Cardio (and I don't mean exercise)

So that was fun. NOT.

I've noticed over the last couple of weeks that my Bigeminy PVCs have been happening more frequently and my resting heart rate is about 20 bpm higher than normal. I've also been getting really out of breath when going up the stairs at home. Coupled with my slightly elevated blood pressure, the midwife and I decided it would be best to check in with a cardiologist.

My appointment was today and I won myself 24 hours in a harness monitor and an echo-cardiogram next week. While the harness monitor does suck, the worst part is that I have to have my appointments at the actual hospital. Which is under construction. And (obviously) overflowing with sick people. My anxiety was through the roof. And I think they had the heat turned up to about 85F.

Diagnosis? Meh. Probably nothing unusual, but we're doing the tests anyways. EKG looked fine if a little fast. Will have more data next week.

Homework (or 2012 in Review)

Back in December, one of my twitter friends mentioned that she felt like she hadn't done anything in 2012 besides trying to (and failing to) become a parent. Knowing this to be untrue, I assigned her some homework. I told her I wanted to see a list of at least one fun/cool/brave thing she had done for each month of 2012 outside of family building efforts.

Upon reflection, I decided that I should make my own list to remind me that 2012 was more than just the Year of the Donor Egg. Without further ado:

January - Prof and I went outside and took nighttime self-portraits in a snowstorm.
February - BFF(H) came for a long weekend and we all went night sledding.
March - I kind of lost March... we had an early spring and I know I did a lot of gardening.
April - I donated the last of my unused IVF meds to another couple with no Rx coverage.
May - I met @thisispersonal and she bought me my first martini in NYC.
June - Prof and I planted an herb garden along the side of our house.
July - I tried dragon fruit for the first time and my mom came for a visit.
August - We attended the wedding of a long time friend.
September - I turned 40 and survived the experience.
October - Prof and I took a torchlight tour of our local cemetery.
November - I voted. Not my first time, but it always feels like such a big deal.
December - Spent the holidays with all four of our parents in the same house.

I also thought I'd follow up on my New Year's Resolutions from 2012. I think we only missed one month of photos (March again... what on earth was I doing in March?). I also managed to get cards to my grandma all but one month (not March this time) and talked to both of my parents at least once per week, if not always on Sunday. I did not get a new job title, though it was a near miss. I did at least get the pay raise that was supposed to accompany the new job title. So pretty good results. My resolution for this year may just be to keep it up.

Losses

Two cousins.
One uncle.
One grandfather.

All lost to my family in the last twelve months. Two long-anticipated, and yet still mourned. Two tragic and untimely, grieved in shock and disbelief. And the unspoken question on my mind (is it on anyone else's?): What next?

Living IRL

I know. I've been a little low profile in bloglandia and the Twitterverse. I'm not going to apologize though. I've been making a concerted effort to get out of my own head and engage with the world around me. Major excitement (can you sense the sarcasm there?) that has kept me busy IRL for the last few days include:

• Yardwork. Prof and I got out there together for a while just before the sun went down Friday. That was about the only time it got cool enough to be functional outdoors. Normally I do the yardwork by myself, but he joined me by special request and it was kinda nice!
• Salon time for Slackie. I got waxed and then had a lovely spa pedicure, foot massage and all. I even broke out of my mold and tried a new color - and I love it. You should all be very proud!
• Business gathering with the Professor. I usually skip out on business socializing with Prof's colleagues, but I put on my big girl pants and went to the party with him. I even talked to nearly every person in attendance. Trust me, that is a big deal for ME.
• Met BFF(B) for coffee. Girl chat, catching up, a little cooperative bitching and moaning and I think we both felt better.
• Housecleaning. Above and beyond the usual weekend laundry and dishes. We are planning to have dinner out with friends and there is a chance they will drop by our house afterwards. So a little extra TLC in the public spaces.
• I am heading to Seattle this week for a conference. I will have a small amount of free time to myself, so I'm meeting up with BFF(3) and I'm so excited about that! I wonder if she's up for the aquarium?
• The day after I get back home, I have my first appointment with the new fertility acupuncturist. I'm really looking forward to it, though I'm also a little nervous. I hope he's lower pressure than my previous practitioner with the herb situation.

