3 Birds

Squash Frittata

2010-08-17T12:09:00.001-04:00

My friend Sara said recently that part of eating locally and seasonally is that we have to get sick of some things before their season is over and there’s no way around that. She is a farmer and a vegetarian, and I imagine this is especially true for her but it ought to be true for all of us. Everything has a price and I suppose the price of that first tender sweet summer squash eaten

Finished object and project planning

2010-01-25T11:11:00.001-05:00

finchsweaterOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsThis is Finch wearing his latest sweater. It's the usual seamless raglan with grafted underarms. The cable is Ripple and Rock from Barbara Walker's 2nd Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and the yarn is cottage craft that I bought at Stitches 2008 here in Baltimore. On the needles and next up for completion is Robin's sweater, knit with OWool Balance. I

Green and amber and gold it grows...

2009-12-01T21:13:00.002-05:00

I like the way my grains look here, all lined up in their jars. I'd taken them out to search for wheatberries, which I didn't find, but I had plenty of other grains and was able to make a splendid supper. The grains above are, from left to right, whole wheat couscous, quinoa, barley, popcorn (grown by my farmer-friend Sara and probably destined for caramel popcorn balls), millet, and flax.

Baking and cooking season is in full swing...

2009-11-14T21:28:00.000-05:00

I'm still without a camera, and it's very vexing since I've been baking and cooking like no man's business. If I could show you a picture of the sardines I just scaled and gutted! To be honest, they're very poorly done since it was my first time prepping whole fish of any kind, but it was lots of fun. The boys enjoyed seeing the gills but something was lost in translation for Finch who then

Comfort Food

2009-11-01T22:30:00.002-05:00

Well, my camera died. My plan was to put this blog on hold until I got a new camera, but I miss blogging and, anyway, Wren has a camera. I think she'll be pleased to take some pictures (and receive a photo credit here on 3Birds!) so subsequent entries will have some visual interest. For tonight, I just felt like blogging even without a picture. Tonight's supper isn't particularly photogenic

Front yard in May, Front yard in June

2009-06-24T12:56:00.003-04:00

Frontyard in MayOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsI've been remiss in blogging, but very busy in real life. Since I last blogged, I've done a lot of baking and gardening, been reviewed by the Baltimore City Public School System (more about that in future entries), resumed several knitting projects, rekindled my own and my children's interest in microscopy and entomology, and buried my beloved cat (

Treehuggers

2009-04-14T22:37:00.008-04:00

hemlockjfwOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsWe've been having a delightfully busy spring, and I have any number of projects and outings to blog about, but not much time or energy to actually blog. After days filled with spring-cleaning, gardening, hiking, and playing, I'm usually too tired to do anything after supper except read and listen to podcasts. I welcome the shift to earlier mornings and more

Downtown

2009-02-15T22:44:00.007-05:00

shipsOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsMy children love to go 'downtown' especially when we're heading toward the Inner Harbor or Ft. McHenry. There is an intersection that provides a sort of visual portal between ordinary city and downtown, and whenever we pass this spot, we get a little silly.I'm not sure we'd be as enthusiastic if we didn't have the baby inspiring us to new heights of awe and

Beauty is twice beauty...*

2009-02-04T18:27:00.005-05:00

hazeltheturtleOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsToday I saw Hazel-the-Turtle: Queen-of-all-Turtles sunning herself on the living room rug. She'd taken advantage of one of the intermittent patches of sun that had been teasing us all afternoon. I grabbed my camera, quick as quick, because poor homely Hazel was almost beautiful in the golden glow and I thought it would be as well to record her moment

First Library Card

2009-01-05T20:44:00.004-05:00

First Library CardOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsMy youngest got his first library card today. My plan was to wait for a special day and make a Very Big Deal out of it, but today when we were gathering our books and cards he said "Me want my own card" so I told him we'd get him one that very day. And we did. The Enoch Pratt Free Library restricts new borrowers to just 2 books for their first

Practical, portable, patternless...perfect!

