cold enough

oh yes, a market day chilly enough for me to wear both my boots and my hat!! which is a good thing, because going to bed with my hair wet last night made for a messy nest this morning.




the weather has been predictably nutty for our part of the world. it's as though this region goes, 'fall shmall, we like our people perennially dewy and in shorts, yo'. all week it was pretty warm, rainy, and extremely muggy, which resulted in an explosion of mosquitoes and other bugs, as well as all sorts of vegetation. on one of my walks in the park I noticed 'shrooms dotting the lawn:



our little rose bush out back was even tricked into sprouting a couple of buds:



I don't know how farmers manage to read the weather well enough to know when to plant/harvest. seriously. this morning at t'afia, I heard a couple of them talking about getting things picked before the rain this week, and how if it's too muddy you can't do it. I like that we're getting a little more familiar with the local farmers and vendors. we picked up more of the amazing andouille from Al, the Grateful Bread guy, along with some chicken-apple-cinnamon sausage that totally tickled our tastebuds, hit the Indian and cheese booths again, and got a smattering of veggies out front. I picked up a bunch of collard greens because they looked so fresh and green, and a little lady told me how to make them flavorful... I don't know that I've actually ever tried them before and M is dubious, so I'm hoping to sell us both on them this week. I'm also looking forward to making a sauteed squash pizza with buttercup and sweet dumpling squash and fresh mozarella... and maybe another rat-tat-too-ee...

**********

our good friends the Sargents are currently exploring the New England area, and their travels reminded me of our trip to Boston a couple of years ago. we had such a good time... I really loved the wealth of things to do there, and particularly enjoyed The Freedom Trail and the opportunity to learn so much American History while getting a ton of exercise. :) here are a few pics of our time there: (I had to do a bit of internet searching to refresh myself of some names/events... I wish I'd paid more attention in History class back in the day!)

Boston Common:

the beginning of the red line that leads you on the Freedom Trail:

the Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence was read aloud from the balcony to the people down below. the circle of cobblestones commemorates the Boston Massacre:

the Paul Revere statue and the Old North Church (the oldest standing church in Boston with the highest steeple), where lanterns would be lit in the tower to signal how the British were arriving... one if by land, two if by sea...

the USS Constitution... Old Ironsides herself.

I chose to look up the Charleston Navy yard, and on the bottom of the National Park Service webpage for the yard was this funny tidbit:

Did You Know?
The Internal Revenue Service used to conduct ceremonies rewarding its best collectors and other employees at Faneuil Hall? Considering that Faneuil Hall was the site of some notable tax resistance meetings before The Revolution, we must conclude that the IRS does have a sense of humor after all.

that's the Bunker Hill monument back there on top of Breed's Hill, where the Trail ends. when you're standing up there, the words 'don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes' take on a whole different meaning. (their ammunition was limited, so the Colonial militia had to wait for the British to get close enough so their defensive attacks were the most effective. the British eventually captured the Hill, but on the third try and not without suffering a lot of casualties.)

romantic street lamps.

we ended our day of historic sight-seeing at this wonderful, small, family-owned Italian restaurant. we were walking around looking for a place to eat and noticed a line out the front door of this place. a woman waiting for her table told us that we wouldn't regret the wait, and she was absolutely right.

can't wait to see your pictures, Chels! hope you guys are having a lovely time.

-m.y.