I will be even more out of touch for a little while, but I promise we'll catch up when I get back. Pinky-swear!

Hi-ho, Hi-ho... Ho-hum

Sorry to drop off the face of the internetz there. I feel like I owe y'all a post, but I still don't have anything to report. No news, no progress, no travel or interesting IRL adventures. I've just been slogging through my Monday-Friday and zoning out on the weekends. Work has continued to be unusually busy. Summer is normally our major down-time, and a to be honest, a little boring. Not so this year. We are still going flat out, but unfortunately, have all of our less critical, large projects that we put off till summer when we expected to have more time to work on them. Ugh.

We had intended to be traveling for a wedding out of country this weekend, but IVF and its cancellation have kinda bitched our finances. For those of you who don't have to deal with the All-American ordeal that is health insurance: We had to pay the clinic cash up front because IVF isn't covered by our insurance. I contribute pre-tax money from my paycheck to a savings account (FSA) at my insurance company that will then reimburse me for expenses that the insurance doesn't cover (up to the total amount that I contribute). The benefit is that the government can't tax me on that income. Since we got cancelled, the claim hasn't been submitted to insurance to be denied, so the FSA hasn't paid out a reimbursement. We could have had a refund, but it seemed more prudent to leave the payment as credit with the clinic so we wouldn't be tempted to frivol the cash away in our sorrow. Sometimes being responsible sucks.

I'm still mulling over my career as well. Or perhaps I should say "a career" because I don't feel like I have one right now. I really need to earn more money. Which is how I got where I am. Being an artist is the thing I'm best at, the only thing I'm actually educated for. But I wasn't making a living at it, I was just keeping afloat. I wanted to make more money, so I shifted my focus to my current field and got an entry level job making more than I had been. I expected to see at least some advancement after a couple of years, but am realizing now that isn't likely. All I can see are the negative aspects of the next level positions, the many ways a promotion would add stress and impinge on my home life. So I've been contemplating my strengths and skills and trying to imagine what other field I could explore that would give me another salary boost without dramatically increasing my stress levels. The problem is finding something I'm good at and mentally suited for that actually pays but doesn't put me to sleep.

First world problems.

We did see HP7TheEnd last night. It was pretty good, but I never felt the urge to cry that so many others have mentioned. Perhaps because I know the books so well and did my crying over them (and did I ever). Perhaps because it's hard for me to get past the inconsistencies and discrepancies in the storytelling. I spent too much time in the movie thinking, "But... that never happened!" I don't know, but I can say without a doubt that Alan Rickman once again acted circles around everyone else in the movie. Gary Oldman didn't have enough screen time to give him any competition in this one. Seriously love those two. And Helena Bonham-Carter does a great Hermione-pretending-to-be-Bellatrix - you can really believe it's Emma Watson in a Bellatrix suit. Hilarious moment!

Now I need to go figure out something creative to do with last night's leftover stir fry chicken and veg. I think I'll do a faux-pho... (heehee. I kill me)

Taking a Bullet

So yeah, I took the statistical bullet last week. I'm pretty sure we all do at some point, but I figure someone else can have the honor next time, okay? That actually sounds kinda shitty. I don't wish this on any of you. I sincerely hope all of you who got your BFPs and excellent fertilization reports appreciate my sacrifice! (And in case it was unclear, that was intended to be humor. I'm a wee bit dry.) Unfortunately, this leaves me disinclined to blog for the moment. In keeping my Bullet Theme, you're getting a list today:

