I'm going to be an aunty (again) !! :)

Spending time in Connecticut each year is wonderful, full stop. However, this time was particularly lovely on account of the company of my good friend and soul sister, Tracey. I only with I had more time to spend with Tracey and her little growing friend.; our busy work schedules did not allow for much down time.

I am grateful to be part of the experience of her pregnancy. I fear that because I am relatively in-eloquent and not the best photographer, I this meager blog post does not do justice to my enthusiasm for Russel and Tracey and their little wee baby to be!! Ah, but look at that photo, she is glowing more than the light shining through the kitchen window... pure sunshine. Congratulations Tracey and Russel. <3

Hatch Pond Lakeside Cottage, Kent, CT

For the past 4 years I have had the chance to work in Kent, CT for a few weeks in the Spring. The people with whom I work have always been lovely and the past two years we have also had a place to stay that is also beautiful. This cottage near Hatch Pond in South Kent is a place I would visit just to sit (as shown above) and enjoy the atmosphere. However, there is very little sitting to be done and much work when in Kent. I hope to come back to this place sometime when I am less busy and enjoy this home away from home.

Our host, Michael, is a antique dealer and he and his partner rent this house out to those in the area. I think it is simply lovely and would move here in a moment were it a viable option!

Complete with a wood burning stove. I had a friend who was quite keen on wood burners and though I knew they seemed nice... I thought that perhaps the open fireplace was just as good. I think these few weeks with a wood burner has changed my mind. I love having one around and perhaps one day, when I grow up, I will have a wood burner of my own! Of course, I will also need someone to be living with me that is willing to deal with the spiders that sneak out as a result of keeping wood in the house. :) Ideal!

Airport adventures.

I am not sure if it was because I went to bed at 12:30 last night or that my shuttle picked me up at 3:15 this morning (which means I was up at about 2:45AM) but this morning was such an adventure! The jury is still out, at the moment, but closing in on a conclusion that the San Fransisco Airport is strange place. This morning I arrived on time, lovely people and then in security they have installed some manner of space machinery that takes full body scans as you hold your hands over your head. Perhaps these are the norm at other airports... but I am a frequent flier and this was my first encounter with the magic chamber of security land.

I was a little hungry and decided that I would stay away during the flight (I don't sleep terribly well on planes) so once in the terminal went hunting for food... and Starbucks. It just sounded delicious for some reason, who knows why? (it was 4:30 AM) Would you believe it? There was not a single Starbucks in the terminal. I don't think I have actually ever seen that happen in a major international airport in the United States. Granted, sometimes there is a Tully's or Seattle's Best, etc... but usually some sort of chain coffee shop... not in this terminal. So I noted that as strange and looked for my other food options. Seemed to be a choice between a fairly crappy coffee shop type place, a Hudson news snack special or a pseudo-French restaurant, I chose to dine at "Perry's"

This might be a bit of a rambling post but let me set the scene for you for this place, it was odd. First of all, it was set up like an outdoor cafe in France with checked table clothes and fake shrubbery, but it was not out of doors... on the other side of the picket fence and shrubbery was the bustle of individuals looking for their gates. I chose to sit in the "outdoor portion" and ordered a cappuccino (which I am fairly certain was left over greasy spoon coffee with frothy milk splashed in it) then perused the menu to find that I could have been eating at Denny's... but a Denny's without any vegetarian options (so at least it was French in some ways) I asked the waiter if I could substitute something vegetarian for the bacon/ham/sausage option with every meal. Out came a fruit cup with the perpetually in-season melon and pineapple to which I am allergic. He was nice about the allergy and brought me blueberries and strawberries instead (that was sweet.) I sat to enjoy my greasy spoon/french meal and began to notice the music mix which consisted of R & B which never made the radio and had lyrics such as "Your smile is like a flower in my heart" "I gave you my heart and you put it in the trash" and other such winners... mixed with a bit of Kenny G and the Rolling Stones, because why not?

The good news is that my seat faced the security entrance to the terminal so it was prime people watching, even if I did feel like I was in a fishbowl, so I enjoyed the whole odd morning immensely! Happily boarded the plan to JFK and even splurged on watching the King's Speech along the way. Great choice, good film. If you learn only one thing from this blog post (or anything at all) it would be to go and see that film. It is brilliant.

Okay! time to take this jet-lagged self to sleep!

Beatrice is 1 !

A little tribute to my most favorite niece in the world. But first... check out this cake that my sister made for Beatrice's birthday! Quite the craftsmanship if I do say so myself! Kelly made the cake and decorated it... I say if you can make that cake whilst tending to the needs of a 12-month-old (even one as sweet as Bea) you can do anything! Nice work Kel!

As any good kiddo with Eskesen blood, Beatrice was fully entranced by the fire on her cake. Why wouldn't you be? If you think about it (which I have as I stare off into the distance and try to write essays) how often does one feed fire to a baby in a modern American setting? I reckon it is not too often, but I feel my research incomplete to say for certain. I know that at 29 I only am served fire on my food on my birthday and when I order sushi set on fire at my favorite sushi place in Berkeley on the corner of Shattuck and Channing (blue tiles... it is gorgeous!)

Again, uncertain about the cake and just a wee bit cranky from needing a nap (who hasn't been there?) Beatrice is not in the mood for cake. Fortunately, we were and it was delicious. I like to think that she is high-fiving the cake in the photo above; that is perfectly acceptable.

