To my son

Six years ago today, at 12:59pm, my son was born.  These past six years has been filled with his laughter, his smiles, sometimes his tears, but a lot of hugs and kisses too.  He fills me with such love and joy, it's unfathomable.

I'm proud of his achievements, as any parent would be.  I don't boast much of those things as they are benchmarks most children reach in their youth.  I am more touched by the things that make my son uniquely Him.  I love how he tells me that his entire body is his tickle spot.  Or how he wants to show me his entire fleet of Lego ships and explains what each piece does.  Sometimes he'll just run around the house at top speed, perhaps imagining that he's helping to make the world spin.  I'll catch him dancing to music but I can't let him see me watching him or he'll stop dancing.  He still doesn't like his veggies and most fruits but he loves tofu.  I love how he'll reminisce of Japan and say how he misses a friend.  Just out of the blue.  He has a sweetness about him, a wonderful innocence that I don't want to go away.  But then I feel guilty that I should not want for my child to have the experiences that would shape him into the wonderful man that he will become. 

He is a gift from God, a gift to this world, as all children are. And he is mine.  I love you Zelig.  Happy Birthday, my love!

re·pa·tri·ate (r-ptr-t) tr.v. re·pat·ri·at·ed, re·pat·ri·at·ing, re·pat·ri·ates To restore or return to the country of birth, citizenship, or origin

August 3, 2009:  We leave Japan, our home for the past 5 years.  13 hours later we are back in the good ole "U" "S" of "A".  We make our way to our new community in Georgia, looking forward to a new life, new friends and new adventures.

July 20, 2010:  I've cast my first vote as a citizen of my little town in Georgia.  I'm planning a birthday party for Zelig.  I gave our new dog, Sparkles, her heart worm medicine and applied caps to our cats nails.  I made a tasty meal tonight using vegetables from my garden.  I didn't have the opportunity to cut up the Armenian Yard Long cucumber.  I tell my friends that I'm still settling in although I'm feeling very settled.  There is so much to do with this house but I have time.  I'm not rushed.  I have at least 19 years to get it all done!

This one's for Kim

It was asked recently of me what life is like outside of the military.  Good question and for me, a hard one to answer.  My only experience with the military was the 5 1/2 years in Japan.  Those that have lived at more duty stations, overseas or CONUS, will know better than me the differences of living in the "real" world.  But of course I have put much thought into this question and the one answer that I can think of is "freedom".

Funny that as American citizens dependent on an active duty service member, we lacked certain freedoms that most civilians take for granted.  Whether you live on or off a military base, overseas or CONUS, our lives were restricted by boundaries and limits.  We had curfews, limits of speech, dress codes too.  Access of care and services had limits as well.  And of course, there's the military I.D.  Soon after arriving in our new town, for but a few seconds, I would panic as I searched for my I.D. before going into Walmart.  That was an easy habit to break.

Of course there are perks to being a military dependent, I'm not denying that.  But I'd rather give up shopping at the commissary and using 6 month, out of date coupons, for the right to say what I want and not worry about the reprisal on my spouse or myself. 

Finally, Buford Highway Farmer's Market!

There is something to be said about living in the country.  Last night I was able to enjoy a beautiful spring night sky with a few friends, something I couldn't have done, at least not as well, if we lived closer to the city.  We saw spring constellations and stars such as Orion, Leo, Sirius, and Gemini.  We even saw two satellites racing through the sky!  But that also means that we miss out on the wonderful opportunities of living in the city such as diverse dining opportunities, entertainment venues and anonymity.  We're only 30-45 minutes away from all of that so it's really not a hardship.  And considering how spread out and diverse the Atlanta metro area is, we can enjoy the diversity without even having to go into the city at all.

That means, I can get my Asian fix by heading up to Doraville, GA.  This area is basically a conglomeration of Asian cultures and businesses, mostly Korean and Vietnamese, with strings of strip malls lining Buford Highway.  Korean barbeque, hot pot and bibimba are offerings at these many restaurants as well as vietnamese pho.  This also means that grocery stores are nearby and that includes the Buford Highway Farmer's Market. 

The market is huge.  Huge!  It's not much to look at on the outside but on the inside, it's huge!  But considering that it's an international market, it would have to be large to accommodate the all the various food stuffs to satisfy the diverse cultures that live around Atlanta.  Now, ethnic grocery stores abound in and around the city, but it's nice to have a place like BFM that's large and clean where we can shop around the globe in a comfortable setting while enjoying samples too!

Photography isn't allowed in the store but I took a few quick photos anyway.  I wish I had taken photos of their seafood section. I would love to show you the cases filled with live crayfish, the seven different types of shrimp, as well as the other shellfish selections and the live fish.  The smell wasn't offensive which means they make sure their products are fresh and their space is clean.  There is also a butchery too but for some reason, I'm never impressed with meat.  But their produce selection, WOW!

