simple abundance

I woke up feeling pretty Zen about everything this morning.  I got some extra sleep, made myself some manual-drip Finger Lakes Roasters coffee and settled on the porch with my hero Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian to do some meal planning. 

What a gorgeous morning it was, and still is.  The sun is burning off the remainders of last night's thunderstorm.  People seem to be extra nice today.  There were no discourteous drivers on the way to the market this morning.  There was a pleasant din at the market itself - the crowd wasn't that bad and people weren't really all that cranky.  Also, I didn't even get pissed off about all the push carts, wagons and strollers which normally annoy me to no end.  I came home with a pretty good haul for the week: squash, eggplant, home-grown asparagus, parsley, cauliflower, and some more heirloom eggplant and tomato plants.  (I planted a bunch last weekend but a rambunctious squirrel destroyed my Cherokee Purple, so I had to get another one.)

Our gardens are looking so lush and vibrant - all I want to do is sit out and watch the plants grow.  There is almost nothing more satisfying to me than growing things; especially my own food.  This morning for breakfast I had a bowl of Puffins with strawberries from our strawberry patch.   So delicious!

We also have quite a lot of birds visiting the feeders.  Mostly we have sparrows, goldfinches, house finches, cardinals, chickadees, blue jays and mourning doves.  Occasionally a red belly woodpecker will make an appearance, like the other day.  Yesterday and this morning I also heard a hermit thrush calling from somewhere out behind the house.  That was pretty cool. No humming birds yet, but I think I got the feeder out early enough that we might get some later.  We have a honeysuckle bush that was a big hit last year, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

The hops continue to flourish.  Husband and I are very much looking forward to September when we'll be able to brew a wet hop something-or-other (I'm hoping for a pale ale).  We think this variety are Cascade, but we're not totally sure. 

I love days like this.  I would much prefer to put off my errands and other household tasks for another day, but I think if I do I'll be way behind.  I want to have next week free and open.  :)