2009-01-01T20:07:00.005-05:00

redhatOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsI've been knitting lots of hats lately because they are well suited to knitting while visiting, riding in the car, and waiting (for the cookies to bake, the husband to take his turn at Scrabble, the line to move, etc.) Hats are among the simplest of projects, yet non-knitting strangers seem unduly delighted and astonished by hats-in-progress. One stranger, a

2009 Project List

2008-12-28T17:46:00.002-05:00

flamewavesampleOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsA lot of the projects I conceive of never make it out of the speculative stage because I forget about them before I begin. I have a queue of knitting projects on Ravelry, but the folks who designed that fabulous knitting community prefer to keep the focus on knitting, crochet, and spinning. Short of designing a sewing/embroidery/baking/candy-making/

Have some cake in a hurry!

2008-12-12T17:41:00.003-05:00

have some cakeOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsI needed cake this afternoon, and I needed it fast. Ever have a day like that? Usually I go with some variety of sponge cake, but today I tried a new recipe adapted from one in Dorrie Greenspan's "Baking, From My Home to Yours" called Swedish Visiting Cake. The idea is that, if you look out the window and see friends on their way to visit, you can get

A Boy and his Hat

2008-12-11T16:16:00.002-05:00

robinshatOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsI didn't like the middle bit of my first attempt (see previous entry) well enough to bother with reknitting the crown and the ribbing, so I started again. The beauty of the knitted hat (for me) is that I can finish one in about the time it takes to watch 2-3 episodes of House. The bottom band is adapted from a chart in Alice Starmore's Fair Isle book. I'd

My first (and possibly last) slip-stitch project

2008-12-05T15:54:00.003-05:00

finchvesthatOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsI finished these about 2 weeks ago and I'm pretty pleased. I departed from my usual format just a bit, in that the armholes aren't raglan but semi-fitted. I put the underarm stitches on hold, then decreased every 2nd or 3rd row (I don't remember) for a bit and then knitted straight. The v-neck is also decreased 1 stitch every other row on either side.

A Finished Object!

2008-10-30T18:58:00.001-04:00

beautifulwrenOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsThis turned out a little smaller than I'd planned, probably because Wren is growing so quickly these days. I'm very glad she requested extra-long sleeves. She'd wanted them to reach almost to the tip of her thumb and so they would have done if her arms hadn't grown 2" since I took her measurements just a few months ago. As it is, they fit nicely but

4 o'clock Snack

2008-10-27T23:58:00.003-04:00

4o'clocksnackOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsWhen we're feeling anglophilic (which is often) and peckish (that's britspeak for 'a bit hungry' as if you didn't know) we call our morning snack "elevenses" and our afternoon snack "tea." Finch adores our teatimes because he gets to drink that very grand and grown up drink we call, well, 'tea'. His is half milk, (or cream if we're feeling indulgent)

Summer's lease has all too short a date...

2008-09-09T18:51:00.003-04:00

mantisOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsThis is Mantie, our erstwhile guest from a few weeks ago. She showed up on our porch light last night, munching on moths, the clever girl. She's still a peculiarly pinkish tint, and I really do think it's the same mantis. We plan to search the yard for an egg case soon, and keep it in the Mantis Motel on the porch over the winter. With luck, we'll be able to

It'll Be Mums Next!

2008-09-02T11:05:00.003-04:00

grasshopperlavenderOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsThe grasshoppers have been exploding onto the scene and we've been delighting in their beauty and variety. This fellow landed on my leg while I was watering the cucumber, so I carried him around front to visit the children for a bit before gentling him onto my lavender and taking his picture. He's pretty clearly visible in the photo, but when I

Finch's Fabulous Fig Festival

2008-08-24T21:56:00.003-04:00

figsOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsFinch was very pleased and proud to present these figs first to the camera for a quick photo shoot and then to his siblings for an even quicker feast. Did they taste sweeter to him because he'd been warned away from them a thousand times all summer long? I think so. As soon as I said "Oh, we have some ripe figs" he came running, shrieking "Me pick it ripe figs,

I Love Lace!

