As expected, this year’s garden is outperforming all of my past gardens, but I haven’t quite had the crazy yield I hoped for. My dad’s three tomato plants (one of which was a volunteer), right in the ground, are a thicket of branches and as tall as I am. He can barely keep up with the harvest. My tomato plants, fussed over in a raised bed full of specially mixed soil, look like this:
I’ve tried different watering methods and schedules, but nothing has helped. At this point I’m using an oscillating sprinker set for about 30 minutes a day. The tomatoes I do have are delicious though, and ripening at a good pace. I have cherry and grape tomatoes for salads, and regular ones for sandwiches and sauces. It’s not like I need a bushel a week anyway. I’m only one person.
The cucumbers are just starting to climb and bloom. I like how sneaky cucumbers are. You don’t even know you have any, and then you notice the trellis is sagging, move a leaf aside, and there they are! My bell peppers and jalapenos are also hitting their stride now. The peppers aren’t as big as the ones from a store, but they’re very flavorful.
This is the first year I’ve put herbs in the garden instead of in pots, and the space has been great for them. By this point in the summer, they’ve usually run their course and I have to get new plants, but these have room to expand and multiply. Definitely the way to go.
The zucchini and yellow squash have long since shriveled and died with no warning. I’ve never had any other result with squash. Maybe they just don’t like me.
The eggplant is the surprise performer of the year. It’s really thriving. Eggplant parmesan, here I come!
To use up some of my dad’s surplus tomatoes, I made a batch of tomato sauce from this Smitten Kitchen recipe (SK has never steered me wrong). It was pretty easy to do, and I ended up with SIX half pint jars full. I didn’t preserve it, just put it in jars. I also eyeballed everything and didn’t weigh the tomatoes, but next time I’ll add less onion, carrot, and garlic, because the sauce turned out pretty orange. It’s still tasty though.
3 Comments + Posted in: food, gardening
I had some major revelations this week when a good friend compared my life to Pride and Prejudice. Before you roll your eyes and tune out, know that I’m not one of those girls. I didn’t even read P&P until my best friend gave me a copy for my 25th birthday and made me promise to read it immediately. I enjoy and appreciate it, and its place in culture, but I’m not a purist about it. I even (gasp!) liked the 2005 movie. And now that I’ve alienated both the swoony Mr. Darcy side and the academic Austenite side of that debate, let’s move on.
If there is a Mr. Darcy for me (so to speak; I’m not in love with Darcy himself), he hasn’t yet made himself known. But there are more than a few Mr. Collins types out there. For those unfamiliar with the story, Lizzie refuses the proposal of Mr. Collins, who is a reasonably decent person and could provide for her, but is pompous and inherently bleah. They have no spark and nothing in common. Lizzie’s mother, convinced that no one else will ask due to their family’s poverty, is furious with her. But Lizzie can’t allow herself to be tied to a drippy man, even if that decision has consequences for her and her family.
Like Lizzie, I have a major strike against me (being divorced, not a lack of dowry) when it comes to dating and stuff. I’ve been told repeatedly that I need to adjust my expectations, keep an open mind, be willing to do things differently, etc. etc. Up to this point I’ve been listening to those messages, and chalking any uneasiness up to my personal damage and general cluelessness about the idea of dating again. But what my friend helped me realize is that I don’t have to say yes to Mr. Collins. I don’t have to bury all my feelings and intuition in the name of Giving People A Chance or Putting Myself Out There. Yes, my circumstances aren’t great, but I’m a valuable daughter of God, and I have the right and the ability to choose someone who makes me feel alive… or at least has the potential to. I’m not obligated to say yes to anyone who asks. It’s not selfishness, shallowness, or snobbery. It’s not immaturity. It’s self-respect. And the same is true for all of you. If anyone, even someone close to you or someone you respect, wants you to take the first Mr. Collins who comes along and thank your lucky stars – shame on them. My choosiness might cause me to miss out on some important things, but at least I’ll be able to hold my head high about it, and God will help me to bear it.
