Buying Locally, Eating Grandly!

We've got our vegetables growing in the backyard containers, with herbs on the roof-top terrace loving the heat. Add to that local produce which we've been buying at the Morningside Market on Saturdays and from the market at Star Provisions (Th-Sat) and we've been eating mighty fine! Paul and Sarah came over for dinner Saturday and I served pasture raised chicken which I roasted over a bed of herbs from the terrace. With it were fresh beans--I would normally say "green" beans, but these were three different beans in purple, green and yellow. They were so good we didn't need salt or butter on them! Some fresh Italian parsley dressed the new red-skinned potatoes from the market. The backyard containers contributed our first Roma tomato and 6 beautiful red okra which were included in a stew with some purple peppers (these are new to me--thin skinned, shaped like bell pepper, with just a little warmth) and torpedo onions. For dessert I cooked up some of the sweetest black berries I've ever had with a bit of sugar, a dash of vanilla extract and some finely chopped Lavender leaves. After that cooled it was served over vanilla ice cream--Heavenly!!! Invite us to dinner sometime and you might get a similar treat!!

Customer Service Done Right!.

OK, in the interest of full disclosure--this is not our actual new car. I thought Toyota's photo was better than anything I could take--look at that green grass and those puffy white clouds!

I want to give kudos to World Toyota and Tony Koonts for their excellent customer service. We went first to the Toyota dealer in Marietta because it was closer to us and we were just out to look. I'd not been in the Prius, though I did think it was a car I was interested in. Being an in-town realtor who actually lives the in-town lifestyle I wanted to continue to make a statement about taking up fewer resources and space (the Mini did great on the space, good on the resources, but not great BTW.) We were not up against any deadlines to purchase a replacement car for Winston, but we did want to look in case I found out that I didn't like the Prius and we were going to have to start back at the beginning.

So, because I don't like to be misled in my line of work, I extend the courtesy to others in their work. I told the sales person at the Marietta Toyota dealer that we were just looking and that it was quite possible that we would use a buying service through our credit union but that I would appreciate any time he was willing to give us so that we could learn about the car. He got the keys, let us look inside the car but balked at a test drive. His comment "I don't get paid by the hour." Okey-dokey. I thanked him for his time and left.

Tim convinced me to go to the another dealership off of Peachtree Industrial. I really didn't want to go, but we did. World Toyota welcomed us in and found us a sales associate. I told this guy, Tony, the same things I told the first guy. However, Tony chose to actualy engage us and told us about the Prius, suggested that the touring package would be too stiff for the in-town world of potholes and metal plates, let us go for a test drive and was just generally helpful without being rushed or forceful.

Tim and I liked Tony's approach so much that after lunch we decided that if World Toyota could give us the price we were looking for and the trade in value for Winston that we knew was fair we would try to buy a new Prius. Long story short, after scrambling to locate a car that fit our needs (correct finish package, interior color, acceptable exterior color,) World Toyota made it happen for us!

Now doesn't that guy in Marietta wish he had gone the extra mile for us?????

The Trio

Well, we're still learning how to pose, but I was impressed that I was able to get three dogs in the same frame, all sitting down!!!!! From left to right, meet Talley (Tallulah,) Winnie (Winnifred,) and Zoe (Zoe!) Zoe has gone through Basic Obedience, Canine Good Citizen (she passed!!!), and basic agility training. Winnie presented a challenge getting through class-time as she didn't like to be alone in the quiet room while Zoe was in her class, so I don't think we ever graduated. Talley is being home schooled so far. We took our classes at Canine Academy & Playschool with Jenny Baum. Jenny knows her dog breed characteristics and she's good with the humans, too. Zoe blossomed into a more confident dog due to the experience in her classes! Even if you've had your dog for years and years, I recommend going through classes with your dog as it does create a better bond between you and your dog, a more confident dog, and often better behaved family members!

Yesterday we celebrated 8 weeks with our newest family member, Talley. I am amazed how it can seem like only yesterday and yet forever since she moved in! Public Servic Announcement: It is very unusual to have a household with three female dogs which get along peacefully most of the time. Getting a mix together like we have is not advisable for the novice dog owner. You really need to have some experience reading dog behaviors, understand the dynamics of a pack, and you've got to be willing to walk away from a potential new "kid" if the signals your current family is giving are not positive regardless of how much you, the human, think it would be a good idea to take that doggie home.

Talley came to us through Aussie Rescue. We had to apply to become her new family which was a more extensive process than going through the Humane Society which is where our other two doggies came from. We were asked all kinds of questions which gave the organization an idea of how we treat our animals, what we are inclined to do when dogs act like dogs, what we would do if our personal situation changed, were we really in a position to adopt a dog. Rescue organizations are justified in asking these tough questions because the animals they help have already lost at least one home and the hope is that these placements are truly forever this time around.

I really encourage people to consider adopting rescue animals--the animals know they've been given a second chance and they respond with extra love. Puppies and kittens come with their own sets of challenges, plus you don't know what you might be dealing with down the road. Don't let the fear of the unknown ("but we don't know what kind of baggage a rescue animal might have") keep you from considering this option. All animals need kind, caring, responsible owners who are willing and able to provide the love and time needed to develop healthy, loving pets. If you want a particular breed, Google that breed and the word rescue together to find numerous groups. The Humane Society and Atlanta Pet Rescue both have a variety of ages and sizes of dogs and cats, some of which are purebred, and the Humane Society will even have rabbits, mice, rats, hamsters available, too!

