Welcome!

Congrats to Em and family over at Totblock who welcomed their newest addition this week. You can see pictures and share the love at http://totblock.blogspot.com/2008/02/newest-addition.html

We're so happy for you guys.

Does it ever stop?

The rain here is most impressive. I'm sure you all are tired of our whining about the weather ("more pics!" I hear you clamoring), but seriously, the weather here is unbelievable. My students were working in a computer lab today and as they were quietly typing (yes, they really are that fantastic) a BOOOM! shook our room. We all stopped, peered out the window, and watched as buckets, nay, barrels of water came down. And now, as I try to work on homework myself, I'm distracted by the flashes of light, the thundering echos, and Peter exclaiming "oh my god" over and over.

The most amusing part about this (for right now) is that everyone here thinks that I'm USED to the rain. It's hard to explain that it does not rain like this where I'm from. Ever. Peter and I spent one memorable evening last spring on our couch with all the lights turned off watching a storm roll in in Portland. Ha. That was a storm? I've seen 10 times that storm in one afternoon here.

And more confusing to attempt to explain is that although we have plenty of rain back in Oregon, we don't have humidity. That one is apparently a mind bender for the folks here. I complain and complain about the humidity and they look at me and say "but you lived in OREGON. It rains all the time there." And I try again to explain that while it's gray for 9 months, and drippy most of that time, it's not actually humid.

There are flash flood warnings again for our neck of the woods. And we're supposed to have a program potluck/bbq on Friday in a park near here. I'm told that if the park turns into a lake, we'll move to someone's house. This park has a tendency I guess.

I gave away my good umbrella before our move, due to some mistaken belief that it doesn't rain in the Middle. Guess I'll need to buy a new one. It's too hot for my raincoat.

Goodbye Oregon

We'll miss you.




The driving begins tomorrow. We'll check in from The Middle.

it's just like riding a bike

So, it turns out that driving is just like riding a bike, you don't forget. I drove around like crazy today picking up prescriptions, stopping by the drugstore (and yes, these were different places, sigh), and the funnest of all, taking miles to the vet. It seems that his rabies vaccine was due for a booster, and since our new home town requires it, it seemed easier to do it now than to add it to our list of things to do there.

I found out during our travels that indeed, you don't forget how to ride a bike. Twice during our trip we rented bicycles and did our sightseeing on wheels. Our first try was in Lucca (also the site of Peter's illness). Lucca still has its original city wall and it has been turned into a city park. You can rent bikes and ride them around the top of the walls, a 4 or 5 kilometer loop. I was a little nervous about the bikes because, well, I can't actually remember the last time I rode a bike. I'm pretty sure it was sometime BEFORE my freshman year of HIGH SCHOOL (for those doing the math, yes this means 16 years ago). So, I think I was a bit justified in my nervousness. It turns out that yes, I could still ride a bike, I just couldn't balance very well. Once I was up to speed, I was fine, but the slow part, particularly the starting and stopping parts (major parts of bike riding I understand) were a bit more tricky.

We also rented bikes in Munich, Germany through an outfit called Mike's Bike Tours. This time, we actually had a guide and were on city streets (a bit) instead of entirely on paths without cars. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous about my starting, stopping, and balancing abilities. Our trip was great, I didn't hit a car or person, and I even managed to stay on my bike after our stop to drink a half liter of beer. So, I'd say that my skills have even improved!

I guess this means that it's time for me to get a bike (I hear that the Middle is nice and flat, so it should be nice to ride around). There's no good reason why I hadn't ridden a bike in so long, it just worked out that way. Now that I've ridden in two foreign countries, I might as well ride in my own.

MILES!!!!! We're home (for now)

Yes indeed, we've ended the flying portion of our trip. We're back in the lovely Rose City (although for some reason it's 90 today!). Miles and I are reunited and there's cat hair everywhere. A few days of seeing family and friends (have we written this post six times already?) and doing errands and then we're off to the Middle.

The current plan is to pack on Sunday (we'll be looking for loading volunteers... hint hint) and then hit the road bright and early Monday morning. We have a place in The Middle lined up, thankfully, and will hopefully arrive Thursday am.

And then the fun begins...

Are We There Yet?

Another day, another long day of travel. We're heading West to pick up our stuff. Then the real adventure begins.

Tell Miles to get the Purrrr-ing machine warmed up, Kimberly's coming and she's looking for snuggles.