• All of my meds have been refilled (at no cost to me, since I met my co-insurance in May) and are boxed up and waiting in the back of my closet for the do-over IVF. It wasn't until I started IF treatments that I even knew what co-insurance meant. If you've never been introduced, it means that I've paid my yearly limit of co-pays and for the rest of the year any covered medical expenses (excluding prescriptions) will be paid 100% by my insurance. I've spent THAT much in co-pays already this year. 
• The box of meds is in my closet because my mom and my MIL are coming for their annual summer co-visit. This is good. I love them both and they have a great time together.
• The box of meds includes a just-in-case refill of my Crinone because next week, my employer sponsored health insurance is switching prescription coverage and Crinone will be bumped into the highest tier. I'm guessing my employer is gonna be saving some serious cash because my prescription costs are about to go up. Bastards.
• These are the same Bastards that have neglected to respond to the letter I sent in honor of NIAW. I console myself with the virtue of having sent it at all.
• I've fallen of the Fitness Wagon. I haven't exercised in... months. I am consistently exceeding my calorie limit for the day. Granted, my daily calorie limit is ridiculous at a mere 1,200. I AM at least maintaining. My weight has not gone back up, but the loss has plateaued. If only I could convince myself to get off my ass and back on the elliptical. It would probably also help if I could refrain from restocking the ice cream supply in my freezer.
• If I have to see one more 5-6 month pregnant woman pushing a one year old in her grocery cart, I refuse to be held responsible for my own behavior. The produce section is a perfectly acceptable location to lay down and beat the floor with my fists while screaming.
• Fortunately, I can avoid the produce section for the most part in the near future since our CSA box started back up last week. Dude, I LOVE garlic scapes. And having an excuse to see my BFF more often.
• BFF thinks I'm depressed. She's probably not far off. 

This shit sucks.

What's For Dinner?

I made a crazy-tasty dinner tonight, so I though I'd share. It wasn't from a recipe and doesn't have a name, but it was basically a Tex-Mex quinoa salad. I served it with fresh sliced avacado and a cheese quesadilla.

Recipe for the quinoa salad:

3 C quinoa, cooked
1 can black beans, rinsed well
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded & chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of two limes

Spices to taste:
salt & pepper
red chili powder (1/4 t)
ground, toasted coriander seeds* (1/2 t)
ground, toasted cumin seeds* (1/2 t)
chopped fresh cilantro (1/4 C)

Mix well and chill before serving. Makes about six cups.

You could use another grain or rice, but quinoa has been getting a lot of press lately as a superfood, and it's also a favorite of the gluten-free crowd. I was suprised how much I actually liked it!

*About ground, toasted coriander and cumin seeds... we always keep these whole seeds handy and toast as needed in a miniature skillet, for 2-3 minutes. Grind toasted seeds with a mortar/pestle. It really doesn't take much extra time, but the flavors are amazing. Toasted coriander particularly adds a nutty, citrus-y note without the acidity of lemon or lime.

Can We Just Skip This One?

Nothing new to report, no cycle progress, no funny stories to tell.

Work hell continues, but will let up considerably after this week. I try not to talk much about my work online, because that's not really what this space is about, but it's kinda all consuming at the moment. I've even been dreaming about work stuff and I really resent it.  I have to take a day trip on Wednesday which will be exhausting and mind-numbing all at once, but at least I'll be home and sleeping in my own bed at the end of the day (technically very early the next morning, but that would be splitting hairs). I'm not a great traveler. I like being other places, but I don't enjoy the process of getting there/back. Airplanes make me anxious and nauseated. And I have to admit, as much as I appreciate my immediate coworkers, I have trouble relating to them on a personal level and this makes me feel very isolated and lonely, very "other". Throw travel into the mix, and it's not a fabulous day.