  Various root type vegetables

 

 Just a small section of their green vegetables.  There is another display of more leafy green vegetables including snow pea leaves and others that I have never seen before!

 There are at least 10 varieties of eggplant on this table!  There are more on the curve of the table that you can't see.

 

Of course, there is always the snack section.  It's always one of the first places I check out when I go to any Asian grocery store.  Do they have my favorite candies?  Well, no KitKat bars but they do have other yummy goodies such as Hokkaido chocolate cheese candy, (oishii), Crunky, gummy marshmallows and yes, they even have Hi-Chus!!

 

 

YAY!  Hi-Chews!?

A few of their salad dressings.  They do have the Pietro brand including the sesame miso flavor and soy sauce flavor.  FYI: In the upper left corner of this photo is a bottle of yuzu juice.  I should have bought one but it was $20!  So I bought wasabi/yuzu dressing instead.

 This is a cold case in the Eastern European section.  It's an incredible selection of caviars, pickled fish and one of my new favorites, cold smoked fish!

I'm going to go back to BFM soon.  The shrimp and mushroom dumplings that we had brought over to our friends house last night got left in our car and, well, you get the picture.  The car doesn't smell bad at all which is a good thing and I get to go back to the market to replace the dumplings which is a better thing!  So if there is anything anyone needs, please let me know.  And btw: they have great crispy tostadas and an almost complete selection of dried chilies too!

Pollen, Leeches and Frogs, Oh My!

What you are seeing is a photo of a small contribution of the 5500+ pollen count that hit Walton County yesterday.  I looked outside and was reminded of the Gobi Desert dust that would fly into Japan on a toxic front from China usually around February.  This front would then rain yellow and brown dust and and leave us with burning eyes and sputtering coughs for maybe a day or two.  But this, this is pollen.  Nothing but pure, Carolina Pine pollen.  This year us Millers are fine and not showing any allergic reactions but next year, well, can I say I'll just hold my breath?

Not art or is it?

I hope the fish are alive.  Doug and Zelig

bought 10 goldfish from Walmart last night but

I don't see them down there.  They are small.

I just hope they survive the next few days.

Speaking of ponds, Doug and friends finished the pond overhaul.  It really needed a good cleaning too.  The pond had to be drained to the last drop whereupon Doug and his junior helpers discovered LEECHES at the bottom.  They found every one of them, I HOPE, a few frogs too.  Finally they threw out the rest of the debris, rocks and pine straw, and got that pond clean and clear.  Of course the photo above does not show a beautiful product but I hope you get the gist from the ones below.

 Falling Waters III?

 One of our friends took it upon herself to put the slabs back around the pond.  

Thanks to all of our helpers on our pond re-do: Michael, Zelig, Thomas, Jolie and Terry.   You all did a great job.  You too Doug!

Update: Life in Monroe in March

It's still cold in Georgia.  Maybe one or two sunny days, those are just teasers!  This month has been cold and quite honestly, I'm starting to get tired of it.  Mainly because I want to garden and Zelig's practices are later in the day and outdoors of course when the nights are cold. 

Zelig had a game tonight.  They were CREAMED!  18 to 6!  Yikes.  But Zelig doesn't mind.  Actually, he doesn't really care one way or the other.  We try to give him some commentary at the end of the game, just so he can understand what was going on.  All he cared about was playing out some scene from Star Wars the Clone Wars or looking at the ground for any snakes.  Yep, he's in the outfield.  The very last inning of tonight's game, the coach put a few of the regular outfielders in to the infield.  Zelig was at 2nd base!  He did fine too.  Actually, he looked more mindful of the game and seemed to actually PLAY the game, as opposed to watching it.  One of these days, I'll take a few photos of a game to share.

The garden is going well.  Check out Red Earth Diary if you are interested in more in-depth commentary.  But very quickly, I have a large cleared out lot in the back of my yard so I asked a few friends to share the space for their own gardens.  We each have our own beds, all are built and are awaiting final filling with wood compost.  My seedlings that I started are okay.  Not great, some are leggy, such as the tomatoes.  The peppers haven't sprouted at all but the kohlrabi are doing great!  I'm getting a little excited about the leeks too.  The rest of the seeds that I have in my "box of ambition" can just be direct sowed, usually when the weather warms up...whenever that will be.

As for my other gardens, I'm getting antsy there too.  I have a swath of lawn, off of the paved path, next to the back of the house, that would be most suitable for stone crop or sedum.  Around the corner from that bed, I think I can be a little more involved and put in more flowers, maybe iris and lamb's ears.  Those are great combinations by the way.

Doug recently installed a fountain in our pond.  I wasn't too convinced that a fountain is what that pond needed but once installed, it really is a nice change for the patio.  The sound of the water is mesmerizing, even tranquil.  I think we need a fire pit to finish off the patio!

