I will also have one to myself for my inchers; mounds for my Baby Pam pie pumpkins and Howden carving pumpkins, double yield cucumbers and Chelsea watermelons whose bumpy dirt humps grew all around me in my garden plot as I stooped under a warm sun. After I arrived home TSO and I planted seeds in our flower beds; sunflowers: mammoths, evening suns, Aztec golds and Chianti, all planted mixed together in a long row in front of the broom corn. As he raked away wood chips and made a long narrow trough I planted his vininig and twining morning glories and moonflowers at the bottom of the front porch ...

After arriving home from the Farmer's Market I decided to make dinner for the roomies and myself; our list eventually growing to include: TSO, RugbyGirl, EvanAlmighty, Christy, FLGirl and myself. Lacking the creative juices to come up with a dinner menu, I started by baking a strawberry rhubarb crumble; wanting to make this crumble was the whole reason I had seeked out rhubarb (and non-local strawberries--I know, I know). I was basing my crumble off of Heidi of 101cookbooks.com 's  Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble found here . I simplified my recipe a little bit: 1. Chop rhubard into 3/4 inch thick slices 2. Slice 1 lb. of strawberries 3. Toss rhubarb and strawberries in 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch, 3/4-1 cup of sugar (white is fine) 4. Dump mixture into a sprayed (oiled) pan. 5. **This is where I cheated to save time** Sprinkle already made granola on top of the strawberry/rhubarb mixture. We make it here at the Farm (almost weekly) and it is the best granola ...

My trip to two Farmer's Markets (last week) nearby the Farm proved to be, well, fruitful. The Farmer's Market in Otis, MA--small, held in a local gas station parking lot--provided me with a small bleeding heart plant for the shady side of our house. The Farmer's Market in Great Barrington, MA was bigger, with more selections and a wider variety of goods: plants/flowers, meats, breads/pastries, soups, etc.  While I left Otis with only a plant I walked away from the GB Farmer's Market with three tomato plants--two varities new to me: Cherokee Purple and Green Zebra. I thought it would be fun to mix things up since what I've started from seeds are common red varieties: Romas and Italian Heirlooms. This will add color to my salsa this summer! I also purchased (slightly overpriced, I think) rhubarb and a delicious sourdough roll from Berkshire Mountain Bakery. So good. Felt good to be supporting local. YAY!

A list we all came up with things we'd advise/warn others to be aware of before going on a cruise: The adults only pool and whirlpools tended to be a lot less crowded. Seemed like even the younger, childless drunkos preferred the main deck pool with the two bars nearby. (Maybe the fact that the adults only pool only had one bar near it, not two, was the major clincher?) A couple people tried to bring kids into both the adults only hot tub and pool,  but they were quickly told off by those enjoying the sans children atmosphere. The sit down dinner with the assigned table, etc. was AMAZING! Not only did it take us away from the busy buffet, but our waiters were great—we always had the same two guys; both memorized our names and were so gracious in their service to us—and the food was so good! You can also order as much as you want.  The presentation of these meals was lovely too! The sit down dinner insured you always had your reservation at a spec. time. On our ship it ...

Nassau is one of those off the hook experiences. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but what greeted us was a deluge of Bahamians who wanted our money; wanted us to go for a horse drawn carriage ride; a snorkeling excurion; a scooter ride around the island; wanted us to shop in their stores; eat at the restaurants; stop in for a beer. It was overwhelming. But, I can't blame them. Tourism is their #1 bread winner, so it only makes sense that they really fight for the tourists and really push their wares. S and I headed off the ship early in the morning to explore Nassau; spending our first hour wandering around, away from the pier, through the shopping district in search of postcards. Making our way back onto the ship to drop off our bags, we ran into TSO who agreed to come with us and go on a two and a half hour guided driving tour of the island and also Paradise Island, where the famously, fabulously expensive Atlantis hotel is located. Our driver didn’t really tell...