2008-08-17T19:49:00.002-04:00

lacestoleOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsI've suspended work on this stole, my very first 'for me' knitting, but I'm diligently knitting my Ravelympics Socks, also for me and also lacy.I've knit lace edgings before, but these are my first allover lace patterns, and I'm enjoying them immensely. I was worried that lace would require more patience and concentration than I'm capable of, but both

It's Apron Time Again!

2008-08-06T21:19:00.001-04:00

mumfabricOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsI haven't been sewing this summer because 1) the kids wrecked the workroom, 2) my iron has been malfunctioning and 3) it's too damn hot anyway. However! I've got a niece turning 1 very soon and a Fall Apron Swap partner expecting an apron by September 1st, so I've set the kids to work cleaning, the husband to work fixing(here, 'fixing' means "bypassing the

"The storm came up so very quick..."

2008-07-25T00:44:00.002-04:00

summerstormOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsMarchette Chute was writing about a Spring Rain but yesterday's summer storm also 'couldn't have been quicker.' After a week-long heat wave (the first one this summer) Baltimore was expecting storms. All morning and for part of the afternoon I waited impatiently for something to happen. Dark clouds threatened, then dissipated with nary a drop of rain and

2008-07-14T18:43:00.001-04:00

mysteryalpacaOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsI bought this last Fall during our semiannual jaunt to the shore. The colors remind me of the sea, sky, and sand, and the red reminds me of the terns and laughing gulls that I watched while the children played on the beach. I've been wanting to try my hand at some Fair Isle knitting, and I think this will be the perfect yarn. It's an alpaca/merino

Gratitude

2008-07-11T15:39:00.001-04:00

cukeOriginally uploaded by 3BirdsI don't know if I'll ever get over my amazement when vegetables grow in my garden. Herbs and flowers delight me, but I take them more or less for granted; I expect my patch of thyme and lavender to spread a little more each year and to attract all manner of buzzing, flying things with their fragrance. I know that the few tiny little basil seedlings I pot out

2008-06-25T19:07:00.000-04:00

Justin installed my (pulley-mounted) laundry line last week, and I am supremely happy. I spent nearly a decade of my adult life in an apartment community that didn't allow residents to hang out laundry, and it nearly killed me. No exaggeration. Okay, slight exaggeration. Anyway, one day, when I was already feeling a little blue, the communal dryer ate my laundry ticket. I was out of tickets,

2008-06-03T21:51:00.000-04:00

We watched this little beauty struggling to fly last night. The children wanted to 'rescue' him but generally fledglings fluttering around on the ground are best left alone. We snapped this picture and made sure to keep Roonces the Cat indoors for the night. This morning I was a little concerned to see Baby Jay still on the ground but I was reassured when I saw the parents dive-bombing our

2008-05-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

Baltimore springtimes are usually ephemeral but for the past 2 or 3 years we've had ideal Springs, with plenty of cool, wet days punctuated by gloriously sunny days all throughout March, April, and May. We've also had mild (for Baltimore) summers. I'm glad, because I'm a weather wimp who cries in very cold weather and mopes on hot and humid days. Lots of folks have informed me that I ought to

2008-05-15T15:41:00.000-04:00

Finished Object!I finished this several weeks ago but life interfered whenever I tried to post it here. I used Blue Sky Organic Cotton and followed the EZ seamless raglan formula, my usual favorite for quick and easy kid sweaters. I modified it slightly to have a short placket, thus accomodating the big ol' toddler head. I'm very pleased with the result. I tried to make it on the large side

2008-04-21T19:13:00.000-04:00

Ahoy there, crew members! (Do any of you Baltimore folks remember Captain Chesapeake? ) Anyway, I've been neglecting my blog because I've been frightfully busy, but since part of being 'busy' included frolicking at Rehoboth Beach a couple of weeks ago, I've got lots to blog about. Now that I've caught up on the housekeeping, I'll be posting more regularly for a bit, until I get behindhand and

2008-03-25T20:31:00.000-04:00

Picture a cobalt blue ceramic bowl* filled with fragrant lemons. In summertime, you'll use them mostly in your iced tea, but you might make some lemon tea-cookies or a batch of lemon bars if you're feeling ambitious and it's not terribly humid. In autumn, you'll want to make a lemon meringue pie or sip warm ginger tea with honey and lemon. In wintertime, you'll want to make a rich,

