Archive for the ‘garden’ Category

the little things

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

sockdreams.com super marleds in fawn; only hearts cream sheer crewneck tee; american eagle stripe scarf; american apparel white u-back bodysuit; american eagle railroad shorts; frye boots

I put this outfit together with texture in mind; Missoni F/W 09 inspired slouchy knit legs; whites and creams; the mesh shirt; the floaty scarf. I went for a late brunch and to get some freelance work done at my favorite diner, Miss Albany, in Albany, NY. My favorite/usual waitress, Gina, complimented me on my outfit. She said she always looks forward to when my boyfriend and I come in, so she can see what I’m wearing that day. What a compliment! Some guy in a fringed leather jacket, hawaiian shirt, and fingerless leather gloves complimented me outside as well. A little strange, but a nice pick-me-up on a day when I was feeling down.

Greg and I had a lovely date last night. We went to Bacchus in Troy, NY and had some really incredible food. I had a Marcus John chardonnay that was divine with our appetizer, a creamy cheese spinach shrimp artichoke dip. Really amazing. I had a make-your-own pizza with prosciutto, spinach, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, basil, artichokes, and garlic & olive oil instead of tomato sauce. Greg had a spicy pasta with jalapenos, and we shared a tiramisu for dessert. I’m amazed that there is food this fantastic in Troy, and more amazed that I had yet to go there! Definitely have to go back. Strangely, Gina at Miss Albany worked at Daisy Baker’s, which is right above/connected to Bacchus, for 3 years. Small world!

Anyway, that relates because after such a nice night, I was really bummed that Greg headed up to his parents for the rest of the weekend and Monday, and I couldn’t go because I have to work Monday. So to cheer myself up on a rainy, yucky, lonely day I went over to the diner. Pecan pancakes and free coffee refills can’t be wrong. The compliments helped, too.

After that I headed over to The Warehouse, an architectural salvage/vintage place in Albany, right around the corner from the diner. I found some really, really incredible stuff. I love all the mirrors and weird exterior pieces.

I found these fantastic typesetters trays for only $20. I have no idea what I would do with one but as soon as I figure it out I am going back to get one or two of them. They are just way too cool to pass up, and I am obsessed with type. I love the grungy wood, too.

I also love anything with drawers, like these art or library filing cabinets. How amazing would one of these be in my apartment?

I also am trying to collect vintage glass canning jars or milk jugs. I love the shape and the embossed lettering.

brewer & monson troy n.y. & improved gem made in canada glass canning jars.

After that I drove through Albany, just to take some photos. There’s some really gorgeous old typography in Albany. A few months ago I bought a Polaroid SX-70 and have been waiting for the weather to be nice enough to go out and use it. I’m trying to take photos of cool architectural details, signage, and historic type with them, and eventually have a collection. I’d also love to do a polaroid “calendar” if I can find enough good shots.

some recent polaroids from alexandria, va and albany, ny

I went to the mall to place a return. The looks there were definitely more on the “wtf” end of the scale. So much for compliments. That’s okay, though, return made, and I was out of there. It’s funny how the places you go make such a big difference in the way people react to you and what you wear.

lovely girls at nada’s in troy

I’ve actually been having something of a social life lately. Thursday night I went to a really lovely Girls Gathering in Troy, for all the local girls to meet and network. I met and made some amazing friends. I love these parties; they are only every few months, and I can’t get enough. Incredible food and incredible people.

miss emelie, who i met in a biology class and turned her on to being a graphic design major; nicole, who i also went to college with; jen

I actually met Rachel, who is the manager of the building my office is in; we’re going to have lunch and see if she can fix the broken heat and the shattered window in my office. Amazing. She also used to be the fashion buyer for Some Girls boutique. She had this awesome grey skirted coat on; wish I had gotten a photo. I also met the girl who runs the Troy Community Gardens, Michelle; I’ve got to go to some of her classes. She goes salsa dancing, and invited Greg and I. We’ve been wanting to take dancing lessons, so that’s awesome.