A Belated Birthday

I could write a post about our crazy time in Bologna and the very strange museums we saw there (which I will eventually, because it was too good, but may need to wait til I can upload pictures). Or I could write about coming to Milan and visiting my cousin Emanuela and her boyfriend Guido (which has been wonderful). Or even about what we will be doing over our next 3 weeks here (not really sure, but we think it involves the Dolomites and Venice).

But instead, I'll let you all know that yesterday was Miles' birthday. We don't know that it was actually his birthday, but we adopted him one year ago yesterday. Hopefully he got a treat or goo dpetting in Portland, but we thought it would be weird if we called him for his birthday, as he doesn't talk or anything (and this post is probably weird enough).

So anyways, Happy Birthday cat.

How I Spend My Days

Did you know that baby birds hatch from eggs?

FROM EGGS!!!!

Unbelievable that something so cute and tasty looking could come from something so boring looking and not-tasty. Anyways, while those two 'owners' of mine are out backpacking around Italy, I've found me a new hobby: watching these silly little birds have new chicks under the deck.

Sometimes Ben and Jerry like to come out and watch with me, but they're not as interested; they roll to their own beat.

This is so cool. I can't wait til they try to fly. Who knows what will happen then?!?!?!?!? Maybe they'll fly!?! Maybe they'll fall!?! Maybe we'll get a snack!?! Who knows. All I know is that the anticipation is killing me (Hm, maybe a new saying: 'Anticipation killed the cat.' I'll have to work on that one).

Back to that Ben and Jerry. Turns out they're not so bad. Once Tiger-stripe over here realized I wasn't going to be taking over, he chilled out. Jerry even caught a bird on the deck and brought it inside. He's got cat-like reflexes (hahahahahahahahahahahahaha - I am hysterical).

The woman who lives here came home. She said she saw those other two and they send their love. But she also told me they've been galavanting all over Europe with new and different cats, even threatening to replace me.

I'm not sure if I should believe her, but I'll be sure to give those 2 a good sniffing when they back. I kind of miss them.

Peace out.

An Update

If you've noticed, I've been doing most of the posting the past couple of weeks. You may have even asked yourself: "What is this garbage? Where are the good posts, the ones I enjoy reading?" I mean, I ask those questions.

Well, Kimberly has been busy type-type-typing, finishing up her thesis. She's almost there. Hopefully later on in the week she'll be back with us here at Stuck in the Middle; until then I have her locked in the den.

Miles, our other occasional contributor, went on a little field trip on Friday. He got really mad at us and has been ignoring us since. While it's much quieter around the house without his whining, it's also kind of sad. I'm going to see if he wants to post and get some stuff off his chest. Maybe it will help.

And for all of you who think Miles can't type and is using a ghost writer, we have photographic proof that he uses a computer. Here he is helping Kimberly:

No, Kimberly is not typing her paper in the arctic; she is just temperature sensitive.

Things are getting hectic around here, as we're well under 30 days. Let the fun begin.

It's back!

See that. Up there in the distance, through the blurry picture, past Kimberly's head. That's it, the one, the only, the Portland Saturday Farmers' Market.

This past Saturday, the 7th of April, was opening day of the Farmers' Market season; there's also a Wednesday market and two Thursday markets, but this is the grand-daddy of 'em all. Needless to say, Kimberly and I were excited about the return of the market. Watch how easy the eating inspiration flows as we make our way through the market.

We took only a couple pictures, but I'm putting them all here, as added inspiration (they're also on Flickr, over there ----->, for your continuous viewing pleasure).

To the left we have Kimberly with the mushroom guy - he's in the back, with the pastel green easter tie, stylin'. She's picking out some maitake mushrooms; sometime later this week we'll be cooking these tasty fungi with some butter, cream, and garlic to make a nice little cream sauce to go over our pumpkin-potato gnocchi. Sounds good, huh?

Just to the left are the shiitakes. We got a couple handfuls of those too; those are going to be added to a hot wok - probably with some tofu, some broccoli, some leeks, and a sauce of, I don't know, ginger, soy and sesame oil - for a wonderful stir-fry. Add rice and spring rolls...man, I'm getting hungry.

One of the great things amongst all the wonderful things that is the Farmers' Market is the free samples; not only do you get to snack on wonderful berries and bacon and things, you get to try new things. Here, Kimberly is snacking on some Kale rabe. Apparently, its better raw than cooked; I've never eaten it cooked, but it sure was tasty raw. (Can you see the excitement in Kimberly's eyes - that's what the Market does to you.)