2008-03-19T16:36:00.000-04:00

Spring is sulking here in Baltimore, but the children and I managed a mad dash through the drizzle to get to the library, and then an even madder dash through pouring rain to get home. What could be snugger than to have a new pile of books, a tidy(ish) house, and a sleeping baby? I could make an argument for a snowy day in which the children are frolicking with their dad and I am curled up with

2008-03-05T13:52:00.000-05:00

I finished Robin's Cable Sweater of Doom just past midnight, 5 March 2008. I finished it in between Finch's bouts of puking, which was fitting since the entire sweater would have been finished well over a year ago had Finch not been such a demanding laddie from birth onward. But, it's done, and I'm pretty well pleased with it overall. I stopped at Spinster Yarns and Fibers today partly to ask

2008-02-28T20:09:00.000-05:00

I finished my apron for the Sassy Apron Swap with a mere 2 days to spare. I'm not usually keen on February, and in the past I've been a tiny bit snarly on Leap Day, but I'm very glad of the extra day this year since it allows me to feel virtuous and, dare I say it, smug, because I'll be sending my apron package out tomorrow, April 29th, an entire day ahead of the deadline. I'll be honest and

2008-02-21T21:54:00.001-05:00

This lovely alpaca yarn was going to be a seamless sweater with a circular, fair-isle yoke for Finch. I got the yarn at Sea Needles in Bethany Beach, Delaware, and after knitting up scads of swatches I've concluded that the yarn really wants to be a lacy scarf. My lacy scarf. I've never knit for myself until this year, but I have a scrumptious blanket on the needles por moi and now plans for

2008-02-12T20:46:00.001-05:00

I blogged myself into a corner with that one didn't I? Glorious and resplendent indeed. I think I was delirious when I wrote that last entry. Certainly I was in the grip of a nasty contagion that is only just beginning to release it's wicked hold on my family. Justin is still suffering, but I don't count him since he so seldom gets sick. That's entirely unfair but still I discount him and his

2008-02-07T22:16:00.000-05:00

VexingI don't normally name my sweater 'designs' because most of them are simply variations on Elizabeth Zimmerman's recipe for seamless raglan or yoke sweaters. I plug in stitch patterns, play with color, and modify the shaping a bit, but I'm happy to have such a versatile formula for sweaters that allows me to avoid seaming. Lately I've been learning to sew, both by hand and machine, and have

2008-01-31T22:00:00.000-05:00

Weeknight Italian MenuSpicy Sauteed Broccoliextra virgin olive oil2 cloves of garlic, coarsely choppedred pepper flakes to taste1 lb fresh broccoli, stalks trimmed, peeled, and sliced thin, crowns broken into floretsHeat 2T of evoo in a braising pan or dutch oven. When the oil is just hot enough to sizzle, add the garlic and the pepper flakes, and saute, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2008-01-30T12:13:00.000-05:00

I've been setting aside one afternoon each week for sewing and I've been pleasantly surprised at how quickly I'm learning. When Wren was a baby, I made a couple of reversible smocks from a now oop McCall's pattern. They turned out well, but none of my subsequent projects were satisfactory, and some were true disasters, so I concluded that the smocks were a fluke and I was not a sewist*. But

2008-01-24T15:57:00.000-05:00

This is the daffodil pouch from Omiyage by Kumiko Sudo. It's my first project* from the book, and I'm pretty pleased. I put the blue ribbon on just to see how the thing would look, intending to make some bias strips from the orange fabric for the final product, but Robin saw, admired, and laid claim to the pouch as it was and I was glad to give it to him. He is using it to keep his watch and

2008-01-16T17:31:00.000-05:00

In Which We Catch and Release a Most Endearing Specimen of Mus musculusOnce upon a time, a wee mousie took shelter from the cold in the home of two once-ferocious, now aged cats. The cats were named Maisie and Roonces, and the mouse wasn't named at all, because she was a wild mousie who lived by her wits. Her wild wits served her well when the aged (but still not-very-nice-to-mice) cats pounced