I felt so empowered by this idea that I needed to share, because I know someone else needs to hear it. I’ve also decided to start posting a little more often, and more specifically, about my experiences and thoughts as a divorced Christian person. I’ve noticed that it’s not a very common viewpoint in blogs and on websites. I follow several blogs for Christian singles, but they rarely mention or address people who have been married before (or, for that matter, who are over 25). I guess most ministries assume the worst and want to avoid controversy. I’ve often wished there was more content out there for me, something to encourage me and make me feel less freakish. So I want to create some. As always, being divorced is only one aspect of my life, but it has deep roots – and I believe it’s tied to whatever my life’s ministry is supposed to be.
9 Comments + Posted in: dating, empowerment, reading
Happy August – my birthday month! Here are the things I’m wild about right now (besides my new car):
Bunheads on ABC Family. I am CRAZY for this show about a dancer and former Vegas showgirl who finds herself helping to run a dance studio in small-town California. I still haven’t seen Gilmore Girls, but I’m told the dialogue and main components of Bunheads are just like it. This is the only series on TV right now that I look forward to watching regularly. My favorite scene so far involved a long conversation about layaway at Contempo Casuals.
Loft Eyelet Hem Skirt. I scored one of these (in black) for $15 before my NYC trip. I ended up not even taking it to New York, but it’s quickly becoming my favorite skirt at home. I wear it at least once a week. It’s cute, cool, and comfortable. I want to get another one while the getting is good!
The Olympics, of course. I love the excitement, the surprises, the focus on sports that you don’t hear about at any other time, and cheering on Team USA and my other randomly-chosen favorite countries. :) The Olympics are basically an extended good cry for me. Every night I sit weeping quietly at all the medal ceremonies, even if I have no personal attachment to the competitors. The high concentration of people’s lifelong dreams coming true is just too much for me. I’m not kidding, I even got choked up typing that.
Last weekend I saw Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D with my friend Elizabeth. We were each other’s only friends who wanted to see it. :) I’ve felt a growing kinship with Katy since her divorce from Russell Brand, and this documentary/concert film sealed the deal. Like me, she grew up Pentecostal (there’s an old clip of her singing Crystal Lewis’s song “I Now Live,” which I listened to constantly as a teenager). Like me, she’s one of three kids and is close to her sister and younger brother, and considers herself a writer. Like me, she deeply loved a man who wasn’t equally invested in the relationship, and fought unsuccessfully to save her marriage. From what I’ve seen and heard over the years, I think she’s the real deal. I refuse to write her off as many other Christians have. It’s clear to me that she has a very loving heart, a God-given talent, and an amazing work ethic. Even if you don’t agree, the movie is great and surprisingly moving (in between fun songs).
4 Comments + Posted in: fashion, movies, tv
God Loves Ugly by Christa Black
In this brave memoir, singer-songwriter Christa Black shares her journey from destructive perfectionism to thriving and resting in God’s love. While I haven’t dealt with an eating disorder, I really connected with Christa’s struggles, and have learned similar lessons in my own life (though probably not as thoroughly). Her perspective helped me see a lot of things in a new light, and I commend her for her honesty. I want to go through the book again and do some of the journaling/application at the end of the chapters. Highly recommended.
Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore
I already reviewed this here.
Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik
A Clueless-esque retelling of Pride & Prejudice at an L.A. prep school. Sisters Elise and Juliana have just moved to the West Coast with their principal mother, teacher father, and two bratty younger sisters. Right away, they meet two popular guys – Chase, friendly and sweet, and his BFF Derek, the standoffish son of two movie stars. If you’ve read P&P, you know the bones of the plot, but I was impressed by the smooth adaptation to modern-day Hollywood. Although it took me a little while to really get into the story, I ended up liking it a lot. Great summer read!
