A Lazy Sunday With John Denver
It’s still really hot outside. So hot that Peter and I decided that we had no choice but to lock ourselves in the house and do nothing. It’s been fantastic. During this day of nothingness, we decided to wipe the dust off of our instruments and give ‘em a whirl. It’s been months since we played and we thought we’d honor a fellow pilot by attempting to play one of his greatest songs (Take Me Home Country Road). It’s not the best rendition but it was a ton of fun and our boy, Simba, sure did like it (at least for the first 3 minutes). )–Update: for some reason the video isn’t working so Im going to have to upload it later!)
For those of you that didn’t know, John Denver was a pilot. He died in 1997 when he crashed his Long EZ into the Pacific Ocean. It was a tragic accident and every bit of it could have been prevented.
Apparently, he purchased the plane just one day before he crashed. It’s so sad. He was a very experienced pilot but made some really bad decisions. He was unfamiliar with the plane and had less than an hour experience flying it (they say he only had a 30 minute check-out). What’s most sad is that the entire accident really could have been prevented if he only did a thorough check-out and had a little more experience with the aircraft. While in flight he realized that there was not enough fuel to get him where he needed to go so he needed to switch tanks. Sounds easy, right? Well, it would have been if he knew more about that particular plane! The Long EZ is an experimental aircraft (aka: homebuilt) and it had a few configurations that he wasn’t familiar with, specifically that the fuel selector valve was behind his shoulder. This, compounded with having a sticky O-Ring (?) made it difficult to switch tanks so while he was trying to work it all out, he did a nose dive at 500 feet. For those of us with pilots in our lives, its a horrifying thought. Thank g-d for pre flight check lists, and for all the pilots that use them.
Peter and I are dedicating this one to John Denver. Rest In Peace.
[Insert WORKING video here!] Sorry, folks..
You Call THAT A Garden??
Posted by admin in Flowers, Plants and Gardening, Inspiring, Music on July 9th, 2010
It’s too hot outside. So hot I’ve decided to sit indoors and reflect on my garden– instead of actually working in it.
I am a bit ashamed by the condition of my garden this year. I didn’t put half as much effort into it as I did last year and just
looking at it you can tell. Now I will say this, even though she looks kinda disheveled and weak, I am pleased to say she is still producing the goods. So far I’ve had a TON of cherry tomatoes and a few very successful squash. 
I didn’t plant much this year. One plot has yellow squash, zucchini and tomatoes and the other has Basil and Oregano. Here’s an interesting fact.. did you know oregano is a perennial?
I had no idea until my oregano 
from last year came back. I have it in the same plot as my basil which has gone mad. Just crazy.
I still plan to plant more before the Summer is over but for now, that’s all I’ve got. I have a few sunflowers too, but I transplanted them during this ridiculous heat wave and half of them died. I guess it happens.
I also have a squash story I’d like to share. For some strange reason, when I first purchased my yellow squash and zucchini this year I didn’t think that one plant would be enough so like the ‘more is better’ kind of girl I am, I purchased 6 of each.. Well let me say right now, one plant IS enough. I of course didn’t realize this and proceeded to plant them at once, pretty close to each other. Suffice to say, it took about 2 months until they grew way out of control and started a mutiny in the garden. In response, I dug up half the squash and half the zucchini in some effort to save the bunch. It was so sad. Half of them didn’t make it and the other half just look pretty pathetic. One plant seems to be thriving though so I am proud to say I did produce at least one fabulous squash.
One thing that’s been going great is what I call my ‘backyard bird fest’. My cadillac bird feeder attracts so many birds its hard keeping the buggers full with seed! I recently added a hummingbird feeder to the mix too. They are just too cute. Like little bees with beaks.
Still love my petunias, which amazingly are still alive and lovely as ever.
And now I’d like to leave you with a little bit of inspiration. This whole gardening thing isn’t easy but it sure is rewarding. Im continuously blown away by nature. The bugs, the fruits, the flowers, the birds. It’s just effin’ beautiful. You can get it if you really want.
A Child’s Perspective
This past week my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew all came to town for a visit from Florida. It was such a great time. On Friday night we had a small party on the porch and my four year old nephew grabbed our camera and decided to snap a few shots. I just loved what he captured. Here are a few pics taken from a 4 year old…
Enjoy!
Uncle Pete:
The Porch Table:
The Sky:
Someone’s Butt: 
Porch view:
Uncle Alan: 
My Tomato Lover (Update: Tomato Hornworm)
Posted by admin in Flowers, Plants and Gardening on June 25th, 2010
Check out this HUGE caterpillar on my tomato plant. I caught this guy yesterday going to TOWN on my cherry tomatoes. I didn’t have the heart to remove him and I went out today to look at him again and he was gone. Im really hoping one of my birds got to him because he was full of tomato and my guess is that he could easily feed a family of four. You can’t really tell from this picture, but he was shockingly large. I mean, this guy really was amazing. Just beautiful:
Sunflowers: Summer 2010
Posted by admin in Flowers, Plants and Gardening on June 9th, 2010
Well, here it is folks. It’s that time again. Last Summer I filled the lovely ‘pit’ in the front of our yard with sunflowers and it was just glorious. This year I decided to do it again. First, because sunflowers are so beautiful and second, because my neighbor said I just had to because she loved so much how they looked. What a great feeling that was. To know that others are appreciating my flowers, too!