2008-01-14T17:14:00.000-05:00

(return of) Menu MondayMonday: Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce, mixed greens with orange/lime vinaigrette, sauteed mushrooms with shallots and thymeTuesday: Moroccan-style chicken in the pot over whole-wheat couscousWednesday: Super-stuffed* baked potatoes, mixed greens with buttermilk dressingThursday: Basmati rice pilaf and curried potatoes and

2008-01-10T19:58:00.000-05:00

A Golden AfternoonWhen I was little enough to believe I could fly, my father had a brief but glorious enthusiasm for bread baking. After school, my sister and I ate warm bread with butter and honey, washed down with mugs of chocolate milk. These were lovely times. My father kneaded the dough by hand, a process I've never had the patience for, but I have a KitchenAid, so bread-baking is a

2007-12-19T18:27:00.000-05:00

Simple Pleasures Yesterday I developed what my mother always called a ‘splitting headache’ and I really felt very sorry for myself. The children had made messes in every room, Justin had failed to clean up after a most fabulous dinner* last night, and the baby wouldn’t have his nap. I was just about to have a nervous breakdown when I bethought me of the chicken

2007-12-15T15:06:00.000-05:00

Barn in Garrett County, MD near our cabin Whoa, what happened to November? Oh, yes, I remember. We spent a week in a cabin in the woods, playing games, making fires, taking walks and (not) seeing any black bears. Except for a ceramic cookie-jar one that some fiend bought right out from under me. Which was a good thing, considering it’s price, but still! Then I spent 3 weeks sorting through

2007-10-23T17:01:00.000-04:00

Wren is 10!My baby girl is double-digits old now, and I'm so grateful for her presence in my life. After losing Atticus, we had a hard time getting pregnant. I remember taking a long drive with Justin, sobbing and screaming because I couldn't do anything the 'natural' way; I couldn't have a vbac because I had a huge T-incision in my womb, and now I couldn't even get pregnant without fertility

2007-10-08T17:22:00.000-04:00

I bought this Spicebush, along with a Serviceberry at a native tree sale this weekend. I'll eventually need at least one other Spicebush, unless I'm very lucky indeed, because it's one of the few dioecious plants. Dioecious plants have either male flowers or female flowers, and so require two of opposite genders to set berries or fruit. If I'm very lucky, my spicebush will be one of the odd

2007-10-01T13:24:00.001-04:00

Menu Monday!!I would love to live within easy walking distance of a daily, open-air market so that I could do as so many of my favorite cookbook authors do, and plan each evening's meal based on what was freshest and best that very morning. I make do with a good weekend market and several good grocery stores and ethnic markets, several of which I can walk to, and all of which are an easy drive

2007-09-26T15:47:00.000-04:00

Here's another variation of the 11th hour hat, this time with an i-cord loop and garter earflaps and ties. I'm getting a lot of mileage out of my new favorite hat formula -- each of my kids' winter hats this year will be some variation on the theme, and I've just heard of another baby to be born in late winter/early spring who will get one as well. I still haven't cast on for Piper's hat, and

2007-09-07T14:23:00.000-04:00

When the Blue Sky yarn I'd ordered for a couple of baby hats was swiped off my porch, I panicked. My beautiful new niece Piper, being family, wouldn't mind if her welcoming gift were delayed, but young Master Roan might take it amiss if I showed up empty-handed at our first meeting. This was an emergency of the highest order, and I felt justified in removing my credit card from the basement

2007-08-27T13:09:00.001-04:00

I hope I’m not the only crafter who has a stash of unfinished projects languishing in the closet. I have a bad habit of starting more projects than I can finish, and I’m determined to check this tendency. After my m*th infestation last year, I decimated my stash. I kept only my cotton yarn and the projects pictured above. I also resolved not to buy any more yarn until I’d finished the works in

2007-08-12T17:10:00.000-04:00

Market Day A small sampling of Saturday's loot Saturday is market day. We usually go to the 32nd Street Market in Waverly, just a few miles away. Sometimes we hit the larger downtown market on Sunday, but it is overwhelming and my favorite orchard doesn’t have a stall. Both markets open at 7am, and if we get there much past 7:30 we have to contend with the crowds, and that makes me tense