Aaaannnnddd... I have some serious thinking to do about my job. It was originally supposed to be a foot in the door, to get me in with this great employer. Now it's been two years, and I'm pretty comfortable in my position. Maybe too comfortable. I've learned a lot and built some new skills and confidence. I'm really quite lucky in the people I work with on a daily basis, but there are certainly aspects of my work that make me want to bash my head against the wall. For all that, the thought of leaving my department is scary, but it's the only way I'll be able to move up at all (if I even decide that I want to move up). But with the whole IF thing still in mid-air, do I really want to try making a big change? I just don't know, so I'll sit on it for a while and revisit the question in a few months perhaps. I have made a preliminary investigation, and didn't really find any appealing open positions elsewhere in the company, so it's not as if I feel like I'm missing out on anything in particular at the moment.

When I get up (later) Thursday morning, we'll head to our teaching appointment and get our official Plan. I'd like to just skip to that, please.

Things to Feel Good About

So now we wait. Again. There really is no end to the waiting in this game is there?

I call with my next CD1 and we do a bunch of baseline stuff & blood work. Depending on our calendars and my cycle lengths, I will probably start BCP in early May. In the meantime, I don't really have much to report. I'm trying to focus right now on the good stuff, things I can be grateful for in the midst of all that is so unfair about this situation.

Aside from the fabulous support group I've found here and on Twitter...

• I already have most of the meds I will need for IVF and what I don't yet have, shouldn't be too costly.
• Our cars are both paid off.
• My student loans are all paid off.
• Our back taxes are all paid off.
• Our only remaining debts are our mortgage and one credit card (though it IS a doozy).
• Prof has contracts booked through the end of 2011. This is huge!
• 2010 tax materials have been passed to the accountant and she said they "look good". No whammy, no whammy!
• We have not yet needed to use the (tiny, tiny) savings we put away last year (knock on wood).
• The weather should only improve from here on out.
• My boss is back in the office, so my work stress should decrease.

These are all good things. Breathe in, breathe out. Let go.

No News Is... No News

I don't really have much to say at the moment.* Still in the Pre-IVF Planning stage so nothing to report IF-wise. My iPhone tells me yesterday should have been my peak fertile day (cue psychotic laughter) so Prof and I have been relating appropriately. I believe there is a saying about counting chickens or eggs or something? I confess I don't honestly believe this is baby making sex, but the intimacy feels nice.

I'm clamboring back onto the weight loss bandwagon. I was doing really well in January and kind of slacked off during our final IUI cycle and subsequent vacation. I don't think I put any weight back on, but I lost my momentum. I'm renewing my commitment to that effort. Seeing the success of my efforts and feeling my waistbands loosen up was such a boost to my self esteem and I really want some more of that! Like so many others, I feel like this is one of the few things I can really control in my life, so I want to exert that control.

Cat One had to have some dental work done a couple of weeks ago. She has had this several times, poor thing. She really got some crap genetic cards dealt to her in the tooth department. This time was much better than the last (when we almost lost her to the anesthesia) but I really lost my shit when I left her at the vet and two weeks later she's STILL licking the shaved place on her leg where they put the IV for the procedure. Hurts my heart to see her worry that spot raw.

My boss is out of the hospital and resting at home. Thank you for your thoughts on her behalf. The plan is for her to return to the office mid-month. This is a huge improvement over the initial outlook. We were warned it could be three months before she could come back. Now she'll be back after only 6 weeks out - she's turned out to be quite the rockstar in the healing department. To say we've really missed her doesn't quite cover it. Nothing to what her family must have felt.

I mentioned on Twitter recently that I've been feeling like I'm mostly just watching other people's lives go by me. I'm not doing the IF obsessive thing, I just don't feel like I'm doing much of anything. Perhaps I Let Go just a little too much? I feel like I need to live it up a little.

*That was awfully long post for not having anything to say...

Reunited

Obviously, we made it back from our reunion. It was totally and completely bizarre and intense. So intense, there were a few moments when I really thought I might vomit.