Even teething and tired, Beatrice is adorable. Though she might not have been in the mood for cake just then... the story was different on her actual day-of-birth-birthday. For footage of Bea enjoying a birthday cupcake that bears a striking resemblance to a duckling (enough so that she quacks at it!!) check out Jonathan and Kelly's blog: oatmealforbreakfast.com and click on the video

The siblings in our appropriate festive hats. Beatrice picked mine out, she has an eye for fashion I think. I was still feeling a bit ill this weekend, but it was nice to be home with my family for awhile.

This is my dad at Beatrice's party. We have often commented in my family that my brother is incapable of taking a picture with a nice smile and a straight face. So far in the 23 years he has been on this earth... it has proven to be true statistically speaking. At first, I thought that this was perhaps a random trait and wasn't sure from where it originated. Seemed out of place (just like me with blonde hair until little bro bro toe-head was born.) However, on Beatrice's birthday I managed to capture the photo above of my dear dad, Ron. So many answers, I just wish that the window wasn't so bright behind him! What is Washington doing with sunshine?

Jonathan and Kelly gave Beatrice a doll for her first birthday. She loves it. So does my brother. (also possible that I put that doll there and my brother who is patient and hungry left it there and allowed me to take a photo.)

Beatrice loves cheese. This is her birthday lunch. Look at those cute little teeth! She gets so grown up everyday! Happy Birthday Beatrice! I love being your aunt :)

Birthday Brunch!

So this is a little belated, but I thought I should document the most excellent Brunch which welcomed me into my 29th year of life :) Above is a picture of the flower crown that my friend, Kelsey, made especially for me and for the brunch. It was beautiful and the scent was better than any perfume I have ever found. Loved it.

I think that this is maybe one of my favorite moments from the brunch when Amanda opened up the champagne for those mimosa's and it absolutely sprayed all over the kitchen and all over Amanda. this is most likely the reason that she is laughing uncontrollably in this photo. I like this picture because it reminds me of the Nelson laugh! Amanda has a great contagious and genuine laugh. :)

Amanda also made the eggs for everyone. They were delicious. As anyone who has lived with me before can attest I love to have eggs made for me. Delicious!

A picture of Maria and me. Maria and Gretchen were nice enough to host the brunch at their apartment and spent hours upon hours doing dishes later that night! I am too lucky.

Some of the spread. It was all so delicious I think I ate my age in blueberries alone.

After the brunch we read poetry that people brought. It was great! I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the generosity of my friends and the way they shared their time, cooking talents and poetry with me. I was feeling really blessed, and I think that word is over-used so I have taken to rarely using it. However, in Good Poems you can find "A Blessing by James Wright. It seemed to express how I was feeling during the brunch festivities.

Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
At home once more, they begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.
I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl's wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.

a poem for spring.

So I have been under the weather for the past week and am finally... finally feeling oodles better.
I don't remember in my adult life when I have been that ill; was a wild ride and I will write all about it when I am at least a little caught up on my work. In the meantime I stumbled across this poem in the morning with the rain pouring outside my window and the sound of it sloshing through the trees... to my newly *almost* healthy ears like the world was some brilliant tranquility pool (you know the little plastic ones that you can fill with water and plug in and the water runs all the time?) In any case, I have long ago developed a fondness for ee cummings that I think will not soon dissipate. Welcome Springtime :)

here's to opening and upward, to leaf and to sap
and to your(in my arms flowering so new)
self whose eyes smell of the sound of rain

and here's to silent certainly mountains;and to

a disappearing poet of always,snow
and to morning;and to morning's beautiful friend
twilight(and a first dream called ocean)and

let must or if be damned with whomever's afraid
down with ought with because with every brain

which thinks it thinks,nor dares to feel(but up
with joy;and up with laughing and drunkenness)

here's to one undiscoverable guess
of whose mad skill each world of blood is made
(whose fatal songs are moving in the moon

ee cummings

IRON

So I wasn't feeling well last week (am still not feeling particularly well, but that is for another blog) and decided that if I was tired it was because of inadequate IRON in my diet. The amount of iron a person is able to process from vegetarian sources has a lot of research and not many conclusive results. A friend of mine recommended this website to me: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm

So I trotted off to the Monteray Market here in Berkeley and filled my shopping basket with dark leafy greens. In particular, I loaded up on Kale and Spinach. That day I also went for some black-strap molasses (delicious in oatmeal and on squash) and even gave lentils another go. Here are a few great recipes that are iron rich!

Garlicky Kale:

Easiest way to enjoy this tasty and healthy vegetable is to grab a bundle of it, wash it, chop it up very fine and throw it in a pan with a few cloves of chopped garlic and olive oil. Let it cook until it is wilted (til is almost crunchy is how I enjoy it) Then squeeze the juice from half a fresh lemon. A little salt and pepper and you are set! Though I wouldn't recommend waiting for it to cool off to eat it, this dish is certainly better hot hot. I think next time I might try toasting some slivered almonds and adding that to the mix.

Second recipe is a modified version of the one found on 101 Healthy Recipes.com

2 cups black beluga lentils (or baby beluga lentils as I miss called them for a great long while) picked over and rinsed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cups of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped

1 head of roasted garlic (take a head of garlic, chop of the top 1/8 so that each clove is exposed and then set it on aluminum foil and pour olive oil all over it. Stick it in the oven around 375 F until all of the cloves are soft)

Prepare the garlic as suggested above and stick it in the oven.

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. I let the soup cook for hours in order to really blend all the flavors and it was delicious. I also added a vegetable stock cube into the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be.

Enjoy!