The sun has only shown itself in brief glimpses these past couple of weeks.
I'm beginning to miss it...
But the reservoirs are thirsty. The soil is parched. The sky missed it's clouds.
The trees have seeds to disperse.
The streets needed a good soaking and the trash cans missed broken umbrellas
My boots and hats needed to be worn....
But I'm beginning to miss the sunshine.

A compost revolution!

"We had a recycling revolution... now we need a compost revolution"! Check this article on worm composting in the NYT today. My worm bin is going strong! 

A beautiful little trip to Millennium.

I've been waiting for a long time to taste the delicious local, seasonal and all vegan menu at Millennium...it was a thoughtful gift from friends and well worth the wait.

Roasted Beet salad with a balsamic reduction and hazelnuts--I didn't miss the goat cheese!
White Bean Bruschetta served with thick wedges of toast and mustard kissed radicchio.

Hedgehog Mushroom+Roasted Veggie Pot Pie but the star was the side of brussel sprouts cooked to perfection in a blood orange/olive remoulade.

Seasonal sorbet served over blood oranges--I wish I could remember the flavor combinations...

I was partial to the starter plates, desserts, and their unique twists on simple seasonal vegetables. I'm not enough of a mushroom addict yet to really appreciate where they take them...but go and get a few starters with someone you love to share dishes with, revel in the reading the menu cover to cover cause their philosophy can't be beat.

A Wonderland of Pinks & Chocolates

I love when the pink trees pop! this time of year. Plums and peaches--so many now just ornamental--show off their pretty pinks that glow against the misty storm clouds of February. Last weekend the sun was out full and bright so

I took the day off gardening & went on an urban hike with some good company.

Just can't get enough.

A highlight was my first venture into Faletti's with the most magical dessert section and all local/seasonal take out food section. It's like Whole Foods done right.
What's better than mini cupcake wonders?

That big fat chocolate chip cookie, that's what!

They create unbelievable sculpture cakes-this is one of the simple ones...

Rain=Good Movie Watching

I've been neglecting my favorite local video store Le Video in the name of spending my days knee deep in sun and soil...and too much time surfing the blog world. But the rain has brought me back to lots of movie watching...

The Edge of Heaven:Every character is connected, but it's anything but predictable A beautiful, film that does unexpected things including moving between Turkey and Germany. It's got a bit of everything, unusual love stories, political persecution, family drama--you fall in love with characters you didn't think you'd like...a good one.

Burden of Dreams: Heart of Darkness take two. The documentarians Les Blank and Werner Hertzog take on the Amazon...Blank follows Werner as he makes a film that pushes Werner into his own heart of darkness. Not just a story of one man's crusade, but also of film making as exploitation and a film about pushing boundaries. Recommend watching a couple of Blank and Hertzog films (Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers and The Ecstasy of the Sculpture Steiner for ex.) before you watch this one, it makes this one so much better.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Trying to watch old Newman films--turns out this is a western I can get behind. Redford+Newman circa 1969=sizzling hot! To say anymore would give too much away.

Killer Poet: Not a Le Video find, but a feature at the SF Independent Film Festival. One man, two murders, a model prisoner, an escape, a life lived as a poet for 20years until hunted down and thrown back into jail. You're left with big questions--do you believe in rehabilitation?

best of 08 II

The rest of the best, done in reverse order...so here are the photos that started out the epic year of 08...now on to 09!

My favorite neighborhood hilltop. Grandview Park.

A purple bulldozer. Really?

The one and only Shamrock. Yes, I danced with the bartender. Good times.

First hike up the twin peaks...

Mystery box of veggies..a steal for $25...

I heart Austin.

Building Resources--the best!

Serving a meal at Glide with the work peeps...

Ear mushrooms at Garden for the Environment

Butterfly cocoons!

Bookshelf at Frank Llyod Wright's Taliesin.

The kick off wedding of 08...yes, that's a wedding cake.

Yay, that's my niece in there!

Alemany Farmers' Market Goodness

A Fresh Almond!