SuperEggplant

I have mentioned before my mother’s creative spelling. Cram chowder is one of them, and it is very appropriate for today, because I got to eat some tasty cram chowder from the Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach with the one-and-only Rachael (wearing her luscious Noro sweater), her adorable mother, and the Hedster (modeling her snazzy new hairdo).

The cram chowder comes in a grilled bread bowl! I had never been to this place, but apparently Rachael has the phone number programmed into her cell phone so she can call in her order and have it ready by the time she hits the beach! She is one smart cookie. I wish we had had hours and hours to play.
Another of my mother’s spellings: hot closspan. The queen of the hot closspan is Rachael’s mother. She had sent me her recipe a while back, but I haven’t tackled it yet. I had my fingers crossed that, what with Easter and all, she made a batch of them and was left with a few extras. MY WISH CAME TRUE:

Thanks to all who wished insane brother a happy birthday!

Peter and I are heading to the Bay Area on Friday so he can go to the Pacific Sail Expo. I’m planning to visit Megan, who is recovering from her mastectomy (and which has caused her to have an eggplant boob). The healing is not going as quickly as she would like. She feels completely chopped up. Please send healing vibes her way! Oh, so anyway, today I made her a little necklace.

She is a hairdresser, so that’s why I chose the comb and blowdryer charms.
Well, Monday, April 12, is insane brother’s birthday. He turns FORTY. That would be 40. I don’t think there’s going to be a party or a cake, and my present is arriving late, so it all seems rather anticlimactic, doesn’t it? If you have a chance, please go wish him a happy 40th birthday!

The fence started moving along rather quickly after Peter got his jackhammering completed and post holes dug. Our friend Jon came to help TWICE, and today there was a whole crew: Peter, his father, and Jon. They got the entire fence put up today. Here’s proud Peter with his fence:

Okay, I am going to try to finish Pumpkin Fluff tonight, so off I go.

I wish I had some interesting, crafty news to share, but I don’t. I don’t know if it’s the time change or coming down from my Portland trip, but I have been exhausted all week. Last night I knit a few rounds on Pumpkin Fluff then passed out on the couch!
I have a confession to make: I kind of like our K-Mart. I used to think it was gross, but then I started going so I could scope out the Martha Stewart stuff. Now I go and space out and wander around in various sections. It’s never crowded, and they actually have some cute stuff, particularly in the handbags and socks section.
Has anyone out there used a self tanner? I rarely wear sandals because I am an orthopedic shoe kind of gal (I am naked without my orthotics), I have mangled and unsightly toes, and I have an extreme tan line from my socks. I’m thinking that I could wear some kicky little mules (to cover my toes), but that tan line is pretty severe. Could a self tanner help? Any favorite brands? You know I like orange, but I don’t know if I want orange feet (or wait, do I?).

Well, I made it back to California, and now I’m tired and feel like I have too many things to do! Isn’t that the way? Before I blab on about things nobody will find interesting, how about some knitting content? When I was in Portland, I worked on the Pumpkin Fluff sweater. I had bought some Sirdar Snowflake last year, and it has been sitting in my stash, waiting patiently. I thought a little spring pullover might be nice. The stuff is very light and soft, but the gauge is impossible to detect, so it’s kind of a pain. The good thing is you can’t see any mistakes!

Some reactions I’ve received thus far? Insane brother (who is turning 40 on April 12): “What the hell is that fluffy thing?” Peter: (after laughing) “Why do you have that pocket there? That yarn is too lightweight to support that sort of pocket, and it will be all misshapen. Can’t you get rid of that pocket?”
Speaking of Peter, it’s his spring break this week, but he’s already booked up. Here’s part of our backyard this morning:

And a few hours later:

Yup, no more stone wall! The earthquake nearly knocked it over, anyway. Now Peter will spend the week digging post holes and building a tall wooden fence.
Other news: I spoke with cancer-fighting Megan yesterday. She sounds great and is not in much pain (ahh, the wonders of morphine). The surgery went well, and she was discharged from the hospital today! I’m going to see her next week when we go up to the Bay Area for a short trip (okay, so Peter has to go to the All-Sail Expo).
And finally, I want to share an amazing discovery Mrs. H and I made: Cadbury Creme Eggs taste better when they are melted! If you leave the big ones in the sun so that they are teetering on the brink of liquidity but are still holding their shape, they are super yummy. The outside shell melds harmoniously with the creme filling to create perfection. Try it and let me know what you think!

It was a gorgeous day on my final full day in Portland! I went with some friends to Posie, a very cute little boutique with many handmade items. It’s always great to see a genuinely nice and very talented person pursuing a creative career!
And here’s some more creativity:

I had heard about how great Pix Patisserie is, but I didn’t think I was going to have the opportunity to go there. Lucky for me my parents like the Japanese restaurant that is next door to Pix. Insane brother talked me into checking it out, and we brought home those three goodies. One is a lemon tart, one is some sort of chocolate ganache-filled creation with a dark cherry in the center, and the menage a trois tart has orange-vanilla creme brulee and chocolate and good goo (I can’t remember exactly). Mmmmm.
Portland has been great, but I miss Peter and Deedle, so I’m looking forward to heading home tomorrrow (though I wouldn’t mind moving to Portland one of these days … ).