So, below are a few pics. Like last year, I started my sunflowers from seed in a few pots on my deck. This year I decided to do the same thing. I purchased 3 packs of sunflower seeds (all different kinds), threw them in pots and let ‘em grow. Over the weekend, I transplanted them into the ‘pit’ along with a few other perennials. I’ve decided to keep the pit primarily perennial (say THAT three times) because Im just tortured by that thing. For three years now I’ve filled that pit with annuals every summer and every winter it just looks blah, so I’ve planted some perennials that I think will look great (in a year or two) and the sunflowers I’ll just add year after year.
I am very excited to see how they will look once they bloom. I am also excited about the perennials. I planted some decorative grass, some columbine (that came back from last year), a couple of wild flower/type plants that Im not sure the name of, a few silver ball looking plants, a cool looking oriental/type miniature shrub (forget the name of that, too), and of course my rose bush (she’s been around for a couple of years now). I’m bad about remembering the names of the plants I have.. Im going to work on that.
Either way, here it is. As you’ll see it doesn’t look like much now, but just wait. Once my sunflowers bloom and the other plants mature, I think its going to look fantastic.
And.. here are my calalillies. They came back from last Summer more beautiful than ever..
My Friend: Mr. Downy Woodpecker
I’m so proud of myself I can hardly stand it.
Please take a moment to view these two outstanding birds to the left. The first is a picture I just took of a Downy Woodpecker. He lives in my yard. To the right is what I can only imagine is his Hollywood counterpart ,who I’m guessing is a professional Woodpecker model. He probably hasn’t eaten for weeks.
Then there’s my guy. The REAL free and wild Downy. I’ve been absolutely enamored with my new friend.
Now a word or two about how we met.
About a week ago, I was sitting on my back porch minding my own business and for some reason my eye wandered to the top half of a tree in our yard, which happens to be completely dead. I’ve always disliked this tree for this very reason, the top half is nothing but dead wood. Its ugly. Looks like a witches finger. Anyway, I’m looking at this tree and low and behold two of the most beautiful birds are just hanging out, loving every minute on this dead tree.
The pattern on these birds really struck me so I grabbed my trusty binoculars and referenced my Bible: Stokes Field Guide to Birds. I had no idea that I would come to find these beautiful creatures were Woodpeckers! I’ve seen Red Headed Woodpeckers and what I think was a Red Bellied Woodpecker but never a Downy. It was pretty cool.
And how you ask did I get such a fabulous picture of my new friend? Well, this evening while eating dinner on the deck I was prepared. I had my camera at the ready. Gotcha.
So that’s my friend. Sometimes he likes to be called Harry, too.
Jana’s Famous Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Posted by admin in Recipes and Cooking on May 18th, 2010
Without a doubt, these are the best oatmeal raisin cookies in the world. 
I make them rather frequently and they hardly last a day in the office (whenever I make a batch, I bring them in to work so we won’t eat them all at home!)
I used to make mammoth sized cookies, but recently I’ve been trying to standardize my cookie operation so now I use a cookie scoop (its boring, I know). Either way, I can squeeze out about 2 dozen using the cookie scoop so there’s always that.
Now for full disclosure, there is hardly any difference between my recipe and the Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe on the back side of the Quaker Oats container lid. My recipe simply uses Splenda instead of sugar, almond flour instead of regular flour, and every now and again, I throw in a few scoops of Whey Protein Powder. I have also been known to use golden raisins instead of regular raisins, or combine the two. I’m just crazy that way.
For all you cookie lovers.. enjoy!
Jana’s Famous Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
1/2 pound (2 sticks) of butter
1 cup of firmly packed Splenda brown sugar
1/2 cup of Splenda granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 tbs of Whey Protein Powder (optional)
1 1/2 cups of Almond Meal/Flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill brand)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups of Quaker Oats (I recommend the old fashioned oats. The quick oats aren’t as hearty)
1 cup of raisins (sometimes I like 1/2 golden, 1/2 regular, or all golden.. or whatever you have in the house.)
Pam Cooking Spray (I always like to include this, it helps with cleanup)
Heat oven to 35o, beat together the butter and sugars until creamy, then add the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, add the almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and protein powder and stir it up (I personally do NOT use salt, even tho the original recipe calls for 1/3 tsp of salt. If you do want salt, throw it in here).
While the blender is mixing the wet goods, start pouring in the dry goods until the mixture is smooth. Then throw in the oatmeal and raisins and mix it up. You can either do this by hand or directly in the blender. I find the blender does just fine.
Spray your cookie sheet with Pam (butter flavored preferred), scoop out your cookies (be wild and do mammoth size, or go conservative and use a scoop or spoon), throw them in the oven for about 20 minutes and your done. The original recipe suggests 15 minutes but for my oven, that’s never enough time. I usually do 20.
Let cool for as long as you can possibly can, then chow down.