I saw so many people that I wish I could see every day, and a few people who I could gladly have gone the rest of my life without EVER seeing them again. There were countless places we revisited that hadn't changed a bit and whole new worlds that have been created in our absence. Previously open green spaces are now filled with (quite beautiful) buildings. We returned to our favorite boozing haunt and were greeted by bling-wearing, Benjamin-flashing, gun-toting hoods and bar room brawls. Things have definitely changed!

I was forcibly reminded of the beauty of the place, the insanity of the drivers, the harshness of the lives of the working class in a tropical destination when contrasted against the wealth of those who they work for and even a few unpleasant memories from my time there.

By far the most difficult aspect of the weekend (to no one's surprise) was seeing our old friends with their children. I thought we were doing fairly well with it, no tears or breakdowns, just a bittersweet sensation. And we were actually, up until we said goodbye to the last friend and started the drive back to the hotel by ourselves. To that point, we hadn't really had any alone time so we hadn't really had time to think too much about it. Nothing like a crowd for distraction!

As we made the drive back to our hotel that last night, Professor was unusually quiet. When I asked him what was up, he admitted that he was thinking about how adorable our friend's three year old daughter was and that he was really feeling his mortality. We talked about how hard it was to see all of our friends reproducing and replacing themselves in the world when it seems unlikely that we'll be able to manage it ourselves. I'm pretty sure we both ended up in tears.

We've got one last shot, moving to IVF. With no insurance coverage, we'll be lucky to fund one cycle. I'm realistic. Plenty of people see success on their first IVF, but it seems like an almost equal number of people get nothing (though they may see success in a 2nd or 3rd cycle). There's no way of knowing which camp we'll fall into or even if IVF will simply uncover new issues previously unidentified.

In Case I Needed Just a Little More Stress...

I came back from my vacation to discover that my boss is very ill. So ill that she's been hospitalized for the foreseeable future. Totally unexpectedly.

Please take a moment to send her your prayers and good thoughts. Then please say some for me as well.

To say I am unprepared for her absence is an understatement. I do not know how we are going to manage the coming weeks (possibly months, or so I've been warned). We will, but I don't know how.

One day at a time I guess.

So if I'm not here much, if I lose track of your storyline or if I seem to be AWOL from Twitter, please know this is why.

Thawing Out

We are off to Florida for our college reunion today! There will be an absolute ton of old friends on hand and I am so excited for the chance to hang out with them again. There is a core group of friends who have kept in touch and all attended one another's weddings, and I think they will all be there. Most of our college buddies that attended our wedding will be there, and several who weren't able to make it as well. BFF(H) will be there, so I'm getting to see her twice in a 12-month stretch which is beyond awesome.

Our social circle in the town where we live is pretty small. We have no family here and only a handful of friends made through our jobs over the years. None of our college friends are within socializing distance (the closest are about 5 hours away), so this weekend represents an unprecedented opportunity to reconnect with our old social network. I'm afraid when we come home, I'm going to be very sad to leave the circle again. I know I'll be sad to be returning to snow.

I haven't been back to visit the campus since 1998 and looking at the campus map, things have changed A LOT. I'm kinda freaking out about that just a little. I have such fond memories, and I know this is going to be a shock. I just hope I can be more excited about seeing the improvements than I am sad about the changes.

I'm also VERY curious to see some of the people who I haven't kept up with over the years. I'm wondering how many of them will have kids in tow, and how many will ask if we have any kids. I'm braced for the inquiry and trying to remember some of the better comebacks I've heard, but they are escaping me at the moment. Is it wrong that I'm secretly hoping that most of them are fatter, more grey and more wrinkled than I am?

"Why no, we don't have kids..." but hey, I do still get carded for alcohol at age 38. I'll take my joy where I find it!

Nobody?

Well, it looks like I get to keep my 50,000 internetz because NOBODY guessed where the quote came from! For the two of you who actually care:

In Terry Pratchett's Hatful of Sky, shortly after Tiffany casts out the hiver, she and Granny Weatherwax have a blazing argument in the middle of the road. At the climax of the argument, just as Granny makes her point, she stops and says, "Peace be on this place".