the absolutely lovely michelle; nada, our gracious hostess; and jen

I met another Michelle, who is an ER nurse and interested in homebirth and pregnancy rights; Renee of almost foodies and Jess of Modern Renaissance. Jess is like my doppelganger; we have so much in common it’s a little eerie. (Hi!) I love all these girls and it makes me really grateful to live in such a cool town.

royah, who along with nada, owned shake shake mamas, a sandwich shop in troy; jess of modern renaissance

erin and michelle the er nurse

When I got home at about midnight I discovered that the tomato and pepper transplants I ordered from Seed Saver’s Exchange finally came. I unboxed them and got them set up in my grow racks. Check out how big everything is getting! I actually made a little teensy salad for dinner with lettuce from the box below, which is getting pretty full, and some of my basil and cilantro. I rounded it out with some local lettuce, chard, an endive, cucumber, a meyer lemon, and a hydroponic tomato with sea salt and pepper and some local whole milk. There isn’t anything I love more than local milk. Grocery store milk just can’t compare.

Friday night was Troy Night Out, and I wandered around after work for a while. I unfortunately don’t have a single photo – I know! – but it was an absolutely gorgeous day and I was too involved in doing fun things to bother with the camera. I wore this grey jersey Elizabeth & James dress that I finally got on sale, and a black blazer, and my DKNY heels. I need to get that dress hemmed! I got an adorable Marc Jacobs-inspired dress at Some Girls boutique, along with some leggings and an AA white bodysuit (finally). I also got this fantastic asymmetrical, off-the-shoulder black jersey tunic/dress/tee. I picked up a gorgeous ring from a street vendor named Juan in the antique district of Troy. He makes wire-wrapped jewelry from recycled copper wire. I also ducked in 272 Vintage and got this adorable grey plaid peter-pan collared dress and a little hat and necklace. I’ll be sure to feature it all soon! There was swing dancing at the Arts Center; that’s another thing I want to do with Greg. Maybe salsa and swing dancing. I can see why dancing was considered risque; it’s so intimate and sexy.

After TNO was the Revolution Hall afterparty. I had dinner at Brown’s with my girlfriend Celine and met Jess and her boyfriend Andrew there. Saw a ton of people I knew, which was always fun. We headed over to the afterparty and danced the night away. I wore that asymmetrical dress, leggings, and my LAMB boots. Wish I had gotten a photo; those things are intense and I got a ton of comments on them.

Saturday was the RPI Autocross. I didn’t drive, but I took some photos and helped out with recording times and working on the course. It was probably 65-70 and unbelieveably beautiful outside. Too nice for jeans, so I broke out the shorts for the first time in ages. I love outfits like this; super comfy, cute, and easy to do. They’re about as easy to throw on as they look, but you never feel sloppy.

blazer, thrifted; frye boots; american eagle tee, shorts, scarf; grey bag, thrifted

my wonderful boyfriend, greg, starting the grill

To bring this post full-circle, obviously today’s outfit was a more textural version of Saturday’s. I guess I just love those shorts so much. They’re really comfy! I wish it could be Sunday for three or four days. After the past few, I need a break. My coworker is moving on Mon/Tues, so I will be the only one there, and of course we have ten million things to do which will all come down on me last minute. Sigh. Mentally preparing in 3, 2, 1…

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little green things

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

My boyfriend Greg and I are starting a full fledged garden this year. After reading tons of info on A Way to Garden, You Grow Girl, Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and loads of Michael Pollan, I got very interested in sustainable agriculture. I’m loving the trend back towards local food, small farmers, and sustainable practice.