Staunton, Va
Posted by admin in Life and Whatnot, Music on May 16th, 2010
This past weekend Peter and I went to one of our favorite places ever, Staunton, Va. You wouldn’t think there’s too much to a small town like Staunton and you’d be right. Staunton truly is a nook in the valley, and we love every bit of it.
We first visited Staunton last year when a colleague of mine sent us a promotional coupon to stay at the Stonewall Jackson. If your looking for high tech amenities and late night appletinis you might want to head to DC, but if you appreciate historic buildings, authenticity, and charm you will absolutely love Staunton and The Stonewall. The rooms are very small but the beds are SUPER comfy and more than make up for it. Also, the staff are fantastic and the architectural detail is just beautiful. The Stonewall is located in Downtown Staunton, just a few short blocks away from our other most favorite place – Mockingbird.
We went to Staunton this past weekend specifically to see a show at Mockingbird. Mockingbird is a relatively new restaurant and live music venue and it really is worth checking out. We headed out to catch a Nashville band called Last Train Home and it was incredible. The band was awesome, the acoustics were perfect and the atmosphere was totally intimate. We couldn’t have asked for a better night.
Thank you Staunton. Thank you Stonewall Jackson. Thank you Last Train Home. We had a great time.
I can’t wait to get back in the yard
Posted by admin in Flowers, Plants and Gardening on April 27th, 2010
No, not the prison yard. My yard. I decided to blog about this because between traveling, the weather, work, visitors, and life, it feels like forever since I’ve been able to dig in the dirt. As you know, gardening truly is ‘My Joy’, or as my father likes to say in Yiddish, “My Mechaieh”, or My Great Pleasure. So, inevitably I miss it.
Currently, my ’To-Do’ list looks something like this: trim the hedges, weed and populate the ‘pit’, plant my vegetable garden, muck up my compost pile (in other words, till the soil so I can use it), weed eat, find some colorful annuals to fill in the gaps, and whatever else comes to me as I peruse the yard. The GOOD news is that my roses are starting to bloom, my hostas are huge, and my wild indigo, which I thought died, came back more wild, and more indigo than ever. Go Go Indigo!
In other words, I love plants and if you can’t already tell, I love writing about it. Hopefully, sometime soon I will blog about something other than what is growing in my yard, but for now I can’t help it. Right now I just want to share. Natural born beauty.
Check out my Indigo and Roses.. (to the left) The Indigo was half the size last year… and its only May.
And how about that Columbine? Gorgeous, isn’t it? Nature’s Horn.
Spring Flowers and Charoset Ball Recipe
Posted by admin in Flowers, Plants and Gardening, Recipes and Cooking on April 4th, 2010
Two things are on my mind. First, the remarkable flowers that are in my yard, and second, the incredibly yummy charoset balls I made last night. First the flowers..
You all know I love to garden. Today I planted a forsythia bush and an almond bush (a very cool ornamental shrub), as well as a few annuals. I also transplanted a couple of columbines from last year and basically just dug in the dirt all day. Literally. I even helped my neighbors gather worms for a fishing trip (thus, productive dirt digging). Either way, I wanted to blog about it. I also took some pictures of some of my bulbs which are finally coming up and apparently, when you plant bulbs ,you are supposed to plant them in clumps as so they look more natural (three or four bulbs in the same hole). I, of course, didn’t know this. They are still beautiful, but as you can see from the mailbox picture below, not necessarily natural. I’ve been told that next year they will multiply, so Im cool with that. I’ve also included some other random pictures so here it is: Spring Flowers.
Now for the Charoset Balls.
I am Jewish. This year I didn’t do anything for Passover, which would have been really upsetting if I had NOT been invited to a ‘post’ passover dinner with friends! It really was such a nice time and I wasn’t quite sure what to bring so I consulted with my sister, Lauren, who is just amazing. Of COURSE, she had the best idea ever. I originally offered to bring traditional ashkenazic charoset, which would have been fine (the host was making kugel and other traditional passover foods), but my sister suggested I try charoset balls. These are kind of a play off of the sephardic version of charoset, which is with dates, raisins, etc (whereas the ashkenazic version is with apples, walnuts, etc). Anyway, I tried my sister’s recipe and it was INCREDIBLE. Actually, they were just perfect for desert and taste great accompanied by a glass of red wine. Here is a pic of my ‘balls’ as well as the recipe. Its so easy, and so good. Enjoy!
2 cups pitted dates, 1/2 cup of golden raisins, 1/2 cup of dark raisins, 1/2 cup of walnuts, 2 tbs of red wine, and a touch of cinnamon (6 ingredients, how easy is THAT?).
Process the dates, raisins, walnuts and wine in a food processor until the mixture is finely chopped and sticks together. Then line a baking sheet with waxed paper and make small balls of the mixture (you will want to dip your fingers in water so it doesn’t stick, and you’ll also also want to finely chop some additional walnuts to roll the balls in, so they are easy to pick up). After you make the balls, roll them in the finely chopped walnuts and place them in the fridge to cool. Refrigerate for about 3 hours until firm. Serve on a plate. Eat slowly. Enjoy.
