Sweet Moves

I realize that so much of life is about the little things. I often get caught up in the grand adventures. Always looking for my next big story. But so often and even more so since Ophelia came on the scene, my world has grown so much smaller. Not narrow, I just now have started to appreciate more of the day to day events. Little things that just make you happy. After spending so many weeks in Mexico focusing on my great adventures and action packed lifestyle I am almost relearning how to appreciate my day to day. Being with Ophelia makes that so easy. She is the silliest kid on earth. Today she found our bike helmets. She is obsessed with bikes and I need to get her one asap. But until I do she's more than happy to wear her helmet around. But of course I had to wear mine too. So I wore my helmet today while making dinner and she made me pretend tea. I'm sure if John the neighbor was peeking across the way and into our window he'd be quite curious what sort of concoction I'd been cooking that required a helmet. It takes an Ophelia to show you that the best dinner is made with a helmet on.

I am now solid that I will be spending my summer here in Minnesota and then most definitely not in the fall (hows that for cryptic). But I am in the practice of trying to appreciate Minnesota to it's fullest this spring and summer. And so far I've come up with quite a few things. First of being the sun and nice weather. I know we all appreciate that. But with these things comes the first sprouts of my gardens. This is very exciting and intimidating. Because also with the sunshine comes my neighbors all of which tell me how magnificent my gardens are, and how Greg and Allen did such a beautiful job. I'm thinking I'm a little out of my league here. First of all I'm not gay. We all know there is a certain stereotype that points to many of a certain persuasion having a strong affinity for expert housekeeping and the upper hand on the green thumb practices. That stereotype does not pertain to one single mom, who's idea of housekeeping is being out of the house as much as possible so I don't have to deal with it, open some windows and hope it all blows away. Ok not really but if I could get away with it I would. However, I do like gardening, (it gets me away from the house stuff) but these gardens are award winning. Seriously when I first looked at the house they had their awards out on the table. To make matters more intimidating the old home owners are friends with my next door gaybors and visit them often. I mean I have so many questions. Do I mulch EVERYTHING? Whats a weed and what belongs? Which side is the gaybors and which side is mine? Where do we draw the line? Do I mulch just half the garden and leave the other side? What does mulch do. It sounds like a cowboy word. "I'm goin' down to dirty mulch to fetch me some gaybors ya comin' Tanto?" The truth is I just want to be accepted. The lesbians down the road already love me. I think we should be best friends but the gaybors are tougher nuts to crack.

That is another thing that spring brings that I am beyond excited about. Fresh, seasonal fare. I was in Whole Foods the other day and saw ramps. I get really excited about these things. I started not quite shouting but not quite not either. "Oh my gosh they have ramps. Really already? Yes ramps! I'm so excited. Ophelia look they have rampssssss....."oooops that's right I'm in public. But seriously I wanted to drop everything and give the produce section an impromptu lesson on the glorious ramp. Since I couldn't do it there I'll just sing their praises quickly here. Ramps are almost like wild garlic. They smell like garlic but are much softer. They look like a green onion but you can cook the whole piece root to tip. The greens are almost like spinach. One of my favorite local restaurants the Craftsman which also happens to be two blocks from my house, was also celebrating the ramp and had them all over the menu. Their season is short so I guess we wild and crazy chefs put them in everything we can get our hands on. I had also ordered the pork rillets which are amazing and so full of flavor. I saved half of them because I always thought they would be good in eggs. So what do you think I had for breakfast this morning??? That's right ramps and rillits eggs. Sounds so very British doesn't it. "Mummy please pass the ramps and rillets". "Not till you've eaten your banga's and mash". I do spend quite a bit of time alone.
Its getting warm so we are spending lots of time outside. I've been for a walk or run every morning that the sun shines. Now that I live right be the river I run down the parkway towards the U. And if I'm there at the right time I get to see the UofM crew teams out for practice. I decided that if I were to stay in Mpls for quite some time I would take up crew. I've never even been on our river and I am such a water sport person. I can imagine rowing with a bunch of gals in the early morning on the misty river and seeing all of Minneapolis and St. Paul come alive from the lower perspective of the river. Somebody told me they don't think they have an old lady crew its just for the students. I was kind of offended but then I heard they did have an over 25 crew and if that is old lady count me in. Little bastards trying to make me feel old. I don't think I'll have time for it this year so for now I'll just appreciate the from the banks above.

Another piece of summer that I am really looking forward to are my trips. I am finally wrapping my head around the fact that there is more to life than just Mexico. There is France and Chicago too. I have written our French friends and told them that I am now SCUBA certified and would be up for a dive or too. Suzanne wrote back and said the Jean Paul has a boat and will take me out diving around the islands. Jean Paul was the first person that I ever went diving with. It was just a little taster, no deeper the 30 feet for 30 minutes but in that time I had an octopus whip out a tentacle from a crevice and wrap it around my arm then escape though ink blotted waters. Hooked. The Octopus is my animal. When we got out of the water we saw a man in a wet suit with a knife and a belt full of octopus. Now that's my kind of eating. I totally need to be an aqua huntress. I just don't know if an I could kill one of my own kind. Did you that an octopus has three hearts? I don't have three but I have one really big one.... Or maybe it was three stomachs, well either way.
I also have a ladies trip to Chicago planned. This is just a weekend get away but for as long as I have had all of these friends I think the last time we did anything remotely like this we went to my dads cabin as a planned ladies weekend. achem. Ladies comments??? Ok let this just be said. Heather's a bad ass. Angie the lake is right....oops in front of you. This is a little bit of a different group just because it has morphed that way but it still comes from the same roots and I am expecting a rocken good time. Though this time if anybody falls in the lake it will be lake Michigan and that wouldn't be so good. All I can say is that trip to my dad's cabin on Elbow lake formed bonds to never be broken and friendships remain steadfast though a continent apart. I'm not putting that expectation on Chicago but when you get a bunch of super awesome women together for such a trip it's pretty hard to avoid. ooooo I almost forgot about Mazatlan...but we don't talk about that...do we ladies.
And one last little appreciation before I end this little article. It is again of my daughter who has now taken up the practice of singing at the top of her lungs. The other day we were in Target picking out Confirmation cards for my niece Susannah and she just busted out with "Your attitude towards cuttle fish could be improved if that's your wish. I'm not forcing youuuu." It's her fave song on her kids tape. I have no idea what its supposed to mean but it sure is catchy. We both sing it in the car. She also likes to play the cutting board (guitar) while she sings and then show off her sweet break dancing moves. Video taping this was the highlight of my afternoon. She enjoyed the performance but insisted on seeing the video each time. Then creating a repeat performance with even more passion than the last. I think we may have a starlet on our hands.