2007-08-10T16:57:00.000-04:00

"Eggs all gone, baby!"I've been dissatisfied with a lot of our meals this week. The corn chowder and Niçoise salad were a delight, but the rest of my nearly* vegetarian menu fell flat. The zucchini from Saturday's market were over mature and seedy, so the summer stew lacked the delicate sweetness that makes it so good. I'd also underestimated the amount of lemon juice needed to balance the

2007-08-01T11:46:00.001-04:00

Hot Milk Cake I fulfilled a week-long yen for Hot Milk Cake this evening, to the delight of my children. Once the cake was in the oven I had a crisis that lasted several agonizing moments over whether to embellish it or not. Hot Milk Cake is very plain indeed, and cries out for something sweet and sticky on top, but a hunk of it cold from the

2007-05-11T17:06:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Finch's first birthday at Rehoboth Beach, with just the 5 of us and no frills. Finch was suitably impressed with his first sight of the Atlantic Ocean -- he stared with saucer eyes and a gaping mouth while we walked along the beach for a mile and then back. Later, when I set him down in the sand he tasted it and played for a few minutes before crawling straight toward the water.

2007-04-26T16:47:00.000-04:00

The white-throated sparrows will soon leave Baltimore for points north -- this little guy was the last to visit my feeder so far. I'd never had one at my feeder before this year, but when I heard one of them singing in the neighbor's tree, I scattered some seeds on the ground hoping to entice them. It worked, and they quickly learned to eat from the tube feeder, though their preference is still

2007-04-19T21:19:00.000-04:00

Wren had a lovely time today as Alice, a young scholar at Seneca Schoolhouse in 1880. I think her pinafore turned out well, but I definitely need to improve my sewing skills. While Wren joined in her first historical re-enactment, the boys and I walked along the C&O Canal (at Swain's Lock -- roughly mile 17) during Wren's historical re-enactment, where we saw many cardinals, canada geese,

2007-04-16T20:18:00.000-04:00

I've attempted to sew some dozen garments over the years, but only 3 turned out to be really wearable, all of them children's clothes. This skirt, from Sew What! Skirts is my 4th success, and I'm nearly done a pinafore for Wren that will make the 5th. I'm especially proud of this skirt because I drafted the pattern myself. True, 'drafted' is rather grandiose considering how easy it was, but I

2007-04-09T17:19:00.000-04:00

I stitched this guy, from a Sublime Stitching transfer, with a dear friend in mind. I'd intended sewing it onto mulberry paper, then affixing it to cardstock, but I think the traditional muslin I turned to in frustration was a better choice. Stitching onto paper was a fiddly, fussy process, and it didn't look half as good as I wanted after spending twice as much time as I'd intended. I like how

2007-04-02T19:45:00.000-04:00

DMC embroidery floss comes in a kaleidoscopic range of pastels, brights, rich, earth, and jewel tones, and neutrals, and it can be mighty addictive at a mere 25 c per skein. Choosing among them is like opening that brand-new pack of Crayolas and deciding which of 64 "Different, Brilliant Colors" to use first -- an embarassment of riches. As I've expanded my crafting beyond knitting, and spent

2007-03-27T18:45:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the potatoes took an unconscionable time to cook, so the kids had leftover pizza and Justin and I picked up Chipotle --- mmm, mmm! Tonight we're having Greek Chicken Cutlets ala Everyday Food (with coarsely chopped rather than whole olives and parsley instead of mint) and Potatoes with Tomatoes and Feta from Paula Wolfert's "Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean." The tomato mixture

2007-03-26T19:56:00.000-04:00

While I figure out how to merge my crafting and homeschooling blogs into a harmonious uniblog (hey, I bet there's a 'uniblogger' out there -- has to be!) I'm going to just jump into this one without further ado...Weekly MenuMonday: Greek-style chicken cutlets, potato stew with tomato and feta, carrot parsley saladTuesday: Broiled Salmon with teriyaki glaze, asian greens and carrots over udon