Growing Veggies in Midtown

Now that we've been in our house for two full winters, the Spring itch to plant something got the best of me! Since we do have three medium-sized dogs sharing our spacious town-house back yard I had to consider what they would do to whatever I wanted to plant. Zoe, the Border Collie, is able to catch Frisbees and balls out in our yard and we certainly didn't want to interfere with that! Anyone with a BC knows that these dogs need a job, and for Zoe her job is bossing her sisters around or chasing (repeatedly) a Frisbee or a ball.

So, container gardening seemed to be the way to go. So far, so good as you can see from these photos! I bought the smaller containers at Target and the taller ones came from Costco. They are all some type of fiberglass so I don't have to worry about freezing in the winter, and they aren't nearly as heavy as they look. I knew that watering would be an issue both because of the containers and because this is the hot South, so I chose a potting soil with those amazing crystals in them which absorb a LOT of water and then slowly release it to the plants as needed. What this has meant for me is that I can water every other day right now. As we really get into summer, I may need to water every day.


But wait, you say, how are you watering these when there are severe water restrictions in Atlanta? Well, what you are looking at above are a Serano pepper plant, a Habenero pepper, a Roma tomato, rosemary, cilantro and a few flowers to help attract the bees and to help keep the pests away. Personal vegetable gardens are exempt from the watering ban. In addition, we've started keeping buckets in the kitchen and in the bath to collect "grey water" to use whenever possible. In the kitchen this means that when I wash vegetables, I collect that water in my bucket and use it later to water the plants. In the bathroom this means that as we are running the water in the morning for our showers that we collect the few gallons which are cold water before it is hot enough for a shower. Nothing crazy yet, though if things get worse I think I'll be saving the shower water, and the dish water when I wash the dishes even though we technically are allowed to water our plants.

These pots have: a yellow bell pepper, red okra, flat leaf parsley and basil plus some flowering plants. Up on the roof terrace we are growing more herbs, pineapple sage, basil, thyme, lavendar and a different rosemary. The pots upstairs have reservoirs in them in addition to the special potting soil. I got those pots from IKEA, and have been very pleased with them so far. Being as the roof terrace is on the fourth floor, there is always a breeze and so not only do the plants contend with the heat, but they have the breeze to dry them out, too. Herbs don't mind the heat, so do well there with these special pots.

My friend Erin is thinking about doing two large pots for her new yard. Her two year old will begin to learn that food doesn't come from the grocery store, but in fact is grown somewhere in soil, with sun and rain and someone to watch out for pests. They are probably going to plant a cherry tomato plant and some basic herbs for cooking. Container gardening is an easy way to start growing your own vegetables--just be sure you consider how hot it gets here, how to keep the plants well watered, and you may want to check out a book at the library for suggestions on plant combinations and how big of container to use for which plants.

We've been enjoying the herbs already, and I've got a few okra almost ready to harvest! It's not too late to get some plants of your own this year so have fun!

This is what happens when you "Fiddle Around!"

Hurray--it came this week! Those of you who have been to our house will recognize a familiar wall and some familiar faces! What you are looking at is a 12" x 48" print on canvas adaptation of four different photos taken of our family of dogs created by the wonderful folks and artists at Photo Fiddle I've sent their info out to my friends with dogs before, but I really wanted to get the word out. What makes this piece of art so fantastic is that the first photo (on the green background) is of Bert, which was taken when he was about 13 yrs old at a photo studio on a white background. Being as he has a lot of white showing in this pose the first time I fiddled the photo on my own the composition didn't work right. (and he's not available for additional photo ops anymore.) Add to that the very dark Zoe who shows very little contrast in her photos and you can imagine it was a nightmare to create a composite piece which showed all the kids with as much personality as they have.

I got in touch with the service department at Photo Fiddle after receiving my first attempt at this piece, and Ira called me to see what the trouble was. In the end, because I've ordered from these folks a fair amount, they had an artist work with the photos I had so that we ended up with a more balanced, detailed canvas. Wow--what a treat to see the finished piece!

You can go to the website, download your own photos and play around with the different options they have for manipulating the image. It's quite fascinating. Ask Eileen to see the piece she did of Olivia. Even poor quality photos can be turned into striking pieces. People, pets, landscapes, abstract compositions can all be "fiddled" and turned into your own art, at very reasonable prices in a variety of sizes, either on canvas or on photographic paper. Go have fun fiddling!!

It's Friday!!

It's Friday night--that means it's pasta night for my hubby Tim, who is training to run the Maui Marathon in September. This will be his 5th one, and this time he's going for a new personal record. We've started scootering to Figo on Collier Road on Friday nights. I'm trying to stick to the South Beach Diet, so big plates of pasta aren't on my favorites list, but I've been having run selecting from the Specials board, usually a soup and salad or appetizer combination. Always something different and always very tasty!

Now, we don't want this Figo location to get so popular that it has the same lines as the one at Huff Rd on Howell Mill Road, but for when you aren't up for the "scene", head over to the intersection of Defoor Ave and Collier Road on the West side of I-75. Full menu, wine and beer, big take-out business, too. You'll probably see me and Tim there most Friday nights, so come on out and join us!