If you haven't read the Tiffany Aching series, I highly recommend it!

Score One for Me in 2010 (I guess...)

I've just been reviewing my recent health insurance claims from the last few months of 2010 and I noticed something unusual.

Perhaps I should back up a bit. I am mildly ashamed to admit that I very rarely bother to review my processed claims. It's so rare that I have an issue, and the bills I receive from providers are almost always minimal. So I usually just go with whatever they send.

Now that my brain is emerging from the fog that was the end of 2010, I realize that I never received ANY kind of bill for the second opinion back at the beginning of November. Nada. Zilch. Not even lab work, which would have come from the lab directly. And that includes the much debated AMH test which my insurance informed me in advance would definitely not be a covered expense.

And I vaguely remember a phone call from the specialty pharmacy at the beginning of December during which the billing rep told me they would be refunding my copayment for the last batch of Gon.alF I ordered in August because my insurance paid it in full.

That's weird, why would they have done that?

With these nagging little items gaining ground in my consciousness, I decided to investigate. So I went online to review my recent claims. Those charges were all in there, claims processed and completed. Under the column heading "You Pay Out of Pocket", each one said $0.00. This goes all the way back to mid-August.

There's a thought pinging around in the recesses of my mind, but I don't know where it came from exactly. I think I met my out-of-pocket limit for the year. For the first time in my life. After which point, my insurance paid for everything.

Does that actually happen?

I've Been Tagged!

There's this "getting-to-know-you" game that's been making the rounds through BlogWorld in recent weeks, and I just got tagged - I'm IT! NoBabyRuth tagged me since we were Cycle of Fail Buddies last month. If you haven't checked out her story yet, you should. Her life as an expat totally fascinates me, as does her European IF Journey. The game goes like this: answer the series of questions and tag three bloggers who you'd like to see answer them as well. Pretty simple!

1) What is your dream occupation?

Archeologist. I think this is an outgrowth of my career as a potter. Ceramics is a field in which you can't help but be aware of the immense and intriguing history of the craft, of all of the people who went before you and the objects they left behind. I think it would be terribly exciting to be the one who actually gets to find, excavate and identify those artifacts, to extrapolate their histories and the stories of the people who made and used them.

2) What is the best dish that you can cook?

White Chili - check it out.

3) Have you ever been mentioned in the newspaper? What for?

Yes. A few years ago, I was featured in a short article about the non-profit art center where I was working. Nothing particularly special, they wanted a photo and I was the only one doing anything "artsy" when the photographer arrived. I was probably mentioned in high school as well, but can't remember specifics.

4) What’s the worst and/or most memorable job you’ve ever had?

Toss-up...

WORST: dishwasher or buffet waitress in Florida. The dishwasher job was just plain gross. Other people's partially eaten meals and garbage, and everything all steamy, wet and mushy. YUCK. And I'm sure you can just imagine how rewarding it would be to wait tables at an all-you-can-eat buffet in a retirement community in Florida.

MOST MEMORABLE: teaching pottery. That would be the thing I am best at, the thing I enjoy most, the thing I promise myself that I will get to do again. It is so rewarding to show/tell another person how to do something they've never done before and don't really believe they CAN do, and then see their excitement when they get it right for the first time! Nothing like it.

5) When you were a teenager, at what age did you envision yourself getting married? How old were you in reality when you got married?

When I was a teenager, I was certain without a doubt that I would be dead by age 24. I couldn't tell you why. It was just something I believed. I never dreamed I would live long enough to get married. Needless to say this strange belief evaporated after my 24th birthday. Professor and I got married when I was 36 years old (though I still feel like I'm in my early 20's).

6) What’s your most hated household chore? What’s your favorite?