A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
Although I pretty much liked this novel, I agree with another reviewer that it’s less than the sum of its parts. It chronicles a year or so in the life of Tassie, a Midwestern college girl, right after 9/11. Desperate for work, she becomes a nanny to a troubled couple who have just adopted a little girl of another race. She also gets involved with a supposedly Brazilian guy whose activities become more and more mysterious. At the same time, her younger brother, bereft of life options, joins the military and is shipped off to Afghanistan with disastrous results. Don’t get me wrong, Lorrie Moore’s writing is amazing, but this book lacked focus and tried to address too much. I felt very disoriented when I finished. Maybe that’s what she was going for – who knows. Like most Literature, this book left me feeling like I must not be smart enough to Get It.
Books for July: 4
2012 year to date: 38
Most of this reading was done in transit to and from NYC. The rest of the month has been insanely, unusually busy and I can barely get to bed on time, let alone find time to read. Sigh.
1 Comment + Posted in: book reviews, reading
Several months ago, my dad told me that a co-worker of his was interested in buying my Lexus SUV. What made this weird was that it wasn’t for sale. A while back I went through a phase of wanting a different car, then decided it was easier to stick with what I had. There was nothing wrong with my Lexus – it was purely a personal issue. My ex chose that car for me based on how easy it was to work on and whether it could carry a family of four on a trip. I liked it fine, but it wasn’t really me, and obviously there was a lot of emotional baggage attached. I know a lot of single women choose to drive SUVs and beyond, but to me it felt like a mom vehicle, a constant reminder of what I’m not.
Having a potential buyer changed things. I started researching and took a few test drives. Just as I was getting really excited about the possibilities, the guy decided he didn’t want my car after all. Womp womp. This situation repeated itself several times over the next few months. In the midst of the disappointments, I fell in love with the Hyundai Elantra. By then it was clear that no dealer would give me anything close to what my Lexus was worth, and I needed the full value to help me make a big down payment on a new car. So I stuck to my guns, listed and re-listed my car on Craigslist, and kept driving longingly past the Hyundai dealership.
A week ago today, I confessed to a friend over lunch that I felt discouraged and rejected on every front of my life. At the end of the list of things that aren’t working out was, “I can’t even sell my car.” The very next morning, I got an e-mail from a potential buyer and I could tell she was serious. On Tuesday evening, my dad and I met with her and she said she’d take it! On Wednesday, after searching all the Hyundai dealerships within a three-hour radius, I found THE CAR at Downtown Hyundai in Nashville. It was a 2013, fully loaded, and the perfect shade of Tiger blue, a color I hadn’t seen offered on the Elantra before. I negotiated a great price over e-mail, and she locked it in. On Friday, I sold the Lexus, and on Saturday morning, my parents drove me to Nashville to pick up the new car.
I am head over heels for this car. I’m pretty sure cartoon hearts were hovering around my head when they led me into the showroom. I never planned to have a brand new car, but as a single woman who’s out and about a LOT, I really appreciate the safety, reliability and peace of mind that a new car brings. (Hyundais have a 100,000 mile warranty and five years of free roadside assistance.) I won’t have to worry about anything blowing up on me for a long time. I don’t have to wonder if the car is a lemon or what happened to it before I had it. I also sprang for all the bells and whistles because I expect to keep it for most, if not all, of its life. This purchase might look indulgent and irresponsible, but I can afford it, and I think it was the right thing to do for me right now.
Here’s the car at home. Isn’t it beautiful?? I’m still deciding what to call it. It makes sense to name it after a Tiger (I’m leaning toward D.J.), but I also found myself calling it Blue Ivy. (I do like Beyonce and Jay.)
I know it’s very spoiled and First World of me, but I see this car as a generous gift from God. I feel newly reassured that He hears me and hasn’t forgotten me. It’s a reminder that he can and does bring something out of nothing. Maybe my life has stalled out, but He can pull out the jumper cables at any time.
11 Comments + Posted in: hope, thankful