So at the various produce stands, we picked up some potatoes, some onion, and some cauliflower. This was our dinner tonight - a nice cauliflower-potato Indian curry. See how easy dinner planning is when you have inspiration.

Being a poor documentarian, I didn't get any pictures of the pork guy (bacon, brats, chops, easter hams...drool), the flower people (a dozen tulips for $5), or the multitude of other wonderfulness. Maybe in the next few weeks I'll add to the album. Because if there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that we'll be back to the Market in the next few weeks.

I'm glad the Farmers' Market is back.

Fake Spring- a definition

Peter discusses Fake Spring in the post down below, but neglected to define and emphasize the importance of Fake Spring.

Fake Spring: noun. The time of year that occurs during beginning/mid-March. Typically lasts for 3-10 days. The weather dramatically shifts from rainy, rainy, rainy to beautiful blue skies and shirt-sleeve temperatures. People go from wearing lots of Gore-Tex to shorts, skirts, and tank tops. Fake Spring inevitably ends with a return to Winter (aka the Rainy Season). The Rainy Season will last until May or June.

Fake Spring is sneaky. The first time people experience Fake Spring (all those transplants), they think it is Real Spring. They pack away the rain gear and begin to work in the garden. They rejoice in the sun! Then they are devastated. Our fair city (not the Car Talk Guys City) has two main seasons- the Rainy Season lasting from October through June and the Dry-ish Season which periodically shows up during July, August, and September.

The seasons of Fall and Spring typically last for a few short weeks, if they occur at all. Often the transition is shorter. Those of you who were at our wedding in October- that was the week of fall. It started raining in earnest right after that.

Fake Spring ended today. The Rainy Season has resumed.

It's melting....

It's almost all gone now, the snow. Sigh. We actually had to go to work yesterday and today. Oh well. Peter says that it's good the snow's melting; that at least it hasn't had a chance to turn brown. I guess he's right, but it sure was fun!

At least it's not cold anymore!



[01.20.07 1:57 p.m. As a follow up to the melt, here's Kimberly's snow angel, trying to hold on for a little while longer - PEter]

It's still here!!! (and we are too)

Well, what started out as a freak snow flurry has shut down an entire city. Peter already has cabin fever. Sigh. He's roaming around the house, proclaiming "red rum" and laughing manically. What have I gotten myself into?

anyway, back to my description...

It's beautiful, the snow. We walked to New Seasons for lunch supplies and saw all sorts of cool snow men and snow sculptures, people outside playing, cross-country skiers, and kids on sleds. One creative pair of parents were pulling their tot in a laundry basket!

The buses are running, kinda. The roads around here are still icy and snowy, but the freeways look relatively clear. The weather folk are predicting freezing rain tonight and a low of 29, so that means that the streets might entirely ice over. Will tomorrow be another snow day?

I hear that this is nothing compared to Iowa. I'm scared.

Not Supposed to Happen

In case you were wondering, it NEVER snows in Portland, which is why today was so amazing. Apparently, at 5 am, there was nothing on the ground (I wouldn't know, I was sleeping). In fact, we watched the weather report last night, something we rarely do, and the weatherman said maybe some flurries, but that was all.

So it wasn't surprising that when we woke up this morning, Kimberly's exclamation of "There's snow on the ground! Alot! And it's still snowing!!!" were skeptically received. Then, I looked, and Holy Crap! it was snowing.

I need to head north and cross the Columbia to get to work, so I went back to bed; it just wasn't happening, as The Couv is usually worse than Portland and I didn't want to get stuck up there.

However, Kimberly had quite the adventure trying to get to work; from the bus, she watched several accidents and numerous near misses, including the joy of watching the bus you were just on sliding backwards off the bridge. She came home eventually and we went out to enjoy the snow.

Kimberly is giddy as a 8 year old; like I said, it never snows out here. She's making snow balls, snowmen, snow angels, snow-_____ (fill in your own noun) and drinking lots of hot cocoa.

The snow is generally wrecking havoc on the city (click here and watch the 15-car collision), shutting most everything down. They don't have snow-plows out here and they don't have salt/sand trucks, because it never snows out here. The news people say it's going to melt a little, then freeze over night again, meaning tomorrow will be even more fun. I think I'll just turn off my alarm tonight.