Old Is New

This weekend I walked past a hip little shoe store on Valencia Street in the Mission and saw several pairs of Dr. Scholl's in the window.

No shoe makes me think of my mom like these sandals.  I can remember the chunky clockety-clock sound that the wood soles made on the floor.  I remember her pairing them with '80s terrycloth jumpers.  And I remember how excited I was when I finally got my own pair, probably a little girl's size 5 or 6, with a red leather strap.

So that was one trip down Memory Lane.  Then another one hit me when I saw these sandals inside the store:

These are Saltwater Sandals, another type of shoe I had as a kid.  I hadn't seen or thought about them since I was probably 8 and I had no idea they made them for adults.

I kind of still like them.  But I foresee them becoming a staple of every Mission hipster's wardrobe in the near future, so it might be best to leave them in my past.  Plus, I don't own any onesies with which to pair them, and I'd like to keep it that way :)

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Today is the 19th anniversary of my mom's death.  It does and doesn't seem that long ago all at the same time.  I miss her and her Dr. Scholl's.  But I also know and feel that she's looking down at us from above and taking care of us.

Quotes I Like

What's something you know now about happiness that you didn't know when you were 18 years old?

When I was 18 I thought that I had to go out and find things to make me happy. Now I am happiest when I don't venture past my property line. There is a world of adventure in my house and yard -- books, my family, drawing and painting, making yogurt, sauerkraut, and kombucha, beekeeping, raising chickens, making things. I still enjoy going out and seeing the rest of the world, but I also am at the point where I am never bored by staying home. Life gets more interesting as I grow older.

 

--Mark Frauenfelder

 

{Originally posted here}

 

p.s.  I am still serious about beekeeping on our rooftop.  Just need to wait until next spring to give them the healthiest possible start!

Sink Curtain

Cole finished the sink curtain for our bathroom.  It's a big improvement, I think.

Have I mentioned how happy I am that Cole has a sewing machine and actually sews?  That is one activity that I simply don't have the patience for.

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Five days later, I'm having misgivings about the sink curtain.  And they have to do with my deep, irrational fear of spiders.  See, on three different mornings over the past two weeks, I've encountered large eight-legged freaks just hanging out around our house:  one in the bathroom and two in the kitchen.  Each time I stood paralyzed with fear as I tried to decide what to do.  I didn't want to yell out for Cole because a) she was still in bed; b) it was really early in the morning; and c) I didn't want to alert the spider to my presence and allow it to escape.  So I took the plunge and killed each one of them, using a Kleenex, paper towel, and my shoe, respectively.  I even managed to do it without emitting my customary spider-killing battle cry, which I perfected in Flagstaff, where spiders abound.

I have no time to be proud of these accomplishments, though, because now I'm really concerned that the sink curtain in the bathroom is going to become a haven for spiders.  It's clean back there, but it's also dark and now protected by fabric.  And I DO NOT WANT spiders in the bathroom.

I also don't care that two of the three spiders were daddy longlegs and supposedly beneficial as they eat a lot of bugs.  They're still SPIDERS.  And inherently evil.

It remains to be seen how long the sink curtain will last...especially since I jolted awake and jumped right out of bed around 2 am last night, convinced that a huge spider was lowering itself down onto my face from the ceiling.

Lime and Blackberries

I had an excuse to bake this weekend for a friends' party so I tried a lime yogurt cake with blackberry sauce.  It was so delicious!  Not super rich and overwhelming like a chocolate cake (or like the insane chocolate peanut butter cake I made for Cole's birthday).  It was a lot lighter and really moist from the Greek yogurt, I think.

I tried some stenciling on top with powdered sugar.  The small stars were a lot harder to wrangle than the big polka dots I did last time.  But still cute, in their imperfect glory.

The blackberry sauce was just fresh blackberries, fresh lime juice, sugar, and water, pureed.  Mmmmm.

Flora Grubb Gardens

Last Saturday morning, we went to the most awesome garden center ever--Flora Grubb Gardens in the Bayview neighborhood.  This place is AMAZING.  Not only is it one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, it's filled with extremely cool stuff and the most diverse selection of plants, pots, and garden accessories.  It was one of the first garden centers to build hanging walls of plants, like the one on the right above.  Outside, they  have a huge frame on the wall filled with tiny succulents of all types.

Towards the back, there's an old car that has been completely overtaken by succulents and other plants. 

There's also a Ritual Coffee stand in the building, and a wonderful patio outside, so after I'd found some plants and pots to buy, we sat outside and had some coffee and savory scones.  I was really digging the shadows that the patio furniture was making on the ground.

I think I'd like to go to this place weekly, just to get coffee and hang out among the plants.

The Great Pupusa Challenge!