I can't honestly say that I have a favorite household chore. I don't like ANY of them. I am a terrible housewife. The relative squalor in which I exist would probably appall you (it appalls me, just not enough to motivate me very often), although I suppose things aren't really dirty so much as dusty and cluttered. My most hated chore would probably be cleaning/changing the catbox. My least hated would probably be loading/unloading the dishwasher.

7) What’s your earliest memory?

My earliest memory is not really of a specific event, but more a collection images in my mind. They are from the house my grandma lived in when I was a toddler, the pallet she made up on the floor for my bed, the kitchen with an old metal highchair that I sat in to eat, the prickly holly bushes with bright red berries by the front door. I've asked my mom about these rememberings, and she says I would have been a little more than 2 years old. I know they are actual memories because we don't have any photos taken in that house.

@thisispersonal
@the2weekwait
@LiberalGranola

TAG - you're IT!

Loss for Words

I don't know what to say.

I'm benched, so no cycle news to obsess over or report. I'll probably start the OPKs this weekend, since I've already got a box of them. Why not...

I'm caught up on all of your blogs. I'm celebrating with you, crying with you, infuriated on your behalf and waiting right along with you. But I seem to have no words.

So I will leave you with the minor details that are pinging around in my skull for the moment:

Work is getting busier. Today was the first day in weeks that it took me until the very end of the day to get through my inbox. No time for wool gathering. This is a relief, as I have really been starting to worry that I'm missing/forgetting some big chunks of my job. I shouldn't be as caught up as I am. Not at this time of year. With our big board meeting coming up, this makes me VERY nervous.

The house plant is not doing well. I bought it some organic plant food, and have been feeding it and watering it (but not too much/often) and keeping it in the sunshine. And now it has only two leaves, one of which is dying. Oh, and the organic food seems to have given it flies. *sigh*

Last night after work, I went to a yoga class for the first time in more than ten years. It was not easy, but it felt incredible after the fact and I'm only a little sore today. My darling Professor even bought me some new yoga gear as an add-on birthday gift! I'm determined to ditch those 18 pounds that have hitched on since we pulled the goalie and I'm worried about my future health. My BMI is solidly in the "overweight" category and both of my parents have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after lifelong overindulgence and insufficient exercise. I DO NOT want to go there.

We made our last car payment this week. It feels awesome! We're going to redirect that payment to my student loans next and might get them paid off by the end of the year. That will also be awesome!

Happy Thoughts:

I got a pretty new necklace in the mail today.
My boss gave me a nice fat S*bux card for my B-day.
Professor has no immediate plans for travel.

CSA

A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon this blog and discovered the concept of the CSA. For anyone who doesn't already know, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It's basically local farmers (frequently organic) who pre-sell shares of their harvest to the public for the growing season and then deliver boxes of freshly picked vegetables to a central drop-off weekly.

Early last March, I received an email that an organic CSA would be dropping off at my workplace this season for anyone who wanted to buy in. I read the list of planned crops and convinced BFF(B) to split a share with me as an experiment. The boxes started arriving at the beginning of June and boy am I glad we split a share. That's a ton of veg! Good stuff all, but such large quantities.

We've made several different kinds of salads, soups, stir-fry, and tried some new veggie side dishes. Last week I made homemade salsa and I got my fresh basil to root in a cup of water, so I'm hoarding it till I can make pesto. I've even tried some new vegetables that I've never eaten before, including: kale (not bad), garlic scapes (YUM), turnips (blech), radishes (hmmm...). I have yet to figure out how to use up quite that much zucchini.

This week's box includes:

lettuce
arugula
tomatoes
sweet onions
garlic
sweet peppers
hot peppers
beets
turnips
swiss chard
eggplant
basil
kohlrabi

Since the Professor is out of town, I gave the majority of the box to BFF(B) this week, but I'll be making more salsa, some from-scratch marinara sauce, some pesto and a stir fry to start. Anybody got a good recipe for beets or zucchini (previous box)?