The FDA has transformed “organic” from a meaningful type of food to a label meaning “pesticide free”. Especially in the US, we are so used to going to the store and picking up any type of exotic food, year round, we have lost our roots (pun intended) and our understanding of what food IS. Kids don’t know that potatoes grow underground; we don’t realize that pineapples and bananas and peaches in January or asparagus in August is out of season and therefore requiring a huge amount of energy – usually in gas – to grow. We use gas for fertilizer, for transporting our vegetables grown with immigrant labor or in a third world country. It’s ecologically unsound. Every time you buy strawberries in March, they had to be grown thousands of miles away and transported: you’re eating gasoline. Eating seasonally is a blessing. You understand that plants grow in a cycle, and you become more in tune with the seasons, as well as your food.

We’ve also created another problem in separating animals from our farms. Historically, farms were a system: pigs, chickens, horses, cows, and other animals created waste that became nitrogen-rich fertilizer; vegetables and fruits grew from that fertilized soil, which provided a food source for the animals. Diseases and pests were less common, because the system worked. Now that we’ve put cows and pigs in CAFOs, pumped full of antibiotics to keep them healthy while eating corn, which is not their natural diet, to get them fat. We’ve taken rotating crops to keep the soil rich and made huge fields of monocultures, covering them in pesticides to keep away disease that can decimate full fields of weak vegetables. Years of planting a monoculture devastates the soil, and nothing can be grown there for many more years.

Sustainable farming does many things: “solves” a problem we created by trying to grow things in a way mother nature never intended; create healthier, more nutritious, and incredibly delicious food; keep the land itself healthy and full of nutrients; provide humane living conditions for animals; cut down on gasoline/fuel usage; and bring focus back to seasonal eating. Michael Pollan said it all 500% better than I can say it myself. Read his article ‘The Food Issue: An Open Letter to the Next Farmer in Chief” at NYTimes.

At any rate, this inspired me to grow my own garden. Fresh veggies are so much better than anything storebought, and I have the chance to contribute to the environment, my own health, and spend many hours doing some honest work.

Our apartment has a decent sized, fenced in backyard area. We’re turning a little under half of it into our garden. We had to chop down and pull out a HUGE bush over the weekend. I did a soil test and luckily for me, it turns out that we have this amazing, fluffy, rich, black soil that is perfectly alkaline neutral.

Our setup. You can get a glimpse of my adorable little elephant-shaped watering can in the bottom left.


We’ve got two 8 foot grow lights on shelves set up in the laundry room, full of seedlings and little plants. We got started a little early – impatient, I guess!

We’re growing all the herbs we use on a regular basis: basil, cilantro, thyme, sage, parsley, and I’ll be starting seeds of mint and oregano soon. I started some flowers, and have more on the way. We started two heirloom type tomatoes: Red Zebra, and Silvery Fir Tree, and I have 3-4 more transplants in the mail right now. Greg, who is half Puerto Rican, wanted spicy, so we started Ancho and Peach Habanero peppers, as well as some Puerto Rican Aji Dulce sweet peppers and culantro, a cousin of cilantro that we can’t buy here. Those last two guys JUST germinated, and we are thrilled. They need ~85 degree temps and lots of shade, and are very hard to get started. I’ve also got trays of spinach, kale, and lettuce, and some scallions. It’s jam-packed in there and I have a LOT more to plant! We’ve got zucchinis, yellow squashes, carrots (regular and purple!), five color swiss chard, and what I am the most excited about, two southern veggies I just can’t get enough of: Clemson Spineless Okra and Kentucky Wonder [Green] Beans!

Repotting some Basil.

Last week we repotted the seedlings from their original, teensy, peat pot trays they germinated in into nice big pots that will hold them until they go outside in early May, or until I repot to a big big one so they can live inside. The little guys are even bigger now than when we took these photos. The cilantro and basil smell amazing, and the lettuce and spinach have genuine, if tiny, leaves.

Next I need to plan out my actual garden space. It needs a small fence, stepping stones, and most importantly a plan. My beans need poles or fence to climb, which means they will block out the sun in some areas. Tomatoes need lots of sun, as do the peppers. We might build a cold frame for some of the less hearty plants. I promise more photos as things happen! :)

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