Baby

I can't believe my baby has passed the two-month mark. Hazel is growing so fast. Ten pounds! I don't care that some peoples' babies are born this size—to me she is a giant. 

I sure love this little blueberry pie—so much that I’m always calling her by the names of my favorite treats and snacks and things, but she’s so much better than all of those combined. I love to smell her sweet little head and I love the way she smiles and giggles for me and I love holding her. She scrunches her little legs up and snuggles up with her little tiny bum sticking out. She better always want to cuddle me. If she doesn’t want to, too bad, because I will make her cuddle me all our lives anyway, so she might as well enjoy it.

One of these days I'll write a little more about her and the things we've been up to.

Sometimes people say silly things when they've just woken up.

What are you doing down there?

I'm hibernating under the covers today.

Okay.

Ugh [pulls covers off], it's hard to breathe after a while. How do people do this?

Heidi, they don't. People don't hibernate.

Wedding trailer

We had a great videographer for our wedding, Matt Taylor of Bluebird Videos. He was easy to work with day-of (and by easy to work with, I mean I didn't even realize he was there most of the time) and we have great, high-quality video from our wedding. I didn't have the best experience with our photographer, and I'm not particularly photogenic, so it has been fun to watch the footage. Here's the trailer Matt created for us:


Chris & Heidi - August 3rd, 2012 from Matt Taylor on Vimeo.

Happy holidays!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Late, because I know you wish the holiday cards were still pouring in.

Easiest tasty salsa

Towards the end of summer and into the fall I kept making this easy and delicious salsa. And then we ate it all and I made more. I made so much that I decided to freeze some so we could still enjoy it when it snowed. Like today.

1. Prepare ingredients: Cut the tops off of three tomatoes and one jalapeno, peel half an onion and peel one clove of garlic (I usually make more than this, but these are approximately my ratios. Except if you make more, be sure not to surpass your food processor’s max line for liquids…).
2. Roast. Oven at about 450° F. Spray or drizzle the vegetables/fruits with olive oil. Roast for about 20-30 minutes or until the tops caramelize a little. Sometimes I let the tomatoes roast longer than the other pieces.
3. Put it all in a food processor, with the juice from roasting. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Pulse.
4. Done. Refrigerate, or eat hot because maybe you can’t wait. I also froze some and that works too when you have a ton of vegetables in your pest-free and weed-free garden.

"If" A Sunday Poem

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son! 
—Rudyard Kipling

Buchart Gardens, Victoria, B.C.

When we were in Vancouver, Chris Pfaffroth and I also went out to Buchart Gardens in Victoria. The word I would use to describe Buchart is picturesque. I have seen lovelier, wilder and more interesting gardens, but Buchart is very well-manicured and richly planted with lovely colors that are pleasing to eye. I think it is quite nice that they represent different country and culture in the gardens—a Japanese Bonsai garden, and English rose gardens for example. There are so many different kinds of roses. As it turns out, I love the Manou Meilland rose of France. Such a color! Look at it online, but know it is more vibrant and pretty in real life. Amazing grace, it made me like pink! I say, go!

Oh look, still eating my gelato. The gelato was found in the Italian gardens. I like Italy.

If I were a photographer, you would be impressed by these pretty dahlias.