I still feel that the challenge I've always faced as a writer was naming my children. And I feel that your name is like a one-line poem and that it should resonate even before somebody even meets you.
Oh man. So many berries. So much jam!
Yesterday, we picked 12 pints of strawberries and 6 pints of raspberries, as well as a pound of basil and bought two pounds of tomatillos.
Yesterday, I made salsa verde. Today, I made eight pints of strawberry jam (some with balsamic vinegar—really good!), one and a half pints of raspberry basil jam, six cups of pesto and a partridge in a pear tree. That left two pints of raspberries and two pints of strawberries to freeze, and two pints each to eat fresh.
Thank you so much to my husband who hulled about a million strawberries while I cooked!
Bella graduated from beginner puppy training on Sunday, and they had an adorable hat for her to wear! She looks so unhappy, though!
I call this one, "Cone of Shame."
This, my friends, is the face of puppy love. Look at that sweetness! I'm going to get a print of this and tape it to the fridge to look at when she's busy destroying something.
More photos on flickr!
Allow me to introduce you to Bella, the newest member of our little family.
Bella is six months old and she's a black lab/border collie mix. We found her today at a PetSmart. She'd been with Every Creature Counts, a no-kill shelter here. The woman from the shelter (named Wendy!) told us that animals come to them when they've got no options left; Bella was slated for euthanasia in Mississippi before she was rescued by Every Creature Counts. So, we named her Bella because she's a southern belle.
She was pretty shy and scared when we got her, but she's warming up to us beautifully. She's been in shelters her whole life, so she doesn't really know what to do with a house and a yard. They told us she wasn't potty trained, but we've only had one accident.
Wendy from the shelter was nearly crying when we said we wanted to take her, because she was so scared, she wouldn't even come out of her crate. We spent more than half an hour, sitting outside the crate, tempting her with treats to get her to come close enough to be petted. Wendy said she was afraid Bella wouldn't get adopted, because no one would take the time to get to know her. But we just fell in love and felt like we could give her a forever home and all the attention she needs.
Cleo is taking this a lot better than we had anticipated. She's not hiding or anything; she's mostly interested and a little wary, though not keen on being approached too quickly! We're really pleased that she's handling it as well as she is.
More photos to follow, I'm sure! Or you can click the picture and go to flickr to see more photos from her first day.
This is just a preview of what Baby Richardson will have to look forward to when he meets his Pop.