Zelig found a snake the other day.  Actually, Doug found the baby garter snake but Zelig adopted it.  No, he did not bring it into the house and call it "Fred" but he did insist on holding onto the little critter until it fainted.  No, the snake did not die.  It was just resting as Zelig put it.  I think it was trying to play dead until Zelig let it go.  Which he eventually did, covering up the snake with a leaf to hide from the hawks.  

Things always taste best when you share with a friend

I really enjoying drinking a good cocktail every now and then.  I don't drink often, only during the weekend and usually just one drink at that.  Of course if the mixologist is whipping up a tasty treat, well then maybe two will do for the evening.  Lately Doug and I have been enjoying a few classic cocktails, the Moscow Mule and Bee's Knees.

Just like many of the classic prohibition-era cocktails, the Bee's Knees is an icy and sweet concoction created to mask the incendiary taste of speakeasy mash.  Current recipes will include a steeped lavender blossom to add to the mix but I can't imagine the bartender at a speakeasy during the 1920's going through the trouble of finding a lavender blossom and steeping it for several minutes. 

The Moscow Mule is not prohibition-era but a product of necessity, hence invention.  In a nutshell, back in NY, some argue LA, but definitely in 1941, John, John and Rudy,  all business men in the business of libation, had to think of a way to sell ginger beer.  So after warming up with a few drinks and nibbles, they came up with the idea of mixing the ginger beer with vodka, Smirnoff Vodka to be exact.  The concoction would later be served in a copper mug, but that in itself did not add to the taste of the new drink.  It was merely a marketing ploy to sell drinks and then the drinker could take home the novel mug.  Much like buying wine from a winery and getting to take home the vintner's etched wine glass.

If you ever get the chance, please try either drink.  They work well in any season but always taste best when shared with friends.

Moscow Mule
<

- 1 1/4 oz Smirnoff vodka
- 3 oz. ginger beer*
- 1 tsp. sugar syrup
- 1/4 oz. lime juice
- 1 sprig mint
- 1 slice lime
 Mix and enjoy

 
*After much trial and error, Doug and I have decided that Reed's Extra Ginger Brew Ginger Beer and DG Jamaican Ginger Beer are good products for the Moscow Mule.

The Bee's Knees
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce honey syrup*
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker, stir briefly to dissolve honey syrup, then fill with ice. Shake well for 10 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
* Mixing honey with hot water makes it easier to mix in a drink. To make honey syrup, simply combine equal parts honey and hot water, and stir until dissolved. Keep remainder refrigerated.

image: http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com

Baby It's Cold Outside!

It's February.  After a soggy Autumn, we now have cold winds and snow.  Snow?!  Wait, we're in Georgia.  What are we doing with four inches of snow on the ground?  Ah, yes.  It's that time for...EL NINO!  It was a bad El Nino Winter many years ago which drove me from a frozen Washington, D.C. to seek the sunnier climate of Central Florida.  I worked in Reston, VA but lived in Fredericksburg, (getting my B.A. in Art History).  Several times a week, I'd commute a little over 1 hour each way to get to either work or home.  Not that bad of a trip but anyone who has experienced Interstate 95 during rush hour, with a snow storm, (I think they even used the word, blizzard, back then) and of course, no more salt or sand to lay down on the roads, would understand my exodus out of D.C.  Yes, Mid-Atlantickers...D.C. ran out of salt and sand!  Let's just hope this Winter, the DOT was mindful and stocked up with enough grit to cover the roads.


Speaking of grit, Georgia, is ill experienced with snow.  But that's okay, they shouldn't be.  It's not supposed to snow here.  The average temperature in Athens, GA for February is 56 degrees.  56 DEGREES FOLKS, NOT 37!  So Wal-mart, (yes Wal-Mart) must be doing well selling cold weather clothes.  Good thing I bought Zelig's snow boots when I did.  They were the last in his size, but I couldn't find snow gloves for him in small.  What I bought him are huge but they keep his hands warm, (when his hands are in them and not in the snow making snowballs). 

Speaking of Wal-Mart...yes, I've shopped there.  And still do.  Maybe once a week.  I'd rather not.  I'd rather go to Kroger's or even Publix, but both are not in Monroe.  The closest of the two, Kroger's, is perhaps 15 minutes away.  It's certainly not too far out of the way to go after I've dropped off Zelig at school, but to be honest with you, it does cost more to shop at Kroger's and yes, there are times when I need a can of spray paint, snow boots and a carton of milk.  Where can I get all that in one stop?  Wal-Mart is easy on my wallet and saves my sanity.  I know all about the evils of Wal-Mart, doing business with the most evil and powerful country in the world, China.  I know China doesn't have the same safety regulations as the U.S., hence all the poisonous products they have and still do export out of their country into ours.  But until there is an affordable solution, most Americans, including myself, will shop at Wal-mart and even Target because they provide what we want.  It would be nice if an American company could do the same, provide a one stop-shopping experience with affordable, made in America products.  Don't you agree?

So what does Wal-Mart have to do with snow in Georgia?  Nothing.  I was going on a stream of consciousness.  It was fun.  Now back to work.