so I randomly ended up with zucchini the other day, so I belated (er, a week later) recalled a mention of Zucchini Omelet being quite good (from a Tumblr conversation a few weeks back).

So I sautéed up some zucchini this morning and ... huh! that IS quite good. Unexpectedly so. The garlic salt probably helped, but still. I know zucchini can tend towards bitter at times, so this was surprisingly YUM.

There are many recipes out there (which I looked up AFTER I cooked this morning, I'm backwards like that. I like to create and then use recipes for additional inspiration) but most are entirely too complex for when I'm still nursing my first cup of coffee in the morning. Fortunately this one: http://www.scdrecipe.com/recipes-adventures-in-the-family-kitchen/nonnies-zucchini-omelette/ is pretty straightforward AND I already have those ingredients on hand. Gasp! Might try it tomorrow.

Culinary adventures await, or some such nonsense. Alas, it's not very photographic but I'll see what I can do.

Epic Brewing, week 3.

"Brainless On Peaches"
Release #13. 10.7% alcohol ... BOOYAH!

Let us just sit and meditate upon that name for a moment. Brainless! ha! Now smile and enjoy! For a 'fruity' beer, this is just damned kick ass. It's not overly sweet (which is what makes me avoid the Brainless on Cherries, but I might sample it some day when I stop by Epic Brewing and am NOT on my way to work :P), is based off of their award winning Brainless Belgian Style Ale -- which is also very good, of course. Not that 'Peaches' hasn't won awards - it has! (Silver Medal- Fruit Beer - Great American Beer Festival (September 2011) which is pretty impressive for a Brewery that's only been around, er, less than two years? well, that's when I first 'met' them.



This is definitely one I can drink again and again and again .... it's actually the one that first REALLY caught my attention -- I'd tasted their beers at the Utah Beer Fest in 2010 (no, REALLY, first one ever) but then saw this at the state liquor store last year. I've grabbed a Spiral Jetty IPA when out at bars, but now I'm seeing what else is in their line up. One a week.

Next week? I'm thinking about the Wit Beer, if they have it in their cold case.

(and if you think I'm exaggerating, they were named the #3 top new brewer in the world by Ratebeer.com just a month or so ago!)


EDIT: oh yes the photo! please go ahead and WORSHIP THE VIEW FROM MY HOUSE. yes that's my balcony. What I see at the table every day. Spring storm today, so dreary and snow on the upper mountains. Which are, like, just a few minutes away. Utah might deprive me from Real Beer most of the time, but it gives in other ways :)

So, today I taught Sorin how to go running with me. THAT was easy.

For all that the pup doesn't do much leash work with me, he DOES know how to heel and once we had a few discussions over the fact that this wasn't an expedition for sniffing, he was with me 99% of the time the last 1.5 miles (2 mile run, we didn't try THAT hard).

However, enough that next time I know he'll be right with me with perhaps just a few reminders. Since we rarely go out the front door for any purpose aside from getting the mail, he should be quick to associate the fact that a leash and the front door means running time - and the rules involved. He'll be good :)

As for the run itself ... well, it's good that I have that treadmill time in me. It's VERY easy to open up my stride but then end up pushing myself past my cardio abilities and cramp up. Ow. I ended up not pushing myself as much as I would have in the gym, but enough to know it was a work out. I have new skills to learn for running 'out and about', but at least I have a good sense of my own steady pace from the hours on the treadmill now. I'll get there :)

if you wanted a hand-written look to something, where would you go online or other to find a hand-written type of font?

my own hand writing is not good enough, trust me :P I do a weird bastardization of cursive and some printed letters. even my 'working at it' cursive looks like I'm trying too hard and I have weird foreshortened loops and things.

Ideas?

I am not a runner. But I'm persisting, although I'm half convinced that a "runner's high" is a myth and all of you real runners are laughing at us wannabes ;)

But I simply can't get any decent cardio on an elliptical machine and I like the idea of being able to take Sorin out for a run. For now, we'll ignore the fact that I'm a slow runner and Sorin's idea of a Real Run is closer to Denali's canter speed. whatever I manage, it's faster than walking.

I want to do a fun 5k, once I CAN do that much, but I doubt I'll get into doing regular races. Cost is part of that, but also they seem to be idiotically early in the morning and I work a late shift :P you running people are nuts

But I'll happily ride a horse all day :) allllll day. But after 1/2 an hour I'm just done.

So as I hope you all know, I happen to have a horse named Denali. And exactly 12 years ago, she was born. She was, in fact, already mine since I'd been given her dam when Denali was a 45 day old fetus/speck/cellmass :) I stayed up on foal watch at the barn until the wee hours of the morning for over three weeks through all of February 2000 in between college classes and work. Deciding that the weather was too cold, Denali showed up about 2+ weeks late. But I WAS there for it, and in fact had extra company from the feeder and her boyfriend as well as several other friends who rushed out to attend Denali's birth.

I was there for it, and while I've been at other births since then, this was my first and I knew the horse being born was MINE.

Regardless of all the events of that night or the years since, Denali is still with me and very much 'my' horse in more ways than I could have EVER dreamed up. I did not know, then, of the level of bond I could create with such a creature. Or the adventures we could go on. The level of trust I would have in her, as well as she have in me, as I talk her into the next crazy adventure (we almost went herding buffalo last year, but this year I hope!) after adventure and adventure. I hoped for a horse who would be bold and well adapted to life. To say the least, I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.

So be it galloping through the snow while the wind deafens me on the hillside, talking her into ignoring the scary sounds and tackling the one vital jump for our course, teaching her (and myself at the same time!) to jump down into water, ponying rescue horses, riding under landing airplanes at the municipal airport, jumping in and out of rivers, teaching a dog to heel from horse back, to essentially what we are -- a true harmony between what I ask of her (because it IS an ask, especially with a mare, and never a demand) and what she offers me in return.

ah, whatever. I'm besotted and nothing, literally NOTHING, makes me as happy as I am when I'm on her back, going or doing whatever we are doing, even if it's sitting in the sun bareback and letting her eat grass.

~~~~~

(this last part cross posted from foalstory my horse journal)

I used to have a website about Denali's birth (I still have it, but haven't gotten around to re-uploading it because it is ancient and a bit silly) so I forget that these images are no longer generally available (I took it down a few years ago, or 5).

So, March 4th 2000, shortly after 11pm PST :)


(yeah, that's me. interesting that the hair is the same length. again. although I've entirely chopped it off twice since then! I was there for the entire birth, very much 'attended' and Dot was a gem enough to allow me there without a single issue)


Standing by herself for the first time :)


Dot checks out what she's delivered :)


... and Dot naps a bit.
(and check out the ears on BOTH! in case you weren't certain what Dot's DNA contributed here....)

I study. I work. I sacrifice a LOT in these last few days (test is Tuesday!).

Sorin? not so thrilled.



mmmmmmmmmom??

I try to unwind with a half hour of tv (well, dvd or netflix. no cable here) in the evenings just so he can curl up in my lap.

I could ramble a bit about swimming, but really? here's a portion of the pool and the view (although top of the mountain range here is cloud covered from yesterday's storms) that I get to enjoy.

Yeah, it rocks :)