Not long after Cole and I moved to Bernal Heights, we noticed the proliferation of Salvadorean restaurants in the vicinity.  We're not talking two or three scattered here and there.  We're talking clusters of these places up and down Mission Street, with brightly painted facades and funny names.

Then and there we declared our intention to try each and every pupusa place in the area.  And (because I'm competitive), rate them along the way.  {Perhaps I'll have to design a little scorecard for these outings, with categories like "crispness of pupusa," "tanginess of cabbage slaw," "creaminess of platanos fritos de crema," "overall deliciousness of sangria," and "general ambiance," of course.}

I had no idea what a pupusa was before I met Cole.  A few months after we started dating, she took me to her favorite Salvadorean restaurant in Phoenix.  She ordered pupusas and platanos fritos de crema for us.  I sat back and wondered what would arrive at the table.

This is what we got for pupusas:

Pupusas are thick, hand-made corn tortillas filled with cheese (usually a soft cheese called Quesillo found in all Central America) and squash or refried beans or queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America).  Pupusas are typically served with curtido (lightly fermented cabbage slaw with red chilies and vinegar) and a watery tomata salsa.

They are GOOD.  Especially when followed by a plate of platanos fritos de crema--fried plantains with sweet cream.  Mmmmmmm.  Cole traditionally pairs her Salvandorean fare with a beer; I go for the sangria.

We haven't made much headway on our pupusa challenge yet.  We've been to one Salvadorean restaurant, El Patio, and we were impressed.  Cheap, good food and delicious sangria and Latino soap operas playing on the bar's TV.  But we still need to experience these places if we are to be seen as taking this challenge seriously at all:

1.  La Santeneca, 3781 Mission
2.  El Zocalo, 3820 Mission
3.  Restaurante El Paiasa, 3322 Mission
4.  Balompie Cafe 3, 3801 Mission
5.  Los Panchos, 3206 Mission
6.  Nena's Restaurant, 3459 Mission

Notice the addresses...they are all clustered along a pretty small section of Mission Street.  I am sure there are even more in the immediate area, but I figured starting with six (plus the one we've already been to) is good enough.

If and when we finish up this challenge, we might have to move onto a Salvadorean bakery challenge because these spots abound in the area as well.  And look what they have to offer (image from Rico Pan Bakery Salvadoreano):

Upon further reflection, I think that one condition of this challenge has to be that we walk to and from each restaurant as we visit it.  And maybe up to the top of Bernal Hill too while we're at it.  A girl could put on quite a few extra pounds if she indulged in Salvadorean food on a regular basis ;)

Memorial Day Weekend: To Do

Three days off in a row...and I have grand plans.

First, I'll be starting the weekend off right by going to see Sex and the City 2 with Cole and Tara.  I know it'll be formulaic and over the top, but I could use some escapist movie fare right now.  We plan to queue up an hour early at the awesome theatre on Van Ness and treat ourselves to some takeout in line.

Saturday morning will be filled with our usual trip to the farmers market, where I'll probably eye the orchid plants as I have been for the past couple of months.  I'm gearing up to try my hand at one again.

I want to check out some plant nurseries around us this weekend.  All through our neighborhood, I've been seeing the most beautiful geraniums and I think our front entryway could use some pops of bright pink or red flowers.  I have some repotting to do with existing plants and succulents too, so I'll have plenty of reasons to get my hands dirty.

At the top of my list of nurseries to visit is Flora Grubb, a well known garden shop in the Bayview neighborhood.  Not only have I been wanting to go there to check out their wall gardens, I haven't really ventured into the Bayview at all.  New things to see!  And best done during daylight hours...this neighborhood is rumored to be sketchy.  I'd like to see it for myself.

On Saturday night, we're going to game night at a friend's house in Noe Valley and then heading over to the Oakland airport to pick up a friend who's coming in from Minneapolis to spend the summer here.

Did I already say that the weather is supposed to be perfect this weekend?  We've had rain and thunderstorms on and off all this week and are way overdue for a nice stretch of warm, sunny days.  Preferably without wind.  I'm hoping to break out flip flops and a sundress...or at least leave home without a coat.

Sunday:  I have been promised EPIC breakfasts by Cole this weekend.  Since we usually grab something to eat at the farmers market on Saturdays, I'm hoping that she busts out with something special on Sunday...while I lay in bed trying to sleep in :)

On Sunday afternoon, we'll amble up the hill to Cortland to meet friends for drinks in the back garden of Wild Side West.  Weather, please stay warm so we can enjoy being outside.

On Monday, 4 years ago, Cole and I had our first date.  We're celebrating with afternoon tea at the Laurel Court in the Fairmont Hotel.  I can't wait!  I think she's excited about this too.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys much deserved time away from work!