08/31/09

Goggles and Pearls

When the alarm went off at 6 a.m., I grumbled to my husband, "I don't want to can tomatoes!"

I'm not a real ranch wife like Julie," I whined, pulling the pillow over my head. "I'm a complete imposter!"

Next, before I'd even had coffee, there was a perky knock on the front door. It was my neighbor and good friend, Julie, who, amongst many other things, is a put-the-sleeves-up-let's-get-to-work ranch woman transplanted to Park City. I had a bushel of tomatoes from our local CSA, Zoe's Garden. Julie had her killer salsa recipe, roasted chiles and peppers, and a can-do attitude. We were going to make salsa happen.

To get us in the domestic mood, Julie brought a special treat: a box of vintage aprons that had belonged to her Grandma Tina. The...

Posted at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments: 7

08/24/09

Back To School

The first day of school in Park City is always bittersweet. The bitter is saying goodbye to the best of summer: long, leisurely nights of not coming inside to even start dinner until 8 o'clock. Watching movies, playing Guitar Hero or sitting with my husband in our Adirondack chairs as the sun sinks below our silhouette of mountains and we watch our boys and their friends playing Ghost in the Graveyard or wall ball until late. No more spontaneous afternoon fieldtrips for ice cream cones just because it's summer. No more intoxicating freedom of no homework. The bitter is after eight weeks of sleeping in, having to wake up at 6 a.m. to a dream shattering alarm clock (even though I have mine set on 'monastery chimes' - something supposedly soothing - I still wanted to shoot it when it...

Posted at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments: 5