The Most Wonderful Weekend of the Year: Folk Festival

Life is full of questions, worries and conundrums. We often get bogged down with the who, what, where, when and why worries. I don't know about you, but sometimes I just want to pack it all in and forget about life for a while. So, every summer, Bob and I head off to the perfect place...the Auckland Folk Festival! Accompainied by some very good friends, we are able to put life's big questions aside and simply enjoy ourselves. I also get to reconnect with my inner hippy. Follow along as I describe some of the big questions we face at the Folk Festival:

Did we forget anything?

Where should we put the tents?

How does this work?

Should I have another drink?

Should I entertain myself by playing Gnome Bowling with a child?




...Or maybe a riveting arm wrestling match?

...Or perhaps a singing workshop?

...Or shall I kick it at the campsite with friends?

It's quite hot. How should I keep cool?

Icy cold water from the cooler should do the trick nicely!

Can men wear sarongs?

Yes! And with some safety pins, they can make pirate pants!

What kinds of colorful characters will I meet?

Why should I give a crap about my hair and makeup?

Will the music be as good this year as it was last year?

How many beers does Bob need before he starts dancing?

And finally, how many more sleeps until we can do it all again next year?

Ah, sweet Festival...like all good things, it must come to an end.

The Fruits (and Veggies) of Our Labor

As I get older, I seem to become more interested in doing things myself. Maybe this is a kind of advanced independence. This desire to do things myself mainly comes to light in the kitchen. I adore making things from scratch...anything from pasta sauce to tortillas to desserts. I've always valued authenticity. So you can imagine how much fun I am having with my very own veggie garden! Bob and I worked hard to dig up a section of our back yard and had heaps of fun choosing what we would plant. Now, three months on, we are seeing and tasting results! So far we have harvested two cauliflowers, and thanks to a recipe by Ted Allen (I swear, if he was straight and I was single....) I've actually ENJOYED eating them! Our tomato plant is coming along very well, with some tomatoes already turning red. We also pulled up one of our potato plants and found many little dirty beauties. We boiled them up with a bit of fresh mint (again, from our garden! Rather accidentally, really...I bought a small mint plant ages ago and tossed it in the dirt after I thought it had died, and now it's rampant through my hedges!)

I can't wait to get my hands on some fresh, ripe tomatoes. I think I might give canning a try and make my own pasta sauces and stewed tomatoes.

Really, though, I'm just reveling in the notion that I can go outside and pick side dishes for my dinner from my own back yard!

And of course, I'm loving the sense of satisfaction of being able to say, "I made that."

Boys are GROSS!

I suppose I should have known what I was getting into when I decided to live with men.

Bob's been out of town for the weekend, so I decided to clean up the computer room. Mind you, I've hinted, suggested and flat out told him to tidy up the room, and the answer has always been, "I'll get to it." And he never does. I know, I know...all I'm doing is teaching him that if he puts things off long enough, I'll eventually do them...Bob is fabulous, but not flawless!

What did I find? Let's see!

3 empty bags of chips.
2 half empty bags of chips.
Many loose chips.
A bowl that contained God knows what from God only knows how long ago.
Beer bottles.
Macaroni.
Beer bottles.
Chips.
Macaroni.
Candy wrappers.
American cheese slice wrappers.
Beer bottles.


For the love of all things good and pure in this world, the trash can is only a few feet away!!!!!

This, combined with the overflow of Heaven only knows in Isaac's room that keeps threatening to spill into the hallway, and the dishes that sit in the sink until I start giving Medusa stares, and the toilet paper rolls that are placed carefully on top of, next to or behind (but rarely in) the trash cans, I can come to only one conclusion:

Boys are GROSS!

(But I don't know what I'd do without them...what they lack in housekeeping skills they make up for in general entertainment value!)

Simple Pleasures

A few of my favorite things:

Fresh, line-dried cotton sheets.

Singing the few Italian ariettas I learned in voice lessons at the top of my lungs in the shower or while vacuuming when no one is home.

Catching the eyes of a babies and making silly faces until they smile at me.

Being right.

Finding old friends on Facebook.

Cooking and baking things from scratch.

Sharing my food with friends.

Packing for trips.

Knitting.

My daily big hug with Bob after work.

Long hours lingering with friends over coffee on Sunday afternoon.

New Zealand summer.

Christmas.

Baby lambs frolicking in the park in spring.

Cheese.

Wine and cheese.

Fruit and cheese.

Bob.

Having a clean and tidy house.

Weddings.

Road trips.

Eating gummy worms on road trips.

Auckland Folk Festival.

Going back to Denver to see my family and friends.

My iPod.

My red kitchen scale.

Garden gnomes.

My digital camera.

Grandma's artwork.

Throwing parties.

Dreaming about my wedding day.

Thinking up names for my future children.

Napping on the couch on a day off.

Great memories from college.

Seedless grapes.

Egg noodles.

Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time tea.

Kumara.

Cheese raviolis.

Enchiladas.

Our veggie patch.

Cold weather at Christmas.

The feeling I get when the airplane captain announces the descent into Denver.

The first day of the year when it's not too cold to wear a tank top.

The first day of the year when it's cold enough to wear a turtleneck sweater.

New shoes.

Shopping sprees.

Buying gifts for people I love.

Baking things to take to work.

Finding old photos.

Hearing a song I haven't heard in years that takes me back to the day....

And so many more things...I could go on for days! Life is good, oh yes it is.