Steve, I didn't know it was your birthday!

Today is Ricky's birthday! He's 29. Will be treating him to tasty cupcakes and food and beer tonight... and then the final of Top Chef. What a perfect day it will be.

I won't be letting him hold the cupcakes with candles in them, though, because clearly then he makes an awkward face during it.

Memorable Ricky FB updates

Every now and again, FB posts "memorable status updates" from my friends. Today, it was Ricky:

When I was born the doctor had to use forceps to get me out of my mother's womb.... this would prove to be a constant theme throughout my life, but I'm glad that the doctor forced me out of my mother's body with giant metal tools because then I wouldn't be able to enjoy all you wonderful people that have wished me a happy b-day. Thanks!

Last night at the Red Sox game there was a 13-year-old kid doing some hardcore sexting.

I might be unaware of the fact that "Nothing Feels Good" is my favorite album of all time. I forget about it, and then listen to it and realize how great it is.

Hot Pockets, your panini is gross

Luke Burbank sums up how I feel on a regular basis

We all love cupcakes and we're all on kickball teams. It's great. We can't even believe how ironic we are. It's just amazing. We all have Star Wars t shirts on and we all do flash mobs. We're living the dream of being totally crazy in the most predictable possible way.
~Luke Burbank, TBTL, 3/16/11


Thank you, Luke Burbank, for ranting for about ten minutes on your podcast about how I feel on most days.

New Gardens

The last few weeks have been very busy, with my busy season at work coming up, Lewis to tend to, and other things on my mind. I had my gum surgery and recovered from it so nicely that I am a teaching sample at Harvard Dental School! I joked with a few people that I hope I can use this to get an honorary degree and put it on my wall.

But this post isn't about teeth or kittens or being busy. It's about planning a new garden.

With the warm weather and all the snow melting, not to mention Crate and Barrel emailing me pretty things almost daily, my mind has been wandering to the Bistro and what plants I want to put there. The Bistro is our porch. A friend of Ricky's dubbed it The Bistro during a party, and it's stuck ever since. Right now it only has some patio furniture, empty pots, and the remnants of dead plants that have been covered with snow for about 4 months. It's time to pretty the space up!

MSL had an article about growing gardens in small spaces, which I learned a lot from. It's all about using what space you have, and knowing what plants to grow based on the limitations of space. Her pretty photos of porches with levels of potted plants also inspired me.

For sure, there will be basil and other herbs. Basil, rosemary, and dill are on my list. One thing I learned from the Salem Farmer's Market is that I never use all the herbs in their packaging. A few pieces of dill are nice, but a large clump of it doesn't work. And making pesto and basil-based desserts is always lovely in July.

For veggies, definitely a pepper plant or two. It was nice to add a fresh pepper to a stir fry dish. I'm also thinking of growing beans again. They're great raw, and with a nice piece of fish. Lettuce I'm on the fence on. I've had mixed results, though it's nice to make fresh salads. Martha Stewart wrote last month about miniature cucumbers, which I plan on trying. That and radishes.

I think in early April, before the craziness of work and the wedding season of 2011 starts I'll go to a garden store and get my supplies for this season. I got a pot from Crate and Barrel last week to repot my spider plant, and it definitely put me in the mood to get to gardening. (I'll post photos of my indoor plants soon... they look very pretty in my kitchen, especially with the nice lighting)